First time grow: cfl file cabinet

What im working with:
2 drawer file cabinet(inside painted white)
4 23w 5000k cfl bulbs
1 power strip with the bulbs attatched that im putting magnets on so i can move the lights when needed

This is going to be my first attempt at growing. I have researched it and wanted to try for years, but I'm just now attempting. Right now I am germinating some bag seeds and building my box. Does anyone have some advice for what I should do with the drawers? Should I cut the bottom out or scrap everything but the face? What would be the easiest way? I have a sawzall, but im afraid that will leave rough ugly sharp edges. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Once I get a seed going and the door/face done I will work on ventilation. As of now my plan is to have a 120mm intake and 120mm exhaust(with a Walmart pencil cup carbon filter).
I have some pics, but it won't let me add attachments from my phone.

I'd say, take everything out but the face. Dimensions of the cabinet? How many do you plan on growing?

Thanks for the input. That's actually what I was leaning towards. The dimensions of my cabinet are about 16 x 20 x 30 inches(not exact I'm not home to measure it). Right now I'm germinating half a dozen seeds(bag seeds) and I'm gonna plant all the ones that form tap roots, but by the time it gets to flowering I only plan to have 1 girl possibly 2.

Does anyone know how to post pictures with an iPhone? I have no Internet right now so I can't use my computer.

Don't know how to post pictures from an iphone sorry cant help you there.

My suggestion is also to take everything out but the face to make as much room as possible in there. Im having trouble thinking of how much room that will be but you are probably either going to want to LST or get a scrog in there.

You may want to try a passive intake instead of using an intake fan of equal power to the exhaust fan. I think that would be more likely to keep odor leaks out but you should research that instead of taking my word for it.


Good Luck dude, looking forward to seeing some pics once you figure out how to upload them!

4 of my seeds germinated, so I just planted them in solo cups and put them under the light. Should I leave the light on 24/7? About how long should it take for them to sprout?

I plan on posting some pics once I have something worth seeing.

Yeah, 24/7 until they pop out. Probably a couple days. Goodluck!

They sprouted last night! Also, I got the app, so I can add pics now. Opinions? Are my lights close enough(about 4 inches away)?

You should try to put the bulbs about 2 inches from the top of the seedlings.

Also, it helps if they are directly above the seedlings

Ok, I'll put them more directly under the light. Should I still leave in on 24/7?

Either 24/0 or 18/6

There has been no data to back up if either schedule is better than the other...

18/6 Pros:

The 6 hours of darkness helps cool down your setup.
Less electric.

24/0 Pro:

Conveniency

Edited by BYOweed, 27 July 2012 - 04:26 PM.

Thanks, I'll leave it on 24/7 for now.

Here are a few pic updates. I moved them closer to the light, and added a fan for circulation(I haven't run into heat problems so no exhaust for now).

My stems are purplish... is this a problem?

nope... not a prob. there good.

Here is a pic update. All is well so far. The three girls(hopefully) were all planted/germd at the same time, but on is 2x as big as the others. Not sure why, I guess it could have better genetics(all 3 are random bagseed).

I'm starting a file cabinet grow on september 1st. It'll be nice to have someone else with the same setup that I can follow.

Awesome man. I'm a beginner too, but I'll definitely help you with anything I can. I'm interested to see what I can yield from my cabinet.

Awesome man. I'm a beginner too, but I'll definitely help you with anything I can. I'm interested to see what I can yield from my cabinet.

Yeah, I'm not looking for a giant yield. I'm more just trying to gain some experience.

I have some pics for an update, but it keeps saying upload failure for some reason... When should I transplant them out of the solo cups and start lst?

By week 2 you should transplant out of a solo cup, and you can start to lst after the 3rd node grows.