Another CFL Grow!

Discussion in 'Micro Grows' started by frostedkush, Jan 5, 2011.

  1. #1 frostedkush, Jan 5, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 6, 2011
    Hey everyone, I have recently been reading up alot on growing and going to give it a shot my self. I will be growing in a broke ass cardboard box lined in tinfoil and ducktape. I know the whole don't grow in cardboard, don't use tinfoil, your going to burn down your house down thing, but don't get me wrong this thing is legit IMO. All of the cardboard is completely sealed off and the entire box is covered in ducktape, so hopefully I dont end up with a soggy piece of crap or burn down my house :p. The box is 14"H x 12"W x 6"D which is fairly small but I plan on buying a PC case or building a small grow box when the plants outgrow the box. The way the box is going to be set up I will have roughly 8" of growing height. I will have one outtake PC fan and a passive intake. As for lighting I have some 23 Watt 3000k CFLs, but is it really necessary to veg under 6500k? If so I will pick some up when I get the rest of my supplies. As for seeds im getting some from a buddy so I have no idea on strain. Pics will be up soon on what is done, any advice and tips greatly appreciated! Sorry for the long post GC, but happy toking. :wave:
     
  2. Hey GC, I have some pictures, just wondering what is the easiest way to get them on here?
     
  3. #3 frostedkush, Jan 6, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 6, 2011
    Nvm figured it out, heres the pictures.

    DSC00390.jpg

    2 CFLs will be plugged into the extension cord and can be easily lowered.

    DSC00391.jpg

    Another view.

    DSC00392.jpg

    All completely hidden in a guitar amp box.

    Still to be done:

    -Duck tape top on.
    -Buy a 80mm PC fan for outtake.
    -Make hole for passive intake (any thoughts on how big?).
    -Buy 2 plug in sockets.
    -Buy 2 23 Watt 6500k (can I use 3000k for veg?).
    -Put soil in the pots and get a tray for drainage.
    -Get some seeds and germ them! :hello:
    Feedback, tips and advice greatly appreciated.
     
  4. This looks pretty ligit man, but why are you doing it so small? I am just near the end of my first cardboard box grow, but my box is about the size of a mini fridge, like 42" tall. I used the aluminum foil and two pc fans and man its coming along great so far.

    To answer your question, the 6500 k bulbs aren't critical to have, although it helps. I just suggest that you add 1 or two more bulbs because having just 2 won't give you much yield.
     
  5. I am doing it so small because I still live with the rents and don't think they would be too happy about growing :p. I could of used a bigger box but I like this box because I made it out of cardboard scraps and taped it all together to fit nicely in a box I already have so I dont have something that looks like a bomb sitting in the back of my closet. It is alot easier to hide because I only have 1 wire coming out of it which runs out my closet and behind some other crap and behind my bed so there will be no raised levels of suspicion. Next time around though I will either have a PC case or build a small grow box, or atleast use a bigger cardboard box.

    I checked out your grow and it looks good man. What is the problem with using tinfoil anyway, im still unsure on that. As for lights I will most likely go with 4 23 Watt 6500k CFLs then.

    As for whats going to go on inside the box I plan to grow 2 plants, topping, 4 way LST, and maybe ScrOG, and scrapping any males, hopefully none :devious: . When the plants get too big for this thing I will find something else to put them in.

    But will 1 80mm PC fan for outtake and passive intake do it? And how big should the hole for the passive intake be?

    Anyways thats all for now everyone ill post an update whenever I get some more supplies. Happy toking! :smoke:
     
  6. The problem with tinfoil is that it can burn your plants. This is more of a problem with HID lights than CFLs but it's still something you'll want to avoid. Spend the extra 20 bucks and buy yourself a roll of Mylar at Home Depot or somewhere similar, you won't regret it.
     
  7. Sup GC, I got a chance to pick up some plug in sockets today. Heres a picture.

    DSC00393.jpg

    I will be out of town tomorrow but I will be back Saturday night so on Sunday I will hopefully be able to get my PC fan and finish my box.

    At the moment the lights I have in there are the 23 Watt 3000k CFLs, but I will probably pick up 2 26 Watt 6500k CFLs on Sunday and swap them out for the 23 Watt CFLs. Am I really going to need more than 2 lights in such a small box? If I did my math correctly I have 52 Watts in a space of roughly 0.6 cubic feet.

    Still wondering on the size for a passive intake hole with a 80mm PC exhaust fan.

    Anyways thats all for now, thanks everyone. :smoke:
     
  8. Looks like your emergency blanket will do fine, at least better than the tinfoil you've got up right now. Otherwise I think you'll be fine so long as your exhaust fan works out for you. I have a feeling an 80mm fan will have a high enough CFM rating to cool that little box, though.
     
  9. Don't the emergency blankets just insulate the box and not reflect light?
     
  10. the emergency blankets are actually made out of mylar (at least the ones that i have seen at the store). they are 2nd best to proper mylar from my experience but they generally reflect less light than proper mylar because they are thinner (light goes through them more) and are in small packages that fold them up creating a lot of creases everywhere. still though they do reflect decently for how cheap it is. If you can't find/can't afford proper mylar it works in it's place preferable to foil.

    As far as the lights, more is better. you can find 23w/26w 6500k bulbs for less than 2 dollars each so go for it if you can.
     
  11. where did you get the plug in sockets? if you dont mind me asking
     
  12. I got them from Home Building Centre in one of the lighting isles, but I'm sure you could get them from any home renovation store like that, just gotta ask the people working there where to find them.
     
  13. Hey everyone, I finally got some fans. I bought a small laptop cooling pad on sale for 15$. I took it apart so I just have the 3 fans. It came with a USB cable that you just plug into your laptop, which I will just plug into a phone charger. It is rated at a 5 Volt power supply, but is it a good idea to plug it into a charger with a higher rating power supply, for example a 10 Volt charger? I know the fans will turn on because I plugged them into my laptop charger just to test it out for shits and giggles, and it spins alot faster. :p But at 5 Volts it says it is rated at 36 CFM (my grow space is 0.6 cubic feet). But my question is, how should I set these fans up in my box? All three stacked togethether for exhaust and a passive intake? All three spread out as exhaust and a passive intake? Two stacked for exhaust and one for intake? Two spread out for exhaust and one for intake?

    DSC00406.jpg

    DSC00408.jpg
     
  14. Hey everyone I decided to go ahead and finish my box with 3 outtake fans and one passive intake.

    DSC00410.jpg

    DSC00411.jpg

    DSC00412.jpg
     
  15. really impressive stuff i really like your setup!
     
  16. Thanks a lot man. :D Hopefully I get my seeds from my buddy tomorrow and I can start germing. :hello:
     
  17. waiting for your seeds to germ can feel like forever! but yeah do you know what kind you're getting? or is it a no-name bag seed?
     
  18. No clue on strain, getting them from a friend.
     
  19. Whats up everyone, finally got my seeds the other day! :hello: Germination starts 2:00 PM January 15 2011.

    Heres the 15 of them.

    DSC00425.jpg

    And the two lucky ones who will be germinated first.

    DSC00427.jpg
     

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