Stealth CFL+LED Rubbermaid Grow

Discussion in 'Micro Grows' started by haltesiel, May 19, 2011.

  1. #1 haltesiel, May 19, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: May 24, 2011
    Just about to start germinating the seeds, and the growbox is almost 100% done. I've attached some pictures below. I got my hands on some barney's Farm LSD seeds, as per the suggestion of a friend. I've heard they have a problem with going hermie every now and then, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they're all decent.

    I'm still having a mite bit o trouble with the heat in the box, and it's been hitting around 84-86 degrees under the lights. I added some more vent holes along the side, and I'm going to get a fan inside the actual box blowing up, so I'm hoping that'll lower the temps.

    I'll be using Fox Farm Ocean Forest, along with soil from the compost pile in our backyard for the first week or two of the grow. I also purchased the FF nutrient regimen just incase I need some backup.

    Of note, this will be my first grow, so any and all help is greatly appreciated. For reference, I'll post my shopping list a little later if people want.

    The Grow:
    Strain: Barney's Farm L.S.D.
    Soil: Fox Farm Ocean Forest+Homemade Compost
    Nutes: Fox Farm Trio
    Germination Start Date: May 19th, 2011
    Planted: May 20th, 2011
    Sprouted: May 22nd, 2011 and May 23rd 2011

    Box Specs:
    -1x 90 Watt LED (Supposedly a 100 watt LED from Lighthouse Hydro-- I doubt that...)
    -4x 27 Watt 5500k CFL lights
    -1x Thermaltake 64 CFM fan
    -1x 10" desk fan attached to the back of the box to provide better air movement
    -Mylar and foil tape on the inside
    -Stealth intake holes shielded by PVC elbow connected painted with matte black paint on the inside


    And of course, pictures!
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Ok, I have the operating temps down to about 82-84 without a fan inside the box. I think one of the problems I'm having is that, because of the PVC elbows, I'm not getting the same aerodynamics that I'd be getting with a wide open hole. I drilled a couple more smaller holes in the side of the box facing the furniture.

    I think the other problem may be that my thermometer is digital and black, so it absorbs more heat and gives me a slightly higher reading than the air temp might actually be.
     
  3. Can you put the PVC elbows on the outside? Not sure if that'll change anything. Also not sure those small PVC elbows will block out the light. What I did on my box, which is kind of hard to explain in text, I basically took a long cardboard box and put a smaller one inside. The outside box has holes at the bottom and the inner box has holes at the top, so the light has to travel around a big separator, if that makes sense. Works very well and doesn't limit air flow.

    Anyway, lookin good so far, I'm definitely interested in LEDs as supplemental lights, can't wait to see how your grow goes
     
  4. Actually, the small elbows stop the light even more than the large ones. I also used better paint in them. As for putting them on the outside, I think that'd take away from the stealth factor. As is right now, with two pieces of tape and a 6x6 label I can make this look 100% like a bucket of stuff.

    I was thinking about a double containment system like that, but I wasn't sure about the viability of keeping it as mobile as the current setup. If I can't keep the temps under control once summer gets going, though, I may have to look into something like that. Thanks for suggestion!

    Update: one of the LSD seeds popped last night. Wee little root blooming out. Very excited. :)
     
  5. One last update: All four seeds have a root emerging from them now! I figure they'll be nice and ready for soil tomorrow afternoon. I need to plant it with the root facing down, yes?

    Also, bought a small $6 fan from walmart and have it pointing up at a 35 angle. My operating tempts with the lights on now run at an acceptable 79-81 degrees. Yaaay!
     
  6. Looks sweet man, i'm v interested how it will go, gl!
     
  7. Rapture Day and the seeds are away!

    Flicked the switch and have them on a 12/12 until they sprout. I heard somewhere that too much light will dry out the soil. Once I see green, though, I'm gonna let em sit out on my window sill and pick up some sun before throwing them back into the box for a 20/4 cycle for about two or three days, then tone it back to 18/6. Thoughts?

    Also, I got a free afghan kush ryder seed, and I started germinating her yesterday. There's a small, sorta bushy area in my backyard where my parents cannot see. I'm gonna plant her at night and see how she fares. The time from seedling to flowering is supposedly 12 weeks, which would be nice.

    The first pic is my seedlings getting their first taste of soil. I put it one handful of FFOF on the bottoms of each, and then used a mix of 2 parts organic compost and 1 part FFOX for the tops. I'm hoping to avoid the nute burn I've heard about this way.

    Second pic is my box running with the lights on, and third is with off. I need to find some way to shield the light leaking from the side...
     

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  8. You dont want to leave the cups clear. roots do not like light
     
  9. Covered them in duct tape. Thanks a ton for letting me know.

    In other news, Houston: We have liftoff.
     

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  10. Day two for the first two plants. The first one to sprout, Rose, is going strong. She seems quite happy. The second of the two, Willow, seems to be having some droopy leaves. Am I under/over watering?

    The last one, who shall be dubbed Sage, seems to be struggling a bit. I'm hoping once she gets some light into her leaves she'll green up a bit, but right now she's quite pale.

    The last one I'm quite worried about. I knocked her cup over right after I planted them. I found the seed again, and replanted, but still, I'm sure that was a little stressful for her. She has yet to show. Should I explore a little?

    Also, the afghan kush ryder has yet to germ. Am sad, but I figure I'll give her seven days before I decide she's dead. Using the paper towel method, and keeping it insulated, but need my power adapter. Temps have consistently been above 21C, and I changed the paper towel today.

    Feedback welcome!
     

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  11. Anyone? Do they look good? Not good? Is the first one stretching at all?
     
  12. #12 haltesiel, May 24, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: May 30, 2011
    After doing some research, I decided I had overwatered them. The top of the soil looked dry, so I kept spritzing them with my spray bottle. Apparently that overdid it for them. Whoops.

    Updated the header, and here are a couple pics from this afternoon. All four have sprouted and are on their way now.

    So I guess this is officially day 1. Names are Rose, Willow, Sage and Cedar, in order of their sprouting.
     

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  13. Man this looks cool, I'm actually building a similar setup to yours, though I'm lacking a fan which is what is holding me back. I need a cheap solution! Sub'd to this thread and look forward to seeing more info :)
     
  14. #14 haltesiel, May 24, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: May 30, 2011
    Thanks Spam! Definitely link me to your thread once you get going.

    I got the Thermaltake fan off of amazon for about 16 dollars, and then used one of the USB to AC adapters I already had. I wouldn't suggest this, though, as the fan itself has a rough time keeping up. I'd either buy two, or maybe even drop the money for a cheap inline fan, and then rig it to be detachable to the backside external wall. That way, you can push it into a corner and still have it looking pretty stealthy, but remove it when you need to transport.

    In other news, the girlies are growing! They live getting the afternoon sun from my window. It's what I use to wake them from their 4 hour nap. The two that sprouted first seem to be stretching a bit, but the CFL is already only an inch above the cups. Maybe I just planted the seeds a little too shallow? That would explain why they sprouted so early, as well.

    Day 2:
     

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  15. #15 haltesiel, May 25, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: May 30, 2011
    Definitely need some advice. Please.

    Woke up this morning with two of my girls looking pretty good, but two seem to have a couple issues. One of them looks like she has bleached edges. I'm assuming she grew too high and got too close to the lightbulb. The other has closed up almost completely. This'll be 3-4 days from sprouting.

    What do?

    Day 3:
     

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  16. They don't look like they're really stretching all that much to me. The curl to the leaves is from the seed, new growth won't be curled, at least it shouldn't be.

    The closing up part could be from switching it outdoors, then into the CFL's.


    Also: My micro grow is in my signature, check it out :)
     
  17. Oh I forgot one thing, you could be having root issues because of the clear cups. Duct tape helps, but it still leaks light, I would suggest moving them into something that blocks light.
     
  18. Thanks for the advice dude! I figured that the seedlings got a little bit of heat exhaustion last night and early this morning. I had a late night, so I didn't wake up until 1pm. We had a warm night/morning, and my thermometer peaked at 88, and was sitting around 84 by then. I had the CFLs about 1-1.5 inches away from the plants, so I've moved them into more of a 2.5" position.

    As for the roots, I headed your advice and made some "shades" for the cups: just strips of paper covered in foil tape. They wrap around the cups and block out almost all the light. I figure it'll also help keep the roots themselves cool.
     
  19. OK. In other news, accidentally hit the "like" button at the top of the page. Managed to delete the post from my wall before any of my friends saw it, but it still shows up when I type "stealth" into my facebook profile.

    Good job, me...
     
  20. hey, put a few holes in the bottom of the cups for drainage. more watering but more variation and oxygen for the roots. Maybe you did. couldn't see. I'm also trying this about 4 days in.
     

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