My very first grow! I took this from an old convenience store job, and lined the inside with foil. Threw in some lights and potted a seed in this bad boy, and we'll see what happens! I realize we aren't using the correct kind of soil, lights, ventilation, all of that stuff, but we have an R2-D2 grow box, and you do not. I am planning on rigging up the plastic head that I have for him with an air system, and line that with foil as well. Its pretty neat and I'm excited to see what happens!
I have really weak bulbs. I have 2 10-watt CFL that I used to use for my coral in a salt-water fish tank. I think combining the foil and the lower powered lights should be fine, but I guess we'll see. edit: fixed my numbers. I basically have 2 of these http://shopping.yahoo.com/76207836-coralife-mini-power-compact-5050-lamp-10-watt/
I guess since some people are showing interest, I'll explain the situation a little more. My girlfriend and I recently received some seeds as a gift and decided to go for the cheapest grow possible. So far we have spent $5 and have had alot of the stuff on hand. The soil is some random generic potting soil we found at a local grocer, we have it in a pot that holds about a gallon of dirt. The r2-d2 is a big bucket with a drain at the bottom that can open and close, and we have lined the insides with foil to increase the light since we only have the 2 10 watt bulbs I previously used for coral. We have a timer plug that we currently have set to 12 hours light, 12 hours dark. The seeds have been dormant in a drawer for about 2 or 3 years. I fixed the lid to hold the light rail on it. We can just lift it off if we need to water. Future implementation ideas are popping up now. That blue circle on the top- I can totally put a vent fan or tube on it. This is gonna be neat. Would anyone mind giving us any advice? We know the plant won't be the healthiest, but we are trying to stay to a very very strict budget (of ZERO-5 dollars). I look forward to taking this journey with all of you!
get rid of the foil and either use flat white paint or mylar... one problem you might encounter is heat issues due to the fact that you're growing in a cooler. i love the idea of this grow, gotta think outside the box.
Paint the inside of R2's dome to. Your current light setup should be good for yielding a couple of joints, if you're lucky.
Honestly, we spent $5 on it so far, so if it yields a quarter of a g, I'm happy to break even edit: I have a flat white spray paint. If I have the time tomorrow, I'm going to take it out onto the porch and give it a nice painting. I'm going to watch the temperatures throughout tonight now that the light is on, so far my temps have been holding at a steady 75, but I'll be sure to keep an eye on it and get it figured out before that little seedy sprouts. Thanks for the advice so far guys! Keep it coming.
haha this is cool!, sub'd! yeah, paint the little droid white on the inside..and his dome, but you're going to have to seal him up light tight for flowering tho.. thats the only problem i can spot from all the way back here.. good luck!
Okay an update: We used a bunch of old books and magazines wrapped in a trash bag to elevate the pot to the light bulb, as the plants grow, we'll be removing the magazines to keep them close enough to the light. Today I was so excited when I checked up on the temperatures (still holding a lower 70's trend, despite the foil being there) , and I noticed this little bit of excitement. But thats where the excitement ends =( The soil we used was from a previous pot on the porch where we had just planted tomatoes. I thought my girlfriend removed all of the seeds, but as you can tell, there are 3 sprouts! (the 2 bigger ones, and a smaller one at the upper right corner). We only planted one of our gifted fun seeds, so that means that either 2 or all of these sprouts are tomatoes =( we'll be germinating the next seed if none of these end up being the one we want it to be. Also, while I was observing the tiny seedlings, I noticed a bunch of tiny white bugs =( I'm about to start researching how best to get rid of those. I will post more updates soon!
Use neem oil to get rid of the bugs. Mix 2 tbsp. into one gallon of water and apply it right before the lights cut out. There are other bug killers to choose from, but I wouldn't want them on something I'm about to smoke. And get rid of the foil already. It's not a temperature issue, it's a reflection issue. Flat white paint works better. Your wee lights need every bit of help they can get. Also, I think those are all tomatoes. Try germinating the seeds in wet paper towels until you see two little leaves and a root, then plant it so the tiny little leaves are just above the soil. Can't lose.
Why wait so long to plant germinated seeds? I plant them about 12 hours after I first see the taproot.
awesome! I considered buying one of those thrash cans off of ebay just to grow in...great idea! The small white bugs may be spring tails or some sort of beneficial bug...I see them break out from time to time at the base of my plants and they do no harm...they just run around the soil and mostly the container itself, but not on the plant. They could be anything though. If they worry you, as FTGH said, neem oil is a great fix..probably just a few sprays on the soil will knock em out.
I find that when the cotyledons come out of the shell while they're still in the paper towel, it all happens easier and faster. When I stuck 'em into the ground after only the taproot pop, the success rate is weaker. I've seen a few push the seeds out of the ground, but never open up. Picture a seed dying a centimeter above the soil. I can't quantify it, but I feel it minimizes the chances of damping off also.
Thanks for the advice! The white paint I had ended up being a glossy metalic white, so I figured it would have the same reflection as foil, which is why I went with that. I'm planning on making a trip to wally-world and getting myself some flat white paint and said neem oil. Not sure if this helps identify the bugs but most of them are tiny and white. A few are a very tan brown color-think darker khaki. Also, as a source of nutrients we are using coffee grounds. Its an old trick I have used on growing tomatoes- coffee beans are essentially ground up fruit so its packed with nutrients. It also smells great every time you water it! The plant's day just began so I took a peek, and it appears as if I now have about 10 sprouts. I'm not quite sure how many tomato seeds my girlfriend put in there, or how many she cleaned out (she told me she pulled all of them out) but I'm thinking if any of these sprouts are not like the others, it will be easy to identify =P I might keep the tomatoes going in there for a while to make sure my whole system is set up to grow. If it can make a tomato, I would think it could make some other wonderful plants =) We will assuredly be germinating the next seeds in a wet paper towel. I know that technique well. I appricaite all of the advice guys, and I can't wait to do you all proud by showing you some REEFER 2 DANK 2 crops
Hmm...could he strip the wires on the light, and wire a power strip to the top with 3 or 4 26w cfls? Just a thought...