Vegan Organic LED PC Micro Grow

Discussion in 'Micro Grows' started by Vegi, Mar 20, 2014.

  1. Hey guys,
     
    Been thinking about doing a micro grow for a while and finally decided to hit the nail on the head and go for it  :unsure:
     
    It would have to be the following;
     
    • Quiet
    • Odour free
    • Micro
    • LED
    • 100% Vegan and Organic
    Case
     
    I had a Zalman Z3 case lying about as my intention was to build a gaming rig but never ended up doing it so thought it would be perfect.
     
    View attachment 136127
    View attachment 136128
     

    It came with four fans; two on top, one in rear and one in front, but it also allowed for an additional in the front should I need it and an additional in the bottom.
     
    I ended up moving one from the top to the front as the existing at the front was an LED fan and thought two on top was a bit OTT and removed the rear one.
     
    So I have one bottom front as inlet and one top rear as outlet.
     
    All fan spots also had mesh on the covers which means once I get my carbon filter I can place over each inlet/outlet and it can act as some odour control. I bought some Ona Odour control just in case too.
     
    View attachment 136129
     
    I left the drive and HDD cage as they were rivetted in and wanted to keep the case whole in case I did want to use it in the future.
     
    Setup
     
    So I used reflective mylar to seal the case as best I could with duct tape so I only have one inlet and one outlet and no other way odour could escape. I used duct tape to seal and then covered the duct tape seams with aluminium tape.
     
    View attachment 136130
     
    Nearly forgot to add to the door as well  :rolleyes:
     
    <div> View attachment 136131
     

    Lighting
     
    So I always wanted to have an LED setup as I wanted minimal space taken up by the lighting and have as efficient on energy as possible. I went for a 15W LED grow light slotting straight into my existing lamp cord I had lying about; but when I got it I was amazed at the size of it!  :lol:
     
    It near enough takes up half the height of the case!!!
     
    View attachment 136132
     
    So I decided to go for it and get a 50W UFO LED setup which should be arriving soon and hoping to use the above during early veg stage until I get it.
     
    View attachment 136133
    View attachment 136134
    View attachment 136135
     

    Seeds
     
    Having come back from Dam and doing some research decided for something a bit shorter, fem and autoflowering so went for;
     
    • Nirvana Northern Lights Auto Fem
    • World of Seeds Sugar Mango Ryder
    But surprised since I was ordering from Attitude I got the following free too so watch this space!
     
    • G13 Labs White Lavender
    • G13 GIGABUD
    • Cali Connection Girl Scout Cookies
    • TH Seeds Critical Hog
    • Humboldt Seed Green Crack
    • Strainhunters Flowerbomb Kush
    • DNA Genetic Seeds Tangilope
    • Dinafem Seeds Cheese
    • Delicious Seeds Sugar Black Rose
    • G13 Labs Cinderella 99
    • Emerald Triangle Critical OG
    View attachment 136137
     
    </div>So guys, any feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated.
     
    Wish me luck!
     
  2. Soil
     
    The main issue for me was finding a mix which was verified as vegan/vegi but also in small quantities. Am in a small apartment so can't really be buying in bulk.
     
    Gonna be using a 100% peat free compost mix and vermiculite. Have some mycorrhizal fungi pellets to add too.
     
    Germinating at the moment; anyone know if this is now ready to plant?
     
    View attachment 136136
     
    Looking to LST, maybe not Scrog as it is an autoflower and meant to be short/mid in height anyway, no idea if there's any point?
     
  3. how do you know if someone is vegan? theyll tell you. :)
     
  4. This looks interesting! How many actual watt output on the LEDs?
     
  5. @[member="sapien"] - Haha Touche
     
    @[member="cheesemonger"] - cheers bro. The current LED lamp is 15W but rated at 12W; my UFO I've gone for (mainly as its the only one that'll fit in the case) is 70W but rated at 50W.
     
    Not sure if this would be enough for a single plant micro grow...
     
  6. 50w of power will be enough. More wouldnt hurt but it is livable. I mean my lil plants are growing quite well under what was it, ~26-29 W ?
     
     Nice box man! You did not decide to gut your case completely?
     
  7. #9 cheesemonger, Mar 21, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 21, 2014
    Can't you fit another UFO in there?😎

    Hows the temp in there with the LEDs ?
     
  8. #10 kofidog, Mar 21, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 21, 2014
    Hey there Vegi! :wave: My understanding is that the seed should be planted as soon as they crack and start showing the tap root. I'm no expert, but I have read this a few times in various places. I planted mine as soon as the tap root presented itself. By the way, why 100% peat free?
     
  9.  
    Cheers bud. Decided to not completely gut just yet. The case is of no use to me but is a pretty darn good gaming rig case should I need it in the future. That and the fact the two cages are rivetted in.
     
     
    Haha, probably could but thinking of walking before running, lol. Plus the fact most of the other space is taken up by the upper fan and the drive cage. But I'll see how it goes, if I decide I really can't be bothered to ever use the case again I might rip that cage oput and stick another UFO in  :eek:
     
  10.  
    :eek: Think I need to be planting ASAP then!
     
    Ah that's a good question; most organic composts I've found don't seem to have peat. I assume because of the issue around peat as a whole; think peat is found in very few places around the world and alot are these are natural habitats of other creatures. Not very environmentally friendly plus their habitats are dependent on the peat.
     
    It has its pros and cons like everything I guess.
     
  11. Hey Vegi! Think I'll be chiming in for this one. Micro grows have always fascinated me so excited to see how this turns out.

    I used to be a fairly active member of GC but went away for awhile. Excited to be back, I've missed the GC community. Might even start my own journal seeing as I have yet to do so!

    Anyway I think it's awesome that you are going vegan with this grow. I'm a passionate vegan myself but have yet to fully incorporate it into my grows. I have however been really interested in doing such! Regardless I do grow organic and try to make my grows as environmentally friendly as possible, always composting all of my old soil and stuff like that.

    Anyway I'm excited to see how this goes should be fun :)
     
  12. #14 Vegi, Mar 21, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 21, 2014
    @[member="Kaboose420"] Cheers bro, good to meet another Vegan dude (although I'm technically a vegi but I am trying to do a Vegan grow lol)
     
  13. Day 8
     
    • Seed: Nirvana Seeds Northern Lights Auto Fem
    • Stage: Vegetation Day 4
    • Soil: Organic Compost + Vermiculite + Soil
    So not much has happened since planting; it's sprouted and I'm seeing four leaves. Not sure when the best time to start LST'ing is?
     
    Need to add some CO2 bottles and sort my odour control out before it starts to smell.
     
    Also, UFO LED should be here anytime soon so hoping to install that.
     
    Any feedback greatly appreciated.
     
    View attachment 136422
    View attachment 136423
     
     
  14. I would start LST with the first set of true leaves
     
  15. Looking good so far! Personally I wouldn't start any training until you've got four or five sets of leaves at least and they are working their way out of the seedling stage.
    Currently you only have two leaves showing, the bottom two are called cotyledons, the set of "leaves" that are first shown from germination to begin photosynthesis so the plant can start producing food and actual leaf production.
     
  16. Cheers guys, thought it might be a bit too soon.
     
    @[member="Kaboose420"] You learn something new everyday!
     
  17. Day 10
    \n
    • Seed: Nirvana Seeds Northern Lights Auto Fem
    • Stage: Vegetation Day 6
    • Soil: Organic Compost + Vermiculite + Soil
    Not much of an update but decided to add my CO2 bottle to the case; it consisted of the following;
    \n
    • Empty Bottle
    • Distilled Water
    • Dry Active Yeast (I used Wine Yeast)
    • Baking Soda (Pinch - not in photo)
    • Sugar (Not in photo)
    • Screwdriver
    View attachment 136537
    \nI basically filled the bottle halfway with water, added about 2 heaped spoonfuls of sugar and the baking soda and gave a big shake until most of it was dissolved (don't worry if all doesn't).
    \nRatios of sugar:water:air
    \n View attachment 136538
    \nI added a 1/4 spoonful of yeast, shake again and then leave.
    \nI used the screwdriver to bore a small hole in a cap but I guess a pin or sharp knife should do.
    \nAnd Voila!
    \n View attachment 136539
    View attachment 136540
     
    Not sure if placement is the best as the inlet fan is to the bottom right of the bottle in that pic and the outlet fan is to the top left of the bottle.
     
    Oh well, hope it does something.
     

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