Questions before building grow box.

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by SmokingJoJo, Nov 17, 2007.

  1. High all!

    First off, first time poster but I've been reading quite a bit (brain is overloaded with information...lol!) and was wondering if some of the more knowledgeable forum readers might be able to help me out before I start building a grow box. I will be going with a 400W Lumatek Digital Ballast, and will use an MH bulb for vegging and an HPS bulb for flowering. The reflector will be a LumaCool with 6" connectors for cooling. I'm getting a "standard" 400W HPS and MH bulb (I will probably buy something better for later grows, but as this is my first I figured, what the heck...) This I will acquire from a local hydro shop. Now to my questions about the grow box.

    1) Would a 2'Dx3'6"Wx5'6"H grow box be enough for the 400W light? The reflector is something like 12"Dx25"Wx8"H, which means that height wise I would lose about 12". Are 4' enough to keep the plant from being burned by the light?

    2) Would it be better if I made the light "static" (i.e. I won't be able to move the light up/down) and the plant(s) mobile? What I mean is that I can raise the plant(s) up/down to get closer/farther to/from the light, and that way I don't have to use flexible conduit to cool the light. Instead, it would be one straight connection, with a PC fan at the end always moving air through the reflector, to keep it cool.

    3) It is my understanding that as the plant flowers, aroma can be an issue. I'm thinking of keeping the grow box inside a closet, and then using an air purifier to hopefully keep the aroma level low. Has anyone tried this and if so, has it worked? Or am I better off trying to build my own carbon scrubber? Would this be an issue to 2-3 plants?

    4) For the size of the grow box, should I consider LSTing? I know that some growers prefer it while others advise against it, as it may take away from the potency of the final product. But since I am using quite a powerful light, I would like to take LST into consideration.

    5) To maximize grow area and the possibility of more than one plant, I was thinking of using square flower pots. What would be the recommended amount/size? Five 4.5"x5"D or Four 5.5"x5.75"D?

    6) I haven't built the box yet, and was thinking of using 3/4" or 1/2" plywood, so that I don't have to build a frame for the box, I could just use something like Liquid Nails and a few screws to keep it all together. Or would I be better off building a frame and then using thinner plywood?

    Sorry for asking too many questions...I thought about starting my first attempt at growing with some CFLs, but after adding up the cost and the fact that you have to replace the lights more often, the initial savings will be minimal in the long run. I thought about using 250W HPS/MH with a Lumatek Digital ballast, but then I figure that for a couple of bucks more I could have the 400W, and I don't want to regret later not buying the more capable light. Alas, it puts me in a situation where I have to design around the box, with a limited amount of space. Is this the painting yourself into a corner deal they talk about? ;-)

    Anyway, thanks for your time and comments/criticisms (constructive would be nice!)

    JoJo
     

  2. okwell I cant answer everything but Ill do my best to recommend some ideas 2 u. first off I would definatly make a frame for my box. I mean if your gonna build it make it sturdy and do it righ tthe first time ":) I personally would use cfl's if I was just growing a plant or 2 like u are just because it is easier for cooling ect.. I also would LST 1 rason for space and secondly because u get many colas. Really depends on how many plants and ur space b4 u decide on size pots. you can use 2 gallons that will b just fine but 4-5 is idea if you waznt to grow a larger plant. lsting will also maximize yield too! square pots will work jus as good and they are easy to use for lsting (personal opinion) hope this helps a bit. you can take a peek at my box its bout 6'l 4'h 3'deep im using cfls just because Im not setup to vent my 400 watt. mayb next grow. title ' just finished mini grow' in grow box design. :)
    good luck
     
  3. Thanks for the prompt reply nueb...I appreciate the feedback.
    I was thinking that too, considering the box's height, I was concerned about how stable (sp?) the box would be...I can always anchor it to a couple of studs, in case of an earthquake. ;)
    I thought about CFL's, but more for the vegging process. The way I figured was I would try and sprout a few seeds (bagseed), veg them under an MH bulb, clone them and place the clones back under CFL's to keep 'em vegging until I figure out what the sex of the clone's parent is. Then, I get rid of the males, keep the females and continue to clone from them. This is using bagseed as it is more for learning the fine art of growing. I was going to use a PC Case to keep my clones in the vegetative (phew...that made my brain hurt!) stage, and then move clones as needed into the growbox.
    I figure the first time I might decide to just grow two plants. 50/50 chance one will be female, but then again I might be unlucky and get two males. :( But I will try to sprout as many seed as I can and keep 'em under CFLs so that later it will be easy to stimulate growth by placing them under the MH bulb and finally the HPS bulb. I haven't really seen the flower pots yet, so I guess I should head out to the local hardware store and see what size pots they have and what I'll be able to accomodate in the box.
    Yes, I was hoping to use the LST method described by DierWolf which can be found at: http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/122936-how-lst-low-stress-training.html In another thread (I'm sorry, I forgot the title of it) someone mentioned that using square pots maximizes the area you can use to LST, and they also mentioned that using square pots with small eyehooks on the pots edges helped a lot, so I figure I might as well try.

    Once again, thank you for your reply. I've noticed that GC has a very helpful community, and the search feature is a great tool that every new user should learn to use. I've read and read and read...and now is time to act! I took a look at your thread, and was wondering if you had taken into consideration that CFLs give off much more light from the sides than the tips. I think this was mentioned in another great guide by KamelRedLight entitled "Kamel's CFL Guide" which can be found at: http://forum.grasscity.com/general-indoor-growing/122824-kamels-cfl-guide.html

    Thanks for the input and look forward to more helpful information from users like you, nueb!

    JoJo
     
  4. Hello again,

    Well, I downloaded Dia and went about "designing" what I would like to use. You'll have to excuse the design and also remember that it is not to scale. :smoking:

    What you'll see is a front and two side views. On the front view you can see where I plan on installing the light and to have the heat exhausted by a PC fan. The fan I currently plan on using is a 120mm from an HP NetServer case. I didn't find the exact match, but a similar model is rated to move 85CFM. Would that be enough to keep the reflector cool or do I need more airflow? I'll use PVC elbows to try and trap light either coming in or going out. I read somewhere that "softer" (i.e. other than 90 degrees) angles can be used so that there isn't too much flow restrictions, so I will try this.

    The blue circles are where fresh air will be coming in, red going out. The little black circle is for electrical cords and such. The floating pot, well, that's just for reference purposes. Of course, concerns still remain. Is a fan rated at 85CFM adequate to vent the hot air out of the reflector? Or should I acquire something bigger? Did I read somewhere that I would need a 400CFM fan to cool a 400W light? Could the 85CFM (or a couple of them) be used instead to cool the cabinet?

    In regards to cooling the cabinet, does the air need to be constantly flushed? Or could I setup a thermostat that would allow me to turn on the cabinet exhaust fan when the temperature reaches a certain temperature? I'm thinking of trying to keep the temperature at canopy level at about 75 degrees F. Of course, that will be easy during winter, but I'm sure I'll figure something out for summer.

    I plan on having a small clip-on fan which I hope to be able to keep blowing from the left hand side of the cabinet, with the breeze flowing on top of the plant(s) to keep the air circulating and from getting too stagnant and to encourage stronger stems. (Damn, I think my English teachers wouldn't be too proud of me using that long ass sentence. Oh well.)

    Once again, a big thank you for reading this thread and for any comments/help you can provide.

    SJJ
     

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  5. well I think you have a good idea as to what you want, yes the square pots are better to work wiht (my opinion) also when u said tke clones n wait for sex 2 show???? You wont want to clone from a plant until the sex shows, you know u can also force flower ur plant sooner jus so u can see what sex it is so you cna start taking clones. also thx 4 mentioning about the cfl reflection. I used reflective insulation for it and I have added a thrid row of cfl's I also have many that are mounted on the side walls along with florus. they work great as well for veggir. well gl
     

  6. nice design I used a 125cfm for my 400watt and it worked fine so I would recommend at least that. also I think u will find your vent/cooling will be running almost constanly anyways if you plan on using the 400watt in the small area. I think u have a good idea run with it as u can always adjsut things as u go along plus you wil find you want to adjust or make changes, I know I did once I finally go tmy cab. 2gether.
     
  7. I haven't read much about cloning yet, and was planning on cloning before the plants showed sex, then getting rid of the males. I guess that way is more wasteful as you're taking an gamble on whether the plants will be male or female. Also, not sure if the plant is not strong enough to clone when it hasn't flowered yet. Like I said, I will be doing some research into cloning soon. Thanks for the heads up.


    Thanks again for the information. I will see if I can find a 120mm or hopefully larger fan, and then use that to try and keep the temperatures down in the cabinet. Yeah, I'm still concerned about that. I might call the grow shop and see if I can change the order to a 250W ballast. That way I can keep the grow cabinet small and I don't really need to grow 4 plants. The product of two plants, if successful, would keep me happy for a long time. :smoking:

    Thanks again for your input, nueb.
     
  8. Nice design going, good job doing your homework first, I wish I did more. :D Don't under estimate heat, you will have lots of it. I highly recommend choosing a different fan style, its not designed to suck air, just move air. I hate CFM ratings they mean nothing unless you compare ratings with fan types. My first fan was a 245cfm inline fan, useless, my 2nd fan is a 145cfm vortex fan, amazing! 10 times++ the suction power. If you dedicated a 4" vortex fan to the light you should be ok. You could also put a good variable speed control on it, turn it down for winter and up for summer. A computer type fan might be ok to move the air out of the box but I wouldn't spend too much on one, I'm against them. :) Plus if you ever want to put a carbon filter on you can forget about that fan doing the job, again you would need a vortex type fan. When I put a small filter on my 245cfm inline fan absolutely no air went threw it, smoke just went up and around it, my new 145cfm fan will easily grab a piece of paper. nueb what kind of fan are you using?

    I noticed you have 2 inlet holes on one side of the box, it might be better to have one on each side of the box.

    Have fun!! :wave:
     


  9. Thanks for the kind words, RobsGreen. I read your stealth grow box thread and I wanted to attempt a first grow on something pre-made that I would only have to "cut holes and modify" as needed, but I've seen that working with limited resources (i.e. pre-made grow boxes) might limit one way too much. Now, I find myself working around a light and its heat issues. :rolleyes:



    I started looking at the Vortex fans after your comments, and the only one that was close to what you mention is the Vortex model VTX-400 which is rated at 172CFM. What about buying one of the inexpensive blowers and then ghetto-fying it to move air out of the reflector? I found plans for a 300 CFM DIY (I know, I shouldn't look at CFM, but that was the name of the thread) blower, and was wondering if you thought that would work for the time being? Are the Vortex fans fairly quiet? I think the one I found was rated at 42db, which wouldn't be bad as it will be in a closet.



    The PC fan I already have, and came from an HP Server. That thing can get kind of loud, but I can't compare it to the noise of a blower as I've never been close to one. Will I need to have some ventilation going in a vegging box? If so, I might use that fan in the same case it came from, and just use the PC tower as my mother/clone box or something. I mean, I already gutted the server. Also, originally I thought of venting the grow box's air in the closet itself, but I'm thinking of running some PVC through the wall to vent to the garage. Then, I'm thinking of using the "Perfect Odour Neutralizer" to take care of any odor problems that may arise. That way, the garage will smell like a Laundry Room, and not the entire house.

    Well, that line above was the one that got me thinking about venting into the garage. I was thinking of having the two vents on the side of the closet which I can leave slightly open to allow cooler air to flow into the closet, and using some flex conduit to vent hot air to the other side of the closet. Then I thought: Why not use some PVC to create one outlet to the garage. Some creative uses of elbows and some kind of flap to disallow the entry of dust/critters into the grow box (would a piece of window screen work ok?) and I think that should take care of hot air recirculating through the closet, thus raising the temperature of the cabinet. What do think? Still one question remains about your comment: Why have an inlet on the same side as the outlet? Don't I want the cooler air to flow through the cabinet/plants to help them with C02 levels and cooling/strengthening the plant?

    Went to the local Hydro store today to see if they have Pro-Mix, as I want to start mixing everything that is listed on Vic's Supersoil Recipe. If I understand correctly, Vic's recipe will have everything the plant needs for healthy grow...except for water...that I will have to add myself. ;)

    So far, it's been fun...so many ideas I would like to implement, but space limits me, as well as the heat issues from trying to use such a powerful lamp. Like I said, I thought about the 250W but I know myself well enough that I will later will kick myself for not buying the 400W one, so I went with it instead. Otherwise, the cab would've been almost perfect for a 250W light.

    Again, thanks for the input!
     
  10. My title is a bit wrong on my thread, its not actually stealth like I wanted. From the living room its stealth but as soon as you walk in my bedroom you start to hear the vortex roar. So yeah they are quite loud, at least mine is, I wish I had a rating. I think you can buy quieter ones but again price goes up. I now think its almost impossible to be 100% stealth in a small box unless you completely sound proof the box. If my fan isn't running I can hear the fish pumps going for the bubble buckets. :) I'm sure one day I'll be asked the tuff question from someone I don't want to ask. :eek:

    Since a fan will be dedicated to the lamp and nothing on the intake side of the fan it shouldn't take too much, a vortex would probably be overkill. Since you have that computer fan give it a try, if you can seal the intake side perfectly it should draw some air. On the intake side of the lamp try having a fan blow across the lamp. So then you would have a fan on each side of it, one blowing on it and one sucking. It would be ideal if the one sucking was rated higher. For the main fan for the box I would use a vortex one on a dimmer switch that will get ride of the extra heat the smaller computer fans won't remove. And if it doesn't work you have to get better fans for the lamp. :D Since you want to put a filter on there, a good idea, you will need lots of blow or suction depending where your filter is. Having the filter near the end should help lower the noise. Can you post a link for that DIY 300 CFM blower? I did a search here but nothing showed up.

    The veg area will have to be vented as well, but a few CFL's wont throw off too much heat. If I understand you it would be ideal to have the cabinet in the closet and run PVC to vent out to the garage, one for air in, one for air out. That would help keep noise down, 2 sets of walls for the noise to get through and lots of vent for the air to go through so its not noisy when it comes out. You could even get creative and make your cabinet 4-6" smaller then the inside of the closet and then insulate around the 3 sides. Maybe glue insulation to the door so its insulated all around. Since your heat is going through the vent it shouldn't be a problem. You might want good fans doing all that though. But I guess if you do all that why not have the whole closet for grow and forget the box. Have the fans located where you don't hear them. Either way in the closet you have to cut holes. Decisions, decisions! ;)

    My comment for a vent on each side was me thinking having air come in from both sides would spread CO2 across the plants better, but probably makes no difference. I have no experience in growing as you can tell by my thread, just good at killing the little guys. :cool: I just like to build things and watch them being built.

    You did the right thing by getting the 400w IMO, I should have gotten a 250 or 400w as well. I found a 250w on ebay that claims 90,000 lumens, there 400w is 55,000. Can't figure that one out. Well I'm sure you're going to do well once you get up and running, can't wait to see your progress and how you deal with the heat, are you going to post pics when you start building?

     


  11. Well, you got it to work and that's the only thing that matters at the end. You can always say you're trying to grow some exotic flower in there that needs lots of air and running water, but doesn't fare well under light. :) I guess I could make the grow box bigger, but then I would have to keep it in the garage, which might draw more than its fair amount of questions by a nosy neighbor. I guess we're both in the same situation. :D



    When you said seal the intake side of the lamp, you mean I wouldn't run PVC/conduit to the intake part of the reflector? Would that still work? Like I said, I was thinking of running a 6" conduit from the outside of the box to the reflector's intake, but after your suggestion I think I will try the following and post results accordingly:

    1. Single PC fan (I will get one with a higher CFM than the one I currently have) on exhaust side of cabinet. Will see if it can hold one piece of paper, as that would tell me that negative pressure has been achieved
    2. Two PC fans, one on intake side and one on exhaust side.
    3. The 300 CFM DIY Blower I mentioned before.
    Of course, I will try to keep the testing as accurate as possible. I will turn on the light, place a thermometer at the botton of the cabinet, and take a reading with each test to see how well each fan configuration performs. If I still need to get more air going through there, I will definitely have to invest on the Vortex fan.



    The plans were found at another forum (I don't think I'm allowed to post links to other forums here) but if you google the following (minus quotes) you should be able to find it: "buddy green 300 cfm blower" It should be the first link. Yes, that's what I hope to achieve with the DIY blower. I'm going to use a fan switch to regulate the speed of the blower, so that way during winter, when I need to keep the cabinet a little warmer, I can slow down the fan and then speed it up during summer. Another reason I want to keep the grow room small is that then during the summer I can get a portable A/C unit, put it in the closet and try to keep that room fairly cool. It gets fairly hot where I live (in the 100's) at times, and although I understand the plants can be quite hardy, I don't want to stress them out.



    LOL! I hear you about those decisions. It's like the soil recipe I want to make. It's hard to find the right ingredients, but once you do it shouldn't be so difficult to keep it going. That's what I'm hoping to do with this cabinet. But I need to get cracking. I'm picking up the light tomorrow, and will try to work on the cabinet this weekend.



    I appreciate the input, Rob! The other cool thing about having the box in the bedroom closet is that at night, the plant will be getting a lot of CO2 from yours truly! I hope the levels are just right for the plant, so I don't have to figure out how to give it more CO2. I can tell you that I haven't started yet, but I'm sure many a little plant will die at my hands too. Hopefully I inherited my dad's Green Thumb! :D



    Oh, you will definitely see pictures and different things being tried to make the plants as comfortable as possible. If anything, it will be a learning experience for me and for those interested in the grow log. I'm sure that the end product will justify all the work!
    [/quote]
     
  12. I can't wait till you get started, might not be able to wait. :D I need to order my light asap so I can be ready, I'm so close to getting a 400w but kinda scared. I suggest putting your life on hold and start building tonight. :D

    I never meant to seal the intake side on the lamp, I just meant around the intake fan so no air is lost, your idea of having a fan on each side of the lamp, one pushing one pulling, is probably best. After a bit of searching threw buddygreens post I found his fan, that might just do it, sounds like it works.

    I agree, work is required to see good results, it will be all worth it in the end, least its fun work. :smoking:

     


  13. LOL! If you ask my girlfriend, I've put my life on hold since I've started obsessing about this new hobby of mine. Now, add the fact that I want to start my own grow and it's double trouble for me! :smoking:

    But in a more serious note: I didn't get my light on Wednesday. :mad: I hadn't been able to post due to the holidays (Happy belated Thanksgiving to those who celebrated it!) but I was indeed saddened that I didn't get the light. The people at the local Hydro store were kind enough to lend me a similar (different brand) reflector, so that I could measure in real life how it would work for me. I won't be able to use PVC runs for cooling the reflector, as I hadn't taken into account how to change the light bulb. I will be changing the screws that hold the metal piece which in turn holds the tempered glass, and upon its removal allows the changing of the bulb, with thumbscrews. Hopefully I will have enough room to slide the glass and change the bulb without taking the entire reflector down. If not, then I will be using flexible conduit which will then allow me remove the reflector and change the bulb. We'll see what happens...

    On a good note: I will start (and hopefully finish) the cabinet tomorrow. I will build a frame, and use thinner plywood. I'm also changing the cabinet dimensions from 2'Dx3'6"Wx5'6"H to 2'9"Dx3'9"Wx6'H (I know, weird measurements, but I'm working with limited space) and plan to later build a 2'Dx3'Wx4'H grow box for the summer time. Hear me out: The bigger cabinet will use the MH/HPS light during the winter months, since keeping the cabinet cool won't be a problem. I figure that I can start using the Garage cab from October until April, maybe even May. Then, I will switch to the Indoor grow box, which will either be lighted by CFLs or a DIY 150W HPS after vegging them with CFLs. I might stick with CFLs just because of the heat issues, and Kamel's Guide shows that it is possible to get some decent grows even with CFLs. Anyway, I figure I can keep growing my favorite herb year round. I don't need much, but I hope to flower more than two plants during the cooler months and then go down to 1 or 2 during summer. Electricity is quite expensive for use during the summer months.



    I went to RadioShack and got me another 120mm fan, rated at 68CFM. I believe the server fan I already have is rated at 85CFM, so that will be used on the outlet side of the light for the testing I will be conducting. I will try to take pictures of everything I do.

    LOL! It sure is fun. Oh yeah, before I forget. I was able to find all of the ingredients (well, minus the "frittered trace elements") for Vic's Supersoil Mix. :hello: I'm excited about this...now I gotta find a decent pH meter (can I use strips?) and do I need an EC and/or any other kind of meters? Also, will be getting some purified water as I don't want to mess the Soil by adding tap water. Got the seed and will start attempting to root them as soon as I mix the soil up, as it says to wait 1-2 weeks before using (I'm guessing so that the ingredients are truly mixed and generating the right nutrients for the plant?) Also, my guess is that Vic's Supersoil is used for both vegging and flowering?

    Anyway, wish me luck tomorrow and I hope to have a finished cabinet (probably not painted, but at least ready to go) by the end of tomorrow. That's all I got to report for today! :D
     
  14. Hey SmokingJoJo, I hope you had a good weekend. Sorry to hear you didn't get that light, that would have been a huge bummer, I hope you get it soon.

    You probably do want a decent digital PH meter, seems that PH levels are important. Since you're growing soil thats the only meter you really need. It also sounds like good water is important, I just bought a RO system for my babies, would have never thought about it for personal use. :D I've also read you had to let certain soil mixes sit for weeks, not sure why, you probably answered your own question. I'm pretty sure you use the same soil all the way though, pretty had to change when you go to flowering.

    I don't know anything about growing but I think I have a good tip for you with your soil. Before you do any planting in the soil fill a small cup with the stuff and water it until the water comes out the bottom, then measure the PH level of the run off, hopefully it falls around 6.5 - 6.8. If you get a high or lower reading then flush the soil until the runoff falls in that range, then I would say your good to plant. Doing this will also let you know that the soil lets water threw it. I personally hate soil now but if I was to do it again I would definitely do that. My first plant suffered because the soil was bad, the runoff was in the high 7's then I couldn't flush because water couldn't get threw. Now it makes sense to make sure the soil is in the correct PH range before you even start. I have a feeling the Vic's formula if measured out correctly will put you in that range, maybe thats why it has to sit for a few weeks as you mentioned. If it doesn't, flushing until it gets there should do the job, you might want to ask someone about that though.

    Well I hope you got that sucker built, can't wait to seem some pics. :bongin:
     
  15. Forgot to give you my pic on a PH meter. I just picked this one up on ebay and I'm very happy with it. Locks on to a number pretty quick and sticks with it and seems to be consistent so far. Some might say to get a better one yet and you do get what you pay for but I don't think it would be good to go with anything less, may as well just use strips then.

    http://cgi.ebay.ca/PH-TEMPERATURE-D...yZ117435QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
     


  16. First off, sorry for the long delay in posting some updates. Last week (Thanksgiving) was also my b-day, so was a bit busy...mostly with the cabinet! :hello:



    Thanks for the pH meter answer...I was thinking of getting the Blue Labs pH Truncheon (I can get it on fleaBay for $150 with free shipping...but you leave a trail...or I can pay about $200 for it at my local hydro shop) but the local hydro shop has a soil pH meter (Control Wizard Accurate pH8), which the owner said they didn't know much about, but thought it might be good enough. They sell for about $80, so don't know how good it is. Here's the manufacturer's link:
    http://www.controlwizardproducts.com/proddetail.php?prod=CW525&cat=87 They also have a Milwaukee pH51, but they said that it has a high rate of return, and it sells for about the same price as the other one I mentioned.



    I read a bit more about Vic's Super Soil and it seems as if all you need is to keep the watering at the point where your plant doesn't drown/wither and you should be golden. I did mix up all of the ingredients last night (well, 50% of it, as I don't have room to store all of it mixed, plus I don't know if it will deteriorate/become toxic the longer it sits around) by trying to cut the 3.8 cu. ft. bale of Sunshine Mix #2 in half. I went by weight and ended up with approximately 37 lbs of Sunshine Mix #2, then I halved the rest of the recipe. What do you need to mix Vic's super soil? Either a motorized cement mixer (which I don't have) or a plastic mixing tub. I got a 38 gallon plastic bin, dumped the Sunshine Mix with the worm casting, dolomite lime, blood meal, bone meal, kelp meal and epsom salts, and started mixing. I also had three smaller plastic buckets (18 gallons, I think) that I used to mix the stuff around even more. After mixing it dry, I separated the contents into the smaller containers, and then mixed one shovelful at a time into the big bucket, which will be my "cooking" container. I added water a bit at a time, until the mixture felt damp but wasn't clumpy nor felt too wet. I will mix it up and aerate the mixture everyday for the next two weeks, so I'm thinking about attempting to germinate the seeds on 12/09/2007. The seeds come from a low grade (I'm hoping it just wasn't cured right and it wasn't some kind of genetic deficiency) bag of weed my brother procured a while ago, so I hope I can at least germinate some of the seed. Recently he got some better weed, and found two seeds in it, so I will be picking those up this weekend, along with a couple of other pieces of wood to finish the cabinet. Oh yeah, one more thing you need to mix Vic's super soil is a good lower back...:D

    Well, the cabinet is built, but not finished. Allow me to explain: I have the cabinet built, and some holes for air circulation cut on the sides. My problem is that my hole cutting skills are non-existent, so my cab holes are pretty raggedy. I'm getting a couple of 6" wall flanges for the light, and will then perform the temperature tests. I will be picking the flanges up on Monday (I drove around all over town looking for these damn things, finally had to order them from the hydro shop) and will try and install them on the same day. I did get a 300 CFM blower from Lowe's, but couldn't figure out how to take it apart. The blower has a three speed setting, and has two built-in three-prong electrical connectors. It moves quite a bit of air and can be pretty loud when in the highest setting, but I'm hoping that I can rig something up to get some air moving in the reflector. If not, I will have to come up with something else.

    I did have a look at it, and thought about buying it...but was wondering if anyone else has had any experience with the soil pH meter I mentioned before...hopefully someone will comment, if not, I guess I'll have to go with the Blue Lab one...more expensive, but I might be saving money in the long run....like yourself, I stopped keeping tabs on how much I've spent on this damn cab...oh well, I'll chalk it up to a learning experience. :smoking:
     
  17. Well I'm sure your coming along by now, sounds like you have a very good PH meter picked out, good idea. That's why I like to buy locally with cash, no trail at all. You probably want to stay away from soil PH meters, I hear there not accurate at all and soil has hot and cold spots so readings aren't accurate. The best way to check PH is with the runoff water that comes out the pot after you water.

    Hope all is going good with project, don't worry you do stop spending money soon, I haven't spent anything on it for weeks. Just need my light and I'm done buying for a while. Least your doing the right thing and buying good stuff first, cost more up front but always cheaper in the end.
     




  18. usually you dont want to bud and flower a mother (just flwoer to c sex) and those are wot you take the clones from, just let them veggie longer if you are afraid they are nto ready for clones to be taken, i keep my mums under 24/7 light wiht baby clones :) had my cfls up but damn wasnt getting the results now switching back to my HPS. but agian I have a large area I have expanded to. gl
     


  19. Hello everyone, and my apologies for the delay...

    An update on the cabinet: It's almost finished (just need to light proof it) and is actually in use already. ;-)

    On Christmas day, I started to germinate some seeds using Stylez1877's germination guide: http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/15076-germination-420-a.html

    About 36 hours later, I had a tap root show. I put that into some soil and it has now sprouted through the soil. :hello: Hopefully a little lady, but the fact that I haven't killed it yet is an accomplishment. :D I will take a few pics and start a grow journal, which I'll link to it from here.

    I did spend way over the original budget, and had to stop and take stock for a couple of weeks, which is why I hadn't posted much. But like RobsGreen says, eventually you do stop spending money, and hopefully the rewards will be well worth it. ;)

    I was definitely thinking about cloning all the seeds that sprouted, veg them while the donor plant was being flowered, and then get rid of the males as needed. My reasoning behind this is that the clones would come from a plant that wouldn't be stressed as much as if I were to flower them to see sex and then force it back to veg. I know it kind of goes against the standard way of thinking when it comes to cloning (veg/flower to see sex/re-veg/take clone) but again, I'm just thinking that the less stress the donor plant has been under, the better the chances of a clone surviving. I will try to build a plastic bucket into a mothers area and one for clones using CFL's. I will probably then switch them to MH into the grow box for a couple of weeks, and then switch them to HPS when ready to flower. Kind of a semi-perpetual grow, although I will probably only run it during the cooler months.

    I will post some pics of the cabinet (although it still isn't quite finished) and I will reference the grow journal on this thread, in case anyone is interested.
     
  20. Glad to hear everything is going well my friend, I wish you the best of luck. Keep those babies happy and you'll do well and the rewards will be great, mine is starting to come in, as of yesterday I have 2 females. :D

    Happy Growing!! :hello:
     

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