Whats good everybody? Seeing as i'm a beginner, i suppose this is the correct section to ask. As my title states i'm a beginner and need a little help with a PC grow. I'm in my planning stages and getting ready to order materials and begin building my grow box. I'm really cramped for room, and being a first time grower, I just want something to get my feet wet and a PC grow box sounds exactly what i've been looking for. I plan to grow 1 plant for my first time. I have read through tons of information regarding such a grow, how to grow in general and so forth. I have read different stuff on different websites/forum and have confused myself a little bit. I'm overcomplicating this i'm sure, but i do have a few of questions though: 1. How safe is a PC grow box in general? You have lights, power strips, fans, and decent tempatures all stuffed into one PC case. I dont wish to burn my house down getting only a small bit of weed(or a large amount for that matter). 2. I have read to power the fans for a PC grow box I need to splice the fans with a 12v adapter. I've never spliced anything before and will likely get someone to do it for me, but my question here is how safe is this? and whats the risk of an electrical fire? I dont wish to burn my house down getting only a small bit of weedor a large amount for that matter). 3. Can I veg and flower in one PC case? It will be a full sized tower case. I have read threads here of people growing all in one case, but ive read on other sites of people having 2 cases for whatever reason. I'm not asking for alot of smoke, just want to try a hand at growing. That about covers it. I would like to get these answered before proceeding so hopefully someone can help me out here. If I do go through with it i'll be sure to start a grow journal and chronicle the building of my grow case and the plants progress from start to finish. So i'm going to end this here and hopefully get the help I seek. Thanks in advance!
It's a lot easier than you make it sound, just get some CFLs, Mylar, power strips and figure out how you want to set it up, there's a ton of grow journals in the micro grow sub forum, check them out for inspiration, and no you will not burn yow house down, lol.
I think i'm definitely overcomplicating this. I've looked over some grow journals and these seems exactly what i'm looking for. I wasn't sure how safe is was with powerstrips and such in a PC lol.. good to know i wont burn my house down. Thanks alot! Much appreciated. I'm going to purchase my items right now and will start a journal of my own once i get the stuff.
If you are doing a small grow, I only have one word of advice: Respect Heat! Heat can be a killer to seeds and young veg. Micro-Grows can get very hot depending on how much heat your lamps generate. If you are putting the PC in a climate controlled room, then it is one less thing you will have to deal with. As for the PC fan & 12v, it is a "maybe" because some will have only 2 wires which is a no-brainer... but some have 3-4 wires and getting the things to work is a PITA. Read all the stickys again and again and again. Be prepared for a few FAILs, not everybody gets it right the first time; either way keep notes, because there is nothing wrong with a few early mishaps - as long as you learn and do not repeat the mistakes and get frustrated. Good Luck!
Hi all very new to both this site and the whole experiance of growing , i am wanting to grow abit my self but have not got a clue about how it is all done , from the ph to feeding the plants i simply dont no i thing , i have looked through alot on this website and all looks good i would like to know what it is i can do , also i dont no weather to buy a complete grow tent kit or just buy a complete pc grow as they look good whitch would be the easyest for me to pracdise with . also i see the pc grows are really small so how much would i fit in them and what would i get out once its dry ect .. if some one can please help id be thank full . thanks
your overcomplicating things....alot. its very easy once you get the basic concept. Splicing is VERY easy, finding the correct adapter is hard though. Make sure it says "12V DVC" NOT AC. Ok, now that you have the right powersource for your OUTAKE fan- (dont use an intake fan, they are pointless. You want an OUTAKE fan so that it is pulling air OUT of the box. Make a small hole for air to flow in from if you want, but I guarantee air will be able to leak in through the cracks. Make sure you make the correct type of carbon adapter if smell is a problem. They are fairly easy to make and just about everything you need can be found at walmart and staples. Make sure to plan everything before you do it also.) -Your going to need to attach the powersource to your fan. To set up your comp fan to your adapter is easy. Strip off the plastic coating using scissors or a knife even, but make sure to stay away from the wires inside, you want them to be as un-nicked as possible so the current of electricity is strong. Do this with the Fan ends (Blue and red most likely) and with the Adapters wires (White striped OR with soem sort of marking on one side, and the other side of the wire will be black.) The red wire ---> white striped/marked wire of the adapter. The blue wire ---> the black wire of the adapter. With the adapter wires you will need to make sure that you cut off plenty of plastic so you have alot of wiring to work with (about 1 1/2 inches). Twist the correct wires together adn wrap with electrical tape if you want to be extra safe. Plug it in and test it out. You now have a working comp fan. Ok, if you havent stopped reading already feeling overwhelmed (i was right there with you about a yr ago. Its alot to read about but once you do some trial and error you'll realize its cake.) You need lights. I use CFL bulbs. Just get a powerstrip and find a way to connect it inside your grow box so it is as high as it will go and so that the cfl's are horizontal (vertical you get the best lighting, but its more difficult and im trying to make this as easy as possible for you) Two 25W bulbs should do the job. MAKE SURE TO BUY A THERMOMETER. They are cheap as hell and keeps u in touch with just how hot your plants are getting during the day. You want the temp to be anywhere from 65-80. Any more and its going to slow down growth and reduce your yield at the end. When you first start off your seedling use books or somethign to prop the top of the pot about 4-5 inches from the lights once you have your first set of leaves so the little baby plant doesnt stretch too much. Once it starts to grow up more, reduce the height it is elevated. You dont want the lights to be too close to the plant or it will die. Make sure you have your entire growbox set and ready before you even think of seeds. You dont want something to malfunction or be set up wrong when you already have a plant going. Also, READ READ READ. all of the guides you possibly can. You can take the easiest methods you find and make your own. THats what I did and its working out pretty well. Many people will be saying "1 tsp of this, 2 tbl of that" but it really isnt that hard. Get some PERLITE, some GREEN SAND, some BLOOD MEAL, and some BONE MEAL. Follow the advice on the packaging for mixing yourself a quality soil. Also the most important part of the soil is the actual soil. You DONT want POTTING MIX or anything too airy. You want something that is LOAMY. I dont have any advice for that, seeing as I just walk outside and get some loam from a huge pile in my yard that works perfectly. If your wondering what I mean by LOAM, go outside (if u live somewhere where its not covered by snow) and rip up some grass and look at the soil under it. Dark brown, clay like, thats what your lookin for. Now your going to want to germinate your seeds. Youtube it or GC search it. There are millions of guides. DONT use fertilizers when you first plant your seed. It will be too overpowering and kill it. Mix your LOAMY soil with your PERLITE so its about 1/2 loam 1/2 perlite. This is a nice soil to start off some plants with. (buy a ph tester at your local agricultural store. Agway or maybe even walmart should have them. You want your ph to be around 6.3-6.7). Once you have a seedling that is nice and strong THAT is when you can start to SLOWLY add your fertilizers (green sand, blood and bone meal.) You can either transplant your seedling from a small pot into another pot with your fertilizer already mixed into the soil, or you can just plant your seed in the desired size of a pot that you want and sprinkle the ferts ontop of the soil and when you water it the nutrients will make their way down to the roots with time (this is the easiest way). DO NOT WATER MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWO DAYS. I cant stress this enough. The PROPER way to water is this, when your soil is dry, water. Water thoroughly. By thoroughly I mean water until some is coming out of the bottom (this way you know all of the soil is saturated). once you see water coming out, stop watering, and put it back under the lights and dont touch it again until 2 days go by. I know it will look dry. But dont water again. you will drown the roots. Marijuana needs dry and wet soil so that the roots can get both air and water. You dont want to keep the roots wet 24/7 or else they will rot/drown. If your going to do something, do it right. Hope I helped, and goodluck. Look up
This is one of the most informative posts for an anxious newcomer to the PC scene I've seen so far. Many thanks for taking to time to break the process up into manageable steps for someone who might be feeling overwhelmed.
I have a pc server box, measures 15x7.5 and about 23inches tall. covered with mylar, taped with chrome duck tape. two 120mm intake fans, and two 80mm exhaust fans. the 2 intake fans are on the side. one exhaust fan on top back, and other one on bottom front. I have three 26watt 1750lumens each cfl bulb, but the temperature is in the higher 80's, what do I need to do? any help is appreciated. thanks.