I have seen more and more people trying to grow in small spaces lately without stealth in mind. Therefore i have decided to put my grow case up for people to see and possibly extract ideas from. My case = Thermaltake Case 23.6" x 9.6" x 24.6" (Xaser III) Power = extension cord for the lights with 120v male to lightbulb adapters plus y splitters (only 1 in the pics for now, am making a ballast to fit 4 more bulbs in). Right now i have 2 100w CFL's generating 3200lumens plus a 60w + ionizer bulb which generates 900lumens and functions as an ionizer for eliminating smells as well. I thought it was pretty cool so i bought one. So in total i have 4100 lums. for 2 sprouts 5 days old. 24/7 lighting - Fans - powered by a 120v to 12v power converter from radio shack and wired to 3 80mm computer fans. (2 screwed together forming a dual outake fan and 1 intake fan) - the good thing about the converter is that it allows you to regulate power to your fans via voltage selector which allows you to speed up or slow them down. The case is lined in aluminum coated HVAC tape, a decent alternative to mylar. I am not experiancing any hot spots etc. just a very well lit area. The fans also allow for the optimal temp of 75* to be upheld. as for watering, I have a aqau pump system set up ( not in the photos, but will update soon) wired to a timer. The pump is placed in the bottom of an aluminum paint bucket (3 quart) and sealed, with hoses running out of the bucket and to the plants. Again its not present in the pictures but ill include it in a couple days. The ends of the hoses are plugged and they are punctured several times to ensure a drip rather than a flow system. This makes sure that too much water doesnt get the plants water logged and that they arent stressed out by a blast of water hitting them. Both the lighting and water pump are set up on a digital 7 day timer which allows the unit to stand alone even in my absence. Which is nice because if i go on a short vacation, it does the watering and the light switches for me. The fans can be set to constant air circulation or can be hooked into the timer to turn on with the lights. Im using water soluable Shults Plant food Plus nutrients, found at your local hardware store. It is the most stable plant food ive used over the years and gives all the essential micronutrients to the plants as well ( not just nitrogen and phos. ) This is the first case that i have constructed in this manner but i am happy with its outcome. Ill be constantly improving it and updating this thread. If anyone has suggestions or comments please feel free to post them. Ohh an if someone knowns exactly how to wire light bulbs in serial please post so. I am familiar with the method but i rather be sure.
Nice man, yeah once those get bigger that light set up isn't going to work. I've just got two 40 watts in mine, it's the way to go. You know what method you're going to try? I suggest either LST or scrog.
i was thinking about scrog but i dont think i have the time nor the patients for weaving the leaves and such in and out. I think ill do LST. As for the lighting im going to make a ballast today so that i can fit about 8 CFL's total. I just have to revise my building strategy a little bit.
Ok so here is an udate on my grow case. I have upgraded the lighing to 6 1750 lumen (ea) 26 w CFL's. My watering pump and canister are set up an on a timer. And i have transplanted my seedlings into bigger 8" pots ( keep in mind i have to keep these things small). Pics below. PS - I elevated the pots so that they are closer to the lighting. I thought i would add this for all those who would post that they are too far away.
watering pump?! you shouldnt water your plants unless the soil is dry. note : your CFL's are too far. You shouldnt be more than 6 inches away from the top of the plants. 2 inches would be best. That's why your plants seem to be stretching edit :Also your CFL lights seem to be yellowish in color. Are you sure they are clearwhite/daylight?
The pump is set on a cycle to water every 5 days on a drop system to ensure proper watering. Thefore the plants wont get blasted with a water stream and also wont get overwatered. I have 3 daylight and 3 soft light CFL's. The plants have been elevated by lifting the pots up, not dropping the lighting down. They are about 4" away. I dont want them to get higher incase they have a growth spurt and hit the lights. I dont want burnt leaves.
hey guys i was just wondering if any of you indoor growers have an approximation of how tall plants would grow in 8" or 6" pots without getting root bound. The pots ar 6"diameter x 5" deep or can change them to 8" x 6"
I have recently changed the 3 soft white bulbs to 3 mor daylight. Its working a lot better now and my plants seem to be doing a lot better and growing faster.
Does anyone know how much if at all humidity effects the veg stage of a plant? I mean as long as the soil remain moist enough to allow for the stomata of the plant to be open the platn should thrive.
here is an update on my grow... after some nute problems i finally got these babies stabalized and they are growing wonderfully. I fimmed one and topped the other. 1st pick = fimmed hybrid bagseed. pic 2 = topped today sativa(??) bagseed ohh im also doing lst. I hope to keep these guys very small and then tae clones ff of them and use another modified PC for flowering.... continuos bud growth!!! I also relined the case with mylar since my AL foil ripped... seems to make a sligh difference but not much
I want to do a micro PC grow so bad So very stealthy... I want to 2nd the notion that your CFL's should be about 2" from your plant. As along as you are checking your plant once a day, you won't have to worry about burning the leaves. If you are using LST, you are in particularly good shape in this respect. Anyway, nice work! Keep it up You should really start a grow journal...
i was thinking of starting a grow journal. I might do it once i put them into bloom. I havent quite decided if im going to keep these guys in a lower light cycle... maybe 14 hours of light to limit growth and then use them as mothers. As for the lights, i can get em any lower since i dont check on the plants daily. I go to school about an hour away and i make a trip to the grow every couple of days. I keep em further incase of growth spurts. Thanks for the positive comments though. I hope the topped plant works out better. Its been a stragler since the beggining and i dont know why. The other plant (pic 1) is doing much better and both are grown in the same medium under the same conditions. Idk it might just be genetics. As for anyone wanting to start a PC stealth grow i say go for it. I did mine for under 100$ without the soild and stuff. Here is a rough pricing guide. Bulbs - around 25$ for 6 at walmart. mylar - 2.50$ for one space blanket at walmart pots and saucers - 5$ max at home depot FFOF soil - 10$ for a .75ft bag male socket to bulb adapter x as many bulbs as you use - their liek 1.50$ a piece 12 guage wire (10 ft) - 8$ You can make the lighting balast yourself. i made mine out of wood and flashing to reflect the light. Wire it in parallel and pop it into the case. Good Luck to all, if you have any questions feel free to ask i can answer anything out of my experiance.
I just germinated a seed and am waiting for it to sprout out of the soil before i get into anything serious since this is my first grow. Right now I have it sitting near a window in a plastic cup so i'm not to sure what will happen. anyways could you let me know what would be a good lighting setup for just one plant? i am picking up a pc case this week to begin some prep work. i dont plan on doing any timers, just manual lighting and watering. and my main concern is odor control, so i was thinking carbon filter setup on the exhaust fan, maybe... how is the smell so far, i know it gets worse as the plant matures?
heres an update on this grow for people who wanted to know how it would turn out.. The sativa is thriving wonderfully and in its 5th week of flowering by now (maybe 4th, i forget the exact day) the indica bagseed is all screwed up and is suffering from something ive never seen before. Anyway, here are some pics of the sativa. Shes filled out the whole case and is budding mighty nicely.