Sure. it was really easy & cheap: it's just 2 kitchen basic elements from IKEA mounted on top of another, a custom built door, and some wheels and cables. You can find more details at the beginning of this journal, otherwise just ask.
--41st day under 12/12 we're approaching the 49 days flowering advertised on the packaging, but my intuition (and pocket microscope) tell me I'll have to wait a bit longer before harvest. All trichomes still look very clear to me, and the bud hairs are still mostly white. On the other hand, the buds are growing super fast so longer flower time = more buds. Look how frosty they are already! I'm still giving them 2/3 nutrient almost every watering... seems to work fine. I'll flush when I start seeing a lot of milky trichomes (hope I'm right).
Alex you got a sweet deal going. I am supposing the surprises you get on your yield are going to make you very happy.
init that setup is just so ideal! i want one just like that seriously lol i wouldnt be suprised if u pull 3-5 oz
ok, I have to ask... Sorry for the thread hold-up What's this "init" shit ? Initializer ? WTF ? ! And alexjp, once again, I re-read your whole grow/thread masterpiece to see what your box's average temps were... I am blown away. I have been busting my ass to get my temps below 80, and HAVE, with a stanley blower/mod exhaust fan. Turns out I am more than champion as I have never hit over 80 unless I'm measuring 3 inches from the air-cooled, 250 watt bulb ! I need to thank you again for your time & accuracy here to give me and others a very valid starting point to be, hopefully, just as successful as you. I am still shocked at how wonderful everything is turning out for you ! Again, congratulations alexjp !
Thanks for your comments To be honest, I really thought a lot about the setup before starting the grow and the 250W MH/HPS combo seemed like the perfect balance between ease and results. I can afford a much bigger setup, but what's the point of investing in an A/C and CO2 systems when my 250W can deliver at least 3oz (75 grams) every 3 months. That's more than enough for me and my friends. I also am a big fan of IKEA and buy tons of really cheap stuff there Hope you can find some inspiration. I wanted to build a box that would be efficient and look nice at the same time.
--45th day of 12/12-- here are some picts without the HPS on... nice colors! I can just start seeing some cloudy trichomes, but I doubt they will be ready for a harvest on day 50. I'm not sure i'll be able to flush them since: 1- I dont think i can predict when 2 weeks before harverst will be 2- the setup in the box makes it hard to flush, since there is no real drainage and I would have to drain the runoff water practically manually. 3- I've been giving them reduced fertilizer doses for the last 10 days already (about 2/3 then 1/2 dose), and now my fert bottle is empty and i'm too lazy to go get a new one. I think i'll just give them regular water until the end, which should not be too long anyway. i can't wait to chop those off.. it's been a long wait.
--49th day of 12/12-- well that's 7 weeks flowering but still no sign of amber trichomes... I would say 90% are milky now, and I notice some trichs are getting damaged from me manipulating those buds around. It's also quite tricky to look at the bubds at the back of the box, so I'm concentrating mostly on the front row. Question: would all trichomes mature at the same speed on all buds? I have the feeling that the top buds closer to the light might mature faster than lower ones... in that case, should I consider top buds or middle "average" buds to decide of harvest time? thanks for your answers! almost there...
i believe thats true the top buds will mature before the lower buds, you could always harvest top first then let the lower buds mature a bit more but dont no how much this would shock in plant so far into flowering. cant wait to see the harvest thers guna be some beautiful buds :d
Looks really nice! They say a buds usually have to flower a week or 2 longer than the flowering time in the description, cuz the breeders always grow under the most optimal conditions. So patience... let them get bigger. My buds are 10weeks now and some clusters (I think theyre called false seed pockets?) in the buds just started to swell, and somewhat exploded, and new hairs grew out of it. But I think you dont need 10 weeks, your buds seem healthier than mine so I think you will finish earlier. What nutes are u using? I read in the organics section that there is no need to flush an organic grow... so u might want to continue that?
that's true it will definitely take another week or two. I cut off one branch yesterday and vaporized it with the volcano... i could feel the THC but it was very very mild. No way around waiting it seems, but I guess I should not be surprised... so many pot heads have tried that before me I'm sure
That cabs amazing, love the clean inside and how you're putting a use to IKEA stuff, lol. For real dude, those girls look happy in there. Start selling these things, I'd buy a couple. 1 for veg/moms 1 for flower. Whats fan are you using?
A friend here also suggested I sell those boxes... I actually built a small veg chamber a few weeks back to do some cloning but I dont use it much anymore (gave the clones to a friend). It was also IKEA haha. Man, flowering is boring. it's day 51 of 12/12 and still no amber trichs. about 90% cloudy though, so I think it's just a matter of a good week. The buds are still fattening to I'm happy!
I love this grow box; its creative, it looks good and its seems really easy to build. Thanks for sharing.
--55th day of 12/12-- quick update: the buds are still growing but I dont see many amber trichomes yet. As a matter of fact, I have the feeling that those trichs are "drying up" and shrinking maybe. Not sure if that's because I touch them too much or something else... otherwise everything looks good. I've been giving them nothing but 6.4 ph'ed water for 10 days now. I'm seeting some yellowing of leaves on the main top of the Critical, but I think it's too late to rectify now, so i'll just push until harvest. since this box seems to get some positive comments, I'm preparing a design recap that I'll post on the growbox design forum. edit: here is the link: Easy IKEA grow box design: 250W, SCROG ready. enjoy
Whoa! Just stumbled upon this an I must say you are doing a fine job sir! Those buds are looking fantastic. I can't wait to see what your able to pull off with just a 250
Hey thanks for the encouragement guys. I was hoping for a harvest around 50 days of 12/12 but I'm reading everywhere that I should expect more like 60... At least the yield should be quite good.