A tale of a newbie and an armoire...

Chronicling my many mistakes onto (hopefully) a successful indoor grow...

Part 1

I decided a long time ago that I wanted to grow. But certain obstacles (fear of getting caught, wife, logistics) were in the way. Really, #1 was never an issue. I figure as long as you use some common sense the chances of getting caught are pretty small. However, I wasn't going to be growing if my wife was 100% against it. She came around eventually, thankfully. But still, there was this issue of... Where? How?

Well, thanks to this site and rollitup I got some good ideas. My original thought was to use a walk-in closet. But I'd need a veg room and a flowering room and I didn't really know how to split up the room, properly ventilate it without drilling holes in a door. Plus, just because my wife agreed to let me do it doesn't mean she wanted it shoved in her face every day. And, well, the issue of where our clothes would go... But really, that wasn't top priority.

So here sits this big armoire upstairs that has sat empty for a couple years and light bulbs started going off in my head. It's separated by shelves, drawers, etc. I know it will require a lot of work but I smile to myself because I know it's going to be perfect when it's all done.

But I'm a newbie. I'm hardly a handyman. Sure, I've read up quite a lot on what other people have done, read and watched grow guides as well. But, reading, watching, knowing, and doing I quickly found out are far different from each other.

But hell... Need to start somewhere... So I start. I do a lot of reading and figure out that Northern Lights seems pretty friendly to the starter grower and place my order at Peak Seeds BC. This is last Thursday.

Time to figure out the rest so I'm ready when the seeds come.

So I start ripping the armoire apart. I should've really took a picture before I started, but really, end picture should look pretty identical to how it was at the start. At least I hope so or I really, really messed up and kind of ruined the point of me putting the grow inside an armoire since the entire goal is to have it in a contained space where people are obvlious to what's going on inside that piece of furniture.

Argh, was going to put the first picture here but it looks like I'm going to have to attach them all to the end of the post since I don't want to really sign up for an account to post pictures online.

Dimensions: A little over 32" Wide. A little under 23" Deep. A little over 68" Wide at it's shortest point. It goes up a little in the middle so I can comfortably stand inside in case Leo ever comes looking for me. I figure I'll have fresh air and light 18 hours of the day. Better than most cities.

So I start sanding off the stain. In hindsight I shouldn't have. I'd have just gotten a good primer and gone to town. But oh well, the work is done. We had some matte paint leftover from some painting done last year. For some reason I had it in my head that matte and flat were the same thing... they're not. That's a mistake you hate to realize after making sure the entire inside is meticulously painted.

Time for a new can of paint. Tip: Don't ask a friend who may or not be a painter to order a can of paint for you to get a contractor price and save a bit of money.

Conversation:

Me: Can you order a gallon of Flat White Paint for me?
Him/Her: What are you painting?
M: (Quick thinking) My closet.
H: You don't want Flat Paint for a closet. You would be better off with a Matte finish.
M: I was looking up online, people say it reflects light better so I figure I'd get better lighting in it.
H: I mean I'll order it if that's what you really want. It's just meant more for ceilings than walls.
M: Yeah, please order it. Thanks.
H: It shows hand/fingerprints, etc. You'd really be better off with a matte or glossy finish. But I'll really order it if you want.

This goes on for another couple minutes. Kind of awkward since he/she is a professional and I don't feel like wasting money on a gallon of paint I don't want and at the same time I don't want it to seem like I don't value their opinion. Short end of it: It gets ordered (flat white, yes!) and I go pick it up. Lesson learned. Sure, I saved a few bucks but... moral of the story: try not to rely on anybody for anything. Something as innocent as a gallon of paint at contractor pricing can lead to awkward situations. He will probably be curious the next time he comes over to my house and realizes the closet isn't painted. The same very closet with my armoire in it... Oops!

Back home. Covering all the matte paint with flat paint. Trying to do a good job but honestly probably not as good a job as I did with the matte paint. Oh well, close enough!

Left a little patch unpainted near the top where I plan on venting out a 120mm 133.6 CFM fan with (perhaps) far too much airflow.

Wow, it's been 7 days. My seeds are here already. And got gifted an extra 10 mixed... Sweet! Oh... Damn, guess that means I need to stop slacking and get this thing finished up.

I've read a few guides and hope I'm not butchering my seeds but I take 6 of the Northern Lights (think it's best to save the mixed for now) and put them in a box with sandpaper and whirl them around for a minute or two. Take them and put them in a tupperware container with some damp paper towels covering them and hope for the best while I head back to working on the armoire.

I pull 1 of the drawers completely apart to keep only the front piece. The plan. To paint the back of the piece flat white and then velcro it back on. Complete! Let it sit for a couple hours... Remove it to inspect my handywork. Er... Remove it to inspect my handywork. What the f... Remove............. Okay... Lesson learned. Don't use industrial velcro all the way around if you ever want to get the thing off again. Took me at least 2 minutes of prying to get the thing back off again.

So I don't put on the next 2 Drawers. I figure I'll maybe use a foam or something else to block the light for the top and bottom of the drawer and just use velcro on the sides. That way I don't feel like I'm lifting 300 pounds every time I'm trying to take a drawer off the armoire to get access to the bottom.

Upcoming Projects/Dilemnas:

1) Doors/2 Remaining Drawers. What material to keep the rest of them attached and blocking out light while still making it possible for me to open the damn thing. I could keep using velcro all the way around and maybe Leo would give up if ever trying to find out what's inside... Wishful thinking.

1) Lighting. Have 8 6500K 23W CFL's... I sort of want a light figure that holds 2 100W Bulbs... Or maybe 2 fixtures that each hold a 100W Bulb. That way I can position them a bit differently. I'm thinking the second one is the better idea. Where to buy something like that? I want something I can hang and is adjustable or maybe a clamp. Either way though I really want it to be able to plug into a power outlet. I've looked at Wal-mart and Home Depot. No luck. I need these fast. Probably within a day or two as the seeds could be germinated at any time.

2) Cooling. Passive air in the bottom or active? How do I prevent the light from shining through the bottom and affecting my plants?

Oh, guess I should talk about that real quick. I forgot above. There's an area at the bottom of my armoire that allows light in from the right and left sides. Maybe about 2" tall 18" wide. I'd like to use them for natural airflow into the grow but still have light blocked into the grow. Thinking of having a shelf put in with a hole near the front and back to allow air in but block as much light as possible. I want to make sure I get this right.

Pictures! (if I do this right)

Explanation of pictures...

1) Armoire destroyed. Maybe I should have sold it and bought some weed instead. I kid... I kid... I think.

2) Flat white done finally. And first drawer velcro'd on.

3) First drawer finally pulled back off.

4) Might be hard to see. Not the fact that I'm an idiot and thought I was good enough that I didn't need to lay down sheets or newspaper to properly paint the thing... I'll be careful! Stopped caring about being careful after the first few drops. Thankfully it comes off really easy. Oops, got side tracked. If you notice the glow there, that's where light and air comes in. I want to block the light but allow the air. Thinking of putting a shelf there and drilling a holes near the front/back of armoire to allow the air to pass but hopefully not allow light... Haven't really figured this out yet.

5) 92W a piece. Can't wait to plug these things in and watch my babies grow.

 

Hey, thanks X.

There's a couple problems with screws for the drawers.

1) I was hoping for quick access in and out and I think screws would eventually strip going in and out with time.

2) I need the armoire to look 100% on the outside. The velcro still gives the appearance that it's a normal armoire. A bunch of screws in it would probably make people wonder what the heck was going on with it.

Also, I kind of want the same solution all the way around. The cabinet doors have hinges but they are a major source for light leakage so I need to find a solution for those.

I really don't like velcro all the way around but I definitely need a complete light seal so I'm thinking of some type of foam or something the same thickness as the velcro (not that thick) that will help block all the light. Going to try to find something that has an adhesive on one side. Maybe at a craft shop or something. Running out of time though so I may have to go with velcro for the rest anyway and just not attach it so tight in the future.

Hindsight being 20/20 I probably should've waited to start germinating the seeds. The joys of being a procrastinator. I figured germinating them though would get help get my ass in gear to get the armoire fully prepped. I took the morning off work to get the cabinet doors ready and painted. Going to take the last 2 drawers apart a bit later too and get them painted up. I really want the paint to be dried and the smell fully gone before I go and shove plants in there. That's the last thing I want. Dead plants because I took my sweet time in getting this all prepped. Hopefully they aren't ready for another day or two because I'll definitely be done by then. At least everything but the exhaust hole and the intake situation. Still not really sure how to block 100% of the light coming in. When it's all done I'll check for light leaks and cross my fingers.

I'll keep the thread updated with pictures and information as I go along. Time to get back to work before I have to actually go to work.

 

Thanks for the ideas guys. Magnets for the drawers is an awesome idea. I love it. Gonna do some shopping tomorrow and look what type of stuff I can find at Home Depot and Wal-mart.

I like the bolt lock idea as well. I just know I'd f it up miserably. I'm as talented at DIY stuff as Cecilia Gimenez is at painting (Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/w...oration-of-ecce-homo-fresco-shocks-spain.html).

Not sure why I hadn't thought of rubber seals before. My brain just isn't wired for this type of stuff.

 

Part 2

Well, I checked at 3 AM before I went to bed and nothing. Woke up at 10 AM and 4 of them are showing root tips. It's a pretty good feeling! I had a big smile on my face when I opened up the container expecting to maybe see 1 cracked but to see 4 with the root tips out was pretty great. 1 is pretty long and curly which is kind of surprising to me. I didn't realize they could get that long in such a short period of time. Another is pretty long. The third and fourth are barely sticking out.

I germinated 6 in all, the 5th looks like I can juuuuuuuust see the root tip through the seed cracking. Maybe that means I should plant it but figure I'll wait a bit to be safe. The 6th looks like it's cracking but I don't see anything coming out of it. I figure I'll give those 2 more time. Maybe by later today.

So, I planted the 4 that (hopefully) were ready. I know the first 2 definitely were, the second 2 I'm not 100% sure since whenever I see tutorials on germinating and planting the root tip is always sticking out a bit more than those 2 I planted.

Anyway, the bad news... The armoire isn't done! The doors are painted and attached via just hinges but they let through an amazing amount of light and air so I'm going to have to do something about that. The drawers are painted too, just not attached since I'm going to run out after posting this and look for something a bit more elegant than velcro to attach or supplement the attachment.

I still don't have the lighting done (haven't been able to find the right fixtures). Going to go out to a few hardware places today and see if I can find what I'm looking for. For right now I just have the 4 I potted underneath 4 - 6500K lights that are plugged into a normal overhead light.

As for the airflow, that's the part that's really not done about the armoire. I was painting the shelf I plan on putting at the bottom and my dogs pushed their way into the room and stepped on the freshly painted shelf. So instead of the first coat being completely done I've got a couple of nice paw prints on the bottom shelf. So, instead of finishing up I decided I had a long enough day, washed off their paws, checked the seeds and called it a night.

And as for the exhaust fan at the top rear, well... I tried to make a hole with one of those adapters you attach to a power drill and the first hole went great. But, I needed the hole bigger to fit the 120mm fan and that's when things got a little... iffy. Yeah, long story short... Use the right equipment if you don't want to butcher a job.

I know plants in veg state can get up to 24 hours of light so I'm not going to worry about the light leaks quite yet. I'll get the lighting done up in the armoire, after that I'll worry about fixing up the rest.

Pictures:

1) Drawer in tact.
2) Drawer not so in tact.
3) Drawer inside painted. For the first one I painted inside the groove. Didn't bother this time other than what leaked inside.
4) Dogs! That's the shelf I plan putting along the bottom if you haven't guessed.
5) My babies!

Well, crunch time. Time to do a bit of shopping. I plan on getting my armoire fully done today except for the bottom shelf. I'll do the shelf tomorrow since I still need to paint it but I don't want to put it in with my plants until it's completely dry and the smell is gone.

 

Part 3

Strolling down the aisles of a local hardware store looking for a few things I knew I needed like electrical tape (wiring up the exhaust fan) and light fixtures while trying to keep it at the forefront of my mind that I still need something to help block the light that isn't as hard to remove as velcro.

Came across weather stripping... Brilliant! Tried finding the skinniest stuff I could because I knew if it was going to be too padded it wouldn't work well with the velcro. I slap it on and pretty much come to realize right away that it probably isn't going to work that well. But whatever, only one way to find out.

So I slapped velcro on the sides and put the weather stripping along the top and bottom of of the 2 remaining drawers. Wire up the exhaust fan. Remove the "half hoods" off the 2 shop lights I bought and run the cables out the back, put little hooks at the top and back of the armoire to hold them in place and push it into position.

The last 2 seeds germinated while I was out so I go get the soil ready, plant them and put them in the bottom of the armoire (just on the floor for right now) and turn the lights and the fan on.

Time to take a picture in the dark to see how bad the light leaks from the drawers. I realize the doors to the armoire and the underside is going to leak horribly but I'm hoping the 3 drawers aren't that bad.

Pictures:

1) Light leak. Drawers aren't quite that bad because I didn't have them lined up right but you can tell the velcro on the bottom is really good at keeping it's seal and the velcro/weather stripping mix not so much. The bottom drawer is the one with velcro all the way around. Top and middle have the weather stripping along with some velcro.
2) Hanging a few inches above. Saw somebody recommend that they should actually be covered with plastic baggies to hold the moisture in. Guess I'll look for input quick before too much time passes.
3) The orange cables for the shop lights hanging from hooks and the 120mm exhaust fan at the top of the armoire.
4) One of the drawers off. You can see the weather stripping (also white) on the drawer itself. Probably going to take this off and go with velcro soon.

 

Ah, so the 8 Bulbs are overkill for right now? I figured they might be but I figured more wouldn't hurt.

I have another computer fan (not nearly as powerful) I was planning on putting in there to blow air sideways. I just wasn't exactly sure where to place it. I see some people put it under the canopy, some people put it just over the canopy, etc. I was just going to wait until something popped up first... Hope something does pop up.

I bought a bag of Sunshine Mix #4 - Aggregate Plus. I guess I should've stated this earlier in case I need to add nutrients quickly. Everything I've read seems to say I shouldn't have to for the first few weeks but maybe this stuff is a blank slate and is different?

 

Hi Fayn, thanks for dropping in. I was hoping to keep as much of the flat white visible as possible. That's why I was thinking more along the lines of sealing it from the outside as much as possible rather than figuring out a way of doing it on the inside.

If I can't seal it up good enough though I'll definitely try your idea. Thanks for the advice!

Temperature up to just under 80 (from 70 outside the armoire) and more concerning to me, Humidity dropped to 35 (from 45). I put a bucket of water in there to try to raise the Humidity. Don't want my babies to dry out!

 

Haha, it's kind of funny. It's a Saturday night and I have to go out and I'd rather stay home, research, tinker, etc.

I plugged the hole in the middle of the armoire doors. What I did is I used weather stripping on the inside part (the part that faces the other door) on both doors but I put it flush against the cabinet portion on the left door and on the right door I put it closer to the front of the cabinet that way the 2 strips sit flush against each other. The material itself is a whitish foam that lets a bit of light through so it wasn't perfect. So what I did is I wrapped duct tape around the form portion on both and it seems to block out all the light now.

I'll test it out later and take some pictures. I still have to do all around the doors and one of the drawers. I redid the middle drawer already with velcro but I seem to be missing a piece of velcro that I need to do the top drawer. Being unorganized can really suck sometimes.

Hope the Humidity is higher by the time I get back.

By the way, in terms of misting, do I do that already before anything sprouts, or wait until some leaves start forming, etc? Thanks!

 

Back. Damn, humidity is even lower and I have an ice cream pail full of water in there too. It's down to 30%. Any chance it has to do with air being vacated too fast?

 

Well, Humidity is a bit higher. Put 4 pails of water in there and it's now up to 40%. Turned off 1 set of the lights as well so only running 92 Watts in there at the moment not counting the exhaust fan.

Currently working on light proofing. I've done the top of the doors so far and it looks pretty good but I can't seem to get 100% light seal. I think it's because the weather proofing I'm using is just a bit too thick and it's pushing the velcro out instead of allowing it to lay fully flush. I might follow the advice from before and put some sort of deadbolt or something on it to keep it locked in tight. Won't look like an innocent armoire anymore but at least it'll keep the light out. I'll think on it some more.

Upcoming projects:

Complete the bottom of the armoire. That's by far the biggest light leak. Need to get a hole saw for that and then I'll continue. Might just bring the piece to a friends house and get him to drill a few for me. Tell him it's for cabling or something. The little screw in my saw that allows the circular part to stay in place came loose so it doesn't work anymore. Unfortunately after only 1 and a quarter holes.

Finish light-proofing the rest.

Wow, this list is getting shorter and shorter. Kind of nice.

I'll post pictures when I've accomplished some more light-proofing.

 

Question:

How long does it generally take for a seedling to sprout if you germinate it first before planting? Because it's been 36 hours and I see a bit of green in Cup #1. That's the one that had the longest tap root.

I could've swore I read multiple places that it takes 7-10 days to sprout from seed. So I went searching through the forums and saw some say 5 days, some saying 3 days in ideal conditions, etc.) so with all that 36 hours seems far too soon so I assumed that it was probably some foreign material that was in there. I probably shouldn't have touched it but I prodded it a bit (I'm sure far worse happens in nature) to see if it was maybe something that was loose. I didn't want to mess with it too much but it's right in the center of the cup and doesn't look like anything else I've seen in the soilless mix so I thought I'd ask here. Thanks.

Picture!

 

The question has been answered.

#2 and #3 are showing growth now too. They probably were before as well but I just decided to take a closer look at them just now to see and sure enough. Not nearly as pronounced as the picture above but it's definitely happening for them as well.

#2 had the 2nd longest tap root. #3 didn't have much of a tap root but it was a bit longer than #4's which was the last of the 4 that germinated the first morning. #5 and #6 germinated a little later that day and they had small tap roots as well.

The real reason the question has been answered though is #1. It's amazing what 2 hours can do. Check out the difference between the last picture and this picture. Crazy. This is so much better than watching paint dry.