Most of the equipment you see in the pictures, I got from the dollar store or Walmart. The reflectors I made out of 4 dollar store windshield reflectors glued to black presentation board. It is in the corner so I just use thumbtacks for the walls and used 2 homemade reflectors. I find that it is incredibly efficient. I now have 4-23 watt CFLs (6500k/1600L) and 8-23 watt cfls (2700k/1600L). The reflectors for the lights on top is made out of a roasting pan from Walmart. They had some at the dollar store but they were smaller. For $2.98 I got a pack of 2 big ones. You'' notice I used a lot of power strips. A 2-pack from Walmart was $5.98. I used zip ties which I got for $1 (50 pack) to mount the power strips onto the foil pan. I got a big roll of garden twine from the dollar store which I used to hold up the roasting pan to mounts in my closet. I also bought adapters (~$1.50 each) to be able to plug the lights directly into the power strips. I also bought lamp socket splitters that were $2.48 each at Home Depot.The buckets which I believe are about 3.5 gallons were $3 each from Home Depot.I have them sitting in an oil pan each I got from the dollar store. Easy to dump runoff, just lift bucket, pull, and empty. For right now I have the 4 6500k set up right over my seedlings. with 2 2700k as supllements overhead. Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of money on things I really didn't need. I didn't do enough research before and had mistakenly used the flowering bulbs only for the first week so far. I also killed my Northern Lights on the right trying to LSTcause I am EXTREMELY impatient and kind of get obsessive about it. The top 3 sets of leaves broke off after I snapped it. It's 20 days old right now. I am currently trying to use the shot glass method on a AUTO Narco Purps. After it sprouts I'll throw it in with the Northern Lights (hopefully I can still save it). I'm going to be using 24/0 light cylce for about 3 weeks to see how it goes. So Chemdawg (left) is 13 days from sprout. Northern Lights is 20. I'm not too worried if NL dies because at least now I have the correct lights so my Narco Purps can grow big and strong. Also using Grow Big and Big Bloom ($10/12 from local nursery) when the time comes. Any and all input, comment, and suggestions are welcome. I grow for personal use so I am just trying to get the best results with the least amount of money. Thinking about adding in a supplemental LED light somewhere in the future if possible so if anybody has had success with that let me know. Forgot to add that as the plant grows, I will also use the power strips to light the sides of the plants. Hopefulyl they get that big!
I have a autoflower northen lights and i made the mistake by using 100 watt lights. You should of just bought 150 watt lights and i just harvested over an ounce of it from my first grow.
how many lights were you using? Was it a combo spectrum or just one light? Trying to see what my best options are
this is brilliant...i am also trying for a personal grow at least cost possible and i am very interested in your process...i would love to see more pics, hear more details on your build and i will be following this thread in hopes of all that... are you diying anything like nutes?...and i would be interested in more thoughts about lighting, which i am not far along in my research with yet...i have 2 clones under 2- 5w grow LEDS, the purple glowy ones, which i am guessing are spectrum lights... curious too, as to how you achieve full dark with your setup...i am using a converted cardboard box that i wrap in an emergency blanket, at the moment, but i worry about small light leaks and i can not tell how you might be closing your build up at any rate...ingenious...hats off to you!...thank you for sharing!
I currently put another reflector right over the top of it and the walls and strings hold it up for me. It is not full dark but most of the light gets reflected back in there. Hoping to build a better hanging light with a big drawer upside down lined with same stuff. I figure I can drill some holes for light fixtures. Right now I just want to see how far this can take me without spending any more money. When they're both older I will be using fox farm grow big and big bloom at 1/2 strength and then do a 2 week distiller water flush. Have you seen a big difference in your clones under LEDs?
my clones are 12 days old so not much time right now on them to be able to tell much...i took them off the mother late in flowering, so i understand they will take more time than usual to develop roots...currently on a 18/6 schedule, one in a DIY bubbler unit i made out of a coffee canister and some aquarium parts, the other is in a peat cup, both enclosed in ziploc baggies aka mini humidity tents..i lined my box with good freezer paper for a soft white reflective glow..
In my grow, i used my closet and closed off any light source to seize any light from coming onto my plants and also put it in a grow box covered with a black banket to keep temps up because it gets cold in canada.
give me a few and i can share some of my build, which is a work in progress...kinda hit the ground running with my grow and my build because having a grow at all was unexpected and a complete fluke...i do alot of DIY and upcycling so that has come in handy throwing something together real quick and i plan to continue in that vein, and save as much money as possible so i can put it to things i can not build or make, like lighting...most of the money i have spent, i have done bargain shopping at Walmart and Amazon and i have a Dollar Tree and Dollar General to scope out for ideas... of which you have given me several!...i am also working on my own homemade organic nutes, developed one recipe, have made use of some others i have found and still researching and testing...currently at work on ph testing and adjusting...
Cr Crappy pic but you can see how I reflect back inside by using a cardboard/reflector combo. I have to cut with scissors so that it can fit freely right over everything. It's not tied to anything. I used the black backing so that it makes it harder for the light to escape. I can't wait to see the results I get
a tour of my last minute, upcycled grow box and clone bubbler here are shots of the bubbler...the girl that is faring best is in this... pretty self explanatory...have it running with an old air pump i had in our pet supply cabinet.. had to drill the hole for the hose quite high, right up under the rim, for these tiny babies the nut acts as a weight to keep the hose sunk in the bottom of the canister and the stone equitably spaced here is the grow box i threw together real quick lined with good freezer paper for a soft white reflective glow i drop this over a 10 gal tote lid that i set the two girls i have under light on and leave the flaps open to get in and out here is the old lamp fixture i found in the shed and put up over this table top has a swivel arm to move around as needed and shade has a soft white reflective surface on the inside 2- 5w LED grow bulb, so no heat to speak of working on a plan to be able to raise/lower lighting, will probably lose the fixture and shade along the way to better equipment yeah its ghetto, but it seems to be working well on such short notice and with stuff i just had lying around...a work in progress an emergency blanket wrapped around box and lamp reflects light and heat traps that light loss at the top of the box and reflects it back down toward the girls girls inside the box shows the baggies i have been using as humidity tents theone on the bubbler is only around the lid and clone...stem runs through sponge collar and hole in baggie into the bubbler reservoir at night i move the lamp away, close the top flaps of the box, tuck the blanket around it all and lights out clones, taken today (first two are in box under lights, third is in a sunny window):
yes the reflective surface backed with the black cardboard is inspired...has my head clicking as i consider ways to improve my own build...i will probably incorporate the idea in some way not sure why it attached the pics from the previous post to this one
i have actually upgraded from that shade to a smaller one that i could fit the wider end into the box better for a wider spread out of the light, and installed a 1 to 4 socket adapter to accommodate the 2nd bulb
some bargains i have purchased or will be purchasing soon emergency blanket=2.97 at Walmart in the camping section bulbs i am using: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W3OM3LA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2Z36Z6S9LRB5Q&coliid=I1POZ1X7JBX5CA&psc=1 1 to 4 socket adapter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HZV2938?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 phone to tripod adapter (for taking trich shots with microscope apps from google play): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OS9E6AO?psc=1&... pH tester:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W3OM3LA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2Z36Z6S9LRB5Q&coliid=I1POZ1X7JBX5CA&psc=1 Calibration solution for tester:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PG1RFLK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2Z36Z6S9LRB5Q&coliid=I1X1YLP3KIPNVT and this stuff, which was not cheap, but good for many feedings...1 oz to a 1 gal of water (i also add in a cup of worm castings, gs, 1/2 cup of worm tea and 1 Tbsp of blackstrap molasses and slow feed to saturate soil + shower plant every week to 10 days:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009DI4SIU?psc=1&... also...banana water=soak a few banana peels in water for a fed days= potassium feed currently working on a pH down solution, using lime juice and that is all i have to share...sorry if i hijacked, you just got me excited with your innovations...hopes some of what i shared in return might be helpful to you in return...thanks again!
Not at all it's always great to have input from many different people. The more set ups that I see, the more I can better plan mine. I've been reading a lot of grow journals. Just went on eBay and bought grow light hangers. They were about five bucks a piece. Figured for that little amount of money , I don't have to worry about making sure the lights are level. I also saw a ph kit for 16 dollars. It brought the ph tester and the liquid so you can adjust ph. Really excited how this thread turned out
then if you do not mind, i will keep this thread handy and chime in as i work things out or find good bargains in case you or anyone else looking in can make use of what i find....i am excited by it too...really great ideas you have going on here and it has inspired me in my plans for upgrades
I had to make a CFL box on the fly because I had two photo bag seeds decide to flower as I just planted an auto. They needed a flowering room while my auto would remain under 18/6. So I build this out of tape, computer fans, USB fans, extension cords, and an emergency blanket. Lights and USB fans used to cool Lights are on a timer. Intake in the back is a 4" fan from wal mart along with another one inside blowing the intake air up through the plants to the exhaust computer fan at the top, which all remain on. Inside is lined with the Mylar blanket. The only thing I would change is to use gorilla tape instead of dollar store duct tape. One 65W CFL, two 23W CFLs, and two 13W CFLs. 137w total. http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1383387-2-Bagseed-Northern-Lights-Auto-250w-CFL
look at you!...more brilliance!...very impressive and your girls are beautiful... i am considering a similar design in upgrade to my box once i know if my babies are gonna take...using a 18 gal tote with holes cut for the fans, lighting and power strips and lined with windshield reflectors...still figuring out my in/out strategy with it... are you lifting this off to get at your girls?