Hi everyone. Total noob here when it comes to growing. I've been coming to these forums reading a lot and now plan on trying to grow something myself. You guys have inspired me So this morning, I started my little experiment. At first I planned on growing using a large cardboard box. I was super anxious to get started doing SOMETHING with this at around 3AM, and of course I had no cardboard box, but I did have this mountain dew mini fridge that I won from pepsi around 4 years ago that has since stopped working (bad compressor, never bothered to fix it). However, the 12v fan works on it, so I messed around with it a little bit this morning and was wondering if you guys think I can start growing out of it. Right now there's only one 12v fan in it, and I have one 13 watt (825 lumens) bulb connected at the moment. Since it's my first time, I just plan on using seeds that i've saved over the past few months. I'm not sure what kind of weed it is, most likely mids. Would I be able to grow something smokeable out of this, or would I just be better off going with the cardboard box? I have limited space and a limited budget and just want something simple that will get the job done. This is what I have so far -- I know I should probably add another bulb/fan. Any and all suggestions are welcome obviously....like I said i'm totally new to growing. Thanks in advance
More light, you couldn't grow anything with that amount. I have one 13 watt (825 lumens) bulb connected a simple note is that the first plant should be getting 100 watts and for every additional plant +50 watts. 13 watt CFL I believe is the minimum also. Try getting more lighting is all I can say.
Loose the tinfoil, either go w/ something white, or find some mylar. You could easily use some good white trash bags, just double them up and make sure they are smooth as possible. I would find a way to use a couple more CFL's, you want 40 watts per sq ft. less
Thanks for the replies guys. I was debating weather or not to go with the foil. Some sites said it's good to use, others said just go with something white. The inside is already white so there's no problem ditching the foil and I plan on getting one 100 watt CFL in a little bit. So with the foil gone, and a 100 watt CFL, another fan (the 12v i have now is blowing air in, and there's ventilation openings right above it) the chances of growing something decent would still be slim?
tinfoil < white paint < mylar You want at least 3000 and preferably 5000+ lumens hitting your plants.
Generally I like to tell first time growers to take their first time or even the first two times as a learning experience rather than a harvest goal. With 113 watts you could probably get a decent plant or two depending on other factors (Soil, ferts, other basic knowledge) Good luck!
What are the inside specs to this, Width, length, height? If you have the room, I would invest in some T-5 24" HO tubes, they are about 3K lumens per tube and by the looks of it, you could easily fit 3 in there which would give you some insane light, also, they do not get very hot. They run about $25-$30 each and are come complete, they even have daisy chain hook ups so you can run them all off one outlet. Remember to get both spectrums and switch the blues out for the reds when you decide to go to 12/12. less
Here's some more info on the mini fridge i'm using: Accomodates 4 x 2L bottle standing upright or 20 x 350ml cans. 34.3cm x 38.5cm x 46cm (W x D x H) 460pcs per 20' container; 950pcs per 40' container (Quantity without export carton) here's a pic of the same one i have, only without the mountain dew logos: mine is the 0120a. kinda small but it seems doable.. ----- Walmart has a 6 pack of 26 watt CFLs for around 20 bucks. I'm thinking of going with those since they're more in my price range for now. I'm thinking of putting maybe two 26 watt CFLs into the mini fridge for 1, maybe 2 plants. How does that sound? Should I do 3? I also removed all the foil. Like I said the walls of the mini fridge are already bright white. Should I leave it as is or get some mylar or go with white trash bags all around? Also the front of the fridge is clear and i can see what's inside when the door is closed...will this effect the light or Is it best I cover the door with white paper? I've seen people grow with clear atx pc cases but others say cover with white so i'm unsure. Thanks again for all your help...I learn something new each time you guys post. i'm so anxious to get this shit up and running.
I'd give it a go for sure. And your fine w/ tin foil. It's a pain in the ass putting it up so I know what you went through. As for the space, look into Low Stress Training (LST). It would be perfect for your situation.
If those dimensions (34.3cm x 38.5cm x 46cm (W x D x H) are for the outside of the fridge, you will not have much room to grow when you've a pot of soil and lamp in there. And the tin foil should be alright when you're using CFLs, it's when you use HIDs the tin foil causes hot spots. Can wait to see it up in action.
Thanks again for all of the replies everyone. And it's too late for the tin foil, I ripped it out JUST BEFORE I returned to this thread! I need to get some better duct tape for sure as what i'm using now is some cheap BS and is barley sticking to the fridge and is pulling the socket down. Pretty sure my step dad got it from the dollar store. Anyway I purchased 2d ifferent types of soil. I know most people here are against miracle gro, but the one I bought seems to decent for marijuana as I checked a few other threads. I got Miracle Gro moisture control potting mix (0.21% nitrogen, 0.07% phosphate). Also, I went to home depot, lowes, kmart, and a few local stores to try and find a better soil..one that perhaps had sand/perlite. NOTHING. Until - I ran in the dollar store to grab a water, and there's some organic soil sitting right there. The ingredients label reads "This product is regionally formulated from organic materials, (primarily derived from one or more of the following: hypnum peat, forest products or composite) sand and perlite. I said what the hell...for 1$, I bought it. Any chance it'll grow? The brand name is Hyponex (organic potting soil). I also now have two 26 watt CFL lights, for a total of 200 watts and a total of 3200 lumens. I didn't realize how much bigger the 26 watt CFL lights were compared to the standard 13 watt CFL lights I use in my home...they do take up quite a bit of space. I'm thinking once they start to sprout eventually i'll transfer everything over to a nice sized box. Not done yet, but this is what it looks like at this point: Do you think i'd be better off with just one pot?