Ok, folks! I've grown once or twice before but they were really half hearted attempts with results that were 'meh'. This time, though, I've gone all in and I'm hoping I can tap some of the genius on this forum if I run into any issues along the way. So, let's jump right in with the setup. First and foremost, this will be a somewhat small, somewhat stealthy wardrobe grow. Lights are CFL. Strain is Lemon Skunk Feminized from Green House Seed Co. (which are getting a lot of hate lately but they've been good to me, so I'm going with it.) Room size: 3' wide x 4' high x 18" deep Medium: Soiless mix and perlite (85%/15% respectively) Lights: 4 - 2700K 42W CFL (I realize that for veg they should be 6500K but I can't get them here. An upgrade is not an option so we'll just see what happens.) Nutes: Fox Farm Trio and likely Koolbloom (I'll be watering using distilled) Ventilation: One intake, one exhaust, one circulating Here is the light setup. I constructed it using PVC, weatherproof sockets, lamp cord, and aluminum vent.
throw some y sockets in there and double up on those cfls baby! They use very little electrity and produce very little heat and you can never have enough light!
I germinated using a glad of distilled water. Both sprouted with no issues. Soon after, I noticed my room temps were ridiculous. I was at 104F. I grabbed two computer fans and wired them to work on 12V adapters as pictured. One was mounted low for cool intake. The other was mounted high for heat exhaust. Temps are now steady at 75F with humidity at 43%.
Seedlings now stable and one week in. Waiting for a few nodes before I will LST at least once on each plant.
I'm currently 24 days into flowering my first grow, after 60 days of veg. I've got it growing in a cupboard, with 4 CFLs that I wired up separately. I have the lights hanging from a shelf, and I've painted a sheet of corrugated card flat white which the lights hang through, to act as a reflector. Yes, it's a *very* cheap experimental first grow, but it's going pretty well =D I've been thinking about improvements for my second grow. I'm pretty much stuck with CFLs, but I was thinking of getting some mylar and trying a scrog, so I've been looking for CFL/scrog diaries for ideas and expectations. Yours looks great! I love, LOVE, your lights. Brilliant idea in so many ways. Easy to hang and adjust the height, your bulbs are horizontal to get the most out of all that light coming out the sides of the bulbs. Using the plumbing like this is genius. What I really want to know is how you wired up your lights. I presume you've got them wired in parallel, with a single socket powering them all? I've been looking for smart/safe ways to wire up multiple lights. I'd be grateful for any tips and insight you might have regarding the construction of your lighting contraption.
Transplanted today and got them in their permanent homes. Dropped the light over them and gave them their first dose of nutes. Used Fox Farms per the feeding schedule at 1/4 strength. I'm so glad the room is finally at a manageable level. Temps should be around 80F with a humidity of around 40%. Comments/suggestions welcome and encouraged.
@howando: Thanks for the kind words. You are correct that the lights are wired in parallel and run off of one socket. I used a simple piece of lamp cord that was labeled "Lamp Repair Cable" at the store. I bought a ten foot piece and cut about 9" pieces to go from socket to socket. That left me about 6 feet of cord from the unit when I was all finished. As to your Mylar, go to Wallyworld or a sporting goods center, in the camping section and buy an "Emergency Blanket". Three US dollars gets you one 84" x 56" or thereabouts. Then just cut it to size and install with staples or double sided tape. That's how I did mine. Happy growing!
Any idea what's up with these leaf tips? They started this before any nutes. Ph in soil and water are stable. I wonder if they are still recovering from when my room temps were way to high. Suggestions welcome.
Looks good and very innovative. Are you using a dog crate for a grow space? lol. I've used one before. Actually works great.
What is your room temp? And the ph? I'm thinking room temp since you brought that up. They looked a little toasted.
It's just a plain old wardrobe. What you see here is the top half. The bottom half is identical and if all goes well, I'll likely make the bottom a veg room and keep the top for flowering. Perpetual harvest being the ultimate goal. Right now, though, I'm just experimenting. Thanks for checking out my grow!
Quick update. The girls have recovered nicely and took to the nutes in an astounding way. I'm holding off on photos for a few more days until they're ready for their first FIM/Top. One more node to go!
nutes are required so young!! dont burn em and im subbed for sure. Nice building of the light set up dude..!
Ok, pics today and an update. The two girls are looking great and the growth over this week has been steady. I noticed a few gnats today as I poked around in the soil to check the moisture level. No doubt they're were in the soil when I purchased it. I'm pissed but not panicking. I placed a vinegar trap this evening and tomorrow I'll grab a sticky trap to catch/kill the adult flyers. For the larvae in the soil, I plan to top load some play sand and wrap the bottom of the pots with panty hose to prevent any from sneaking in the drain holes. That should cover it but if not, I'll be seeking advice. I -really-want to avoid any chemicals if possible. Comments/questions are welcome and encouraged! Thanks for tuning in.
