Hey GC, Starting on my first cabinet for my first grow. Been studying other cabinets, particularly MicroGrower420's box. Next steps: 1. Seal the inside and paint it white. Need to research paint a bit more and then get the right kind. How many coats do you generally put on? Two? 2. Finish construction by putting a door on with some weather seal. 3. Put PVC pipes in the bottom for passive air intake (blocks light leaks). 4. Cut out part of the top and instal a PC fan, with ducting heading for a nearby attic outlet (homemade carbon filter to follow). 5. Hang the 250W ballast from the top of the cabinet. I'll probably end up putting in something extra, structurally, to help out at the top because that thing is a heavy mofo. Don't wanna bring the whole cab down! I put wheels on the bottom because the height makes the cabinet unwieldy, now its easier to move around during construction. I'm putting a plant or two in the middle of the cabinet so I don't think I'll need to cover the screws. The height of the cab is where the top of those boards end; the light in the pic is currently above roof level, that is just where it is hanging out right now. Anything I'm forgetting here? Also, would I be able to grow 3 plants in here, or just 2? More pics to come later, as I continue with construction. Thanks for any advice/criticism!
Very nice build... I made something similar a few weeks ago. I put passive vent holes in the floor and attached mylar to the panels. I'm using mine for veg so I won't be sealing it off anytime soon, the vent holes are in case I feel like upgrading later on (already have a flowering box) You could do 3, but 2 would be more comfortable. If you know what you're doing, you'll harvest the same amount of weed either way. Good luck dude!!! Oh, here's a pic of my build...
Sweet build man! The area up top is for the initial weeks of veg, I'm guessing? I'm obviously new to this, reading and scouring forums as mush as possible. So you have separate cabs for flower and veg? I'm planning on just switching to 12/12 with the MH in the same cab once I start flowering. I measured it out, and once I lower the light and attach the roof I'll have 3 feet left for plant growth, not including room for pots and soil. Hopefully I can LST them so they don't grow too tall. Thanks for the interest in my build, and good luck to you as well!
I use the starter trays for cloning because they need very little light, and the lights keep the trays warm for faster root development. 3' is plenty of room for flowering, mine rarely get much taller than that. If you upgrade in the future maybe you can use that box for vegging. I basically use 2 stages, 400w cfl and 400w hps. I'll grow out some clones about 4 weeks before harvest and that way my flowering box is never empty. I hate running out of weed, and 3-4 months is a looooong time between harvests. (that's my flowering box behind the veg box, 48"x48"x76") So, crack any beans yet? What kind of soil/nutes are you going with?
I don't even have seeds yet, figured I would read up on everything and build a decent place for plants to grow before I dive headlong into it. Don't want to put the cart before the horse! I'm thinking about going with Fox Farm nutes eventually, but for my first grow I plan on sticking to good soil, water, and light. I'm no gardener, though I would like to be. Just trying to start slow. I figure it would be easy enough to grow a plant, but I'm a bit nervous about cloning now. I may end up lowering the light and putting a tray up top similar to yours. What kind of lights are you using for your clones? Just low watt CFLs?
Nice start.... I built a cab that was ~48" high but ran out of room during flowering because I didn't lst soon enough. So, you may want to make it taller or make sure you lst sooner vs later. Add a shelf or something on the side to hold your times, chords, etc... 2 Coats of good paint should be good. Kilz Primer is white and could be used on its own. Its pretty thick stuff. Get your seeds now, between ordering and delivery and germination it could take 2-3 weeks. For the light, looks like you'll be able to lower it with the chain? Not sure what the width and depth is, but you could grow probably up to four plants, but they would be cramped. I would germinate 5 or 6 seeds, assume 1 may not sprout and assume of the other ones 50% are female. I would do a DWC (hydroponics) with a tupperbin and netpots. **IMHO** its easier than soil and yields better results. Both soil and hydro have a learning curve, so why not go with what gets better results and is easier. HTH!
Thanks for the help biff11, very much appreciated! Yeah, I'm going to lst pretty early on. I'm starting with bagseed, and I'm in no big rush. I figure if I try to hurry through everything I'll end up fucking up. Not too worried if I don't end up starting until January. And yeah, the light can be lowered with the chain. A perfect suggestion! I was thinking along the same lines; plant a half dozen and keep the good females. Eh, I think I'll stick to soil. Easy to move, easy to get rid of. But to each their own! Maybe I'll try it in the future once I've got a good amount of grows under my belt. Thanks again for the help!