Hey everyone! I have been reading up on different grow setups for indoors and have decided that I want to get in on this party. Anyway at the moment I cannot actually set up or build the grow closet but I want to have all my plans done for when I can actually start construction. My goal is this: I want to have only two plants. With two I can keep one solid favorite that is a good producer and rotate the other out for new strains to try. I feel this will give me consistant supply I need as well as allowing me to branch out and try new stuff. (Note: I am only growing for myself medically so I don't need a large volume but just enough to cover me .) In addition I want a semi portable space to grow in. I am imagining a box, built to look like a set of drawers, that is on wheels. This way I can move the box if I need to. I am a college student and may be moving as often as twice a year if not more. The Baisic Concept/Design: Ok now down to the real stuff. I am confident in my ability to construct the actually box, being familiar with minor construction and power tool use. I want the front to look like a 3 slide-out drawer set (pictured below). However as you can see, the set of 3 drawers as well as the space in between are really all part of the main door to the box. The drawers will not sit flush with the face but stick out a bit. I figure I can accomplish this look by just gluing rectangles of plywood to the face of the real door. For hinges I plan on using something really low profile. I think the type of hinges they use in cupboards would be perfect. However when installed it is still easy to see the hinge. To avoid this I plan on recessing the hinge into the edge of the drawers. I am not sure how well this will actually pan out untill I actually get to fabrication but I think it would work fine. If anyone knows of better hinges that would be invisible or of another way of doing it then please let me know. For the back of the set I plan on recessing it a bit to give room for power cables and fans. To do this I would just simply build the sides the full lenght, reaching all the way back to the wall (lets say 2'6'' for example). Then I would place the back of the set only 2'3'' back, leaving a good 3'' of space behind the box but concealed so that it wouldn't be noticed even from side inspection. This will give me room to let air circulate out the back as well as give me room to drill holes for power cables and a place for a filter (what good is a secret grow box if it smells like a fat joint?) At the bottom of the 3'' recession at the back I will drill a bunch of holes as well as a good sized cut-out. The holes will allow the air, pumped out of the exhaust fan, to exit the recess. (Considering that it will be pushed up against a wall I figured that this would be helpfull.) The larger cut-out would be right next to my intake air vent. This would allow my power cables to run into the box from the back as well as provide a way for new fresh air to come in. As far as light problems I figure that it shouldn't be too much of a problem considering the back will be pressed against a wall. However should it be a problem I can easily rig up a shade to prevent light leakage. Now for the interior: LIGHTS: This is the one section I need the most input/help on. I have done a bit of reading but it all seems very confusing to me. All of my grow process will be done in this box so it will be used for germinating as well as flowering. I don't know if that requires different setups but from what I have read and understand from Grandpa's Grow Guide (excelent read btw) is that HPS is the way to go. However my concern is the effectiveness of using HPS on seedlings. I would plan on having long tube lighting hanging from the top with adjustable height. If additional lighting is needed I could imagine adding lights to the sides of the box, to increase light to lower branches and such. My questions that I pose to you experienced growers are these: 1) Do I need more than one type of bulb to go through a whole grow cycle (different strenghts or whatnot)? 2) What intensity of HPS bulb would you suggest for such a closet? (Could be answered by Q #1 if there are multiple strenght bulbs needed) 3) Would you suggest adding additional lighting to the sides as I mentioned? Or would this simply be a waste of energy and space? WALLS: To help seal the box I would probably place reflective tape over all the corners. I know there are many types of reflective sheet that can be used for the walls. I would ideally just staple some of that up on all the sides. However I could also just paint it white . FANS: I will of course have my exhaust fan in the top of the box. In addition I will probably add additional fans to keep the air moving and help strengthen the stems. An oscilating fan has been suggested but that may not be space-efficient. I figure 2-3 well placed fans can keep the air moving well enough. FILTERS: Another area I have little knowledge in . I am looking for a compact filter I can put over my exhaust fan to eliminate as much smell as possible. Unfortunatally the links that have been provided on GC are all to Overgrow which for some reason will not load on my computer. Does anyone have a rec. for a good compact filter system to use/buy ? At the moment this is all I have. I have a few ideas for how to make the front door seal airtight that might be easy as well as ways for securing the door. I will elaborate on those when I flush them out more in my mind. I have added a few drawings of what I would like the growbox to look like. I hope they help explain what I am talking about. EDIT: pics not quite working for me yet, i will add them later Again thanks for all the helpful articles that aided me in getting to this point. Please give me ANY and ALL input on how to improve or fix my design. I want to do this once and I want to do it right so no detail will be too small. Thanks in advance!
No responses yet? Well I am adding the pictures, hopefully those will help. I also forgot a huge question... how big should it be? Again I want to have 2 plants at the same time going. Any suggestions on size?
I dig the mini blue prints.... To add on and complicate your project, make the ply wood draw (covers if you will) hang on the door like a picture frame like not by string obviusly but by like screw cathces the things that look like 8's that catch when you put a screw from a wall on them.... then have a littlle nook on each of them (provided you make sure they overlap the door edge and the hinge can slide down into the nook ill draw a pic mayb tomorrow if you want me t.. Send me a PM i could probably help you out... BTW reverse your air flow idea put exaust holes where the intake is and the fan on the bottom.. remember heat rises and the pnt f intake/exaust is to keep the heat dwn...
Thanks to dvskidsec and especially Mels for their input and help on my design. So here is my progress thus far. I have drawn up a few schematics using SketchUp to solidify my dimensions. I am going to fabricate the reflector myself using particle board and covering it with mylar sheeting. The design isn't set in stone until I actually have the lighting equipment. I am trying to reduce cost so I think I will just buy a few light sockets (the ones that use standard electrical chord and plug into a normal electrical socket, sparing me any electrical wiring work). I plan on using two of these http://www.elights.com/philmedbashp.html types of bulbs. Let me know if that is enough for the 6 plants I plan on having. On the inside of the box you can see the 8" square sections I have marked out, representing the 8" pots I plan to use. Now there is a bit of area left over which I am wondering if I could use it to germinate clones or even house a mother. Any input on that? Enjoy!
Looks good, just so I know were on the same page... Those lights wont work unless you have the ballast, it wont plug-in to a normal socket. However, you can use normal sockets for compact flourescents. If you went with CFL's i'm not sure if you could still do 6 plants. Other than that the idea sounds good so far, I saw you fixed the vent. issue already. Once you get lights figured out your in good shape.
Yah I was trying to avoid spending $200+ on a lighting system. I am getting the feeling that it may be easier to do just that. Anyone know of a system that would fit my requirements that is very inexpensive?
Read the thread by Kamel about CFL's it will help a lot. Flourescents are so freakin awesome for stealth grows. Also, i've read somewhere about someone using the filter off an oven vent and it worked somewhat. Someone should be able to help u out a little more on that subject.
Ok I figure since I will only have plants covering an 16" x 32" area of the box, I might be able to use this compact 150 watt system. It is way cheaper than anything I have seen and says it can cover a good 2' x 2' area, larger than I need. Has anyone found a price to beat this or think this isn't enough light? This would also leave me a little area to add in a germination compartment inside the box . This could get interesting...
That system looks good except... Its 6inchs high. I'm not sure with 150watt but i've read with HPS you have to keep distance of like 6"-12" if not more between the bulb and the plant. Add the 6" pot and your looking at 1'6"-2' just to start, then you gotta add another 2' for your plant. If you have at least 3 1/2 - 4 ft. of height you should be good. Also, that 150watt HPS will give you great results if you can get it.
Right now I have 3' of interior height to work with. But then again the thing isnt even built so I can easily bump it up to 3.5' or even 4. Glad to hear that the system is good tho. So much cheaper than getting a $250 system
PM me I think I'm ging to build almost the exact thing but add my own twist I have some ideas for mine you might like if you want them hit me up..
Ok so I measured it out and with the lamp all the way at the top of the box and with 6" tall pots I get only 1'6" of grow space (this is excluding the 6" space between the plant and light). So at max my plants only get 1.5 ft tall. I am going to redraw the whole box from scratch, making it 1/2 a foot taller. Also can anyone confirm that I need to keep the HPS lights at least 6" from my plants? I don't remember seeing that anywhere. Also I drew the original box with 1" thick plywood. I am going to drop that to 1/2". I figure I don't need it to be that thick and it will make it lighter and cheaper. This will give my plants about 2'2" to grow in. I figure this is enough for me, I don't need them too big. I plan on combining LST with Topping to get a max yield out of my plants. I am not positive about the stages of development yet but I would try to veg them as long as possible, spreading them out with LST and then increasing cola # by topping the shoots. Can I just keep them under 24/7 lighting longer and have them keep growing?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p6a3520ccd685412d57917f399dd5f2dd/e92628dd.jpg some ideas for editing..
The link didn't work. Anyway small progress update: I am right now working through a cost projection, including wood, paint, screws ect. I found that I can make the whole box with only 2 sheets of 4' x 8' 1/2" thick plywood. Worked out quite nicely to be honest. Check the picture for how I broke it down. Originally I was planning on waiting to build it until I move out for school again after summer is over. However I am getting too anxious. I am considering making this an Independence day week project. My dad and sisters leave town for a good 7-9 days and my mom is down due to surgery. I figure it would be only slightly odd to her that I am building something. And I figure I can just pass it off as being a unit for when I move back to school. So anyway look forward to a full step by step of my project in a few weeks. Also another light question. Should I grab a different type of bulb for the younger stages of the plant? I have heard that only HPS isn't the best for the younglings. I don't really want to grab a whole new system either. Does anyone know if I could just buy the other type of bulb and plug it into the system I am getting? (system I am getting -> http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/customkititems.asp?kc=HLCSHPS015BGH&eq=) Edit: Just got approval for my project. According to the parents it is just going to be a cabnet for my appartment next year. I even mentioned that I wanted to do something tricky like make a false door behind fake drawers. Luckily that isn't something completely out of left field for me so it didn't draw much attention. The only thing I am going to have to cover up/explain is the holes in the back for venting. I head to Home Depot tomorrow to pick up materials. I will start a new thread for the project tomorrow with pictures.
high!! check this out !! http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/157957-1st-grow-dwc-bagseed.html
lol this is great. i am in the exact same situation as you. I am a college student home for the summer, looking to make the same kind of box. Yet I am probably going to use Floros. I have been researching this for months reading about all the stages of growth and stealth etc.. and feel like I'm ready to do this. At first I was leaning towards doing what you are, but i was going to use a grow tent. here is the link to my post on that, it might answer a few questions on some stuff you might be looking for too: http://forum.grasscity.com/general-indoor-growing/151713-first-grow-questions.html I was going to use this so that i could have it in my closet grow 2 plants and have the ability to break down the box into a VERY compact size. But now I think I will be doing something more along the lines of what you're doing and build a very simple plywood box that I can break down and move almost as easily as a tent. Its soo funny because I'm a cashier at Home Depot and sometimes come across people that I know are building a cabinet or something similar based on their stuff they are buying. Or i might just be imagining their plans because I have been researching this topic so much lately.. also i walk around the store all the time and look for supplies/materials that i will need You might want to check out this thread for a cheap odor neutralizer option: http://forum.grasscity.com/grow-room-design-setup/144976-perfect-odour-neutralizer.html and for seeds, since you want to try a variety of green, it looks like http://www.drchronic.com/ is a great place to get your seeds contrary to my first research suggesting amsterdamseedbank as a first choice. and here is the grow box i sketched together really fast http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=growboxqy5.jpg .. it is very basic but gets the general idea on paper. but for that vent to the odor neutralizer, im not sure if that will even work or be a practical solution to my stealth needs and space limitations. I will possibly use a charcoal air filter attached to my exhaust fan. because in the end it may be easier and only a little more $ than making a bucket system like that.
phant0m: So good to hear of someone else doing the same project. There are a few details of my project that I haven't quite refined yet. How I filter the air and a few other questions still need to be resolved. I am counting on the 3" area in the back to give me ample room to conceal an odor control setup. I don't want to have some huge bucket sitting next to my cabnet lol. However I may use those same ingredients to the same purpose. I figure I can create a system in the back that will work just the same. I was very impressed with the amount of research you have put into finding out how much fan power you would need. I was wondering if you could enlighten me on how to do that as well. I plan on building the box over the next few days but I cannot begin growing or even setting it up for quite some time. My parents may not find it odd that I am making a cabinet with a hidden door but they would jump to conclusions (correct ones haha) if an indoor lighting system and a whole mess of air filters and fans showed up at the house. I plan on just using the cabinet as just that, a cabinet, untill I can get my grow materials together. Let me know how your progress goes. I hope my thread on making the grow box will help you or at least be entertaining lol. cheers