Hey guys, I've got 2x 4-bulb 2' T5 fluorescent fixtures, and I'd like to make a mini grow box out of them. I've drawn up a simple diagram, and looking for some input. I know fluorescent doesn't "penetrate" as well as HID, but for the sizes I'm shooting for, the plants won't be incredibly tall, and with the t5's almost sitting on the plants (1"-2" away) I think that should be sufficient for the foot or so it'll be reaching to the lower leaves. I have 8x 6000k bulbs for veg and 4x 3500k to swap in during flower. I'm considering 4 more lights, 1 on each wall, to combat any lighting issues on interior lights. Basically, it's a box that will sit on top of the plants. I'm unsure as to the top, and I'll talk more about that later. Door in front for easy access. Lights adjustable from the top so I can sit them right down on the plants like they want. Dimensionally, the lights are 2' long and a little over a foot wide. So the box is looking to be somewhere around 30"x30" footprint, height is still to be determined. Unsure of material as of now, maybe a wooden frame and thin plywood painted white. I've heard a few suggested calculations, one of which being 50w per sq ft of grow area. I'm shooting for 2'x2' grow area and a little room on the sides for reflection/etc, so 200w should be about right for 4 sq ft. I'm thinking I'll do 4 9" pots, those are about 2.5 gal. I've heard 0.5 oz/gal of soil, so that should put me right on target for 1 oz/plant. Is a 12" canopy enough for 1oz or do I need more room/power/etc? Now for my questions. I need to figure out ventilation. Leaving the top open above the lights will let them breathe, but I still need some air in there. Thinking maybe computer fans built into the side would help suck air in and rustle the leaves a bit, and sucking ambient air in will force air up and out, pushing the heat away. Also smell, I should probably build an exhaust fan into the top and pull thru a filter. Would this be enough to move the leaves, or should I still build in PC fans/put one at the bottom/whatever? Problem comes for night cycles, I know light leaks aren't the end of the world, but I may want this box in a room I use, so leaving it open would definitely let the plants get light. I could seal the top, add the fans, and put a duct somewhere on the side near the top, or some kind of light trap duct up top? Anyways, I'm sure there are plenty of tricks to address my issues, and even more problems I'm not thinking about... Anyone want to point me in the right direction? (and nevermind the 4 cu ft, I meant 4 sq ft)
43 views and no input? Either I'm brilliant, or my idea's so bad you don't know where to start. If I had to guess... lol
i mean, youre on the right track man, but this has been done 4000 times and most of them are in this section fully documented. Sorry if no one wants to spoon feed you lol. Yea you gotta vent it and carbon filter on the exhaust at least. Ducting with inline fans is simple route but pretty obvious. If you are in need of stealth then you gotta get creative, but just get a thermometer and play around with computer fans and stuff till you get it right. What you are conceiving in your head is a viable plan from what i can tell. CFL for side ligthing is a good call, but really in that space the most you will do is hang a couple down in the canopy... A million options and a billion combinations. Point being this question is too general to get a good answer. I gave it my best. Check this site out if you need more basics covered. Its all the rage Google Its crazy, you just ask it shit, and it answers.