Hello all humans, This is my documented microgrow budget build growbox journal.Along side posting on GC i will be writing/doodling in a composite journal to keep track of my progress and tips that people on here may tell me so i can find the help later, also will be very obsessive with pics and details and replies and questions due to this whole Covid-19 ordeal ive been laid off for a month and a half now and am doing everything to not go insane. The devil is in the details. -Items needed for grow box -Box/container/housing -Pot/Planter -Medium/Soil/Coco -Nutes -Seeds -Lights -Fans/Ventilation -Filter -Misc\timers/monitors/ curing supplies These are the most basic outline of what you will need to do an indoor grow, more specifically a smaller mini/microgrow. I will be listing options as well as the pros and cons of each choice and well as what swayed my decision.mmmmkayyy. -Box For housing you have many cheap easy to access options such as building your own, utilizing a kitchen cabinet, an old dresser, a pc, tower, or a plastic pantry cabinet. Unless you have one you are willing to take down out of you kitchen i cant justify a kitchen cabinet as the smallest one which isn't deep enough is at least 65$USD, so thats gonna be a no for me dawg. Next up is the dresser an ol dresse will do just be mindful of size for your lights you will need, for me though my only extra dresser is actually my toolbox in the garage right now so that too is gonna be a no for me dawg.PC tower? I have a spare but a tower is too small for what i plan to do. Plastic pantry cabinets are apparently expensive, so this leaves me to build my own. The biggest draw me in building my own box beside being about to control the sixe and deminsions is that i can plan the intake and exhaust holes as well.I will be using particle board with 2x4 for a support shell and have decided on a 2x2x3 grow space with an extra foot in height for the box so a 2x2x4 total box.Particle Board is 15$ a 4x8 sheet so 2 of those and 2 2x4's for 3.50 a piece 37$ total so far.Door hinges, locks, and possibly a set up caster wheels will be roughly 15 so about 50$ for a custom box that can be reused countless times. -Planter/Pot This is a very simple decision, a basic planter pot? a platic 5gal. bucker for 3$, a fabric pot (probably). I even have the idea of using a kitty litter tray hoping that the roots would go horizontal and well as the plant but scratched the idea, Basically get a fabric pot online for 5-30$ depending on size and if you get more than one. For all the benefits they provide its hand down the best option, i'm buying some off brand square one getting 5 for 25$ shipped all 5 gal. I only bought the 5 for 25$ because it puts them at 5 $ a piece and i plan on building replicas of the box if it works well. -Medium Soil in bags , organic , custom mix, hydro setup. i will keep it relatively simple i'm trying a sort of organic mix with mild to little feedings. I wont list the countless options just the one ive decided. After reading many grows and reviews i'm going to use fox farm ocean forest as it has ewc and bat guano as well as other goodies this will be my starting point as i will also have sphagnum peat moss & fertilizer & perlite .I'm shooting for an organic mix that doesnt have to cook for 3-4 weeks as i will be feeding with the fox farm trio of nutes tiger bloom big bloom etc.. -Seeds This is a fairly simple decision either use bagseeds and run the chance of it being a dud seed a male/hermi or a shit strain.The Main issue on this subject for me is that i live in USA and in a medicinal only state (ohio) so i run the risk of my seeds getting confiscated and losing my money. If i'm going to invest this time and money into a grow this detailed i'm sure as shit not planting no fucking bagseed.lol. I caught a good deal on a few on 4/20 and according to another member on here they may take up to a month to arrive so that gives me time to order all the other things and cross my t's and dot my i's. I purchased fem*obviously* but not auto as i wish to LST to maximize my smaller space. I got Super lemon haze, Pure Kush, Gorilla Glue #4, And white widow as a freebie from True North Seedbank, i hope with my being in ohio and them canada this should make it more likely to arrive vs. amsterdam seeds. 55$ for all 4 seeds shipped in a "discreet" package i paid 11$ for discreet packaging, that is included in the 55$ so if it arrives this will be my new norm. -Lights Now this right here this is your EVEYTHING this is literally your sun without it all life dies so the "sun" you pick has to be the right one. I've researched so many fucking lights since starting this project and gone back and forth on so many lights its unreal. The whole purpose of this build is a semi/budget friendly microgrow box. That being said and ill say it again this is a microgrow/budget grow so i thought under 200$ is a good start for a decent light for a small grow but in the interest of saving even more $$ i went even cheaper.Options were Spiderfarmer 1000 170$, Mars Ts1000 170$, PB1000 150$, HLG135 175$. I looked at the spectrum levels and Pars penetration the the veg and flower blueprint of each and came to the conclusion that all these light are close to the same with no MAJOR difference. Like a choosing between cars that have 190hp, 195hp, 200hp, all for a small amount of money difference i went with the spiderfarmer only because you can get a used (like new) from spiderfarmer directly. for 139$ so i went that route to save 30$ and it is still sufficent for my 2x2x3 area. -Air You can either purchase some store fans, computer fans, inline air systems online and i've been eyeballing the AC Infinite systems lately, the ac infinite system have a thermostat that can auto control your fan and make your box climate controlled for 100$ but no filter.The amazon inline systems comes with filter and all the goodies the whole shebang fan/filter/duct/monitor, for 100$ shipped. The DIY way for me would be 2 small computer fans at bottom of box and 2 at top for intake and exhaust, w/ a homemade filter.Still undecided may just go cheapest route, input please. -Misc. Lights timer 10$- walmart Humidity monitor- comes bundle with many packages Curing Pack??? what are those called?? BR...something Mason jars for curing Good quality power strip 20$-walmart a good quality power strip can save your whole setup imagine all your fans and lights blowing because you had a thunderstorm and had them plugged into a wall outlet.smdh. -Done that's its pretty much the outline of my build i have some bagseed growing right now under some shitty walmart leds and came here for advice only to realize for real results you gotta get real serious. I'm not a dealer my plan is to build a few of theses small boxes and grow different strains at a time for personal use and have them staggered so i have a harvest maybe once a month or so. Tips,advice, tell me to fuck off i'm all ears.
All hail the might Amazon!! It has begun to arrive, it said 2 weeks but was actually on my porch. Still waiting on the pots and a few more things, I'm getting quite a bit of lightening up of the fan leaves and some yellow. Could pH really do that much damage I only use either tap or filter water or bottled I haven't used any nutes yet, as they haven't arrived. I'm very happy with the spiderfarmer 1000 shipped very tightly and we'll packaged Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Haha, and so it begins... Nice one bro, all the best. Subbed! Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
To answer your question about pH, yes. If it is out of range it can cause nutrient lockout for a number of elements. Depending on how far out of range it is, the resulting deficiencies can be manageable with small amounts of organic additives if you aren't using nutes, or - if it's really bad - cause significant problems for your grow. Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
So I fucked up. Either my pH burnt my plants, or the new light was wayyy too close and burnt the sprouts.2 pots on tub edge for height reference plus the pots are in bottom of tub light we're about 6-8 inches lower but still not level with tub. Did I burn them? If so at least I learned a lesson and they were bagseed also, nutes came today and I ordered a pH pen as well as pH up and down Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app
So I read your initial post and Ohio eh? Could I perhaps be in the presence of another fine member of the fan base of the Cleveland Browns? Lol. Joking aside nice build. I love ballin on a budget.
Not into sports honestly I'd choose browns over Bengals anyday but I'm All about that Ohio State if that comes up, yeah I'm making more unemployed right now so this takes my little bits of extra $$no more than a few hundred currently Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Update I scorched my bagseed learner grow with the light being to close, while waiting on my good seeds to arrive I'm building my box it ended up being 1.5x2x4ft. still waiting on the smart part to create a shelf for my scrog probably about 2ft up Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I'm waiting on mylar to line it and going to get hinges and lock for the door and put on some caster wheels as well. Will make ventilation cuts for my air system later and update. Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app
It's coming together nicely... Can't wait to see the buds out of this box! Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
Great job mate, nice tidy well thought out build. Can’t wait to see the rest of it come together Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks guys reading and following your guys thread was a lot of help I'm waiting on a few final components and most importantly the seeds, they may be 1+ month away so I'm probably going to start some bagseed again soon. Perlite, smart pots, pH up and down and test stick & mylar en route. Any recommendations on a alternative seed bank? Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Small update created a shelf to sit right above soil level and will cover with mylar to reflect more light under the plant and made a shelft about 8in above that for my scrog, it's coming together slowly as I am restoring my 85 mr2 as well. Also ended up ordering seeds from a US company which has already shipped!!! Not 5 min after I did that true north shipped my first order of seeds so I will be set with 10+ good fem some auto Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I'll keep bumping TF outta my own thread with grow box build pics Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Loving it so far bro You covering the inside with mylar or painting it white? Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
Both with right now then sanding down and laying mylar on the inside and car magazine cutouts on the outside, I won't really have the filter set up just more or less sitting on the exhaust fans with no leaks. Sent from my moto g(6) play using Grasscity Forum mobile app