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My First DIY Indoor Grow Room [Grow Log]

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by omnoodle, Nov 22, 2014.

  1. #1 omnoodle, Nov 22, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 23, 2014
    Hi everybody, I wanted to share with you all my first grow and hopefully you will  be very helpful in my  journey and watch my progess! I'm starting with 2 plants, 1st one is still a seedling, 2nd one was just planted starting today.

    My set up is a 3'x2'x3' box with a silver lining on the inside to keep light in. Everything is plugged into the extension cord (so I'm a bit worried of short circuiting lol). I have 4x 26W 5500k lighting (was told 100w/plant). Note: This grow box is made entirely of cardboard boxes. Anything is possible.

    For circulating the air I have a hole in the side if the box blowing air in and there are smaller holes on bottom of box blowing out the air. It also blows out cracks at the top of the box.

    Temperature and humidity are controlled by the fan and the humidifier inside the box. Let me know if levels are all good. (Y) I am a beginner after all.

    Let's talk about the first plant. Its been growing for a week and had nute burn but I've flushed and hopefully fixed it. The second planted seed is in organic soil so hopefully there are no issues with that. At the moment they are on a 24/0 light cycle. Is that bad for my electricity bill? The fan is also on 24/0, will I blow the motor out or possibly start fire? Only thing I'm a little worried about.

    If anyone of you fine people would like to give advice then please be my guest and help a fellow out. I hope these will be successful plants, and if anyone sees anything wrong with them let me know. Thanks and enjoy! Will update when I can with images of plants.

    Let's call this; Day 1.
     

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  2. I have heard that cardboard boxes are terrible for groeing because the boxes can get wet and moldy which is one of the worst things you can do to your plants. Nutrient burn is very common for beginners. Don't feed anything nutes untill at least a month or if there are signs of nutrient deficiency.
     
  3. What do you recommend to grow in that would fit there in my closet? And am I safe have this many things plugged in? Thanks for the response btw. (y)
     
  4. Science lesson time, again.

    Note, these are my opinion on solutions, but facts on the science.

    100 watts per plant is bullshit, based on the concept that "sunlight delivers 120 watts of power at ground level". The problem is, a watt is a joule per second, a joule is the energy needed to push 1 amp through a 1 ohm resistance. Or a unit of energy to do work, create heat, or create light.

    So "120 watts" is purely the energy going into heating. The energy spent creating LIGHT was spent 8.3 minutes ago, at the sun.

    Proof: The best solar panels out there are 400 watt rated, at 18.1% efficiency, and cover about 1.3 sq meters. Using round numbers (calling 18.1% efficiency 20%), this means light energy through a crystal medium to create electricity, an inherently inefficient process, a "100% efficient", "400 watt" panel would be producing 2,000 watts. Not 150 that you'd get if you used the "120 watt" figure.

    What you need to be concerned with it light intensity and fall off, not watts equivalency. The "best way" to do it is determined by your pocketbook and conditions. Industry standard for rating lumenosity (light prodiced at source) is 1 inch from the source for an incandescent (the farthest point from the filament in a clear bulb), estimated at 1600 lumens, as the actual range is 1500-1700 for 100 watts of incandescent light.

    Light intensity falls off as a function of a square of the distance from source. Hoods and refelctors help by reflecting SOME light, but you're dealing with distance from source to reflecting material, then inefficiency of reflecting material, then distance from reflecting material where it reflect a specific ray to a specific place...too involved for me to usually get into.

    But a "100 watt CFL" (23 "true watt") only delivers 4.9 lumens direct light at 18 inches. Sunlight is an average of 128,000 lux (lumens per square meter direct light). A 400 watt HID about 98 lumens at 18 inches, a 1,000 watt about 237.

    You won't match that indoors, no matter what.

    You also have to consider bandwidths...plants use NO green light, very little yellow, very little "high band" orange, mostly red, blue, some violet, some IR and some UVA/UVB. Almost no light system that's "normally used" provides the right level of UVA/UVB or IR in and of itself. UVA/UVB are more important to augment, as they're the bands MOST lacking. But a reptile terrarium UV light for tropical/desert lizards works fine for this....if you watch distance from plants to avoid "sunburning" the nearest plants.


    As said above, cardboard (or fiberboard, or particleboard) all absorb and hold a lot of moisture. That can be a problem, or might not be. Moisture encourages molds and mildew. A constant fight, here, you'll face no matter what you use, but one you probably needn't worry about if growing in a closet in Palmdale, CA (Mojave desert).
     
    Fungal infections, once you get them, are a bitch to get rid of, spread like wildfire, and ruin crops. But treat consistently for them, you CAN control them. I use Greencure products and an every-other-day spraydown of leaves, top and underside.

    They make 2 X 2 tents, not much of a loss if you're growing small enough that a 3 X 2 is sufficient. Or you can build one from normal lumber or plywood, and seal the surfaces facing inwards quite easily...but let the sealant dry for a couple weeks before assembling...the fumes can damage the plants...or impact taste, later.

    Reflective materials...I think, in discussing light properties, I answered that...use 'em. If you have GREAT heat control, mylar can work, so log as there are spaces for the tent to "breathe", and you're removing heat well, since mylar reflects heat better than light (that's what it was invented to do). Plain old flat white paint on a smooth surface works well enough, too...but again, FULLY dry it...a week at least, or fumes can do damage.


    The circuit figures are simple enough.

    Anytime you're working with an AC circuit, assume 10% loss of efficiency...so 110 calculates from 100, 220 from 200 volts.

    All your equipment will be between 5% and 10% inefficient. A top of the line digital ballast for a 1000 watt HID draws a constant 10.4 amps, 10.8 at startup.

    ALWAYS pad for about a 10% inefficiency...safety safety safety...round UP every chance you get.

    Use this site to figure it.
     
    And use EVERY item on the same circuit in the house, not just on the extension cord, to figure it.

    Don't forget, on a 110 rated circuit, 100 "true watts" is an amp, 1 amp is 100 true watts. So if your fan is a "1.4 amp max", it's a 140 watt fan. Plus inefficiencies.

    So say you have a 400 watt HID with a ballast rated at 4.4 amps constant (not bad for an analog one), a 1.4 amp "max draw" fan, a timer (50 watts is normal), a 110 watt air pump for whatever reason (for instance a hydro cloning tray), a 100 watt water pump, plus on the same circuit off the breaker panel running 4 "100 watt" FCL bulbs (23 true watts each, 25 when first lighting), you have a total of 940 watts MINIMUM being pulled when all is on...translating to almost a killowatt hour an hour, or a constant 1,000 watts drawn, or 10 amps.

    Check the breaker on that circuit...if it's rated at 15 or 20 amps, no worries about shorting at all, unless there's a problem with how the outlet was wired or wear on the wires of the house itself that creates a risk of a short.

    But also check the MAIN BREAKER rating. The average house draws 30-40 watts at peak use, in America. If you're running 1,000 watts on top of that, you're risking blowing your main breaker if it's a 50 amp breaker. Not that you can't just flip it back on, BUT.

    And if you have garden equipment that uses the same circuit at any time, you WILL blow that breaker every time you start the electric leaf blower.

    I cover the basics of your questions?
     
  5. Yes you have answered my questions accordingly. Thank you for that. My CFL's are 26W (Real), I read its the Watts per plant. Should I add my lighting in there or this fine for now with two plants In there? I feel that im not using enough electricity to short circuit anything so thanks for clearing that up. Only thing is didn't understand was the 10% inefficiency.

    P.s. If someone can also answer this it would be great. Last night after finishing a cigarette (ew right), I felt like throwing up and then my vision started to go out and boom I woke up on the floor looking up at my mom yelling "what did you take!". Lol, I didn't take anything besides smoke a small amount of weed 1 hour or 2 prior to incident. Just a little scary IMO.
     
  6. Day 2;

    Seedling has sprouted a bit out of soil. Not sure if I should water the other plant. Feeling like I should since the soil is pretty dry. The humidifier ran out if water, so the humidity went down. It should be going back up to 50 in a bit. If anyone has any suggestions for anything let me know y'all! :)

    Humidity: 45
    Temp: 30C or ~85F
     

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  7. *I* would add light. Others grow fine with 100 watts CFL per plant...it just doesn't give anywhere NEAR outdoor light intensity...the closer you get to normal outdoor conditions where the plants grow best unattended (or with minimal attention) is the goal, for the healthiest possible plants.

    Light is energy. Leaves are nature's "solar panels". Light energy plus nutrients plus water equals sugars, sugars are what the plant actually uses to grow. More intense light, more efficient uptake and use of nutrients, more sugar produced, faster plants grow, and healthier they grow.


    By "inefficiency"...AC current is a sine wave, not a level line. "110 current" "PEAKS" at 110 volts (actually 120 volts). But since it's constantly changing, the AVERAGE is actually right around 100 volts...10% inefficiency by rating (it loses 10% of its rated value, in practice).

    In other terms...equipment terms..."inefficiency" is how much energy it gets that ends up being "wasted", as in "not used for its intended purpose". A ballast is there to rectify current to DC in a stable, flat line pattern. A consistent, unwavering 400 "watts" (watts are joules per second in a relationship. 1 watt is the energy used to do work, create light, or create heat, as one amp is passed through 1 ohm of resistance for 1 second). So at "400 watts" of actual use, what you're doing is running 4 amps through 100 ohms of resistance, intending to create only light. But you create heat, too...no such thing (yet) as heatless light. Every bit of that heat is "waste energy".

    That's "bulb inefficiency".

    HIDs are, to date, the most efficient light sources. When they get to where they have 400 watt LEDs (effective, not true), that will change. LEDs are more efficient, but right now, each one is far weaker, and due to that, you have fall-off issues with intensity--that's your explanation for the complaints of "no penetration" with LEDs.


    Equipment inefficiencies are a matter of what energy is "wasted" while the equipment is made to do its work. A 110 watt air pump with 90% efficiency actually gets work done at a rate of 100 joules per second consumption. But another 10 joules per second are wasted, usually creating heat, sometimes creating light that isn't going to be used, or isn't the purpose of the piece of hardware in question.


    The equipment still USES that "waste energy"...but not to fulfill its purpose. It turns it into heat, or light, or motion you don't want.


    Any light, heat, or powered movement that is not the purpose of the item in question is "inefficiency". And has to be calculated, because it will consume it, without producing the results you intend, or ANY "useful" results (unless you're fortunate enough to be in a situation where that 'waste energy", in the form it exhibits itself, can be used to solve another problem--like a cold tent using the waste heat to help stay warm, instead of using a space heater).
     
  8. Ah, Okay! Great explaination. Thank you very much. I may just add 2 more extra 26W 5000k Lights in there. Is this okay to do or is it not enough to meet the 5500 - 6500 kelvin? I also had a design for a grow room I am going to contruct. If you have skype maybe I can talk to you about the general design and maybe you can help with improving the space? If not then it is all good, once again thanks for the help. Hope you're in for the long run with my grow log! :)
     
  9. Kelvin's a rating for the "warmth" of light.

    My understanding (and here, I'm shaky as hell, so look it up to confirm it) is that 3 2500 kelvin bulbs still give off a 2500 kelvin value light, it's not accumulative. Again, confirm this, I could easily be wrong, as I think in terms of wavelengths and intensities.

    PM, I'll give you my skype info, though I'm not often on.
     
  10. If your light isn't strong enough your plant will still grow but it will grow tall towards the light. The branches will grow but they will not be heavy enough to hold anything dense. Work with what you have but your best investment will def be a good light. I'm a newbie also so I look forward to following your thread:)
     
  11. Thanks for the post. This may be short lived due to personal problems. I may have to take the set up down and put an end to my grow :( I'll keep everyone updated.
     
  12. Thanks for the post. This may be short lived due to personal problems. I may have to take the set up down and put an end to my grow :( I'll keep everyone updated.
     
  13. Sorry for the double post everyone. Not sure what happened.

    Day 3;
    Everything seems fine lighting wise at the moment.

    I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Might have to destroy my beautiful baby's because landlord (that I know closely) says there is risk of damaging the house. I've tried to tell them its in a controlled environment and that there would be no risk of mold in the house besides of mold maybe growing inside the box if I don't keep the humidity regulated. Is this true? Can anyone else also support my statement or is this wrong. Thanks! Enjoy the pics.
     

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  14. I checked a couple things online for you and it seems that your grow room will be fine. The area looks clean so that should prevent mold. Just be careful after you water the plants not to expose the area to extra water that could be laying around. During this veg stage as long as the area is clean, mold will not be a problem. I hope that your landlord can see the benefit. Part of growing is trial and error. If mold occurs during harvest or even veg state, it is curable and will not affect the home.
     
    Good luck with your ventures! I'll still be watching. The plants looks good and it would be a shame to end your project.
     
  15.  
    Thanks for the great reply! :) Will be much help and knowledge. If I can get a few more people confirming that it will not damage the house if it is contained in this box? Also maybe an explaination why it does mold peoples houses. Would be great for some honest responses so I can convince the landlord in an honest educational way. Thanks guys! Will post pictures of plant tomorrow. Been a long day.
     
  16. Wrong kind of mold to be harmful. You don't get black mold, or the type of dry mold, that will infect a house, in relation to the plants. If your box is set up moisture resistant, it won't develop those molds, either.


    Ever heard about a house used for growing marijuana requiring a HAZAT team come in to make it liveable? Or even a mold removal business? This isn't meth-making, or even heroin processing. It's growing plants. If a houseplant isn't going to cause the same issues.....really, it's not a concern, usually.
     
  17. Day 5;
    Seems like the second plant for some reason the leaves are getting bundled up. No clue. Doesn't seem like a huge issue. More responses needed for humidity facts on damage on homes inside of a controlled environment. Please note I have a humidifier inside the grow box. Thanks all, hope you enjoy the picture!
     

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  18. #18 omnoodle, Nov 28, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 28, 2014
    Day 6;
    The seedling is now 6 days old. The bigger plant must be 2 weeks. Everything seems great! There is a problem though, I walked into my room to find my windows with dew on the inside which worries me. Is this excess humidity or bad for my room? I've uploaded some pictures of it. Thanks and hope I can get more responses on the humidity issue with the landlord. Thanks everyone :)

    Edit: It's about -4 outside and I didn't have the heat on in my room with windows closed if that makes a difference. Looks like condensation.
     

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  19. They're looking pretty happy <grin>
     
  20. Day 9;
    Sorry for the long wait. I haven't been home for 2 days and left a heater in my room too keep it warm and then I ran out of water in my humidifier so it got really hot and dry and the bigger plant began to slunch over. I'm sure he'll be feeling better in a short while. Temp and Humidity are stabilizing. Here's how they looked when I got home today on day 9. Enjoy! And please more comments on humidity and how it will damage a home while being controlled inside of a box.
     

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