My ideal grow box

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by weatherboxes, Mar 27, 2009.

  1. #1 weatherboxes, Mar 27, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2009
    so im going to start with just two plants at a time.. i figured ill make my box 5ft tall by 4ft wide and 4ft long. i am going to be using CFL's and i want to have about 1 x 100w per plant. I will only be growing two at a time and they will be lowryders to start off with. Do you guys think i should invest in a HPS for when the lr2's start flowering? Or should I just switch CFL temps instead? I will be running a fan at the top and bottom for fresh air flow. i also have a small oscillating fan for inside. it should be simple and cheap my friends.. im going to get the reflective material from a local hydroponics store so my light hits the plants everywhere ;). i think this should work out.. please let me know your opinions on using an HPS or just going all CFL. I dont want to have to use more than a power strip to run my boxxx. thanks guys.
     
  2. hey guysss no help? come on dudes whats up with not helping the noobs of late?? i dont bail on my posts i wait for responses.. please help?? now ive been told im going to def need a balast?? or can i run HPS without that bullshit somehow??
     
  3. Yep, HIDs run on ballasts. Smaller wattage models are available with the ballast combined with the reflector but I advise against them as ballasts create heat and it makes more sense to keep it outside of your growbox. I would recommend you do a whole run with CFLs and then if you aren't happy with the results, upgrade. Just remember, with bigger lights come higher temperatures and need for more airflow.
     
  4. Hey man yeah everything sounds pretty good so far. As for the cfl or hps question i feel like its whatever your more comfertable with. If you on a budget i would go with the cfls. With that said i feel like with only 2 plants you have a lots of empty space in that box. What i might do is go SOG with those girls and maybe through about 7 in there and have your self a blast!!!:D

    Good luck and get some pics when ya can!!!
     
  5. #5 weatherboxes, Mar 28, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 28, 2009
    yeah my budget is going to force me to go with CFL's for now.. an HPS is a definite upgrade possibility in the future however.. thank you for clarifying some of this.. I know the box will be big.. however change of order plans.. i officially placed an order from attitude seed bank last night. the order details are below!! i also found out i can get clones of around 12 diff strains for $10-$15 a pop.

    since im going to be doing 2 plants at a time i figured lst / scrog / fimming and topping to get some decent size bushes?? any thoughts?? im so excited it seems unreal haha!
    Your Order Details...

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Product Code: Description:\tPick
    and Mix / Dutch Passion Strawberry Cough Feminized
    \t\tSeeds per pack: 1 Seeds

    Item Price: \tGBP 10.99
    Qty: \t1
    Total: \tGBP 10.99

    Notes:
    0
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Product Code:\tGH10AFEM - GH10BFEM
    Description:\tGreen House Seeds White Rhino Feminised **NEW STOCK**
    \t\tSeeds per pack: 5 Seeds

    Item Price: \tGBP 27.99
    Qty: \t1
    Total: \tGBP 27.99

    Notes:
    0
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Product Code:\tPICK AND MIX SEEDS
    Description:\tPick and Mix Seeds / Dutch Passion Blueberry Feminized
    \t\tNumber of Seeds: 1 Seed

    Item Price: \tGBP 11.99
    Qty: \t1
    Total: \tGBP 11.99

    Notes:
    0
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Product Code: Description:\tPick
    and Mix / Lowryder#2 x AK47 Feminized Auto Flowering Dwarf
    \t\tNumber of Seeds...: 1 seeds

    Item Price: \tGBP 9.99
    Qty: \t1
    Total: \tGBP 9.99

    Notes:
    0
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Your Order Qualified for the following Discount(s):

    FREE G13 LABS THAI SUPER SKUNK 5 Reg SEEDS
    1 X FREE GIGABUD FEMINIZED SEED Worth £8
    + 1 X FREE PURPLE LADY FEM SEED Worth £8
     
  6. #6 abnormldood, Mar 28, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 28, 2009
    Autoflowering strains can go straight under bloom bulbs btw, add just a single veg bulb to even out the spectrum and to add to the lumen output.
     
  7. thank you much i was wondering about whether or not i should combine the full spectrum of cfl..

    So my original plan is to grow a) the lowryder x ak47 (just to get used to my box and growing in general--hard first plant to fuck up) as well as one clone/white rhino fem which i hope to scrog.

    I am going to hang about 3-4 x 100 w CFL's over each plant..
    Since i am going to scrog should I cut down the box a little? Ill say again that I can only grow two mature plants at a time... whether or not its auto flower or just a regular strain? I attached a ghetto and very simple blueprint for what i am going to start building today.
    Let me know if you think it would work well for scrog on the regular plants.. thank you all again.
     
  8. #8 weatherboxes, Mar 28, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 28, 2009
    Sorry about that.. here is the blueprint:
     

    Attached Files:

  9. Hey so I feel like I have wasted a day because I continue to get conflicting information.
    So the guys at the hydroponics store were telling me that I should get grow cfls for veg and hps for flowering.. this is possible because i can scrape up the cash over time. however i felt like he was just doing his job and trying to sell sell sell and not give me some decent advice.
    I explained to him that I was growing in a five foot tall box and I was going to scrog 2 plants at a time in this box. He said I should probably build it six ft tall instead (keep in mind i lose about 6 inches due to the drainage level in the box as well as X amount of inches depeding on if I go all cfl or cfl/hps). So my first question is.. should I build my box 5ft H x 4ft L x 3ft W or should I go 6ft H x 4ft L x 2ft W? Also is scrog even a good idea? Should I LST and top instead or do I not have the space?
    As far as lighting goes...
    help me pick from these options or give me your own opinions:
    1. 1 x 125 W 2700k and 1 x 125W 6500k grow cfl over each plant until harvest
    2. 2-4 100 W 6500k cheap cfl's over each plant with 1 x 125W 6500k grow cfl over each plant until harvest
    3. CHEAP CFLS all the way full spectrum
    4. CHEAP CFLS for veg + HPS for flowering
    5. Expensive grow CFLS for veg + HPS for flowering
    6. I am tripping on this way to much

    All I purchased today:
    Threaded mylar that wont rip/tear when you clean it.
     
  10. #10 abnormldood, Mar 29, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 29, 2009
    I wouldn't overthink it too much, hydroponics shop employee's try their best but I'm sure you didn't tell him you were growing ruderalis crossed MJ. You're not going to need those 6500k bulbs, only the 2700k. Give 100w per plant for optimum growth, that's more than enough to grow great bud. If you can throw around some extra money, get a few 26w CFLs to line the box with to help with undergrowth. You're also gonna want the intake lower than that, preferably a little under the tops of the pots. You're gonna want negative pressure in there so the intake fan should be 1.5x smaller than the exhaust. I'd also look into scrogging if you wanna max out your yield, but you'll need a more thought-out CFL fixture to cover the area. Maybe wire together a bunch of 26w CFLs with Y-splitters and make a DIY hood, there are guides on the interweb to tell you how to do so. Hope that helped:)
     
  11. that definitely helped aborml.. however i will only be growing one ruderalis crossed plant just to get a quick harvest of decent smoke.. my other plants will be normal growth cycle i believe i listed my order above somewhere. i want to scrog for sure... for now i have decided to ditch the idea of HPS and grow my plants with full cfl. i think i will get a hood with however many envirolite grow cfl's i see fit to cover the two plants i have evenly. as far as reflecting light onto the underside of the plants i hope mylar on the floor will just that if not ill throw a few cfls under ma biotchess. PICS COMMING SOON!! I just finished the framing today.

    also, if someone could recommend me a good website that delivers envirolite 125-200W bulbs within or to the US of A? ive found a few websites with cheap 125 watts for like 30 bucks american money but i dont know if they are legit. the hydro stores all seem overpriced on their lights.
     
  12. Good afternoon gentlemen. Today I will be installing walls to my box's framing all lined with mylar. Also, I will install a 120+ mm computer fan in the top of my box for exhaust and a 60-80 mm fan on the bottum side of my box for intake. For lighting I've decided on a 4 x 125w blue and red spectrum cfl grow hood. 500 watts of full spectrum cfl hanging directly over 2 x scrog plants should be more than enough. As far as filling the canopy below a few 50-100W cheap Cfl's on Y splitters plugged into a powerstrip between my plants should be sufficient to get light hitting the plants from every direction. Wish me luck! I promise to try and post pics of my work thus far tonight.
     
  13. You could just go through veg and flowering with the same hps light? Idk if theres a reason you wouldnt...itd be less hassle.
     
  14. yeah with the size of my box i dont want alot of heat / plant stretching.. so cfl's for now if im not happy with my harvest ill look into hps.
     
  15. #15 abnormldood, Mar 30, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 30, 2009
    You could do like a 2x2 screen and do 4 of the LRxAK. Autoflowering strains only yield like an ounce per plant, 500 watts of CFL power should more than do it. Light schedule is 18/6 from germ till harvest.
     
  16. #16 weatherboxes, Mar 30, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 30, 2009
    yeah im not going to start with auto flowering strains. im going to do a scrog and start with either 2 x white rhino or 1 x wrhino and 1 x blueberry. sorry i did not get pictures up today i am exhausted. this box is alot of work but hey im saving myself alot of money by building it myself.

    my final question would be what kind of exhaust fan would be sufficient to get the heat out of my 5 x 4 x 3ft box? i am in southern California and it doesn't get much warmer than 80 degrees on the hottest days of summer. also this box will be in my garage witch is cool year round.

    keep in mind there will be 500 watts of cfl hanging above my plantz. let me know your thoughts.
     
  17. #17 abnormldood, Mar 30, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 30, 2009
    To be safe go over what you think you'd need, if anything the extra circulation will get you better yields. Maybe 2 60CFM exhausts and 1 60 CFM intake, I recommend Scythe Slipstream PC fans, they are the quietest PC fans I've used. Just a barely noticeable "woosh" from the air moving.
     
  18. awesome this helps now i just need to decide if im gonna rig up some pc fans on my own or spend the extra bucks for hydro fans. thanks again abnorml.
     
  19. #19 weatherboxes, Apr 1, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 1, 2009
    OK!! the moment you have all been waiting for! The pictures are a bit blurry because it was getting dark so sorry ahead of time. The box is 5ft high X 4ft long X 3ft wide. The entire inside was coated with primer and white paint then the panels were covered with mylar before being screwed onto the frame. I also installed ball bearing wheels on the bottom so this beast is easy to move around. Tomorrow I put on the doors then its time to start installing fans / lights! ;) ill continue to keep you updated. also, my seeds shipped today. :hello:

    sorry about the pictures just tilt your head 90 degrees to the left and you'll get the picture ;). haha thank you all for your help thus far.
     

    Attached Files:

  20. #20 aclone, Oct 27, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 27, 2009
    I grew some plants about 18 inches tall with two 4' long 40 watt T12 bulbs from home depot which was $10 for the fixture and $7 per bulb for plant and sunshine bulbs. I think the bulbs were ecolux or something.

    I was just growing some plants with 2 of these fixtures, one turned upside down, the other hanging from a chain with a 2" gap between them. I placed the plants sideways and pushed the plant right in between like a tanning bed and they were growing great. The long tubes stay cool unlike the cfl that are like a curly light bulb.

    That's probably the cheapest setup and since it's so cool you don't have to worry about getting rid of heat.

    I see you just put pics of your box, home depot has 3' T5 with 2 bulbs for like $30 that would be a start. I hear they're 3x more powerful than T12's. You can add more over time and still use them as supplemental lighting when you upgrade. Good luck!
     

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