well, i have finally started the grow. as soon as i find the camera, i'll get some pics up there.
this is basically going to be running on CFL lighting, with 12v computer fans pulling the air through activated-carbon filters. surprisingly, most of the crap was found around the house, as i have a large supply of busted-ass computers laying around.
pictures, hopefully tomorrow, of what it all looks like.
below, a list of materials (even the tiny ones) used in the setup of each grow.
PC Desk Grow
2 - Cool White (for veg state) CFL Bulbs
1 - Compact Surge Protecting Power Strip
1 - Roll of Aluminum Foil **
1 - Box of Jiffy Peat Moss Starter Refills (can be found at this link
1 - Box of Activated Carbon Filter Replacements (for fishtanks, from Wal-Mart)
1 - Roll Speaker Wire
1 - Large Cardboard Tube (about 4" inside diam.)
1 - Roll Duct Tape (of course)
1 - piece 4' gutter guard
2 - 12v PC fan
** - will be replaced with mylar once the blizzard outside stops...
okay, so that seems like a long list of stuff, i know. you understand how these things work though, you start to build and before you know it, you have most of your garage scattered around your basement.
okay, so without pictures (yet) i'll try to explain the gist of the PC Desk Grow.
on the left side of the desk, at the bottom, is a large drawer, that is pull-out. i took the drawer, gutted the internals, and just used the door. putting that on hinges, i now have access to an area a little bigger than 15"x15"x16". i feel that this will be more than adequate for a tiny, Low-Stress-Trained plant.
next, i lined the area to be used as a box (the entire thing) with aluminum foil. i have heard mixed reviews about foil, so i don't plan to use it for that long. there is this tiny problem of the blizzard outside (it's been snowing for about a week now) in maryland, and it's really hampering my ability to leave the house...
however, i have heard that if you must use foil, to use it dull side out, to avoid hot spots. i'm guessing that for the week or so that it is in there (the plants are still just barely seedlings) that it won't do too much harm.
lighting is handled with a power strip. there are some plug-in adapters for light bulbs (these are one) that i found laying around, and used them. the power strip is a 6 outlet type, so i went in to the second outlet, plugged in a bulb, same for the other side.
bad ascii art depicting power strip ( + denotes an unused outlet) :
[ + ][ Bulb ][ + ][ + ][ Bulb ][ + ][ power button ]
this contraption was hung on the back wall, with a little space between the bulbs and the ceiling.
i had a 15" piece of heavy duty cardboard tube (it's seriously like a 1/4" think) in the garage, so i cut it to fit exactly across the back of the box. now, after seeing that in place, i noticed that cutting two 4" holes in the sides of my desk wasn't really an option, and i didn't really need to vent that much air anyway. (do i?)
so, that being the case, i decided to cut a single 4 1/2" hole in the back of the box, to accommodate the tube. this sticks out the back 1/2", with almost 5" of it being inside the box. there is a 12v PC fan on the end of the tube inside, blowing outwards (sucking from the box). on the end of this, i made an activated-carbon filter, much like this guy.
<-- Back of Box
[ Cardboard Tube ][ PC Fan ][ Carbon Filter ]
well, until i find my camera, and get out of this damn blizzard, that is all that i'll put up here. more posts incoming as the grow continues.
this is basically going to be running on CFL lighting, with 12v computer fans pulling the air through activated-carbon filters. surprisingly, most of the crap was found around the house, as i have a large supply of busted-ass computers laying around.
pictures, hopefully tomorrow, of what it all looks like.
below, a list of materials (even the tiny ones) used in the setup of each grow.
PC Desk Grow
2 - Cool White (for veg state) CFL Bulbs
1 - Compact Surge Protecting Power Strip
1 - Roll of Aluminum Foil **
1 - Box of Jiffy Peat Moss Starter Refills (can be found at this link
1 - Box of Activated Carbon Filter Replacements (for fishtanks, from Wal-Mart)
1 - Roll Speaker Wire
1 - Large Cardboard Tube (about 4" inside diam.)
1 - Roll Duct Tape (of course)
1 - piece 4' gutter guard
2 - 12v PC fan
** - will be replaced with mylar once the blizzard outside stops...
okay, so that seems like a long list of stuff, i know. you understand how these things work though, you start to build and before you know it, you have most of your garage scattered around your basement.
okay, so without pictures (yet) i'll try to explain the gist of the PC Desk Grow.
on the left side of the desk, at the bottom, is a large drawer, that is pull-out. i took the drawer, gutted the internals, and just used the door. putting that on hinges, i now have access to an area a little bigger than 15"x15"x16". i feel that this will be more than adequate for a tiny, Low-Stress-Trained plant.
next, i lined the area to be used as a box (the entire thing) with aluminum foil. i have heard mixed reviews about foil, so i don't plan to use it for that long. there is this tiny problem of the blizzard outside (it's been snowing for about a week now) in maryland, and it's really hampering my ability to leave the house...
however, i have heard that if you must use foil, to use it dull side out, to avoid hot spots. i'm guessing that for the week or so that it is in there (the plants are still just barely seedlings) that it won't do too much harm.
lighting is handled with a power strip. there are some plug-in adapters for light bulbs (these are one) that i found laying around, and used them. the power strip is a 6 outlet type, so i went in to the second outlet, plugged in a bulb, same for the other side.
bad ascii art depicting power strip ( + denotes an unused outlet) :
[ + ][ Bulb ][ + ][ + ][ Bulb ][ + ][ power button ]
this contraption was hung on the back wall, with a little space between the bulbs and the ceiling.
i had a 15" piece of heavy duty cardboard tube (it's seriously like a 1/4" think) in the garage, so i cut it to fit exactly across the back of the box. now, after seeing that in place, i noticed that cutting two 4" holes in the sides of my desk wasn't really an option, and i didn't really need to vent that much air anyway. (do i?)
so, that being the case, i decided to cut a single 4 1/2" hole in the back of the box, to accommodate the tube. this sticks out the back 1/2", with almost 5" of it being inside the box. there is a 12v PC fan on the end of the tube inside, blowing outwards (sucking from the box). on the end of this, i made an activated-carbon filter, much like this guy.
<-- Back of Box
[ Cardboard Tube ][ PC Fan ][ Carbon Filter ]
well, until i find my camera, and get out of this damn blizzard, that is all that i'll put up here. more posts incoming as the grow continues.
