Noob looking for feedback

[Korloin]

I built a 2x2x4 cab after a half assed attempt at growing some bagseed. Tried experimenting w/ CFL's at first, but I was having some serious heat problems due to my ignorance and inexperience with proper ventilation (and killed a couple seedlings in my hubris). I've been lurking on here for a few months, gleaning insight from all you master cultivators and made some adjustments in my design and outlook accordingly. This forum is THE BEST I've found and I hope to suckle, a bit more directly, from the information and experience teats of this amazing community.

This is definitely a learn as you grow and grow as you learn endeavor, I've found.

Right now I have 4 seedlings chilling under a 30w cool white tube while I await the arrival of my new Lumatek 400w electronic ballast and the proper assembly of lighting and ventilation in my cab. I'll be using the 250w setting on the ballast for flowering for sure, not sure if I want to MH for veg or not yet. But once I get the heat issues under control it'll be an option at least.

At my last attempt I was using a 65cfm axial fan to move the air out, but I discovered I wasn't using enough voltage w/ the adapter and was probably only moving half that. I was able to get temps down to 82, but they would still spike up to 90 during the day. And my humidity kept dropping under 50 as well (haven't quite worked out the causal relationship between the two just yet). This was with 5 23w CFL's running 24/0.

I've got the interior lined with Refectix throughout and that stuff holds the heat in pretty damn good. But I like the reflectivity it offers, so I want to continue with it. That said, here are my designs for the next phase of development.

Figure I have a couple weeks to get it done while my seedlings are in veg. Please chime in with critiques, advice or whatever floats your boat . I want to do it right this time and harvest some of the fineness my seedlings have the potential to bring.

Korloin

 

[Korloin]

I forgot the important stuff!


What Strain is it?

Drizella (c99/White widow X c99/romulan f3)

Kush (starkush X k.o kush)

Is it Indica, Sativa or Hybrid? What percentages?

Drizella - Indica/Sativa % Sativa Dominant

Kush - Indica

How Many Plants?

5

Is it in Vegetative or Flowering Stage?

2 of each in veg. 1 Drizella germinating

If in Vegetative Stage... How Long?

Just popped 3days ago

Indoor or Outdoor?

Indoor

Soil or Hydro?

soil



If Soil... What is in your Mix?

1/3 Potting Soil - 1/3 peat - 1/3 Farm compost (then mixed w/ 1/4 perlite)
(tried my hand at mixing my own)

If Soil... What Size Pot?

6inch

Size (Wattage) of Light? How Many? right now under 1 3ft 30w Flou tube


Is it Air Cooled?

In a big ole permeable freestanding laundry closet


Temperature of Room/Cabinet?

73F

RH of Room/Cabinet?

56

Any Pests? Had some soil bugs (aphids?) while seeds were in germ

How Often are you Watering?

haven't yet other than the peat pots before i stuck 'em in

Type and Strength of Fertilizers used? 7drops thrive (10-10-10) in 1gal hard water (ph neutral) used to wet the peat pots

Size or Square Footage of Room?

Laundry closet is @ 18"x5'x5'

 

[Outspoken]

Noob on a good budget? Lol - My set ups not worth even half of that - It sounds like some pretty hard Shiz you got going on there bro -
i've got 4 Kush Van Stitch and 2 Bubblegums under a 200W DS Cfl, They're coming up beautiful at the moment, I'm in about half the space your in with a Meter Width by about a foot and half depth - Height isn't too good at just under a meter, But yeah My crop has come along way - I should have had more but due to the Misses' kittens getting into the grow Space, I lost 3 KvS to the damned thing, Tore 'em right out of the Compost, But all the same mate - If your going to blog it i'll Sub it. Looking to make some friends in the area anyway!

PS. I just re read your post over, Realised you were bringing something up - Compost..

Personally i use 20L of Homebase' West+ light and easy (Self feeding for upto 4 months) mixed with 1L Fine perlite, To be quite honest i've based this on my budget which wasn't large - I Started my whole grow for just under £80 which was a bargain really compared to the prices i'm paying the dealers. Alot of the guys on here do like to throw in a bit of peat to the mix though, Yeah my compost is Peat free, But for someone like me who's Watering crazy.. Thats a good thing.. I guess.

Anywayy Hope this helps if anything though - It's down to you to decide what you need, Because your the one who needs to control the environment that it's living in, The saying goes Everything is good for you in small doses.

 

[Outspoken]

Also another quick tip Have a look into investing in a Spray bottle if you haven't already got one, It's Supposed to help humidity levels in your grow space unless you can get your hands on something a little more upmarket?

 

[Korloin]

Thanks Outspoken!

My budget is kinda slim actually (Can't afford to pay for someone else's labor anymore, plus I hate the waiting game). Other than the 2x3's I used for the frame, the whole thing was made from scrap lying about the house. Got the ballast for $65, it being a "floor model" type situation!! Steal! Over here the greatest thing for a diy enthusiast (with very little cash-ola like me) is the Habitat For Humanity ReStore! For @ $30, I've acquired enough spare parts to fix almost anything in the house since I've been going there. My build has been piecemeal and ever evolving. This week I'm on the lookout for a decent mogul base to wire up. If I find one at the restore, it'll set me back somewheres around a buck, buck and a half. And I've got grounded cables falling out my backside.

The most $ I've put in is the ballast and the beans (though the Kush were free with purchase )

The soil was on a budget as well, and I'm hoping no other issues come up. The wife has us stocked with various high end organic nutes from her own gardening endeavors. So I tried my best to learn from you guys about soil maintenance. This is my 3rd soil experiment so far and the least hot. I put some clean sand over the top after a neem treatment for the critters. I'll kick the neem up again in a few days as I know it needs to go for a week or so to get 'em gone.

I'll get some pics of the actual box up, so you can see what I'm working with. Still have to build my carbon filter and find a pane of the glass. Do you think those fans will move enough air to cool the hps AND exchange the box rapidly enough? That's my biggest concern right now. I also think I'm gonna scrap the reflector. Will the fans be ok over the bulb or should I move 'em over you think?

I should do a journal too.

Korloin

 

[Outspoken]

To be quite honest dude, I don't see why you don't just get rid of the Tempered glass in the middle, I Was trawling a few posts on here (Worth you looking into) and they were debating whether or not glass between your lights and plants are a good idea at all. I came from the post with the expression that it did nothing except block the uv lights, Not sure on tempered glass though mate, I See the passive duct you have at the bottom of the unit, I have something Similar which obviously excess hot air in the room is going to be pushed out of, Remember though, The air should be enough as to move the air but not enough to push the plant, My Light being a CFL keeps the heat levels down thank fully so i can afford to push the air down, But i mean - If the Air Vent was above the light, We'd be talking more buisness, Remember heat rises Lol

 

[Outspoken]

<img src="https://www.420magazine.com/gallery/data/500/Grow_Room_Schematics.JPG">

Thats the layout of my Grow room at the moment.

Edit: No html for me >_<

 

[Korloin]

To be quite honest dude, I don't see why you don't just get rid of the Tempered glass in the middle,

I looked around quite a bit as well. With the HPS I want to be able to maximize my utilization and the glass should allow me to control the heat while, at the same time, the height of my set up. Using the idea that lumen penetration of a 250watt being @20" before losing density. In such a small room, I'm hoping to ensure I can stay within that range without burning the top of my canopy. Ultimately, I'm looking to do a mini scrog in here once I get things settled and a few good clones from my (at present) babies.

Originally, i was going to build my own cooltube. But safety issues weighed against that for me. You can't cut tempered glass and regular glass may shatter if my fans were to fail. Couldn't take that risk. Got a family to consider.

While reading up on various scrog techniques I came across an article (on another site, though it may have been reproduced here as well somewhere) that resonated with me and pushed me toward the glass separated chamber concept with no reflector (more to do with the size of my room and the amount of heat a reflector holds below it). As well as box designs by some members (ie. stratlogic) of the 420 community who incorporated the style successfully.

If the Air Vent was above the light, We'd be talking more buisness, Remember heat rises Lol

As far as the fan placement, I'm just concerned about losing some light potential. Although I'm thinking I may just move them closer toward the back of the box, but still on top.

I See the passive duct you have at the bottom of the unit, I have something Similar which obviously excess hot air in the room is going to be pushed out of, Remember though, The air should be enough as to move the air but not enough to push the plant

I guess that the crux of my issue. Am I going to be potentially moving too much air? The combined cfms would be overkill for 16cuft, but I'm also trying to compensate for pressure differences in the 2 chambers, and the ducting/ carbon filter (6" diameter x 1ft) resistance.

I guess I see so many high cfm fan set-ups being used that I'm just not sure if one 80cfm can cut it or not. The less energy I can use while still maintaining efficacy is the ideal.

I appreciate very much your input! It makes me think more and justify to myself my conclusions. That's why i'm here. To learn and grow!

Here are some pics of the box as she sits at present:

and the babies

Squiggy has some trouble freeing from the seed hull film and opening. I had to help out. Hopefully she'll(?) make a comeback.

Driz (Squiggy's sibling also had trouble shedding the hull, but less)

Both Kush just came out like they're ready to kick some ass!!

Temporary shelter

 

[Outspoken]

Wow man, that looks really good, Nice space to grow upto 12 plants potentially, Okay, New question which is quite relevant - The lighting system - Is it going to be fixed or hanging? Im seeing the Hook at the top of the room, If thats the case couldn't you run tubing out of of an extractor fan - Just basically throwing the hot air from the lights outside, while using another extractor fan at the bottom duct to suck air in from the outside room? Also what about drilling holes through the sides of the tempered glasses construct that way not affecting the room pressure and your keeping the same amount of air in as out, Can't you power down the fans a little? Smaller fuse.. Etc? Im not an electrician and thats one thing I wont pretend to know! but maybe you do lol..

Also have you heard of low stress training? I've been looking at it - Basically the concept is, That you bend the plant and tie it down with supporting beams, Orr treating it somewhat like a climber on the wall.. Maximising Space and yield capacity - Also that way it'd be easier to keep your light fairly low and still have space - I dunno man, End of the day all the decisions are yours to make, I'm only throwing suggestions - I learn from you, And hopefully you learn from me ^^,

 

[Korloin]

New question which is quite relevant - The lighting system - Is it going to be fixed or hanging?

I'm thinking fixed on this one in the enclosed upper chamber. That hook was where I latched the chain for my CFL's on my last (fruitless) attempt.

If thats the case couldn't you run tubing out of of an extractor fan - Just basically throwing the hot air from the lights outside

I was thinking that way too originally. Just wondered of it might be more efficient drawing from the grow area to cool the lamp. Everything is open at this point (well, within financial constraints anyway. ) I have all the fans ( snatched from inside an old G5 tower that's just taking up space.), plus one extra of the 68cfm ones. I've read of some using an adapter with variable voltages to slow the fans down too. So it's possible. Also, I'm not 100% that I need to use all of them either. The hole in the upper left was where I had the one 60cfm blowing out from. I realized (after I disassembled) that though my amperage on the power adapter was enough to make it spin, I was only using about 1/3 the voltage it was rated for. It may have been enough for what I was trying to do originally, but I don't think so for the hps. Maybe. That's why I'm asking the questions though, right!?

Also have you heard of low stress training?

Yeah! I'll definitely be doing some LST on these. Did it on my first grow and it was going great! Had like 5 tops on my girl getting ready to throw into flower. Then I suffocated her by transplanting into soil with poor drainage. That's where I really got the bug. I felt so close, then pulled a total noob mistake and had to start over. That's when this project started. I had her going in a similar sized (3x3x5) enclosure which was just a frame from 2x4's I had laying about and a roll of panda film around it. I wasn't checking temps and humidity either, so I probably would have done her in regardless I think.

If I can do this right, I want to take some clones of the Drizella and Kush and do a proper scrog on my next grow.

 

[Korloin]

Also, having trouble checking out your Bubblegum and Kush! Sig link is sending me nowheresville.

 

[Outspoken]

Yeah i've been looking at this Scrog method, Seems quite effective from the masses of posts I've scoured on it.. I've just put together my frame for the girl's and yeah man, the links a dud at the moment, Cat ended up getting into the grow room and demolishing 3 Kush, 1 Bubblegum and a Jamaika domina. - Not happy in the slightest, Almost drowned the poor thing.. But i still have.. Potentially 4 Kush Van stitch and 2 Bubblegums left, Down to 6 plants from 11.. Almost made me cry if im honest.. Sad thing is the Kush's that she ate were my trophy plant's, The one's which split and matured out of their seeds the fastest, But not to worry when i get my hands on a decent Digicam i'll be Reposting the beginning part of the blog and uploading pictures to the mix.

I was looking at cloning my Bubblegums depending on the yield, Do you know much about dropping them back into Veg after harvest? Or is it flowering? Guess thats tomorrows lesson - Anyway Korloin dude, I'm gonna hit the sack as it's almost 2am here! Happy growing for the night man, I'll be back on Within 12 hours ^^;

Also dude, Don't forget that it's going to be abit harder drawing the air from the plants due to the temp of their area being so high in the first place, not unless you can rapidly cool it between.. I suppose if you upped the Revolutions on the Fan the air might be pulled in fast enough to cool it down, Otherwise dude i think it could be fruitless trying to use the grow space air, Anyway again down to your choice as you know your Environment, I never got to asking what part of the globe you were from - Im guessing Your in America, If Your climates anywhere near what i Experienced from Indiana to Alabama, then boy i hope you got some good ventilation, My problems actually keeping the Space warm enough lol, The UK is quite cold lol -

As you can see below, 10 Below the Average temp i'm required to provide for my hunnies to grow happily, Cfl lamp compensates that though and then the hot air raises and evaporates in the living room and kitchen out of the Top Ducts i labeled.

Temperature: 15 °C
Comfort Level: 15 °C
Dew point: 14 °C
Pressure: 1018 millibars
Humidity: 94%
Wind: 5 mph from 250° West-southwest
Last update: Mon 01:20 BST

Anyway bro - In a bit ^^;

PS That's the current climate details of the city i live in - not my grow room xD

 

[Korloin]

Bummer about your girls. I'm always worried my garbage can of a dog is gonna get my stuff. Usually I kill 'em first though Caught eating out of mt Happy Frog fert bag once! Dumbass. She didn't get sick luckily. Dog will eat anything! It's unreal.

Re: the Bubblegum, I was reading a thread last night about taking clones on day21 of flower and starting a perpetual grow. The gist is you take 'em on the 21st day, put 'em in your medium and let them take root and when your harvest is ready, the clones are ready for flowering. Then do the same with your clones ad infinitum. here's the thread lot's if interesting info. Man I love this forum!

I think you're right on the ventilation. Aside from the extra moisture I'd be throwing on the bulb and it's housing (didn't consider that til just now!) and the heat, it'd be easier to control each environment with their own vents too. Settled for me now. No more dreaming up fancy ways! Gotta get the build on! As I've seen on these boards so often K.I.S.S..

Thanks man! You've helped alot. Amazing what talking things out can do

I just swapped my flouro tube out for one of my old CFL hangers for the babes. Now they're getting some light! 4-23w CFL's one for each baby. Both Drizellas are pulling through it looks like. Squiggy straightened up a bit. I'm super excited to see what I get from these. It's supposedly a stable F1 with four potential phenos. Each looks amazing!!My Kush are just flying as well. Must be in the breed or something.

Get some sleep my man.
Talk soon.
Korloin

 

[Outspoken]

Dude, I've got to ask, Before i click the link to your Journal so don't tell me off if its blatently obvious here, Are you HANGING your cfls so they're vertical or are you using the full bulb horizontally? I'm running mine horizontally Using Shoe laces attached to the plastics of the bulb - I find you get more area, But then i'm not using a Hood at the moment, So im potentially wasting upto 50% of my light on the other direction >_<, Dont worry the hoods next on my list.. lol

I'll put a newer Schem for my Grow room, It's Updated alot since the last picture x]