Converting Wardrobe Into Grow Room for My First Grow! Have 5 questions!

[WorGanja]

I'm converting my wardrobe into a grow room and as this is my first grow I'm abit stuck as to weather I'm doing the right thing. The Dimensions of the wardrobe are;

D - 23"
W - 19.5"
H - 41.5"

What I have decided to do is use 4 120mm Case fans from a desktop PC and have them in different places. The plan was to put one fan about 15" from the bottom with another one near it, with one fan bringing air in and one fan taking air out, then I wanted to do the same thing with another two fans further up. Would this be sufficiant airflow and does this increace the chance of airbourne bacteria from infecting the plants?

Also I have another problem.. My compost. I tried to get the best compost I could and the man at the garden center advised me to use Levington Ericaceous Compost with Chempak Multipurpose Compost Base for added neutrients, I did'nt feel comfotable telling him it was for cannabis, so I'm not sure if this is good enough quality soil for growing ganja. Anyone know if it's any good?

My next problem is.. I want to grow 3 different strains of cannabis, White Widow, Northern Lights and Afgan Kush, is this going to be a problem as I'm using a 1 foot x 1 foot all blue LED panel, which needs to be 1-2in above the plant and through abit of research I found that Afgan Kush grows in 3-4 weeks whereas the others grow in 8-9 Weeks.

My other problem is, temperature and humidity. I was going to buy a 300W heat panel to go underneath the polystyrene board at the bottom of the wardrobe, which can keep the grow room at a steady temparature, but I don't know if it's necessary. I don't have much money and I dont know of any other way to keep a constant temparature and also dont know how to control humidity levels as the fans are only 1-speed. Any Ideas on how to keep steady temp and humidity levels?

My FINAL problem is smell. I don't want the house smelling of ganj when neighbours or freinds come to visit. My plan was to use a cheap odour neutralizer/ionizer, will this be sufficiant as it's only a small grow room? (I can't afford to buy carbon filters and have no room for tubes and vents etc..)

Thanx for taking the time to read this and all help is appreciated!
:rastasmoke:




(will post photos soon if needs be)

[GoldenGraham84]

1. about the fans - if you do any intake fans, only do one. have all the rest exhausting the air. you want negative pressure. read up on it on the forums. i can give you basic info if you need, but it's best if you read up yourself.

2. now i grow hydro, so my knowledge in soil is limited. however, that "added nutrients" phrase makes me think that it might be too much for seedlings. maybe okay for older, more mature plants, or even hearty clones, but not seedlings.

3. that LED panel sounds lame. just from the small amount i've read on leds on here, the procyon 100 is the only worthwhile led grow light. find SnSStealth or Whiskeytango on here, and ask them if your panel will be worth your time. just my 2 cents.

4. buy a hygrometer to monitor your temp and humidity. it'll be worth it. get one with min/max memory to document your "peaks and valleys." i use CFLs (12) and a 4-site ebb/flow table in a wardrobe, and the CFLs give just enough heat to keep the temp ~72*.

5. if your wardrobe is in a seperate room, close the door and put a few odor killers or air fresheners in there. should be fine.

6. pics are awesome. post em please.

EDIT: from a quick google search, it looks like Levington offers a seedling/cutting soil. get that if you haven't got the other stuff. or, get both and transplant into the soil the guy recommended. or just buy nutrients to add to your seedling/cutting soil.

don't forget to soak up all the knowledge you can from these forums.
stay safe
GG84

[WorGanja]

Thanx for the info, I haven't bought much of my kit yet, but I will post some pics of the grow space.

[WorGanja]

Like I said, not much stuff yet, my PVC sheeting is on it's way through the post and have'nt bought any lights or heating equiptment due to brokeness, lol. Heres some pics anyway;

[WorGanja]

Here's my lock and that Chempak stuff;

[WorGanja]

If you want any more pic's or a pic of something in particular, just ask...

[WorGanja]

that LED panel sounds lame. just from the small amount i've read on leds on here, the procyon 100 is the only worthwhile led grow light.

LEDGrowlights.com - Why LEDs (http://www.ledgrowlights.com/Advantages.htm)

However, despite this, some LED Grow Lights might be abit shit, but I don't know. I was going to buy something like this;

225 LED Blue Hydroponic Growboard Light Panel Bulb Lamp on eBay, also Hydroponics, Plants Seeds Bulbs, Garden Plants, Home Garden (end time 11-Dec-08 21:53:13 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=260299607968)

..But I don't know if that would be good enough. They "claim" that just one of these can cover 6 square feet of grow space.


the Procyon 100 is the only worthwhile led grow light

Did some research on the Procyon 100... and it's like $500+/£250+.. well over budget.

Anyway, thanx again.
:hippy:

[GoldenGraham84]

oh i know the procyon is expensive, but yes i believe that the link you posted is the "chinese panel" that is so despised on these forums. i can only advise you to read the all the led threads here before purhase. so far the space is looks very nice.

[WorGanja]

the link you posted is the "chinese panel" that is so despised on these forums.

LOL! thanx for stopping me wasting my money!


i can only advise you to read the all the led threads here before purhase.

Hmm.. I guess there's no cheaper alternative, HID's cost alot and will need anti-detection foil.. I'll read up on here and see what i can find..

[WorGanja]

Ok, I've been scouring through the forums and it seems as though many people believe LED lights are in such early development that there's no point in buying any yet.. HOWEVER, everywhere I look there is someone contradicting this..

I did some research on those panels and yes, there are infirior import versions from China, however there are more powerful, yet more expensive versions, made right here in the UK, now, weather or not these would be good enough for my small grow room or not, I have no idea.

Super Powered LED Grow Lights PURPLE 56w=250W SODIUM on eBay, also LED Lighting, Lights, Lighting, Home Garden (end time 13-Dec-08 12:00:00 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Super-Powered-LED-Grow-Lights-PURPLE-56w-250W-SODIUM_W0QQitemZ170285131511QQihZ007QQcategoryZ109 067QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262)

I chose red AND blue to aid flowering aswell.. hopefully you, or someone else could tell me if something like this would be sufficient, without having to spent hundreds on HID's or super advanced sci-fi gadgetry, lmao.
:D

[gotmudatv]

So why are you even thinking about useing LEDs from all the grow logs that have used led light say its not worth it. I am using the same worddrobe closet that you are. I have two lighting meathods the first one is when i was low on money, it was a bathroom light fixture i wired up with an old extintion cord and srewed it to one of the ajustable shelves and I had 4 places to srew in some cfls and when i went into flowering I put a spliter on each and then i had 8. But now i have money i just bought the 150 hps on ebay and put hooks on a shelve and it works. My temps are 78 to 83 it just depends on the temp in the apartment. You can check out my grow log i have pictures of how it looks.

[elskeetro]

Yes. First hand experience. Those LED panels SUCK...i had 4 of the 225 LED blue and red panels ($250 i'll never get back...)

You are much better off getting a 70, 150, or 250w HPS. You can get the 150w for $70 on HTG.

Also, check out the 150w club on icmag forums. LOTS of good info in that thread.

CFLs would also do the trick but i would rather just use a HPS. 1 HPS bulb vs. at least 6 CFLs...

Nice cab by the way. I have a 5'x8' grow room (Veg & Bloom) but have been thinking about a stealthy cab that could give me some high yield with a smaller footprint and much smaller electric bill...not to mention less maintenance and materials!

good luck. you have a nice start.

Skeet.

PS - I dunno where you are keeping that cabinet, but that lock just screams "what's inside?" I understand security, but someone may never even give the cabinet a second thought if it doesn't look out of place.

[WorGanja]

Thanx, I decided to take your advice, seeing as everywhere I look it's "yea.. LED lights suck!" lol. I thaught I might as well get a light that millions of people know works for defo.

However it was'nt just the lights I decided to change, I just had a fairly major change of plan altogether. I've been researching things, looking at things, comparing prices, etc etc etc.. and came to the conclusion that if I just buy a full growing kit, with a 250w HPS and loads of neutrients and other bits and bobs, it turns out cheaper and saves alot of time.. I will still need a few things though, like anti-detection foil, now that I have decided to use this light and some ventilation. The kit is here;

http://www.growell.co.uk/index.php?f=itemdetl.php&p=1538

I don't know if it's the right decision or not, but I don't think it's a bad one.. however, I still have a problem..

My ventilation, will CPU fans be adequate or do I need to splash out on a pricy ventilation system? also, I've been struggling to find a thermostat that fits my budget too, and you mentioned;


I have a 5'x8' grow room

Presuming you use HPS lights, don't they create un-nessasary heat? especially in a room as small as mine..

for example;

My temps are 78 to 83 it just depends on the temp in the apartment.

Thats quite hot for cannabis, considering the reccomended temps are like 20-25ºC, I'm no expert or anything, but from other threads I've read, those temps should be making the leaves wilt. But I don't know.. I'll try this kit and see if it's any good.

If I get the ventilation sorted, I'll get some good pic's of the finished article.. with a digital camera, instead of a webcam which does'nt reach the cupboard, lmao!
:hippy:

[elskeetro]

I do use HPS lights. i have 2 400watters. They do put off some heat but they have air cooled hoods and it's under control. The heat is actually very welcome this time of year.

I say you'll be good with that kit you linked to. The 250w HPS will do you just fine and it really won't throw too much heat, nothing a good exchange of air can't handle. and 78-83 is not bad at all. I've seen some rooms that get over 100 and still do "OK". 65-85 is a pretty acceptable range, 72 is ideal.

I'd say if you have 2 of your PC fans suckin' air out the top and a passive intake on the bottom you'll be pretty good (no promises though, do a dry run before you put plants in there.) keep an oscillating fan in the cab and you should have plenty of air moving.

I've never done NFT, but it looks like that kit will make it pretty easy. And don't worry about anti-detection foil. 1 250w light won't be putting out that much heat.

keep us posted!
Skeet.

[WorGanja]

Whalla!! My paycheck came through, so I just bought all my stuff..

They should all arrive by friday, I'll rig everything up and see how it goes, then I'll post loads of pics to show you all what it's like!..

.. and thanx for all your help!
:thumbsup:

[elskeetro]

haha. that's the best/worst feeling in the world. Knowing you've got cool new toys coming your way but having no control over when they arrive. I remember waiting for my first 400w HPS to come in. ah. the good ol' days.

Skeet.

[WorGanja]

LMAO, yea! and I have to wait 8-9 weeks and 12 days for the whole harvest before I can smoke any! lol

[elskeetro]

Hey, just reading through the thread again. Everything we've talked about so far sounds great for flowering...

But what about the veg cycle?

are you starting from seed or can you get clones?

Are you going to do it in the same cabinet and just change the light cycle when it comes time to bloom? You could use the HPS for both stages, but a Metal Halide or some Fluorescents would be more appropriate.

I would suggest another area dedicated to veg and just leave this wardrobe for flowering. if you are only doing 3 plants you wouldn't need much space to veg.

We'll wait to hear your initial thoughts on Vegging, then we'll discuss it further.

Skeet.

[WorGanja]

Yea, I thaught of that, this is what I did..

I did'nt get the grow kit afterall, I had a look around that site and got loads of bits and bobs instead (which is what is coming through the post), and it happened to work out a little cheaper, (I've always been one to jump to conclusions), anyway, when it came to the lights, I bought the reflector and bulb seperately (this also worked out cheaper).. I decided to get a 600w instead of a 250w, in the hopes of a better yeild, anyway, the bulb is made by Grolux, (you may of heard of them), Grolux lamps apparently do well in both stages of growing, so I thaught I'd try it out.. have a read through the description..

http://www.growell.co.uk/p/0152/Grolux-Lamps.html

It's quite good value aswell by my reckoning if it does what it sais on the tin.. (or in this case box)

Anyway, tell me what you think..

[elskeetro]

Hmmm.

I'm gonna have to say that a 600 is a bit overkill for your cab dimensions.
They get VERY hot and will likely cause serious heat issues. You've got just about 10.5 cubic feet.

I'm slightly confused...what ballast did you buy? i'm skeptical that a 600w ballast came out cheaper than a 250w.

If you already bought the lamp, i would consider moving up to an actual closet with head room, or building a 5'x5'x8' tent in a basement or something. Even then you'll probably need a cool tube or some sort of air cooled hood. You could then use the cabinet for a veg area.

If you haven't already bought the lamp, i would strongly recommend no higher than a 250w for your cabinet.

Just my thoughts. hopefully someone else will come through and give their 2 cents.

Skeet.

[WorGanja]

ooooooo....:wtf:

Oh, dear.. I may have made a mistake then.. I dont have room for a cool tube, however I could downgrade my lights and sell the one I get.. Just curious, what would be the highest power light I could get in there, without causing heat issues?

Oh, and I have made alot of headroom, if that would help at all.. about 30 inches.. I previously had lots of things to store in there so I could only get that much hight, however I've managed to make more room, which I was going to use for harvesting while the cuttings underneath grow back, just as a nice cycle. I've uploaded a pic of the extra space (all of the stuff from in there has been piled up beside it, lol).. anyway, maybe it would be easier to buy a less powerful bulb. Heres what I mean about cheaper anyway;

The 600w Bulb
http://www.growell.co.uk/p/0152/Grolux-Lamps.html

with..

The,
Budget Reflector Only (IEC connection)
http://www.growell.co.uk/p/1084/Budget-Hobby-Light-Systems.html

is, £37.15..

whereas if you buy the cheapest full-kit, with any power bulb and it's more than double the price. (in the last link)
:stoned:

[elskeetro]

Did you buy a ballast? you need a ballast. Not just a bulb and reflector. And you MUST match the wattage of the ballast and bulb (ie - 600w bulb and 600w ballast...250w bulb and 250w ballast...) other wise it won't work at all or will burn your house down (seriously). If all you bought was the 600 watt bulb and have yet to buy a ballast, then you aren't in too bad of shape. Just eat the cost of the 600 bulb and get the 250w kit that will come with a ballast, bulb and reflector. Or see if you can return it. Lots of the hydro stores in the states are super cool about returns and customer service.

The added headroom is definitely good. But i still think a 600 is too much for that space for 2 reasons:

1. Still TONS of heat for a 23" x 19.5" cabinet.

2. The average 600w puts out around 95,000 lumens. According to the square inverse law, light loses half its intensity every 12 inches. So, if your light is 2 feet away from your plants because of heat, you are only looking at roughly 40,000 lumens...which still isn't bad, but move it up another foot and you're at about 20,000 lumens. The best 250w i've seen is around 33,000 lumens and you could put that shit within a foot of the canopy. Not to mention it'll use a 1/3 of the power and probably 1/10 of the heat.

as far as floor space in your cab, you have 3.1 square feet. I believe the ideal lighting for great growth is 5,000 lumens per square foot. So you are
looking at 15,500 lumens. Seeing that figure now makes me think you'd do just fine with a 150w ballast and 150w bulb.

I'd definitely like to hear from one of the pros on the forum. But that's what i've come to understand.

Givin' ya something to think about...
Skeet.

[gotmudatv]

Man oh man. I am in the stage of learning that in this cabnet you need to put into flower when she is about 6 to 7 inches.( I waited till she was 12 inches) And you need to LST her down. I think my main cola is going to not do to good. Do to being so close to my hps. But I would say that a 150 hps is going to be the best for this cabnet but a 250 gives you room to grow if after this grow you want to double you area and get the same cabnet that is twice the width and depth. On the fan i have a "desk fan" you know a 4 inch fan with the metal housing. It is working out great for me and it only cost 7 bucks.

[WorGanja]

No, I don't have a ballast, just the bulb and a reflector.. but this gives me abit of choice.. bulbs are fairly cheap, so what do you recommend I do, 150w or 250w? just don't know which one to buy..
:thumbsup:

[WorGanja]

Besides, I'm going to set the room up, but I don't plan on starting the actual grow until after christmas. Alot of people come here around christmas time, lol. Would'nt want people knowing what I was doing.. despite the lock.

Will be setting everything up when I've sorted everything out with Growell, theres been a big mixup because I'm an idiot. I'm going to send back the lights and buy the whole 250w light set.. (told you I was one to jump to conclusions, lol). I just thaught it might be cheaper to buy them all seperately...

[elskeetro]

Ha. totally cool. When i started i had a hell of a time trying to get all my equipment together. I spent probably 4x what i could afford just buying stuff, trying it out, and replacing it with something better.

I would say get the 250w kit for sure. That way you'll have everything you need as far as lighting is concerned. And £79 (about $120 USD) for a 250w ain't too bad. Could find a cheaper one in the states, but international shipping grow equipment is probably not too fun.

The 250w should work well in that cab, it's about 10,000 lumens per sq ft. Which is 2x the standard i told you about above. as long as heat is under control and you can get a handle on watering and feeding and all that stuff, you should have some enormous buds. The best part about the light is that you could double your cabinet floor space and still use the same light.

Don't get too crazy. It's your first grow. there's a huge learning curve ahead of you. You may kill them all the first round, or you may be a natural. Don't spend too much, keep it basic (good light, good soil/nutes, good air flow) and you will be rockin'.

Til' next time.
Skeet.

[bushbhoy]

hi worganja,growing in a cupboard with 400w halogen lamp,soil and nutrients,im on first day of flowering and they look fantastic.if your still undecided then visit here for your lights Lighting systems for indoor growing including Coolshade and remote ballast, lamp & reflector with Metal Halide or Sodium Bulb 250W 400W 600W and 1000W (http://www.u-grow.com/acatalog/lighting-systems.html) ..ive got 3 northern lights/haze and have no temp control or fans.nl/haze is a very robust plant so ive had no problems at all.as for the smell well they are very pungent so its best to get a few stick on air freshners.hope this helps m8..let me know how you got on at ugrow..ill post pics after 1st week of flowering

[elskeetro]

400w halogen lamp

Did you mean 400w High Pressure Sodium? I'm pretty sure your plants would not look fantastic if you were using a halogen. All heat, not much usable light.

whatcha say?
Skeet

[bushbhoy]

sorry m8 your right its a hps lol this my first grow so still not used to the names of certain things

[bushbhoy]

can someone tell me how to post a pic?tryin to post one of 2nd day flowering

[bushbhoy]

sussed it,ok this is 2nd day of flowering....let me know what u think

[WorGanja]

All my stuff came today and the people at GroWell were great when I asked to send the stuff back..

I noticed another problem with my order.. I ordered Soft Water neutrients instead of hard water, will this make a big difference?

[bushbhoy]

sorry m8 dont know enough about it but id imagine the chances of being successfull with the wrong nutrients would be slim

[elskeetro]

I ordered Soft Water neutrients instead of hard water, will this make a big difference?

Well, do you know for sure that your water is hard? Are you sure you need the hardwater nutes?

What did you order? Is it the general hydroponics 3 part series? if so, the only part of that is geared for hard or soft water is the Micro.

From the GH website:

"FLORA MICRO® HARDWATER:
If your tap water is over 200 ppm (or contains Calcium above 70 ppm), use Flora Micro Hardwater. If your water contains 30 to 50 ppm Calcium, you can mix our original Flora Micro with Flora Micro Hardwater to create a perfect Micro blend for your plants."

I don't think it'll cause serious problems. Perhaps a calcium or magnesium deficiency or burn, keep an eye out for that. But you may want to get in the know about your water quality so you know what you are dealing with.

still hoping a seasoned veteran will come through and confirm my info.

Skeet.

[WorGanja]

The 2 litre of both Grow and Bloom..

http://www.growell.co.uk/p/1453/Vita-Link-Max-Hydroponic-Nutrient.html