Can you say closet grow.

[k1ucHt]

Hey everyone me and a friend just finished setting up our closet grow. We have 6 Northern Light seeds (Dr.Chronic) planted in Jiffy Pots. We have 96watts of CFL lighting and a 400watt HPS system.

The only problem is with the HPS and the CFL on at the same time the temperature comes out to be 104 degrees with 20% humidity. As of right not the HPS is off and the CFL are going at 84.5 degrees, humidity is the same.

So is this good or bad? I know ideal temp is 76-78, will 84 do? Also how long would you all say the seeds will last under just the CFL, we were planning to veg for 3 weeks I was thinking the CFL would be alright for the first two.

Lastly though as far as temperature control goes, what are some ways to get the temperature where we want it.

Thank You!

The box is roughly 4' high x 2 wide' I don't have exact measurments but just so you have an idea.

[k1ucHt]

Just thought you should no that the plants were raised and are roughly 2" below the CFL.

[Hazzy View]

i think what you need to do is just leave veg for the cfl's. you dont need the hps too until flowering. the cfl's will be fine for the first 3 weeks, this is also better because once you switch them into flowering its good to have a big boost in lumens/wattage, it helps your plants a lot. what you need to do is look up the rasta fan on the forums and just use one of those, i can give you the baisics of how it works-
1: take a regular fan u have lying arround and put a trash bag over it
2: tape the bag to the base of the fan so that it is sealed
3: cut one hole in the front of the fan and one in the back so that you can get a duct to fit inside the hole on each side.
4: have the duct that is going to the fan somewhere that is fairly cool and have the duct going away from the fan going into the box (best if the intake duct is somewhere outside or on a window, fresh air is good)
5: cut a hole in your box to allow outtake

you baisicaly just need to customise this design to your needs and what you want to do. this should help some...

you could also just cut a hole in the top of your box so that the hot air has a place to go and put a fan underneath to help it along.

vegging for 3 weeks might be a little much in that litte box. ive never grown nl (or any other strain before) but if it stretches too much your gonna have a very crispy plant when it reaches that 400 watt hps you got.

good luck :thumbsup:

[l3lunts]

I'm not an expert on grow boxes (yet) but when I built my computer I designed an extremely efficient airflow pattern. Looking at you box I think you might want to try elevating it at least an inch off of the ground if it isn't already, then cutting holes very low in the sides or in the bottom corners, and a couple in the top above the lights. I think a couple of decent computer fans would be able to pull more than enough heat out if the exhaust is right above the lights, and you can use a $5 computer power supply pluged into your light timer. The only part that may be any trouble is building light baffles, maybe someone else has an idea for that? Let me know what you think.

l3lunts

[k1ucHt]

The computer fan idea may actually work.. im familiar with the kind of stuff also. Has anyone done that before here?

[turtle420]

Hey everyone I'm currently running a closet grow in a 4ft high, 2ft wide, 2ft deep space. The temperature is currently at 91 and I am looking to take it down at least 6 degrees and I would like some suggestions on how to go about doing so, I cannot run a window unit and access to outside air is virtually impossible.

Please refer to http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=52384 :confused:
Well, everything is trial & error... over and over.
Something that I read...
and access to outside air is virtually impossible.
Seriously?

Shit man, you need outside air for A- the cooling... and utmost importantly, B- the plants.

Your plants need fresh air from outside... not outside the cabinet, you silly... from outside wherever it is that you're located. Give it air... air from Mother Earth.

Can't you run a 4" diameter dryer duct to the outside? I think that would be enough to provide fresh air for the plants, and for the cooling.

For temperature control,... well, you have to nail down the fresh air part... anyways, fresh air @ the bottom, hot/exhaust air out @ the top.

Best,

-turtle420 :cool:
.

[k1ucHt]

The window is roughly 10ft away from the closet, and the grow is supposed to be stealth.. so the duct is out. Question though, if the door of the closet/box is left open several times a day with the window open.. and there is good air flow in the box, will it work out?

This is what we're planning on:
(there is also a fan blowing between the CFL and the pots)

[justaseed]

your gonna have to get your temps below 80 if you want healthy vigorous growing plants and good quality buds. i had a fan problem once and the temps were in the mid 80's for about 5 days and my plants really suffered for it. i consider over 80 to be too hot for mj. others have had luck with temps in the low 80's but if you can keep it in the mid seventy's or lower you will have much better results.

be careful pulling air from outside as others have suggested if you are in a cold climate as i am you could easily kill your plants with way to cold temps.

my intakes just take air from the house and pump it threw the grow then i vent threw the wall and outside the house on the third floor. i have enough air flow that the temps in my grow are always the same as the house, which ranges from 72-78 normally. you can get a 250cfm or better exhaust fan for as low as $50 (or lower) if you shop around.

i included a couple pics of what you get if you can keep the temps in the low-mid 70's. if you have any more questions about ventillation options feel free to ask me.

my main flower chamber has 400hps and 168watts of cfls and with 360cfms total for the 2 exhaust fans my temps never even get to 80. in my opinion a computer fan is useless to use for ventillation with a 400hps you need more power. hps puts out alot of heat!

i just started this thread yesterday, drop by anytime!
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=52326

[stickygreenlightsabr]

Is your box both light and air proof?

[stickygreenlightsabr]

justaseed - very nice

[k1ucHt]

I'll take a look at some exhaust fans, thanks seed. Sticky there are some cracks which air/light can seep through.

[justaseed]

if your box has light leaks you will have major problems such as super slow flowering, plants reverting back to vegg when they are supposed to be flowering, and of course hermies. YOU MUST seal all light leaks. the dark cycle needs to be COMPLETELY DARK with NO INTERUPTIONS.

try home depot and ebay for exhaust fans that's where i got mine.

[k1ucHt]

well light can leak out.. no light leaks in when its dark in there, is that alright?

[turtle420]

well light can leak out.. no light leaks in when its dark in there, is that alright?
Dude, if light can leak out, it can leak in.

[justaseed]

if it gets out it can get in. simple logic!

[MisterSource]

not if the box is in a closet.... My cab is not 100% light leak proof, but during the night time cycel, it's in a closet. no light at all...

[k1ucHt]

Exactly what MisterSource says, its a pitch black closet... but with 500watts of light going.. yea some light gets out. Does it even matter if some light leaks out during the veg stage anyway.. you made it seem like its only important to be pitch black when we go 12/12.

[turtle420]

^^^ Everything we say is just suggestions, you can do as you please.

Light proof, yes, necessary for 12/12... but don't get pissed if you end up with hermies or re-veging non-flowering plants...

But carry on! :) Let's see how it goes...

[justaseed]

if its in a closet and the dark cycle is completely dark then you have no worries. sorry, it just sounded funny the way you posted...light gets out but not in. i should have figured the box was in a closet or something. and it is still important for the dark cycle to not have interuptions even in veg. much more so in flower though!

[k1ucHt]

Alright no problems just wanted to clear that up... back to temperature controls, anymore suggestions for those who have had similar problems in the past... these temperatures are goin up and down from 81-96.. usually about 91. Tommorrow we're going to install an exhaust fan hopefully taking it down 6 degrees or so.

[k1ucHt]

That sounds bad, the temperature was only at 96 at one point, hasn't gone up there again since.. 91 is still very high though, we really need a way to take this down.

[justaseed]

a powerful exhaust fan should solve all your problems. also you could get an aircooled hood or a cooltube

[k1ucHt]

Yea we're going to buy a cool tube before we start flowering, as of right now the HPS is off. We took out the middle shelf of the box and lowered the CFL's, now both vents are in use and the plants are in a bigger area. The temperature is at 81 degrees and the humidity is still at 20%. Should the humidity be higher? What are some ways to go about getting that up?

[k1ucHt]

Also just out of curiosity these 6 seeds were not germinated, they were planted at around 11PM on 2/14.. how long do you all say it will be until somethin pops out of the dirt?

[justaseed]

yes you need the humidity to be at least 40 in vegg even better a little higher. 20 will cause problems if not dealt with. you can put a bucket of water in the cab. with a fan blowing across the top. that should help.

[k1ucHt]

Thanks alot seed! Will all these temperature changes and humidity problems seriously damage my seeds? I feel like these things are goin through hell before there even out of the dirt.

[justaseed]

you really should try to staighten these issues out before planting the seeds. but if that's not an option just fix it asap and hope for the best. i find that if a plants is overly stressed in veg then it hermies like mad in flower, so keep a close eye on them.

[k1ucHt]

Alright we installed an exhuast fan the temperature is steady at 82, the humidifier will be installed soon.. I'll have pictures up in the next day or so. Still no sprouts its been 7 days, the seeds were not germinated though.. is this ok as far as timing goes?

[justaseed]

excellent!

[k1ucHt]

Just a quick question hopefully you guys know the answer. If the seeds were all planted an inch deep does that mean they will just take longer to come out or does it mean they will probably not crack open and grow?

[justaseed]

an inch is way too deep. they might just take longer or not, you'll have to wait and see. it's also a good idea to germ them before putting them in the soil. then when you put them in the pot only cover them with a little soil and place them so the tap root is up. just make sure they don't dry out for the 1st few days. i just use a mister for the 1st 2-3 days to make sure the soil around the seed doesn't dry out.

[TheMetal1]

Not saying this absolutely wouldn't work...


place them so the tap root is up.

but... this seems to be the preferred method.


Seeds should be planted no more than 1/3 of an inch deep. The taproot should face DOWN.

Not a correction... just a suggestion :jointsmile:

[joedirte]

for every dollar i invest in seed, i invest 5 on equipment (maybe even more). and this shit takes a while to set up right. if i could get my hands on GH genetics, i would go bonkers with the upgrades; making a happy, lazy enviroment for my plant.