Calling all experts, I need closet set-up advice

[Coldpressed]

Hi,

I'm new here and would like to thank you all in advance for your help and knowledge. I'm a newbie trying to set up a closet in my home for growing but I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Before I create a disaster, I wanted to get some advice and opinions.

The closet in question is built-in and has heavy wooden sliding doors. It's located in an isolated bedroom of the house. It's the only viable location for my situation so I need to make it work somehow. The dimensions of the closet are 77"W x 24"D x 96"H (I am going to attempt to post some pictures to give a better idea). I thought I'd mention that the closet is carpeted as well.

Anyhow, I've bought some equipment such as a new grow light system with a HPS + MH 400 watt air cooled ballast and horizontal reflector hood. I also purchased a 50 watt Flourex compact grow light for seedlings and mylar to wallpaper the inside. Does this sound okay for the amount of space in my closet? Should I have something different or better? One thing I'm really grappling with is the lack of ventillation and how I can create air flow without cutting holes in the walls and or ceiling. Based on the amount of space in my closet will there be a dangerous amount of heat build up from the lamps? Can I simply place an oscillating fan in the closet to blow the plants and stir the air? :D Sorry for all the questions which have undoubtedly been addressed elsewhere in this forum.

[BukDatAss]

Space looks good do u plan on using all of it? Um as for not wanting to cut holes or anything like that would be fine but u would have to leave the closet door opened a bit. It doesnt have to wide opened but just a little bit in order to get some fresh air in. You will also need to take the stale air out with a fan again (u dont want to make holes) u need the door opened. Good luck I think the 400w is perfect especially with the cooled hood. If u dont mind me asking how much was the hood and can we see a pic?:thumbsup:

[BukDatAss]

the info I gave u depends on ur enviornment; light heat, room temp etc....
U want to aim for 70-80 degrees for perfect temps but a little over like 85 is fine dont want to get higher than that because it could lead to big stress problems. Best advise I can give u is do a practice test with ur lights on with ur growing setup and see where ur temps are without the plants there. That way if u have problems its way easier to fix without having to worry about the plants. GO FOR IT

[Coldpressed]

as soon as I get home from work :smokin: . If I leave the closet door cracked, what should my strategy be for light proofing the area? Also, will the lights I bought really crank the heat up in the closet? I'm planning on using approximately half of the space. I have some Bubble Gum seeds and was thinking about germinating four plants. Any thoughts?

[BukDatAss]

It does but u do have a cool hood and we dont know what the temps are in ur closet so no one can really say untill u run the setup test ur self. Try it out ur best bet it is, where ur door will be slightly opened put a fan at the bottom blowing fresh air into ur closet and at the top of ur opened closet door put another fan blowing the stale/hot air out of ur closet. To get a quick idea see what the temps are with the light on and work from there:thumbsup: Oh as for the seeds yea thats fine but just rem u could get males so that will narrow down ur female plant ratio

See what others have to say with their ideas on this but do the test run to get an idea on where u stand at with ur temps

[Coldpressed]

Thanks for the advice!!! I'll keep you posted on my progress. I still need to get all the the extraneous crap out of there but I'm aiming to have it all set up in a couple more days to test temp. and shoot some pics. :)

[Coldpressed]

I completely cleaned out the closet in preperation for installing the lights and in some of the nooks and crannies I found some patches of dark mold. It also smells a bit musty and mildewy down in the carpet. Does this put a nail in my dreams of growing in this closet? Is there something I can get that will erradicate the mold and not pose a danger to my plants? I know how insidious mold is so I was very bummed when I saw it. :( Any advice is greatly appreciated

[BukDatAss]

Not to sure about the mold but I pretty sure that u can still grow there you just have to find a solution. As for the musty smell, maybe ur closet needs to air out. Leave the door opened with ur window up when ur not around. You must do something about the mold. Get some disinfected cleaner:what: sorry I'm not a mold expert I cant help to much there. It might be a good idea to cover ur closet walls with strong plastic covers, they are usually used when painting. Lets see if u get more input as to what esle can be done but u can def grow in that space, so dont worry to much

[Coldpressed]

I guess I'll wait and hopefully hear from somebody with mold control advice. :o

[smoknjoe]

There are some videos you can download that give step by step instructions on building grow rooms. I downloaded torrents from isohunt that were very helpful. You can find a few videos on limwire too, and probably other download programs. I think you will find these videos extremely useful.

[betterhomesandgarden]

Lot of issues with that, but it would be possible. I am not to educated on the cool hoods, but I would imagine the heat will need to go somewhere (ducted). I grow (veg only) in a closet not unlike yours and without external venting. I use a 250w MH and CFL's - and the temps stay around 75 with a little 8" fan and the doors cracked 1/4"-1/2".

Problems I see:
1. The mold (as you stated)
2. Smell when flowering (it will be so bad that you will taste it)
3. 400w in the narrow space might not be that effective on a cost analysis( Use a track maybe)

[Coldpressed]

Okay, just so I have it straight, you crack the door while the lights are on and close the closet up tight during the dark period? How about light proofing? Do you have an easy solution or a nifty trick for that? What do you do if anything about the smell? Thanks again for your help and input! My husband thinks I'm a little loco en la cabasa for all the research and time I'm putting in to this project. I'm just the kind of person who likes to get it straight from the start. ;)

[betterhomesandgarden]

I would always keep it cracked open and regulate the light in the room rather then close the doors completly. The more you close your doors, the more likely "Mr Mold" will pay you a visit. For the smell, I would keep the window open at all times - weather/nosey neighbors permitting of course.

BHG

[crucial conflict]

ok man as for the bold and shit like that go to walmart or someshit and get some kills it paint it kills the mold and shit u could proberly use it to reflect to because its white or just put some mylar over it it works to my homie did it

[bob bobbinson]

ok my cab is almost exactly like urs. only a bit smaller. in a week or so, i will be starting a grow log. I will take good pics about the cab I built for that space.

But for starters, go here http://www.altgarden.com/site/mylar/page1.html

Get black/white poly. And get Lighting97%. Also get 2 of those blue zippers towards bottom of page. Then get some Allunimum reflective tape. sold at ur local hardware store. its used for ducting where heat is an issue.

The poly is like a plastic. hard to rip. cant push through it with a finger. Also the lighting is stronger than mylar. U cant rip it with ur bare hands. It has stiching in it. Which makes it much stronger and better. U can kinda shape the stuff and it will stay in position. Both these things are great for building a space.

I chose to line the closet basically with the lighting. and use the poly for the front door. zippers on both sides so u can easy access. I also build a pvp rectangle. to further partition the space. Ill post some good pics in a week or so when i get me new seeds. In the mean time i got a few up at this link on these forums. http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?p=740521#post740521

[chisme]

lol how about cover the carpet with plastic sheeting?

[mordok]

you can use a 3% solution of H202 (hydrogen peroxide) in the closet and on the carpet to help erradicate the mold. you can also use it to mist the plants with on occasion and it will help the plants grow and will keep the mold away. H202 is found in rain water (unless there is so much pollution in the air that it gets used up before it hits the ground) and is also made in the human body. you can put some H202 in y our water for watering the plants as well. germinate the seeds in a papertowel dampened with H202. but H202 will kill mold and especially if one or more of your plants gets mold and starts to die, use the H202 spray on it to bring it back to health.