1st grow, all flos, small space, a lot of learning...

Hello All... New member to the site, though I have been reading on here for a while now...

Im about to start my first grow, and figured I would start a grow log to share my experience, obtain some help if needed etc etc...

Well I have my grow spaced all picked out..

Its a cabinet that I am now longer using... it is 5'H x 28"W x 15"L which should give me total sqft of 2.91...

I have a idea of what lights im going to use and how to make them... I plan on using 18 26w 6500k compact flos... basically gonna wire up 9 (one every 3") standard bulb sockets then buy Y extenders for a total of 18 bulbs and build a hood around that...

Actual wattage of bulbs will be 468W for a total of 28k lumens which should put me at 160W per sqft and 9,621 lumens per sqft

as far as intake and exhaust I have 2 120mm, 4 80mm computer fans.. I plan on using 1 120mm and 2 80mm for the intake and vise versa for the exhaust.... The intake will be mounted on lower backside of the cabinet and the exhaust on the top front of the cabinet ..

I have a few other things to work out as of now, further ventilation in case of heat problems, odor control(though thats not a big big problem), size of pots I need, soil mix, and waiting on my seeds to get here

Well here is the grow area... Looking to paint the inside today and hopefully get all the bulb sockets wired up/hung


http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2...6207sb1.th.jpg

Well today I got paint, new hinges, weather stripping to go around the doors to stop light, soil and some lighting stuff...


For the lights I planned on just wiring up the bulb sockets in parallel and being done with it..

ran into a few problems though, bought the wrong sockets ( I got 660w 250V) and im pretty sure I need 125v...

Also I got regular lamp wire which im pretty sure I need something a little thicker with a ground?

thats about it for today.

Well I ended up trying the fixtures I got cause I wasnt sure if they went they would only work on 250v or up to 250 v...


here is what I came up with...

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8792/1006209uj8.jpg

One thing I guess im confused about is... I always thought there was a black, red, and green.....

with "lamp" wire there just both copper, no ground.... with the fixture I got it says the silver screw is "hot" black and the gold screw is red....

I at least made sure I connected all the same things together even though the wire did not have red/black...

here is a lil diagram of how I wired them I hope its ok..
Forgive the horrible drawing...

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3091/55042071co8.png

Todays update:

Got the inside and the doors of the cab painted white

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/2231/1006211tr7.jpg

Tomorrows goals are the weather stripping, moving the shelf to the top(to hold things like nutes, water, etc), and hopefully finishing the lights...

Figured I would give you guys an update....

As far as the grow space goes I still need to 100% light proof it, I found a few small cracks so I need to fix those.

Need to get a lock for it

Install the fans

and mount the lights/finish wiring

I ordered some joey weed Cinderella 99 still waiting for those to come.. hopefully with in the next week... and thats it for now.

I'm looking forward to seeing how your cab turns out, if everything pans out how you are planning, i'm sure you will have some happy plants

i have that exact same cabinet, here is what mine looks like so far. I still have some more to finish just havent had the time lately. i used three ceiling fan light fixtures mounted to the shelf that came with it. i had an extension cord run through a small hole at the bottom of the cab and tacked up the side to the top with cable clips but will be taking it out and i will just use some old electrical conduit i have and do it a safer way. i was actually trying to figure out a way to make a cool tube for the cfl's some kind of way to really get the heat out of there.

@trynagethigh: Nice for my lights I was planning on getting a piece of wood mounting my fixtures to it then hanging the wood kind of like your shelf..

Couple more updates... Got all the light leaks sealed ended up just using black duct tape for a lot of the corners then im gonna cover it with white duct tape. also got a temp/humidity monitor today, got a timer, and finally ran an ext cord into the cab for power...

Tomorrows plans are to seal the hole around the ext cord, finish wiring up the lights, hopefully mount the lights.

Need to look for an adapter to wire up my fans, need to find more 6500k light bulbs(walmart was out today), still need to find a lock(trying to find one thats a key lock that will keep the door pressed tight), and still trying to find pots that will work...

Im looking for pots to maximize the floor space I have, round will waste space, the ones I found that would work were around 5 gallons which is to big.. I think at the most Im only going to need about 2 gallon pots....

and I think thats it, here is a pic...

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/7071/1006214xs2.jpg

looks good systrex. I took a piece of 1x2 and mounted it where the doors meet and then used some foam insulation on it and around the door edges. To help keep the doors closed tightly, i used some cabinet catches. One part is mounted to the door and the other part to the cabinet base and top. I used two sets, they work real good. I also took one shelf and screwed it horizontally from one side of the cabinet to the other in the rear for support as the cabinet was quite shaky without it. as for a lock i got a cheap latch lock and just got a small padlock to lock it. im also going to put some casters on the bottom so i can roll the cabinet around as needed cause moving this thing on carpet is a bitch with no wheels. below is a pic of the catches for the doors.

as for pots i was gonna use 3 10" pots but i think i am going dwc as i can fit (2) 5 gallon buckets in there and will probably do a vertical scrog. I will eventually have to hang the whole light board vertically with some wire by drilling two holes in each end and hang it on hooks screwed into the top of the cabinet. this way my scrog area goes from 30" wide and 18" deep to 30" high(or more) and 30" wide thus increasing my scrogging space. the plants will grow vertically but flower horizontally. hopefully the buds wont get too heavy to need support otherwise ill be tying them up for support. im also gonna take that cardboard backing shit off and get me a piece of white tileboard or a piece of 1/4 plywood and some liquid nails as it will help with the noise reduction.

here is what i did with a big screen tv..

http://boards.cannabis.com/closet-ca...my-screen.html

gotta use what you got to get what u want huh?:thumbsup:

I thought about mounting a board but what I ended up doing instead was took some door weather stripping mounted it on the inside on 1 door so when it closes the other door pushes against it creating a seal... along with that and some extra foam insulation it worked pretty well....

I wish I could do a padlock setup but I kind of wanted to go for more a stealthier look so im gonna try some basic keyhole locks with latches on the back for the top and bottom which shouldn't stick out to bad..

I agree with you on the cardboard backing it sucks... Right now I think it might work for me since at the most i might mount a couple 80mm computers fans on it but for my next grow(gotta get through this one first lol) Im def gonna look into a better intake/exhaust system and I dont think that back will hold up so ill be looking to replace that also..

Hope your grow goes well

Hello all.. Little update..

well I decided to get some emergency blankets and use those instead of the flat white paint..

Still need to get more lights, every walmart around me has been out of the light bulbs I need for the past weeks, thought I have found them other places they are about 2 dollars a pack cheaper than anywhere else I have found them...

Found some trash cans that Im gonna use as pots for the plants final home(2.1 gallons each which should be big enough)

Pretty much got the venting worked out... just need to build a little base for my cab to sit on then gonna route the intake through the bottom(trying to avoid any major signs that its a grow cab) though I got the exhaust all mounted an working...

all light leaks have been taken care of and got the locks installed...

So now it seems I just need to finish the lights, finish the intake, and wait for my seeds to get here(sigh its been over a week) here is an updated pic..

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7691/1006223gq7.jpg

looks good systrex. man i got two of those blankets too..lol, they have been in my trunk for a week now. how many do you plan on growing in there, just three. dont forget to make some holes in the bottoms of the cans for drainage otherwise you may get root rot( if ur using soil).as far as that padlock, i didnt think that one out too good cause as soon a i put it on there my kids wanted to know what was in the cabinet..i told them it was just my tools and my 10 year old insisted i open it up and show her so i did. she saw there was nothing in there but tools so she has left me alone about it...LOL. only real problem i have run into is sealing them damn light leaks around the hinges. I have two tiny tiny leaks but ill put some more weatherstripping around them..good luck brotha and keep the updates coming.

Thanks, Well what I planned on doing was germinating 8-9 seeds in hopes that at least 7-8 germinate ok, then plan on at least half being male so that brings me down to about 3-4 then if its 4 pick out the best 3..

I think it works out to about 1 square meter per plant so that should be fine, and from the top of the trash can to the end of the exhaust it leaves me with about 3 and half feet of vertical grow room... I think that might be enough buuut I might try to get a few more inches of it when I build the base for it to sit on for the intake then cut holes for the final buckets to rest in... and yeah im using soil... Figure I should at least get a few soil grows in before I even start to think about hydro

I ended up finishing the lights and getting those hung... still need to get more bulbs(all the walmarts around me are out sigh)

still need to mount and build a base for the intake, finish the walls, and clean up the wiring..... Besides that I think everything is ready to go... Here is a pic

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/2535/1006233sq0.jpg

I already beat you to the walmart cfl's.lol

That looks like its going to be a nice grow cabinet.

I was able to pick up 3 packs today(6 bulbs)... so only need 2 more packs... I know another place that sells the exact same ones but there 3 dollars more a pack blah... I suppose if the walmart near me does not get more in by the time I get my seeds then I will have to give in and buy the more expensive ones.... on another note though.... I called another walmart near me today and they said they had 8 packs.. I went there they only had 3 so I bitched and they ended up giving me a $10 gift card so at least that will pay for another pack

Still no seeds... Im expecting them sometime early next week though...

after doing some initial heat tests things are not looking to good.. temps got up to about 101 with just the exhaust and the doors cracked, about 95 with a fan blowing on the lights, exhaust and doors cracked.... I want to keep things about 75-80 and im doubting with adding my intake that its gonna drop the temps 15-20 degrees... soo only thing I can think of is try to lower my ambient temps(room where the cab is it stays about 72-74(due to 3 computers running), rethink my intake/exhaust and/or trying to create better airflow in the cab(the light fixture blocks a lot but I have an idea for that)


another thing... A while back I read that the sun produces about 10k lumens on a clear day in the mid afternoon then around 2500-4000 on cloudy days and in the morning/evening...

Then I read that you only need 2500-3k per square foot..

My whole thought being my light setup was to get at least 9k lumens per square foot..

well after doing a number crunch

1800 lumens(per light) x 16 = 28,800
Square foot of cab = 2.91666

28800 / 2.91666 = 9874 lumens per square foot... Im thinking maybe I went a bit overboard?

:D yea kindof.. about 4 for each plant is enough and less lights are ok also if you position and reflect them good, which you have covered. you should be ok with 10-12 lights there I wouldnt add more. I dont know what fan you have but get a desk fan and put it next to the pots and have it pointing upward and run it at low, itll just shoot off all the heat upwards where the vent can get it out.

you might want to make a hole somewhere in the bottom of that cab so new air can come in.. and the fan will push it up and around.

great job, what seed breed are you getting?

good luck!

Right now I have 12 lights but im setup to run 16(walmart was out) so I guess ill just keep what I have for right now and see how that works...

for the exhaust I have a 250cfm inline fan and for the intake I planned on building a base for the cab then running another 250 inline fan for the intake which will come up from under the plants.... which should also leave me enough space to put a oscillating fan in there.. I also planned on cutting 1/2" 3/4" holes between the lights to allow for hot air to escape easier...

Im getting some AK47 x C99 Joey Weed Seeds

I would take a look at the carbon filter thread and build one to keep the stink down a little.
Thats going to be a nice grow.

Killerweed420: Yeah I have been looking into building one... read a couple threads already.. even though smell is not a huge concern of mine it still is one... My idea is to just replace the 90 degree bend with the carbon filter.. I just need to make sure its not to long so my cab doors can still close... and for the intake i got some "vent filters" which should help keep dust, mold spores, cat dander(have a couple cats)... so it cant hurt to have "cleaner" air entering the cab...

I finally got my intake mounted and setup... though I am having some major heat issues..

with 12 lights, doors closed etc i get temps around 96-99..... added a little desk fan in there to help move some more air.. still about 93-95..

not really sure what to do... I tried drilling some holes in my light fixture to help move air but that didnt help....

I think my main problems are my ambient temps(the room alone is 76-80), the light fixture being to wide and not allowing enough air to travel to the top of the cabinet, and not enough air circulation in the cab...

So as far as the ambient temps there is not to much I can do about that since the rest of the house is usually 67-68 and even with the ac running it just never seems to cool this room enough, replace the light fixture with something a little less wide (should be able to cut out about 6-7" of depth from it) hopefully that helps air circulation, and get a bigger fan inside of the cab... if all of that does not help then I am out of ideas....(still trying to keep this a low key grow but its getting louder and louder lol)

Well the seeds have arrived... and are in the process of germinating(paper towel method).. I had got some starter seed soil but ended up not liking it so today after work ill be picking up some Fox Farm Light Warrior Agro-Ponic Grow Medium and in the meantime changing my light fixture, getting another fan, and hopefully keeping those temps at least in the low 80's

Will keep you all updated..

3 out of 6 seeds are showing a taproot. 2 are cracked open and should show soon, and 1 has not shown me anything yet... So I will be planting those 3 tonight and hopefully the other 3 tomorrow(granted that they germinate)

On a side note... I tried to go out and get a water ph test kit and a soil test kit... was unable to find a test kit for soil and the only water test kits I could find only had a range of 6-7.6 which im pretty sure is not good enough..... not really sure where else to look... I guess ill have to get something online...

Flicks? Can't just or give Constructive Criticism without them.... Check a local hydro shop, lowes, Home Depot; and just ask where they think one could be found. Take pics of you set-up, lighting, soil, etc..

Planted the other 3 seeds today.. got a 6 out of 6 germination.. not bad.. the first 3 still have not broken soil....Pics to come later today

Sorry for the lack of updates just not a lot has been going on....

Lets see...

Planted 3 germinated seeds on the 30th and 3 more on the 31st...

Today is the 1st, 2 have finally broken soil.... besides that nothing else has really happened...

Here are some pics

Plant 1 that broke soil...
(Plant 2 is just a lil smaller so no point in posting a pic of that)
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/3403/1006254lf0.jpg


The setup
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3374/1006252sq7.jpg

The setup 2
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/6428/1006253hq7.jpg


Also I have been able to contain the temps a lil better..
Added another fan inside the cab, another fan in the room where the cab is, and moved everything away from the cab to hopefully create better airflow.. I have been reading around 78-84

P.S. I want to get a hps light for flowering but I also wanted to keep this an all flo grow so idk... I dont think to many people would say no to having an hps light if i could, right?

Nice! Very Clean.

systrex good idea with that smaller piece holding the lights. i think im gonna have to thin mine out as the heat is getting trapped at the bottom since that shelf is so wide its keeping the heat from rising to the top. damn..i hate doing shit twice, but oh well "tis necessary".I think i may just take my jigsaw and cut out around my fixtures and see how that works out.

Well I woke up this morning to find another one that broke ground :)
So that makes a total of 4 out of 6..

I noticed this on one of them, the end of the leaf is yellowing on 1 side and starting on the other..... Maybe im just being over cautious but is this normal?

Looks good! Soil kind of looks Thick. Go pick up some Perlite, and Vermiculite at the store, mix it in with your soil, and you should have very good drainage; Happy plant.
~ Greens Brotha

nice set up cant wait till theres some green in there

Some updates...

5 out of 6 seeds have broken soil though 1 has not come all the way up yet so no need to take a pic of that...

I moved the lights a little closer, about 1 chain notch which is about 1/2"..... the plants are 1 1/2 - 2 1/2" away from the light I placed my hand between the light and the plant warm but not even close to burning so they should be fine...(trying my best to not have them stretch at all).... I figure after the 1st week or so of growth I can screw in the other 4 bulbs I have to bring it to a total of 10.. included are some pics..

couple updates...

Looks like 2 of the seeds did not make it... 1 never came up, I went looking for it annnnd nothing :( the other looked like it started to come up but ended up rotting out.. idk why :(

so I am left with 4 that are doing pretty well.. i miiight germ the other couple seeds I have but we will see...

anyway I think this brings us to about day 7(counting from the day I actually put the seeds in the soil)..

Pics included..

Nice set up Systrex! Simple and clean. Im sure you will have some nice plants.

I am a first time grower but during my grow I have used only flo light and had great sucsess. Switching to hps might increase yield but im sure you would do great with all of your flos.

Looking forward to updates.

e
:hippy:

Figure Ill wait until tomorrow for some more picture updates.... No real news...Im thinking the humidity needs to be a little higher... a few times I have seen it all the way down to 19-21% which I dont know is baaad but I dont think its good.... also I think im gonna transplant once the plants reach the 4th or 5th set of leafs, wait a few days start lst, wait a couple days and start some ferts..


Notes to self... Get ferts, new soil mix, and 1 gallon pots for transplant..

SUBSCRIBED! Good luck!