Stelth Grow Box

Hey everyone! Today I went out, bought my material, and created a light- stelth box to keep hidden in my closet. I put a small-ish fan inside its box, sealed it up, and hooked it up to a duct which connected it to the bin. Inside the bin is all tinfoil to reflect the two lights I have. Then on the other side of the bin is an Active Carbon filter. So the fan blows in fresh air and it is pushed through the Active Carbon filter to remove the smell of pot. And this will create a nice air flow current and provide fresh air without getting caught due to the smell. Then I stuck the lights through a strup of styrofoam and stuck it to the top of the lid (I tried to avoide creating any more holes... wanted to to look like an ordanary bin...) In the picture the lid isn't what I have for a finished product... The lid is entirly covered in tinfoil. I added that on after the picture. So I plugged everything in and put it in my closet, put my babies in, and put on the lights. the cool thing is since the lights are hanging from a styrofoam strip, I can tuck and pull them down closer to the plant, and them bring them back up to the top of the bin. Right now I have seve plants groing in there, but I plan on narrowing them down to maybe one or two females once I find out which plant is what. I also plan on topping the plants to stunt the growth and keep them from getting too big for the bin. Now I wanna know what you guys think of the box? What should I fix... add? Do you guys think it will work? I'm going to post again with more pictures.

Here are the other pics. YOu saw above what it looked like in the closet before I hide it... this is a picture of it hidden. And yes.. sadly I do have a chucky doll and a michael mysers mask.. but thats not important! There is also a picture of the carbon filter coming out from the back of the bin. it is not yet filled with carbon because well... I have no plants yet! Well, they arn't old enough to smell yet. Then there is the picture of the fan which is inside the box connected to the bin with a duct. I did this because I didn't want air inside the box to be blown back through the fan, I wasn't sure if that would happen or not, but I know it wouldn't come back through a duct. The box is there because the fan couldn't connect to the duct dirrectly so we connected the duct to the box, turned on the fan, and then sealed up the box (it turns off when the main light switch is turned off). Then there it is... fully light, I actually removed the blowish grow light because I was worried the bin would heat up to much... so i replaced it with a 15 watt compact fluro. Then thats a picture of one of my babies, all but 2 look like this. How is it lookin to you guys?

its beautiful

Too short -- you'll only have a few inches to grow before you reach your lights. With massive bending and stuff maybe -- but the concept itself is really well worked out.

What type of results will make it worth the time and effort you're putting into this?

You have LOTS of room for improvement. The important and vital ones being space and lights. So you plan on using that bin the entire time? How much more money can you spend on this project?

I recommend browsing this forum http://overgrow.com/edge/forumdisplay.php?f=87 for great information on micro stealth grows.

we devised the plan together.. i'm going to be making the same thing once i get to college.. i'm not sure how much more $ can be spent on the project, we'll have to cross the bridge when we get there... i guess $ can be spent on finding the right soils and nutrients to provide it with..

Hey! Well, money is not an issue. I live with my parents and have a job. I can put my money I make from my job tward anything I want... anything. I realize I'm going to have to make something bigger and better. I just am not sure...what...

My biggest problem is my father. He is to stupid to ever come in my room and rummage through my closet. But just incase he ever did... he wouldn't ever know I was growing because of my stelth box. But I need a taller stelth box. The lights are to close to the plants (the leave's tips kinda started turning yellow- help?) so I moved them away a little. I'm not positive that I'd be able to build anything much bigger than that... I know you guys don't like u s growing in out folk's houses, but I can seriously get away with this! its just too easy. But I do need a bigger space. Recomendations?

Suggestions:

-Get a bigger space OR only grow 1 or 2 plants in that space. I don't know what you plant to do with that MV bulb, but you ain't gonna get shit with it.
-More light! What you have there is not near enough for the amount of plants you have. To get a decent yeild, you want a min. of 50W per.sq.ft. So for 2 plants in that space, I'd go for 200W. You can use CFL's, they work amazingly well for veg, but when you hit flowering, things are going to move very slow.
-Turn that CFL bulb sideways instead of it pointing down. There is 25% more light output coming from the side rather than the bottom. We all know, more light=bigger buds.

This is what I would do, all in a nutshell. I would keep that space, grow only 2 plants, get more bulbs, min of 100-150W CFL's.

OR, get a bigger space, more bulbs, I suggest an HPS bulb for flowering. Hope this helps.

As for your leaves yellowing already, have you been giving it ferts at all?

Hey thanks for the suggestions. I do plan on frowing only 2 small females in the box, so I t hink I can pull this off. I will move the lights sidways as you suggested, and I will get more. As for the fert... I planted my germinated seeds in a soil that I believe had MGro in it already. like it was new soil out of the bag... I just think it was "pre-Mgro"- had stuff in it alread. Is this bad? Should I get my plants out of that soil asap?

I haven't had any experience using MG, but I've also heard that it is not the best to use for MJ. Does it have any N-P-K ratios on the bag? Any word on added ferts? If it does, I would suggest putting it in different soil. No ferts are to be used until 3-4 weeks into vegg.

I buy my soil at wal-mart. It's like $10 for a big bag, has added vermiculite, and is a basic potting soil. I've had good results using it.

If there is no word on the bag about added ferts, or added food, then don't worry about it, just leave them.

It could just be that the lights were too close to the plants i did that the first day i got my 600W light and killed my plant lol had to start again

lol

i got my potting soil.. its got added phosphorus (i think thats the p) for root stimulation..

I don't think the soil should be the problem... pretty soon all the MG will be wached from the soil and crap. I think? I think it was just the lights. my other two beautious plants are completely healthy green colored and around the same- if not bigger in size. That night i left the light particularly low... I havent had any yellowing problems since I brough the light a little higher. That must have been it.

heres an idea for a bigger grow box. just buy like another one and stack em on top of each other. cut a hole in the bottom and of your new box and boom a taller grow area. and as your plants grow taller just keep stacking new boxes. well theres my two cents

but it IS in a closet.. and MINE's goin under my bed looking like a regular storage bin.. prospective students will be coming into my room (its a tour room) so its prominent that this work

I've thought about stacking two bins. I must obsurve my father's behavior more often. This way I can judge wether to risk it or not.

i dident read all the replies so i dont know if this has been mentioned

use another rubbermaid on top
turn it upside down and attach your lights to that one

Yeah that

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Originally Posted by Cam

I've thought about stacking two bins. I must obsurve my father's behavior more often. This way I can judge wether to risk it or not.

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You will have no choice but to LST.

No choice at all. dont even think about anything else if that is your size limit.

I would do a 21 day veg then flower....

But you need to bend and tie them down.

I had no idea you were gonna grow in that small of a space.

Your lights as you have them will fail you.

You need a shit load more light.

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Originally Posted by HARDDON

You will have no choice but to LST.

No choice at all. dont even think about anything else if that is your size limit.

I would do a 21 day veg then flower....

But you need to bend and tie them down.

I had no idea you were gonna grow in that small of a space.

Your lights as you have them will fail you.

You need a shit load more light.

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What is LST mean? I think I can extend my 21 veg days by topping the plants and allow them to grow our wider rather than up. Once I notice some difference I will put them into flower. if I need to bend them, I will. I also have my lights different than shown. I have "upgraded" I have 2 compact fluros on the top and then an 18 inch blue spectrum fluro light practly upagenst the babies. I'm going to get a few more compact fluro lights asap. I don't have that crap blue light in there anymore.

ok help me out here....

You have your container...and the container you will flower in.

How tall is that?

Your lights descend how far down from the top.

How far is that?

That leaves you with how many inches to grow from now til harvest?

Whats the total you have to work with?

I have well around 17 inches.

Could I possably just fill the floor of the container with about 5 inches of soil, divide into sections, and plant them in there? Or do the roots have to grow down rather than out? This would give me even more room, if I could do this.

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Originally Posted by Cam

I have well around 17 inches.

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Ok lets do some math here...

17" of space left....

Lets "ASSUME" your plant in indica dominant and will only double size in flower stage...

That means you need to flower when 8 Inches tall.

Thats it and thats all you have....simple math.

If you top her, you are not going to get anymore height out of her. You will get 2 main kolas but still no more height.

The main kola is only going to account for a portion of your overall yield.

Unless of course thats all you have room for....!

Thats where the flaw lies in that low growth without LST.

The majority of your weed and smokealbe buds comes from your secondary growth shoots. You want those developed.

Can you do this as you have it now? YEs by all means.

Just pray shes indica and not sativa.....

If it is sativa....count on at least 2.5X growth in flower.

That gives you less than 6 inches for veg.

I suggest you evaluate your expectations with reality.

You can do this, just dont be expecting anything more than what you can get.

As for the question that follows this post, what would you gain by taking them out of the pot?

You wont grow weed in a soil grow with just 5" of depth...unless its a realy quick veg....

They are still at ground floor level.

You dont gain anything.

I suggest some serious LST.

Either that or just veg the fucker to 6" and throw into flower and get a few good joints and bowls outta the deal.

Remember Hardon that I have a few plants growing. Well actually my 4th one had a light axident... so I have 3 plants now growing strong and healthy. They are in pretty big pots right now, I must say. I can fit all 3 into the space. Depending on which is male or female, I could fit all 3 plants in there, veg them, flower them, and harvest them. All 3. So if all 3 are female, I'll have some weed on my hands. If I soiled the bottom of the container rather than kept them in pots, they would have width room like you wouldn't believe, and it would gain me a few inches. so if I took them out of the pot, I could probably grow them to well around 10 inches and hit flower. Remember that the pots raise the plant off the ground quite a bit.

With That Set Up you'd Be best off to Get some clones and try the sea of green Method.

Thanks for the pics.. very innovative... if you get the air flow moving well or build a thin plastic barrier around your lights you can let the plants grow up alongside the lights.

Please post more pics as the plants grow

Hardyboy.. you STILL didn't explain what LST meant lol =\

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That means you need to flower when 8 Inches tall.

Thats it and thats all you have....simple math.

If you top her, you are not going to get anymore height out of her. You will get 2 main kolas but still no more height.

The main kola is only going to account for a portion of your overall yield.

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so that would mean that we can top the plant at 16" and not wory about doubling?? which would give a better yield? topping it at 16? or flowering at 8?

Yes I'm confused about this as well. Looking back at the post HARDDON you say that it will not grow at all if I top it. Well I plan on topping it... and I know what will happen durring its veg. But when I switch it over to flowering, will it not grow? Because you said its done growing once I top it... so like Sheist said, I top it at 16inches during veg, and then let it flower. And it will stay 16''. Or- do I top it at 8'' and watch it grow another 8'' durring flowering?

HARDDON....Luvs starting the morning out with some one hits and these questions... :)

ARGH!

Topping or no topping, it will still double, at least, during flower.

Sorry...I meant if you top her, you wont prevent her from doubling in size during flower.

So if you still have 17"......top her or not, you are still gonna have to plan for at least a double of height...that still means forcing flower when approx. 6-8" tall.

You can LST, or as was mentioned, do a scrog.

But in thinking ahead.....it might be good for you guys to get a good grow under your belt before venturing into the specialty grows.

Killing some plants by fucking em up is the best teacher you could possibly have :)

I would advise the simple SOG method for your little box.

You can maybe grow 12 little plants....force them to flower in 21 days...regardless of height, and you will have 12 tiny little popsickles buds (assuming all females) in 11 weeks.

You will only have one bud generally, the top one.

Low stem training or screen of green might be a challenge best under taken after you have a grow or two under your belt.

So I think you should do the SOG, or sea of green type grow.

It is as simple as it gets and perfect for your attempts.

Sorry if i coinfused but i was pretty fricking high last night.

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I suggest some serious LST

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What is LST? i've heard it a few times but can't find any info on what it actually is

Low stem training.

You grow the plant with the main stem tied down every inch of the way.

You plant grows horizontally, tied to whatever. Only the secondary grow shoots are exposed to light.

Thus, you keep her super low....as low as a couple of inches.

She grows sideways...when ready to flower, the secondary shoots pop up buds along the path of growth.

I had an LST growing outside...a nice afghan...

Got really high one night and got paranoid and yanked her right outta the earth.

She was almost 3 feet long, yet no more than 12" tall.

So HARDDON, what you mean to say is if I LST my babies, I can keep them under 121 inches tall, but they will be over 3 feet long? I have been worried about growing them all sidways and stuff because of balance issues and space issues. But if I can keep it under 12 inches... damn. So I tie string and hold it down after every node it grows? Does this also help to make the nodes closer together? I would imagen so. And once it hits flower it starts groing to the side? Maybe I could pull this off with one of my plants. Remember that I have a few, so I can try things.

You can do this...

Fill your tub with PRO-MIX (the stuff flower houses use).

Get a female...you may need to may 3 such boxes to help your odds...after she grows 3 inchs, start clamping her down. Home Depot sells those metal lawn staples in landscaping section. Just push them into the soil to anchor her.

The top will grow facing the light....let it grow a tad....and take her down again.

Do this over and over and over...

All the while, you can also direct the pattern of the main stem. So you can make it grow in a square, a circle, a funnel or any shape you like.

When she is ready to flower, go to light 12/12 and small buds from the secondary spots will open up and grow up as your buds you will be smoking.

So you will have kinda like a sea of buds. And the doubleing of height effect can be mitigated to a degree.

So....

As soon as she is tall enuff.....stake her to the ground....right behind her top.

And carry this as far as you like. You can even top her and split each new head off to grow in different directions.


***WARNING...Shitty CFL's will impede upon the success of your efforts.

Fuck you know what.....?

I been stoned sitting here since this morning...early....

I gonna go to home depot and buy me one of the containers and then to get some PRO-MIX from the nursery....

I gonna do this myself........

Hell yea...I got something to do today!

Fuck outside work till it gets a little hotter....its only 100F right now.

Then basketball then bike ride....nah i'll get stoned again and blow that one off...

anyhow im gone for the day....i gonna build be an LST bucket and make my own step by step setup for ya....

But wait!

I dont have females....that means i would have to build 3 of them....

FUck that.

I'm just gonna go back to bed....... :D

Xanax taking me over :)

oh yea...as i am looking at the pic of your setup....

you should get some water heater blanket and line the top of your lid underside.

right now its blue?

not much reflectivity there is it?

you can spray paint it white, but the water heater foil blanket is very refelctive and provides a layer of insulation so your plasstic roof doesnt melt like army men under a magnifying glass.

That was fun to do that wasnt it?

Hmmm.. maybe I will get me some army men too while i am at it :)

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So if you still have 17"......top her or not, you are still gonna have to plan for at least a double of height...that still means forcing flower when approx. 6-8" tall.

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so topping at 8" will give me 2 kolas at 17".. as opposed to not, which will give me 1 kola at 17"... so topping will give more yield?

Ok well thanks harddon lol. I'll find ways to stunt their growths. I had to fix the lights in the grow box. They kept falling off the roof no mattter what I did to them to make them stay. So as of right now I have them positioned next to the plants, hopfully they won't grow into the light. Tell me if this is a bad idea...

I have plastic cylenders surounding the lights now so the plants could easly grow into the plant and not get burned.

So HARDDON... looking back at the "claming down" my plant technique... would the nodes grow closer together? Would I be able to fit more leaves and stems in there if I clamped her down? And then if I were to top her at one point, she would already have a whole lot more shoots and stems than if I were to let her grow and then top her? What if I were to clamp her down and bend her into long zigzags? This would grow more main stem (or main kola I think) and still keep the height small, since it is growing to the side rather than straight up. So technicley I should be able to have a lot of plant and hardley any height. Would the clamping down even work durring the flowering stage?

I'm hoping it does work during flowering cos i've just started tying one of my plants down. She's on day 3 of flowering and only just fits in my dark box so i put some pins in the side of the pot and tied some thread round her. She's got 2 kolas and 2 nice shoots goin in a x i'll put some pics up tomorrow when she's in the light again.