First Crack at cabinet grow..

[frostedwonder]

Okay, so I went and bought a few hundred dollars of stuff someone would only want if they really were best friends with Mary Jane. I purchased one 400w switchable ballast and lamp using sun system 2 hood and hortilux eye hps bulb for now.
Made a cabinet (i suck at using tools) that is about 4x30''dx4h. I was thinking after I built it to go higher which I could by unscrewing top and adding an extension, was thinking 1.5ft higher so I dont have to worry too much about stretch and not having any exp lst or other styles of small grow.

I am using a 4'' inline duct fan pushing fresh air thru the hood and out the box. I am also using 6'' inline duct fan pushing air out and trying for a passive system in the gen box area. Purchased some FFOS and some of their other nutes like tiger bloom and open sesame . I plan on using a cabinet that was premade for a small clone/veg area after this is online and up to speed as to try for perp grow. Here are the start pics kinda crappy but will do more when motivated, also I did over water the plants in this pic kinda droopy and only a week or so old.

I keep thinking of things to add like I am in a very cold climate its three wks till spring and by me using my basement for grow box spot its kinda hard to add heat when the light is off so I am using cfl one has an output of over 360watts and then one that is 200watts, just so I can run almost 18-20hrs without over heating. If I run my 400hps I figured I wouldn't have the best veg cycle,,bad idea or safe bet by adding cfls?

Everything I say one of my voices in my head madeup and I rarely listen to them you shouldn't either,,,all farce

frostedwonder Reviewed by frostedwonder on 03-08-2009. First Crack at cabinet grow.. Okay, so I went and bought a few hundred dollars of stuff someone would only want if they really were best friends with Mary Jane. I purchased one 400w switchable ballast and lamp using sun system 2 hood and hortilux eye hps bulb for now. Made a cabinet (i suck at using tools) that is about 4x30''dx4h. I was thinking after I built it to go higher which I could by unscrewing top and adding an extension, was thinking 1.5ft higher so I dont have to worry too much about stretch and not having any Rating: 5

[bigtopsfinn]

Is that a sealed hood? With that setup you should not have to worry too much about heat, even with the 400w hps. However, you say that you are pushing air through the light and pushing air out of the box. You should actually be pulling air out. I made the same mistake, trying to make the fan push air through a bend and through my cool tube. My temps dropped a couple degrees by putting the fan at the end of my ventilation setup, pulling air through my carbon filter first, then the cooltube, out of the closet, and finally through the fan. I added some ducting on the end to help with the noise.

I keep my hps on the whole time during veg (after about the first week or two from sprouted seed), but if the cfls have the same output in Lumens, not watts, then keep the cfls. hps puts out about 50,000 Lumens per square foot. You could probably use both if you rearrange your ventilation.

Thinking about that basement, the temps should not go below 21 C, otherwise growth will slow. Is there any way you vent warmer air into the box from another room? Maybe try raising the box higher off the floor?

Good luck:jointsmile:

[frostedwonder]

Hey thanks for the post and on the day I started the thread! First thing I heard about using duct fans was they will last longer by not having hot air get pulled past them...any thoughts?
Secondly I really need to learn not to water, way to anxious and bored, I love this hobby. If I run the hps with its timers and all the temps are fine in this sealed box. But if on the off cycle I keep the fresh air intake going for the box itself it pulls in the air from the basement which is at best mid 60's, its an unfinished basement in the midwest.

I put castors to make it off ground and mobile and with it being spring in three wks temps will change. I may put a small heater facing intake area of box that starts up when hps is off just trying to be safe and not burn down my place..

When people say how many watts they are using would my box then be around 900watts? one bulb is 85watt input feit cfl that should make 360watts I think and then there is one 200watt output daylight cfl and then the 400w hps. I have read your post on others threads and I am glad your the first to comment.

I have no problems with changing things or trying new stuff cause this is suppose to be fun for me and its in a safe enviroment. oh how far should my hps be from my new plants? I am going with about 25-30'' away and then keep the cfl close to them as well. I am starting out with 20 plants as to weed out the males and then start a mother or three... after i do some cutting to find out I will trim down the count.

If I lst will my height in the box be ok? its 4ft tall and about 3 something when taking the light and even less with the plants container. I am working on a extension cube to add to the top and reseal, wish i would have done it off the bat.. live and learn..

[frostedwonder]

Here are a few snap shots of basic grow box. also one of my soon to be veg box

[bigtopsfinn]

No prob:jointsmile: I'm no expert, so I hope some others will chime in.

I ran my setup like you for the same reason, hoping not to overheat the fan. Check the ratings on those fans... Whichever one has the better temp rating, then use that. Mine was rated for up to 75C I believe. If they are not high enough in your mind, then at least make it a straight shot, with the fan next to the light blowing through it and straight out the closet. Since I rearranged, it feels like there is double the airflow of hot air out of my box when the lights on.

There is a grow log here I just saw where a guy had similar night temps, and I believe it will slow down growth, but I dont think they will die with those temps,. Maybe a small heater that has a thermostat could go inside your box, that way its most efficient, and you won't have to turn it on and off (or get another 24 hour timer like the one for your lights). Plus you could then use this setup year-round. It's either that, or find another place in your house for this box. My night temps are about 22-23C, still within range, but I dont keep any inline or exhaust fans on. I only keep the small computer fan blowing on the tops.

And finally, a bigger box is easier to cool and fit more things into, like a carbon scrubber or the heater, ect.. Also, making it easy to water the plants and flush the plants if needed. Right now my soil buckets sit on top of a screen on top of other buckets, so excess water can drain.

Oh yeah, about the watering, they need to get pretty dry between watering. I water once every three days with some run-off within the first couple hours that the light turns on, but that's just me.

[frostedwonder]

I think I will build the height ext cube and redo the box while the plants are so young. I have a small working veg shelf cab combo that I have next to grow box to house them for the day and have the wood in garage so its just coming down to being lazy lol. I am really not good at tools or spelling so whoever said growing leads to carpentry was right. is it a bad idea to take off the inline duct to the hood so it extracts the heat from cab? i thought with moist air it would be bad and it didn't make sense.

The fans I am using have cfm ratings of 250cfm for box fresh air intake, and 80cfm for air cooled hood. I was trying for a neg air system not sure I have it down pat but I still have to add my little heavy duty oscillating fan to move the air in the box that should really help my temps when lights are on. Should I not even use intake fan when lights are off to conserve temp that would remain in box? I am going to probable run flex tubing to one of the heat ducts down to the boxes fresh air duct..

Also any thoughts on using fert/nutes within three wk stage of growth? The foxfarm ocean soil mentions not having to for 30days but I read people doing things different, is it not recommended or just listen to the plants?

[bigtopsfinn]

I have a carbon filter before my light and my fan, but I don't know if that makes a difference with the moist air. I have not yet heard of anyone having trouble with their fan because of humidity.

See if you can find the temperature rating for your fan. I can find info about mine on the company's website, and it says the max operating temperature.

Depending on whether your soil has nutes in it already will determine when to use nutes. (If you are using Miracle Grow or other pre-fert soils, just search MG for more info)I have the nutes I'm using in the grow log in my sig. Most say wait until 4 or 5 alternating nodes, and start with 1/4 strength. As for how much and how often, impossible to answer. Some strains require less nutrients and burn easily while others may eat up a lot.

[frostedwonder]

Hey i was referring to moist air being a prob for the bulb not the fan sorry....

[bigtopsfinn]

Never heard of that either, as long as you have good connections.

[frostedwonder]

Okay to try to clear up my question earlier. Is it okay to leave one tube off an air cooled hood and have a inline duct fan pull box air out of box thru that tube over the bulbe and out box?:jointsmile: