First Grow Experiment: Building a $120 grow box

[BigLeagueJew]

Ok its day 3 and I am very excited to see what I believe is the tip of the plant emerging from soil!:thumbsup:

It's probably impossible to see from this crappy picture but its the little green thing in the center.



Up close it looks as though it is pointing to the side. I moved the lights a bit so they would fit better directly over the top of the plant.

More good news..
I purchased a thermometer today, which unfortunately does not read humidity(I didn't have the money on me for one that did) but it does have a sensor to place in side my box.
While at Home Depot and Fred Meyers I also purchase 4 CFLs and an 18" (The exact size of my box) light fixture.



I placed the thermometer inside the box and the main reader outside the box about 6 ft. away.
It is reading about a steady 72 degrees F for the inside which correct me if i'm mistaken, is just about right. It is reading about 68 inside my room which probably is not important.


I plan on setting up the CFL fixture soon... how soon do I need it? Also if anyone has links or info about wiring it easily that would be nice. Like most others it is not "plug in" and it has a black wire, a white wire and a bare copper, ground wire for connection.

Also my budget has gotten a bit out of range. I have now spent about $140 total and am setting a limit for myself on $160 maybe less if I can help it.
The only other things I will buy are Fox Farms Grow Big, some more seeds or cheap clones and maybe a PH/Humidity reader.

questions, advice, comments?

[GoldenGraham84]

wiring the fixture will be the same as wiring the inline fan. acquire a grounded extension cord, and you're set.

there should be little rings around each socket. these will pull (or unscrew) off. remove all of these, and the front of the fixture is free. pull it open, detach the ground wire from the fixture, and color match it to the extension cord's wire (black to black, white to white, green to ground). then the negative, then the positive. electrical tape, wire nuts, and you have a CFL setup.

oh, ps, i've seen humidity readout strips at petco for terrariums. like $2, i think. you can also buy pH test kits there, as well as pH up and pH down.

:thumbsup:best of luck:thumbsup:
stay safe
-GG84

[BigLeagueJew]

Hey thanks man. That was a really informational post. I'm gonna set that up today and then give an update with pics. Do you think once I take the metal rings off I should leave them off or is that just to get the wires out?

Oh and I think I will hit up Petco or Home Depot cuz they had like a $5 PH and Humidity reader

[GoldenGraham84]

you can replace the rings so that the unit is secure as a whole.

[BigLeagueJew]

that's what I was thinking. Stay tuned for an update.:rastasmoke:

[BigLeagueJew]

Okay today I found a happy little surprise. My plant has developed her first leaflets!

The brown spot is just a little piece of bark that got stuck to her sticky leaf.

Today I also began setting up my CFL fixture


I still need to acquire a another extension cord to hook it up though

My thermometer is at work and inside my box temps are ranging from about 69-76 during the day and 60-68 at night

[BigLeagueJew]

so my stealth operation going on behind my bed was found(Fan noise maybe?)..... I played it off like I was just growing vegetables but I'm not sure if that will hold up. My plant is still okay but I can't keep it at my house. I need to transport it to my friends house until the end of April when my grow partner is here.

The main problem is I need this shit out of my house before people get that it's not vegetables but I still need the plant to survive. I can't get in touch with my friend right now so I'm in a sticky situation.

[BigLeagueJew]

Ok, today I moved my plant to my friends house. I realized I still needed to finish the setup of my CFL fixture. I went to Home Depot to get an extension cord and ended up maxing my budget by five bucks. Thankfully though, I got everything I needed for the rest of my grow.
While at Home Depot I bought:
an extension cord
A PH/Light/Humidity reader
A bottle of organic fertilizer pellets

I am now up to $165 in expenses and will not spend anymore unless absolutely necessary.

After shopping I finished up the setup:
Cut the extension cord and attached it to the wires from the light fixture.

Hooked up the lights inside the growbox

and Bam! It's setup with more light in my friends house.

[BigLeagueJew]

Our plant has now officially been named Ceres after the Greek goddess of agriculture.

Here is a picture I snapped while at my friends house today.


Also today I moved the plant closer to the CFLs.

[albatrossSKY]

Looking pretty good, I will be following this one...