2.25 sq ft cardboard cab

[Buffalo Soldier]

hey fellas, readin about all of these cardboard cabs has my wheels spinning.........currently experimenting with a 18"x18"x48" cardboard cab running 4 6500k cfls with a total of 5600 lumens. I have 2 clones at the moment underneath. using the cheapo set up with splitters etc. walls lined with mylar. is this the best lighting setup for this space?? anymore seems to just be inefficient as i don't want to run the cfl's vertical....i want that bit of an angle that the splitters provide. I also have 3 ft flouros for the corners.


looking for advice specifically to the light set up, i will be flowering the clones as short as possible

running in a garage with an electric heater to control environment.......

anyone that can spare a few minutes of wisdom would be much appreciated


buffalo:rastasmoke:

Buffalo Soldier Reviewed by Buffalo Soldier on 01-06-2010. 2.25 sq ft cardboard cab hey fellas, readin about all of these cardboard cabs has my wheels spinning.........currently experimenting with a 18"x18"x48" cardboard cab running 4 6500k cfls with a total of 5600 lumens. I have 2 clones at the moment underneath. using the cheapo set up with splitters etc. walls lined with mylar. is this the best lighting setup for this space?? anymore seems to just be inefficient as i don't want to run the cfl's vertical....i want that bit of an angle that the splitters provide. I also Rating: 5

[Buffalo Soldier]

som xtra info..........running off 15A breaker and looking to pull 3 oz out of the cab . I think this is a reasonable yield ..maybe drop a single higher wattage onto the plants also , just not much room in there with the current set up.

I'm also going to LST the hell out of them........

buffalo:rastasmoke:

[frostedwonder]

Hey would love to take a peek at your cab if your able to post some pics...I am sure the king of Cardboard will chime in,,,you know who you are..:thumbsup:

[jakester]

You can do a serious personal grow in this size box. I love it, you are inspiring me. I used to run lots of these little cardboard boxes and help friends set them up. Here's a few simple tips. Forget about oscillating fans or anything and just cut vents at the bottom of each wall of the box near the floor and install two computer fans in the top of the box. You can just cut the square out and tape them in if needed and those will pull plenty air through the box venting the light heat out the top of the box. A couple 9-12 volt adapters will get those supplied, zip tie them to a simple extension cord.

Add a little 100 watt MH spotlight from home depot if you can. say 4 of those cfls and the little HID should be plenty for that space. I have seen this design pull in plenty of personal smoke and keep dear friends off the street.

If you have any q's just ask, I am right here.:thumbsup:

Oh, and post pics....it really makes everything much more interesting.

[Buffalo Soldier]

gonna work on the pics fellas.might ask the mods to drop this in a grow log...


just when u think you've done it all....:wtf:



buffalo:rastasmoke:

[smallgrow1]

sounds really good man. I am currently using a 2.5 sq. ft grow area in a box wrapped with alum. foil. only using 4 26 watt cfl's and my babies are doin fine and anymore light seems like it wouldnt matter. It's super bright inside and I have 12 flowers all in dixie cups side by side in a square formation and they are alll really bushy and short and doing just fine. I think people over estimate the amount of lights needed in such well reflective little boxes such as yours and mine. I have the box tipped over slightly creating a 2 to 3 inch opening on one side with a fan that blows air in and pushes air out of a vent hole on top. lots of air flow and my temps stay around 90 degrees at the tops of the plants and less as you go lower. I started flowering at 3 weeks and I'm at 4.5 weeks now total age from seed and they are doin very well. No stretching and very bushy. I am hoping to be left with about 6 females and I plan to replace 2 of the cfl's with the 150w equiv. bulbs. I know that I wont be getting a ridiculous amnt of product from each flower but I figure for their size I won't be doin too bad. I love these little grow boxes and its all about a light to area ratio. No need for crazy amounts of lights as all my flowers have a cfl directly on top of them and to the side within 2 inches. keep itup and I will start a grow log soon. I've taken over 50 pics since day one.

[Buffalo Soldier]

[attachment=o234766]



finally got around to a pic........this is the light fixture........the pic only shows about 2.5' of the box

had to rip out the mylar for another project......will contiue to add backside of foil daily..it always worked great for me

temps run at 80F with about zero ventillation......will continue to improve..

my environment is easily controlled due to the box being in a garage, will have to come up with something when 12/12 rolls around, planning on adding another fixture for flowering with 4 2700 k 27w cfl's...i'll switch the others over too. If this goes well may pack her with clones and let it rip.......why bother scrogging if i flower at 3 or 4 nodes

first cardboard grow........lots to learn

any chance of mods dropping this in the log section.pm's are down.


pour in the input fellas......

hey smallgrow, great to have some company during my cardboard adventure......pass on the wisdom my friend



buffalo

[jakester]

Another couple tips:

1. You will reflect WAY more light in there if you paint the inside of the box flat white, at least two coats. White reflects more of the light spectrum rather than the mid-range visible light that a silver mirror or foil will reflect. I know it seems like foil is great but for many reasons, it's not. If you can do mylar walls that's fine but flat white paint is even better at reflecting light and not heat.

2. Don't underestimate air flow needs.
You can make your passive inlet vents at the floor by cutting a wide "U" shape at the bottom with a razor and pull the flap out as a slight light barrier. Then if you mount a false floor (like a shelf almost the width and depth of the chamber on a couple boxes) about 6" above the actual floor you reduce even more chance for light to get in. Then you just need to build a simple inlet tube with cardboard and tape to direct the top fan's light away from the girls. You still will want the box to be in a light free environment for budding but it will help by blocking out other light pollution that you may not even notice.

And if you come in here asking why your plants won't bud or why they wilt and don't seem to grow I will direct you right back here to this thread.

Haha....good luck. Keep the progress pics coming.

[Buffalo Soldier]

I don't completely understand the "false floor" idea, a pic or better explanation maybe. cutting the vents at the bottom sides of the box wouldn't do much for my odor control later on.......any thoughts on this matter. as far as the walls, I thought the paint would crack from the heat and cause issues....like falling into the plants and possible causing a toxicity issue.??......

I appreciate the thoughts and ideas......keep em coming

buffalo

I agree venting is important, I was thinking homemade scrubber at some point.....my grow area is also pitch black at night

[Buffalo Soldier]

I found some old flat white and I hit the walls pretty good,might have to add more though..... only the floor has foil on it now...I cut the U's at the bottom on three sides and pulled out the flap a bit. I gotta come up with something for a fan,,,maybe use what smallgrow said and make the fan blow into the box....still concerned about odor though. I believe this set up will allow me to add a 42w and the flouro's which put out zero heat. May have to get a strip....At least I'm thin king about ventilation now.....The smaller scale really throws me off

Just got some more beans that are dyin to germ....gotta get it to work first

Buffalo


I guess a mod hasn't swung by yet....I feel guilty posting progress notes in the lighting section......Every grow is a light experiment though:smokin: