First Grow please comment

[PRIEST]

So what I got is 4 plants inside my rubbermaid box. I have a 4200 lumen CFL inside and a couple holes cut out to vent hent. I plan on moving it to a bigger box at some point when they get bigger and adding more lights. So what do you guys think? (I have a 2700k light in there)

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r.../betterbox.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...betterbox2.jpg

PRIEST Reviewed by PRIEST on 04-09-2010. First Grow please comment So what I got is 4 plants inside my rubbermaid box. I have a 4200 lumen CFL inside and a couple holes cut out to vent hent. I plan on moving it to a bigger box at some point when they get bigger and adding more lights. So what do you guys think? (I have a 2700k light in there) http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r36/candass_02/betterbox.jpg http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r36/candass_02/betterbox2.jpg Rating: 5

[therealribbit]

I'm still on my first grow, and have a decent amount of room to mess around with, so i can't comment too much on 'compact' grows.

My concern with the Rubbermaid box type grows is light penetration. If you turn the lights off in the room when the lights in the box are on, and you see any light, i would think that means light leaks for the opposite situation... dark box, light room.

Not sure if people usually paint them or whatever.

Of course this won't matter till flowering so you have a bit to figure it out.

[CovertCarpenter]

Looks like you're off to a good start, mon, tho I could offer a coupla suggestions, if I may...

First, get rid of the tinfoil as soon as you can. Find some pandafilm (black one side, white on the other, and line the box/reflector with that, or hit it with some basic flat white latex paint. Other options include cheapie 'survival space blankets' available at your local W4LL-M4RT or camping store (they use reflective mylar, which is nearly the best reflector you can get for cheap). If you must use the tinfoil (and many do!), make sure you're reflecting off the 'dull' side, not the shiny one, because it diffuses better.

Where did you get that massive 2700k CFL? Great light for its weight class, tho it's kind of the wrong colour for the stage you're at right now, but it will work. I'd supplement it with one or two 4100k (cool white) CFLs, at whatever max size you can find/afford. For the initial growth stage, I find that seedlings and clonelings /love/ the 4100k 'colour temperature', and I can get 3000 lumen 45w actual / 200w equiv at W4LL-M4RT for like 15bux. If you put a couple of those in there, or bigger ones if you can get 'em, they'll give your plants a way better spectrum for initial growth. When it comes time to flower, change the balance to mostly 2700k 'warm white', but I'd leave the cool white in there.

Perhaps the optimal might be to buy exactly two more bulbs, a 4100k cool white, and a 6500k 'daylight'/'bright white', preferably to match the nice-big-CFL ya got in there now. Their spectrae would overlap and give your plants as close as they can get to the flavour of the 'sun' without you breaking the bank. You could do the whole show with all three, just changing your photoperiod to 12/12 when ready for flowering. Also, keep your light(s) as close to the canopy as you can--CFLs run pretty cool, and your plants will love ya if you can almost snuggle 'em up right tight

For a cheapie way to test 'how close'... If you can keep your hand 'there' for the whole day without becoming more than a little warm, your plant will like being 'there'.

Other things you should really consider... make sure you have at least a cheapie 10buck PH test kit, and see about buying an inexpensive set of nutrients that will take you thru the veg stage. Test everything going into those plants, and make sure it's 5.5 to 6.2 in Ph. About every fourth watering, test what is coming out, too, just to be safe (note that your runoff water will have a colour to it that you'll have to 'adjust' for when reading the scale, unless you have a digital PH meter). Dirt grows are supposed to be way more forgiving, but as long as one is careful, one could use practically any method to deliver nice fresh nutrients to happy roots.

I should really mention as well that you should use /professional/ PH adjustment chemicals, instead of some of the 'home' remedies. I was using Vinegar for the first little bit as a 'PH down', until someone mentioned that it can feed some of the wrong kind of beasties in the soil. And NEVER use Baking Soda as a 'PH up'... it will KILL your plants in short order. The bottle of 85% Phosphoric Acid (super duper PH down) that I bought only cost 9 bux, and it should last me the next year at least.

And, use filtered/distilled water. Really. Unless you're out in the country with really really really good well water. Water from a Brita filter works just fine.

Also, temperature is pretty important. The little girls prefer it around 78f, but anything from 70-72 up to 85 is ok, tho at 90 you /will/ be starting to cook 'em. They can take a temp of 90-92 for a SHORT time, but any longer than that will stress the hell outta them. For their 'sleepy time', 60-68f is supposed to be optimal. As for humidity, talk to the experts around here and your local zone, but a cheapie hygrometer can be had at a cigar store...

Hope this helps!

(c)C :chainsaw:

[therealribbit]

Maybe slightly too much info for a new grower lol.... just slightly.

[PRIEST]

Thank you so much for all the info it was great and just what I need to hear! I'll make the changes to the ph and the wall as soon as I can, as far as the lights I took out the 2700k monster and put in two 5000k day light lights (3500 lumens) was this a good idea? I have two sockets right now would it be a good idea to put one 5000k and the 2700k back in?

[CovertCarpenter]

Heya... just a quick response to your lightbulb question...

I'd leave the two 5000k in there, as they should be more than enough for now. Just get the little darlings as close to the bulbs as you can, perhaps one to two inches. When they start to get a bit bigger, I'd add one or two of the biggest cool whites (4100k) you can, and then re-add the monster 2700k (or two!) when the plants are ready to start flowering.

I've seen some great grows here that have run 3-6 CFLs... just hang in there, and do as much research as you can (without making your brain hurt!)

(c)C :chainsaw:

[Rusty Trichome]

Unless using the higher-wattage CFL's (or HID's)...worrying about reflected light is unnecessary. The light isn't strong enough to rebound off the walls, head back to the plant, and be a benefit. (usable light from a 26w CFL is about 6 inches, max) Still not sure I understand the need for a CFL hood, but they seem to sell. Perhaps they're just for the really high wattage CFL's. Using the proper bulb for the growth cycle is helpful too.

I'd ditch the foil and leave the box as it is. Panda films and the like are an unnecessary and expensive extra. Tears, scratches, noise. I'd add a couple more lights soon and if heat becomes an issue, add more air circulation and ventilation, and a larger box or closet will be necessary soon.

Now is the time to start asking about nutrients and micronutrients you'll need, the best soils and soil ammendments to use...

And of course there's the ph pen or test kit as mentioned in a previous response...

[CovertCarpenter]

...little 23-26 watters, yeah, they gotta be /reeeeeal/ close to the plants to work, but they can work, particularly in huge, cheap gangs of 'em

But he's got that mammoth 2700k 65watter, that puts out 4200lumens (woot!), and a coupla 5000k semi-monsters at around 50 watts that put out 3500 lumens...

[Rusty's right, PRIEST you know, buuut since you have a thing (or need) for the box...], quick-and-dirty fix for said box: can 'o spray paint (flat white, low-odour indoor spray latex: 2-5 bux at wallyworld. Squirt. squirt squirt squirt. Wait until f48ing dry, but then mount 'em all.

ALL.

ALL, I SAY, MUAH HAH HAH!

Have all three bulbs hanging as tight as you can to the lovely little girls (they /are/ girls, aren't they?)... and they will love ya... if you could put all three or four plants you were thinking of in a cheapie hydro/dwc setup, you could hammer a 1' square space with all three bulbs...

and produce some mutant buds.

muah hah hah.

(c)C :chainsaw:

{NO, I did /not/ just smoke a big fattie of some shit called 'Tighty Whitey'. Nope. Did not. Where's the f(#*ing chips...}

[firstfist]

Just wondering what, if anything, you are doing for heat mitigation? I have about the same sized set up (space volume anyway), with the same basic lighting (200w full spectrum cfl + 4 26w cfls), and the inside of the box gets HOT. I have fans, but havn't yet figured out where/how to position them to get a good cooling effect.

The lights don't get hot enough to burn me, at least I can grab them by the ballast and unscrew them (albiet gingerly ), but my plant is definitely showing heat stress signs.

This is my first grow, and I'm not doing a full grow log, but have a thread about it here. I don't have many pictures, but the ones I do have are on the second page.

[PRIEST]

What I did for ventilation is I put one hole behind the box and one long bar shaped one on the door. I then put my timer to have a 15 min "rest time" every 2-4 hours, meaning that the lights shut off temporary and allow the heat to dissipate. This seems to work really well right now and the inside rarely heats up. My plants seem to be loving it I'll post some pics of the new growth!

(Also I have no idea if these are female, I grow them from bag seed lol)