Calling all experts, I need closet set-up advice

[Coldpressed]

Hi,

I'm new here and would like to thank you all in advance for your help and knowledge. I'm a newbie trying to set up a closet in my home for growing but I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Before I create a disaster, I wanted to get some advice and opinions.

The closet in question is built-in and has heavy wooden sliding doors. It's located in an isolated bedroom of the house. It's the only viable location for my situation so I need to make it work somehow. The dimensions of the closet are 77"W x 24"D x 96"H (I am going to attempt to post some pictures to give a better idea). I thought I'd mention that the closet is carpeted as well.

Anyhow, I've bought some equipment such as a new grow light system with a HPS + MH 400 watt air cooled ballast and horizontal reflector hood. I also purchased a 50 watt Flourex compact grow light for seedlings and mylar to wallpaper the inside. Does this sound okay for the amount of space in my closet? Should I have something different or better? One thing I'm really grappling with is the lack of ventillation and how I can create air flow without cutting holes in the walls and or ceiling. Based on the amount of space in my closet will there be a dangerous amount of heat build up from the lamps? Can I simply place an oscillating fan in the closet to blow the plants and stir the air? Sorry for all the questions which have undoubtedly been addressed elsewhere in this forum.

Coldpressed Reviewed by Coldpressed on 03-23-2006. Calling all experts, I need closet set-up advice Hi, I'm new here and would like to thank you all in advance for your help and knowledge. I'm a newbie trying to set up a closet in my home for growing but I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Before I create a disaster, I wanted to get some advice and opinions. The closet in question is built-in and has heavy wooden sliding doors. It's located in an isolated bedroom of the house. It's the only viable location for my situation so I need to make it work somehow. The dimensions of Rating: 5

[BukDatAss]

Space looks good do u plan on using all of it? Um as for not wanting to cut holes or anything like that would be fine but u would have to leave the closet door opened a bit. It doesnt have to wide opened but just a little bit in order to get some fresh air in. You will also need to take the stale air out with a fan again (u dont want to make holes) u need the door opened. Good luck I think the 400w is perfect especially with the cooled hood. If u dont mind me asking how much was the hood and can we see a pic?:thumbsup:

[BukDatAss]

the info I gave u depends on ur enviornment; light heat, room temp etc....
U want to aim for 70-80 degrees for perfect temps but a little over like 85 is fine dont want to get higher than that because it could lead to big stress problems. Best advise I can give u is do a practice test with ur lights on with ur growing setup and see where ur temps are without the plants there. That way if u have problems its way easier to fix without having to worry about the plants. GO FOR IT

[Coldpressed]

as soon as I get home from work :smokin: . If I leave the closet door cracked, what should my strategy be for light proofing the area? Also, will the lights I bought really crank the heat up in the closet? I'm planning on using approximately half of the space. I have some Bubble Gum seeds and was thinking about germinating four plants. Any thoughts?

[BukDatAss]

It does but u do have a cool hood and we dont know what the temps are in ur closet so no one can really say untill u run the setup test ur self. Try it out ur best bet it is, where ur door will be slightly opened put a fan at the bottom blowing fresh air into ur closet and at the top of ur opened closet door put another fan blowing the stale/hot air out of ur closet. To get a quick idea see what the temps are with the light on and work from there:thumbsup: Oh as for the seeds yea thats fine but just rem u could get males so that will narrow down ur female plant ratio

See what others have to say with their ideas on this but do the test run to get an idea on where u stand at with ur temps

[Coldpressed]

Thanks for the advice!!! I'll keep you posted on my progress. I still need to get all the the extraneous crap out of there but I'm aiming to have it all set up in a couple more days to test temp. and shoot some pics.

[Coldpressed]

I completely cleaned out the closet in preperation for installing the lights and in some of the nooks and crannies I found some patches of dark mold. It also smells a bit musty and mildewy down in the carpet. Does this put a nail in my dreams of growing in this closet? Is there something I can get that will erradicate the mold and not pose a danger to my plants? I know how insidious mold is so I was very bummed when I saw it. Any advice is greatly appreciated

[BukDatAss]

Not to sure about the mold but I pretty sure that u can still grow there you just have to find a solution. As for the musty smell, maybe ur closet needs to air out. Leave the door opened with ur window up when ur not around. You must do something about the mold. Get some disinfected cleaner:what: sorry I'm not a mold expert I cant help to much there. It might be a good idea to cover ur closet walls with strong plastic covers, they are usually used when painting. Lets see if u get more input as to what esle can be done but u can def grow in that space, so dont worry to much

[Coldpressed]

I guess I'll wait and hopefully hear from somebody with mold control advice.

[smoknjoe]

There are some videos you can download that give step by step instructions on building grow rooms. I downloaded torrents from isohunt that were very helpful. You can find a few videos on limwire too, and probably other download programs. I think you will find these videos extremely useful.