Preparation. Need some help with the beginning details.

[glopal]

So, I've been doing a lot of reading. Very informative site! A few questions.

I'm planning on building a box, and I have a good size room in the basement to put it in. So room is not really an issue, that being said, I want it to be as small as it can comfortably be.

For my box... I'm thinking ... 3 x 4 x 5 with 150 watt HPS .... Whatcha think? How many plants can you flower in a box that big...comfortably ofcourse?

I guess I should mention I'm going to use soil.

Whats the minimum amount of plants you should have going? I mean one plant is kind of dumb if it turns out to be a male. 2? 3?

Is smell minimized with a smaller number of plants? Can it be made none existant with a filter of some kind and the fact that its in a very low traffic area of my basement?

Initially I was thinking about using a couple of computer case fans for intake and outtake, but after some reading I'm probably going to need some small room fans right?

Thanks for your time.

 

[Ilikebigbuds]

I have a box thats about 4 x 5 x 6 and my plants ran out of height space during flowering, so now I use the box for vegging and have a diff. space that will allow room for any suprises. LOL

oh, and I run a 400watt light in this box it has cooling vents thru the reflector. the temp stays around 78 while lights on and doors closed, but I usually keep the doors open a bit for fresh air and shut them tight at night.

whater size you choose paint the inside white! that is much better for light reflection than mylar. my opionion.

 

[glopal]

I have a box thats about 4 x 5 x 6 and my plants ran out of height space during flowering, so now I use the box for vegging and have a diff. space that will allow room for any suprises. LOL

oh, and I run a 400watt light in this box it has cooling vents thru the reflector. the temp stays around 78 while lights on and doors closed, but I usually keep the doors open a bit for fresh air and shut them tight at night.

whater size you choose paint the inside white! that is much better for light reflection than mylar. my opionion.

Wow... I mean, I still want to use a box... so what.... 7 feet tall?! Honestly? Something to think about, and I guess I'd best start reading about LST.

 

[Dankerz]

12.5 watts per sq/ft in that area mentioned..you will grow little if any dank nuggs with a 150 hps in that area. im going with 600w hps in a 3x4 or 4x4 area on a setup thats in the works.. 150 w hps is good for a 1x2 or 2x2 area i have grown as much as 3-4oz per harvest with a 150 w hps in a 2x2 area.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Wow... I mean, I still want to use a box... so what.... 7 feet tall?! Honestly? Something to think about, and I guess I'd best start reading about LST.

I just don't think that a 150W is going to cut it. Besides the low wattage per sq ft, a 150 is going to give you very little penetration--no reason to go 7' tall when the light is going to penetrate only a foot or so.

 

[glopal]

12.5 watts per sq/ft in that area mentioned..you will grow little if any dank nuggs with a 150 hps in that area. im going with 600w hps in a 3x4 or 4x4 area on a setup thats in the works.. 150 w hps is good for a 1x2 or 2x2 area i have grown as much as 3-4oz per harvest with a 150 w hps in a 2x2 area.

So in your 2x2 area you mentioned... What was the height of the box? Also, that would be one plant, right? One more thing, from germination to harvest how long did that 3-4 oz take?

I did some reading and I found out that 2500 lumens per sq/ft is a good target. It says with a 400 watt hps is equal to 45000 lumens. Thus, if I build my box 2 x 2.25 x 4, that is exactly 2500 lumens per sq/ft. Any disagreements?

 

[glopal]

If I use a big pot (diameter wise) and use LST is 4 feet high enough? Can it be shorter? Thus giving me a little more horizontal room.

 

[crazyc411]

another deciding factor is what strain you chose to grow. if you get sativa/sativa-dominant hybrid then it will get REALLY tall without a good amount of lst and even then you never know. also remember to take into account the height of your pots and the mounting of your light that easily takes 1-2 off your actual grow height, just things to take into account so you dont have to go through what i did

 

[Dankerz]

my 150w setup was like 5-6'feet tall and 2'feet wide 1'deep.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25727

i dont go by lumens per sq/ft i go by watts per sq/ft 400w 4x4 room would be 25 watts per sq/ft.. this would grow nuggs but with 40/50/60 watts per sq/ft you would grow way way better nuggs but you would have to have good venting to get rid of the heat buildup! 400 in 3x3 area would do justice at 44 watts per sq/ft

 

[smokybear]

2 ft wide, 1 ft deep and around 4 ft tall is more than enough for a 150 watt light. I would start with three or four plants and hope to finish with two ladies. I also think that 50 watts per square foot is what you're shooting for. 44 watts psf is fine. Just my thoughts. Take care and be safe.

 

[glopal]

I think I have to get a 600 watt HPS...

1.5 x 2.5 x 5 = 18.75 sq/ft

600 / 18.75 = 32 watts per sq/ft

So thats not bad.

I was wanting to use computer case fans for ventilation... is that out of the question with 600 watts? Do I need bigger fans?

 

[glopal]

omg this is complicated. 600 watt is going to cause a heat problem, and its more expensive.

What dimensions do you guys recommend for 400 watts?

 

[snuggles]

I think I have to get a 600 watt HPS...

1.5 x 2.5 x 5 = 18.75 sq/ft should be just the square area

600 / 18.75 = 32 watts per sq/ft

So thats not bad.

I was wanting to use computer case fans for ventilation... is that out of the question with 600 watts? Do I need bigger fans?

you did cubic feet to do the math forget the height when figuring that stuff out. Also go as high as you can for height. Do you have a strain in mind? The higher the better IMO, allows for more versatility.

Also the standard for a 400 is 3x3 or so....I don't know about your money situation but if you have the cash spend it on a light. meaning the reflector and cooling. I have seen guys use cool tubes in very tight places like stealth cabs and get a good harvest. Sea of Green style and with SHORT veg periods from clones.

IMO go with a 400 watt hps light and get a metal halide conversion bulb do short vegs maybe even with a screen so you can set the canopy level yourself but still go as high as you can, pun intended. And get a reflector to help with cooling. Growing from seed is more complicated to do this with but eventually you will be growing from clones and that's when you will be really happy with the box. King Kahuna also has a nice box, using floros but it's still worth the read IMO, lots of other people too his grow journal and box are just sticking in my mind right now.

 

[LowRider]

could always do lowrider. wheres richie at

 

[smokybear]

1.5 X 2.5 = 3.75 square feet. 200 watts would cover this area efficiently. If you can get a 400 watt in there with no heat problems, you would have great results, I believe. A DIY cooltube and a 400 watt would work great. I would also look into SOG or SCROG.....very effective methods for small spaces. Just my thoughts. Take care and be safe.

 

[ms4ms]

as usual the board has taken care of a new grower. My .02 is a 400w hps should be good with heat. That is taken care of with a small exhaust fan and I have enclosed a link for filters. I will order mine today and give a "use" report as my garage smells really good and I get hungry every time I walk through it. My box is app.2.5wx3'dx4'high and I use a 250. It is handling 5 flowering plants but is crowded. Truth be told I will switch my 250 for veg and get a 400 for flower as soon as the boss releases the FUNDS#@!%&*((*
take cafre and grow away. http://stores.ebay.com/FOOTHILL-FILTERS