some questions before starting (building) a rubbermaid stealth grow box

[mgjscdhl]

First post here. I've been lurking around and looking at some growbox projects. I'm in Canada and tiny bit shy about posting. I want you to know I may make some grammatical errors and if so please ask me to explain. I've read some stuff but I'm not the type to dive in without checking how deep the pool is. I also know I need to read a bit more but want to start of with posting my ideas for discussion and (of course) help.

Whats caught my eye are smaller grow boxes; stealth pc box, rubbermaid or small closet.
I found these two posts my favorite (same guy though), but I'm sure I've missed a few other great ones.


(edit: ** post edited to remove "live links", sorry )

hxxp://tinyurl.com/ylknbxm
hxxp://tinyurl.com/ya9x5lk


Following these threads I made two pictures, which I hope help illustrate my ideas.

hxxp://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dshTE3LNn16bo7fmujjS6A?feat=directlink

hxxp://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JOlslExyfjnz9clu8biKYw?feat=directlink



Here is what I have so far:

2x rubbermaid boxes (18" D, 23.5" W, 16" H)

** edit, update **

lumens total is wrong. And I know now. I am looking at new ones for 26w each and 1700 lumens.
Maybee need 4-6x of those in the box?

1x emergency/space blanket
2x (120mm x 120mm) computer fans
thermometer/hydrogemeter.

My plan:

Plants: I want to buy some random seeds, or early flowering breed, from a shop online. They will be sativa or hybrid because I am using for medical purposes; pain releif, anti-inflamatory, sleep aid and stress/"depression". I will likely get a seedling kit/greenhouse to start with. I haven't looked at those yet without getting this box started.

I only want to grow a few plants at a time. Maybee 3-4x, nothing big since this is for personal use.

**
I have two boxes, but I didn't want to use both unless absolutely necessary. I was thinking if I used non-feminized plants I could seperate the female that way, or I could have some redundancy. In this example I'm using 1x box.

**
I want to make a "viewing" glass on side. Just large enough to see the lights are operational and to glue the thermometer/hydrogmeter to the glass for easy reading (without removing lid).

Lights: I want to wallpaper the insides/lid with the space blanket around using silver duct tape, then either buy a lighting fixture or make something with light sockets and a metalic sheet or hood. My first thoughts were using clothes hangers but afraid it would not be sturdy enough. I could hang the hood from the lid and raise/lower it if needed.

Perhaps when the box is made I can better check out the light intensity and reflectivity but right now these are my ideas. I hope someone can comment before I buy new ones. I am quite sure right now i need around 6-7k lumens, around 100w

Airflow: I'm undecided to buy a duct fan or use my 2x computer fans for intake and exaust. I want to follow these specs on the thread, keeping on ontop and one near bottom on opposing sides..and keep the top for exaust since warm/hot air rises.

Heat: One thing I'm not sure of is how a small box like this will heat up. The thread I meantioned didn't seem to have to many issues. I think I could try the two computer fans and upgrade to a duct fan if it has problems. Is there a way to test this prior to growing?

Filter: One hole in my design, and one of concern is filter. I am fairly worried about smell and would like to know if there are any cheap homemade filters?

Water: Well, the only question I have is automation. I briefly looked at the local gardening for irrigation systems but I dunno. They are like 50$ and don't seem to be for indoors. I also remember a commercial for a glass blown bulb. I was wondering if anybody used those? I am more or less just curious.


I know.. I need to do more reading but this is a peliminary post. I also know these forums are probably best way to get knowledge. There is so much information to soak in and so many different methods, box sizes, genetics to consider. I've watched a few videos, grow logs, and other resources, including the "Jorge Cervantes" book. I need to read more up about chemicals/nutrients and soil. I am not "green thumb" so this is a topic I know I need to work on. I thought of finding compost or organic treated
if there is such a thing. If there is anything at all wrong please let me know. If you have suggestions, comments (constructive of course lol) I want to hear it and I want to discuss it. Hopefully I can get something going pretty soon and not rely on anybody else for my weed.

thanks for viewing and I hope my grammar wasn't difficult to follow
I hope you all don't mind the post to another site
Freeballer

 

[Locked]

Don't mean to **** on your parade but you can not put live links in your posts...it's against the rules...change them to hxxp instead of http and then pst them..anyone interested will simply copy that and paste it into the web browser of a new page changing the xx back to tt....

Welcome to MP...I am sure you will get a bunch of feedback on your ideas...

 

[mgjscdhl]

fixed the links, thanks. it was an oversight.
definitely hope some people will comment or help with the design

 

[Locked]

fixed the links, thanks. it was an oversight.
definitely hope some people will comment or help with the design

Cool...glad you fixed it...you don't want your first post to be one that the mods hve to clean up...

And gve it a bit...I am sure some people will chime in with some help...the people here are great...

 

[legalize_freedom]

I would help if I could, but I have never tried to grow anything on this small of a scale...I have no idea how you would go about making a rubbermaid tub into a grow room. Now if you were to go with like the big Rubbermaid stand up closet type thing like 2'x3'x6' then I'd be willing to work with you. I just don't think with that small of a box you are going to have the room to grow anything. Hamster there is one of our MP auto flowering experts...maybe he can tell you more on the average height of those...but I don't even know if they would work. Even with extreme LST you are talking about a very small space. I hope some of the people here who have experience with these "micro" grows will chime in and help you...I just have no experience trying to grow in those type of conditions. If you get something set-up and running, I will definately be interested in how your doing it. I am not saying it can't be done either...I just don't know how. Good Luck to you!

 

[mgjscdhl]

well I don't have much space to work with, but I think two of these boxes would be needed now. It would roughly double the height of it but also want to keep it small because its for personal use only.

If you could help I would love to hear from you legalizefreedom. And if hamster has any ideas on species, flowering I'd love to hear from him as well.

I will post a grow log as soon as I can get things started. I plan on updating with pictures and weekly updates if possible. I hope somehow my mistakes or success down the road will help others who want a small, stealthy box and give them the medicine they need.

thanks again for the replies. Maybee we'll talk again soon

 

[Locked]

I will try and chme in tonight....I am working now and posting via BlackBerry is a pain in the butt....I was too high on that Paki last night to be any help to you....

 

[zem]

just a couple of things to help you, you'll need 50watt/sq.ft roughly to flower good bud so your 3ft.sq need like 150watts
your 2 fans are better placed both on exhaust and drill 2 holes for intake in the bottom of room. the drag of air will pull air in you'll be doubling the efficiency than if using one for intake and another for exhaust. you'll need to flower them early else they'll outstretch that height.you should expect them to double or more in size through flowering depending on strain. you can make a carbon filter yourself check the growfaqs. automation is always possible it will cost you the price of a controller and setup for such a small grow but it would be very helpful, the setup will depend on what you'll grow them in, in soil you can get a drip system but you will need a reservoir and pump outside that small box of yours and you'll need to hide it too. the room will hum cuz of fan and pump you'll need to dampen it as much as possible, keep us posted cheers

 

[mgjscdhl]

thanks. I've since looked around at the watts/sq.ft. I found some 26w cfl on hardware store's website. I think I need 5-6x of these things to get enough light.

I will look into the carbon filter, I did find a guide for activated carbon using simple supplies. I hope that'll work fine. I will try a dry run on growbox first and then build the filter.

I used local store's website, because I would want to look at them prior to buying. They only had spray nozzles. I'll have to go and see in person. Will report back with info and price. May also buy a glass bulb to try. Its only $4 for TWO! so its not a huge investment and can test without a pot plant and report.

I hope to keep the sound away by insulating the room a bit or keeping it closed. Again, I probably need to run the fans, lights, water pump to see what it sounds like. *fingers crossed* hope goes well

 

[legalize_freedom]

I think working from clones would be the best way to do it really, if you go from seed your going to have to wait until they are sexually mature, which means they will have more time to grow, with a clone, you could start out budding, because it would already be mature, do you have a place you can get clones? Maybe you can find an auto that would be small enough for this I don't know much about them.

Are you saying 2 boxes one on top of the other ...I need visuals...lol

 

[mgjscdhl]

I wish. I don't think there are any dispenseries/compasion clubs in my province (canadian).. That I know of.

Yes. I plan on stacking them on top of each other, either by cutting the lid and bottom of one or by flipping one upside down and clamping them together. It makes a fair height (about 35")

 

[ArtVandolay]

Do you have room for a wardrobe box? This is my 3rd grow box and the simplest of the 3 . Something like this and 8-10 weeks and a good auto strain will put you in business :hubba:

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50489

 

[legalize_freedom]

Thats exactly what I was talking about Art! Now that would not be too dificult to work with! I'm just afraid with what this guy is wanting to do even with them stacked up, he says 35 total height. deduct space for the light, and the space for the container (pot), and he really won't have much room for the plant (also pot) to grow. I'm sure there is a way though, if he is determined. I know I've heard of people doing these micro grows, I just never really saw the point. But to each their own, and I'll help anyone I can to grow good weed!

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I hate to rain on your parade, but, IMO, 2 of those rubbermaid things are just not going to cut it--it is just not enough room--not enough height. Something like art mentioned would be great. Can you swing something like that? The footprint won't be that much different.

I would also recommend a single 150W HPS in a cool tube, rather than 6 26W CFLs. Light should be figured by lumens per sq ft rather than watts per sq ft since lumens per watt varies so much. For example, a 26W CFL puts out about 1800 lumens, so 6 26W CFLs use a little over 150W and puts out 10,800 lumens. A 150W HPS puts out about 15,000 lumens using approx the same wattage. Two computer fans can generally cool a 150W in a cool tube. Lumen for lumen, CFLs cost more to purchase initially, cost more to operate every single month, put out more heat, and produce substantially less bud than an HPS of equal lumens.

 

[legalize_freedom]

What Hemp Goddess is true! And heat was going to be the subject that I was going to bring up with a small grow like this...heat causes stress, which makes hermi's, so you are going to have to cool your room somehow, never seen an air cooled hood that you can fit 6 cfl's in

 

[Locked]

I wld rethink your plan and come up with a better grow area and then maybe try some autos...they stay a lot smaller without the need to train them. There are a lot of good auto strains out there now...Russian Rocket, SnowRyder and White Dwarf are my three favorites right now.

 

[zem]

the guy's got 35" height with the right design and right strain he can easily grow his plants in there. i saw a guy flower six tiny plants under his TV with a smaller space. micro grows can work very nice but can easily be a total failure too. if you're gona go with CFL it will be easy to fit the plants but if you could fit the HPS you'll probably get a better yield. problem is that with HPS you need some space between your plants and the light so more verical space. IMO the most important thing would be the strain, i got my own seeds from Canada montreal high times went there on foot got william's wonder and blue frost both turned out to be great. get a strain VERY suitable for SOG something known to be a short grower, use smaller pots, and flower them early enough and you got yourself a nice micro grow. however i'm only assuming that you have no better place to grow in cuz if you have something more spacy it will be a bigger grow with better yield but if not, then you can do a micro grow in there. keep us posted, cheers

 

[legalize_freedom]

No one said it couldn't be done, I for one don't think it's going to be "easy", I see people all the time haveing heat issues on here with 4'x4'x6' grows. He is talking about35" in height, if you use a cooltube that is going to be say 10" of it to be safe, and then the 8" btwn the light and top, put a minmum of 6" pots for roots to have the room they need, and you are looking at a finish height of 11" total. If the reason for doing this is stealth, then I'm assuming that smell will be an issue, so your going to need a carbon filter, if mounted outside the grow, you'll have to figure out a way to hide it, cause there will not be room inside, also hiding the ballast, and the noises these and the fan will make....it definately won't be easy...I for one would not mess with it. For the cost of what it's going to run you set it up, and run it, you'd be better off buying an ounce off someone...but I understand, maybe its the inquesitive beast in you...you gotta try...so again I wish you luck. I got too many other projects going on to spend a whole lot of time helping design something that will be lucky to produce an ounce of smokables. Good Luck to you...It sounds like Zem here has it all figured out, maybe he can help you?

Again good luck to you.

 

[zem]

LF i always grow in small chambers. a 4x3x4 is more than i need to flower my 400w HPS SOG plants. but you're right that his grow wont be a big grow and i myself wouldnt go through with anything smaller than 400w but there are some people who just wana grow some
mgj if you're thinkin of keepin that box somewhere accessible to people without them noticing its noise i suggest you forget it but if it's inside a closed room it is feasile you would need to shut it down with a switch if someone is gona come into the room. if no one is gona come in ever then use that room and grow with 400w. you know what theyr saying above is because of experience. i started with my first chamber thinkin it would be a closed closet with a 400w light inside and leaving the room accessible to people but didnt think of many things becuz of lack of experience like how am i gona hide the grow equipment and all that stuff and above all the noise?!?! i ended up leaving the room closed and changed my setup many times so many ways. i dunno wat your situation is maybe you tell us more about where you're planning this, bedroom? garage? basement? closet?... this will be very helpful to decide what to do and get it right

 

[mgjscdhl]

Well. Guess it sounds kind of pathetic but I really don't know alot of safe sources here where I live. I had one source but he doesn't want to tell me where he gets it. He's being pretty hypocritical; since he uses it recreationally and I want it to help in chronic pain.

I AM really curious if I could do it... But its probably better for me to grow myself than buy from an unknown source. I could build something with more height but I really don't want a huge grow.

I've debated, back and forth, about cfl and hps. I think the cool tube would help alot with heat but there's still quite a high initial cost for a new grower.

zem is right too, I see alot of pc stealth boxes and some amp/speaker ones. Definitely some smaller ones out there. I know I won't have a huge plant but if I cut the growth halfway up the flowering stage should double the size. I should also be able to use lst to keep it down. I only have a small space roughly the size of a small closet but its not too tall itself and the bins with a nallast/fan/filter on top would fit perfectly. The area would not be frequented and I think the fans wouldn't be too noticeable. I would build inside a garage but there is no ventilation, so it would be frigid in winter and like a sauna in summer.