JustShang.

hello all, ill try to keep it brief for security...
not a newbie here....(well maybe a little..hah)
No this is not the same question as a thread with a similar title on this forum...

heres the plan:
this will be done in a region where it could see temperatures as low as below 0degrees farenheit...which is unlikely, but quite possibly will see temps in the mid to lower teens at night...and where the average temp has been about 40, and will be about 30 for the rest of winter during the day.

I want to put a potted plant in a small cab outside...
I want to make a small plywood cab with a 250w hps bulb on the inside, and the ballast on the outside...make the box light tight and add a sealant or finish to the wood, then camoflauge it up...
I am thinking about 2.5' tall x 2'wide x 2'deep...so basically a 2 1/2 foot tall rectangle, with the housed ballast attatched to the top..the box will go about a foot into the ground and have no floor to aide in heat dissipation.. so it will be 2.5' from the ground level..
the top will also be a lid on hinges, which i will completely screw to the box and unscrew when i need to access the baby to keep in light tight...
I obviously plan on doing a lot of LST (my specialty) and will probably top her pretty young...1 month @ 18/6 veg then flip her...

I was also considering putting a small cfl in there (possibly battery powered) with a switch on the outside so i can turn off the hps before i open the box so it does not draw attention, while still alowing me to keep her "awake"

This will be in a fairly discreet location, and i can play with what hours i want it on and off...it will be located right next to an outdoor outlet.

CONCERNS: air flow and heat...
I cannot use exhaust fans for this porject because concealing light will become a huge issue...however, i was thinking possibly some sort of soil aeration or something...maybe placing towlet paper rolls in the soil around the pot or running pvc from inside underground to outside....

How big of an issue will heat be from a 250w hps in the described temperatures???? do I really need to worry that much?

Oh and for the haters- I am not expecting too much weight out of this, its really just a means of keeping a (formerly) seasonal hobby going (and i cannot grow indoors again its just not an option anymore)..

Thanks

farmergiles

You can make a light trap (box painted matt black inside) to stop any glow from vents. Just curious, why do this outside?

As long as it never hits freezing nothing catastrophic will happen once the plants are of a reasonable size but if temps are low growth will be slowed.

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Peace seeker

with such cold temps in the room, you wont have any heat problems with the 250HPS, but the whole project imo is a waste of time. The plants will be freezing at lights off.

Plus it aint stealthy!

An indoor grow should be kept indoors. When its out of the house you re risking to be seen, just like an outdoor grow. Basic rule.

Plus u will need ventilation. No matter what, plants need to breathe.

JustShang.

Hey Peace,
Yea I was also worried about temps during lights off....but i figured, ive had outdoor babies that survive temps that have dipped into freezing in windy conditions....and if this one had the shelter of a box that was heated all day by a hps....she might not freeze. but maybe a small space heater is in order, for like 10min spurts at hour increments or something...

Stealth wont really be a problem, the box wont be in a publicly visible location, nor will it have light leaks... And yea, i agree when its out of the house your risking to be seen, like an outdoor grow...but I usually grow outdoors though i have my fair share of experience on the inside...

As for ventilation I mentioned possibly getting airflow through the soil(floor) somehow....for example digging a small trench, laying down some 2" PVC plumbing, running it up to the ground level in the box....that solves the fresh air availability issue, but now the problem is actual airflow; moving the air around

Farmergiles- As for why I'm doing it outside, like i said it's just a means of keeping a previously-seasonal hobby ongoing...and indoors just isnt an option for me these days


All input is appreciated as i plan to have this experiment in place by '09..thanks mates

Dandaweedman

2 boxes side by each with one housing the plants and light and the other side used for airflow... exhaust and intake.

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Thepizzaguy

You could use clear plastic on the roof so that the sunlight enters the box and heats up the air inside. I'm not even sure if that will combat 0 degree weather.

mothernature

Something else you should consider:
Generally speaking, plants have a different range of temperatures that the roots vs. the top can handle before stress or death. They tend to be able to handle colder temps on the top (what is above ground) than the roots. The warm earth helps keep the roots from dying. Even when the ground is frozen.
I hope this makes sense.

thisbuds4u

same thing I was thinking. I use a heat mat that keeps the roots a constant 75 to 85 degrees. may want to use this during lights off. Just to keep the roots warm.

peace & Pot,

Thisbuds4u