Compact grow cube

godneal · 10-20-2010, 11:43 AM

OK first let me start with a few a few things. i have done an indoor grow only once sucsessfully and would like to try a mini grow box. I have selected an old sheet metal table with aproxamatly 3 feet high by 1.5 feet wide by 2.5 feet long.

I want to force flowering early to keep size down but i need to know what is the soonest i can start the forced flowering.

I also have two kinds of nutrients one is merical grow ( I really dont want to use this cause i have heard it will do terible things to your plants) and some all natural composted yard and garden waste I.e. rotten veggies and leaves and grass. And no funding to buy the good ones right now.

I have covered the inside in tinfoil shiny side in.
I have the electrical running through the door in the side of the box and the top comes off so i can veiw and manipulate my plants.

I have one green light in the box for the down time and one outside the box so i dont have to worrie about light contamination while its in the dark time.

the box is located in the basement but has an input vent from the outside.

I am yet to hook up the irrigation but will be setting it up soon.

the box vents out into the basement right now but i will soon find a way to rectify that so i can vent it out of the house.

If you can help me do this and get it to work it would be apreciated.

any ideas for noncomercial things i can add to make this work better let me know. I am mechanicly inclined so i can build pretty much what ever i need if i dont have it or cant get it on the cheep.

Any ideas you can provide for better results let me know.

I will be posting the results of my grow here so all can see how it works and offer advise and so forth.

Again thanks for any help you can provide.

i will post pics of the basic box as soon as i can.

farmergiles · 10-20-2010, 12:02 PM

You can start flowering once the plants have shown preflowering (google "cannabis preflowering example" images if you don't know what I mean).

You can use compost but beware of introducing pests or disease- you can heat it in an oven to sterilise (?80 celcius for 1/2 hr should kill most things, just make sure it heats right through) it if necessary. Yes miracle - grow is probably best avoided.

Don't use tinfoil- it doesn't reflect the important light frequencies very well and tends to create hot spots- use matt white paint if you are on a budget.

Irrigation? Are you setting up an autowatering setup? Cool.

Have you a plan for odour neutralisation?

godneal · 10-20-2010, 12:24 PM

for the first round i have 0$ and only the materials i have on hand so im stuck with the tinfoil till i get some funding after the first harvest as for the pests and so forth the dirt was baked long before this lol.

and as for the auto watering system yes and no im setting up a switch operated water transfer system using a fish tank pump and some parts form a computer or two. and some rubber tubing i have. i plan to set up a few of these cubes if i can as im building them in nondescript things like tables and so forth in my work room.

will have pictures up in about 25 min or so.

and thanks for the advice on the paint i will see if i have any and if not then the tinfoil will have to work for now.

farmergiles · 10-20-2010, 12:34 PM

Tinfoil is probably worse than nothing.

godneal · 10-20-2010, 12:58 PM

heres the picks of the cube so far.

and i want the hot spots because im growing in my basement and it gets kinda cold down there this time of the year.

yo. · 10-20-2010, 01:11 PM

small hot spots that will burn parts of your plant**
you don't want.

godneal · 10-20-2010, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yo.

small hot spots that will burn parts of your plant**
you don't want.

While that is true i dont want my plant to get burned i do plan on tieing it back and down. so that it grows doubled over.

I was also wondering about using led lights as i have lots of led's and could easily put them into place to help with the light saturation across the entire plant and as i have nothing but low heat producing compact florescent lights for this grow im not too concerned with hot spots im going to run it for the first 24/24 today and see how it goes with the hot spots i have been checking it every hour or so to make sure the sides arnt heating too much. also the cold air around the sheet metal sides seems to be acting as a minor coolant.

if necessary i will rip the tinfoil out if it dose develop hot spots but as i have a limited light supply right now i want to try to spread as much of it as i can and as for the white paint i may have 1 gallon laying around somewhere around here i am looking for it.

farmergiles · 10-20-2010, 01:30 PM

What LEDs do you have?

Edit- Can't see the pic btw.

Dandaweedman · 10-20-2010, 01:57 PM

That box is screaming scrog lol
LEDs, if they are the right colour etc would be fantastic.

Just have to go to a few manufacturers sites (that deal with leds for growing) to get the specs on the leds.
I hope you post up pics of when it's running, it sounds damn sweet.

Yeah, the tinfoil? If you are using leds they tend to shoot a single beam of light no? It would probably be straight down so little of the light would be reflected off the walls.
Directional little suckers they tend to be. Mostly straight out the end of the lamp, which is why they use a globe-type cover I bet... look like old fashioned cop lights (yech)

godneal · 10-20-2010, 02:14 PM

if i use leds im not so much worried about directionality as i will secure them about every 2 inches along the sides and top as well. and as for the tin foil its been running now for 3 hours streight and the internal temp is 71 degrees and the tinfoil is cold to the touch.

I plan to post pictures as i go through each of the growth phases. i will also be keeping and posting a daily log of everything including pictures and notes. i will also be posting the finished design specs and a set of plans so anyone can make one with roughly the same results. Also i don't intend to use lamps so much as secureing the leds to a set of insulated bus bars i have laying around to power the leds.

and sorry the pics didnt show up but if you click the links you can see them.

SmokeaJoint · 10-20-2010, 02:37 PM

GET RID OF THE FOIL! Paint the interior white, or glue up printer paper or something, but seriously ditch the foil. White is a more effective reflector of light that a mirrored surface anyways. Have you considered SCROG or LST on this grow? LST makes it easier to keep plants short and wide, helps use more of the available light too.

José · 10-20-2010, 02:37 PM

Not just any LED's work, they have to be a specific type of LED.

godneal · 10-20-2010, 02:49 PM

Right now the LED's are just an idea and if i do end up using some it will be after the first harvest and i have no white paint but will put up some white paper in a couple hours. and i have begun looking into LTS but what is SCROG. And i will be mounting some fans there to circulate the air a little inside the container as well as the ventilation.

farmergiles · 10-20-2010, 02:52 PM

Be aware it's going to fucking stink of skunk if everything works out with growing the plants.

SmokeaJoint · 10-20-2010, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by godneal

Right now the LED's are just an idea and if i do end up using some it will be after the first harvest and i have no white paint but will put up some white paper in a couple hours. and i have begun looking into LTS but what is SCROG. And i will be mounting some fans there to circulate the air a little inside the container as well as the ventilation.

SCROG is screen of green. You basically put up a wire mesh to help guide the top of the plants to form a canopy. Also really effective for maximizing light usage among other things. Instead of LED's, may I suggest CFLs? They dont get too hot, use low wattage, and put out a decent amount of light relative to how close you can get them to the plant tops.

godneal · 10-20-2010, 03:01 PM

I'm looking for a way to take care of smell i'm looking into ways to remove the smell including bubbling the output vent through a solution of ammonia or something to defunk it. i know that ammonia is the only thing that will take a real skunks smell out of anything so i am hopeing it will work, I am open to any other possible ways to remove the smell without compromising my plants.

and at current i have a CFL in place and am getting ready to add another cfl later on. I have to retrieve the fixture to place it in.
Again im starting this with just the junk i have. And would the SCROG work if i make the canopy run around the outside of the cube with the lights in the center.

SmokeaJoint · 10-20-2010, 03:04 PM

*whispers* CARBON FILTERS

godneal · 10-20-2010, 03:40 PM

Would love to use carbon filters but again looking for cheap lojack methods for the first round as i dont have the funding to buy anything at all including cheap white paint. If you can tell me how to make a carbon filter then by all means i have natural charcoal to use. maybe bubbling the exhaust through a charcoal soup.

farmergiles · 10-20-2010, 03:56 PM

ventilation

How skint are you? You can buy activated charcoal and make a filter yourself. It probably won't be as good as a good quality filter like Rhino filters and buying the carbon isn't that cheap.

You can make the carbon yourself. It's a lot of work.

godneal · 10-20-2010, 04:00 PM

I have lots of carbon. Did a few mad science projects that left me with quite a bit of natural hardwood charcoal. still have no idea how to make the filter though.

And my available funds for this project is absolutely ZERO.

10-20-2010, 11:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
godneal YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Compact grow cube OK first let me start with a few a few things. i have done an indoor grow only once sucsessfully and would like to try a mini grow box. I have selected an old sheet metal table with aproxamatly 3 feet high by 1.5 feet wide by 2.5 feet long. I want to force flowering early to keep size down but i need to know what is the soonest i can start the forced flowering. I also have two kinds of nutrients one is merical grow ( I really dont want to use this cause i have heard it will do terible things to your plants) and some all natural composted yard and garden waste I.e. rotten veggies and leaves and grass. And no funding to buy the good ones right now. I have covered the inside in tinfoil shiny side in. I have the electrical running through the door in the side of the box and the top comes off so i can veiw and manipulate my plants. I have one green light in the box for the down time and one outside the box so i dont have to worrie about light contamination while its in the dark time. the box is located in the basement but has an input vent from the outside. I am yet to hook up the irrigation but will be setting it up soon. the box vents out into the basement right now but i will soon find a way to rectify that so i can vent it out of the house. If you can help me do this and get it to work it would be apreciated. any ideas for noncomercial things i can add to make this work better let me know. I am mechanicly inclined so i can build pretty much what ever i need if i dont have it or cant get it on the cheep. Any ideas you can provide for better results let me know. I will be posting the results of my grow here so all can see how it works and offer advise and so forth. Again thanks for any help you can provide. i will post pics of the basic box as soon as i can.

10-20-2010, 12:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
farmergiles Yahookan Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sick of the hatred and the lies Posts: 7,807 Thanks: 2,285 Thanked 3,750 Times in 2,554 Posts	You can start flowering once the plants have shown preflowering (google "cannabis preflowering example" images if you don't know what I mean). You can use compost but beware of introducing pests or disease- you can heat it in an oven to sterilise (?80 celcius for 1/2 hr should kill most things, just make sure it heats right through) it if necessary. Yes miracle - grow is probably best avoided. Don't use tinfoil- it doesn't reflect the important light frequencies very well and tends to create hot spots- use matt white paint if you are on a budget. Irrigation? Are you setting up an autowatering setup? Cool. Have you a plan for odour neutralisation? __________________ Cultivate a stoic calmness *Fuck the Monkeys* Every Kind of Vice

10-20-2010, 12:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
farmergiles Yahookan Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sick of the hatred and the lies Posts: 7,807 Thanks: 2,285 Thanked 3,750 Times in 2,554 Posts	Tinfoil is probably worse than nothing. __________________ Cultivate a stoic calmness *Fuck the Monkeys* Every Kind of Vice

10-20-2010, 01:11 PM	#6 (permalink)
yo. Controversial Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: SOCAL Posts: 1,160 Thanks: 676 Thanked 202 Times in 143 Posts	small hot spots that will burn parts of your plant** you don't want. __________________ "God" is an alien and we all came from another galaxy as an expansion of our specie's existence.

10-20-2010, 01:30 PM	#8 (permalink)
farmergiles Yahookan Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sick of the hatred and the lies Posts: 7,807 Thanks: 2,285 Thanked 3,750 Times in 2,554 Posts	What LEDs do you have? Edit- Can't see the pic btw. __________________ Cultivate a stoic calmness *Fuck the Monkeys* Every Kind of Vice Last edited by farmergiles; 10-20-2010 at 01:39 PM.

10-20-2010, 12:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
godneal YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	for the first round i have 0$ and only the materials i have on hand so im stuck with the tinfoil till i get some funding after the first harvest as for the pests and so forth the dirt was baked long before this lol. and as for the auto watering system yes and no im setting up a switch operated water transfer system using a fish tank pump and some parts form a computer or two. and some rubber tubing i have. i plan to set up a few of these cubes if i can as im building them in nondescript things like tables and so forth in my work room. will have pictures up in about 25 min or so. and thanks for the advice on the paint i will see if i have any and if not then the tinfoil will have to work for now.

10-20-2010, 12:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
godneal YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	heres the picks of the cube so far. and i want the hot spots because im growing in my basement and it gets kinda cold down there this time of the year.

10-20-2010, 01:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
Dandaweedman Old School Join Date: May 2004 Location: At the Cabana Posts: 7,407 Thanks: 699 Thanked 760 Times in 613 Posts	That box is screaming scrog lol LEDs, if they are the right colour etc would be fantastic. Just have to go to a few manufacturers sites (that deal with leds for growing) to get the specs on the leds. I hope you post up pics of when it's running, it sounds damn sweet. Yeah, the tinfoil? If you are using leds they tend to shoot a single beam of light no? It would probably be straight down so little of the light would be reflected off the walls. Directional little suckers they tend to be. Mostly straight out the end of the lamp, which is why they use a globe-type cover I bet... look like old fashioned cop lights (yech) __________________ Hanging in the Cabana

10-20-2010, 02:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
godneal YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	if i use leds im not so much worried about directionality as i will secure them about every 2 inches along the sides and top as well. and as for the tin foil its been running now for 3 hours streight and the internal temp is 71 degrees and the tinfoil is cold to the touch. I plan to post pictures as i go through each of the growth phases. i will also be keeping and posting a daily log of everything including pictures and notes. i will also be posting the finished design specs and a set of plans so anyone can make one with roughly the same results. Also i don't intend to use lamps so much as secureing the leds to a set of insulated bus bars i have laying around to power the leds. and sorry the pics didnt show up but if you click the links you can see them.

10-20-2010, 02:37 PM	#12 (permalink)
José YaHookan Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3,372 Thanks: 62 Thanked 149 Times in 74 Posts	Not just any LED's work, they have to be a specific type of LED.

10-20-2010, 02:49 PM	#13 (permalink)
godneal YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Right now the LED's are just an idea and if i do end up using some it will be after the first harvest and i have no white paint but will put up some white paper in a couple hours. and i have begun looking into LTS but what is SCROG. And i will be mounting some fans there to circulate the air a little inside the container as well as the ventilation.

10-20-2010, 02:52 PM	#14 (permalink)
farmergiles Yahookan Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sick of the hatred and the lies Posts: 7,807 Thanks: 2,285 Thanked 3,750 Times in 2,554 Posts	Be aware it's going to fucking stink of skunk if everything works out with growing the plants. __________________ Cultivate a stoic calmness *Fuck the Monkeys* Every Kind of Vice

10-20-2010, 03:01 PM	#16 (permalink)
godneal YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	I'm looking for a way to take care of smell i'm looking into ways to remove the smell including bubbling the output vent through a solution of ammonia or something to defunk it. i know that ammonia is the only thing that will take a real skunks smell out of anything so i am hopeing it will work, I am open to any other possible ways to remove the smell without compromising my plants. and at current i have a CFL in place and am getting ready to add another cfl later on. I have to retrieve the fixture to place it in. Again im starting this with just the junk i have. And would the SCROG work if i make the canopy run around the outside of the cube with the lights in the center.

10-20-2010, 03:40 PM	#18 (permalink)
godneal YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Would love to use carbon filters but again looking for cheap lojack methods for the first round as i dont have the funding to buy anything at all including cheap white paint. If you can tell me how to make a carbon filter then by all means i have natural charcoal to use. maybe bubbling the exhaust through a charcoal soup.

10-20-2010, 03:56 PM	#19 (permalink)
farmergiles Yahookan Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sick of the hatred and the lies Posts: 7,807 Thanks: 2,285 Thanked 3,750 Times in 2,554 Posts	ventilation How skint are you? You can buy activated charcoal and make a filter yourself. It probably won't be as good as a good quality filter like Rhino filters and buying the carbon isn't that cheap. You can make the carbon yourself. It's a lot of work. __________________ Cultivate a stoic calmness *Fuck the Monkeys* Every Kind of Vice

10-20-2010, 04:00 PM	#20 (permalink)
godneal YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 89 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	I have lots of carbon. Did a few mad science projects that left me with quite a bit of natural hardwood charcoal. still have no idea how to make the filter though. And my available funds for this project is absolutely ZERO.

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