Stealth PC Case - First Grow - White Widow

I

InCognition

Active Member
PC case: Gamma Classic Series ATX Mid Tower (aluminum foil for reflector - knew I would fuck stuff up and wasn't gonna burn money or time on Mylar)
- A Note to anyone getting this case... they lie on the dimensions. This case was advertised with 21x10x19 dimensions. The actual dimensions are minus 2 on every plane. So actual dimensions are 19x8x17. This 2" difference absolutely fucked me, but oh well. I've spent hours stealth'ing this thing out so there is no turning back.


Lighting: 4 23-watt 5000k bulbs for veg / 4 23 watt 2700k bulbs for flower (looking to get more CFL's in there, but not sure how - sure is a cluster fuck)
- Again, I was intending to have 2 extra inches on each dimension. But since I got shafted on the case I have no idea how I'm supposed to get more CFL's in this thing. I have over 300 CFL watts on standby LOL. My 5, 55-watt lights are near useless because of the lack of room. If I get these things in here it will be a miracle.


Fans: 1 120mm exhaust fan running at 100% / 1 140mm intake fan running at 35%
- The 120 mm fan is super stealth at 100%. You can't hear it even if you're right next to it. It really is pretty amazing that a fan can be this quiet. Now the Noctua Ultra Silent 140mm fan is a different story. This thing is a beast at 100% and is far from stealth, so I had to lower this thing down to 50% for it to be quiet. I could probably go 75% with the case closed up. The Noctua was blowing my dirt away when I leveled it with the pot... the thing is retarded.


Soil: Bottom layer is 5% Fox Farms potting soil, 65% Fox Farms Ocean Forest, and 30% Perlite. The top layer is 33% Fox Farms potting soil, 33% Fox Farms Ocean Forest, and 33% Perlite. All of this is in a 2.6 liter pot.
- The mix is completely random. I just wanted to go easy on the Ocean Forest because I've heard of people having burn issues with too much Ocean Forest for vegging plants, so I cut it with Fox Farm's potting soil and Perlite. I've also heard that White Widow is a picky strain in regards to nutes... not sure as to the truth of that claim, but I'de rather go easy than go too hard.


Seeds: Auto Widow from marijuana-seeds.nl
- This was my first order and this company was very quick with shipping and e-mail response time. They provided me a tracking number within 24 hours of my request for one. I also got 3 free NYC diesel seeds as part of their minimum order special. I chose the stealth option and it was shipped very stealthily... it didn't look as if the package had been tampered with at all.


Stealth: This thing is only noticeable if you stare at the power cord running into the back of it. The thing is dead quiet, and all the cooling vents have been stealthily blocked off. I made a pretty large DIY carbon filter... probably bigger than I actually need. I also built my own light catcher for the intake vent.
- This thing was an absolute SOB to stealth out. I spent hours on this thing painting, gluing, taping, drilling, and beating the fuck out of it with a hammer. I had to make custom shrouds for the fan so that the carbon filter would fit. Every aspect about this thing was a SOB.


I'm thinking I'm going to have to scrog or LST this thing to keep it off the lights. I was expecting a lot more room and was originally intending on running two plants at once. I wanted to run a row of lights down between the two plants, and a row of lights above both. It didn't turn out that way, so hopefully I can just run one plant and get a larger yield off it.


Feel free to tag along for the ride and provide help if you would be so kind.
 

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I

InCognition

Active Member
Derple said:
How did you attach the power board to the wall of the case?
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Right now all those power strips are basically just wedged in there. They're not physically connected to the wall, other than the power strip with the lights attached. That one is hooked on with tape. I think I'll leave the others unattached though, because I messed up with some tape in there, and it ripped the foil right off.

I think I might try a scrog or LST. I would be surprised if it fits doing either. I might give FIM a go on my second grow because I don't feel comfortable with that method for my first grow.

As for the other lights, I've figured I may just need to set them right above the first row because there really is just no room at all. More light is good light even if I can't get it where I want it.


Any advice on the pot size? I went with 2 gallons because it could fit, but I'm thinking 1 gallon may of been a better bet. It seems the two best, and most natural ways to increase yield are more light and more soil. Being my first grow I didn't want to get into nutes and all that.

I just had no idea what type of yield could be pushed on a 1 gallon pot if everything is done right, so I gave it as much soil as I could with the 2 gallon pot.

I really want an ounce of this thing, but I wouldn't be upset with a half.
 
I

InCognition

Active Member
Mr Skunky Haze said:
be careful when watering.. looks like a fire hazard in there, why so many powerstrips?
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I'll be removing all of strips when watering and I won't be watering till I get runoff which would be very dangerous if I left the strips in the case. I was considering fabricating a steel pan for the pot to sit in.

I need all the power strips because I cannot have a timer outside of the case for stealth reasons, and the strips only hold 3 lights. So I have one strip coming in with the timer on it, then off that I have 1 strip with 3 lights (soon 2 be 2 strips with 3 lights).

This thing really turned into a mess inside the case organization wise, but I'll have to deal with it.
 
paperplanesmoker

paperplanesmoker

Active Member
Looks pretty crowded in there man, should have taken the time to attach the power strip better with something other than tape.. good luck with your grow though
 
I

InCognition

Active Member
paperplanesmoker said:
Looks pretty crowded in there man, should have taken the time to attach the power strip better with something other than tape.. good luck with your grow though
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Yea, I think I'm going to make some custom supports out of some 30ga steel plate. I've rechecked the power strip with the lights and they are drooping, even though I'm using gorilla tape. It will only droop more with the added heat. I definitely don't want to find out the lights have fallen on the plant, so I am going to have to secure them better.

I really wanted to run a screw through the case and get some nice sturdy support in there, but that would throw all my stealth'ing right down the toilet.

I also just rechecked my seed and it's germ'ing. The tap root has just barely begun to emerge about 1/5 an inch. I'll put it in the soil tonight when I get those custom supports cut out for the power strip.



Anyone have any input on what you can push on a 1 gallon pot given the genetics are good and everything regarding the grow is ideal?
 
paperplanesmoker

paperplanesmoker

Active Member
InCognition said:
Yea, I think I'm going to make some custom supports out of some 30ga steel plate. I've rechecked the power strip with the lights and they are drooping, even though I'm using gorilla tape. It will only droop more with the added heat. I definitely don't want to find out the lights have fallen on the plant, so I am going to have to secure them better.

I really wanted to run a screw through the case and get some nice sturdy support in there, but that would throw all my stealth'ing right down the toilet.

I also just rechecked my seed and it's germ'ing. The tap root has just barely begun to emerge about 1/5 an inch. I'll put it in the soil tonight when I get those custom supports cut out for the power strip.



Anyone have any input on what you can push on a 1 gallon pot given the genetics are good and everything regarding the grow is ideal?
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Yeah man I actually got some good size magnets and glued them to the back of the powerstrip works great and can be moved around. As far as what you can grow in a one gallon pot, pretty much whatever you want given the right light, watering, nutes etc.. I just had a full grow fom seed to harvest in a solo party cup haha goes to show you dont need much space to grow man. Really depends on how much you want to yeild
 
I

InCognition

Active Member
paperplanesmoker said:
Yeah man I actually got some good size magnets and glued them to the back of the powerstrip works great and can be moved around. As far as what you can grow in a one gallon pot, pretty much whatever you want given the right light, watering, nutes etc.. I just had a full grow fom seed to harvest in a solo party cup haha goes to show you dont need much space to grow man. Really depends on how much you want to yeild
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I've lurked a bit here and never seen a full party cup grow lol. That's pretty cool though. Do you recall the yield from the party cup? Also any idea on the amount of light you were giving it?

And great idea about the magnet. I was thinking about that. I'll order some online... now I won't have to screw around with moving tape around and ripping foil off.
 
paperplanesmoker

paperplanesmoker

Active Member
InCognition said:
I've lurked a bit here and never seen a full party cup grow lol. That's pretty cool though. Do you recall the yield from the party cup? Also any idea on the amount of light you were giving it?
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Im actually still growing the plant in the party cup, its about a week away from harvest. Im using 6 cfls a mixture of 23w and 26w all 2700k, I have three plugged into the power strip and the others placed around the plant to make sure the bottom half gets good light too. It worked great, you can check out my thread got some nice pics on there of my set up and grow.
 
I

InCognition

Active Member
paperplanesmoker said:
Im actually still growing the plant in the party cup, its about a week away from harvest. Im using 6 cfls a mixture of 23w and 26w all 2700k, I have three plugged into the power strip and the others placed around the plant to make sure the bottom half gets good light too. It worked great, you can check out my thread got some nice pics on there of my set up and grow.
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Nice, I'll check it out.

I did some looking around after you mentioned that and one guy got 25.6 grams from a single 16oz party cup grow... that's crazy.


Update on my grow:

I lowered my pot size to 2.6 liters and secured the lights much better. I also got my seed into the soil. I'll grab photos when she shows green. I feel like a father already :smile:.
 
I

InCognition

Active Member
Still waiting for the seed to break the surface, but I'm already having temperature problems.

With all 4 23-watt CFL's (5000K) running I'm seeing a max temperature of 94 degrees. I know these run a bit hotter than the 2700k's, but I'm not sure I'de see a much lower temp with the 2700k's. This 94 degree is also with my 140mm fan increased to 50%. If I move it any higher it is definitely audible outside the case. I think I may just have to take the risk because I know of no other options.

I know there's an "ideal" range for cannabis plants to grow at, but do you think there will be definite issues with the survivability of White Widow at 94 degrees? I hear a lot of people say they have grown at 90+ degrees with no problem, then others say their plants get roasted alive.
 
paperplanesmoker

paperplanesmoker

Active Member
Seems a little hot man, my pc case usually runs around 79-88 degrees with two 80mm fans running 24/7, one at the top right for an exhaust and one on the lower left side of the case for the intake. In my opinion this set up works the best since heat rises and you want to pull cool air In from the bottom.
 
I

InCognition

Active Member
paperplanesmoker said:
Seems a little hot man, my pc case usually runs around 79-88 degrees with two 80mm fans running 24/7, one at the top right for an exhaust and one on the lower left side of the case for the intake. In my opinion this set up works the best since heat rises and you want to pull cool air In from the bottom.
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Yea, and you know what, I realized that the plant growing in 94 degrees is not the issue, the root system heating up to those temperatures is the real issue.

I removed 2 lights and my temperatures are maxing at 88 F. I guess I'll have to run a 46 watt grow :-(. I guess low watts is better than no watts, because at 94 there will be no plant to grow.


In regards to the fan positions. The carbon filter is attached to my outtake fan pulling from the top left of the case, and my intake fan (not in the photo, but is installed) is attached to the bottom right of the photo pulling air from the bottom.

I think the only real solution to get the temps low is to remove the carbon filter, and replace the 120mm outtake, with the 140mm fan. I'de have to build a light catcher for the outtake and lace the thing up with Ona Gel, but the airflow would be better. I've toyed around with this thing so much that I'm not looking forward to doing anything else at the moment, so I'll see what I can do this grow, then maybe modify it the next time around.

I could also rig the 140mm up to the carbon filter and run it at 100%, but I would have to run a 12/12 light cycle for stealth purposes. I'de like to run 18/6 if possible.

My main factor is stealth, which unfortunately is compromised by all my current solutions. Do you think I can pull a miracle with 46 watts?
 
paperplanesmoker

paperplanesmoker

Active Member
InCognition said:
Yea, and you know what, I realized that the plant growing in 94 degrees is not the issue, the root system heating up to those temperatures is the real issue.

I removed 2 lights and my temperatures are maxing at 88 F. I guess I'll have to run a 46 watt grow :-(. I guess low watts is better than no watts, because at 94 there will be no plant to grow.


In regards to the fan positions. The carbon filter is attached to my outtake fan pulling from the top left of the case, and my intake fan (not in the photo, but is installed) is attached to the bottom right of the photo pulling air from the bottom.

I think the only real solution to get the temps low is to remove the carbon filter, and replace the 120mm outtake, with the 140mm fan. I'de have to build a light catcher for the outtake and lace the thing up with Ona Gel, but the airflow would be better. I've toyed around with this thing so much that I'm not looking forward to doing anything else at the moment, so I'll see what I can do this grow, then maybe modify it the next time around.

I could also rig the 140mm up to the carbon filter and run it at 100%, but I would have to run a 12/12 light cycle for stealth purposes. I'de like to run 18/6 if possible.

My main factor is stealth, which unfortunately is compromised by all my current solutions. Do you think I can pull a miracle with 46 watts?
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I really don't see why you are having heat issues man...I'm using 12/12 light cycle with two fans and 6 cfl's!!!! thats a lot of light. And I still have never had an issue with it getting too hot in there?? I'm also not too worried about being stealth and I'm not using any type of filter. My room usually smells like bud anyway haha I do have a window a few feet from my case that I will open during the day for a few hours to let fresh air in from outside. Hope you sort this all out man keep us updated, good luck
 
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InCognition

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paperplanesmoker said:
I really don't see why you are having heat issues man...I'm using 12/12 light cycle with two fans and 6 cfl's!!!! thats a lot of light. And I still have never had an issue with it getting too hot in there?? I'm also not too worried about being stealth and I'm not using any type of filter. My room usually smells like bud anyway haha I do have a window a few feet from my case that I will open during the day for a few hours to let fresh air in from outside. Hope you sort this all out man keep us updated, good luck
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Checked your grow out. It looks like you are running 2700k for your CFL's. I have 5000k bulbs up now, and I'm wondering if that is the issue? I know they are hotter, but haven't bothered to check by how much. The ambient air in the room is 69 - 71 at all times so I'm not real sure why I'm having hear issues either.

I was thinking of just running the two 23 watt bulbs, but I did some more looking around on sub-50 watt grows, and one guy grew with a single 45 watt bulb on one plant and got an 1/8th. Even if I do everything better and double that to a 1/4th, that's still not going to cut it for the work I've put into this thing.

I think I'm going to have to disassemble my carbon filter and slap the 140mm on the outtake, and just run that beast at 100%. I'll throw some Ona gel around the out take and call it a day. I really want 100+ watts in there.

I think that's going to be my best bet to cure these cursed temperatures, and I'll have a lot more room in the end, and possibly more lights if the temperature really comes down.
 
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