First real attempt at home grow

[themoose]

Hi everyone, i have grown a few plants over the last few years on my window sill or in the backyard, but have never put enough care to really get a worthwhile yield. I have this box set up 48 in tall and 27 in wide(27 deep)
and i was wondering if there was any reason why this setup wont work. I already realize that the yield wont be superb but will i be able to produce?
the seedling is 17 days old

17 days old.

sorry about the sideways pictures i tried editing them on photobucket but the image doesn't stay roatated, idk , but any way hopefully i'll be getting a hygrometer soon so i can keep a more accurate eye on the enviro. for the plants. right now i have bag seeds planted but big bud seeds on the way, I have been trying to set up a fan too for air circulation. the light bulb now is
just a GE plant light that I don't know the specs on but i have a 42w compact cool 6500k that puts out 2800 lumens in the mail right now.

If there is any reason why this is a bad idea please let me know, any tips or opinions would be GREATLY appreciated, thanks a lot everyone!

 

[thc4me420]

you need alot more light!!!!

 

[atavistic]

Painting inside of box white would help light intensity, and you'll need some air movement in the box. Plants need CO2 and in that small space, it will quickly exhaust available CO2 without some movement. Temp regulation and humidity will be an ongoing challenge.

 

[themoose]

do you think that 1 42w compact flourescent will be enough to grow a few plants or if I use the light i have and the compact would that be enough to grow 4-5 plants at a time?Also i don't think aluminum foil would quite do the trick, i know painting it white is(and would have been)a good idea, but would using large pieces of white paper, big enough to cover each side with one sheet, be the same? Also if i did get a 2or4 ft. flouro light system, would it be noticeable on the electric bill?

 

[Coop25]

Do alot more reading on this site bud, i have 8 42W CFL's, and im not gonna start my female till i have a HPS and 4 foot T8s', invest a couple hundred bucks and look at some other setups on here for some help

 

[themoose]

i would buy the lights but wouldn't that put a noticeable dent in the electric bill?

 

[Wretched420]

Light Bulbs at BuyLighting.com - Compact Flourescent, Halogen, LED, Energy Saving Bulbs cheap 105 watt cfl's 2 of these or even 1 would be great

 

[themoose]

ok I got my package and got my cfl set up its 42w 6500k 2800 lumens, when i have extra money i'm gonna buy a 105 watt cfl, also I added a little fan for constant air circulation and fresh co2, 24/7.

view from above

 

[themoose]

well I beefed up my grow space a little bit and I think I might have a start.
i bought 3 23w CFL's in addition to the 42 w I had in there. The only problem is that they are soft white, so i guess ill get 2 more cool bulbs if i can find them. Also i took apart the light system from a fish tank. It's a 20 watt full spectrum light. And I added shrink wrap plastic from boats, for reflectivity.It's pretty thick stuff.Also the temp was already up to about 87, any tips on how to keep heat down?

 

[themoose]

bump, any comments?

 

[SomeGuy]

bump, any comments?

Seems like you did pretty good on getting more light for now. To keep temps down you will need an intake & exhaust fan. Put the intake low and the exhaust up high. There are directions for a DIY carbon filter on this site somewhere if smell is a problem. There are also directions in the FAQ on how to wire computer fans to a phone charger. keep fans blowing over the plants at all times too. Keep the cfls about 6-8" away and the fluro tubes about 2" away from the plant canopy. Using water and soil that has the correct PH will help speed things up. I usually have sprouts 2-3" high less than a week after the seed is germinated and started in pellets. Looks like you might be able to get that grow box to work pretty good. I would suggest tripling the light you have for flowering with heavy red spectrum... or just buy an HID.

 

[themoose]

yeah im definitely planning on beefing up the light alot for the flowering period, i have 7 seeds in soil right now and however many females i get ill try to get 3 bulbs per plant, but i dont even have enough space for all the CFL's to grow 2-3 plants. I have one good sized fan hanging from the very top of the box its in a low setting 24/7, would that be enough or am I gonna need an official intake and exhaust?

 

[GrnMan]

Way to go man, good luck on the grow. I'll be watching it...

What's the ph level of your soil mix?

 

[Boober]

Looks like this should work well. Good work!

 

[themoose]

Thanks everyone i really appreciate it! I'm not sure,I don't have a ph test kit, But next time I'm at wal-mart i'll be sure to pick one up.

 

[JohnnyBravo]

LMAO....yours is the first thread i have read that referred their box and it really was a cardboard box....Wouldn't it be great if you got a killer yield growing in a cardboard box....I see all these tents for $100's and really elaborate setups....I wish you well my friend

 

[GrnMan]

Thanks everyone i really appreciate it! I'm not sure,I don't have a ph test kit, But next time I'm at wal-mart i'll be sure to pick one up.

Dude, get it! I picked one up today and tested the tap water I had been using and YIKES! That shit is way off. I had a ph of 8.2. Now I need to test my soil.

 

[themoose]

in everyone's opinion, should i leave the lights on 24/0, 12/12, 18/6? because i hear all different opinions.

 

[GrimReefa]

hmmm
not good lol btu shud be cooolos, hope they dont turn out male. :

 

[GrimReefa]

io always goes with 18/6 the dark is good for repairing, i feel they cna take a beaten better if they ahve dark, and roots search in the dark, i think hehehe, well mine doo eveyr ay the rooots have gorwn 2 miles , well almost