naturall_mystic

n_d_shadows thanks for dropping by.

You wrote "Since you are pulling all your fresh air from the ceiling of a room i doubt the CO2 levels are that high."

That is a good point. Actually the air source is from an upstairs room. In the picture of the grow box support equipment you can see an insulated wall in the background. That is an upstairs room. Frequently, even in winter, I open a window, because I like fresh air. The input grate in the room that is the airsource is near the floor and has a filter on it too.

As far as growing in the future I intend to keep the plant height low by continuing to train them low. No scrog or SOG. I will, at time of flowering, which is coming soon, transplant into 3 gallon pots. This is a first effort. I am planning on using Superbud at time of flowering to minimize plant stretch as much as it allows. I hope it pans out. In the end I should have only one or two plants in there, surely some of them are male.

Any thoughts you may have would be most appreciated. I am, in a word, inexperienced.

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naturall_mystic

Now a few notes about construction.

1) cut all sheet goods to size
2) cut insulation panels to size
3) cut the spacer strips to size (see panel construction detail)
4) assemble spacer strips into a frame for each panel needed.




Though it may seem a bit teadious to assemble six of these (a cube has six sides) the end result is you have a well insulated box that is easy to assemble and disassemble using nothing more than screws and a drill.

If you wanted, and I will the next time I build a box, you could use two 3/4" rigid foam panels. The foam is easy to work with and pretty cheap.

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naturall_mystic

Accuracy helps when cutting out your plywood. If you end up with uneven edges like I did after assembling each panel here is a tip.

Go ahead and assemble all your panels.

Once the panels are all dried stack up the panels that are the same width and use a belt sander to even them up.

Then stack up all the panels that are the same height and again even them up with a belt sander.



I found it easiest to paint the panels in their entirety prior to assembly, but I suppose there is no real reason to even paint the outside of the box. I did because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

To assemble purchase or borrow from a woodworker friend four corner clamps. It will make life so much simpler.

Clamp the two sides and the top and bottom together and screw them together with your drill. Then add the back and screw it home.

Next its hardware installation time... Woo Woo

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naturall_mystic

This is the box assembly. I know it is pretty obvious but I am trying to be thorough for those first time builders. The shelf supports are installed prior to assembly to make that job so much easier. You want the supports to be accurate so the shelves (which supports your light and the vented floor) don't wobble.

Use heavy screws so that you can draw the box side tight and flush to each other. You can caulk the panel edges during or after assembly if you want to make the box more light fast and air tight. I just used removeable painters tape for the couple of gaps I ended up with.

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naturall_mystic

I am not getting much response from this post so I gather there isn't much interest. That could be because this box looks so simple. It is simple. That is the beauty of the design.

THis grow box is temperature stable and easy to ventilate, easy to clean, easy to access the plants, easy to make adjustments to during plant growth, and best of all the plants seem to be thriving very nicely. It is also quiet. You cannot hear a thing in the room that is next to this box. The only time you can hear it is when you open the grow box door and hear the little oscillating fan.

I will finish this post up soon, then, as time goes on will post some picks of what this little box can grow. If you are trying to decide how to make your own grow box and have a question about mine feel free to pm me or post it here.

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plainsman1963

Speaking for myself, it's not that I'm not interested. It's just that 1). you explained it beautifully in easy to follow steps with pics, so I really don't have anything to add but "nice job" and...

2). I am waiting until you finish a grow in it. That will be the defining test.

Take a look at how many have read it. Just because they don't post, doesn't mean they aren't inspired.

Oh, and
That would be always, then?

naturall_mystic

Plainsman1963, always here, sums it up about right. I have caught the fever here, big time.

This same thing happened to me with orchids about twenty years ago. I ended up being a species grower (with orchids species are harder to acquire and grow than hybrids) with about 200 plants.
There was never a resource like this place though. It really is amazing.

THanks for your interest. I will be posting some new plant pics in the next couple of days. The spiral training is going pretty well so far. The branches are reaching for the sky (sungrow) and the main stalk is cooperatively twisting around the pot.

I was thinking about providing a small frame, something like a tomato cage to spiral train the plant around. One can have a tall plant in a short space. Like LST.

More to come....

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Bubba Lou

Excellent thread, naturall_mystic! Very clear and thorough. Good thinking on the smoke detector and fire extinguisher - I don't see that mentioned too often, but it should be stressed.

How are the temps in this box? I imagine 265cfm is plenty for a box that size. And are you doing anything about odor? You're venting outdoors, correct?

Peace,
Bubba Lou

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Growing from Cuttings [ Skunk #1 Blueberry Northern Lights White Widow Kali Mist ]

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hempman

I am very interested in your box as I am getting ready to try one on my own. Good post.

naturall_mystic

Bubba Lou temperature in the box really has been perfect be it hot or cold in the attic. By perfect the temperature runs between 70 F and 80 F. This is a well insulated box and the incoming air source is from a living space that is pretty much between 65 F and 75 F year round. I have to date experienced outside temperatures of max 90F and min 20F.

THe 265cfm fan is actually way overkill but that was intentional. Before purchasing it I talked with the supplier about sound levels and he just mentioned that if I didn't mind spending a little extra money that I should buy an oversized fan and run it on slow. I have a rheostat to control fan speed, that way I can run the fan at a low speed, have plenty of air exhaust and no noise. Seriously you can't hear the thing.

Odor hasn't been a problem, yet. I do vent outside though. If it is a problem I have a great design for a low resistance charcoal filter that I will post after I have built it and tested it.

Thanks for your interest.

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