randypescado

Would any wonderful person care to critique my grow closet ?

About me:
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I've never grown pot. Total novice.


Dimension:
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Seven feet wide
One foot deep
26" high (from ground level to the floursescents)

It is a built in cabinet that I converted. It has doors that I keep closed when I'm gone and open when Im home.

Lighting:
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*Four 40 watt, 4 foot long GE Chroma 50s - 2250 Lumens, Color Temp 5000k, 90 CRI
*Four 20 watt, 2 foot long GE Chroma 50s - 875 Lumens, Color Temp 5000k, 90 CRI

Total watts = 240
Total lumens = 12,500

I realize that the CRI and Color Temp is just under the standard proposed by Ed - but the difference is very little. These tubes cost me $5 each vs. $20-$30 each for virulux.


Reflectors:
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Combination of dull sided aluminum foil and window shades for cars.


Ventilation:
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None yet.

But I plan to install an intake fan on the bottom of one side of the space that pulls air from under the house and an exhaust fan on the other side of the space to expel air back to the bottom of the house. I have a crazy idea of rigging some PVC piping to the intake fan and running a pipe along the back side of the grow space to evenly distribute fresh air. I bought, tore apart, and re-wired one of those window fans that you stick into an existing window. It is a twin fan with 8" blades that is variable speed and you can control the direction of each fan. Not bad for $20.00!

I have successfully grown 1 seedling under 2 Four foot tubes. It is now 7" tall and I just installed the additional lights. The seedling was rootbound in its little 3" pot, so I repotted it into a 1/2 gallon pot.


Soil:
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Standard seedling potting soil.


CO2 enrichment:
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None yet!


O2 enrichment:
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None yet!


Conclusion:
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Basically, I want to try the sea of green technique. I only have 2 feet of vertical space, so that seems to be the most logical thing to do. I also have some seeds that I germinated and then planted in one of those little mini greenhouses with standard seedling flats and a plastic "sunroof." I think I may have packed the soil too much and the germed seeds are not getting enough oxygen, so I think I'll gently poke the soil with some toothpicks to aerate.


My questions and comments:
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First off, I have and read Ed's books Closet Cultivator and the Growers Handbook:Indoor high yield guide. But here's one question I couldn't find an answer to:

1. When germinating seeds in paper towels or soaked in water, should they be kept in full light or full dark? How much light, how much dark?


What is really strange about the Indoor High Yield Guide is bizarre chapter 26: "Sinsemilla and Sexing" gives the definition of the word "Sinsemilla" and then refers to pot as Sinsemilla throughout the chapter, while the rest of the entire contents of the book uses standard terminology. Thus, making me think that chapter was pulled from another source without going through basic editing to make the book cohesive.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading...Can anyone comment on my grow system and point out any flaws ?


Thanks,

RP

adderpuff

HiYa
Its a shame u cant change your dimensions a tad
like width for hieght would be brilliant
Your fan if u stick it in a tube then you will lose CFM from it, unless its a linear type fan.
And yes a fan for ventilation is a must
the seeds will germinate in dark or light, a mate of mine sticks em in the fridge to germinate he says its quicker that way, still using the wet paper on a dish routine.
your lightin personally i would use a lot more but if your book says thas enough then fine carry on, i think its somewhere around 3.5 thousand lumens per sq foot for flowerin puposes, that can always be checked in the lightin forum.Lookin at your Sq footage then u got summit like 950 lumens per sq foot that is a bit on the low side i think.
Reflectors, Plain white emulsion is the best, window shades might eat a few lumens.
if your temps are ok then keep doors closed when u r home
thatl stop losin lumens.
S.O.G is about the only way with your head hieght
Good luck
any probs gissa shout an we will c if we can help ya
Adder.

smokinrav

SOG has to be done using clones. Because you can flower clones as soon as theyre rooted, the foot tall plant you end up with is fully mature. Flowering a 3" plant from seed has potential to hermie and/or grow less bud cause it hasnt reached maturity.

You wont ever need supplemental Co2 using floros.

Good luck with the grow, keep coming back

Smokin

randypescado

Thanks for your reply !

What is CFM ?

Thanks, I just re-read the lighting chapter...I'm ok for veg growing, but I'll need to add more lights for flowers(against the back wall and the sides I suppose - no other place to put them!)

Ya know I just thought of something when I read your post...I was doing some flashing work the other day and suddenly realized maybe the aluminum flashing I was using on the roof would do well as a reflector? they are really cheap and come in easy to handle rolls from home despot.

RP

randypescado

Thanks for the info...What is the reason for not needing Co2 enrichment while using floros ?

RP

adderpuff

Hi Ya
its the fans rating in cubic feet per minite

Flashin foil is ok to use
suppossedly Plain white breaks up the light better an does not cause hotspots but as you r only usin fluros i doubt if they would cause h/s
Adder
Have a good grow.

randypescado

Hello All,

Here is an update:

My 1 plant is doing very well. It has reached a height of 14". On the lower branches, the internodes are longer than the regular leaves! I repotted it into a larger pot. I also started some hydro and have 4 healthy seedlings in 4" Rockwool.

Every week and a half or so, I fertilize it with Miracle grow for tomatoes or some hydro fertilizer that I use one the rockwooled seedlings. It really likes the hydro solution, even though it is planted in potting soil.

I found these florous to be great for vegatative growth and seedlings. I think I'm going to flower this puppy under the flouros so I can sex it. If it's female, I'll go out and buy a mini hps system and start some clones off of it.

Peace out

randypescado

Agreed! I started to flower them last night under 4 hours of darkness, but I re-read my book and 12/12 is best for my situation. It's a lot bigger than 14" now, I had to bend it down with a weight attached to the stem so it will grow horizontally.