First Grow box Any advice?

3lseY15

3lseY15

Member
Hello everyone ive just finished making the actual box out of ply wood a batten. there will be a picture up soon but i haven't got the lead to get it on the pc so here's how ive done it in basic paint.
View attachment 2076626
I only want to grow one meduim sized plant?

I dont no weather to get one or two 60 watt flourescent tube lights? and were can i get some mylar instore from in uk. and ive got seeds from finding them in oz's of weed do you think there be okay? also what size pot do you think i'll need and nuts?

This will be my first time ive grown a plant so any advice with help.:blsmoke:
 
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Dubdeuce

Well-Known Member
Unless you know where the seeds came from and what their genetics were there is absolutely no telling what the outcome will be. Will it grow a plant? Sure. Will it be amazing? Only time will tell. Just make sure you have some type of fresh air exchange for your box as it will become a heat trap quite quickly. You could use Florescent tubes, but your end flowers will be lacking some density as Florescent just dont have the power you might want. Fluorescents are GREAT for vegetative growth though. If you're only going to grow one medium sized plant I would recommend looking into Screen of Green method to really maximize the footprint of your cabinet while incorporating some type of HID lighting (250w-400w would work). However, remember, a closed grow box like that will trap all the heat, so fresh air exchange or air cooling your light will be a must.
 
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Ebb n Flo

Active Member
Inside your grow cabinet you will need a fan at the bottom to intake fresh air and a fan at the top to exhaust any stale air. also you will need more than that for lighting. my suggestion if on a budget.. get yourself a T5 high output fluorescent light and fixture. Next bagseed is good for your first attempt however you can't always expect good weed from bag seed. my advice.. next grow if successful with the first would be to check out attitude or nirvana seed banks online
 
3lseY15

3lseY15

Member
Dubdeuce said:
Unless you know where the seeds came from and what their genetics were there is absolutely no telling what the outcome will be. Will it grow a plant? Sure. Will it be amazing? Only time will tell. Just make sure you have some type of fresh air exchange for your box as it will become a heat trap quite quickly. You could use Florescent tubes, but your end flowers will be lacking some density as Florescent just dont have the power you might want. Fluorescents are GREAT for vegetative growth though. If you're only going to grow one medium sized plant I would recommend looking into Screen of Green method to really maximize the footprint of your cabinet while incorporating some type of HID lighting (250w-400w would work). However, remember, a closed grow box like that will trap all the heat, so fresh air exchange or air cooling your light will be a must.
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Yeah im going to get a mini desk fan and two 60watt flourescent tubes? and what pot size?
 
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Ebb n Flo

Active Member
Size of your cabinet? Just remember the smaller the pot the smaller the plant. if a plants root system has no where to go it becomes root bound and growth is stunted. how tall of a plant are you willing to grow? That needs to be answered first before deciding the size of your grow container
 
3lseY15

3lseY15

Member
Ebb n Flo said:
Inside your grow cabinet you will need a fan at the bottom to intake fresh air and a fan at the top to exhaust any stale air. also you will need more than that for lighting. my suggestion if on a budget.. get yourself a T5 high output fluorescent light and fixture. Next bagseed is good for your first attempt however you can't always expect good weed from bag seed. my advice.. next grow if successful with the first would be to check out attitude or nirvana seed banks online
Click to expand...
Will a mini desk fan do? how meny 60watt tubes would i need? and i no the seeds come out of critacal haze thats about it
 
3lseY15

3lseY15

Member
Ebb n Flo said:
Size of your cabinet? Just remember the smaller the pot the smaller the plant. if a plants root system has no where to go it becomes root bound and growth is stunted. how tall of a plant are you willing to grow? That needs to be answered first before deciding the size of your grow container
Click to expand...
For the pot will 1.5 or 3gallon pot be better? I was thinking use the hole 1meters and fit the tube lights on the back wall of the box would that work?
 
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Ebb n Flo

Active Member
For a plant about 3' - 4' I would say use a 3 gallon bucket or container just be sure its not see through! Roots hate light! Also to accomplish a 3' plant I would say keep it in veg cycle till its about 14"-16" then switch to flowering. a plant does most of its stretching during the flower cycle. when flowering you will need a more powerful light setup. 250watt high pressure sodium setup will work just fine for you and are relatively inexpensive! I just picked up a used how light with everything for $75!! As far as your fluorescent for veg you will need a whole bunch of those 60watt tubes. maybe 4 - 6?
 
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Ebb n Flo

Active Member
YYea that would work for lighting just remember you need to move the height of your lights as your plant grows and with fluorescent lights you should always keep your bulb 6" - 8" from the tops of your plants so it would be best to YouTube a DIY fluorescent light fixture as to have a more reasonable but cheap light setup
 
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Dubdeuce

Well-Known Member
3lseY15 said:
okay so 3gallon pot. how meny lights? and what light times should i do?
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I would stick the absolute largest container that I could fit inside, as long as it did not go above my height restriction. If you can fit a 5 gal do a 5 gal. Hell, if you can squeeze a 10 gallon smart pot in there you can do that to! There is no reason to restrict your plants growth if you can fit the container!

How large is your cabinet?

As far as light timing. Your "veg" cycle will need to maintain 13 or more hours of light to ensure the plant does not start flowering. How you choose to configure that is up to you, but common configurations are:

12-1 - Least amount of power usage/heat buildup
12 hours on
5.5 hours off
1 hour on
5.5 hours off

18/6
18 hours on
6 hours off

24/7 - Easy because no timers need, but costs more electricity
24 hours a day, no downtime

Now during flowering you will want to start at no more than 12 hours of light, although most strains do better at 11 hours of light or less. We start with 11 hours on, 13 hours off, then every 2 weeks we decrease the on time down half an hour. So in 2 weeks it's 10.5 hours on and 13.5 hours off, etc.
 
3lseY15

3lseY15

Member
Dubdeuce said:
I would stick the absolute largest container that I could fit inside, as long as it did not go above my height restriction. If you can fit a 5 gal do a 5 gal. Hell, if you can squeeze a 10 gallon smart pot in there you can do that to! There is no reason to restrict your plants growth if you can fit the container!

How large is your cabinet?

As far as light timing. Your "veg" cycle will need to maintain 13 or more hours of light to ensure the plant does not start flowering. How you choose to configure that is up to you, but common configurations are:

12-1 - Least amount of power usage/heat buildup
12 hours on
5.5 hours off
1 hour on
5.5 hours off

18/6
18 hours on
6 hours off

24/7 - Easy because no timers need, but costs more electricity
24 hours a day, no downtime

Now during flowering you will want to start at no more than 12 hours of light, although most strains do better at 11 hours of light or less. We start with 11 hours on, 13 hours off, then every 2 weeks we decrease the on time down half an hour. So in 2 weeks it's 10.5 hours on and 13.5 hours off, etc.
Click to expand...
It's 1m by 1ft and im going to do 18 to 6 for 4 or 5 weeks then 12 to 12 how long do you veg for?
 
3lseY15

3lseY15

Member
Can anyone help me with what reflective matirail i should use i was going to use mylar but cant get hold of none?
 
D

Dubdeuce

Well-Known Member
The length of time you veg is dependent on your container size and type of grow. In a 3 gallon a 4-5 week veg would be sufficient for a single plant. We veg for 6-8 weeks in 5 gallons as part of a Sea of green. You will want to use mylar, polyfilm, or white paint to make your cab reflective. Mylar can be purchased cheap online/ebay and so can polyfilm.
 
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