Grow Box Suggestions?

Well my dad and I are going to build a small grow box, probably 2x3ft and I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions.

It will be completely closed off and on one side it will have plexi glass that has hinges acting as a door. I will add a few CFL lights inside for the plant(s).

If you guys want a diagram in case I didn't explain it well enough, I can do that tomorrow.

Take a look at my grow - it's 2 x 3

why the plexi glass, just completely shut it in and paint the inside either flat white or use mylar...is the lighting going to be all cfl? how much height do you have?

you need air flow also, sompletely shut will create too much heat and air quality will be low. use computer fans to pull air in and out. there is a ton to it, go to the grow facts and look at some of the minimum requirements for a decently running room

Thanks, Pullin' Weeds, I'll check it out later.

Past_times, I want the plexi glass so I can look inside easily. If that becomes a problem, I will just cover it like you said. I'm not going to house pot plants right now, this grow box is for chilli pepper seedlings

Yeah, it will be all CFL unless you guys suggest otherwise and give me a few reasons. I'm a total newb and I don't really know what I'm doing...

The max room (height) I have for the grow box is 4 1/2 ft.

I'll take the computer fans into consideration, but there is a good chance I won't go through with those because I don't want the hassle...is there any other way to create air flow? Would just drilling a few holes work?

if you are on all cfls the heat is not a major issue. air quality is though. for ease you could just try to drill some holes then have a desk fan on the inside to keep the air moving. this is not at all close to the best but i guess if you are just growing peppers it will work.

lighting, with no exhaust your only option is flouro's...again sacraficing a lot of yield. if you go this route, you need to keep the light very close to the plants, inches. flouros do produce a good quality plant so it will work just lower your yield

Hi Zee - i don't think this is exactly what you're looking for but i'm working on a pretty comprehensive but brief overview of growing. I am working on what is necessary (or desirable) in a grow space area which i posted below. Hopefully it will give you some ideas and help in building your cabinet ... note that where i say room or space - you can substitute cabinet or box:
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Before we can begin growing, we have to make some decisions regarding where to grow and what equipment to use. That's what this section is all about. But before we start making a shopping list and knocking out walls, let's decide where we're going to grow.

The ideal grow room should have the following qualities:

Clean - you don't want to give a lot of dust, mold, mildew, insects, or other unpleasant things easy access to your plants.

Climate controlled - you want an area that you can have some control over the temperature and humidity.

Secure - you don't want your garden to be accidentally or easily discovered. Some advice I heard was there should be no less than two locks between the outside and your plants. We'll also need to make sure we can control any odor emanating from the plants.

Easy Access to Water Source - this one is often overlooked. You don’t want to be running a garden hose through your bedroom or carrying heavy buckets of water up and down many flights of stairs. Not having easy access to fresh water can take the joy out of gardening.

Easy Access to Fresh Air - somehow, someway, fresh air must be able to enter the growing area, which infers a way to exhaust hot, stale and often very smelly air will be necessary.

Easy Access to Enough Electrical Sockets - provided it is convenient, heavy-duty power cords can be used to bring electricity to the garden. Often, it is necessary to add circuits to accommodate the electrical requirements.

Light-Tight - Finally, you'll want to be able to make your grow space light-tight. That means no light should be able to enter or leave the grow area. You want to keep light from exiting to prevent it from attracting unwanted attention. And no light should enter as to not disturb the plants photoperiod.

Fire/Water Proof - don't want anything easily ignitable in there. Also, a way to catch leaking water can save you much more than just money; especially if you have downstairs neighbors.

I'm sure a few areas sprung to mind. Closets, basements, attics and spare rooms all have their pros and cons. You can also purchase a grow tent. Building or modifying a cabinet is also a very popular option.

It is best to accurately sketch out the area you plan to use and draw in where all the components go.

Alright, thanks for all of your help everyone.

Past_times, I have decided to go ahead with installing a fan. I'll buy a cheap one from a thrift store or something and just drill it in. I made a crude model of what my growbox should look like in Google SketchUp, here it is;



The six holes on the top are for lighting; I have decided to go with 4 CFL's and a couple of full spectrum growing lights (not sure which ones yet). The hole on the side is where the small fan will be.

Would covering the small plexiglass 'window' with a sheet of aluminum foil be an effective way of keeping all the light inside?

Email468, your post was really helpful as well. I have all of the things you listed, except it won't be secure because I don't really need it right now.

The fan you show at the top should be blowing out. An intake fan near the bottom brings in cool air and the top fan blows out hot. Good idea. Foil is bad for plants because it creates hot spots. mirrors are bad too because they have micro cracks you can't see, and they absorb 90% light. Reflective mylar, or even silver christmas wrapping paper does well. mylar is the best. get it at hydroponic stores locally. fairly cheap. if you have flat white paint, paint the inside walls all over. it reflects light perfectly good next to Mylar the best. Start growing CFLs with Daylight bulbs, or cool bulbs, the blue/white range is good for early veg growth like 6000k, then add some warm or soft whites (low Kelvin spectrum light like 2700k which is more orange or red looking). Flower with the soft whites/warm. Note the daylight bulbs contain full spectrum of light, which is a step down from High pressure sodium! check out my setup it's similar to yours

Thanks for that advice, skunkwizard. I'll comeback back to this thread when I start my grow.

I was a little short on $$ so I decided to hold off this project. I just bought a plastic Sterilite brand 18 gal. container and a Sylvania Spot-Gro 60 watt bulb. I forgot to get a reflector...does anyone have an idea for a simple DIY one?

While I was asking the old guy at my local hardware store about any bulb suggestions he immediately suspected I was growing

LOL...He's awesome!

You can make a reflector out of just about any fire-proof, reflective material. I think there are some DIY ideas in the FAQ - one idea i recall is using modified soda cans.

I just checked that out, but on the bulb package it says not to let it touch any metal or glass material as it may shatter....any other ideas?

Just make sure the bulb doesn't touch the metal. i'm pretty sure the reflector attaches to the socket - not the bulb itself.

I just fix a little cone made of foil a while ago, I'll drop by the hardware store and get a couple of reflectors tomorrow.

Thanks for your help so far dude