New setup, tips?

Hey guys... I'm kinda noob at this and please disregard the plant currently in there, it was a test project under very low light conditions and was tied over for a while. Down to the point, Me and my Fiance recent built this little grow cabinet and as budget is a big concern, I'm working on getting 1 big 125W 3000k CFL to hang from the top on a chain to raise and lower, and I'm working on getting 4 lamps that will support 42w CFLs to place around the edges, ideally wall mountable so I can move and adjust. Each one of the 42w CFLs will be 2700k, 4100k, 5100k and 6500k to help balance the whole light spectrum. It comes out to be 17,300 lumen per square foot when I actually do get all the lights and the sun is only 10,000 lumen, so I figure it should be plenty of light, and a balanced spectrum which focuses more on the lower end for the flowering stages but I do intend to use these lights for all stages. I have holes drilled in the top for a little ventilation. Just wondering any comments or tips or improvements. Remember, I want a most effective giant yielding plant for a low low cost and do disregard the little light deprived baby in there currently, Its about ready to harvest according to the tricromes and my jewelers loupe but the buds consist of like nothing, so if you know any tips to increase the yield of the plant already in there, when harvest is prolly a week away, let me know too. Thanks!!

As a quick answer, my main tips when using cabinet like u got is make sure its always got good airflow by putting little cheap desk fan in there (put it on a cheap, digi timer if needed, as cheapo desk fans aren't always safe running constant 24/7!), and also make sure the cabinet seals well enough so that during flowering no light can leak in as that can effect on bud growth.

And don't overwater & don't overfeed! Best of luck dude!

Light getting in during dark phases is not an issue and I already do have a fan in there but as I went and checked on it, there may be a little problem. I was trying to stay away from a HPS light due to the heat issues and having to install a proper way of removing the heat, which is why I was going to go for CFLs, but as I checked on it in there just now, its about 90 degrees F.

hey man

ok u are getting married so u are not a teen ............i understand that price can and is a issuse but in the long run if u spend little money now getting a decent/strong set up going the cost is recovered by u not buying weed and selling off a little of your own to trusted ppl

CFLs are good for starting plants ......but the yeilds and the over all area coverage is crap .....the taller/busher the plant the more lights u need to cover the area with light ............at a certin point u will cost over to not effect and the cost of the lights the Yspilters and the sockets are more total then getting a T5 light or a HID light

your light work is little off.............. direct sunlight can be 40.000-110,000 lumens ......cloudy days is 10000k to 15000k
here u go ........lux system/lumens


u should ditch the cfls and pick your self up a T5 system
t5s work like this 2 ft are 2000 lumens a bulb with 3 choices of specs (3000k 6500k 10000k) 4ft are 5000 lumens per bulb with 5 choices of lights(3000k 5400k 6500k 10000k 10000k+uva)

the cost for the fixture and the bulbs are little high but they will do u great much better then a cfl ( and if u need u have the cfls to add in for when the plant is bigger)


order yourself some autoflowering seeds (this will make it simpler and faster for u to see a return )

i understand you said budget is a concern. and unless youve already bought bulbs.... i think you could get a small hps like a 150 or 250 . even used on craiglist...lots of people just flip their gear to get something back when they upgrade. any others agree? in that space. You could easily get some HID lighting going. for a similar price i say. so i spent 65 dollars on a 125 w cfl + fixture , 7.99 + tax for 5 little light hangers / reflectors that clip on from home depot. then 16.99 dollars per 65 w CFL...at that point i was already at and over 150 dollars because of everything else needed.... my 400 w/250 w dimmable hps was 100 bucks on craiglist. came with a bulb. I had to get a reflector and fan but was producing twice maybe more.. as much. food for though . congrats on getting married. if u want cfls by all means.. just want to help you weigh your options now and not do what I did and buy every single type and wattage of lighting in the long expensive process of upgrading.

i just sawl the pic ................

are u handy at building and jerry rigging or are u one of those ppl that just buy something done and use that

u have no fresh air intake .......the exhust is passive......the lights are to little (sory u want big bushes way off )

most honest advice is a complete rebuild or order a system from someone off ebay that has built a few

In my setup, I can prolly only fit a 8000 lumen T5 set and I'd love to get alot more light

Honestly, I think i should just get something like a HPS and cut out the side and install a fresh air intake to keep temperature down too, agree?

well t5 can be vertical or horzional

the 8 bulb 2ft (i own) is like 24x22x3 inchs

to really tell u the truth i would tell u to get this
Secert Jardin 120dr 4x4x6
600w cooltube digital system with hps and mh bulbs
1 400 cfm inline fan....exhust....the varible speed controller and flexie ducting not rigded
1 240 cfm booster fan .......intake lower then exhust so negitive pressure smell contained

In my current setup, which is a rebuilt wardrobe, what would be the easiest way to install intake and exhaust if i were to get a 400w HPS, cause I've found a light system that includes everything inlucuding a sunbeam intake/exhaust fan, but yeah...

Here's the top left of the wardrobe, could I just cut a hole and put a desk fan blowing out for heat and do a carbon scrubber for smell? no ducting out the window cause cant have neighbors be smelling my tomatoes but windows open for vent and carbon scrubber to help with smell, and if this would work, what about intake?

ok build and jerry rigging .....fun
can i have the size of the area (for the air flow math) .........so we know how many CFMs u need for the plant
the carbon scrubber will be fine but got to know the CFMs to tell u the correct one.......and for this to work u need ducting and a inline fan
if u are getting a 400 watt u need to have a very good system so u do need some ducting to move the hot air out and away from the plants ........i know a method of masking the venting point using a window fan and reflector with duct tape from outside looks like a dark spot they would have to be with in 4 inchs of it to see shapes (done right it adds extra movement to the air )

whats your professional opinion, im simply trying to grow 1 or 2 plants in that thing thats high potency and would last a heavy smoker long enough for new plants to be grown and harvest cause i've been spending waaayy to much money on just smoke and i've always been into horticulture so im trying to make this work, and as soon as i find my forsaken measuring tape ill give you measurements, was high when i was building that thing and havent seen it since >.>

here is how u do it ........WxHxL gives u the volume of the room then u need to devide that by 3 ..............this is the minal amount of air u need to move with a hps light in there u need to increase that number by 20%

the intake u want low to the floor (cold air sinks) ..........to save u money i am saying just make a hole and use that fan u have infront of it in the box to drawl and move the air around ...........when u make the hole for the intake u want to have the Exhust one at the top on the other side (intake is lower front left the exhust is upper right in the back)..........u have to have a fan in the exhust to suck out that hot air and to help drawl in the fresh air

order yourself some Auto flowering plants ( 65 to 75 days the plant is done and ready to cut 7 days after that u have dry good smoke) u run it on a 20 hours on 4 hours off the whole time


the HID will get u the most out of the plants and pretty dence nugs ..............i just moved mine into the 48 hours of darkness before u cut it i will take a pic of her when i open the tent to let u see what a autoflower can do with a Hid light


once u know the size of the CFMs u need u get the fan that is the nearest to it...... do not go under always go over .............once u know the fan u want then u can look at a carbon scrubber ( this will clean the exhust air of any kind of smell for 12 months ) after 12 months the active carbon in the filter is full of stink u need to replace it (u can not reclaim the carbon with out steam in the temps of 700 so unless u have access to a autoclave (the thing they use to clean tools for doctors) the carbon is no good dump it )

your fan is what CFM u match that to the filter u got a 170cfm fan then u get a 170 cfm filter

and oh the plants u grow will get big fast so to start on the new system just do one plant under the HID untill u know the reactions (u can run out of room fast i did doing 4 plants in a 4x4)