Pot Luck! Beta Build PC Stealth Grow

Hi all,

Long time fan, first time poster...
Long time toker, first time grower...

This is my beta build for a PC stealth grow... cobbled together over a wet weekend,
I have plans in my head for a larger version using an old server case that will give me
more headroom and room for more lighting...

This is an old antec 300 PC case, gutted, sealed with mounting card, glue and paint.
Passive intake through the top (sealed off from rest of case to stop light leakage,
on the whole) with a vent into case. 80mm PC exhaust fan to rear in weird curved
vent, (don't ask!) again to stop light leakage. Absolutely no filtration on exhaust gases,
but can worry about that if they make it that far...

It currently has a pair of cfl's in. (one unknown, other is a 40w equiv 6400k
daylight sim) I found a pair of LED grow lights for 30 quid, tried 'em, not sure
of quality or usability after extensive reading. May be put as ancillary lights in
my next attempt.. (hindsight is always 20:20!)

Seeds were an odd mixture from my stash tin (Knew I kept 'em for a reason!)
Call me a philistine, but I chucked a dozen or so of the healthiest looking ones
into a sandwich bag with moist blotting paper, and kept it warm for a week or so...

Three came through, and were (shudder) transplanted to a ready bought planter
tray with something else already in. Cant remember what, 3 quid from local Tesco,
duly uprooted and binned!

About a week or so in, and have three smallish specimens on the go! Repotted in
Innes No 2. Had to trim the pots down to get all three in! I know this isn't the most
polished of grow attempts, but I'm hoping enthusiasm will be won over by experience.

As I mentioned, I am planning a proper build soon, using a larger server case
that should give me more headroom, and I am looking at getting seed of a
lowryder variety.. I intend to be more professional in that attempt and intend to journal
it. a) for my own satisfaction and b) get some valuable feedback from other growers
and c) reference for anyone who would like to try it out! (envious of those who have
room/time/patience/knowledge to grow properly.. I salute you!)

Are there any growers who have had success with PC stylee grow boxes?
I would love to hear from you with any hints, suggestions or thoughts!

Cheers for now!

Please...
I don't want to come off as "the asshole" but You're doing a few things wrong...

CFL lights, the little twisty ones your using,
should ALWAYS be 1"-3" away from leaves. Always.
The rule is "As close as possible without leaf burning."
But some growers might put it at 3" to get more stretch for technical reasons.

So you should raise your plants until theyre about 1-2" away.
You can see the stretch between the ground level and the seed leaves,
and and again between the seed leaves and the first internode. Next time you transplant,
you can bury the stem up to the seed leaves, or up to the first leaves.
Just peel off the underground leaves and they'll become roots in about a week or so
with proper care. You'll have to experiment with this to get a feel for it.
These are just ways to make your plant shorter, and bushier.

You could also train it, which could be LST, HST, Topping, FIMing, or Mutilation.
All of these EXCEPT FOR LST will diffuse floral hormones, and without the upmost
care and love, they will never flower as much as they could have in natural shape.

If you bend your plant over gently, day by day getting a few more degrees,
you will NATURALLY send the plants Auxins,
(Vertical Growth Hormones(or are they just plain growth hormones?? ) )
to the other internodes of the plant. Especially concentrating on the PHYSICALLY TALLEST INTERNODE.
Whichever node is highest in the sky becomes dominant.

If you encourage an even canopy of growth nodes this way, they all grow symmetrically,
and make a nice little canopy thats easy to light.

Start reading more about this, there's ENDLESS possibilities.

Good luck, you're off to a good start, just the lighting really.

Please, no apologies for the reply! You don't come off as an asshole, but someone
who's read my post and commented on the flaws in my rig. Cheers dude!
End of the night for me here, C.Indica, but your reply is met with thanks and appreciation!

Theres alot for me to read up on, unfortunately, I've just spent my last hour reading up on
a cab build thats had a couple of grand thrown at it! mad stuff! I only checked my post before
heading to bed. I've read so much on the subject in the last week that my heads buzzing!

I will start again tomorrow with a fresh head and work through what you have supplied me.
Many thanks again, and I will follow up my post asap. Hope you follow my post with the
enthusiasm and, more than likely, more pointers.

man that really was the best advice I've heard in a long time!! You mean the best is LST with twine or string, is the best in your opinion? Thanks boxit

Yo grouch, how's things coming along?
Let's see your artwork. Get us some plantporn please.

Ehh, I don't have a favorite yet, personally I like the idea of a natural shape bush.
But I'm just getting started, honestly I've only got about 8 months under my belt.
Also, stress training/pruning branches tends to lower yields without the proper care and time to recover. Right now I've got one bad gal with every branch she started with. She's only shed like three leaves and she's about 8 weeks old.

About as natural shaped as it gets.


You can lst with whatever you want..
Some people bury hooks in the dirt and hook the branch downwards, others poke holes in the rim of pots, and tie strings from branches to holes.
Some people tie weights to the branches (I've heard of 1 liter water bottles)
But you have to be careful and know the strength of EACH INDIVIDUAL PLANT.
Even in the same lots of clones or seedlings, some will be thicker..

Sorry for the late update. General life, work and family have keep me offline for the last few weeks.
I have been busy however...

After my initial foray into a stealth PC grow box, (see previous post). I have really got the bug! So I went to work on version two..
I really wanted to see what I could put together on a budget without buying loads of specific kit. The basics are listed below:

• PC Server case (24"): £35, from PC seconds Shop
• 3 fans (1 x 8", 2 x 4"): £12 approx, Maplin Electronics
• 5 screw bulb holders: £10 approx, Maplin Electronics
• Wire mesh: £5, Art Shop
• 2 & 3 core wire: £12, B&Q
• Foam Camping Mat: £8, from Camping Shop
• 6 or 7 CFLs: Various wattage: £20, Tescos
• Activated Carbon Granules: £8, Aquarium Shop
• Cooker hood Filter: £5, B&Q
• Vecro tape: £5, Pound Shop
• AC/DC Variable Adaptor: £10, Electronics Shop

Various other odds and sods; Glues, Electrical tape, wood offcuts, white radiator paint, found tins and boxes. etc.

I wont bore you with all the minute details, but I worked out three areas to work on;
The case, the lighting and a filter. ( I am thinking of producing the specs to anyone
interested in building their own as I think $2K for a States bought one is a tad pricey!)

The case was stripped of all internal parts, rivets drilled out, LEDs removed, etc.
It was all sealed up using offcuts of mounting card and electrical tape.
I cut the foam camping mat to size to fit inside and held in place with velcro tape. I figured the foam
would help insulate the box and the foil backing on it would work as a reflector while avoiding the problems
of hot spots associated with tin foil.The top part of the case is removable and is now used as a passive intake,
passing air through the top of the case.

The back access panel was removed and a thin board of plywood was attached using screws, allowing me
to position holes for the outlet fan and wiring.

The lighting rig was built to be positionable, so as my babies grow, the lights can be repositioned to sit
at the right height above them. The box houses five bulb holders, spaced out to allow five CFLs.
(or four and my shit impulse bought LED light!) It also houses two 4" fans to help move air past the lights and over the plants.

Its all held by eyelet hooks from the rig to the case, using thin clothes line rope, just change the length required,
and hold in place with a slip knot or a clippit clip!

The filter was made from a twiglets tin, two lengths of modelling wire mesh, and capped internally with excess
tubes found under the kitchen sink. It has a layer of HEPA filter, liberated from an old Henry Hoover bag, held in place
with tie clips. An old stocking from the missus (allowed!) inside, filled with activated carbon granules. The outer layer
has another layer of HEPA filter, and a layer of cooker hood filter, again tied off with tie clips.
The Twiglets tin was used as the lid can be removed and it can be refilled/changed easily without being dismantled.

The filter assembly was then attached to the back of the case using a 'spare' length of plastic ducting liberated from
the tumble drier, tieclipped to the filter and a connection made to screw onto the back of the case, over the outlet fan.

Its been running for two days now and no smells, minimum noise. The case is sitting at 25 degrees celsius. (too cool?)
I have been playing with the fan speeds for optimum speed, quite easy as I just alter the voltage on the variable AC/DC adapter.
It was 12V, but currently running at 9v.

Check out round two!




Cheers to C.Indica for the advice on LST. Two of my babies are undergoing LST and one has been left 'au natural'.
I've read up quite a bit on the subject and now feel confident enough to have a crack at it.
Anyone thoughts or comments are most appreciated. I hope to keep this update a tad more regular in future.

http://www.marijuana-seeds.net/Indoor-Marijuana-Growing-Vertical-or-Horizontal-.html

This link helped me develop better grow techniques, I'm gunna try the SCROG method in my next cabinet.

Good luck, WeedMan1337

Cheers Weedman,
I have seen that page in my travels. Been doing alot of reading up on the subject. Of my two cases, the pair are being LST'ed and I'm using SCROG on my other baby in its own case...

Sweet, Let me know how that LST goes. I'm looking at doing an LST and Horizontally growing it along a mesh screen that I'll place right beside my plant.

Your set-up looks great, dude. I am highly impressed.

Wow looks like a solid setup. I would have to agree with Indica on the LST. Check out my Blueberry grow if you want to see some LST. Other than that all I can say is good luck

This looks really good mate .... I'm currently doing as much research on this as i can to try and build something similar. I'm stuck between the idea of a PC box or using an old filing cabinet I snaffled from work. Or both .... I've read that a PC case is really good for housing a mother plant to cut the clones off, and then maybe use the filing cabinet for the baby girls.

Anyhoo, one question I have about your system ... what wattage are you getting in total from the CFL's? I note that you got a load from Tesco but all I can find in the shops at the moment is 11w....

Cheers in advance ... and cheers for the illuminating thread so far!

Lo there Gingermark,

Cheers! I'd keep looking up stuff on this forum and others on PC cases, thats how I learnt alot of this stuff. I imagine a modified filing cabinet would be a great shout for an indoor grow cab. My PC case is 24" but even then, I'm running out of room! I hate to upset the pros, but I'm running quite a low wattage. My small Antec case has two 9 Watt CFL bulbs I got from the supermarket. I only got 'em coz they were 6400k ones which I haven't found since. My Server case has two 11 Watt and a 9 Watt. (Again, 6400K temp versions.) Haven't found these puppies since, even after an extensive shop trawl.

Since my Server case is full, I am considering moving to a 12/12 setup using three 12 Watt 2700K CFls for flowering. Not a monster plant to induce flowering, but I have read that they tend to grow quite a bit while flowering. I really don't have much space left. I'm not after a huge harvest, but want to see if my work so far pans out. (And I have no idea what sex it is yet!). Any bud I get will be a bonus and inspiration for future grows.

Thanks for the reply .... You're right, everything we need is here on the forums to help us out. It's just finding the information and then using it. I've finally made a decision on what I'm going to convert to grow - a pair of old chests of drawers I stumbled across in a charity shop the other day and snaffled for £40 the pair. I suspected working with wood might be easier than messing with a metal filing cabinet!

Good luck with the rest of your grow fella ... I'll drop by on here and keep an eye on your journal to see how it turns out for you. Now I've just got to motivate myself to write my own journal to go alongside my conversion and grow!