Stealth TV Cabinet Setup CFL Scrog or MH/HPS

So I've started construction of my stealth TV Cabinet. Have a total or H64"xW42.5"xD25" grow room. I have a few ideas in mind.
- Grow plants 30" and do a scrog.
- Grow plants without a screen and grow them the full height I'm able to.

I also dont know if I should use HPS or CFL. I can get a 600W switchable ballast but the hood is too big (I'll have to make a DIY Cool tube and reflector) and it'll limit height.

Or I can make a CFL hood with multiple bulbs, and less heat.. Question is- what is best for scrog? Also, if I go with the HPS, I have a 6" inline fan accessible also. So best shouldn't be too much of an issue. (Box will be directly in front of a wall AC unit)

Input on design, thoughts on light options, ANYTHING IS APPRECIATED.

-HOLZ3R


(would like to add an image, don't know how to though... any help THERE would be awesome also lol)

Welcome to RIU, I use a 400 HPS/MH in a closet that is 2'x'4'x8' and use a 4" inline to control heat. You could def. go with the 600 if it is dimmable and in my opinion will be a much better light than CFL. Sounds like you got the inline fan and with cooltube or vented hood should be able to control heat. Now you say stealth, that fan is going to make some noise. Regardless the CFL's although people say they run cool will need exhaust as well. Air exchange is important. You also are going to need to look into a carbon filter for smell. SCORG would work well, just make sure you have some room to work and water your plants once you put that net down they are pretty much locked in. Really you need to try a few different ways of growing to figure out what works best for you and your setup.

As far as pictures....I am not positive, I remember having troubles when I first got on here. Not sure if you have to make a few posts first? Anyway there is a insert image icon above when you reply or post and pretty much just upload and insert pic?

600 seems like over kill for that small of a space. If you are upgrading to a larger space in the future, get a dimmable 600.

Here is an image of my progress so far... To give an idea on size and shape (ay-oh) ... 600w would be overkill you say?

use the "Go Advanaced" option to post............ jus follow if you can hope they show in order

600 can cover a 4x4 area pretty well while penetrating 3-4 feet. It runs pretty hot and managing heat will be your issue. Dim able is nice and so is a speed controller for your fan. Will help you dial things in. 400 would be pretty ideal for your space.

Mobile just ain't doing it for me :/ no internet at home so mobile is my only option... lemme upload to a photo share site and go from there. Fuck meta tags... come find me.

(GOT IT WORKING!! LOL)

And stand corrected.. it IS a 400w ballast. And its switchable so that solves the over kill on lighting issue... so realistically how many plants can I scrog in this space I have? This will be my (hopefully) first successful grow... I've helped on multiple but never grown MY OWN. :/

I managed to see one of your pics! lol Being this is a corner unit you have less room. Sounds like your good with your light / fan setup. Exhaust from top, pull in cool air from bottom of cabinet. 400 covers a 3'x3' area well with 3' penetration....I would start with two plants. In a SCROG you would run less plants and have them canopy over a larger area. You may want to think about a SOG as well. Depends what you want to do? You running same strain? Want to grow different strains or perpetual? I assume they will go start to finish in that cab?

I don't even know what kind of seeds :/ probably bag seed for first run to see if I can do it.. then I'll get some legit seeds and go from there.. if I use a 400W ballast, can I use 2 separate 150W bulbs or does it have to be a single bulb with a total of 400W?

I don't think that is possible....think you are stuck with the one bulb. Why you thinking (2) 150's? yeah for first go I would just 3 no scrog and see how it fills the space. You can pretty much train (or not) to adjust for your grow area and amount of plants (to a point). I order seeds from Attitude online, no issues (fem seeds).

And this may deter a lot but how far can you get with no nutes? Like I said first grow and don't want to waste nutes on a possible failed first attempt.

depending on ur soil mix u can last around 2 months, and each transplant will add to the time from the new soils nutes.

A bit of progress... foamed the doors (light leak and air tight...ness?), caulking (same reason), hung my mogul socket (to get it outta my way, going to diy cooltube it), and I was wondering- block the two midway up holes or leave them open for passive intakes? Will they help or no? Or i can use them for cootube intake and exhaust. Lemme know, thanks.

-HOLZ3R

Just make sure you do some research and you will be fine with your first attempt. The issue many newbies have is over watering and overfeeding. I use Fox farm Ocean Forest soil it has food in it and can carry your plants 4 weeks before needing to be fed. You may not need to feed at all during veg. if you veg for 4 weeks. Will depend on size of pots, frequency of watering, etc. You won't use tons of nutes anyway start 1/4 and work way up...some follow a schedule of water water feed....

To make it easy on yourself you can start bag seedling in red solo cup, transplant once your plant is roughly size (height and width) of cup into 3 gallon pot and your good until harvest. I like DynaGro nutes personally...easy to use don't need to mix a bunch of different stuff. For your first grow just let your plant grow, don't worry about topping, training, or SCROG. I would cover those holes, you want to avoid light leaks. I would run carbon filter ducted to cool tube ducted to fan pulling hot air and filtering smell out of cabinet. That will also cause negative pressure and pull air in, if you pull air in from bottom it will be cooler air and cause better airflow in the cabinet. If temps are an issue (over 85) then you can try pulling outside air through cooltube and out. And again you will need a carbon filter for smell when in flower, it can get very stinky!

rwbrock said:

I would run carbon filter ducted to cool tube ducted to fan pulling hot air and filtering smell

Click to expand...

Why run carbon filter on cooltube? Cooltube exhaust won't stink will it? If not, why carbon filter? If I have separate intake and exhaust for cooltube theres no need for carbon filter (other than the one on my 4" exhaust fan) right?

-HOLZ3R

Yeah I mean if you just had one inline fan. If you have two then run one pulling air from outside through cool tube and exhaust out. Then use the other inline fan to pull air through filter and exhaust out. Cool tube won't smell.

Just putting one more quart of kilz in then the light situation should be figured out...400w mh/hps remote ballast, mailbox+diy cooltube + two 4" duct hangers= diy cooltube and hood... with remote ballast. 4" inline exhaust fan and carbon filter... 2-4 PC fans for intake? 2x2stacked... sufficient air flow?

yeah 600w is probably going to be too hot, i would go with 400w. Just make sure you have proper air flow

yeah man that sounds like it will work, the negative pressure is going to come from the 4" hooked up to the filter. Mine is 160 cfm and it took my (2) little 5" fans (CVS fans rigged) to equal out the pressure (still want a little negative) and get good intake. I would start with 2 and rig something up to diffuse the light. Also want to look into something to filter the air coming in so your not pulling dust, bugs, etc. Sounds like your close....