What do you guys think about my micro-grow cab?

Hello all, this will be my very first grow - so I decided to keep it on a low scale in case of complete disaster, a very low scale.

I threw together a small grow chamber out of an old gutted CPU, it measures just about 14.5''x15.5''x7.5''. I'm running two 120v computer fans as an exhaust system, and a single 42 watt (200w equivalent) soft white CFL @ 2800 lumens. This will be an LST grow, and the strain is Green House Seeds' 'The Church', feminised. I know its probably not the best choice for such a small work space - but I got it for free from attitudes 'unbelievable free offers' deal and similar to what I said before, I'd rather catastrophe occur with a seed I didn't even pay for.

As you can see from the pictures its not fully complete - but basically I just completely gutted a CPU, gave it a sweet new paint job, and attached 2 fans. Well only one is attached at the moment but everything will be complete by tomorrow.



This is a rear view of the cab, that is the intake fan. As you can see it is not fully sealed around the fan as of yet.



This is the naked interior of the cabinet. One more coat of flat white is going to be added before the grow is actually underway. I'm not feeling the streaky finish.



This is the inside with the pot and the lamp to give a rough idea of the grow space I have to work with. VERY small, I know, but I am not striving for a high yield - I am doing this solely as a learning experience before expanding and constructing a much larger space to devote to growing. For the experience, you could say. As long as it turns out to be tasty, aromatic, and potent buds - I'd be satisfied if I got 3 grams off this lovely to-be lady



Click here for more info on the strain I am using.

What do you guys think?

Anyone? Also, that pot is not going to be the pot I will be planting in. I kind of don't even know why I placed it there for the picture.

well I geuss its pretty cool. mayby you will yield a a quarter?

MrStickyScissors said:

well I geuss its pretty cool. mayby you will yield a a quarter?

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Thanks dude, I'd be super stoked with a quarter off this go. I have a question for you -

how would two 26 watt CFL's compare to my single 42 watt? It would give me at least another 2 inches of vertical growth room, this 42 watt CFL is huge..

You should be easily able to LST an oz. from a church plant in there.

bigv1976 said:

You should be easily able to LST an oz. from a church plant in there.

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Nice! This is sounding quite promising. Any quick tips on LSTing?

You can read up on it but it is as simple as tying your plants down to limit height. No huge strategy or plan just tie em down.

Thanks man. Also, what about my lighting? Should I stick to the larger, 42/200 cfl or would several 26w cfls be better? It would certainly allow for a slightly taller plant.

I would say go with 2 smaller bulbs for a few reasons. First is the one you mentioned is grow height. I also think you will find that the smaller bulbs are more efficient (lumens per watt) and 2 26's will give you 10 more watts of light.

Thanks a lot. Last question I swear.. sorry its my first go and I'm neurotic about having everything as damn near perfect as possible..

What do you think I should do in terms of light cycles in regards to my situation? I have seen people go straight into 12/12 from seedlings in these PC grow cases.. I was thinking 18/6 until I have a few ties in place and then switch to 12/12 once it gets a bit bushier and I start to see budding sites. Wwyd?

Dont worry about perfection and dont expect to get it right 100% on your first grow. For now go with 12/12 right from the start. I sense that if you start running into space restriction due to a veg period you will panic and flood the forum with "Help Me" posts. LOL

hahaha well I'd have to say you are probably 100% correct on that one good sir. Thanks for the info it helps a lot.

Church is a big plant so that box will be full by the time it is done. Growing is not a trial like alot of people make it out to be. It is a hobby that pays for itself. If you get in a pinch pm me. I am not a master grower by any means but I have a few grows under my belt and have read ALOT and I am now at the point where I am growing well. I have done LST and SCROG and honestly I wouldnt grow any other way.

Thanks a lot dude! I am really appreciative of your help. Yeah I wanted to take the SCROG route, seems to be the most effective way of maximizing yields in a limited area - but no matter how many tutorials I read I just can't seem to fully grasp the concept of it. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed I guess, lol.

Simple simple simple. Put a screen over your plants and pull them back under it when the grow through untill they show signs of flowering and then just let them grow through after that. The canopy will stay flat and even and your light will hit more of the plant making more bud sites and better yeild.

I think thats the part that throws me off.. when I pull the plants back under the screen, am I pulling it back completely under or weaving it through the screen? It sounds very very appealing but I feel like it'd be a disaster if attempted it.. I really don't know why its so difficult for me to fully comprehend lol

You can do it either way.

So more or less its just LSTing in a different fashion? A fixed set of strings to continually tuck the growth under rather than just tying individually every few days? I think I may be catching on..

In your experiences what has been the most favorable germing method for you? I only have one church seed to work with so I am really praying the germing goes well.. I have a bunch of autoflowers and ryder crossbreeds but I'd hate to have to use one of them for my first grow..

I put my seed in a glass of water for 24 hours and then place them into a wet paper towel until the tap root appears and then plant the seed root down.

Make sure you get a 6500k light for vegging. (8$ home depot or walmart)