H3ri first grow ever with CFL and cabinet (White Whidow)

[H3ri]

So I am basically a first time grower. I have done much needed research on this matter and looked up so much information I think I will be on the right track with all this information around here. Let me get started, items purchased

8x23watt Daylight CFL (6500K)
8x23watt Warm White CFL (2700K)
1 Oscillating fan to keep the temperatures down (temporary measure, going to make exhaust fans)
Cabinet dimensions are 31 1/2" H x 24" W x 12" D (Sounds small but upon taking a good look at it at the store it is pretty adequate for what it will be used.
I have got thermometer with hygrometer
Electric timer for the lights
Miracle Grow Seed Starting Potting Mix with ingredients only consisting of peat moss, perlite, wetting agent, and 0.05-0.01-0.05 mixture.
Better Gro Orchid Plus 20-14-13 for use in the vegetative stage
Better Gro Orchid Bloom Booster 11-35-15 for use in flowering stage



I have posted pictures up of my setup I just got done building. I have already germinated the seeds and they are ready to be planted. I will also be posting those pictures up soon. I have got white widow on the way which should be in my mail very soon and the seeds that are germinated are some really good mids, I wanted to do this so I can practice on the mids first then I can use most of the knowledge gained to put to use on the white widow plants just one step behind those mids.


If you could guys share your vast knowledge and help me with any tips or information at this point. I know I need to get 100watts per plant and in this setup I have 4x23watt bulbs per plant, I am wondering if that would suffice, if not I can easily put another bulb in the middle.


Thanks,
H3ri

 

[Smoking Gun]

Nice design there. One problem I do see right off the bat is your thermometer is above the lights, this does you no good. You really want to be measuring the temperature at the tops of the plants. I would think about mounting your thermometer on the inside of the box on the back, not on the door or that high up. If you are going to permamnently mount it I would do it right where you want the tops of the plants to be in flower.

Other than that, nice set up. When in flower I would keep a mixed spectrum on your plants, you will get much better results than with one spectrum alone. I have found with CFL's it seems 4000k is the ideal light temperature to grow top buds. The ratio you would need to keep is roughly 3 6500K bulbs to 5 2700K bulbs. Since this ratio would give only one plant at a time the proper spectrum you would have to either switch the plants each day or switch the bulbs back and forth. But neither of those is a difficult task, that is one of the really nice things about working with CFL's.

I would also have to suggest learning a good training technique. I would start with LST (low stress training), it is simple and will certainly not hurt your plant or yield. If done properly LST will maximize your harvest. Another thing that will help maximize your harvest and works very well in conjunction with LST is trimming away all the lower growth. About 5-7 days before switching over to flower trim of all the lower growth. Let the plant focus on the top most growth. CFL's do not have much light intensity more than 9 inches or so away from the bulb. So the best growth and buds are going to grow within the top foot of your plant. By trimming away any growth that does not fill the canopy you allow the plant to focus its energy on the growth most exposed to the light. The conditions will be optimal for those tops to grow large and healthy.

I would suggest working on that ventilation soon. Although the CFL's don't put out as much heat as HID lights the heat from 8 will start to add up. Simply computer fans can be purchased from Radio Shack or Best Buy for cheap and are basically ready to to be plugged in and hooked up. Just add a plug.

I hope this helps some. Best of luck. I have a seat pulled up for this. I started out like this too, although I didn't have a real cabinet I used 1 CFL and a cardboard box.

 

[Smoking Gun]

Actually I just saw a flaw with your cabinet. I was looking at your pictures again, you have some major light leakage. I would either drape something over the front when in dark or try and put some weather stripping or something along the interior to stop that leakage. Think of it this way, if that much light is leaking out, that same amount will leak in.

Also what really drew my attention to that problem was how your power cord ran. You have it running through the crack in the door, that is a bad idea. It will eventually put undue wear and tear on that cord. Drill a small hole in the top and run the cord back into the cab through there. A small hole above your lighting shelf will block a small light leak as opposed to the larger light leaks coming from the doors.

Sorry , just noticed that.

 

[H3ri]

Excellent reply Smoking Gun. I do appreciate it man. Yeah I forgot to mention I am going the LST route for sure. I have seen some crazy pictures of a couple of people doing it the right way and it sure does yield really well if done properly. Yep I am definately working on the exhaust right now.

I did cut up two of my computer fans yesterday. I am also big into computers. Anyways yeah I tried to hook those up to the electrical and when I plugged it in it make a big click noise, so I took out the computer fans from the wiring. How are they supposed to be wired?


Thanks again



EDIT: Yeah there is major leak issues. I am going to get some kind of draping and just put it all over the entire box and tape the back part of the cabinet and put the drape over the front and have the holes for the wiring. I was about to complete all of that yesterday, but it got too late and I had smoked waayyy too much.

 

[Smoking Gun]

I did cut up two of my computer fans yesterday. I am also big into computers. Anyways yeah I tried to hook those up to the electrical and when I plugged it in it make a big click noise, so I took out the computer fans from the wiring. How are they supposed to be wired?

I am not sure what kind of fan you are using. How much power does it need? Is it AC or DC? check that all out. It should have that info somewhere on the fan (hopefully). That is part of why I suggested Radio Shack. They have the correct parts with all the power info you need. And if you really need to ask, one of the guys at Radio Shack usually knows what he is talking about. If the fan needs AC power just add a plug and plug it in. If it needs DC power you will need a proper adapter.