the mission....build a "grow box"

[poutpup07]

ok i have a problem i cant yake the light anymore and my show has to go to the garage....the unheated garage.....but i figure between the lamp and ballast there should be enough light id also like to squeeze a 1000 watter in that baby too, the alternate is a 400 w mh and a 250 hps so those arer the lights we have to work with....as you can see from my equipment i started small and as a little "hobby" and now its well more than that. so i cant afford 2500 u.s. for a bloom box so i want to build one . im hoping it can be as small as possible but pump out a good pound a month on a staggered harvest. i want to rotate two of them at a time like 20 bubbas at 60 days and 20 williams wonder at 30 days you know perpetual style......but have my moms under floros or hopefully the 250 if i dont need her in the flower chamber......

i would like the box to be 6 feet total length by 4 feet wide and deep total 16 sq feet or 96 cubic feet i think...i would like the mother now it could also lay on its side and be 6 feet long and 4 feet high but i figure the light will be harder to cover the area, so i was thinking about building a mother/ clone area on top of the bud area.....lighting the moms with a 65 watt home security light, and possibly a 4 foot 2 bulb shop type of floro light with "plant spectrum bulbs, if need be i could use a 250 watt hps but would like to save on watts wherever possible. a 1000 watt hps would be 62.5 watts per sq. foot....i know it seems like alot but its not really too much is it ....is there such a thing? as long as i ccan dissapate the theat that is produced but since it will be winter in my garage will be the temp outside so i want to hook a thermometer up in there somewhere attached to a vent fan that has a carbon filteron it....sorry im rambling...if anyone has any suggestions let me know as my girls gonna make me choose between my girls if i dont move em soon.
peace
pup

 

[ProGroWannabe]

....... my girls gonna make me choose between my girls if i dont move em soon.
peace
pup

Well THAT'S certainly no good! Lets see here....
1. Does it have to be a quiet cabinet..ie how much stealth do you need?
2. If stealth isn't a huge concern, then you can get that lb a month, but it won't be a cake-walk. The reason I ask about the tolerable noise level is your gonna HAVE to use a dedicated A/C unit in there. The reason for that is your gonna have to run HELLA-LIGHT in that cab to get to a lb a month. And even with ambient temps being low, a 1000w in there is gonna build heat FAST.
3. Once you've got all the light you can muster in there, and are able to cool it effectively (think 10,000btu here) then you can start to look into the highest yielding strains in your stable, or buy a pack to look through.

I'd do it in the order I just wrote because when your maximizing a small space, you need to make a few "dry runs" to tweak the light, airflow, and cooling. When starting a new space I always place several thermometers in different levels of the grow area to monitor temps and humidity through a few full-term lights on/ lights off cycles. While your tweaking your space, you'll have a week or so to play with variables while you wait for your new beans, if ordering any.

Just my thoughts. Good luck bro, and keep us posted.

 

[Green81]

i have a similar setup, Pout, you gonna have some serious humidity issues, unless your garage is heated. I find it tricky getting optimum tempeature and humidity levels, trust me find a strain that isnt to fussy or your gonna get bud rot, well. you might. :talking

 

[poutpup07]

i was thinking

it could be built from chipboard or plywood of some kind and set in the "back" of the garage pile we dont have a two car garage but easily a 1 and 3/4 car garage anough room to have a pile of big stuff,ladders, tools,weight bench, tupperware tubs with decorative stuff in them....it would be easy enough to hide and that the method i was thinking of taking.and then of course a two lock system on the door so NOBODY gets in that i dont want in there....plus its winter so it aint like the kids need to get there bikes out everyday they would barely need to go it there at all. what do you guys think about co2? would it be worth it to add that and then make my own carbon filter instead of buying the filter right away because a homemade one can work just as effectivly i believeif put together properly with no leaks.brb to finish gotta mow the yARD
peace
pup

 

[hoosierdaddy]

pump out a good pound a month on a staggered harvest

Right away you have a pretty lofty goal for box growing.
Especially if you can't afford a tent.
There are going to be expenses to putting together a box that will yield a lb a month. And if you are going to do the thing commercially, a box aint gonna cut it anywho.

If you had slightly less adventurous expectation of yields, you could consider doing a pre-made box.
I recommend the Store-it-all closets sold at Lowes and Home DePot. The 2x4x6 model can easily accommodate full on veg and flower chambers, and is set up real well for adding fans, scrubbers, etc...
$110 USD There is no way you could build that box for that money.
IMO, save the wattage for the flower area, and use CFL or flouro tube for veg. One 26w CFL can veg a plant for 30 days nicely with thick green and tight nodes.

 

[ProGroWannabe]

Yeah hoosierdaddy....great points there, especially about the cfl's. They have to be THE MOST VERSATILE invention ever for smaller grows.

 

[poutpup07]

i would....

consider any yield at this point if i cant hit a pound then i cant i don't want to be unrealistic in my expectations i had a 4x 4 x 8 foot box last time and was able to produce nice harvests every time....i dont really use a scale as i dont get rid of any and if it is it is given away freely. i only recoupe nutrient expenses and that is accepted as donations usually. dont get me wrong i do it so i dont have to spend money or expose myself to risky people/places/things i'm not a snob or nothin just enjoy my freedom. anyways it will be in a garage that is not heates but between the ballast and lamp i figure that would heat a box? maybe not......how bout like a plug in heater with grates that give off dry heat. i dunno i am starting to think negativley about this because of the no heat issue.
peace
pup

 

[ProGroWannabe]

IMO.....you will only need the heater when the lights are off. I may be wrong since I'm not there and do not know your high and low temp spread, but that's my two cents.

 

[poutpup07]

avg temps....

in the winter shyt......im in the u.s. at around 42 degrees north i can see canada on a clear day from the top of my towns ferris wheel! 27 miles across the lake at its shortest point round here. it can get from like the low 20s to the high thirties. probably about 32/34 from like end of november to end of february and a little into march. temp would be cold for sure so heat at night would need be done for sure.........hmmmmm there is however a hook up for a propane style stove that was taken out by the previous tenant of the house and the owner but that could be put back in and hidden easily or really no need to hide it i chop wood out there and work in the garage in the winter so having heat could easily be reasoned but yet anothr expense....ahhhh this is startin to suck...gonna have to get creative here that be for sure!
sorry i ramble
peace
pout

 

[ProGroWannabe]

It's my opinion that your thinking you'll need way more heat than you actually do. I think a small electric heater in that "box" should be plenty. Afterall, it's gonna be a fairly small space right?

 

[Donk Frog]

I get two pounds a cycle in my box.....it is 6ft long x 3ft depth x 4.5fee in hight.
5 exhaust/intake fans, co2 ready, dwc/drip, 14 gallon res,+++...check out my post under title turn key hydro