Closet Stealth Grow - First Time Grower

[Shaded420]

Hey guys,

Thought I would pop in and give you all a little update as to the progress of my first attempt at a grow setup. I've decided to use a 23"x17"x36" space in my closet for the single plant setup. I have opted to go with LED lighting due to the size constraints I am working with, as well as to keep temperatures down inside the box. Some info on the setup:

-65w Hans panel (waiting for it to arrive, it's sitting in Canadian customs - should be here next week)
-23x17x36 carboard box reinforced/assembled with gorilla/duct tape
-Wooden dowel frame for added structure and light-hanging support
-White polymar reflective material taped to the inside with reflective tin tape
-Eye bolt with metal flange/washers used as the mounting point for the Hans panel (which will be attached with potters chain)
-DIY carbon filter (https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/101248-best-diy-ez-walmart-carbon.html) Ty Wolfman Zen
-4" muffin fan for exhausting

I will probably finish the build up tonight - still need to cut a hole for the air intake/cover it with mesh, and cut a hole to feed power cords out of the box. The front of the box is a cardboard panel that will be taped to form a seal, which I've cut out a fairly decently sized door that is held in place with magnetic strips and has a makeshift handle.

So after the box is completed tonight, I just have to wait for the Hans panel to get here and then I will get this box going with a little clone inside of it.



I will update this post later tonight/tomorrow with pics of the finished box.

 

[rwbrock]

Looks good but did you verify how far away that light needs to be away from the plant? I just bought an Area51 LED which is larger and covers a 2x3 area and they recommend 20" away and even further during veg. I started reading up on it a little and has to do with angle and wattage of leds. Hans doesn't really state the recommended distance but after learning more it is def different than a standard CFL or HPS where you can get it right on top of your plant if heat isn't an issue. Might want to look into that, 3' feet tall seems a little short even if you LST and scrog....

 

[Shaded420]

In the two grow journals I followed(Hans panel vs Indagrow, and one other one I forget the name of), one had the panel 5" from the canopy and the other guy had it 10" or so from canopy. But you are right, height restrictions at this point are the only thing worrying me a little bit.

 

[Shaded420]

Finished up the box tonight with the help of my buddy wood780

Attached an air intake near the bottom-right corner and covered it with some fibrous material, reinforced the corners of the dowels with hot glue as the wood glue was not as strong as I wanted it to be, attached the front panel/door combo, cut hole in top-right corner for cordage. The plan initially with the door was to use magnet strip panels on all 4 corners, but we decided to go with the duct tape hinge on one side and the magnet strip panels on the other. We then ran double-sided duct tape down the sides of the door so that when the door is closed it forms a light-proof seal.

Overall the weight of the finished box is about 5-6lbs(without the Hans panel). My phone died before I could take a picture of it with one of wood780's flowering ladies to give you an idea of what a decent sized plant looks like inside.



Will update later with pics of it in my closet.

 

[Shaded420]

Here are some pics of wood780's girls, I put one of them inside the grow box just for size comparisons.



Here are some pics of the finalized setup inside of the closet. I've decided to purchase a "Speed Control Cord For 100 to 125V AC Cooling Fans" because that 4" muffin fan is loud as hell. I also decided to remove the handle from the door panel as it was not very stealthy, nor was it necessary.



You can barely tell it's there!

 

[siegalsmoker]

Setup looks good bro. Can't wait to see the progression!

 

[Shaded420]

https://www.rollitup.org/led-other-lighting/729551-hans-pannel-2.html

"As far as distance goes I just suffered a light burn the plant stretched overnight and was about 3-4 inches from the panel and had some bleaching and light burning, not really burning as the tip was still wet but it was faded kinda differently from a floro burn or hps burn. I now have the tops of all 3 plants currently in flower about 8 inches away from the panel"

 

[wood780]

How long into flower till the plant stops growing upwards . That small girl is about three weeks into flower

 

[rwbrock]

Came out good! Now you just need to figure out how to maximize your grow in that small space. Wood should stop growing upwards now and the buds will start to fill in.

 

[wood780]

Well if thats the case the box should be fine . Even my bigger one fit in the box with about a foot of clearance . The plants in the picture were lst.d and seem like they stopped but if they get bigger id just tie down more . This will be a fun experiment

 

[Shaded420]

I will have to SCROG this biyatch as well!

 

[neonknight420]

I think autos would be your best bet for that space, being that they dont get too tall.

 

[Shaded420]

For now I am just using clones that Wood gives me, I might have to experiment with AF seeds later on down the road thanks for the suggestion

 

[Shaded420]

Decided to go to Home Depot and pick up some 23w 6500k CFL's to get the veg stage going while I wait for my Hans panel, and you can also see how my power cordage will be setup.

-6' electrical appliance flat extension cord to run from the outlet behind my bed into my closet
-3' flat extension with multi-outlet female end
-2xAC plugin adapter for light sockets
-2x23w 6500k CFL's

Just simply have them hanging from my Hans panel mounting point and have it held in place with a zip tie which makes it easily adjustable for height.



Box with no fan/no lights running:

Humidity 56
Temperature 15-16 celcius

Box with no fan/CFL's:

Humidity 40
Temperature 27 celcius

 

[Shaded420]

Got two little baby clones that made their trip home today



Their infancy begins under the temporary CFL's:

 

[wood780]

2 weeks old so small still i hope they grow , i never took clippings before

 

[Shaded420]

Oh...I think something just arrived in the mail!

Hans panel unboxing + setup pics incoming shortly..

 

[Shaded420]

Well, here is the Hans panel; the box was discreet and shipping was pretty fast. The panel itself was encased in bubble wrap and the box was full of foam peanuts. The power supply was wrapped in a smaller cardboard box.



Pretty solid power supply; has mounting holes, ac extension out of one end and the power cord to the panel coming out of the other which made for real slick installation!



Seems like the 2014 model includes a switch? The Hans panel running in "seed" mode, and I still kept one of the 6500k CFL's, but I might take it out for more heat reduction..

 

[Shaded420]

UPDATE: 2 days since coming home (first 24 hours was under temporary CFL)

Both clones showing noticeable growth(yay), however the clone that had the two extra leaves to begin with is obviously growing much more aggressively. I will keep this post updated every couple of days or so as long as there is change

...2 new sprouting areas that are both splitting off(the weak one)
...4 new leaves, 2 new sprouting areas which are splitting off the top(the strong one)
...2 more sprouting areas coming off of each of the lower leaves(the strong one)

I learned how to focus my camera phone...




Officially labeling this the "Hans Solo" grow!

 

[tttfreddd]

those look way overwatered or the lights are too close. something is wrong. they shouldn't have curled leaves like that.