1st Grow ("Stealth" Custom Box) - Need some advice

Hey, so I built a box, not so much stealth but it looks like a cabinet. The dimensions of it are 30''Wx30''Hx18''D. It has: auto reflector insulation, chrome tape, 4 outlets for bulbs, digital thermometer, power bar on outside and a way to raise/lower the bulbs.

NEED ADVICE: I have yet to make spaces for for intake and exhaust fans.

I was thinking 2-120mm exhaust fans, and 2-80mm intake fans. What location would be the best?





NEED ADVICE: Also, with this amount of room we have, how many plants and what seeds will be the best? (type and amount). I would also have to ask about soil type, and boosters, as well as water regiment.

Thanks a bunch guys, I look forward to this!

I would exhaust high one one side and intake lower on the other, that way the hot air rises up and out you exhaust, and cool air blows in under you canopy

With that same box set up... what type of bulbs should be used?

Will you be doing your whole grow on this thread????

Yes we will be, and asking for advice as we go. So if you have any ideas or comments or anyone you come across does... post it, We are thinking of trying "Alaskan Ice".

haly18 said:

Yes we will be, and asking for advice as we go. So if you have any ideas or comments or anyone you come across does... post it, We are thinking of trying "Alaskan Ice".

Click to expand...

Okay I will subscribe. I like watching peoples grows. What light you using? Nutes?

Cool, we don't know what lights to use yet. Thats what we are trying to find out on here too. Have you grown before 2amhigh?

For lights, you can get some "CFL" which are the little curly lightbulbs from homedepot etc. Get ones that say Daylight brightness/color, or they will say 6500k or around there. Those will work for your vegetative stage. Then switch the bulbs for 2700k or soft white brightness/color. If your using 4, then use 23 or higher wattage(actual watts). If your using more than 4 then the 18w bulbs put out slightly less light but MUCH less heat. The other option, which would be very very nice, would be to put a 4 bulb t5 set of lights in there. Cost would be around 100$ for a premade fixture or you could build one for around 40(incl bulbs). a t5 setup would put out MUCH more light than any 4 bulbs you can screw in.

As for ventilation, i have a similar sized cabinet and all i use is one 80 mm 12v fan with only 9v running it. It is enough to keep my cab at 80-85. I use one intake hole slightly smaller than the exhaust. This keeps a negative pressure from bottom to top so that my plants always have cool air.

What type of soil do you use karr? I've read to use something with a ph between 6.5 and 7.5 , and soil that is un-steralized.

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Just bought some Samsara - Spicy White Devil seeds. Looks perfect for our grow. Just need to figure out which bulbs, soil, and nutes now. Input?

Haha no idea what happened to my last font. well anyway, i use miracle grow African Violate soil when i am going cheap and when i can find it (walmart, lowes, etc). It is really good to me and does not contain the MG time release pitfalls.

If i am spending more time/money i recently tried Happy Frog soil, though i am very unimpressed. It has required more nutes and mostly equal growth to my MG soil, though my test was flawed as my ferret dug the roots up a bit into the grow.

For the future i will go with the MG soil if i can find it, or a mix of soils from the hydro store.

Also i may be returning to hydro soon enough. My first foray didn't go so well as i did not pay close enough attention to my environment and the PH.

Also i addressed the lighting that will work for you in that cabinet a few posts ago. Your other options are a CMH Bulb, you can get them in 250w (dont go lower as they are pulse start MH, not ideal). That bulb inside a small reflector would grow some GREAT bud in that space, but will put a bit more heat than CFL bulbs. That one bulb would be good from veg to flower.

You can entertain LED lights, but you need to spend AT LEAST 400$ on a unit to get any results. http://www.growledhydro.com/ makes some lights that have been getting good reviews. Just do your research though, a lot of companies will tell you their light is the best, but will not actually grow crap. Just google whatever light your looking at and the word journal. ie spectra 120 journal. and look through the completed grows to get an idea.

JUST A QUICK UPDATE ON THE BUILD:

Heres just the exhaust fan on the back. It's located at the top and in the middle


Here's the exhaust fan again


This is the intake fan, we cut the hole smaller but used the same 120mm size. It's on the front door at the bottom in the middle.


Here's the fan on the front from the inside


This is just with some regular bulbs.


Just the random wiring



An idea of what it will look like. Just waiting on the seeds and in the mean time are going to pick up some soil, nutes, and pots.

We're hoping to get the seeds this week and have a bunch more pictures to journal this grow. We are looking to get pots, what would be the best sizes?