About to set up a closet grow box... I need some opinions

Alright just registered on here and you guys seem to know your stuff so I have a few questions. First ill tell you what Im planning on doing.


since it is my first time I am going to use feminized auto flowering seeds. Already ordered them should be here in a couple weeks... cant wait to try some bubblicious I already have some miracle grow seed starting potting soil. I have read that auto flowering seeds tend to like more airy soil so thats what I plan to use. My budget is EXTREMELY tight right now (part of the reason I want to grow my own) so I am going to use a cardboard box lined with foil to start with (big enough for two plants). I also have an 8 inch clamp on desk fan to move some air and an LED grow light and timer that I got off of amazon. I have heard mixed reviews about these but most of them were positive so i figured I would give it a try. Im going to just leave the top of the box open and hang the light from the bar in my closet and clamp the fan to the top edge of the box.

I really dont know what type of fertilizer to use though. I would like to be able to use a generic one from home depot I just dont know what would work best for cannabis. Any ideas? I was also going to get some of those glass watering bulbs that you stick into the pots to water/fertilize my crops; Im a full time college student so I will more than likely forget to water at some point an i figured these would save my ass.

You guys have any ideas on what I could do different?

Welcome to rollitup

Stay away from home depot when it comes to buying soil and nutrients, your best bet is to take a trip to your local hydro shop for those things. You can buy things like perlite and blood meal or guano from home depot though. Also I wouldn't use foil it can create hot spots and burn your leaves, pick up a roll of shiny mylar for $5-10. I know you are on a tight budget but when it comes to growing good pot there are right and wrong ways to go at it. Make sure you have lots of fans for ventilation if you are going to grow in a closet. Good luck!

where to start...

1. stay away from Miracle-Gro! Miracle-Gro products are designed to be used on a very wide variety of plants. Cannabis likes a more specific nutrient line-up... TechnaFlora has a good, cheap line-up and they sell a "starter kit" for around $40.
2. Home Cheap-O a.k.a. Home Depot is barely pass-able for supplies... You will be much better off going to your local grow store and you will find a much better selection of things that will work for what you need... and most grow stores will answer most of your questions.
3. Foil is a NO-NO... you get better reflection with flat white paint, or better yet mylar film.

also... make sure your LED is close but not too close... from what I know LEDs need to be fairly close.

Good Luck and I hope it all works out.

You could just grow in your closet no box thats what i do the walls are white so it reflects the light works good for me

Go do what you think is best, at this point, you're going to learn from these events. People here are going to tell you all kinds of esoteric advice, but my advice, is just dive in head first and figure it out as you grow...get it..grow? instead of go? hehe *coughs*

For example: Light is light. Yes, there are all different kinds of spectrums of which the plant can utilize at different stages of its life, different intensities and so forth, blah blah blah, but don't worry about that one bit, what you have is fine for now. It can literally take someone 2 years to really master this game, especially if you don't already have a plant savvy background or a group of peers that guide you step by step.

Soldier on and learn from your mistakes, 'cause there's gonna be a lot a first. GL

LEDS dont have to be extemely close, a good large unit you want about 8-14 inches above the canopy if your trying to cover a few plants, if you have a 90 w ufo on 1 plant put it 1 or 2 inches above. the thign about leds though is that they are only good directly beneath them and a little bit to the sides, once you get outside that area the lumens your getting drops off pretty quick. also many different led makers make there units different some are better quality some are worse, also what lenses there leds use makes a difference in the coverage are you can get. to cover a large area its recomend to have multiple units rather then 1 bigger unit.

My self for veg i have a 2x3 growing area, i have 2 3foot t5 bulbs along the front and back wall, and a 180w led about a foot or so above where i imagine the plants will be (they havent sprouted yet this is my first grow lol) the unit i bought is recomended for 2x3 area with the lenses it uses and i seem to get good coverage from it. im going to add a second LED when my plants start to flower so that i have the 2 units next to each other provided direct light to my whole area.

dont use tinfoil get a tent paint your walls white or use computer paper

miracle grow isnt the best but it is acceptable, it useually has time release nutes in it so using fertilizer can end up burning your plants.
also you say your growing autoflowers, so try not to transplant them if you can help it, plant them directly into there final pot as autoflowers cant remain in veg so transplantign them usually results in smaller plants due to the shock of transplanting slowing growth

Thanks Guys! good info. However I still have question about nutrients. We don't have hydro shops (or really even true garden centers for that matter) where im at, so what type of nutrients do i need? I will proabably try and find a local greenhouse and see if i can find something there. By the way im only planning on growing one maybe two plants at a time to keep the smell down and if i get caught less plants = less trouble.