My First Grow Box! Looking for feedback

bazookajoe said:

U pull the trigger yet? If so..whatcha get?

Click to expand...

Yes! Everything is here and I am in the process of building it. The frame is completed and Id say I have another 2-3 days to go until it is 100% finished. Ran into a few minor problems with the model I made because I discovered that wood measurements are a LIE! Im not in construction, so I assumed "2x4" meant 2 inches by 4 inches, but apparently.... 2x4's are 1.5" x 3.5" and its been that way for 50 years.

I do have 1 question about my plant and training method. I planned on doing a scrog, and with that, people have suggested that you only do 1 plant. They say 1 plant in scrog = the same amount of yield from 4 plants in a scrog since it will fill the screen anyway.. If its the same amount of yield, thats fine... Im not doing more plants because I think Ill get more. Im doing 4 plants because I have different strains.

Opinions on doing 4 plants in scrog vs 1? Id love to have different strains (have some indica and some sativa.)

sworth said:

^^^yeh, me too^^^


Whatcha got? pics?...

Click to expand...

I will try to get pics as soon as possible. The only camera I have access to is a total piece of shit. lol.

The equipment is great though. That 600w is like the sun when its on 100% power (love the dimmable feature). The fan is powerful and can easily be set with the fan controller to a more reasonable setting.. but I like knowing that my filter and fan have some extra capacity.

My current fan is 440 CFM , I havent purchased my 2nd fan yet (need 1 for the light, other for the filter). I was wondering how much CFM is a good amount to keep the cool tube at a good temperature? I feel like if I ran the 440 CFM fan on the cool tube it would blow the bulb right out. haha. Should I just buy another 440 CFM fan for the light or is that overkill? I also heard that bulbs can be cooled too much and if they are the light output or life span decreases (maybe it was something else or Im wrong)

*EDIT: Sorry for double post, just found out how to multi quote

If you want more than one plant under a scrog, try to keep them the same strain. It can be tricky harvesting when plants are finishing at differing times..(ah...the sorry voice of experience! )

Multi quote....still haven't worked that out lol...

The only clones I have that are the same strain are 2 northern lights, the other 6 are all different. I would really like to have multiple if at all possible. Since they will be finishing at different times, couldn't I just use a net with large holes so I can remove 1 plant instead of the whole grow? Is there any way I can do this?

If not, my best bet would be doing 2 northern lights and tossing out the other 6 clones?

How fast should I run my fan to keep the HPS cool? Its total is 440 CFM. Full power? half power? How do I know if its too hot? I heard without cooling they can break in 20-30 seconds so Im concerned.

I don't think the light would break since there're people who use open hoods and people who don't utilize their air-cooled hoods. How fast you run it will depend on your setup. You want your grow room in the neighborhood of 80 degrees, so adjust your fan speed to acheive this.

Ok great. I finished mounting the light and 1 fan today. The entire frame is covered in plastic and then covered with plywood. Its looking great after 800$ of expenses and is almost ready for plants

What is your opinion on my plant set up? My original plan was to pick 4 different kinds, but with Scrog people say its best to pick the same strain. Is my best bet to just grow 2 northern light plants scrogged instead of 4 different strains? These are the clones that I have.

Nothern Lights (2)
Lemon Haze
White Widow
Carmelicious
White Russian
Amensia Haze

I wouldn't bother with the scrog this time around and just grow them natural or maybe a little topping. This way you can more easily harvest plants that are done and leave the others to finish.

So you recommend that I do 4 plants (4 different strains) instead of doing 1-2 plants in scrog? My only questions then are..

4 plants vs 2 plants in scrog. Will I get more yield with 4 plants growing natural with some LST and topping OR 2 plants in scrog? (I know its hard to guess,, but would it even be close?)

Will I have to worry about height differences between the strains? (Would some grow taller or roughly stay the same height?

Hopefully my carbon filter can handle 4 plants... Now you are making me think I should go back to my original plan of 4 plants. Concerned about odor difference the extra 2 plants could potentially bring..

Fewer is better when starting out. Personally I like to stick with one strain at a time. Different strains are going to haveing different growth rates and can require different levels of nutrients makeing feeding/watering complicated. The different growth rates would be an issue because if one is much taller than another then your light will have to be higher giveing less light to the shorter plant. The NL, WR, and Carmelicious are all mainly indicas and should have similiar growth rates. The 2 haze strains are more sativa and will probably grow taller and stretch more in bloom. White Widow can go either way. There're indica and sativa dominant versions. It depends on the orginal breeder of the seed the mother was grown from. In my opinion, I'd ditch the 2 haze and possibly the White Widow (unless you know it's indica) and grow the rest. I wouldn't worry about odor. You bought a quality filter that is actually a bit oversized for you room so it will handle everything you can throw at it.

Great! Thanks for the info. So Im back to doing 4 plants.

For the pots, should I just use a 5 gallon bucket with holes on the bottom and fill it with about 4-4.5 gallons of dirt? Suggestions? Im going to the store tomorrow to make my final purchases.

Pictures coming soon, its looking really nice!

Good to catch up on this thread. Sounds like your all set! I am jealous makes me want to do some upgrades!! For the pots I like to use a 3 gallon from start to finish. But that would be if I was doing around 4 weeks veg then flower. Smaller 24-30" standard grow. But if you veg longer for bigger plants lst, scrog or whatever then start in 1-2 gallon and transplant to 5 gallon before flower. I like smart pots too. 5 gallon buckets with good drainage work fine. I wouldn't recommend putting a young clone strait off in 5 gallon. Just easier to control watering at first as the roots grow. Easier for them get well established in smaller pot. I have been using fox farms ocean forest. It is hot meaning nutes/food in it so watch out for that. It can burn young plants and seedlings. But I haven't had many issues with that. Won't need to feed your plants for 3-4 weeks. Then start light with the feeding and work your way up! I forgot where you say you live but are there any local hydro/garden stores around? They carry good soil usually. Just be careful they might try to sell you some magic in a bottle .

I'd say go with 3 gal. pots. 5 gal. buckets take up a lot of height being 14" tall. I'd recommend fabric or air pots because thier virtually impossible to over water.

I ended up buying 4 square 5 gallon pots that are wider, but shorter than a 5 gallon bucket. I couldn't find anything like the fabric or air pots, but will keep it in mind for the next grow

I have a few plants in their now testing out temps and the light/fan, all seems to be working great so far Any last suggestions before I start my plants on a vegging cycle?

The box is working fine and some plants are in it, but the camera didnt work.. sorry guys. Will try to get that soon. Any last suggestions before I start my plants on a vegging cycle?

Update:

I planted the clones in the 5 gal today because they looked ready and are making roots like crazy. What should be veg cycle be.. 20/4? 18/6? (currently 18/6) let me know if this is wrong.

How many weeks should I veg and flower for?

I always use an 18/6 myself. How long you veg. for is completly up to you. It depends on the style of grow your doing and how tall you want them to get. Plants can double and triple in size during bloom. Flower time depends on the strain, but in general most indicas are ready in about 8-10 weeks and sativas usually take 12+ weeks. The best way to tell when their ready is looking at the trichomes with a magnifier or microscope.

4-21 Clones Cut
5-8 Clone Roots
5-12 All Clones planted
Tomorrow Pictures

Should I do both LST and topping or just LST? Currently just doing LST and have 2 tops on most with another top starting on each. I want to flower as soon as possible but also get a good yield

You can grow those guys until they get like 6-7 nodes then top just above second node. Let it veg a couple more weeks while lst then through the scrog screen down and flower. The longer you veg the more yield you typically get. For you there will be a sweet spot. If you veg for two months, top, lst, scrog your plants will be nice bushes capable of more yield per plant but take longer to grow and take up more horizontal space. If this is your first run and you just do basic lst and let them grow for a month with no topping that is fine too. You can prob get more plants in the area and not yield as much per plant but make up for it with qty and shorter turnaround. Maybe just go through this first run and keep it simple to see how it grows and fills your box. Making adjustments next time around. I was doing 18/6 and switched to 20/4 this grow should be fine either way. 20/4 might speed things up a little.