Will my setup work??

[Lemonamnesia]

Hi, ive never done a grow before and decided i want to do one, im on a TIGHT budget so it wont be the best ever and i know the food wont be peng and i wont get a huge yield but i just need to do one grow to get me started.

i have stuck tinfoil all on all sides of my wardrobe, and i have a 26W 6400k warm white light bulb, and i also have an 11W 2700k cool white.

will this work?
is there anyway that i can improve it that wont cost a fortune??

 

[psychocannanaut]

get rid of the tin foil and paint the drobe matt white.
your bulbs are im afraid next to useless for plants above 2 weeks old.

what dimensions are your wardrobe? this will tell me how much light and air movement you need.
you need air circulation, ie oscilating fan.
you need air extraction, ie extraction fan.
YOU NEED A CARBON FILTER!
all these things can be bought cheaply, but if you buy cheap you will buy twice.
i advise saving about 100 pound and you will get yourself setup, if you can spare 150 then your laughing.
but budget grows are imo pointless as once you realise all the kit you've bought wont cut the mustard then you will need to lay out more cash to replace it all

 

[Lemonamnesia]

your bulbs are im afraid next to useless for plants above 2 weeks old.

what dimensions are your wardrobe? this will tell me how much light and air movement you need.

the part of my wardrobe i will be using is roughly 150 x 150 cm, someone i know that grows said i would probably fit around 2-4 plants easily.
what lights can i use, could you maybe get me a link on amazon (UK) to what light bulbs i need?

i will also be making a hole in the side of my wardrobe and put a fan in.

and what is a carbon filter??

 

[psychocannanaut]

well i wouldnt want to use anything less then a 600watt HPS in that space, 150x150 is not full dimensions though, whats the height? the lights you have now certainly wont cut it, and they do not produce enough lumens for a single plant.

for that space you wont get by on budget gear, id advise a 6" ruck and rhino fan and filter setup. look on ebay you will find a good deal

a carbon filter, is an air filter that removes the smell. so you can grow without being detected... the most important bit of kit. otherwise you will have your door kicked in before you reach first harvest

 

[psychocannanaut]

id advise doing alot of reasearch before you start your grow or buy any equipment, get your head around growing equipment and growing methods. im sure there is plenty of info on this site, however im more active on a uk based percy site, so havent done much looking around on here

 

[Slipon]

try to take at look here:

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/frequently-asked-questions/83112-how-grow-cannabis-everything-you-need-know.html

will answer many basic questions, even them you did`t know you had


and yes you will need a carbon filter, unless you cant smell shit and live on a island, drill a 4" hole and fit a ventilation and filter, sumthing like this:



now you can provide your plants with fresh air/co2 and be able to control temperatures and odour

you said your wardrobe is 150x150 how about hight ? or is that wide and hight ? how about debt then ?

but if you want to grow 2-4 plants in a wardrobe a 400W MH/HPS with a cool tube would be what I would look for, sumthing like this:



count on useing minimum 300$ to start out with, beside the ventilation/filter and light you will need a fan some nice pots in different sizes (1/3/5 gallon) some good soil in the right PH or coco/hydro or some kind of grow medium, seeds and nutrients

all in all what your looking for is to more or less copy nature inside, wind, water, food, grow, medium, light, temperature and humidity is all sumthing you need to control

 

[psychocannanaut]

try to take at look here:

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/frequently-asked-questions/83112-how-grow-cannabis-everything-you-need-know.html

will answer many basic questions, even them you did`t know you had


and yes you will need a carbon filter, unless you cant smell shit and live on a island, frill a 4" hole and fit a ventilation and filter, sumthing like this:

View attachment 2464878

now you can provide your plants with fresh air/co2 and be able to control temperatures and odour

you said your wardrobe is 150x150 how about hight ? or is that wide and hight ? how about debt then ?

but if you want to grow 2-4 plants in a wardrobe a 400W MH/HPS with a cool tube would be what I would look for, sumthing like this:

View attachment 2464879

count on useing minimum 300$ to start out with, beside the ventilation/filter and light you will need a fan some nice pots in different sizes (1/3/5 gallon) some good soil in the right PH or coco/hydro or some kind of grow medium, seeds and nutrients

all in all what your looking for is to more or less copy nature inside, wind, water, food, grow, medium, light, temperature and humidity is all sumthing you need to control

im sorry but a 400watt in a 1.5m space is nowhere near optimal and to then run it in a cooltube, further reducing the lumen output?! crazy!
600watt in a 1.5x1.5 space atleast to produce optimum lumen x m2
a 4" fan isnt sufficient in that space, let alone pulling through a cooltube whilst ventilating the groom.

 

[Slipon]

400W roughly cover 3x3 feet, so a 600W might be better as it cover 4x4 but temperatures will be harder to control and 400W is good enough to grow a few plants

and yes a cool tube or hood reduce the Lumens output (even tho plants don't use Lumens, they use Par) according to my light meter its about 10-20% as I read +8K Lumens a foot away with out the glass sheet and about 7K with it on, but then 5C it lower my temps in my grow room is all wort it, not to talk about the distance I now can keep it at, instead of +20 inch`s I can now keep it at 12-15" a hugh different and make up for the lose in Lumens many times

View attachment 2464891

IMO a cool tube or hood is a must in a small space and is the best investment I have done since I got my 600W

 

[Lemonamnesia]

i can change the height of my grow space because i have a shelf that i can move up and down so my height can be anything from 30cm to more than 300cm

 

[Slipon]

ps.

with a 400W a 4" ventilation with a cool tube might just cut it, sure a 5" or even better a 6" with speed control would be to prefer, but he said he is on a TIGHT budget I wonder if he even have the money for HID systems and ventilations or if he is looking at CLFs and a PC fan ?

 

[Slipon]

View attachment 2464895View attachment 2464896

 

[Lemonamnesia]

and yeah Slipon is right, im looking to keep it to CFLs as i understand these are the cheaper way atleast until i make abit of money off the bud then ill buy better equipment

 

[psychocannanaut]

400W roughly cover 3x3 feet, so a 600W might be better as it cover 4x4 but temperatures will be harder to control and 400W is good enough to grow a few plants

and yes a cool tube or hood reduce the Lumens output (even tho plants don't use Lumens, they use Par) according to my light meter its about 10-20% as I read +8K Lumens a foot away with out the glass sheet and about 7K with it on, but then 5C it lower my temps in my grow room is all wort it, not to talk about the distance I now can keep it at, instead of +20 inch`s I can now keep it at 12-15" a hugh different and make up for the lose in Lumens many times

View attachment 2464891

IMO a cool tube or hood is a must in a small space and is the best investment I have done since I got my 600W

right now i can see where your coming from
you need not worry about temps when you have adequate ventilation, so you may need to run a cooltube with a 400watt if you use a 4" extraction.

but if you use a 6" or push to an 8" (which is more efficient and in most cases runs quieter) then you can run a 600watt without worrying about temps and without using a cooltube.. so now your pushing out around 90,000 lumens which the plants will thank you for it.

slipon, no offence but cooltubes really are not what they are cracked up to be. id advise a parabolic shade with vert bulb any day of the week. the light spread is second to none and they manage heat alot better, you will be able to get the bare bulb within inches of the plants.

though even a euro reflector with a 600watt in a 1.5x 1.5 space with adequate extraction, you will be able to get the bulb within 10" of the canopy

 

[Slipon]

right now i can see where your coming from
you need not worry about temps when you have adequate ventilation, so you may need to run a cooltube with a 400watt if you use a 4" extraction.

but if you use a 6" or push to an 8" (which is more efficient and in most cases runs quieter) then you can run a 600watt without worrying about temps and without using a cooltube.. so now your pushing out around 90,000 lumens which the plants will thank you for it.

slipon, no offence but cooltubes really are not what they are cracked up to be. id advise a parabolic shade with vert bulb any day of the week. the light spread is second to none and they manage heat alot better, you will be able to get the bare bulb within inches of the plants.

though even a euro reflector with a 600watt in a 1.5x 1.5 space with adequate extraction, you will be able to get the bulb within 10" of the canopy

yep but a 400W and a ventilation is any day better then a few CLFs and a fan

 

[psychocannanaut]

yep but a 400W and a ventilation is any day better then a few CLFs and a fan

yes but this was not my point, nor yours.

and yeah Slipon is right, im looking to keep it to CFLs as i understand these are the cheaper way atleast until i make abit of money off the bud then ill buy better equipment

you cna keep it cfl, but i ask you to really consider whether it is worth it. when you have already said that you would like to upgrade when you have the cash.

they are cheaper, but not necessarily. whatever wattage you use is what you pay for in leccy. so the only real difference is the lay out costs, which if you choose to invest in hid lamps then the first harvest will speak for itself in comparison. for an extra £50 (which is what an 8th.. a Q on the street) you will get a big difference in yeild.

im off this site now as i had literally come for a browse, but i urge you to read and research for yourself.
as this is how you learn, rather then ask questions and get told one thing or another.

 

[Lemonamnesia]

would this bulb work?? and i would buy a reflector aswell. And can someone tell me what a maxibright ballast is??

Hydroponic Bud Room Grow Tent Tool Kit Sodium Lamp Light Lighting Bulb 400W New

 

[RetiredMatthebrute]

well i wouldnt want to use anything less then a 600watt HPS in that space, 150x150 is not full dimensions though, whats the height? the lights you have now certainly wont cut it, and they do not produce enough lumens for a single plant.

for that space you wont get by on budget gear, id advise a 6" ruck and rhino fan and filter setup. look on ebay you will find a good deal

a carbon filter, is an air filter that removes the smell. so you can grow without being detected... the most important bit of kit. otherwise you will have your door kicked in before you reach first harvest

sorry but how the hell can you state that thier door will be kicked in before the first harvest? i have gone 3 harvests now without a carbon filter and its all about where you live. so to make a statement like that is not only incorrect but also terrible advice.

 

[Nmccray420]

Seed, Light, Grow Medium, Water... that is what you need to grow any plant. Stick with what you said in the beginning and just try and get the experience before spending a fortune. Add more cfls to your grow area if need be. I know some people that use cfls exclusively and have some good tasting bud. If you're only growing a couple plants in a wardrobe then then ventilation won't be a problem as long as you can keep the heat down. Opening the doors will usually do the trick. Or you can use some cheap desk fans.

I grew 2 oz of pretty decent stuff with this setup. The Whole grow was less then 100 bucks

 

[Slipon]

yes but this was not my point, nor yours.

erm, yes that is exactly what my point was, if you read his fist post closely he is talking about tin foil and small CLFs and want to grow a few plants on a TIGHT budget
but don't worry there are many "ways to Rome" Im sure yours is the best ..

 

[RetiredMatthebrute]

heres my advice. take it how you want to.

if you want to keep it flouro go out and buy a decent little t5 HO system, this will get you through your first harvest and leave you without alot of heat issues.

if your in a place where smell is going to be a issue then the other guy was correct you will need to controll the smell with a carbon filter. if the smell isnt a issue then save that investment for later as your on a budget.

4 things take priority right now

soil: dont skimp on dirt, good dirt is key to a good grow
Lights: again dont skimp on lights a t5 HO is bare minimum to get some quality buds
Nutrients: Miracle grow just dosent cut it, look into some of the companies more dedicated to our hobby like advanced nutrients or fox farm.
Genetics: quality genetics takes all. if you think your gonna dig a few bagseeds out of your pot box and grow killer herb your mistaken, a plant is only as good as its genetics let it be. save up 50 bucks and grab up a 5 pack of fem seeds from a decent breeder at a reputable seedbank like sea of seeds, attitude and Nirvana. you will be glad you did.

after the first grow you may want to upgrade the light, or look up different spectrum t5 bulbs and get a mutli spectrum going. i have seen lots of grow threads where people produced some seriously nice herbs with t5's from start to finish.

you can grow on a budget, but you still need to invest at least 350$ into equipment. you can go buy up 30 CFL bulbs but in the long run CFL are just as expensive as a decent grow light. the only luxury is you get to spend that money a little bit at a time instead of one lump sum.

not sure if you work or what your finacial situation is but start a fund, add to it whenever you can and start off on the right track otherwise your going to spend 1/2 the money and end up with nothing in return.