a micro scrog setup - criticisms welcome

growone said:

ok, just finishing my 2nd grow with pretty good results
been using a aluminum flashing tube - 38 inches tall, 15 inch diameter
total of 78w cfl's, damn small but pulled 35g of dry bud from my 1st grow

but it's time for a change, my motivation here is primarily increased stealth
the tube setup is good, but i think i can do better

setup will be a concrete board box, 4 feet long, 3 feet wide, 3 feet high
this profile will enable fitting in a very stealthy location, my main concern
concrete board is cheap and very fire resistant, another high priority
sub divided into 2 grow compartments, each 4 foot by 3 foot by 16 inches
16 inches is thin, but i grew quality weed with 15 inches width, it can work

lighting will be 4 32w t8's for each chamber
with these dimensions, no part of the plant will further than 2 inches away from a bulb
the t8's have a 3100 lumen rating at 3000k
pots are 2 gallons, 8 inches tall, shooting for 3 foot plants, 4 foot is a bit of extra space in case of extra stretch
venting a work in progress, but there will be adequate in/out flow

i think everything will just fit, but i'm a newb at scrog
+rep for any feedback, and thanks for looking

Click to expand...

fatbuddz said:

sounds like a good setup, you got any pics? is there something you need help with or you want to know if this is a good setup?

Click to expand...

Am I Norml said:

sounds like you got it pretty well planned out but you need to change your bulbs the lumin rating is fine but you have the wrong spectrum unless you want to have really slooooow growth....use 6500 for vegg and for your flowering go with 2700 and you will be maxed out for your vegg and flower cycle... check out my box for ideas if you like ... https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/310071-another-damn-cfl-growbox.html

Click to expand...

growone said:

thanks for the feedback
yeah, i was abbreviating with the 3000k fluoros, current plan is to use 4 27w 5500k cfl's for veg
they've worked great for me so far vegging
my net height and the veg time are my 2 big issues right now
thinking maybe a 8 inch height of the net above the pot
then vegging to 12 inches or so
+rep for help

Click to expand...

Am I Norml said:

well if your going to scrog you don't really have a planned vegg height really...you just vegg till the screen is full then flip it and hope to god you can keep up lol

Click to expand...

10jed said:

Hey greenone! First off... over a zip with 78w of cfls? kiss-assI was looking for "bow" but this will do! That is not bad!

So your doing the t8's huh? This should be fun to watch! Can be done though! Any reason you are picking those over t-5's? With t5's you could also use the clear plastic t8 protectors and your buds could touch the lamps without any chance of burning... t8's fit tight in them so may still burn a bit, while the t5's would have about an inch of wiggle room. I know we sorta had this conversation in the other thread but I can't remember if you already had the fixtures or what it was.

I guess I'm having a problem understanding how this is working. When you say 4' long do you mean deep? Are you opening from the top or from a 3x3 end? From the 3x3 end seems a tough way to access a scrog unless your interior maybe slides out of the main box on long drawer slides or casters but that will eat some height...

Why don't you give us the whole rundown that you are thinking including how you are going to vent and all of that and I'm sure we can all get you going. I don't see any reason why the durrarock wouldn't work. it is a bit flimsy and brittle, and also quite heavy so moving it around won't be easy.

Hook us up yo! What are you thinking?

Jed

Click to expand...

growone said:

10jed, thanks for the feedback
i was pretty pleased with my cfl grow, but ii learned from folks here helping me out, hopefully scrog help will be just as good

t5's with plastic shield's? excellent idea! i was wary of them for just that reason, burn danger, +rep for that by itself
i liked the t8's because they're available locally, very inexpensive, good performance for the price
i wasn't sure if they would burn or not, i though not
so have to check out the t5's again

the box setup will be 4 feet long, that's the direction plant growth will follow, idea is a 4 foot long plant could be accommodated
so on top will be a concrete board with a hinge like setup, lifts up for plant access
3 feet of height, that i think is the minimum i can get by with, hope so

i'm hoping for vent to have a 4 inch diameter inlet and outlet
think 4 inch hose going to a fan and 4 inch hose going out
planning on large carbon filter in between
still a little shakey on what fan to use, that's a bit of trick

thanks again and +rep

Click to expand...

growone said:

10jed, thanks for the feedback
i was pretty pleased with my cfl grow, but ii learned from folks here helping me out, hopefully scrog help will be just as good

t5's with plastic shield's? excellent idea! i was wary of them for just that reason, burn danger, +rep for that by itself
i liked the t8's because they're available locally, very inexpensive, good performance for the price
i wasn't sure if they would burn or not, i though not
so have to check out the t5's again

the box setup will be 4 feet long, that's the direction plant growth will follow, idea is a 4 foot long plant could be accommodated
so on top will be a concrete board with a hinge like setup, lifts up for plant access
3 feet of height, that i think is the minimum i can get by with, hope so

i'm hoping for vent to have a 4 inch diameter inlet and outlet
think 4 inch hose going to a fan and 4 inch hose going out
planning on large carbon filter in between
still a little shakey on what fan to use, that's a bit of trick

thanks again and +rep

Click to expand...

10jed said:

Still trying to follow you here brother... You are going to grow your plant, a single plant, 4 ft long horizontally? If so, this WILL be a fun one to watch!! Are you veging on 1 side and flowering on the other? If so, you need 2 lids to keep lighting separate, but I'm sure you know that.

For starters I would do 8 or 10 plants under there and skip the 3 months of veg time it would take to grow it out that long. As you are training the plant, all the side branches will be growing along with the main stalk. By the time the main stalk is at the end you will have all the side shoots growing like crazy... I'm not sure if that would help your scrog or hurt it. I do a horizontal/rectangular lst thing so I get it, but mine are only about a foot long!

It would make a lot more sense to me, to just get good at cloning and do a perpetual sog, scratch the scrog, and just LST the bitchez. 1 plant in and one out every week or 2 weeks or whatever.

As for cooling, here is a suggestion for you. I see you like the clear tube idea... How about fitting the bulbs into the tubes and connect the tubes to a pvc duct system. I'm pretty sure those floro tubes fit perfectly into a 1.5" or maybe 1.75 inch pvc fitting. Seal it all up like a series of cooltubes! Vent the tubes separate from the grow space. You could probably get by with a couple of hearty pc fans and call it a day! Even with a carbon filter! you wouldn't be able to really use the typical conectors on the t5's, but you could solder the ballast directly to the pins or maybe make a different conector by hacking one meant for the tubes. Changing bulbs would also be a pita, but hopefully that would be years down the road. T-5's are under $10 each and a ballast that will run 4 55's will cost you about $30. I use a Fulham ballasts and it rocks.

I think that the cement board is going to be a little flimsy on the lid end... plywood would be far easier to work with, and if you were really worried about a fire you could use some of that aluminum flashing to line the box. The floros won't burn wood though. Electrical fire yes, but not the floros if they are wired/working properly.

Jed

Click to expand...

10jed said:

Still trying to follow you here brother... You are going to grow your plant, a single plant, 4 ft long horizontally? If so, this WILL be a fun one to watch!! Are you veging on 1 side and flowering on the other? If so, you need 2 lids to keep lighting separate, but I'm sure you know that.

For starters I would do 8 or 10 plants under there and skip the 3 months of veg time it would take to grow it out that long. As you are training the plant, all the side branches will be growing along with the main stalk. By the time the main stalk is at the end you will have all the side shoots growing like crazy... I'm not sure if that would help your scrog or hurt it. I do a horizontal/rectangular lst thing so I get it, but mine are only about a foot long!

It would make a lot more sense to me, to just get good at cloning and do a perpetual sog, scratch the scrog, and just LST the bitchez. 1 plant in and one out every week or 2 weeks or whatever.

As for cooling, here is a suggestion for you. I see you like the clear tube idea... How about fitting the bulbs into the tubes and connect the tubes to a pvc duct system. I'm pretty sure those floro tubes fit perfectly into a 1.5" or maybe 1.75 inch pvc fitting. Seal it all up like a series of cooltubes! Vent the tubes separate from the grow space. You could probably get by with a couple of hearty pc fans and call it a day! Even with a carbon filter! you wouldn't be able to really use the typical conectors on the t5's, but you could solder the ballast directly to the pins or maybe make a different conector by hacking one meant for the tubes. Changing bulbs would also be a pita, but hopefully that would be years down the road. T-5's are under $10 each and a ballast that will run 4 55's will cost you about $30. I use a Fulham ballasts and it rocks.

I think that the cement board is going to be a little flimsy on the lid end... plywood would be far easier to work with, and if you were really worried about a fire you could use some of that aluminum flashing to line the box. The floros won't burn wood though. Electrical fire yes, but not the floros if they are wired/working properly.

Jed

Click to expand...

growone said:

great detailed replies jed, really appreciate the thought

on the plant 'length', 4 foot is the max, but that's the idea, a 4 foot long by 16 inch wide rectangle covered by a scrog net

hoping to flower both chambers at the same time, will simplify things

but you got me thinking about 2 plants in one chamber, that may make more sense, each plant will have a 2 foot scrog screen, though it's just one screen

i like the idea of air flow through the bulbs, that would be more efficient cooling i think
i'll have to reread some of the light ideas here

and i had thought of plywood
but the cement board i'm talking about has a fiberglass layer over it
saw it in home depot and got me thinking, looks far more durable than durarock

Click to expand...

Am I Norml said:

flora's are extremely safe as long as you have air movement in the cab at all you wont get heat buildup and the risk of fire is so minimal its almost non existent just keep air moving to cool them and let-er-roll

Click to expand...

Am I Norml said:

here ya go ...go here and maybe you can get some ideas of what is possible https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/310071-another-damn-cfl-growbox.html

Click to expand...

fatbuddz said:

you should be able to grow in that space with a scrog just dont veg for too long. maybe 1" over the net?

Click to expand...

10jed said:

OK growone. I'm getting it now. maybe some scrog pros will tell you the facts on this one, but to my eye scrog seems like it would be tough only accessing it from the top, and without the ability to raise your lights up and down. You may just want to consider LST. If you run 4 55w t5's you will get some decent penetration, and you can put the plants up on blocks to get them closer when they are young.

Here is what I am doing. Obviously I have a much smaller area are than you do, especially in my tiny little veg chamber, but the concept would be the same using a larger container for a pot. The pots I'm showing here are kitty litter jugs with the top 2/3 cut off. I transplant my hardened clones into the far end of the pot and then just tie it down as it grows.

First pic is one about 2-3 weeks from harvest. this should get me 1/2 oz + dry when all is said and done and it is only about 14" off the floor. 2nd is a nug closeup from the same plant just for fun, and then the last one is ready to get out of the veg chamber but is going to sit there and give me troubles for 2-3 weeks! I would say for your space you could keep 4 in flower and 4 vegging and get a real nice every-2-week perpetual going, or 2 larger ones and harvest every month.

I originally planned on scrogging but it is hard to do when the screens aren't fixed to the cabinet, and seemed like a pita to me. Once I get to a point of surplus, I will probably empty my flower cab and try it, but for now the perpetual thing is best for my needs and even though I have a carbon scrubber I really like that fact that only part of my cabinet is ripe at any given time.

My $.02

Jed

Click to expand...

growone said:

Jeb, this has been a great back and forth, really helped me get my thoughts together

i do plan on having the lights adjustable, won't be attached to the top
was thinking about some rails on the ends, the fluoros will be able to be raised up and down
so the top cover will flip up, or maybe just popped off
should have good scrog access
height is my big issue, not sure how little i can get away with
i've read the scrog threads, haven't found a good answer yet
2 feet would be my holy grail, 2 /12 feet maybe

you've really helped with my size, 1 single 16 inch by 4 foot chamber should be enough for me
2 plants with 2 foot scrogs

love the cfl setup, fairly close in size with my current setup
i'll be keeping it micro until NY goes MMJ

Click to expand...