Building My own BOX, CFL Stealth cab (ADVICE appreciated)

smokefacekillah

Well-Known Member

So I guess one mans trash is another mans grow box,
I Found this Cabinet next to my trash an I'm guessing its pretty old it had a newspaper from 1985 in it,
So i figured it was a sign from the weed gods, cause i have 2 extra pc 120mm fans and extra bulbs that are just sitting in a drawer

Now this the box on the inside is about 19 1/2in High X 24in wide X 11 1/2in deep

The exhaust is going on the top right and the intake on the bottom left , The lights are going to be 2 power strips on the back of the cab I'm gonna have about 8 CFls in there

So i have a few questions, How many plants would i be able to fit in this cab?
I plan to do a soil grow with some auto-flowering seeds, and i plan to LST and maybe even SCoG, because i have seen PC grows with similar height restrictions yield a decent amount , with just one plant, but since the width and depth are way different from a regular PC box, i figured i could fit 3 maybe 4 in their throughout their entire grow

An i was also wanted to know, What you guys think would be better 8 cfls 2x42w and the rest 23w, almost the same for the flowering lights, V.S
THESE cheap LED panel lights
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-225-LED-Hydroponic-Plant-Grow-Light-Panel-14w-Dual-BAND-Blue-Red-2012-/360680944043

These panels would give me a few extra inches in grow height, and fit perfectly in my box, and would also give my plants a centered light source, instead of with the cfls being on the back wall of the box, but i don't know much about LED so i don't know if these panels would be better or equivalent to the CFLS, ?

Thanks in advance, I will have more pics when she is completed, i'm just waiting on the mylar to get here and my wood cut for the bottom !!
 

ak84

Member
Ah welcome to the joys of LST and short-fucking-ceilings. I'm in a 21-22 inch box, I'm actually thinking of putting it on its side so that I won't have to deal with the height restriction any more. Good job on removing the bottom though, cause you just bought yourself a shitload of vertical space.

Anyway, you could try using two horizontal/wide pots and LST'ing across the pot. Have a look at my thread if you want, I'm using a similar setup. This is my box on the outside ( https://www.rollitup.org/led-other-lighting/682663-56w-hans-panel-short-box.html#post9285701 --along with my dirty compost buckets, don't mind that shit) and here's an example of how I initially LST'd the plants (they went lower on the next LST)... https://www.rollitup.org/attachments/led-other-lighting/2721391d1372722251-56w-hans-panel-short-box-2.jpg

https://www.rollitup.org/led-other-lighting/682663-56w-hans-panel-short-box.html

Good luck with your grow, I'm subbed if only to see you suffer through those 19inches of a ceiling hahah! Just kidding, you'll be alright.
 

smokefacekillah

Well-Known Member
Yeah those 19inches i know might screw me over in the end, but I'm Defiantly going to LST, your post and the dozen of pc grows i've seen, have showed me that it works fucking great in small ass spaces, I hope to even Scog , if possible but i heard AUTOs don't take kindly to scog, so Ill see on that

but how big are your rectangular pots?,
 

MYOB

Well-Known Member
I would get a t5 or PLL fixture over CFL's. Better light spread, cooler, easier to adjust light and much cleaner looking. You can change spectrums by swapping bulbs.

You can also make your own reflector and wire the ballasts outside the box for temp control. This would also give you more headroom as the tubes are have a much smaller profile.

I would only grow one plant in that space, esp with a scrog. You will easily be able to fill the space by training it. Prune all lower growth and leave only the tops that get direct light.
 

n0tmycupoftea

Well-Known Member
Yeah those 19inches i know might screw me over in the end, but I'm Defiantly going to LST, your post and the dozen of pc grows i've seen, have showed me that it works fucking great in small ass spaces, I hope to even Scog , if possible but i heard AUTOs don't take kindly to scog, so Ill see on that

but how big are your rectangular pots?,
I grew a plant in a PC that was 16 x 16 x 7 (H x L x W). I grew in a rectangular 6L pot, looking at your space, you should be able to stick about two 8L pots in there and lst/scrog two plants fairly easy. I'm constructing a tent right now that's 19 x 26 x 16 and that's what I plan on running in there.
 

Nizza

Well-Known Member
hey man if possible i would drop down the intake as close to the bottom, make it only 4-5 " in diameter. this is because above it i like to put a perforated floor. The exhaust from above pulls air passively through this floor acting like an air hockey table. If you use this method combined with smart pots it will take ultimate advantage of the smart pots , oxygenating your root zone and also keeping it cool before the air heats up. Since the exhaust is above/same level as the lights all the heat is contained in the higher area of the room and it ends up being the ideal setup, for me.
I would also create it so that i could catch the runoff water from the pots with some sort of catch pan + ball valve/spigot, especially since that has wheels

didn't realize how small it was my bad
 
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