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First Grow Box: Experienced Opinions Please

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dankdana

Member
I attached a drawing of the basic design for my first growbox. I live in an apartment with infrequent visitors so smell is a big concern for me (although, nobody will ever visit the room I’m growing in). I tried to show in the drawing that every wall (including floor and ceiling) will have a false-wall compartment with about 1/8”-1/4” of activated carbon. There will also be a couple layers of heavy-duty plastic on the inside of each wall, and every corner and crack will be filled with silicone caulk. That being said, I have a couple questions.
With those dimensions, will I have enough room to grow one or two healthy White Widow plants? I’ve read that their max height is supposed to be about two feet, but I’ve also read plenty of posts from people saying that they got much bigger. I was planning on cutting and bending to make shorter, bushier plants, but I’m not sure if there’s enough width and length to the growbox (1’3” wide x 3’1” long).
With the walls all having been filled with carbon, an activated carbon filter running at all times, and an airtight seal on the compartment, will I have to worry about smell at all with two flowering white widows? Activated carbon isn’t that expensive and I have no problem with overkill (as long as I’m protected), so I could always add more if needed. I will also be using the compartment to dry the herb after harvest. Will the box be ‘smell-proof’ enough for drying as well?
 

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kush714

kush714

Active Member
Looks good other than the height of the cabinet, i would up to 4-5 feet myself. Nice to have extra room when you need it, trust me. Also, move your intake fan to the side, if its on the bottom it just sucks up lint and dirt. What kinda light are you using in this cabinet ? It sucks when noone will give you advice when needed, this happened to me also. Thats why i wanna help you out.
 
dannyhero

dannyhero

Member
Heya dankdana, new here myself, so, I'm not the expert help you're looking for.....but I did build my first veg/flower box, followed immediately by adding a seperate veg box and man do I wish I had it to do over. Couple of things that jump out at me about your box. Not being a dick, but 1'3 width or length ain't gonna cut it, the false wall is overkill, and I can't see having your passive intake on the bottom unless the box is on legs, which seems like an unneeded step. (unless you are keeping your roots off a particularly cold floor. If the box is still just on the drawing board I'd love to pick your brain about the grow area. If your box is caulk sealed and you have a carbon filter on your exhaust you're solid...the problem I had was the drop in CFMs and temps with one exhaust and one filter. CFLs are hotter than people say....def cooler than any HID but 1'3''x3x3 is gonna be boiling if you are going for no smell with that setup.
 
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unity

Well-Known Member
dankdana said:
I attached a drawing of the basic design for my first growbox. I live in an apartment with infrequent visitors so smell is a big concern for me (although, nobody will ever visit the room I’m growing in). I tried to show in the drawing that every wall (including floor and ceiling) will have a false-wall compartment with about 1/8”-1/4” of activated carbon. There will also be a couple layers of heavy-duty plastic on the inside of each wall, and every corner and crack will be filled with silicone caulk. That being said, I have a couple questions.
With those dimensions, will I have enough room to grow one or two healthy White Widow plants? I’ve read that their max height is supposed to be about two feet, but I’ve also read plenty of posts from people saying that they got much bigger. I was planning on cutting and bending to make shorter, bushier plants, but I’m not sure if there’s enough width and length to the growbox (1’3” wide x 3’1” long).
With the walls all having been filled with carbon, an activated carbon filter running at all times, and an airtight seal on the compartment, will I have to worry about smell at all with two flowering white widows? Activated carbon isn’t that expensive and I have no problem with overkill (as long as I’m protected), so I could always add more if needed. I will also be using the compartment to dry the herb after harvest. Will the box be ‘smell-proof’ enough for drying as well?
Click to expand...
Cheers bro :)
How much light are you planning on using?
Plant size is largely determined by veg time and genetics sativa/indica.
I think the space is very small, but most likely you got a reason for that. (2x3x5 would be a lot better)
Adding carbon to the walls of the cabinet is a waste of time! The extraction fan will create negative pressure in the cab, which means that all air leaving the cab will leave through the exhaust thereby eliminating the need of additional carbon in the walls/floor.
The size carbon filter you can fit into the cab may not be sufficient, especially since your air velocity is going to be high in order to cool the light. You will need a secondary means of odor control for the room that the cab resides in. Something like a living air (uses ozone to eliminate odors) air purifier would work good for that. Keep in mid that ones you open the door to the cab the odor from the flowering buds will saturate your whole room instantly.
Do you have a plan for venting the room that the cabinet is in? You will need to.
Yes, once dialed in you will be able to grow and dry odor free ;)
Good luck!
 
Ractagon

Ractagon

Member
your plans look awesome like Kush714 said put the in take to the side preferably around the same height as the grow medium.
 
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unity

Well-Known Member
Ractagon said:
your plans look awesome like Kush714 said put the in take to the side preferably around the same height as the grow medium.
Click to expand...
Can you be so kind and tell me how his plan is 'awesome' when his stated goal is to achieve 100% odor control!?
Or are you saying that with the current design he will achieve his goal, cause if you do I call bullshit!
 
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dankdana

Member
Kush714--'preciate the help. I wish it could be taller, but it's a pre-existing piece of furniture. This was my first choice bc of it's stealth factor, but I may have to look into my backup plan (mylar tent in the closet). Definitely noted on the intake, I'll be moving that in the design. My plan is a 400 watt MH for seedlings/veg and a 400 watt HPS for flowering.

dannyhero--thanks for the input. It actually is on legs, but there isn't much clearance, so I'll definitely be moving the intake to the side. As far as the heat issue, the room that the growbox will be in will usually be at a constant 65 F and the filter I plan on attaching comes with a 200 CFM fan--do you think would this be sufficient to to control the heat from a 400 watt MH or HPS bulb in that size of a box?

unity--400 watt MH/HPS. I'm definitely reconsidering the false walls--probably just use the silicone and a layer of plastic. I haven't put much thought into room ventilation. The room is about 12' by 13' and has a window air conditioner running most of the time to keep the room around 65. Do you think like a decent Hoover air purifier from Walmart and maybe some flowers growing in the room would work?

Ractagon--thanks for the tip--that's where I'll move the intake to.

Thanks again for all the help guys!
 
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