Green Troll
Active Member
Hi guys.
Just wanted to get some ideas/comments/advice on my plans. This is the planned set up.
Internal box dimensions, W1000mm x D1000mm x H2050mm in each box, 2 boxes side by side made from 2x2 planed timber and 9mm MDF (changed from 18mm ply to give better quality surface and its cheaper). Plan to use one room for vegging and one room for flowering/hanging/drying. Planning on using a single 250W lamp in each, one with Metal Halide and one with Sodium. Wanted to grow 4 plants at a time (giving a 500mm x 500mm space per plant), once they are ready for flowering, change boxes and take clones to start another 4 new plants in the veg box, then cycle it like that.
Plan to have intake holes at the base and a single exhaust for both boxes at the top using a splitter. This will go through a carbon filter to take out the smell. Looking to install a pair of 120mm PC case fans inside each box for air flow. White paint for all the inside of the box, later upgrading to a high quality reflective material.
I think it would be easier to maintain temp if i keep the light static and adjust the height of the plants using shelves rather than adjustable lights, that way i can change fans/cooling to suit the lights output to heat the box enough to keep it around 25 degrees c.
I wanted to run the boxes empty for a couple of days to see how hot it gets etc and filling 4 pots (no plants) and watering the soil in the pots to see what varying humidity levels i can expect at any particular time. It will all be trial and error but i would love to get as much checked and stuff before i actually place any plants in there.
Will purchase 2 digital temp/humidity gauges, one for each box. The plants will be soil grown with the highest grade soil i can find (any suggestions?) and i plan to use various nutes in stages. I dont know if i should go as far as using moisture gauges to judge watering, i wanted to use the soak then wait till completely dry method, but is this flawed?
I have ordered 5 Super Iced Grapefruit seeds from Rhino, expecting one single plant to survive, any more will be a bonus. I hear these seeds are easy for beginners, as i have never done anything like this before, and i would just like some feedback on my plans from experienced growers and point me in the right direction in case i am making any drastic mistakes.
I am looking for the highest quality and yield possible from my set up, so please feel free to suggest particular lights, wattage, brand of bulbs, soils, paint to use inside the boxes (will have to be something water resistant, and silicone seal the edges of the box?), anything i have missed out or made a mistake on, as all the information i have gathered is from various sources on the net.
The boxes will be placed in a detached modern garage. It is reasonably well ventilated, and i dont plan on the operation being any bigger than 4 flowering plants at any one time.
So please feel free to pick my plans to bits, as this is all just the planning stage at the moment. Money is not exactly a problem but i would like to keep it sensible enough to not be a massive cost for initial set up.
Once i have all the advice i need and get it going, i plan to put up my box design plans in very great detail, in both AutoCAD format (for those who want to make alterations) and PDF format so if you like my design, you can copy it freely.
Thanks for time guys.
Kind regards,
Green Troll
Just wanted to get some ideas/comments/advice on my plans. This is the planned set up.
Internal box dimensions, W1000mm x D1000mm x H2050mm in each box, 2 boxes side by side made from 2x2 planed timber and 9mm MDF (changed from 18mm ply to give better quality surface and its cheaper). Plan to use one room for vegging and one room for flowering/hanging/drying. Planning on using a single 250W lamp in each, one with Metal Halide and one with Sodium. Wanted to grow 4 plants at a time (giving a 500mm x 500mm space per plant), once they are ready for flowering, change boxes and take clones to start another 4 new plants in the veg box, then cycle it like that.
Plan to have intake holes at the base and a single exhaust for both boxes at the top using a splitter. This will go through a carbon filter to take out the smell. Looking to install a pair of 120mm PC case fans inside each box for air flow. White paint for all the inside of the box, later upgrading to a high quality reflective material.
I think it would be easier to maintain temp if i keep the light static and adjust the height of the plants using shelves rather than adjustable lights, that way i can change fans/cooling to suit the lights output to heat the box enough to keep it around 25 degrees c.
I wanted to run the boxes empty for a couple of days to see how hot it gets etc and filling 4 pots (no plants) and watering the soil in the pots to see what varying humidity levels i can expect at any particular time. It will all be trial and error but i would love to get as much checked and stuff before i actually place any plants in there.
Will purchase 2 digital temp/humidity gauges, one for each box. The plants will be soil grown with the highest grade soil i can find (any suggestions?) and i plan to use various nutes in stages. I dont know if i should go as far as using moisture gauges to judge watering, i wanted to use the soak then wait till completely dry method, but is this flawed?
I have ordered 5 Super Iced Grapefruit seeds from Rhino, expecting one single plant to survive, any more will be a bonus. I hear these seeds are easy for beginners, as i have never done anything like this before, and i would just like some feedback on my plans from experienced growers and point me in the right direction in case i am making any drastic mistakes.
I am looking for the highest quality and yield possible from my set up, so please feel free to suggest particular lights, wattage, brand of bulbs, soils, paint to use inside the boxes (will have to be something water resistant, and silicone seal the edges of the box?), anything i have missed out or made a mistake on, as all the information i have gathered is from various sources on the net.
The boxes will be placed in a detached modern garage. It is reasonably well ventilated, and i dont plan on the operation being any bigger than 4 flowering plants at any one time.
So please feel free to pick my plans to bits, as this is all just the planning stage at the moment. Money is not exactly a problem but i would like to keep it sensible enough to not be a massive cost for initial set up.
Once i have all the advice i need and get it going, i plan to put up my box design plans in very great detail, in both AutoCAD format (for those who want to make alterations) and PDF format so if you like my design, you can copy it freely.
Thanks for time guys.
Kind regards,
Green Troll