i need help from people with some experience

i know y'all have probably heard enough from me and i still can't quite get a good picture of how im gonna set up my first stealth cfl grow... and i dont have a very big budget so i'm trying to use what i have....

i know i originally said something about my space being 13.5''x31''x18'', but now im gonna try to use and a unused 23 gal rubbermaid trach cans of mine... this is the closest thing i can find... but it doesnt really look much like this... Trash Can Depot - Brute Trash Can without Lid - 20 U.S. GAL(#2619 Lid & #2640 Dolly Sold Separately)

i was planning on using 4 13w cfls and possibly 2 or 4 regular flor tubes running along vertical. and i also plan on painting the inside white [semi-gloss because thats what i have].

for ventilation, i dont have any definate plans yet... i might go to radio shack and pick up a 120mm fan for about 20$ but that would blow half my budget right there... i also was just considering cutting ventilation holes... 2 in the top, 2 in the bottom... and letting it self-ventilate since theres a strong possibility i am doing this outside...

i was also planning on using soil, unless i can fihure out a easy enough way to do hydro, because i fuck everything up...



if you read this a red flag goes up anywhere or you see anything completely wrong or have a diferent/better idea... just lemme know... i want y'alls input so i don't screw up too much

I would use at least 23 or 42 Watt lights instead of 13W. Those are going to grow the plant real slow.

is that the only thing you see wrong?

Well i would use rubbermaid container's instead of rubbermaid trash can's but im sure you could do it with the can's too.

Use flat white... steal it from your middleschool if you have to... It will be in the janitor's closet where you got the trashcan!

Just kidding bro... Sorry, that garbage can totally reminds me of the school janitor's trashcan. Really though, use flat white.. Im sure you got a buddy who has some in his garage or something.

no, the trashcan is similar to that one but very different. i used to use it for compost and leaves in the fall. its more tapered and has a curved top, and a little bigger, thats just the closest one i could fing on the internet.

Your only going to flower on good sized plant in that. You can fit a couple in regular containers, that was the only reason i suggested it.

i'm only planning on growing 1 main plant and maybe a few clones later on around the perimeter, and once winter's over, transferring these to a different spot outdoors. is this a good or a bad idea?

also, after some more scavenging, i found 2 old floodlights that i took from my 4runner. they still work. could i use these? i'm pretty sure they have halogen lamps, but what ever they are, they're small and bright. would i have to switch the lamp somehow?

after a good bit of research, i've found that halogen lamps=big time no-no. but, if i replace these halogens with LEDs, then i can still use these. i can't really get a solid answer if these will be beneficial or not, but i know they wont hurt like the halogens will...

if anyone has any experience with replacing halogens with LEDs, or has a link with a DIY for help, or has any other inquisitions, please have no hesitations

if you go to a local pc repair shop they might let you have some computer fans for free (or really cheap) which would really help with circulation. I was able to score 6 fans for free from the place i went to and then i just hooked these fans up to an old cell phone charger.

it feels good in my brain said:

if you go to a local pc repair shop they might let you have some computer fans for free (or really cheap) which would really help with circulation. I was able to score 6 fans for free from the place i went to and then i just hooked these fans up to an old cell phone charger.

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Just check with your IT people. See if you can get some fans and a laptop power supply and molex plugs and you are set. I throw shit like this away all the time.

so getting a few old PC fans for little to nothing isn't a rare thing? because i was thinking of using 2 120mm or 3 90mm for exaust, and i didn't wanna pay 40-60$ for this crapola

also if i'm using a y-socket adapter [the adapters so i can turn one socket into 2], would it be a bad idea to have a 2 y adapters on a y adapter [for a total of 4 bulbs]? is this some kind of fire hazard or something?

so i was rippng my 3' roor when a [cfl] lightbulb went on above my head! i figured out how i could give yall some visuals! i took the sim card out of the phone i use now and put it in my old razr and took pictures with it! they're shitty quality but atleast they're something... keep in mind, everything you see here is stuff i already had. this is not where near everything i'm going to eventually need


almost a full can, about 90%

20w fluorescent tube i had laying around

old fog lights converted to fit light sockets

2 light sockets with supporters

a power strip and timer. notice its already set to 18/6

i got a picture of the trashcan, but it just didn't want to send so i looked a little harder and found the same one, just a newer model... its diameter is about 17.5 inches at the bottom and its about 32 inches tall at the top of the lid
http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/product/product.jhtml?prodId=HPProd290001

all the CFL's you see here are 13w stand-ins. i'm making a wal-mart/geek-squad center run later in the week, because i wanna do it all at once, and i wanna make sure i know what to get. while i'm there i was planning on buying 6 y-splitters, so each of the supporters can have 4 bulbs instead of 1. also i'm planning on buying 8 23w CFL's [4 for each of the supporters] and 2 42w [one for each of the fog lights]

with the tube and the fog lights, i was planning on building some sort of adjustable lamp with a fog light on either side of the tube. and with the supporters, they will be fixed about half-way up on either side of the can

also, i was planning to build a frame of 2x4's to fit in the can. i am doing this so i can have something sturdy to attach my lamp and my supporters to. luckily for me my neighbors are remodeling and have a dumpster full. a gold mine =D

i was planning on using either 3 90mm or 2 120mm exaust fans with 4 1.5" passive intakes on the four "corners" on the bottom of the can... and whats better for exaust, a fan or a blower? a blower seems like it would let less light in, but a fan seems like it would move more air... input?
Antec Super Cyclone Blower at Staples®
Antec 120mm Blue LED Cooling Fan at Staples®




i know i just threw a lot at you guys and i know i must be kind of annoying, but i don't wanna do anything wrong... so give me your thoughts, critique, and your opinions....

beginningbotanist420 said:

also if i'm using a y-socket adapter [the adapters so i can turn one socket into 2], would it be a bad idea to have a 2 y adapters on a y adapter [for a total of 4 bulbs]? is this some kind of fire hazard or something?

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As long as you do not exceed the wattage limit on the main socket.