Newbie-micro stealth cabinet

J

jasonnewbee

Member
I have cabinets in my garage I want to use, is 28"W x 22"D x 32.25”H too small for a LED, Hydro cabinet?
I’m thinking of using: MarsHydro 300W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum and it is 4" high
And
Hydroponic Growing system DWC SELF-WATERING Bubbler Kit it is 7"High
Is 21" enough room for an auto flower plant?


 
Budgrowguide

Budgrowguide

Active Member
You have a great idea but I think you have an issue with the height. With the Mars Hydro 300 you are going to need at least 24 inches between the light and the plants, add the height of the LED itself which 3 inches thick so that's a total of 27 inches out of the equation. You also have to subtract another 7 inches for the Hydro setup. You are already out of space before you start.

Even with a low flyer strain you are going to need 60 inches. That's my take on it, I've tested the Mars Hydro 600 personally but not the 300, but I doubt you would still be able to work a grow into that space. Good luck with your build.
 
TCH

TCH

Well-Known Member
there is plenty of room to grow in it. unfortunately as was pointed out, with the led, it's probably not gonna work. guys grow in pc cabinets. you can grow in your cabinet. you will just have to use a different light. and scrog will most likely be your friend.
 
It's not oregano

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
These Mephisto sour livers auto plants were grown in a cabinet 28"w x 15"d x 32"h. Both plants in 10L soil pots, so higher than your hydro setup. I used 154w of normal household led bulbs with the globes pulled off - 12 bulbs in all between 12-15w each, depending where I got them from. Distance between top of plants and bulbs at the end of flower was about 4". So you can grow plants in a cabinet your size, but perhaps think about spreading your light source over a larger distance.

IMG_1257.JPG
IMG_1259.JPG
IMG_1260.JPG
The plant on the top ended up with 97g dry and the bottom was 112g dry. So total of 7 1/2 oz from 154w of standard led light bulbs you can get for a few quid each at any diy store or supermarket. The grow is detailed in the Vault Mephisto Sour Livers comparative grow here. https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-vaults-sour-livers-auto-comparative-grow-in-association-with-mephisto-genetics.935115/page-22
 
K

KalingaPutra

New Member
jasonnewbee said:
Is 21" enough room for an auto flower plant?
Click to expand...
21" is quite a bit of space my friend! I mysef am a noob, but I am no stranger to stealth grows. With the right lighting you can get good yield no doubt!

jasonnewbee said:
is there any lighting that can be very close to the plant and still have successful grow?
Click to expand...
Tried CFLs? When I started with my grow I had an 85W CFL (cool daylight) site barely 2" above my seedling.
 
J

jasonnewbee

Member
It's not oregano said:
These Mephisto sour livers auto plants were grown in a cabinet 28"w x 15"d x 32"h. Both plants in 10L soil pots, so higher than your hydro setup. I used 154w of normal household led bulbs with the globes pulled off - 12 bulbs in all between 12-15w each, depending where I got them from. Distance between top of plants and bulbs at the end of flower was about 4". So you can grow plants in a cabinet your size, but perhaps think about spreading your light source over a larger distance.

View attachment 4029158
View attachment 4029160
View attachment 4029161
The plant on the top ended up with 97g dry and the bottom was 112g dry. So total of 7 1/2 oz from 154w of standard led light bulbs you can get for a few quid each at any diy store or supermarket. The grow is detailed in the Vault Mephisto Sour Livers comparative grow here. https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-vaults-sour-livers-auto-comparative-grow-in-association-with-mephisto-genetics.935115/page-22
Click to expand...

i"m not into making the fixture , what do you think about something like this?

Hydrofarm Agrobrite FLCDG125D Fluorowing Compact Fluorescent System with CFL Bulb
 
It's not oregano

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
If you are dead against diy then you have limited options in a cabinet our size. CFL will work but is not as efficient as led bulbs, cobs etc. A large bulb like that is only one light source so isn't as spread as several smaller bulbs, which is what I mentioned above.
Are you uk or us based? If us then you could get a power strip and put bulb holders direct into the strip, I have seen people do that. Then just screw an led bulb into the holders. Not diy as such and pretty cheap to do.
I am uk based. I just screwed bulb holders onto a bit of wood and wired them together. If you can wire a plug you can wire them together. Cost about a quid each from Wilko's and a bit of old power cable most people have lying around. Took about an hour or so to wire all 12, and I am not the fastest at wiring.
If that CFL is what you are happy using then go for it - it will grow plants and anything is better than nothing. Just be aware you may want to upgrade after a grow or two. I used CFL at first but I am glad I went to the led bulbs.
 
J

jasonnewbee

Member
It's not oregano said:
If you are dead against diy then you have limited options in a cabinet our size. CFL will work but is not as efficient as led bulbs, cobs etc. A large bulb like that is only one light source so isn't as spread as several smaller bulbs, which is what I mentioned above.
Are you uk or us based? If us then you could get a power strip and put bulb holders direct into the strip, I have seen people do that. Then just screw an led bulb into the holders. Not diy as such and pretty cheap to do.
I am uk based. I just screwed bulb holders onto a bit of wood and wired them together. If you can wire a plug you can wire them together. Cost about a quid each from Wilko's and a bit of old power cable most people have lying around. Took about an hour or so to wire all 12, and I am not the fastest at wiring.
If that CFL is what you are happy using then go for it - it will grow plants and anything is better than nothing. Just be aware you may want to upgrade after a grow or two. I used CFL at first but I am glad I went to the led bulbs.
Click to expand...
i though i didnt have enough room fro led , that why i was going with cfl
 
It's not oregano

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
If you look at my dimensions we are pretty much the same, I am actually less deep than yours - 28"w x 15"d x32" h
The holders and bulbs take up say 5" but you can have them literally touching the plants. I had one plant actually grow past the bulbs so I put the plastic globes back on. No real burning at all.
Edit found a pic of the plant
IMG_1261.JPG
 
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F

Fluken1

Member
It's not oregano said:
These Mephisto sour livers auto plants were grown in a cabinet 28"w x 15"d x 32"h. Both plants in 10L soil pots, so higher than your hydro setup. I used 154w of normal household led bulbs with the globes pulled off - 12 bulbs in all between 12-15w each, depending where I got them from. Distance between top of plants and bulbs at the end of flower was about 4". So you can grow plants in a cabinet your size, but perhaps think about spreading your light source over a larger distance.

View attachment 4029158
View attachment 4029160
View attachment 4029161
The plant on the top ended up with 97g dry and the bottom was 112g dry. So total of 7 1/2 oz from 154w of standard led light bulbs you can get for a few quid each at any diy store or supermarket. The grow is detailed in the Vault Mephisto Sour Livers comparative grow here. https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-vaults-sour-livers-auto-comparative-grow-in-association-with-mephisto-genetics.935115/page-22
Click to expand...
Hey there! I have aquestion for you. Where would I buy those bulbs at? Im using cfls for right now, but after reading your post, you have me thinking of switching things up eventually.
 
It's not oregano

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
Fluken1 said:
Hey there! I have aquestion for you. Where would I buy those bulbs at? Im using cfls for right now, but after reading your post, you have me thinking of switching things up eventually.
Click to expand...
Pretty much any diy store, supermarket etc sell them. They are the standard fitting bulbs (e27 or bayonet) that you would buy for a lamp or main room lights. I try and buy the 100w equivalent size, so that means an actual draw of 12-15w depending on brand. Aim for at least 100 lumens per watt or above for best efficiency. Anything below that isn't really that good. A 12-15w led bulb with globe off will be about 1800 lumens, I used to get about that with a 30w CFL, so you can see how much more efficient they are.
They work better aimed direct at your plants, virtually all the light goes towards the plant, rather than the 'use them horizontal' method best used for CFL where half the light goes away from your plants unless you use reflectors.
I used to use CFL but would never go back after using led.
 
Lite

Lite

Well-Known Member
Just plugged my mars hydro into a watt meter, currently pulling 121 watts. With 1 light, you might get an ounce per plant, probably less.
 
Jeremy Pivens

Jeremy Pivens

Well-Known Member
Just find an old dresser or cabinet with more height in an alley, insulate it and go nuts! No reason you can't use your LED, i found my grow cabinet AND reflective insulation in the same pile.
 
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