PC Growing -- Few Options

Hello everyone,

I am set on starting a PC Grow. I have some general knowledge of growing and have read a few books. I have decided on a PC Grow due to the stealth and hydro they come with.

I have a few options such as the the PC from Sunlightshed.com for right under $800 with seeds.

http://www.sunlightsheds.com/pc-planter.htm

There is also another one I am looking at on Ebay which would only be $425 with seeds.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydroponic-PC-Grow-Case-Secret-Herb-Plant-Hydro-Box_W0QQitemZ230342232875QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a1778b2b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1205|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

Of course I will be able to afford the Ebay one more easily and will be able to get a harvest much sooner due to the lower overhead. However, I am worried that the cheaper one will not preform as well. The main things I am worried about in such a small grow is lighting and space. The space is almost exactly the same in these two however the cheaper one is using CFL's rather than HPS.

A) I was wondering which one you guys would chose?
B) How well do the CFL's they provide compare to HPS or Fluros?
C) Can CFL's Burn plants *(is the mesh kit really needed?)
D) The more expensive one comes with more accessories but more overhead. Is the extra cash now worth it in the end?

THanks for all the help in advance.

--X

build your own!

you will get more lumens(and more than likely less heat) with the cfl grow(lumens also diminish faster with distance with cfl's)

3000-4000 lumens for a 50 watt HPS(couldn't find the specs for that particular one, these are ranges I found) The color of the bulb is better for flowering than it is vegging...

6400 lumens with the cfl's... comes with 4 6500k(for veg) and 4 2700k(for flower) both sets are in the right color range for their respective stages.

In the end it is up to you...

the mesh shelf/fence would work well to keep them as close to the cfl's as possible for the entire grow(cfl's can burn your plants, but nearly have to be touching) It is best to keep them within 1-2 inches if possible.

how much would you expect to yield with two lr2 plants in the second one?

I would guess around 100 grams total if all is done right,from what I have read about yields with cfl's many say that with fluorescents you should get close to a gram per watt...26wattsx4=104...

The one from SunlightSheds comes with High Pressure Sodium and not fluros or CFL's. The 2nd link from ebay comes with CFL's.

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Is there any blueprints/plans to build your own anywhere?

FCSoldier said:

I would guess around 100 grams total if all is done right,from what I have read about yields with cfl's many say that with fluorescents you schould get close to a gram per watt...26wattsx4=104...

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Thats sounds pretty high. This is a pc grow right?

lol, thats why I guessed, I don't know for sure...I have just read not to expect much more than a gram per watt with cfl's

that site for the expensive one says 1lb per year, but I really doubt you would get that much. You know how bad that is going to smell when your plants bud? With just ona block?!?! I'm guessing with the pc grow, you either live in an apartment or with other people and dont want it to stink like hell, and it will without a real carbon filter. The smallest carbon filter you can buy is 150 bucks and would be half the size of that pc.

West Coast Medicine said:

that site for the expensive one says 1lb per year, but I really doubt you would get that much. You know how bad that is going to smell when your plants bud? With just ona block?!?! I'm guessing with the pc grow, you either live in an apartment or with other people and dont want it to stink like hell, and it will without a real carbon filter. The smallest carbon filter you can buy is 150 bucks and would be half the size of that pc.

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Correct, I live in a apartment and can not have it stinking the whole place up. Does anyone have any experience with the Ona Block? Will it be sufficient to cover up the smell? Yes this will be a PC grow.

I have had the one from Sunlight Sheds. It is horrible. They put in a cover over the HPS which then creates no heat in the box and you lose a high amount of lumens. My box would go to 69 degrees.

I now have this one and it is so much better http://www.pcgrowcase.com/flowerboxlst.htm

Xander said:

Correct, I live in a apartment and can not have it stinking the whole place up. Does anyone have any experience with the Ona Block? Will it be sufficient to cover up the smell? Yes this will be a PC grow.

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Ona puts off this really weird smell. It is not like a natural scent.

whulkamania said:

Ona puts off this really weird smell. It is not like a natural scent.

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Ona is the same stuff that's in the urinals everywhere to kill the scent of urine, it's the circular disk. With ona, it will smell like bud and fresh linens. Truthfully, you have to have a carbon filter, or ozone, or both. They are 200 each. It would be super cheap to build a pc even with the hydro setup. Probably under 100 bucks. It would take lots of research though. If I were you, I would grow outside, you can get 1lb from a plant or two outdoors, when in the pc it would take a year to get a lb. Good luck.

See I prefer killing the odor rather than covering it.

What about maybe using a Ozone JR found here: http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=53129

I think that is small enough to fit in there or at least some where in the room. I would really like to try and make this work. I wish I had enough land to grow outside, but like I said I happen to live in an apartment. That would be amazing though.

why are you about to spend 500-800 on a weak ass pc grow save ur time and money and go buy a hp or something

I grow in a very similar case and a pound a year just isn't remotely possible. I use more than 3 times the lumens of the hps and churn out about 300g + per year. 100g / year would be a very good result with that bulb.
Hydro isn't really for novices either.
Have a read of the pc grow journals on here to see what works and what you can expect, then at least you will know if it's worth the expense. You would also have enough information to build your own for a lot less.
There's a post with links to most of the pc grows in the pc growers club. Follow the link in my sig.

I have decided on building my own. For money and and mostly functionally issues. I have $425 to spend on this project.

Also, can anyone tell me if this OZ JR will conceal a PC Grow odor? http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct...roductID=53129
Should I put it in the pc or just with-in the room of the pc?

Does anyone know how much an average pc build costs?