Using a cardboard box, why or why not?

I recently had an idea that i could use a cardboard box, Line the walls with emergency blanket 75% of the way up and stick cfls the the holes of the box then have the box resting on this cut out shelving with a large recangular hole in the bottom where the plant would sit in the middle and a fan underneath the box blowing the excess hot air upwards out of the box, Why or why not?

Fwish said:

I recently had an idea that i could use a cardboard box, Line the walls with emergency blanket 75% of the way up and stick cfls the the holes of the box then have the box resting on this cut out shelving with a large recangular hole in the bottom where the plant would sit in the middle and a fan underneath the box blowing the excess hot air upwards out of the box, Why or why not?

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Why not?

Because of the chance of fire. Fire can be life changing. A tent and proper ventilation could probably be had for a couple/few hundred dollars. Life and your living space is probably worth a whole lot more than that.

Why not get a tote and do something similar?

or a fish tank... ppl give em away all the time.. just make sure its at least 30 inches high

I wouldnt suggest growing in a cardboard box just because its not very sturdy and like previously mention, can be a fire hazard. Also it can be hard to clean and u can spill water or anything or else the box will turn even more flimsy. I understand that times hard and not having the funds to purchase equipment. However, you can look around in garage/yard sales or even the trash for a container or something to grow in. My first grow box was from a plastic drawer found in the garbage.

Also, on my first box I had fans like how u mentioned, on the bottom blowing the air up. Soon enough I noticed that this was not a good location for the fans because the fans would pick up a lot of dust and debri cause the inside of my box to be a bit filthy. The fans also got really dirty as well and had a thick layer of dust clogged in em. Anyway hope this helps, happy growing!

Well, I have seen many successful cardboard grows on this forum. The only thing I can suggest if you do go that way is too use CFL or fluro tube lighting, HID will definately increase chance of fire.

I'm growing 4 plants in a large cardboard box that was originally for a disassembled costco desk chair. 25.5 Inches Long, 14 Inches Wide, 26 Inches High

I taped off all the edges and then wrapped the bottom of the box in a large black garbage bag to prevent moisture from the floor getting in. Another bag inside on the bottom to prevent any spills from getting to the cardboard from the inside.

I lined the inside with tinfoil (Glossy side out, dunno if it makes a difference, i just figured it diffuses the light better). I have 2 regular table lamps sitting in amongst my girls with 2 more hanging lights above them. A 12 inch fan taken from a computer case keeps circulation from above (i have it above the plants, blowing upwards into the 'attic' of my cardboard house)

The two long flaps on the top i left to make a 'house' type shape, and the smaller side flaps i taped up as well to close off the ends. In the morning i open the box and can feel a warmth, but its not by any means hot.

All the lights are regular household CFL's that i scavenged from around my house lol, i know at least one is 2400k which is better for flowering, but this is defiantly a ghetto grow! I originally had them on my bathroom counter growing beside 2 CFL's but they were really struggling, stretching, and their stems could barely hold the tiny plants up. After i put them in the box they've been doing MUCH MUCH better. My biggest one's stem is now as thick as my thumb.

I LST'd two of them onto their sides and they have many tops coming up from the main stem now. Some of the ones that barely grew in my bathroom are now doing amazing in the box. The nodes are much much tighter. The different heights in my lights i think is helping also, its penetrating between/under some of the tops and starting to cause them to branch out nicely.

I tried topping another one. I think i'll stick with LST and never top my plants again. It seems when you top your plant you aren't really 'making' new branches. You're just stopping the main stem from growing and forcing the top two side branches to become the new tops. Why not just bend it over and let all of the side branches becomes tops, and at the same time not damage/stress your plant? I think the only reason the side branches don't do so well is lack of light. Turning it on its side solves this. I've also been 'LST'ing' the fan leaves so they arnt blocking light to any of the branching 'tops'. I don't want to cut them.

The benefit of topping i guess is you don't end up with a really WIDE plant. LST'd plants are taking up a lot more floor space then my topped one.

Wow did i get off topic or what. But yeah, my cardboard box grow is going really great! I need more room though... I'm told they'll double or even triple in size after flowing, that might be a problem... I'm looking to upgrade to a broken deep freezer

meowth said:

Why not?

Because of the chance of fire. Fire can be life changing. A tent and proper ventilation could probably be had for a couple/few hundred dollars. Life and your living space is probably worth a whole lot more than that.

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who can argue with that

Here's a box I built just for vegging. It's made out of a few pieces of very cheap particle board I had cut to desired dimensions at Home Depot with one piece of the wood I purchased. The dimensions were based on cutting out 6 sides from the big piece of wood I bought and are 14x14x25.



I don't remember the total cost of the box, but the parts used were:
-Wood(pre-cut at Home Depot)
-2 hinges
-About 4 Ft of 14 GA Outdoor lamp wire (don't really need 4 ft)
-1 AC Power Plug for wall socket
-3 PC fans
-1 Power Strip
-15W 1200MA AC/DC Converter for Fans
-Y-Adapters
-some Small chain to hang my lights from
-5/8" Brass hooks to suspend chain from ceiling
-Sockets for your CFLs

I don't remember the cost of everything, but I remember spending less than $40 total on everything. But you could cut some corners if you wanted, as you don't have to have a hinged door or lock. You could also do without the power strip and just run both power cords for your lights and power converter straight outside of the box.

You could also possibly use a regular in home fan if you have one handy, cut a big hole for that, and do away with the power converter and PC fans as well.

mold, fire, water, fire, mold....aint that enough ?
I wouldnt risk death, for marijuana growing, with so many safer alternatives,
I'd save my allowance for a secret jardin grow tent. one bud, from one plant,
pays for the tent.

This is what I use. There are a few minor light leaks, but you can't beat it for 80 bucks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002V9HZBA/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

pharmacoping said:

mold, fire, water, fire, mold....aint that enough ?
I wouldnt risk death, for marijuana growing, with so many safer alternatives,
I'd save my allowance for a secret jardin grow tent. one bud, from one plant,
pays for the tent.

Click to expand...

+1

"Can" you grow in a cardboard box? Yes.

Are there MUCH better alternatives out there that really don't cost very much money? Yes.