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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Closet grow recommendations? (UPDATE WITH PICS)
    #184096 - 01/18/09 04:21 AM (16 years, 2 hours ago)

i am planning a closet grow for between 3-6 plants for personal use. the dimensions of the closet are pretty small..  22"x31" and 92" high.  i plan on running HID lighting and have found a sealed reflector that will allow me to vent all the heat from the bulb directly to my attic. i plan on lining the entire closet with aluminized mylar. and i will have a fan mounted to the wall to keep the air moving. i do have experience growing, but in much larger spaces.  so i am looking for some advice on the following topics:

bulb wattage:  i was thinking 400W would be more than adequate, but i am wondering if 400W is overkill in such a small space.. maybe 250W would be more than sufficient?  or would it even still be beneficial to go to 600W if i can sufficiently deal with the heat?

Heat:  i will be ducting air directly over the bulb through the canopy, will heat become an issue still?  should i create a fresh air supply through the floor, or draw air directly from within the closet?

smell:  if im venting directly to the attic, (and assuming that i am drawing air directly form the closet and not a fresh air source) will i need a carbon filter?  im doubting that even 6 small plants(should i chose to grow even that many) will create enough odor to alert neighbors and passers bye, but naturally i need to be certain.

im also contemplating an aeroponic/hydroponic system, since i have some rubbermaid totes that fit nearly perfectly in the closet. and could easily build one.

any thoughts or suggestions?

Edited by Dr. Awesome (03/11/09 01:39 PM)

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: AKSE]
    #184418 - 01/18/09 09:47 PM (15 years, 11 months ago)

the reason i was thinking going with a 400W is just in case somewhere down the road i decide to move the grow into a larger space, such as a spare room, where a 250W simply wouldn't be enough.  another question, can you safely hook up a 250W bulb to a 400W ballast without blowing anything up :eek:?  also, i intend to by a digital ballast that is designed for both HPS and MH bulbs.

like i said i will be drawing air through a sealed reflector and venting directly to the attic so as i understand the majority of the heat from the bulb will never even make it into the rest of the closet. 

im quite confident that this system will be able to dissipate the heat from a 400W bulb

thanks for the feedback tho guys!!  any more would certainly be appreciated.

is there anything else important that im not taking into consideration?


also could any tell me what kind of harvests i could expect from 6 plants done up SOG style?  im not a complete noob like i said earlier i do have some grow experience, and im starting to really think i will be going with some sort of home made hydroponics unit of some type.  so what kind of results could i expect on average assuming everything goes well using a 400W MH for veg, and 400W HPS for flowering?

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: AKSE]
    #184440 - 01/18/09 10:22 PM (15 years, 11 months ago)

i dont think money will be an issue :laugh:

it's only 1 more bulb anyway

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: Dr. Penguin]
    #185695 - 01/20/09 09:49 PM (15 years, 11 months ago)

if everything is being exhausted into the attic, and there is otherwise no access to the attic, will the smell become an issue? im more concerned about a neighbor or passer by getting a whiff.  im still thinking a scrubber is a sound investment.

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: irradiated]
    #200020 - 02/25/09 04:00 PM (15 years, 10 months ago)

well, after much research, i finally found all of the major equipment i will need for this project, and finally ordered it today, so in about 2 weeks it will feel like Christmas :laugh:

Lumatek 400 watt digital ballast, with both MH and HPS bulbs

silverstar 6" air-cooled reflector

roll of mylar for the walls inside.

ppm meter, since it is very crucial :wink:

as well as my nutrients for the hydro unit.  i went with Advanced Nutrients



since i am custom building my hydroponic unit i am curious as to what style of hydroponics everyone tends to favor, if the results are pretty much comparable regardless of what style.

so far my plan is to build the unit out of a black rubbermaid tote, with 6-8 3.5" net baskets, and 2x360 degree micro sprinklers inside for irrigation.  a 265gph water pump i think should be sufficient to power 2 of those mini sprinklers.

if i end up building teh hydro unit as planned, should i have the sprinklers on a timer?  or running constantly?

any thoughts? suggestions?

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: Dr. Awesome]
    #200253 - 02/26/09 02:07 PM (15 years, 10 months ago)

anyone???

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: Dr. Awesome]
    #200258 - 02/26/09 02:31 PM (15 years, 10 months ago)

i'm actually going to be working from clones, so that shouldn't be a problem.  since im trying to pack as many plants into a reasonably small space, i don't think it makes sense for me to go with individual buckets for each plant.  i have a spare room that i could use for my grow, but then security becomes a much higher risk.

i also have to give props to you for your home made carbon filter there Dr. Penguin, i'll be building one of those myself.  how much carbon does it take to fill yours up?

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: Dr. Penguin]
    #200279 - 02/26/09 04:45 PM (15 years, 10 months ago)

i was also considering purchasing an ultra sonic fog generator, you know, like the kind that some halloween decorations have..  or that you can buy at a petstore for reptiles and amphibian cages.  i've heard those are great and since there are no moving parts to maintain, and no hoses or fittings to clog, i could just use the pump for circulation.  what about an air pump and bubbler?

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: Dr. Penguin]
    #200401 - 02/26/09 11:38 PM (15 years, 10 months ago)

you can actually get the fogger unit all by itself, you basically just set it in the reservoir and viola. i mean that's how all the halloween decorations work. 

something like this  but without lights of course. dont need any light on those roots :wink: http://www.mainlandmart.com/foggers.html

there nothing there to clog.  im begging my ex gf to sell me one she has for her halloween decorations but she wont budge :frown:

teh only think i guess i would really need to do is make a float for it so that it only sits an inch or so below the waters surface no matter what the nutrient solutions level is.  i think we might have been thinking of different kinds of foggers.

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: Dr. Penguin]
    #200468 - 02/27/09 01:21 AM (15 years, 10 months ago)

ahh, gotcha.  that makes sense.  i'm wondering how i would protect the pc fan from moisture, it would certainly be a risk of causing a short.  im not sure if a fan of any kind would even be necessary, unless im just not following you on this one.  i've seen one of those foggers EASILY fill a large rubbermaid tote (larger than what i intend to use) full of thick fog till it was spilling over the edge.  i see what you mean about protecting the head from being strangled by roots, but that should be an easy fix.

what about a funnel or something on that sort over the fogger head?  positioned with the spout of the funnel facing upward, it shoudl effectively keep the roots away from the unit, while at the same time causing the fog to erupt from the top of it volcano style.  not sure if that would work.. just kinda brainstorming ideas right now...

so just to see if im still at least partly on the same page, i could use a pump to keep the nutes circulating, air stones to aerate, as well as an ultrasonic fogger?

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? [Re: Dr. Penguin]
    #200587 - 02/27/09 12:23 PM (15 years, 10 months ago)

ooh, that's something that didn't even really occur to me, (droplet size)  i'll definitely keep that in mind.  and the net pot idea sounds like it would work fairly well.  manually removing rots form it every few days doesn't seem like too much of a chore IMO. 

i should be able to keep the fog unit away from most of the hanging roots anyway, the reservoir should be large enough for me to space the plants enough that the fog head can go between them with minimal interference from roots.  but i will still cover it with a net pot just to be sure.

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? (UPDATE WITH PICS) [Re: Dr. Awesome]
    #204690 - 03/11/09 01:51 PM (15 years, 10 months ago)

well here are some pics of my closet setup, no plants yet, just finished setting everything up.  everything went fairly smooth.

i only need a couple more things, small oscillating fan that i can attach to the wall, and some weather stripping to keep the light in and out, some better cable management lol oh, and clones of course :wink:

anyway, here's the pics.  as always thoughts on what i can do to improve this grow closet are welcome and appreciated.












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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? (UPDATE WITH PICS) [Re: Dr. Penguin]
    #204699 - 03/11/09 02:49 PM (15 years, 10 months ago)

well, so far ive left the door closed for an hour and a half and the temp hasn't risen above 78 f when the thermometer was placed only 5-6" away from the glass of the reflector.  the ducting isn't attached to the reflector yet, and i will be adding the carbon scrubber before i initiate flowering.  from all previous grows ive noticed veg smell is minimal.  enough so that venting to the attic should pose no security threats.  however i will insist on having the scrubber built and in place before flowering.

i did go with a duct booster fan, it was cheap (10 bucks at home depot, and it seems to be serving well enough for the time being, tho i will be investing in a 6" vortex fan.  as well as possibly an axial fan for the intake just to boost airflow over the bulb.  unfortunately the vortex fan was outside my initial start up budget.

i will keep my eye on the ducting, if the air becomes too hot for it i will take a quick trip to home depot to cure that.  for the time being i will straighten out that ducting/cut off the excess.

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? (UPDATE WITH PICS) [Re: ethnoguy]
    #212341 - 04/05/09 02:15 AM (15 years, 9 months ago)

so i have come across a problem, just not sure how much of a problem it will end up being...  in my closet i made an intake vent that draws air from my basement since i found that sealing the door was in my best interests security wise.  no light leaks in or out, and no sounds are audible when teh door is closed so that is good.  however with that fresh air intake, my relative humidity has dropped to around 20%.  my hygrometer could just be horribly inaccurate, cos my house doesn't seem to have super dry air, but im not sure.  how much is having a really low humidity going to effect growth?  i suspect that once the hydro unit is running and there are plants in there it will surely drive the humidity up, but i just wanna know for a worst case scenario what it will be like if i cant get the RH any higher than 20%

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? (UPDATE WITH PICS) [Re: ethnoguy]
    #212352 - 04/05/09 03:32 AM (15 years, 9 months ago)

double post

Edited by Dr. Awesome (04/05/09 03:33 AM)

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OfflineDr. Awesome


Registered: 01/17/09
Posts: 55
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
Re: Closet grow recommendations? (UPDATE WITH PICS) [Re: Dr. Penguin]
    #212419 - 04/05/09 04:22 PM (15 years, 9 months ago)

well, that's good. im glad it shouldn't be too much of a problem.  my basement is pretty humid especially in the summer so once things start to warm up i don't think it is unrealistic for me to be fighting with air that is too humid :P

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