Beginning effots to start my own micro grow...

[Orangecrush]

I just want to state right now that I have absolutely no experience growing, so any starters tips would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, as I am still in college and living at home for atleast one more semester, I am tight on space so I was told to come check out the microgrow forum. I have been viewing a lot of grows on the forum and I just want to give props to everyone, you guys really have your stuff done. Right now I do not have any materials yet, I have been debating on whether or not I should just go ahead and start my own grow and just decided that if I start buying things I will actually do it. Sadly, we cleaned out the house this summer and got rid of three of our old PCs. So many things I could have used!

So right now I am looking at having to buy pretty much everything. I figured I would start with the case and go from there. Any tips on what I should look for? Certain specs? Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately, as I am still in college and living at home

wait till you get ur own place so as to not put them at risk...unless they are cool with it

 

[Orangecrush]

I haven't come out right and said "I intend to grow marijuana here." But everyone in my family knows that I do it. I told my parents when I started to get more into it, I just said look I am bringing this into your home and if you don't want me to do it here, I understand. I think they might prefer me growing a small amount as opposed to buying it. They worry more about me being caught driving around with it or it being cut with some other chemical than me actually smoking it. Hehe honestly they would be more worried about how it will affect the electric bill than me growing it.

 

[MushuHappiness]

I'm in the exact same boat as you right now Orangecrush haha. Came home for year to take a break from school and my parents would rather have me do it where they KNOW no one else will be coming in and seeing it. They said as long as it isn't obvious, its ok. Surprisingly my father, who doesn't smoke, said he'd help me with my PC case if I need help cutting or light proofing

I'll be pulling up a chair and having questions right along side with you if you dont mind Orange(You can kick me out at any time ), but mostly i'll just come here for info since im a true newb Mircro grower

So far, i've actually got a case picked out and already started strippin her down.

So far I have this:
Sorry for the poor quality, cellphone camera













As for PC Cases, or something of the sort, check on Craigslist. You can usually find some free stuff that would be pretty handy, or even CMEMORY cases. Otherwise go on ebay and check out anything from a Mid size tower, to a Full size desktop tower. Only problem with those would also be their shipping is insanely expensive. Also, try going down to a small PC shop and ask for older style full tower/server cases.

 

[Orangecrush]

Thats great that your dad even offered to help you out. I'm looking for a Used PC store in my area but I can't seem to find one yet. My only main concern right now is how much it is going to affect the electric bill. One of my friends keeps telling me that keeping those lights on so much will make it jump up quite a bit, but he has never grown before, only heard from a friend. Anyone know how much of a difference it makes?

 

[MushuHappiness]

Well, since we're using smaller bulbs and not much wattage, I doubt that the electric bill will jump in price too high. I have a gaming computer that I leave on 24/7 along with my monitor and a 5.1 surround sound thats usually on too, my powersupply is a 650 watt an im using probably 450-500 of it, and my parents haven't said anything to me, and I live in california with a supposed "energy crisis." You'll probably not have more that 100watts of lighting in your case so it shouldn't be a problem at all

Edit: Im assuming you live in a normal size house 2-4 bedrooms, or even an apartment, if your family has electronics like a fridge, big tv, more that one computer, dishwasher.. that sort of thing, dont be too concerned with the electric bill unless you decided to grow to sell and were using 1000watt bulbls and massive ventilation and what not.

 

[Bloodrain]

Santa Cruse Orange Crush... I love it! By the way if your looking for a cheap PC case heres a link. http://www.mypccase.com/atxfultowcas2.html. The case is about $16 and shipping is about $14 so it's gonna be about $33 total.

 

[J-Roc]

..OrangeCrush..
any progress/updates?

 

[Orangecrush]

I'm still shopping around for some cases. I found one that I liked online, but I wanted to check out a couple Used PC stores in my area. Went by there today and they had some pretty crappy cases for about the same price as if I were to order it new online. So I'm thinking I am going to just order the online one that I found.

 

[blakhash]

lol dang man thats awesome, to bad my parents arent that nonchalant haha. i tried to say i didn't want my weed to be cut with chemical and my dad laughed and said stfu you not growing...

go on craigslist.com and look for your area, there are usually some pc cases on there for cheap have a look in your area.

 

[Orangecrush]

Bringing this post back from the depths of the forum. I recently invested in a PC case to grow in, but I am having trouble stripping it down. I saw Mushu had recommended a dremel I think? But I haven't been able to find mine. Any other suggestions?

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

i am kinda handy witha tool or two, and would be more than willing to help, but what do you mean by "stripping it down" ? last i checked, everything was screwed in. if you dont have/ cant find your dremel then get the trusty ol' hand model and put your back into it. should take phillips head scre driver to handle whats in there holdon everything together.

i am sure the old man as one around, if not maybe in the junk drawer somewhere (which everyone has) so many people have helped me out, its time to return the favor pm me anytime

but question, if your going back to school how much time do you really ahve to grow anything, or are you gonna take it with you? which you can also do.

and oh yeah, something that small doesnt draw to much if any power at all. a closet tht can hold 10 plants using a 400hps and a fan can draw as much power as a 27 inch tv, and it doesnt run all the time, so if your doing something that small, no worries

 

[Orangecrush]

Actually inside of the case there are these little rivets that are holding in one of the metal cases for the cd-rom drive. They are really small and I haven't been able to get them out with anything else I have tried. I will definitely look into that screw driver and mallet idea though.

And I am currently living at home while going to school. I'm planning on transferring in the spring, but thats not for months and I still may end up living at home.

Thanks for the help!

 

[MushuHappiness]

Hey Orange... You can use an air chisel if your dad has an air pump. If not, you can also use a powerdrill. Take a bit, make sure it fits within the diameter of the rivet, get some tool/cutting oil, put a little oil on the end of the bit, and rivet, and since it is steel... Set it for low speed, high torque, and the bit should be able to make quick work of it since its only a really small piece of SECC steel most likely... If you cant do that...

Head to Lowes, Home dePOT, or some hardware store and pick up a starter dremel kit for like 20-40 bucks, it will help you later on down the road when you move out and want/need to go bigger/more creative

G'luck bro... I should be starting here in the next couple weeks depending on when i get my seeds in

 

[Orangecrush]

Hehe well actually I got it out, but not in the easiest way. I tried using a really large flathead screwdriver and rubber mallet we have, but it didn't do anything. So I just started hitting it with the rubber mallet. After awhile I noticed that the rivets were getting a little loose so I grabbed some sharp nosed pliers and just started pulling out the rivets one by one. Eventually I was able to bend it back and pull it out. I'm sure its hard for you to imagine, but after it being all bent up and not like a metal box anymore it was easy to pull out.

I did end up cutting my thumb on the edge of it. Just as I was thinking to myself, man this is pretty sharp, I should watch out might cut myself. And then I noticed some blood in my PC case and I was like wtf?! I didn't cut myself! How did blood get in here?! And sure enough I had just nicked my thumb. No worries though, wasn't serious at all. Hopefully you can get some pics up soon so I can see what ya made of yours!

 

[panopticist]

School surplus auctions are a killer source of old to moderately old-ass PC's.

The university I used to work for had a warehouse chock full of early 2000's computers that had just been traded out for something newer; I remember seeing a lot of Dell Optiplex's in the full sized tower, as well as some huge ass servers just sitting around, begging to be modded...

 

[MushuHappiness]

O mines far from being done lol, Its just been stripped like yours has, i'll be a flurry of activity once i get the seeds in the mail though...

And btw Orange... If you've been seeing those Fresh2ti Bulbs around.. I suggest picking up a couple of them for the veg cycle.. If not for you case.. at least your room... I've been doing alot of reading on them, and i must say.. I may not even put a scrubber into my case except maybe as a lightproofing source... The bulbs will kill 99% of odors within 10-15min of the light being turned on...

Check this thread out... http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=4577&highlight=fresh2

You may decide not to put a scrubber in either... At night when lights are out for both me and the plant.. I'll be putting one inside a box with the exhaust of the case going to it probably to kill any and all smells... hopefully it'll save room inside the case instead of scrubbers ^_^

 

[Orangecrush]

OK well after a busy week I've made it to my weekend and would like to continue adding on. I went to the hardware store today and was going to pick up some black caulk, duct tape, the reflective lining, and some plexi board. Well I couldn't find the reflective lining anywhere! I even ended up asking and the guy had no idea what I was talking about! I'm going to try a different hardware store tomorrow, but anyone know what section it is typically in?

 

[Guest]

walmart camping section




the one i got was labeled: Emergency Blanket

 

[MushuHappiness]

I just bought some spray paint and painted the inside of my cab a gloss white, also, instead of duct tape, try and pick up some aluminum foil tape... you can find it at home dePOT. It'll block light better than duct tape.

Also orange... If you havnt done so, check out the link in my sig for hooking up your PC fans. I'll also be doing a tutorial here probably tomorrow on how to wire BOTH a wall socket and a powerstrip(Seperate.. not in the same case lol) to the inside of your PC case... I've given up on waiting for Mr. Micro haha