Cheapo 9W LED Ikea Trashbin Grow - GHS Super Bud

[tebos]

I'm just starting my first grow with Super Bud from Green House Seeds, for this purpose I recycled an Ikea trashbin I had laying around.

A few modifications were made to the bin, including air intakes around the top frame and bottom, exhaust fan, air filter and the electronics for the LEDs. They are rocking 2x XM-L T3 7C (3000K) 1x XM-L T6 3C (5000K) LEDs, current at 1A each.
It's made pretty stealthy and with a heavy focus on being cheap

This grow cost me around 30Euro (including 2 seeds), because I had most of the stuff laying around.
Yesterday I put one seed into a glass of water, 24hours later the first root was visible so I put it into soil.
I'll post the next pictures when the first leafs are visible.



Index for posts worth reading:
Update #1 - First picture
Update #2 - Driver issues
Update #3 - from 24/0 to 18/6
Update #4 - first pronged leaves
Update #5 - 5 pronged leaves
Update #6 - wired the plant
Update #7 - steady canopy developement
Update #8 - repot to 2l
Update #9 - new filter, new driver installed, returned to LED lighting
Update #10 - led spectrum[
Update #11 - more wiring, some pruning and broken branches
Update #12 - Flowering day 7, CO2 supplementation
Pests, nuteburn?
Update #13 - Flowering day 12
Update #14 - massive LST, flowering day 14
Update #15 - flowering day 17
Update #16 - some bud-/canopyshots
Update #17 - Moar buds, first month of flowering has passed
Update #18 - Completely redid the wiring
Update #19 - 48days of 12/12
Update #20 - total defoliation!
Update #21 - continued bud growth
Update #22 - trichrome shots
Update #23 - harvest and wet weight
Update #24 - dry weight

 

[Dr.proX]

Hey.

Looks like a nice mini projekt. Best with luck to you.

Peace

 

[MisterP]

What about lighting?

 

[tebos]

@dr.prox Thanks!

As for lighting, I'm using 2x Cree XM-L T3 7C (warm white) and 1x XM-L T6 3C (neutral white), each running at 1A, netting a good 1000Lumens at 115lm/W making it twice as efficient as regular CFLs.
Here is a picture of the "reflector" I'm using (made of paper).

For more pictures take a look at this album: https://www.icmag.com/ic/album.php?albumid=45755

 

[daylighting]

Well dang, that is one simple, but clean-looking grow. Ironic how clean it looks since it's in a trash can! Definitely subbed for this one!

 

[Killkingkong]

The simplicity of your box reminds me of my 5 gallon bucket grow, except I'm using CFLs this time. How do you like your fan? I had 2 scythe's in my bucket, but I touched the blades of the more powerful fan and a few blades broke off. I had to turn my other fan into the exhaust fan and it's been doing an decent job so far, but summer isn't fully hear yet so I don't know how it's going to handle heat. I just ordered a fan to replace my scythe fan whose specs say it should be almost twice as powerful.

How do you plan on watering your plants once they start to grow into bushes? Do you have any plans for a fan blowing directly on the plants?

 

[tebos]

The fan was a left over and I'm satisfied with it but given that it's not regulated and running on full speed, you can hear the air stream. I'd rather sacrifice throughput and have a lower speed at 12V (e.g. less noise).

I hope that I can take the plant out of the bin at any size (knock on wood). The air stream in the bin is pretty good so I don't plan any additional fans.
Hopefully the plant shows itself soon.

 

[Killkingkong]

The fan was a left over and I'm satisfied with it but given that it's not regulated and running on full speed, you can hear the air stream. I'd rather sacrifice throughput and have a lower speed at 12V (e.g. less noise).

Try an adjustable power adapter. I have a really powerful fan hooked up to a pc case I'm using and at 12v it's unbearablely loud. On a cool day it works fine at 6v and barely makes noise, but when it's hotter I usually run it at 9v.

http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-Cable-ACD477-Universal-Supply/dp/B000Z31G3M/ref=pd_sim_hi_7

 

[tebos]

Thanks for the advice! I actually have a voltage regulator laying around, the next time I feel like it I'll add it.

 

[NKOTS]

hi tebos, inventive setup i must admit. i once had a similar idea but eventually it ended as a blueprint only.

I hope that I can take the plant out of the bin at any size (knock on wood).

if i may suggest something - i would make a platform that fits the size of the trashbin entrance at the top. i would attach long sticks or metal/plastic tubes to it and connect them at the top to make smthg like a cage. i would then be able to lift the cage with the platform attached in the bottom and take it in/out of the bin.
and on the platform would sit the pot(s).

hope this is comprehensive but i am pretty high atm so not sure i made myself clear? if you wish i can make a simple drawing.

peace and good luck

 

[tebos]

You're probably right, I'll add strings onto the pot to be able to lift it outside of the bin. That's just for simplicitys sake otherwise your setup is probably a lot more dependable

 

[tebos]

Happy to announce that the plant has shown itself today!

The leafs look a bit purplish, temperature is always around 20°C and humidity is at 50% at this stage - having not watered for 2 days because the soil is still (too) wet.

I'm running her 24hours under light for the next few days, will then switch to 18/6.

 

[NKOTS]

hooray

so this officialy starts!

 

[tebos]

Hey nkots, thank you and yes it is

I need a tip on how to train the plant. Given that it's has a bit of Sativa in it, it will probably stretch after entering flowering stage, so I thought about using wire to keep the plant small, sort of like a bonsai. Any thoughts?

 

[Killkingkong]

You can either drill a lot of holes along the top of your container and use string to tie the plant down. Or you can get a grid/screen and put it over the entire container.

example of screen:

 

[weed4life87]

you need minimum 5000lumens to grow something, more light!

 

[tebos]

You can either drill a lot of holes along the top of your container and use string to tie the plant down.

This is probably what I'm going to do. Not sure if a scrog would be the right to do because space is limited anyway and it would make it even harder to access the plant.

you need minimum 5000lumens to grow something, more light!

Well, I don't think so but thanks for the advice. This grow is more about testing on the smallest level what's possible with white LED's.
I'm already planning a bigger setup, just not sure which light setup to go (LED-wise).

 

[Killkingkong]

you need minimum 5000lumens to grow something, more light!

Lumens are initially measured from a distance of 1 foot. everytime you decrease the distance of the light by half you increase lumens by 4. So at 3 inches away his plants will get about 16000 lumens. As long as he vegges for a very long time (like 2 months) and train the plant right up to the light he'll be able to grow something. I'm not saying he'll be able to grow pounds with this setup, but he'll get something.

Take a look at VerdantGreen's 28w grow to get a good idea of what low watt/high lumen leds can do. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=233536

 

[tebos]

I'm with you Kingkong. Lumens only cover the light visible to the human eye, it doesn't say that much for plants.

 

[tebos]

Quite a lot of growth in 2 days!

This comes along with bad news, the LED driver somehow broke, i.e. the LEDs were a lot darker after two days running straight. A new driver is on the way from china, I'm using a 18W 865 CFL for the time being.