High everyone I'm Gdbud and this will be my first real grow. A few months ago I found a stealth cabinet ad in a magazine and thought what a cool idea, So what did I do. I went to the internet to find more information on stealth cabinets. And what did I find? I found icmag and a few other sites that had information on stealth cabinets. Since I found most of my information here on this site I thought better to place my grow journal.
I would first thank a few people on this site for all the information the I have gathered from them on building my cabinet and getting started on my first grow
Freezer Boy
Redgreenry (Ventilation 101)
Bengie187
just to name a few. There are so many other people that I got ideas of information from I would just like to say thank you all and what a great site we all have here.
At first I was going to use a metal storage cabinet then I found a Mills Pride C-13 cabinet still in the box on craigslist for $50.
Spent the month of December gathering tools, equipment and supplies for the grow and to build my cabinet.
I got myself a 400 watt cool tube and oriented the light so that it
fits in front to back.
Using a 6" ecoplus fan with speed control and carbon scrubber
Thanks THC Decap I hope that it will perform as well as it looks.
Keep checking back to see how well I keep this cabinet growing.
I have removed the dome and the light is 18" above the plants
I'm running a 400 watt mh on a Lunatek adjustable digital ballast and I'm running it 250 watts.
Lights running 24/7
I wouldn't start feeding nute's till you get a cpl stages of true leaves. I know it's hard to wait for your plants to grow but don't over love them you will end up killing them. Just give them time to adjust to there home and they will let you know when to start feeding.
As far as putting into the DWC once you see roots you can put it into the system and those rockwool plugs hold water pretty good so u should be good for at least the first 2 weeks. Hope this helps and good luck w/ your first grow everything looks super clean, great job on your cab!!!
Chytil151 thanks for stopping by and giving your input its much appreciated.
I'm just an nerviness new father wanting whats best for my new girls.
One of the seedling already has about 1" root showing under the bottom if the plug, So once I see the root of the second one I should go ahead and place it into the DWC?
I have a reservoir with PH adjusted water ready to go, hydroton and air stones soaking I'm ready to go. I just need a sign.
Thats a pretty neat setup, this is my first post on this forum and it's on your thread, how cool is that lol. Anyways I really want to see how your grow turns out. Wish you the best.
Che3se welcome to icmag and to my Journal. Just subscribe to my journal and you will be able to watch my grow as it goes. I will try to keep journal going though out this whole grow as this is my first grow and need to brag about it to someone besides my wife.
Right now the girls look almost the same as the picture I posted yesterday just a little taller with the leaves now facing towards the light, so no pictures today.
And thanks for the first post and I 'm looking forward to hear from you later. The great thing about icmag is the everyone is here to help out one another learn about this great hobbie.
cre8iv fuel, Thanks, I put a lot of time and thought into this cabinet and I'm too looking forward to see how well both the cabinet and I preform on this grow.
I'm sorry but the carbon scrubber was not shown in any of the pictures,
So here is the picture of the cabinet in its home position.
The blue tote is the scrubber the fan exhausts into the tote and I found a cat litter box that has a screen in the bottom of the box for cleaning, so the screened bottom of the box is well supported and will hold the carbon.
That area at the bottom back is the air intake and it comes into the cabinet 6" it will make a nice shelf for the fan. On the back of the cabinet is a furnace filter and inserts to light proof it.
I used google sketchup for the design of my cabinet. for the people who are not familiar with sketchup it is a free 3-D modeling program that is very easy to learn and use.
So here are two views of my cabinet from sketchup
the front view
the holes above and below the light are there for different placement of the lights.
And it shows the carbon scrubber sitting on top of the cabinet.
At the back bottom is the air intake grill there are two grill there one on each side.
The Back view.
The opening at the bottom is for the filter for the air intake.
The rectangle object it totally enclosed I have cut a way the back of it so that you see how it works.
There are three round openings for different light positions two are keeped plugged and the cool tube is the middle opening. The top opening leads in to the fan area which in totality enclosed and exhausts in to the scrubber.
This is the way I got a 20" cool tube to fit front to back inside a 24" cabinet.
Today I checked the girls and I had root showing on the second seedling, So I moved them into the DWC.
At this time I'm running with just PH adjusted no nutrients I guess I will wait until the roots reach the water before adding nutrients.
The girls are now in the new DWC and the light has been lowered to the lowest position. which places the light about 10" above the plants.
Does anyone use the Cannabis Calendar?
If you do how do you use it?
Do you use as a daily log?
Do you use as a reminder for water changes and nutrient schedule?
How do you use it?
Thanks for clarifying GD. I had a hunch you had a scrubber outside, and was even imagining it being a blue tote! The Sketchup models look good, I love Sketchup! Now I understand your setup much better, and you definitely designed it very well. So right now you're not extracting any heat from the cooltube? Since I see you have a heater in there, I can understand this, but do you have plans to in the future?
Happy to see them popping up and putting out roots! I was under the impression a DWC would be too ambitious for a first grow, but you may be proving otherwise. You've obviously done your homework, so I am looking forward to seeing those plans thrive and harvest. hope they are all girls!
cre8iv fuel, thanks for stopping back by.
I agree Sketchup is a great program I was able to work through four or five different designs for the grow cabinet before I came up with the one I built then I was able to get my dimensions right off of the 3-D model.
I have a 6" inline 440cfm fan in the cabinet large intakes ,and I do not have any carbon in the scrubber, So I have very little static pressure right now.
I'm running with the new dimmable 400 watt lumatek ballast and I had it set to 250watts for the new seedlings. With it set to 250 watts and the fan speed turned all the way down the cabinet was running at about 70 degrees, So I had the heater in there so that I could keep the cabinet at round 80 degrees.
I have the light now set at 400 watts the plants are loving it and I have replaced the heater with a fan.
So yes I am pulling heat from the cooltube. The object that is in front of the cooltube is a 6" round diffuser I found at Homedepot it creates a bell-mouth inlet which makes for better air flow through the cooltube plus it keeps the light from shinning in my eyes.
The seeds I got areWhite widow feminized seeds, So they should all be female if they don't hermaphrodite.
I always thought that hydroponics would be the way to grow and DWC looked the easiest and cheapest way to go. I'm stickler for detail so I should make it work.
Growth up date:
The two plants in the DWC now have roots showing at the bottom of the net pots reaching for the water. I still have not started any nutrients yet. I'm thinking once the roots hit the water then starting them on 1/4 strength. Any thoughts on this?
Man,the DWC will blow your mind with fast growing plants.
BUT,you have to feed them wisely,because directly in water,your roots will absorb as much as they're able to do.
For example,for the same Afghani strain,4 weeks flowering,in my Low Pressure Aero system i rise EC to 1.75 and in my DWC,EC is 1.25.
Last night I changed the water in the reservoir and added a light nutrient solution. My tap water runs at ~100ppm and my weak solution is running at 280ppm with ph at 5.61. checked on them to day and they seem to be doing fine with it.
Super super clean set up! It really is a top shelf cab. Well designed, thought out and put together. Great job. I am in my first DWC grow, and I love it. Had a few issues with feeding, was use to soil, but after I sorted that out everything been running smooth. Thank u Freezerboy, he helped me also. A few others too. But best of luck that cab will be producing heavy for you soon!
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Spent the month of December gathering tools, equipment and supplies for the grow and to build my cabinet.
I got myself a 400 watt cool tube and oriented the light so that it
fits in front to back.
Using a 6" ecoplus fan with speed control and carbon scrubber
Growing in a DWC with Scrog
Nutrients GH FloraNova grow and bloom
I received 5 feminised white widow seeds from Nirvana seeds on December 31
January 1st I placed 3 seeds in paper towels to germinate them
January 2st two of the seeds had popped open
January 3rd placed the two sprouts into rock-wool cubes and transparent cover. also the third seed started to show signs of sprouting.
January 4th the two sprouts in rock-wool have broke surface and have the first set of round leaves showing. although the leaves are a pail green.
I guess now would be time to place them under the lights?
and should I start feeding them 1/4 straight nuts?
How long should I keep dome on?
I have not started any Nutrients yet.
At what point should I start the DWC? and start adding nutrients?
once they break the surface Take your dome off , your seedlings need air.
Keep checking back to see how well I keep this cabinet growing.
I have removed the dome and the light is 18" above the plants
I'm running a 400 watt mh on a Lunatek adjustable digital ballast and I'm running it 250 watts.
Lights running 24/7
As far as putting into the DWC once you see roots you can put it into the system and those rockwool plugs hold water pretty good so u should be good for at least the first 2 weeks. Hope this helps and good luck w/ your first grow everything looks super clean, great job on your cab!!!
I'm just an nerviness new father wanting whats best for my new girls.
One of the seedling already has about 1" root showing under the bottom if the plug, So once I see the root of the second one I should go ahead and place it into the DWC?
I have a reservoir with PH adjusted water ready to go, hydroton and air stones soaking I'm ready to go. I just need a sign.
Right now the girls look almost the same as the picture I posted yesterday just a little taller with the leaves now facing towards the light, so no pictures today.
And thanks for the first post and I 'm looking forward to hear from you later. The great thing about icmag is the everyone is here to help out one another learn about this great hobbie.
Sorry if I'm being slow (noob), but where is the carbon scrubber in the photos? What's the recessed box area in the bottom back of the cab?
I'm sorry but the carbon scrubber was not shown in any of the pictures,
So here is the picture of the cabinet in its home position.
The blue tote is the scrubber the fan exhausts into the tote and I found a cat litter box that has a screen in the bottom of the box for cleaning, so the screened bottom of the box is well supported and will hold the carbon.
That area at the bottom back is the air intake and it comes into the cabinet 6" it will make a nice shelf for the fan. On the back of the cabinet is a furnace filter and inserts to light proof it.
So here are two views of my cabinet from sketchup
the front view
the holes above and below the light are there for different placement of the lights.
And it shows the carbon scrubber sitting on top of the cabinet.
At the back bottom is the air intake grill there are two grill there one on each side.
The Back view.
The opening at the bottom is for the filter for the air intake.
The rectangle object it totally enclosed I have cut a way the back of it so that you see how it works.
There are three round openings for different light positions two are keeped plugged and the cool tube is the middle opening. The top opening leads in to the fan area which in totality enclosed and exhausts in to the scrubber.
This is the way I got a 20" cool tube to fit front to back inside a 24" cabinet.
At this time I'm running with just PH adjusted no nutrients I guess I will wait until the roots reach the water before adding nutrients.
The girls are now in the new DWC and the light has been lowered to the lowest position. which places the light about 10" above the plants.
If you do how do you use it?
Do you use as a daily log?
Do you use as a reminder for water changes and nutrient schedule?
How do you use it?
Happy to see them popping up and putting out roots! I was under the impression a DWC would be too ambitious for a first grow, but you may be proving otherwise. You've obviously done your homework, so I am looking forward to seeing those plans thrive and harvest. hope they are all girls!
I agree Sketchup is a great program I was able to work through four or five different designs for the grow cabinet before I came up with the one I built then I was able to get my dimensions right off of the 3-D model.
I have a 6" inline 440cfm fan in the cabinet large intakes ,and I do not have any carbon in the scrubber, So I have very little static pressure right now.
I'm running with the new dimmable 400 watt lumatek ballast and I had it set to 250watts for the new seedlings. With it set to 250 watts and the fan speed turned all the way down the cabinet was running at about 70 degrees, So I had the heater in there so that I could keep the cabinet at round 80 degrees.
I have the light now set at 400 watts the plants are loving it and I have replaced the heater with a fan.
So yes I am pulling heat from the cooltube. The object that is in front of the cooltube is a 6" round diffuser I found at Homedepot it creates a bell-mouth inlet which makes for better air flow through the cooltube plus it keeps the light from shinning in my eyes.
The seeds I got areWhite widow feminized seeds, So they should all be female if they don't hermaphrodite.
I always thought that hydroponics would be the way to grow and DWC looked the easiest and cheapest way to go. I'm stickler for detail so I should make it work.
Growth up date:
The two plants in the DWC now have roots showing at the bottom of the net pots reaching for the water. I still have not started any nutrients yet. I'm thinking once the roots hit the water then starting them on 1/4 strength. Any thoughts on this?
BUT,you have to feed them wisely,because directly in water,your roots will absorb as much as they're able to do.
For example,for the same Afghani strain,4 weeks flowering,in my Low Pressure Aero system i rise EC to 1.75 and in my DWC,EC is 1.25.
Same strain,same age. They just feed way better.
Last night I changed the water in the reservoir and added a light nutrient solution. My tap water runs at ~100ppm and my weak solution is running at 280ppm with ph at 5.61. checked on them to day and they seem to be doing fine with it.