Starting a 12/12 seed SOG box

[CLePToKiD28]

EDITED FOR NEW SETUP! 380 watts total output, 2700k/6500k CFL.

After a long sabbatical sabbatical, I've decided to build a CFL cabinet for personal use, seeing as a respectible yield with CFLs is not out of the question (thanks DrBud). Dimensions of 2'(w)x4'(l)2.5'(h). The box will be disguised as a dresser. I plan on running 8-40watt (2700k) vertically on the top, 4-15 watt CFLs (6500k) on the adjacent walls, 2 on each side.
At the moment I do not have space to keep mothers or clones, and while that is my plan for the future, medicine is my main concern at this time. UPDATE: MOTHER/CLONE BOX BEING BUILT ASAP. Will be running DrBud method from seed, trying to get atleast 35-50 females (hoping on high f/m ratio, plenty of seeds to pop). Soil will be FoxFarm Light Warrior/Perlite for seedlings with transplant into Moonshine Mix once the roots get established. See my post towards the bottem of this page for more detail.


Any info/advice/experience would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[CLePToKiD28]

Oh yeah, nutes will be fox farm peace of mind, though I'm considering Tiger Bloom and GrowBig for flower. Anyone have any experience with these?

 

[zlock]

I'm new to growing, but from everything I've read it seems like even if the plant tends to grow quite tall, there are ways to make it work. Like you said, topping and LST I would think would be your best bet...
Im curious to see what others have to say, I'm in a similar boat as far as available grow room, and I'd like to know what the limitations are as far as plant size...

 

[Pittsburgh Kush]

Plants are not going to exceed your 48" height requirement. They should stretch that much.

 

[CLePToKiD28]

I decided I'm going to start with the Double Strawberry Diesel and see how things pan out. I plan on running 3-4 females, 12/12 from seed at a time, using whatever extra space i can to fit in new seedlings when applicable. I'm trying to guarentee a 4 ounce (112 grams) dry harvest. This seem reasonable with permitting conditions?

Box is framed out, need some white paint and plywood. Grabbing some Fox Farm in the morning. Time to make to donuts.

 

[totaln00b]

Cool ideas and some tasty genetics. I would definitely recommend LST for increased yield. I like to use vinyl coated paperclips because they are easy to shape and bend and they hold the stem firmly in place. Check out pics from my OGK project if you wanna see.

 

[CLePToKiD28]

Long time since any updates, its been a financial disaster this holiday season but things are finally starting to come around. No pix (yet) but I'll describe the ensemble to the best of my ability. Basically, its a box within a box, disguised as a dresser. The inner box is constructed from plywood, interior floor space is 4 feet long, by 2 feet wide, and 2 1/2 feet tall. It had been glued and nailed, chalked and primed, and is being painted a flat white later this afternoon. This box is insulated on each side, the top, and bottem by 1x4 strips and fiberglass insulation. Around this insulated area are 2 layers of high quality plywood, stained to a rosewood color. The front has false drawers with brass handles or knobs (haven't decided).

Ventilation will be housed on the door, which is 3 feet wide by 2 feet high housed on the back of the "dresser". It runs flush with the back of the unit, and it pressure set with weather strip and locked with threads and special headed screws, with 2 handles to pop it out. I will run both the intake/exhaust on the door, recessed and angled opposite, with fans on the floor corners and roof corners, to create and circulating breeze. I also have a c02 tank with a pressure control & timer, which will be ran through a line through the door as well later in flowering. Odor control will be controlled through Vaporteks, one on top of the unit (behind the flatscreen ) and one in the hallway outside of the room.

Lighting consists of (8) 60-watt CFL (6500k), mounted on 4 dual cleats that are rotatable and angle adjustable, being mounted vertically along the top wall towards the backside, and also (4) 60-watt CFL (6500k) mounted on 2 dual cleats mounted on the backside of the front wall, about 15 inches from the floor.

This will be so when the box eventually becomes perpetual (working on a box for mothers and clones asap), I can house smaller plants along the front wall (lights will be closer) and as they progess, scoot them to the back wall where there is more light clearance.

Grow method with be DrBud SOG method, using (slightly larger) 32oz. gatorade bottles with the top 1/3 cut off. Soil will be Fox Farm Happy Frog (1/3 perlite), P.O.M. dry fertilizer for bloom to start, eventually I would like to test the OG Moonshine Mix (as I'm under the impression that happy frog is pretty much a diluted solution of such). Any recommendations for strict organic nutrient regimen for this soil set up would be helpful, and I'm throwing out my GH nutes and trying this out the natural way.

Genetics consist of: 45 S1 seeds from a local strain. Guy just sucks and stresses things all to hell, but in this case, good for me. Local strain is (as far as we know based on growers knowledge) White Widow x Crimson Haze. Regardless, the buds grow chunky (skunky structure) purple buds that have a sweet and hashy smell and taste, in my experience it looks to be more of a Widow/Skunk cross, as the buds reminded me much more of the White Rhino I used to run. But regardless, 45 healthy seeds (which should all be female) to run a from seed bumper harvest while I get my moms figured out and cloned.

The plan is to run 30 S1 seeds (keeping 15 for selection of a mother later, if the seed plants turn out decent), along with 30 or so seeds from a collection of bagseed I've kept from anything special over 2007-08. If all goes well in germination, hopefully I'll be running anywhere between 35-50 females. These will be vegged until about 5-6 inches, at which time the entire box will be placed under 12/12 and will remain that way until I have clones to fill it, and so on.

Genetics for mothers will consist of Strawberry Diesel, Sour Bubble, and Sour Diesel IBL/Alpha Diesel, providing I can get some beans in the next month or so.

Any comments/questions, feel free. I could surely use the input.

I'm currently torn over my ventilation, as I don't think my original idea (multiple pc fans) will be enough to vent something of these size/light output efficiently. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[j.guit.err]

Don't cheap out on the fan, I did that and regretted it lol. I bought a new centrifugal fan and it's great for ventilation, go with something like that imo.

 

[CLePToKiD28]

yeah i might just have to...I found a thread on here with someone flowering 600 watts of HPS (I have 380 watts CFL) with a slightly smaller box venting with 2 85cfm 12volt pc fans, but I just can't see it being realistic. Anyone have any reccomendations for a small exhaust fan?

 

[CLePToKiD28]

haha im such a stoner. apparently i got 60 watt REPLACEMENTS which are 15 actual watts. Knew there was no way I got all 12 bulbs for $30 haha. Jeezus. Anyone have experience with the sylvania 40watt cfls (lowes)? i cant find any 42s local except walmart but they only have em online. thanks guys.

 

[Spicoli]

Ya looks like your on the right track, but like j.guit.err said don't skimp on ventilation. many problems can be caused by not using adequete ventelation (i.e. high temps, stressed plants, lanky nugs) but other then that you seem to have you shit straight. Get a vortex blower if you have the money ,if not a strong inline fan will work good.

 

[CLePToKiD28]

Grabbed some 40w (150w replacement, 2700) CFLs this afternoon, will be running 8 (top of box) and keeping the 4 lights that are lower on the side wall my 15 watt, 6500k bulbs (considering the 40watters are $10 a piece, ROBBERY) giving me a total of about 380 true watts, and I don't think the mix in spectrum will do anything but benefit them. Anyone have experience doing DrBud method from seed? The genetics seem to lean heavier to the indica side of things based on the mother that herm'd, so I'm thinking I should veg for a week or so to end up around 20-22 inches.

Rediculous how hard it is to find Fox Farm products where I'm at. The only listed retailer within 100 miles is a hydro store about 30 minutes away, and I just hate dealing with those people. All sorts of innapproprate sales tips...One guy approached me with a 3 part liquid solution (literally a minute after I had entered and began scanning shelves) like "you know...if you really want some big "to-maatttoes"... you should give this stuff a go" ...with a complete store full of people looking at me. I was sketched out, bought my guano and left. Hopefully they have bag in stock, I'm not sure I feel so good about having them order me anything.

 

[CLePToKiD28]

So the back door has been built finally, exhaust fans are going in today. They are mounted in the top right corner of the door, 2 PC fans (one 85cfm and one 120cfm) along with 2 passive intakes (4" squared) on the opposite corner of the door. I'll also be mounting 2 small fans on the top corners of the front wall, to help for circulation. Hopefully this will been enough to cool the cabinet for a few weeks, as my budgets been pushed to its limits at this point. Pictures real soon, waiting to get my camera back from a friend, so you guys can see what the hell it is I'm trying to describe haha.

Anyone that runs DrBud method have some input on what to house my bottles in (for water-run off during waterings?) I'm just trying to make sure everything gets off to a nice healthy start.

Couldn't find any Happy Frog, and I was nervous about starting seedlings in it anyway so I grabbed a bag of Light Warrior & some Perlite to start out, and will transfer into Moonshine Mix (1/3 LW, 1/3 Ocean Forest, 1/3 Planting mix, mixed with 1/3 Perlite added) around week 2. Its been about 2 years since I've put anything in the ground, and my first 'go' at organics so any opinions or input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Cozy Amnesia]

Wow, 380 watts?! That's a fuck ton! You're going to grow some very nice weed with that many cfls. Hows are the fans controling the temperature in there? I bet it's a damn oven. If you're having heat issues, shot me a p.m. I can give some advice if you need it.

 

[CLePToKiD28]

thanks man, I really appreciate that. I'm not sure how the heats gonna stack up as its been outside in an uninsulated shed for construction purposes, so its hard to tell with the air around it being 35 degrees. The home that its staying in stays about 60-65 degrees this time of year, maybe 5-10 degrees cooler in the summer, so I'm not so sure how its gonna pan out until its operational.

The PC fans are HUGE (the actual units being 2.5" wide, 4inches squared, HUGE fan blades) and they draw air like you wouldn't believe. I don't know shit about computers but he told me they were aftermarket and the strongest he had. I told my buddy I was a little skeptic using them, but after seeing these things I had to try em out.

I'm hoping that will be enough along with the two 4" square passive intakes. If not I can add another passive maybe? The idea with the interior fans is to direct the air being drawn in to circulate the interior before exiting. I've got access to these 2-4" stationary caged fans, and will probably have 2 along the front wall in the corners, and two smaller ones on the floor blowing through the canopy.

yeah the original plan was for around 500+ watts, but with my budgets running thin and my venting just a "good idea" at this point, I needed to be a little more reasonable. If temps are too much I will probably remove a couple bulbs until it can be worked out. I'll definitely be in touch, thanks Cozy.

Door is painted, inside and out and dry by now (hopefully). Fans go in today, can't cut the top piece of the outer box yet (so the top, as of yet, remains uninsulated) so not much more but small work can be done until tommarrow, providing weather permits. As I said, the top is not completely insulated, but we're gonna close her up and turn the lights on, and see what kind of heat shes gonna put out. I'm assuming with my inside temps being in the 60-65 range, i can deal with an extra 15 degrees or so above outside relative temperature. So we'll leave it on for a few hours and come back and compare temps. Wish me luck.

 

[itsmysubaru]

Nice setup, will be good to see some pics. What's the amperage on your PC fans?

 

[CLePToKiD28]

Seeds will have been in moist paper towels in sandwich bags for 24hrs this morning, gonna go check on things in a couple hours and see whats cookin. Never used this method before, they're at about 75 degrees room temperature, is this not warm enough?

 

[CLePToKiD28]

Last coat of clear coat on the stained wood FINALLY dried last night, had to finish up indoors due to rediculous outside temperature (15degreesF), which wasn't letting it settle at all. Grabbed some bottles for the beans showing tails, so far we've got 12 WhiteWidowxCrimsonHaze S1 and 2 Unknown bagseed popped and in 2/3 Light Warrior, 1/3 Perlite. Gave em' their first watering with warm distilled last night and in their new home they went. Hopefully I'll see something break ground today. Borrowing a camera to get some pics up, any comments/concerns/questions would be most appreciated, as this is my first grow in 3 years , as well as my first go entireley with Micro SOG and Organics. Thanks fellas.

 

[CLePToKiD28]

Still no pics, sorry for the wait. Will be up as soon as possible.

As of 2 days ago, 12 of the WidowxCrimson Haze S1s popped tails, along with 3 of the Unknown "Bigseed" from a batch of smoke (utterly HUGE seeds). As of yesterday, another 2 S1 and 2 Unknowns sprouted.

All were put in cut down water bottles (wrapped in electrical/duct tape to block light from roots) filled with Light Warrior/Perlite blend, and given their first "official" watering. All are under 24 hrs of light, 60 watts 6500k, 320 watts 2700k, total 380 watts of light. Venting so far seems pretty adequate, box is maintaining an internal temperature of around 78 degrees F, so my worries are at bay for the moment. As of last night (when I potted the most recent), none of the others have broken ground yet. Hope to see something green in a day or two, but will be checking tonight. I'm still a little weary about how small these pots are (for real), but I can't argue with the documents shown on this method and need to keep faith until I see for myself.

Does anyone know how long I got until the nutes run on out the Light Warrior? I was thinking about transplanting to Ocean Forest before flowering, but I was told I could do just as well with a little nutrients. Any opinions?

 

[CLePToKiD28]

So either the Light Warrior is heavily diluted because of my added perlite or I've done something wrong. All seedling have come up, but some are showing what looks to be deficiency, slight yellowing on the first set of leaves. Could overwatering have resulted in this? I was nervous about too much water with these small pots (hence the added perlite), or do does my dirt really need some juice already? Pics will be up tonight if all goes well, but any input in the meantime would be appreciated. They are on Day 5 since plant (some day 4).