The Treasure Chest CFL Micro Cab

[kittybags]

Hello and welcome! This is my first cannabis grow so here we go.
This first part is just copy and pasted from my introduction post...

My grow cabinet is this treasure chest/foot locker that I found at a local thrift store. It is already light proof and even has a lock on it. It measures 1ft x 1.5ft x 4ft tall. I'm planning on having a single PC case intake fan and another PC fan for exhaust into a carbon scrubber that I'll still have to make. I painted the insides flat white and created my own CFL light fixture out of PVC.


The fixture is based on this scroll down a bit. I am planning on using 6x23W CFL for a total of ~138W; I may add some more bulbs to the side of the cabinet too.


///
I finished up the cabinet by adding a single 120mm PC exhaust fan that goes into a makeshift carbon filter. Hopefully, I can upgrade this to a inline fan in the near future. I also have a single fan inside the cab just to move air around. I setup my hygrometer and also recently got a pH meter. The chest itself is ALMOST light proof with the only light coming out of the corners and the single hole I have with the wires coming out. I also made a screen out of PVC and some hemp cord to make a SCRoG. The last things that the cab needs are: light hangers/ratchets, final light seals, and eventually a better exhaust system. Overall, I am very proud of what I have so far and am sure that I will find things that need improving as time passes.

Anyways, today I got 2 clones. 1 LSD and 1 Docs OG.
Docs OG:

LSD:


The Docs OG looks much more healthy than the LSD. Right now, I have both of them in Fox Farms Happy Frog soil and under 4x23W 5000K and 2x26W 2700K. I am going to start them under 18/6 for a week or two and then see where to go from there.

I am not too sure what is going on with the LSD. I'm not going to mess with it yet as it was just transplanted less than an hour ago. If anyone can give me some tips on what to do, that would be MUCH appreciated. In the mean time, I'm gonna give it some time to see if some light and water is all she needs.

A few questions here, and many more to come:
1. How should I be running my light schedule with respect to daytime/nighttime? I see that many people run their lights ON at night and their lights OFF during the day. I am not too sure how to justify either way.

2. Nutrients?!?! Since I'm not using a soil less medium (I'm using Happy Frog), should I just give nutrients when I see need be? Currently, I only have some Fox Farms Tiger Bloom that I don't plan on using until flowering.

3. When should I start training my plants with the SCRoG? I know to try and fill up the screen before I start flower but I'm just unsure of how tall/big they should be before bending them under a screen. Of course, my first concern is getting the plants healthy and acclimated to their new home.

 

[kittybags]

Here's a few more pictures of the plants. First the Docs OG then LSD.

That's all for now! I'm already learning so much just reading through this forum and many other resources and I'm excited to learn more. I am open to any advice/pointers or to any questions about anything really. Let's get this started!

 

[second time]

intresting use of a foot locker. at first i found myself thinking what the..
now though i see some pre planning has gone in and its an awsume steal cab for some small
herbage. have fun namaste

 

[justanotherbozo]

1. How should I be running my light schedule with respect to daytime/nighttime? I see that many people run their lights ON at night and their lights OFF during the day. I am not too sure how to justify either way.

high and welcome to the site and to the hobby but be careful, growing weed is HIGHLY addictive!

anyway, many run their lights on at night for a couple of reasons, first, electricity is less expensive at night when there is less demand, second, it's cooler at night so it's marginally easier to deal with the heat from your op.

2. Nutrients?!?! Since I'm not using a soil less medium (I'm using Happy Frog), should I just give nutrients when I see need be? Currently, I only have some Fox Farms Tiger Bloom that I don't plan on using until flowering.

...i haven't grown in soil for a few years now but if i remember right you're only supposed to feed every third watering so water, water, feed.

...if you're new to this hobby you may want to investigate coco hempy buckets KISS style which is maybe the simplest way to achieve decent results with no skills, ...WITH skills you'll see awesome results,

Coco Hempy style.

*The K.I.S.S. Method*

3. When should I start training my plants with the SCRoG? I know to try and fill up the screen before I start flower but I'm just unsure of how tall/big they should be before bending them under a screen. Of course, my first concern is getting the plants healthy and acclimated to their new home.

...sadly, i don't do SCROG so i can't answer your question directly but here is a link to an older thread you won't have seen yet authored by an expert SCROGger so i expect if you read this thread you will find your SCROGging answers here.

DESTROYER on Ice - 250CMH Freezer Grow

...and lastly, here is a link to pontiac's excellent compilation of links to the best DIY threads on this site going back some years, if you need to build or make it, check here first.

ICMAG'S OFFICIAL ~DIY~ LINK-O-RAMA

peace and good luck, bozo

 

[kittybags]

second time- After first being interested by r/microgrowery and then being fascinated by the 1oz shot glass grow thread here at icmag, I was so set on growing cannabis myself. Everything I saw, I thought "Hey, I could grow weed in this." One day I saw this cabinet and here I am now! Haha, cheers.

bozo- Awesome! Thanks a bunch for the links man. I have a lot to learn from you guys that have been doing thing since I was a kid.

 

[touchofgrey]

When should I start training my plants with the SCRoG? I know to try and fill up the screen before I start flower but I'm just unsure of how tall/big they should be before bending them under a screen. Of course, my first concern is getting the plants healthy and acclimated to their new home.

Welcome. I ran a scrog for several years, just recently converted to a vertical setup. Anyway, you can start training before setting the screen or after, sometimes makes it easier to get a head start. Alot is strain dependent and you may not know yet how much they will stretch but IMO the trick is to keep things horizontal until about halfway through stretch - usually a couple weeks after the switch to 12/12. And BTW, I'd recommend switching to 12/12 before your screen is full, I usually flipped at about half full. Believe me, it will fill out during stretch.


I once ran a sativa that I started training into a pretzel while she was in a 6" container You can see I pinched the plant early to get 2 main stems and started pulling it down and bending around. You may want to pinch once they get established.

Also, since you have 2 strains at somewhat different stages you might want to consider a modular scrog for each container rather than a screen attached to your box. Check out posts by VerdantGreen dating back several years, he kinda pioneered the idea. I've found it helpful to be able to remove the plants for training, trimming, flushing, ect.

As far as your plants health, if all is good they should perk up within a couple days since you are using fortified soil. If the yellowing and spotting continue then you are missing something that will need to be supplemented. I've not used foxfarms but I have found potting soil to be lacking and I have to add calmag for seedlings with the OG Kush strain I've been running.

 

[justanotherbozo]

...yeah man, i know it seems like a butt load of stuff to learn and i suppose there is but the great thing is you don't need to know all of it to grow successfully, all you really need is persistence.

anyway, i thought you'd like to see a couple shots of the first cab i ever built, ...if you look in that Link-o-rama thread you'll find a link to that build near the bottom of the first grouping of links if you're interested in seeing what i went through building it.

peace, bozo

 

[kittybags]

Quick update. I had to remove the carbon filter since the PC exhaust fan was not getting the job done. Room temp was ~65F and cab temp was rising to ~85F. Removed the filter and it's been steady at 73-77F. I'll start looking up better fan/filter alternatives. I'm thinking maybe a duct booster fan? Or maybe just a double PC exhaust. Not too sure yet and I'm not in a huge rush to get a filter on since the plant does not stink yet and this is a legal grow. I'm trying to keep is reasonable as far as price and strength goes as I'm not planning on really doing any larger scale grows in the future.

 

[autosfordummies]

if I were u id spend the extra 100-150 on a nice 4in fan filter combo with a speed controller. cuz we all know that after this run ur gonna wanna go bigger and then you will already be ready for it. that's what I did and honestly best move ive made. cant smell shit and can barely hear the fan when its turned down a bit. also been running it now 24/7 for the last 2 yrs and haven't had to get a new filter yet

got mine from htg for like 120 or something like that

 

[kittybags]

Another update:

Just got some yoyo ratchet hangers. I drilled into the top of the cab and installed 2 eyelets and have the yoyo ratchet hangers' clipped on to the eyelets. I also glued the PVC joints. The light fixture is MUCH more sturdy. Temps are stable around 75F and humidity is bouncing from 60-70%RH.

 

[kittybags]

What's Up!

What's Up!

Another update here. Gonna start trying to have a more organized/current grow log (totally biting off of Pontiac's 150w micro ebb&flow). Anyways:

Day 9 Veg
Strains : Docs OG & LSD
Photoperiod : 18/6
Temp In/Out : 74.9/70.3 Fahrenheit
Humidity : 49-62% RH
​

The grow cab is almost fully light proof. I used a popped bike tube to create a light proof seal on all of the edges of the cabinet. I used some tape to make sure the holes where the wires ran out did not leak any light. All I have now is the exhaust fan and the intake hole to make light proof. I am thinking of just using PVC tee's or elbow's for the intake and I will be making a carbon filter soon which should make the exhaust light proof as well.

Overall, I am really proud of the cabinet and the plants so far. It's so exciting saying goodnight to my girls before I go to bed and getting up in the morning to see new growth!

Well, here they are!

First up the Docs OG. This clone was MUCH more healthy than the LSD when I first got it. Today, I started to LST it. The leaves are looking healthy except for one mid/lower leaf. One day it got some rusty-looking spots and then it started to spread and get brittle. Any ideas? Right now I only have some pH strips and the soil was coming out to 6.8-7. I started using some Alaska Fish Fertilizer 5-1-1, (just one tiny bit so far on day 5).

Next up is the LSD. Wow! I am so glad that this plant started looking healthier. However, it just doesn't seem to want to grow vertically.

Ideally, both plants would be at the same height/growth so I can put in my screen and start making a SCRoG. In the mean time, I'll just keep LSTing the Docs OG and then I think I might skip the SCRoG this first time and flip them to flower soon.

Thanks for visiting. Any comments, advice, or critique is well appreciated.

 

[5th]

Looking good so far. With Bozo n' touchofgrey here your in good hands. I'm tagged to see how it goes.

 

[kittybags]

Snapped. D:

Snapped. D:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

I have good news and bad news.

​

Day 13 Veg
Strains : Docs OG & LSD
Photoperiod : 18/6
Temp In/Out : 73.8/67.4 Fahrenheit
Humidity : 55-69% RH

First the good news:
The LSD is looking much much better! The leaves are really a nice, dark green. I left to go back home on Friday and just got back today, Monday and she looks much healthier and bushier too!

The Docs OG also was looking really good. After tying down the main stem, I got a bunch of new growth and the leaves looked great.

Now for the bad news:
While trying to tie down some of the new growth to create a circular pattern, I snapped the main stem. There was still some connection between the two pieces, maybe a third of the stem was intact. I did some quick emergency research and decided to duct tape the stem together and also provide some support. I supported it with two straws and a toothpick; hopefully, this does the trick. It's been about three hours since the snap and she seems okay for now. Hopefully, she just stops growing for a week or two while she is stressed and tries to heal the stem, maybe even making the stem stronger!

Anyways, do you guys have any tips or advice to handle this? I'll provide more updates/pictures as time goes on. It sucks since I was just about to put my screen in their and start training the plants. I'll have to delay that for a little bit, which is good anyways so the LSD plant can get bigger! I can't wait to flip this to flower and watch my buds form.



On another note, my apartment is starting to stink a little bit. I just bought a little PVC coupling which will help connect my carbon filter to the cab. I'll get that started tonight or some time. Also! I'm really excited because while visiting home this past weekend, my girlfriend and I visited IKEA and I got 2 cabinets! They are the same height, match our apartment, and were in the as-is section for a total of $27! The bigger cab which I plan to make my flower cab is 2ft x 2ft and the veg/clone cab is 2ftx1ft. Man, this is addicting. I don't plan on actually converting the cab to a grow cab until my current grow is near completion which works since school starts tomorrow D:

Thanks for visiting everyone. Cheers!
​

[/FONT]

 

[blynx]

If the plant makes it through the day, it will be fine and the duct tape did the trick. Leave the tape on the stem.

The plant should rebound nicely and at the end of the run , if you remove the tape, you will probably find a big healed knot of growth where the break occurred.

 

[kittybags]

Duct tape worked!

Day 15 Veg
Strains : Docs OG & LSD
Photoperiod : 18/6
Temp In/Out : 79.2/71.8 Fahrenheit
Humidity : 55-67% RH​

The duct tape seems to have done the trick. I started tying down and training the Docs OG plant again but by much less than before. Anyways, the LSD plant is really making me happy. Just looking at it was when I first got it to what it is now makes me even more excited for when it flowers and I get to harvest! And then, do this all again!

Here we go!

Not too sure what this is ...

Good night!

 

[kittybags]

Day 26 Veg
Strains : Docs OG & LSD
Photoperiod : 16/8
Temp In/Out : 75.9/69.7 Fahrenheit
Humidity : 55-61% RH

​

I'm getting really anxious/excited to flip my girls to flower. Anyways, here they are. I am pretty damn sure that the Docs OG has a calcium deficiency. Does anyone else think so? I just dressed the soil with some dolomite lime and crushed the lime into the plant's water.

Here's the LSD. The new growth is looking a bit more yellow/light green than the rest of the plant. I was thinking maybe a zinc deficiency? Maybe nothing? I'm not too sure.

For reference, I am watering about every three days and feeding every fourth water (I've only fed them twice). They are being fed fish emulsion 5-1-1, first time was at 1tsp/gallon, second time was 1.5tsp/gallon. They are also being foliar fed almost everyday which is just ~1 quart of water and a drop of fish emulsion. I also just started growing some lactobacillus that I am hoping to add to the plants.

I finally got a TDS and pH meter. My water which is tap water running through a kinda old brita filter is at 250-300 ppm (without the filter it's ~450 ppm!) The pH is 6.7-6.9 and the pH of the soil run off is 6.8.

-kittybags

 

[blynx]

I think you are seeing nutrient lockout from pH issues. You can call them deficiencies, but I doubt they are missing from your soil. More likely they are just inaccessible to the plant/micro-herd due to improper pH.

Your tap water pH is a little high, but at this point I wouldn't worry about it.

I'd skip the fish emulsion for a while, that's strong stuff. I also wouldn't foliar feed them with the fish emulsion anymore. I'd guess the fish emulsion is contributing to the pH issues that you are seeing in the leaves.

It looks like Happy Frog soil has earth worm castings and guano in it. That should provide more than enough nutrients to your plants when you are vegging them. Your plants don't need to be fed much when they are this young and still vegging.

If I am going to feed my plants, I do it occasionally only during flower, and I like to use Age Old Bloom. It has borax in it which helps keep the pH in the correct range.

 

[MrCopyZ]

I agree...

Those plants look like their burning up...

Less food. And don't flower until you turnem around. Take it from me. Its better to chop her head off if she gets to tall than flower her in this condition.

 

[kittybags]

Haven't been feeding the fish emulsion since last update; I've just been flushing every 3-4 days and then feeding barely any Vitamin B (less than 1/4tsp per gallon). LSD still looks tons better than the Docs OG plant. I transplanted both into a bigger pots that just barely fit in the treasure chest. I also added another exhaust fan to keep temps lower now that the plants are getting close to the lights.

Day 35

LSD looks much better. Leaves are still darker/greener than normal and tips have a slight claw; nitrogen toxicity.

Docs OG is still looking pretty bad Older leaves still have a purple outline and are clawing. Also, I'm not too sure why but I'm starting to get some heat stress in the under growth. Temps are hovering 70-80F, maxing at 80-82F everyday. I added another exhaust fan and another PC fan to help circulate air.

Day 40

LSD's looking good. Still greener than usual but the plant is definitely growing at a faster pace than recently. I topped the plant in a few areas and she's doing great still!

On the other hand, the Docs OG plant is still looking pretty bad. One of the side branches/shoots is pretty damn heat stressed; but once again, I had no idea why since the temps were less than 80F, water pH was 6.7, runoff pH is 6.8, and I haven't been giving them nutes. Also, the new growth is curling over more than usual and isn't as green, more of a lime color. I'm real afraid of burning them again so if anyone has advice, I'd appreciate it. I can get some more pics if that can help with the diagnosis

Anyways, I'm still trucking along. I've been building another cabinet as well and actually have some kale and pumpkin sprouts in what is going to become the clone cab. Hopefully, I can get some pics. Though my current plants are not in the best condition to flower, they are getting pretty big (especially with these new, tall pots) and I MIGHT have to finish the grow in the new cab that I'm building but we shall see...

Cheers!

 

[kittybags]

Still Nute Burn After Flush!?! HELP!

Still Nute Burn After Flush!?! HELP!

I have no idea why but both plants, especially the Docs OG which has had the most problems with nute burn are still getting even more burnt. For the Docs OG, the new growth that started off alright is now starting to curl over and develop the yellow/brown tips on the leaves. For the LSD, small rust spots are starting to develop like the ones that I had earlier before the initial nute burn.

I have not been feeding the plants any nutes and have been flushing them about every other watering. The pH of the water is 6.5-6.7.

Just for a reminder, I am using Fox Farms Happy Frog soil with some dolomite lime added to it. I initially was feeding 1tsp/gal of Alaskan Fish Fertilizer but then both plants got severely burnt about 3 weeks ago. After flushing a few times, the symptom seem to have started to go away (especially with the LSD plant as she started to grow rapidly). Both plants were transplanted into ~2 gallon pots (9liters). They are getting 144W CFL (4x23W 5000K, 2x26W 2700K) and temps and humidity are pretty stable (~70-80F, 45-60%RH). Please help me out!