I am going to be building my first grow cabinet soon but will be needing some advice. I am planning to grow 5 white widow plants if possible, i know thats a bit challenging for a first grow but the people i live with already have a garden, many plants indoors and outdoors, and some orchids, so i have confidence we are up to the challenge.

I am going to build a wooden frame thats 50" long, 20" wide, and 68" tall with a plywood board at the top and bottom with wheels (need to move it to a closet when folks visit). I am then going to wrap the entire thing in panda film with a zipper/velcro door. I will mount a 400w 2way lamp with cooltube at the top using hooks and chains for easy adjustment. I will also mount a carbon filter with a fan pulling through, then into a duct, then through the cooltube, and then into another duct to exit the cabinet. The wires i will trail through the top then probably set the ballast up there too so its not heating the inside.

Okay so now here are my questions;

1) I plan to use the following lighting system and reflector;

High Tech Garden Supply
Hi-Tech Garden Supply

Is this a reliable setup? I will be getting the growbright bulbs with it, are those alright too? Is there something better out there for under $300?


2) I am thinking of buying the following carbon filter with a 240cfm fan;

8 X 14 ACTIVATED CARBON ODOR SCRUBBER WITH 240 CFM

Is this overkill or should i get the one with a 130cfm fan?

6 X 14 ACTIVATED CARBON ODOR SCRUBBER WITH 130 CFM FAN

Are there any better or more affordable systems out there?


3) Will i need another fan at the exit point? (I'd rather not have to wire fans unless i must) Should the exit point be on the side in the panda film or the top through the plywood?


4) Is the following Sunleaves B&W Poly just as good as panda film or is there a better/cheaper place to buy it and the zipper for the door?

Sunleaves B&W Poly - 10'x25' - View All - Cheap Hydroponics - Indoor Gardening and Hydroponic Supplies - (Powered by CubeCart)


5) How many and what size holes should i place at the bottom for the intake?


6) I'd like the carbon filter exhaust system to be a part of the lamp cooling duct as i laid out above because of space, should this work okay or must they be seperate? How many feet should the lamps ducts so i can lower it, 4' on each side?


7) Is there any major/expensive part I am forgeting? Any further advice you can give me before i start ordering and building?

The light link don't work...but, height is your most important feature for your cabinet....more is better.......and I would recommend flat white paint inside

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"Consider yo' bad self enlightened, homeslice"-StinkyAttic

The link doesant work because they just sold out, but i just ordered this;

High Tech Garden Supply

With the extra MH bulb and the easycool 6

I actually just finished making the frame and putting on the first layer of white paint and the grow area is 20x44x68. After the second layer of paint im going to wrap the frame in panda film.

it's a good looking package for the price......and it's UL rated (I wouldn't have it any other way)

Good Luck...good growing

__________________
"Consider yo' bad self enlightened, homeslice"-StinkyAttic

UL rated cool, i didnt even know to check for that, thanks.

Is there a security issue ordering these things online?

Will this soil work out for me?

Miracle-Gro 64 Qt. Moisture Control® Potting Mix - 74064300 at The Home Depot

If not then what brand, type, ect should i buy from the local home depot?

well...there's a lot of MG haters in this world...but, I've used MG moisture control soil my last two grows. I cut it with 25% perlite and drill extra large holes in the pots for good drainage. It works much better if you keep the humidity low in the grow room (below 50%) and no need for nutes the first 3 weeks......I start with 16oz cups or 4 inch pots....and transplant into 6/8 inch pots after plants become rootbound. I veg for about 30 days and switch to 12/12 lighting cycle; if the plants are 12-15 inches tall. Once the plants show their sex; I transplant the females in 10 inch pots and toss the males out. I harvest after 9-11 weeks flowering....The KISS principle....

I used a 400 watt HID light...one of the 3 seedlings was a White Widow male...so I painted the pollen from him onto one of the female's lower pistils and made 300+ seeds...no need to order seeds again...

bottomline: any good potting soil/mix will work; just add 20-30% perlite for drainage.

Enjoy your grow.

Attached Images

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"Consider yo' bad self enlightened, homeslice"-StinkyAttic

Awesome, i might just get the MG organic and mix it with perlite.

So im growing in a 20x44x66 area, looks like ill be ending in 10" pots, i have two questions;

1) Do the plants get taller during flowering, if so how much?

2) What kind of yeild can i expect per plant with this setup?

don't hold me to this...but, I've heard bad things about the MG organic?...MG orange bag...bad ju-ju-juana..(never tried it)

I don't guess yield....

__________________
"Consider yo' bad self enlightened, homeslice"-StinkyAttic

I recently returned from the midwest, where I helped set up a growroom ... I couldn't find my preferred soil anywhere (Whitney Farms), so we went with the Miracle Grow 'Organic' potting soil (I chose it, because it claimed lower fertilizer levels, than the others) ... I haven't seen any pics yet, but my friend is thrilled with his results ... it 'looked' pretty good to me, in the bag, anyway ... but, you know me, seems like I can do it all 'wrong', and still be lucky

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" keep it simple, it's a WEED ! "

" when in doubt, imitate Nature "

" 2008 people voted for Obama to prove they weren't racists.....in 2010 they will vote to show they arent socialists " - Islandborn

If all goes well would you guess roughly 1oz yeild per plant, or more or less?

if all goes well?....2-4 ounces per plant is normal...using a 400 watt HID

(more ceiling height would help a lot)(you need to keep a 400 HID about 12" above the canopy)(and that space needs to be kept at 78-85 degrees)

If i have the easycool reflector so i can keep it around 4-6" from the plants right?

Also, the MH bulb is for veg and the HPS for flowering right?