Today there was a lot that happened. First off, its been exactly 1 week since I planted the seeds and I am very impressed with the results so far. All of the seeds germinated, sprouted and are well on their way to solid seedling status. Each of them have grown their own first set of true leaves and there is one which is starting to show signs of the next set of true leaves. I added a little water today to the grow cubes using a spray bottle to mist them.

TasteBuds: I want to thank you for being the first and only person to comment on my progress and to add a suggestion. Based on your recommendation, I will look into the cost of an HPS. I've still got to come up with a creative method of isolating the flowering section from ambient light at the same time allowing fresh air to circulate. I've been thinking about the horizontal reflectors which have exhaust duct connections on the sides.

Construction: Today I completed the construction needed for the awning idea I had. The poly plastic which I have draped over it still needs to be taped down into a more solid position because right now I've only got a few thumb tacks holding it in place. I plan on installing a zipper (which I've already bought) once I have finished sealing off the sides. I will not be sealing the bottom as that will be the air intake.

Awning wooden structure:


Plastic draped over the wooden structure:


I've also lined the bottom of the wooden platform with two layers of vapor barrier plastic and sealed the perimeter with tuck tape. I ran out of tape when taping the second layer of the vapor barrier. Once I have completed it, I will put the three 4" pots under the HID at a distance of 4' from the light. I expect rapid growth from the plants once they are under the HID.

I spent a few minutes today cleaning up the large extension cable I am running from the exhaust fan to my thermostat. I bought two connectors and cut the cord and installed the connectors. This now allows me to remove the excess 20ft. or so of cord, leaving my shelf looking neater. I'd like to run the cord along the corners of the wall and tape it down so its not using any shelf space for the cord. I've hooked up my ballast to a timer now and plugged the T5 FL (which was in the timer) into the socket directly leaving it on constantly. Tomorrow I plan on installing two hooks into the ceiling above the shelf to hang the T5 FL from. This will hopefully increase the growth of the seedlings still in the grow cubes.