Advice needed: Stealth Scrog Cabinet

Hello all of you nice people.

I've three plants (2 WW 1 NL) Vegging in a closet under 400 watt MH (switchable ballast). Recently, I learned that the owner of the house I've been babysitting wants to move back in and I will have to be moving. Currently in the process of buying a house 'in town'. Ok, you don't give a phlying phuck about that, so...

I put together a box awhile back to grow in, but managed to kill off a dozen seedlings. My intention was to scrog in the box, but never got that far. So I've been growing this crop like I have unlimited space. Plants are all past 18 inches now with the widows closing in on 24". I need to get them into my cabinet and want to get them trained under a screen. Here is a pic of the box:



And inside:



I've tamed that mylar with a staple gun since then. The flouros are 4 24 watt t-5's I used for seedlings.

I'm planning on screwing in little hooks all around the box and lacing some thin poly thread through them to make 2 inch squares.

The footprint of this box is 3'X1' inside, and height shouldn't be an issue. The light is suspended from chains hanging from some hook screws, so it's adjustable.

I do not have a cool tube and am worried about the heat. I have a 265cmf dayton squirel cage that hooks up to a diy carbon filter laid flat on the bottom of the box. Intake will be through a 4" adjusable elbow dryer duct attached to the bottom of the box and exhaust will be through the filter and again out the bottom. I have enough room for a couple of 10" fans to blow across the top and bottom. Will I be able to exhaust enough heat to keep from roasting my babies?

With three plants in there (god let them be females) I get 1 sq foot per plant with 133 watts HID per sq foot, which should be more than enough.

Now, my main question is wether to keep the screen flat or to do a partial v-scrog with netting running up the back of the cabinet and maybe the sides as well.

The reflector is a cheap-o (registered tradmark) batwing type and with all the mylar (the front cover is covered as well) I am wondering if I would be better off to remove the reflector to allow the branches growing up the side and rear to be further in the light arc?

I also have that t-5 bank that could be mounted in there, possibly above the MH or on the front cover itself, hanging vertically, which I believe would make up for any light intensity lost from the removal of the reflector.

I also have an old computer power supply in there with a jumper wire to get it to run from which I could run several computer fans (I've got two of these little 2" sqare bastards that move 96cfm between them and poopshoot loads of generic fans).

So, I guess my questions for you nice, helpful people would be:

#1 Heat. I know a cool tube would be the way to go but running ductwork from the top to the bottom exhast would lose me precious square footage and to run an exhaust out the side would defeat the purpose.

#2 V-scrog or not. These plants probably should have been 12/12 a couple weeks ago already and the way the widows are growing I think they are going to need as much screen space as possible, and I am still on the fence about wether this design would help or hinder harvest weight.

Thank you for reading through my rambling train of thought.

Oh, and some vitals:

Fox farm ocean soil
Fox farm grow big/tiger bloom, feeding full strength grow big in veg.
5 gallon grow bags
400 watt MH switchable HPS
4 t-5 24 watt in reflector (optional)
Water PH around 6.8 with nutes (from a well)
265 cfm dayton
6" dia 30" long carbon filter
3 square feet to work with

Any assistance, input, critique or criticism is welcome and asked for, Thanks!

First things i would do if your using a 400w is get rid of the wavy mylar and get white plastic on the walls. you will get hot spots with that the way it is

next...... you definitely need to get a vented hood of some kind. and you best choice is to just have it blow horizontally. look at some models of grow dents for design ideas. the light is going to pour out of the front of the screen anyway so you are already blown. unless you blacked it out in which case you are not going to be able to avoid heat issues.

As far as V scrog, ill be honest and dont know exactly what that is but i would def scrog. and went doing so if you are afraid of height issues then bend them up and through the netting.

good luck man! keep growing

The box is light tight, there's black painted cardboard and mylar on top of that backing up the screen and weather stipping along the edges. The mylar isn't so wavy anymore, I stapled it pretty snugly.

My question with a vented hood or cool tube is how to get that heat out to the bottom of the box without losing grow space, cause I ain't got much space to begin with..

i dont really understand..... why do you want to get the heat to the bottom of the box? you want to get it out of the box. and if you really want ti at the bottom then run a horizontal 6-8inch ducting through and then ducting out and down to the bottom and back in.... its the only way if you dont have space.......

by the way? are you going for the concealment of this unit, or do you just like it?

Yeah, it's stealth, a c-13 or something like that would be better for growing, it's just I need to hide it in the open, too many things happening at the moment. I need it out the bottom so noone notices that tv in the corner blowing air out the side. And it needs to be able to load and unload on a moving van with noone being any the wiser, it's on wheels and moves nicely... I am thinking I could flatten out some dryer ducting for a run down inside, still should be able to move as much air. I've got the beginings of a cool tube on the way, I gotta get these things in there and tame them down. Prey for me.