stealth grow with REALLY small space

This is my first time growing, my third attempt but my first serious one the other 2 were tests and died rather quickly. I would just like to have your guys' input on how well of a set-up you think this is and if you think this is truly worth it or if I'm just wasting my time. First off I live in my parents house so as you can understand I have a reasonably low amount of options for an indoor grow but seeing as how spring Isn't for another half a year I don't have much choice. I will not reveal my actual age. Also no need to get preachy or anything my dad knows about it and he's perfectly fine with it as long as my mom doesn't find out, so I still have to be pretty stealthy here. I have a really tiny grow room but I think I'll be able to manage. I'm getting a 175w metal halide (1k) and a 70w HPS (4k) I will be running them both at the same time and I will have them on a constant 12\12 lighting system throughout the entire grow to try and minimize the size of the plant and getting it done quickly since I will only be able to grow one plant at a time. I do not a have an actual pot I have a plastic bowl with 5 small holes cut into the bottom of it, the bowl has roughly a 1-inch layer of rocks at the bottom and the rest is filled with a mix of 80% soil from my backyard and 20% sand from my backyard. I will not be feeding it nutrients or anything else but only be supplying it with water. I have painted the walls white to make the room more reflective. I may get a little computer fan to blow on the plan to strengthen the stem. I am only using bag seed nothing specific, the bag i got it from was kind of weak but I thought that may be good to help reduce the smell if I worked with a lesser strain..? I am on a seriously tight budget here making only about 15-30 a week so there isn't much more I can really get. I would love to hear your guys' input on whether this is actually worth growing, how much you think I may yield at most and at least per a plant, also their are slight openings in the ceiling and the door doesn't close all the way but closes enough, but there's no ventilation system. Is it necessary to have a ventilation system in the grow room to suck air in\out or would it just help the quality and yield and to have it? I'm not too big on having the most amazing set-up\grow just want a descent plant so I don't have to spend my money every week on bud! Any tips you guys could give me would really help! Thanks
pic1 is the plastic bowl I'm using as a pot, compared to the size of the grow room. pic2 is the size of the grow room compared to a bic lighter for size reference (I'd say its roughly 4-5 inches wide.. maybe? And roughly 2 feet tall, again maybe, don't have a ruler and can't tell by looking at it that well). pic3 is the bottom of the plastic bowl with the drainage holes and the visible layer of rocks on the bottom.

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not bashing you here, but given your setup and plan you will be lucky to clear 10 grams off a plant, and that is probably a generous estimate. Ventilation is extremely important to indoor growing and unless you are able to exchange the hot, stale air in your cabinet, it will definitely negatively effect both quality and yield. At least you'll need a small pc fan pulling air out of the back of your cab.

Look into using a hempy bucket system. I've grown fairly nice plants in folger's coffee cans using the hempy system. Just do a search for "hempy buckets" and that will get you started.

Also look into purchasing a sample pack of nutrients. These are usually around $15-20 and should have enough nutes to get you through a couple grows. General Hydroponics and Advanced Nutrients both offer affordable base nutrients that will significantly increase your yield.

There are ways to increase yield in a small grow cab with plant training. Either simple Low Stress Training or use of a screen in a SCRoG setup, can greatly increase yield per plant by up to 100%.

Also if the cab is not light proof this could effect health and overall yield, especially if running bag seed, increasing the chance to hermaphrodite if there is light pollution during off times.

Just some thoughts for you, do the extra planning and preparation. If you're going to risk growing make sure it is worthwhile and you have all your angles covered. The risk should be worth the reward.

I wouldn't take it the wrong way any input is helpful! I'm pretty set on how I'm growing this first one (with my current set-up) even if it has low quality\yield. But I'm going to be coming up with a lot of money by new years, $300+, if I can find a job then maybe even $500+ all to spend on whatever I want for my next grow. I'm definitely going to look into that hempy bucket though, it does seem like a great idea but a bit confusing. and There is no light coming in contact with the actual plant through the cracks, is it bad if it even gets into the actual room? Also I was considering doing an LST grow but doesnt a 5 inch wide by 2 foot tall room seem kinda small to do a LST grow or use the hempy bucket seeing as how they would increase the size of the plants, or am I just being too cautious about the plant getting too big for the room? And if the buds, leaves, or stems were to touch the walls at all would that decrease the quality\yield or increase the risk of mold? Sorry for all the questions I'v done a lot of reading on all this through the forums but I would just like an answer from my direct questions if possible!

how deep is the space? 5 inches by 2 feet by what?
if you could fit a 175 watt MH in that space, even a foot from the plant it could burn, with good ventilation even. you would be watering this little 5 inch wide plant (daily ?) draining water out then watering . Starting out ventilation will probably be the problem, or constant fresh air. Even if you had the light you would have to drill or make holes, use a desk fan at least. build a bigger plywood box or use cfl bulbs for the current plan. the 175 metal halide would cover 2 ft. x 2 ft. or 2x3 probably. lack of ventilation (heat), or temps below 55 or so at night can kill seedlings

let me just be the first to say;


BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Seriously kid. Growing in your mom and dads house is just a pipe dream that we have all had at your age. But those of us with any sense wait until we move out.

A) You will be lucky to yield 10 grams off that setup but it will still take 2 months
B) Your still commiting the same crime whatever the size.
C) You cannot hide the smell of cannabis without either a carbon filter which makes noise or a strong odour nutralizer which is also a giveaway
D) Risking your parents getting arresting is the most selfish thing you can ever do and if your mom catches it, which she will you will be in serious trouble.

@hydrosoil78: I think its also only about 6 inches deep or so. And so your saying using an MH bulb would be too big\hot for the area? And yes i would be watering it daily with tap water after leaving it out for 24 hours to get rid of the chlorine. I'll get right on making a ventilation system then if it's actually that important! But if I couldn't use a MH would a 70w HPS bulb be too big\hot for the given area? And I have a good understand of the temperature range it should be in, thanks

@smokejoint: There's absolutely no reason to be an ass man. And it may just be a pipe dream to some but I can actually do it with help from you guys instead of just being criticized, that's what I came to this site for was to get accurate and helpful information from experienced growers, not assholes trying to put down a new grower when I could easily grow a good crop with the right tools and know how even in my parents house.
A) Like I said above i don't care how small the yield\poor the quality of this first plant is and I'm going to stock up on equipment during the holidays and my birthdays right around the corner (300 bucks) so if I stay somewhat cheap nothing should be too big of a problem.
B) You are dead wrong on this one where I live the law IS actually based on the size, weight, and number of plants, don't go out giving false information to new people who may not know their shit.
C) I smoke everyday in my room, my mom knows and doesn't care that I smoke or that my room smells like bud.
D) This one you just sound like a straight up dick. In no way what so ever am I being selfish growing weed for me and my dad so that we don't have to waste the money that we don't have on weed and use it for more important things. Also my mom wouldn't get me into any serious trouble seeing as how my parents are lenient as all hell but still caring she would probably just throw it away or tell me to harvest what I have (considering it has any buds worth harvesting) and get rid of the set-up. But she NEVER comes in my room because she knows I smoke but she doesn't like to be around the stuff so she stays away from my room therefor no chances really of getting caught by her.

By the way- It's not only a pipe dream seeing as how I know many of my friends around the same age and same situation that have successfully grown MANY dank plants outdoor and indoor like white widow, sour D, purp. I don't like being rude to people but if your going to be rude and tell me false garbage disrespectfully then you clearly aren't an experienced grower, as most experienced growers would most likely rather help others and give them useful information instead of talking down to them like their shit.

I'm going to sound really newbie asking this one but, for a ventilation system do I need a fan sucking air in AND out or just out, and where should I place the ventilation systems, vent out at the bottom and vent in at the top or vise versa or does it not matter? It will help so much if someone could answer ASAP so I could get started on fixing my set-up!

My two cents. Ditch the metal halide. Just use the hps. To help control heat I would put a piece of glass right below the hps bulb, separating the bulb area from the plant area. Or even a perfect cylinder flower vase just large enough to fit around the bulb. You can google how to cut the bottom of the vase, it's a lot easier than you'd think. Doing this would make a mini cool tube for the bulb, and you could use computer fans to run the heat through the vase/bulb.
Mad for air circulation that's another factor that you'll battle as others have already pointed out. You can do this easily by just having an intake fan and exhaust fan. Exhaust behind the cabinet and put a jar of onal gel directly in front of the exhaust to help mask any smell

i would veg the plant to 6-8" (4-6 nodes) and then lst it.
Never had a small grow like this (this is micro growing) but I'd definitely be conserned with heat and air exchange like everyone says.

thelocaltoker2 said:

I'm going to sound really newbie asking this one but, for a ventilation system do I need a fan sucking air in AND out or just out, and where should I place the ventilation systems, vent out at the bottom and vent in at the top or vise versa or does it not matter? It will help so much if someone could answer ASAP so I could get started on fixing my set-up!

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heat rises, so vent air in the cabinet from the bottom and vent out from the top of the cabinet.

not gonna lie... I don't think it's going to work with what you've got, but you can try.

And as far as growing in our parents houses... My first grow yielded 2 oz in a room with my moms room on the other side of the wall. She knew I smoked, lock on the door. She suspected things and even asked me once, but some parents respect the privacy of their kids. With that said, I was a freshman in college and moving out soon, I wasn't a kid. Had I pulled that shit at 16, she would have sent my ass across the country to a relatives house (and I say that because when she found my weed at 16, that's what happened...)

But the main reason I don't think this is going to work is because your going to burn the plant. You cannot put that much light from those sources on a plant with computer fan ventilation. You've got a much better shot getting an old computer box out of someone's trash on garbage night, putting a single 42W CFL in there and doing it that way... Be a whole lot cheaper than the lights you want to get, and you'll get a better yield if you LST it..

I currently use the same exact box I used in that first grow. Its old furniture, a 3 drawer dresser actually. There's no reason for me to be clandestine about it anymore, but the fact that it limits the space and holds the light in works out. I drilled a hole in the top of it and dropped a light through that I had found in my garage, added a Y connection to it, then a Y on the end of both of those, giving me 4 spots for lights. 42W 2700K CFL in each, a tower fan inside. Covered the entire inside of it with foil (I know, but it works for me), took all the drawers apart, and set the front of the drawers on a few other pieces from the drawers and screwed it all together so that it sets up on the front of the dresser and just looks like a dresser, but the entire thing comes off and blinds you when you open it up. I'm telling you, if you're growing clandestinely, CFLs take care of a lot of issues for you. They are dirt cheap, low heat, and small. You can also move them around the plant instead of just on the top, which helps to produce fatter buds all the way down the plant. My entire set up originally cost me under $40, just using things I found around. Give it some thought. Just because the MH and HPS are sexy and cliche, doesn't mean they are the best in every situation...

rickymac21 said:

My two cents. Ditch the metal halide. Just use the hps. To help control heat I would put a piece of glass right below the hps bulb, separating the bulb area from the plant area. Or even a perfect cylinder flower vase just large enough to fit around the bulb. You can google how to cut the bottom of the vase, it's a lot easier than you'd think. Doing this would make a mini cool tube for the bulb, and you could use computer fans to run the heat through the vase/bulb.
Mad for air circulation that's another factor that you'll battle as others have already pointed out. You can do this easily by just having an intake fan and exhaust fan. Exhaust behind the cabinet and put a jar of onal gel directly in front of the exhaust to help mask any smell

i would veg the plant to 6-8" (4-6 nodes) and then lst it.
Never had a small grow like this (this is micro growing) but I'd definitely be conserned with heat and air exchange like everyone says.

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Yeah I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on the heat and if my plants are getting burned and what not, and I'm currently in the process of trying to figure out a good way to make a ventilation system the way you told me to. But since I'm not LST'ing this grow I have going now, would it really be a good idea to ditch the MH with a 12\12 seed to harvest grow though? The plant won't have a source of a blue light spectrum to help it vegetate and bud at the same time without the MH bulb, so will this not greatly affect my plant?

Idontevensmoke said:

not gonna lie... I don't think it's going to work with what you've got, but you can try.

And as far as growing in our parents houses... My first grow yielded 2 oz in a room with my moms room on the other side of the wall. She knew I smoked, lock on the door. She suspected things and even asked me once, but some parents respect the privacy of their kids. With that said, I was a freshman in college and moving out soon, I wasn't a kid. Had I pulled that shit at 16, she would have sent my ass across the country to a relatives house (and I say that because when she found my weed at 16, that's what happened...)

But the main reason I don't think this is going to work is because your going to burn the plant. You cannot put that much light from those sources on a plant with computer fan ventilation. You've got a much better shot getting an old computer box out of someone's trash on garbage night, putting a single 42W CFL in there and doing it that way... Be a whole lot cheaper than the lights you want to get, and you'll get a better yield if you LST it..

Click to expand...

I have thought about doing a pc grow before but I feel as if its way to small for LST'ing and that because of its size it would have a rather low yield, correct me if I'm wrong though as that would make it alot easier, though I think I'm most likely sticking with my cabinet grow seeing as how I'v spent the last 3 or 4 days working on it. So given my cabinet space in your opinion what would be the best lighting for that? And that's a nice yield for a first grow! Wish I had the know how to do that, though as you said you were going into college I still need to get to high school, junior high's been a bitch, 4th year at the junior high and there's only 2 grades for it .

Idontevensmoke said:

I currently use the same exact box I used in that first grow. Its old furniture, a 3 drawer dresser actually. There's no reason for me to be clandestine about it anymore, but the fact that it limits the space and holds the light in works out. I drilled a hole in the top of it and dropped a light through that I had found in my garage, added a Y connection to it, then a Y on the end of both of those, giving me 4 spots for lights. 42W 2700K CFL in each, a tower fan inside. Covered the entire inside of it with foil (I know, but it works for me), took all the drawers apart, and set the front of the drawers on a few other pieces from the drawers and screwed it all together so that it sets up on the front of the dresser and just looks like a dresser, but the entire thing comes off and blinds you when you open it up. I'm telling you, if you're growing clandestinely, CFLs take care of a lot of issues for you. They are dirt cheap, low heat, and small. You can also move them around the plant instead of just on the top, which helps to produce fatter buds all the way down the plant. My entire set up originally cost me under $40, just using things I found around. Give it some thought. Just because the MH and HPS are sexy and cliche, doesn't mean they are the best in every situation...

Click to expand...

So cfl's do the trick? A lot of people recommend them but then I read that the HPS gives off red light spectrum to induce flowering while the MH gives off the blue spectrum which should induce stem and leaf growth, which was my main reason for choosing to use one of each of those instead of going with 4 cfl's which was my original plan, I'm buying the lights tomorow so quick answers are greatly appreaciated!

thelocaltoker2 said:

So cfl's do the trick? A lot of people recommend them but then I read that the HPS gives off red light spectrum to induce flowering while the MH gives off the blue spectrum which should induce stem and leaf growth, which was my main reason for choosing to use one of each of those instead of going with 4 cfl's which was my original plan, I'm buying the lights tomorow so quick answers are greatly appreaciated!

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1. Cfl's come in various light spectrums (kelvin is the unit of measure) including the same spectrum of the MH and HPS. If you used Cfl's you would want the majority of the bulbs to be between 2700-3600 k (orange/flower). Then have 1 or 2 bulbs at 6500-7500 k (blue/veg). Just go to walmart and you'll find both. Using the Cfl's will greatly reduce the heat factor.

As for lst'ing, you can lst a plant of any height. And if you want any kind of yield that will last more than a week I would recommend trying it. If not. You'll end up with a stick with less than a Half ounce of buds. Plus if you don't train it in that short box, it's going to get high. Lst is not just for growing big bushes, it's a height controlling technique.

rickymac21 said:

1. Cfl's come in various light spectrums (kelvin is the unit of measure) including the same spectrum of the MH and HPS. If you used Cfl's you would want the majority of the bulbs to be between 2700-3600 k (orange/flower). Then have 1 or 2 bulbs at 6500-7500 k (blue/veg). Just go to walmart and you'll find both. Using the Cfl's will greatly reduce the heat factor.

As for lst'ing, you can lst a plant of any height. And if you want any kind of yield that will last more than a week I would recommend trying it. If not. You'll end up with a stick with less than a Half ounce of buds. Plus if you don't train it in that short box, it's going to get high. Lst is not just for growing big bushes, it's a height controlling technique.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I think I now have everything ready. I'm going to add 2 fans one venting out at the top, and one venting in at the bottom including an extra one on the plant. I'm also going out later to buy 3 cfl's all 13w (60w) 2 of them will be 2700k and the other is going to be 6500k. I'm going to grow this one without LST'ing it only because I'm still not 100% on how to LST and don't wanna damage the plant on accident by trying to do so. Anything else I should know\add to the grow room? I honestly don't mind a 10 gram yield for my first few grows so that won't bother me too much. If I add the lights, ventilation system, and fan on the plant how much should the yield be then? Thanks for the help man!

Hope it all goes well. But yield is unpredictable. Everyone wants a number to this question (including myself at times) but there's no real answer that's better than a guess. But assuming you take care of her well (responding to any problems and correcting them) and the light penetrates well enough you can get anywhere from 7 grams to 21 grams. The strain will more than likely be the biggest factor here.
The general rule of thumb for proper lighting is 5000 lumens per sq ft (for HID lights anyways), but I don't know if this number is higher for Cfl's or not. I would imagine for Cfl's you would want almost double that (10,000 lumens per sq ft) since Cfl's light reduces quicker at further distances than an HID bulb. Basically the HID's will penetrate deeper into the canopy. So I would make sure the Cfl's you buy emit at least 2500-3000 lumens a piece. Any less and you might end up with the worlds fluffiest buds.
I said it before but I'll say it again, I haven't grown with Cfl's (flower), only veg, so if anything I've said is false I'm sure a cfl dedicated grower will correct me. But I thought I'd help.

Thanks for all the help Ricky! Got the lights, building the ventilation system today. If I come across any problems during the grow and can't figure them out I'll be sure to ask about it on the forums.