Custom Box for 5 Mature Plants, +rep all!

I'm going to be making a custom box here soon, but need someone with the experience on growing in boxes to lead me in the right way. I have the idea of exactly how it'll be setup already, just need the dimensions on the box. I'll be growing Nirvana's BlackJack [5'-6' indoors without scrog]. I want to use 5 of the 10 gal Smart Pots [16"x12.5"]. I'll be doing scrog in there as well. If anyone has an idea on some near perfect dimensions for me to build and be able to yield a good harvest as well, it would be greatly appreciated.

28 views and no thoughts from anyone??

The size of the box also depends on the type of lighting you are going to be using, amount of ventilation you are going to provide, and how many times you plan on topping the ladies(if any). It's all up to you honestly. You can fill an entire 8'x8' area with 5 plants by topping/LST/SCROGing and an extended vegetation cycle, but you also need to give it enough light or forever be plagued by low yielding popcorn buds

The main thing is how much light is going to be hitting that canopy. Depending on the type of light(s) and reflector(s) used honestly deems how large of a box you can handle

With 5 (5-10 gal smart pots) you are going to need a big box. Probably a 4x4' footprint and 7-8' height. You will also need to decide on lights and ventilation. Those decisions will help dictate the footprint. I woulds say 4'x4'x7' minimum.

For vegging, I'll be using 136w 6500k CFLs [2 68w] or do you think I'll need more wattage? Any ideas on a reflector would be helpful [been clueless about which reflector to get]. For flowering, I'll be using a 400w HPS and probably 3 42w CFLs on the sides [one for each wall except for the door]. Ventilation I'll have two fans. One intake, the other exhaust, intake from the bottom, exhaust from the top on the back wall. I'll be topping and scrogging all of them. So any ideas roughly? With the 10 gal smart pots, they are 16" wide so I don't think 4' would be a sufficient width, maybe 5 and have them going diagonal from each other?

It's gonna have to be 4x4 to get the plants in, giving you the option to use 9 pots in the same space in the future. Also about the maximum space you can use for that light, or look at upgrading to a 600/1000 in future.

I have a 3x8 to fit 12-3gal for scrog. If you were wanting 5 mature plants that reach 5' tall, I'd recommend a similar size. That gives each plant 5 sq ft to itself. 4x4 gives each plant 3 sq ft. Not enough. 4x6 would also work, and would let you get away with one light (still don't like the idea of a 400w for 5 large plants). For the penetration to get through that much mature plant you may want to consider side lighting or bigger lights anyway though. I use 2-600w and love it. And you'll definitely need 2 lights if you end up making a longer box like I did.

a fridge can support 5 plants in 3 gallon pots.
the light i use is a 200watt 6500k envirolite (cfl) with a batwing reflector.
you need 1 computer fan to circulate cool air in the bottom blowing on leaves and an inline fan at the top to push the skunky, hot air through a carbon filter outside of the fridge. if you plan to use cfl's for bloom you wont have deep penetration of light passing through the canopy. the reason i bring this up to you is that you wont need 5'-6' tall plants if growing with cfl's. better off to switch lights to 12/12 when the canopy covers the same area as the floor in your growbox. trim old growth below canopy so the plant isnt giving energy to buds that wont fully develope by harvest.

keep in mind that 5 gal pots take up alot of vertical growing space!

ps the batwing reflector isnt in that pic but the light is

Now it seems everyone thinks I am trying to grow my plants to the full 5-6' that they are suppose to grow to. I am wanting to do scrogging, so I don't see them getting that tall at all. BTW newgrowbox, like the fridge concept. Except I don't have spare fridges lying about, and it probably wouldn't be adequate for scrogging 5 plants.

Scrogging you could get a 4x4 box and get some good yield with 5 plants and a pretty short veg time. I've seen average yields ranging in the oz/sq ft area. Some up to and above 2oz/sq ft, but that's with a high yield strain and an expert grower or some amazing luck lol. It'll also maximize that 400 you have as it wont have to penetrate a canopy. I'm doing a scrog and im excited to see how it works out, with 5 plants and limited space its the way to go for higher yield. I have 8 in my 3x8 now, plan to have 12 next time. That gives each of the 12 plants 3sq ft of screen to fill(I'm doing a stadium scrog, screen space is about 35 sq ft instead of 24 like the box).

Keep in mind with a 4x4 scrog it's going to be tough to reach the back of the box to train/feed/water/prune. That's why I went with 3 ft deep and made it wider.

mike91sr said:

I'm doing a stadium scrog

Click to expand...

Yeah i checked out your setup. I like the stadium idea. I think I'll be doing the same size as your box 4x8x5 or maybe 3x8x5. Training and pruning would be my only problems with the limited space because I'm going to setup a watering system with some hose in each pot with drilled holes in them and have all of them hooked up to one main water line so they all get fed and watered the same time with the same amount. If need be one plant might need more of one nute then the rest, then I'll hand feed it. I have BlackJack fem seeds, which each plant is able to produce between 450-600g per m sq. Whether I'm able to accomplish that is on me and how well they are fed and lighting. I will have some lights on the side so the whole canopy gets hit with light though. My main source will be the 400 [which now you have me thinking into getting one more if I go 8'] and then have lights on the side walls.

Sounds like you have a pretty solid plan. If you do scrog I wouldn't recommend side lighting though, it defeats the purpose of flattening the canopy. You want all that energy focused on a bunch of "main colas". And if you go bigger than 3x4 I wouldn't use 1-400w. Either get a second one or pick up a 1000w or 2-600w. 3x8=24 sq ft x50w/sq ft= 1200w. So 2-600s makes sense more than 1-1000w because of the length as well as total lumen output of a more efficient 1200w total.400w/24sq ft=16w/sq ft. Nowhere near enough. 800w/24sq ft=33w/sq ft. I'd consider that to be the very bare minimum for that size box, and once you raise the sides up, remember your total canopy area is increased, decreasing your wattage density. And depending on setup you may have to mount them on an angle to reach the tops of the screen like I did. All in all, at bare minimum pick up another 400w, but youll end up wanting to upgrade it next run probably, so just get 1-600w and replace the 400w when you can. it'll be an uneven screen but you'll be able to get more yield.

You could also build the 3x8, and split it into 2-3'x4' chambers by hanging mylar down the middle or 1-3'x3' and 1-3'x5'. Then you can get away with 1-400w for now and when you can get more lights you can just take the mylar out and use the whole cabinet. Don't limit your expansion later on down the road, it will end up being more expensive. You also seem like you want to do a pretty legitimate setup, so definitely leave room to expand.

Well I've always been told, that if I am going to do something, do it right. So I'm trying to make my box as legit as possible. If I have to invest a little bit more and get 2 600w HPS's then so be it. I haven't got the lumber yet or the reflector which reminds me, what would you recommend for a reflector for a 600w HPS[keep in mind, money IS and issue for me]? It'll probably be a month or so more before I get everything to make it. I'm the kind of person that I won't buy as I go along, I'll get everything and set it up right then. I haven't even germed my seeds yet because I want to do all of that when it's done [most logical thing to do]. But I'm trying to go into this thing with a gameplan and come out with a nice payout.

Also, with the 600w HPS, I need the ballast as well right? Or could I just hook it up to an bulb socket adapter to a regular bulb socket?

Youll need a ballast. I'd also recommend you pick up 6 or 8" cool tubes and get separate reflector. You'll appreciate it when you can get those lights 12-15" from the canopy. I can't get my lights closer than about 20" because they get hot in that small of a cabinet. You can also pick up a used reflector pretty cheap, I ended up getting my setup from somebody on CL. Hate on it if you want, but I've had a lot of good luck buying and selling random stuff like that over the years. If you can't get it all at once, get a cool tube with the little built-in reflector. Ebay has 6" tubes for like 70-80 each. Then upgrade to a better reflector when you can. New bulbs, ballasts, and a 6" fan with tubes will run you 5-600, but youll make up for it in your first yield compared to a single 400w.

I'm the same way, buy it once, buy it right. But there's certain things you can leave out to add in later. I just dont recommend getting stuff that youll have to actually upgrade later, costing you more. Especially with something like a DIY cabinet. Thats why I said get at least one 600w for now, use it till you can expand into the other half of the box. That leaves your options much more open.

I totally agree with you on the CL. After reading your last post, I went on and found someone with a 600w hps ballast and reflector, unfortunately money is tight, but forntunately enough, I do computer repairs[You wouldn't think I was nerdy like that by the way I look] and refurbished 2 computers and offered him one for the setup. The computer I offered is well worth the setup the guy has. Hopefully I can get him to bite and trade. Looks like for the lights I'm going to have to hit up CL to get it because I really can't afford a brand new one off the internet or at HTG Supply. Would 2 600w hps with reflectors work in the box of the size I want?

Absolutely. As I mentioned, that's what I have and it gives exactly 50w per sq ft. And theyre the most efficient light per watt. No need for 1000w's in there, heat would be way too much. I have a tough time keeping my temps low with the 600w's. Or, my other suggestion is set the box up for both lights and do one run with the 400, upgrade next go-around. My point is to not limit yourself on the size of box or wasting money by buying another 400w light if you plan to upgrade to a 600w anyway.

Always true. I'm thinking that if the guy doesn't bite for the trade then I probably would just go and do the run with the 400 and next go 2 600s. Money is tight and me and my family are trying to get into another house at the moment, so it's probably wiser of me to wait until next go anyways, though you have enlightened me on the ideal lighting for the box and size of box. I mean if worse comes to worse, I can always just keep cloning them until next go[I have someone that I get over on with clones out here, which means I can save that money for better lights]. You on the west coast mike?

SoCal, livin legal