Noob in need of a few Pointers for 1st grow

So I'm in the process of building a little stealth closet setup just to get my feet wet. I've been reading how to grow for years, I'm tired of reading and I finally have the means (my own crib) so I wanna get some small experience under my belt before I try on a larger scale.I've been reading through this forum for a few weeks and pieced together a few ideas with a few of my own for a smaller sized box I can fit in a closet without looking absurdly conspicuous. I'm going to use an old armoire and a few MDF boards. Anyways the box is taken care of, I'm confident with that plan.

My first question is concerning soil ratios. I've read a million times organic potting soil with low nuets as a base, best to mix in some perlite. So I chose pro-mix organic soil.

- What ratio should I mix in perlite? Should I do something like 2 parts soil to 1 part perlite?

Next concern is in regards to lighting. My box is approximately 3' x 3' x 5' I'm hoping to fit three good sized plants in. Now insted of buying a overpriced hood and a huge wattage grow light for like $250. I'm going to wire the box myself and just buy MH lights (Possibly 2 low wattage CFLS) for growth, and HPS lights for flowering.

- Would two 70W MH + two 26W CFLS be sufficient for growth of three plants in this dimension? Will 100W HPS + two 70W MH be sufficient for flowering? Also if I wire four basic ceiling light mounts to movable fabricated hood would I need any special ballast?


Last concern is in regards to venting. I have no means to vent to the outdoors as I live in an apartment. However the box is going to be semi-air tight (mainly because it has to be light tight). I've seen computer fans to warehouse fans.

- Would two side mounted computer fans pointing slightly up (45 degree angle) towards a open hole in the top be sufficient for moving enough fresh air in? My logic is, it may not be professionally vented, however the stale bad air would be in the closet rather than in the box? Should I possibly invest in a small charcoal filter?


Thanks for all the pointers, I'm really looking forward to this experience even though the first few attempts are going to be a small low budget harvest just to build some technique!

I use Pro-Mix organic-- ohhh you're gonna like that stuff. =) All I use. You don't HAVE to add perlite to that mix- however if you can, I'd suggest mixing in 15-20% perlite to it (4 parts soil, 1 part perlite)- after a few months the soils gets compacted too much and makes it hard to water w.o the extra perlite..

Also, MH lighting is completely different than cfls. Why not use the hps the whole grow??

No, that ventilation would not be enough. 1.You need an intake fan. 2.A fan to blow on the plants for stem strength. 3. You need an exhaust fan. The intake fan and the fan blowing on the plants can be the same fan- but all the plants need to be shaking a little constantly for good ventilation. This isn't just to get the heat out- you need this to bring in fresh air and more co2 for the plants to use- bad ventilation is like seriously choking your plants.

You're going to want to address the smell issue as well - esp. in an apartment.. a charcoal filter is your best bet. (1 flowering plant can be smelled in all parts of a 2 bedroom apt is not taken care of)

Welcome to the boards btw. =)

geez, a lot of stuff and it's all rather neatly laid out, sorry, I'm in awe! Usually a post comes in scrambled with street language and it's so cryptic It's nigh impossible to fathom, and then yours comes along... anyhow, Hot and Sexy (nice handle by the way!) answered most of your stuff. but yes definitely get a fan on those babies now, to help strengthen those stems. it also helps to keep odors down and bugs away.

Thanks for the help Milf , Yea faralos I have a little forum experience, and somewhat of an education lol. Anyways, thanks for the help guys, I got a variety of different fans and I'm pretty sure I've got it under control

I'm tryin to get a digital camera (or anything better than my horrible cell phone) so I can start a little journal with some pics, lookin forward to some constructive critisizm

Sweet. =) When you get your journal going pm me the link.

NP btw, if you ever have any questions you can't find in the FAQ feel free to pm n ask.

About the filter, the cheapest one I could find is called the elf. Got it at Hydroponics | Hydroponic Supplies for about $45. It takes a 4 inch ducting. I've got an inline fan hooked straight up to it. Also, if you want to use the MH/HPS, you're gonna need a ballast. It won't work just plugging it up to the household current. The one in my picture is a Galaxy digital ballast. Doesn't get very hot, doesn't hum at all, and it will light either MH or HPS bulbs. My setup is a 250W. You can also see my intake fan hooked directly to the house air supply. It also has a one-way damper to keep odors from going into the house supply.

Oh damn, I forgot this post was slightly older. I changed my whole lighting setup as I was building the box lol. Forgot to mention it here. But I went with all cfls. I believe I fixed my heat problem just now, got back from the store. I'm gonna let it run for an hour or so and if the temp is staying put this time I'm gonna get some pictures and a journal up

Happy to announce, its up and running and all heat issues have been solved for the time being! Thanks for all your advice, and check out my new journal!

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/53021-my-first-grow-stealth-cfl.html#post579517