Stealth Freezer Grow- Male or Female???

n00bGrower

Well-Known Member
So, I'm kinda new to the MJ cultivation thing thing and have converted an old freezer into a stealth grow closet... I've been gardening for about 20 years and finally decided to start growing something I can REALLY enjoy. I really meant to start a journal for this, but considering my specific stealth requirements (wife and kids don't know), I haven't been able to take any pics! Forgive me for the terrible photos, but it was the best I could do. Had to sneak into the wife's purse while she was asleep on the couch, grab the camera, snap a few photos, download the pics, get them off the camera, replace the camera in her purse and get writing this post!

Before I get started, let me say this would not have been possible if it weren't for the folks at RotoZip and their fantastic metal cutting bits... Porcelain coated steel from 1977 is tough shit!

The old freezer uses a passive intake for ventilation (drain hole in bottom of freezer) and a 4" PVC female connector through a hole in the top left for exhaust. Inside the exhaust tube I have a carbon filter contraption I rigged up. I used one of those heavy pc exhaust fans you get at radio shack (the ones with the metal frame, not plastic) and used silicone adhesive (the kind used for plexiglass, not caulk) to bond it to a piece of plexi with a circular hole cut into it. Then I used the silicone to bond it to a 4" PVC male connector. This gives me a way to swap out fan units if they ever burn out.



I am currently working on upgrades for the next grow, the first of which is to reverse the exhaust system's design so that it pulls the air out of the back, drawing it throught the filter first. Right now the fan is inline before the filter, so it is pushing instead of pulling... Can't do anything until this grow if finished though. But that time, an actual room will have been built and I'll be able to augment as much as I wish.

I got a pair of shelving brackets and 2 metal shelf arms. Also, 2 gooseneck clip on lamps from staples (porcelain fixtures w00t!). Busted the clips off the lamp and was left with the metal gooseneck and a bolt. Enter the RotoZip once again! I bent the shelf arms at a 90 degree angle as close to the base as possible and buzzed a hole the size of the gooseneck and bolted them together.



Sorry these are the only real pics of the set-up... As I said, I couldn't really document any of the building process :-(

I used 2 23w (100 equivalent) CFL's and a pair of 20w FL tubes for veg. Did 24/0 for about 4 weeks and had 4 strong plants from bagseed, each well over a foot. Culled out the weakest 2 plants and went with 4 23w CFL's at 12/12. Plants are all in an organic 1:1:1 mix of manure/peat moss/top soil. Only nutes I've used are a half strength solution of Neptune's Harvest at planting and twice since.



I've had no real problems, aside from a heat issue that was fixed by dropping down to 3 CFL's (for 300w equivalent). Also, daily watering has been necessary and the plants are a bit root bound in their current containers.

I'm having a hard time sexing them, although the pics I'm posting about the plant in question looks like a female to me! Sorry I'm posting multiple pics of the same thing (what I think is a bud?), but all the pics sucked, so.... I figured the more the better!

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So, tell me what you think :bigjoint:
 

n00bGrower

Well-Known Member
I know males are supposed to have 2 little nuts, but that thing is all nuts! Pics 1 & 2 show that pretty clearly. But they're not where I expected to see them... And I thought it would be only 2 per node.
 

n00bGrower

Well-Known Member
Turns out the plant on the left is a female... Of course that isn't the one I did all the close ups for! When the wife isn't paying attention, I'll post pics of it just to be sure. I got a pair of distinctive white hairs on all the bud sites and no nuts at all, so I'm sure they're girls.

I took the male out of the equation and made about a 1/4 lb of cannabutter from it. Had a bit on toat this a.m. and it turned out pretty good ;-)
 

n00bGrower

Well-Known Member
Wife went to sleep... Got the camera and snapped these super quick. Sorry for the quality on some of these.

There is no way these are males...

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4 more weeks at least :cry:
 

n00bGrower

Well-Known Member
I pulled the male out of the equation a few days ago and made about 1/2 cup of CannaButter... Used all but enough for a slice of toast to make a single brownie.

I can't believe I ate the whole thing!
 

n00bGrower

Well-Known Member
I can only have 3 CFL's total in the freezer. Any more than that and the temp gets in the upper 80's, sometimes the low 90's. As is, I have about 6 distinct bud sites... That's 1 CFL for every 2. Best I can do :)
 

RandyRocket

Well-Known Member
I see you also have a grow kitten. I see them at the bottom.



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these are my helpers.

 

cloudy01

Active Member
grats on the one girl man! good luck with her she is lookin pretty solid for only 3 lights. ill be waitin on more updates, would love to see what you pull from her.
 
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