Would this work?

Hey lads and ladies. working on putting together my first grow cupboard, and was wondering if you folks could answer some questions for me.

the cupboard i want to use is approximatley 20x20x70 inches internally. its devided into 2 sections. the bottom on is approx 48 inches, the top 20 inches. both sections have their own door and are completely light tight.

i was thinking i could use the top cupboard (basically a 20 inch cube) as a vegging space with 4 height adjustable 23w 6500k CFLs in there (for now, ill add more laterif needed) to bring them on from seedlings to about 15 inches high. would that be enough space and lights to bring on say 3 juvenile plants to a stage where they are either ready to flower or close to it? i dont mind swapping the bulbs out to the other cupboard for a few weeks the first time i do it if i have to.

the second cupboard i am going to use to flower. i am planning on putting 3 23w or 30w 2700k bulbs every foot up its walls for supplimental lighting and 4 overhead ones on a height adjustable pully system. i am aiming for about 1000w would that be enough for 2 plants grown in soil in seperate windowboxes of 15x9x9 inches? is it overkill?

I'll have the plant boxes sitting on wooden slats above a metal tray to catch the excess water, and then have a IR heatmat (of the kind used in vivariums) underneath the tray on a timer switch to give it a little humidity boost if needed. both cupboards will be insulated on 4 sides with mylar to reflect the light but the top of the flowering cupboard will be uninsulated to let the heat through to warm the soil for the seeds of the next batch.

how much ventilation would a set up like that need? i am trying for an ultra stealth grow here so ideally i would like to try and keep the ventilation to stuff like PC fans that i can mount on the inside of the cupboard and hide with a vent cover externally.

now then.. odour (americans, note spelling ) control. i know i am probably gonna need a carbon filter of some sort, the cupboard is unfortunatly right next to my street door. but its built into the wall, so cant be moved. and is literally the only place in my flat i have the space to grow something. but how much smell is 2 plants really gonna create? will it be that much of a problem?

So, can you guys think of anything i missed? anything i need to do differently? i have helped out a fair bit in my friends grow rooms. tending them when they are away and stuff, but i have never had to set my own up untill now..

thanks for the help in advance. i have already learned a lot from this site.

woo, first post..

I'd look into T5's, they are going to be the best penetration of any flo out there. I dunno what budget you are looking at, but in your position I would probably veg under T5's, and flower using an HPS. Sticking with your 1000w figure, I'd go with something like 200-400 watts of T5, and 600-800 watts of HID. This will be substantially more heat though, so you would need to make sure the cabinet was ported with vent fans pulling the heat out. the odor will depend on the strain. Might not need a filter, but many strains will. Carbon filters are what you want to be looking for, will need a fan to move air through it, which would fit in well with my HID idea If the budget only supports the CFL's then what you have posted sounds about as good as it'll get.

thanks for the reply.. i am sticking to cfls not de to budget, but due to where i have to grow.. i am in a ground floor flat, growing against an external wall. and due to the age and location of my property external heat venting just isnt an option. also i dont have the space for the power ballast anywhere near where i am tryig to grow. stealth is the name of the game here. and cfls are just more subtle

Cfls do produce a bit of heat especialy in confined space.

In the flower space you could try an make a heat shield out of plexi glass to contain the heat at the top an vent it there if its needed.
This will mean you have to raise your plants to the lights, but you can seal the hell out if for stealth it an make a diy yeast co2 gen to help em grow.

You can get some bad ass CFl from 1000 bulbs.com 120w for 25$, they worked alot better for me than alot of 33 w bulbs.

i am not too bothered about the heat, i am a ground floor flat with 4 storeys above me and sheilded on both sides by buildings. hell i could fire up a couple dozen 400w sodium bulbs and be safe if it didnt need venting. i have no objection to venting the heat from the grow cupboard into my flat and letting it disperse naturally. i am just going with cfl due to space constraints more than anything else.

i also have access to cheap CFLs due to an electrician friend of mine who can get them for about a quid each. i'd rather have loads of small lights so i dont have to worry about replacing the bulbs straight away in case of failure. also the way i have the space designed (in my head, wont have the cash to build it until the end of the month when i get paid) it should have approx 100w (real) per vertical foot of grow space coming from 3 33w sources. and about 120w (real) from the top. also, more bulbs lets me play with the light spectrum a little

thanks for the link, but i am across the pond from you guys, and i'd rather not ship that stuff internationally

mascot said:

thanks for the reply.. i am sticking to cfls not de to budget, but due to where i have to grow.. i am in a ground floor flat, growing against an external wall. and due to the age and location of my property external heat venting just isnt an option. also i dont have the space for the power ballast anywhere near where i am tryig to grow. stealth is the name of the game here. and cfls are just more subtle

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T5's do not produce any more heat than CFL's (watt for watt at least). Most T5's have ballasts built into the hood (not all, but most), and don't be fooled by CFL's, they have ballasts too, they are just built into the bulb I guess CFL's are smaller, but honestly, once you get fixtures and reflectors for them, they are just as large as T5's (though the smallest t5ho fixture you will easily find is 24" long). Also in some cases you will find the T5's might be easier to position because they pretty much lay flat and stand only a few inches tall. Most CFL reflectors will be at least twice as deep. Not saying you should go with T5's, but you might find that some of what you are picturing as issues wouldn't really be an issue for you... Regardless of which you pick, heat in an enclosed space is going to be an issue, as well as a fresh supply of CO2, so you'll need a small amount of venting either way. The difference is that CFL's and T5's (for that matter all flo lights) are going to need less than any HID light.

gobbly said:

The difference is that CFL's and T5's (for that matter all flo lights) are going to need less than any HID light.

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yep, one of the many reasons i am going with them.. the cupboards are pretty much airtight, i was thinking maybe a ducted fan passing through both cupboards into a 3rd one at the top and then into a carbon filter. reckon that would do it if i put a vent at the bottom to allow fresh air into the system? i was going to use a DIY yeast pot for the carbon when they needed it.