Dark enclosure for flowering-will this work?

[Agen36]

Having only the one grow room with plants at various stages of development, I need a dark spot to sex and hopefully flower one particular plant. I have a six foot tall bookcase I've cleared with a four foot high space between shelves, more than enough for the 2 1/2 foot plant I need to put in there.

I have a large, thick piece of cardboard I can Velcro into place across the front of the bookcase in order to achieve complete darkness. Will the lack of ventilation in this 4' x 1' x 3' space cause any damage to the plant during the 12 hours of darkness?

It will be sealed in there pretty well...

 

[nibec]

personally, i would use black and white poly. just to be 100% sure its dark.

next, yes.

for sexing, probably not much of an issue, but for flowering, it will probably mold.

why not just get a small vent fan, cheapest one you can find really. and build a little light trap? that way, its vented, and still dark.

if you dont want to punch a hole in your book case, just put the fan through the cardboard.

 

[Agen36]

Thanks for your quick reply.

My next stupid question-what is a light trap?
Won't a hole for a fan let in light?
Yes, I am a real newbie...

 

[nibec]

A light trap is exactly what it sounds like.. Basically, if you have a hole that is letting in light. You take some
Wood, or PVC pipe, or anything really, and make 2 or 3 corners with it, like a maze, that way air will still flow through it, but light won't
Make it around the corners.

Same idea as those stages an theaters that have the doors wide
Open, but it goes around a couple corners that , and you
Can't see any light come in from outside.

 

[Jimmycricket]

Ask yourself this Agen.

If I was to lock you inside a bookcase sized airtight space for 12 hours do you think youd be doing too well?

Plants breath just like humans. They just breath different stuff.

 

[Alkhemist]

another option to build upon what nibec stated, something ive used in the past with success, is to install fan and hang ducting off it so that it hangs low and doesnt allow light to enter or attach ducting to the fan site but cover it(=end of ducting) with dark nylon so that air can pass thru yet not allow light to filter in...

its a basic idea and im sure you will figure something out! ;]

good luck!

 

[Agen36]

Hello again and thanks for the sage advice.

I've come to the conclusion that it will be simpler to move my two autoflowers out of the grow room for 6 hours and leave the room in darkness instead of trying to build a dark enclosure.

I'm growing a half dozen "normal" plants, (one almost 3' tall, the others 18"-20") but I've decided to sex them all at the same time and the bookcase enclosure scenario doesn't leave me enough room.

In the future only I'll stick with autoflowers and then maybe only 3 or 4 which will hopefully produce enough bud for me on a regular basis.

By the way, my "free with order" autoflower from seed is now 60 days (17") and just showing hairs but the one from seed that actually cost me something is growing tall and bushy fast (about 11") and showing lots of hairs just shy of a months growth, Lemon Haze to be specific. Can't wait!

Hopefully the autoflowers will do well beneath a bedroom window with plenty of light but no direct sunlight.