Raiven's Custom ShedBox

[Raiven]

yeah I agree, add side lighting to the box. what are the room temperatures, notice that you have a fan blowing air into the room, something to be aware of is that you don't want the exhausted heat to stay inside the room the box is in. That's a great looking box you have enough space for a HPS, but if heat is a problem LED w/T5, CFL best practice. looking forward to seeing more about this topic (tweaking the grow room is a never ending story. )

Thanks for dropping in AG!!! Appreciate the advice...
I grabbed a bunch of cubicle light fixtures that are long and flat from my shop...
I will use those to line the sides and more of the top with light...

Currently the exhaust fans are dumping the air out into the same room the box is in...
But at the same time I have a floor fan cycling the air in from outside and two naturally aspirating vents on the walls to help circulate out the exhaust...

I have noticed that the shed the box is in is nice and warm but quite humid when I come home from work...
At that point I will open the door and move the floor fan outside to blow air into the shed with the box doors open to ensure a thorough oxygen and co2 exchange...

Heat does not seem to be a problem as of yet...
Even on the hottest days the cabs never get over 88 deg...
Humidity in the clone / veg chambers is being maintained at minimum of 70%...And in the flower chamber it is being maintained between 50% - 60%...

The tweaking never ends!!!

Look forward to checking out your journal and subbing to it!!!
Check mine out when you get a chance!!

 

[armoire grow]

During what time you run your light. best technique is to run them during the night. It seems your on the right track with the air flow. In a microgarden air exchange it's crucial mora that what some think, it's not like we have an A/C and can run a close circuit room. Ideal humidity for Flw 40/50 % some closet dehumidifier can help you keep it low. another thing Is keeping pest away incorporate a strick IPM regimen neem oil, azamax, cilica among others. not sure but it looks like your shed could be expose to pest because all the heavy vegetation around it.

 

[Raiven]

During what time you run your light. best technique is to run them during the night. It seems your on the right track with the air flow. In a microgarden air exchange it's crucial mora that what some think, it's not like we have an A/C and can run a close circuit room. Ideal humidity for Flw 40/50 % some closet dehumidifier can help you keep it low. another thing Is keeping pest away incorporate a strick IPM regimen neem oil, azamax, cilica among others. not sure but it looks like your shed could be expose to pest because all the heavy vegetation around it.

Right now the current light cycle for veg is 18/6 6am-12am
and flower is 12/12 on from noon - mdnight

Strangely enough i was super worried about pests from the beginning but have not found a single trace of any pests causing problems to the plants

 

[armoire grow]

You'll get better results if you run veg 5pm to 11 am and flw from 6pm to 6 am. run the lighting during the cooler time of the day.

good that you haven't gotten any pest, but always integrate some neem oil. it's easy to prevent them, than to fight them.

 

[Raiven]

You'll get better results if you run veg 5pm to 11 am and flw from 6pm to 6 am. run the lighting during the cooler time of the day.

good that you haven't gotten any pest, but always integrate some neem oil. it's easy to prevent them, than to fight them.

I dont really know why I chose those hours...
But Ill give your recomendation a shot and see what comes of it...

I will also look into neem oil as well...
Is this a sprayon organic item?
Im switching to all organic soilless mix and do not want to add any foreign synthetics...

 

[armoire grow]

Yeah neem oil is organic and use it as a weekly foliar during veg. nothing during flowering, just build your IPM during veg stage. on the lighting I made the same thing and ran them during the day time and just made my box hotter. What mixed medium your planning to use. whichever path you take make sure to incorporate mycorrhizae to you medium.

 

[Raiven]

Yeah neem oil is organic and use it as a weekly foliar during veg. nothing during flowering, just build your IPM during veg stage. on the lighting I made the same thing and ran them during the day time and just made my box hotter. What mixed medium your planning to use. whichever path you take make sure to incorporate mycorrhizae to you medium.

Awesome...I will def look into getting that...
Once a week foliar spray is nothing compared to the problems pests can cause...

Yah ill def switch the hours on the lighting...But should I do it in steps you think?
Cause now they are used to noon to midnight on ... so you think I should change it by one hour every day until i get to the desired times??

PeeJay was a huge help to me and got me started on his organic soil mix...
I will be using the following items:

ProMix HP
Rooters Myccorhizae mixture
Excelerite
Mexican Bat Guano
Indonesian Bat Guano
FFOF
YumYum Mix
Coarse Perlite
Soft Rock Phosphate
Worm Castings

Here is an excerpt from PeeJay's journal that he shared with me about his mix:

Ok, I decided to replicate the post from my journal here to make things easier. I'm working on a job related project that I'm not really enjoying so spending some time here is a pleasant distraction.

I'm growing in complete organic soil mixes. I use three slightly different mixes; one for seedlings, one for vegetative growth, and one for flowering.

For the seedling mix I combined 3 gallons of Sunshine #4, 1 gallon of FFOF, one gallon of chunky perlite, and 1/2 cup of granulated mixed mycorrizial inoculate. There is plenty of food in the FFOF to feed the seedlings, the Sunshine is not nutrient rich at all, and the perlite improves drainage. Seedlings like this lean, well draining soil.

The base for both the veg and flower soils is the same. Nine gallons of Sunshine #4, three gallons of FFOF, three gallons of worm castings, one and a half gallons of chunky perlite, six cups of Yum-Yum mix, and two cups of Excelerite. Here is a blurb from the Excellerite web-site about this product:

"U.S. Rare Earth Minerals has been blessed with the rights to mine what is widely considered the rarest source of ancient lake bed sediments in Panaca Nevada found to date. A host of scientists recognize it as the richest known source in the world for natural occurring macro, micro and nano nutrients. These minerals and trace elements have been naturally chelated in the presence of Humic and Fulvic acids to produce the powerful combination of Panaca minerals that we call Excelerite; Excelerite is approved by the Organic Materials Review Institude (OMRI) listed, and may be used in certified organic production or food processing and handling according to the USDA National Organic Program Rule."

Here is a picture of some Yum-Yum mix followed by a list of ingredients and what nutrients it provides.

Yum-Yum mix contains:

Alfalfa Meal: Nitrogen; Vitamins-A, B, E, carotene, thiamine, biotin, pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, choline; 16 amino acids, co-enzymes, sugars, starches, protein fiber.

Cottonseed Meal: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium.

Kelp Meal: Nitrogen; Potassium; Vitamins-A, B, B2 , C, calcium, pantothenate, niacin, folic acid; minerals-barium, boron, calcium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, sodium, strontium, sulfur, zinc; 17 amino acids.

Greensand: Iron, Potassium, Silicate, Phosphorus, 30 trace elements.

Rock Dust: Calcium, Sulfur, Magnesium, Boron, Cobalt.

Rock Phosphate: Phosphorus, Calcium, Trace Elements.

Humate: Salts of Humic Acid - improve soil characteristics and aids in releasing other nutrients to plants in usable forms.

Dry Molasses: Carbohydrates, Sugars, Trace Elements - feeds and attracts beneficial soil organisms.

Guaranteed Analysis -Total Nitrogen (N) - 2.0% - Available Phosphate (P2O5) - 1.0%. Soluble Potash (K2O) - 1.0%.

The Yum-Yum is great stuff - a well balanced amendment. It won't burn plants. I've actually put the stuff in my mouth and tasted it - not bad at all.

The only other thing the veg soil gets is 1 cup of 10-1-1 Mexican bat guano.

The flower soil has no Mexican guano. It gets 1 cup of 0.5-13-0.2 Indonesian bat guano, and 1 cup of soft rock phosphate.

Over the course of a couple of grows I've never seen a deficiency or lockout in these mediums. I don't feed the plants anything else. They just get RO water. Well, I have done some minor top-dressing with a little Yum-Yum once or twice but for the most part just RO water.

 

[Antics]

I'd add some side supplemental lighting as well. After this grow, top the rest of your plants that you grow with CFLs, and train the canopy to grow flat. That way you only need an overhead light setup, and all bud sites have an equal amount of light at all times, and all angles.

In the grow space you have, you can fit 4 tall plants, or grow 2 at a time, and train them to completely fill the grow area, grow them shorter and more manageable, and produce as much as 4 tall plants.

 

[armoire grow]

wow you have already a good soil mixed. You practically can completely grow with your soil mix from start to finish without having to feed. Heck you can make a compose tea with got mix.

 

[Raiven]

I'd add some side supplemental lighting as well. After this grow, top the rest of your plants that you grow with CFLs, and train the canopy to grow flat. That way you only need an overhead light setup, and all bud sites have an equal amount of light at all times, and all angles.

In the grow space you have, you can fit 4 tall plants, or grow 2 at a time, and train them to completely fill the grow area, grow them shorter and more manageable, and produce as much as 4 tall plants.

supplemental side lighting going in today Antics!!
next grow I am aiming for short fat and HEADY

 

[Antics]

Short and fat has been working well for me with the CFLs so far this grow. And when I eventually upgrade to LEDs, I plan to keep the same training methods going, just a bit wider.

As far as Cannabis goes, Growing it is the strongest addiction you will ever experience.

 

[Raiven]

Short and fat has been working well for me with the CFLs so far this grow. And when I eventually upgrade to LEDs, I plan to keep the same training methods going, just a bit wider.

As far as Cannabis goes, Growing it is the strongest addiction you will ever experience.

Im quickly learning how strong this addiction is LoL...

 

[Raiven]

***UPDATE***

ADDED SIDE LIGHTS TO SEED AND VEG CHAMBERS...

MORE TO COME!!!!

 

[Raiven]

UPDATE FOR THE FLOWER CHAMBER

 

[Antics]

There you go! That's going to help the buds on the sides develop. Just make sure you give the pots 1/4 turn every day. I like to give them a 1/4 turn 2x a day when in flower when I'm home to do it halfway through the day.

 

[Raiven]

***UPDATE ON SHED BOX CUSTOM BUILD***

ADDED MULTIPLE LIGHTS TO CLONE / SEED CHAMBER TO PROMOTE LOW GROWTH
MADE ADJUSTMENTS TO SIDE LIGHTS IN VEG CHAMBER ALONG WITH MAKING THE TOP LIGHT ADJUSTABLE TO KEEP GROWTH AS LOW AS POSSIBLE

 

[armoire grow]

Nice, but I thinks that for clones you really don't need much lighting. reduce heat and energy cost, or add the lighting to the flw chamber.

 

[Raiven]

Nice, but I thinks that for clones you really don't need much lighting. reduce heat and energy cost, or add the lighting to the flw chamber.

I believe youre right ...
That small chamber will serve mostly for seedlings...
I am starting plans for an addition to the box to have a separate VEG chamber for clones and mother plants...

Thoughts??

 

[armoire grow]

Will your flowering chamber be able to hold so many plants. Also keep in mind that if you veg for a long period without having the right pot size to hold them you will get root bound. It happened to me.

 

[Raiven]

Will your flowering chamber be able to hold so many plants. Also keep in mind that if you veg for a long period without having the right pot size to hold them you will get root bound. It happened to me.

Well another idea I was playing around with is splitting the VEG and BUD chambers into two chambers each so I could double my production if I needed to...
I want to grow my plants as low and bushy as possible, utilizing LST and topping...
With those methods I should be able to keep them under 1 - 1-1/2 feet in VEG and under 2 feet in bud which would allow me the room to split the chambers...

The number of plants will be easily manageable using cycling...2 - 4 seedlings at a time for 3 weeks in the SEED chamber, then those go into the VEG chamber for 4 weeks then into the bud chamber for 8 weeks
I can leave some in veg for longer if needed due to space constraints...

Its really going to be trial and error basically...See how many fit and how the time cycle works...

Again, Im a total noobie still hahahaha