Cheapskate Growbox - $0.00 Budget - Plenty of Pics!

[Maffchew]

Hello, and welcome to my thread

All tools, equipment, lighting, materials were all found around the house thus not spending any cash on this what so ever.

The Box
My box is made out of a flat white draw i pulled out of an old drawer set.


Ventilation
Cut 1 hole at the bottom left corner of the box and one at the upper right, installed 2 PC fans from some old computers i found in the garage. And an extra one for more air flow i guess.

Lighting
This was an issue as i ran short of light sockets to use in the early weeks of using the box, for the first 3 weeks i used 2 14watt cfls, and one 24watt under a cardboard box reflector, wrapped in foil *cough*(cheapo).
(Picture below)

Bout around week 4 i got rid of that dodgy looking thing and placed 2 30watt "Natural white" CFLs to the ceiling, big difference after that.

Odor Control- Fuck it, i love the smell


Nutes- For vegg i used PowerFeed Fish Fertiliser, with 12% N, 1.4% PH, 7% Potasssium, and 3.08% Potassium humate. I mixed in 10mL (1/4 recommended) into a 1L Bottle of water, and watered her. The next watering i used it at 1/2 strength and that was all since i didnt let it veg for too long. (around 20days)

Day 18

Day 22, 2 days after 12/12

5 days into flower

Day 9 flower started getting "that" problem with some fan leaves

Week 3 of flower, first male suspicious came. (

Changed over to 2 30watt cfls, put into a 1.5Months vegging plant in to start flowering also

Week 4 coming to week 5 for plant #1, first hairs appeared! Hermi confirmed.

Plant #2, Week 1 of flower. Lookin thirsty just after a drink.

And that brings me to today..added a 10watt cfl on the left side of the box, one 8watt behind the plant(at the back) and another 8watt on the right side,(Keep in mind im on a very tight budget, all these were found around the house including the sockets and lampcord) So now i have a total of 86watts. Including the 2 30watts on the ceiling. This box is looking more and more ghetto everyday

all first fanleaves off plant #1 have died off and now is left looking like a lollipop... no matter as long as i get some smoke outa her i dont mind, shes my first ever grow and really was more of an experience thing. im still stressing theres not enough light, im planning to bend her over to get those lower budsites more light. Pictures after lights on

Commentssssssss?

 

[j4s2u0]

Re: Cheapskate Growbox | $0.00 Budget [PLENTLY OF PICS!]

Well not mad dude,atleast u got a female out of it...now u get to sit back and watch the buds grow

 

[Maffchew]

Could smoking ciggarrettes in the same room effect the plant? The leaves are getting sick still.. they first get purple spots around them then they eventually they turn yellow and brown and die can anyone help me out?

 

[Maffchew]

Figured it out, pretty sure from what ive looked up its a spidermite infestation D:
any ideas???

 

[j4s2u0]

wow that sucks,there is so much info here just use the search or just click on some of the links up top,I know there is alot about spidermites on here,good luck!

 

[trailblazer]

dude been watching this thread for ages! nice to see more pictures! check out my grow! you inspired my cabinet idea lol! and i love the pc fan! i had one ages ago wired to a mobile phone charger but i binned it.

Are you going to add more lights?

 

[JohnGalt]

I had a constant spider mite infestation in my first grow (outdoors). Those symptoms don't really sound like spider mites.

Spider mites are pretty easy to figure out because of their webs. The webs are hard to see, but dust/eggs/mites in the webs will stand out (sometimes look like they're just floating above the surface). Spider mites (and their webs) are almost always found on the underside of leaves. But there will be silvery lines and black dots on the topsides of the leaves. (The silvery lines are where the mites have sucked the chlorophyll out; the black dots are not always present, but is the result of a relatively harmless type of fungus/mold/mildew that grows in the mite feces.)

Hope this helps.

 

[JohnGalt]

Oh, and if it is spider mites for sure, you can use Safer's Insecticidal Soap (if available on your side of the planet), or a simple 50/50 mix of water and "70%" Isopropil alcohol. Safer's works better and requires fewer spraying sessions, but with the size of your plant it probably wouldn't be much trouble either way.

Also, lowering your grow room temperature will slow their life cycle... just don't get it too low or your plants will get stressed.

In either case, expect them to keep coming back. But, as long as you keep knocking them down every few days they shouldn't amass enough numbers to truly harm your plants.

 

[RollinBAC]

Have to love the ghetto grows. My style..as cheap as possible. Can't really help you tho considering I myself am a complete newb. Keep it up and can't wait to see the end results I'll be following.

 

[Maffchew]

well i looked under a sick leaf and there was a bita web hangin off, :/ lights just turned off so ill look up that soap and see if i have it here, i trimmed the leaf to cause it not to spread, the plant was outside for its first week, so they probaly got it from there i reckon.

Todays. Goin well Week 5 & Week 2

 

[trailblazer]

Is the web anything to do with gnats? but the plant being outside might be why and theirs no leaf damage so your be alright.

Love the grow itself. keep it going +rep

 

[JohnGalt]

If the web was really "hanging off" then it might just be an actual spider web... I once found a black widow building a nest in the middle of one of my outdoor plants; was really deep in the middle of a dense part of the plant.

Anyhow, to be sure just look for 4 things:

1) tiny webs (usually only visible under a microscope or detected by seeing mites/eggs/debris resting in the web - will usually look like specs floating above the leaf surface).

2) tiny specs (will appear white-ish to orange) that move. The warmer it is the faster they move. Almost exclusively found on under-side of leaves.

3) Silvery squiggly lines visible on the top-side of leaves. This is the color the leaf cells take on when the buggers suck all the juice out of the plant cells. (Most microscopic plant-eaters leave this sort of sign, so this alone doesn't indicate spider mites unless accompanied by other signs.)

4) Black specs/dots. It'll look like a tiny droplet of tar, usually on the top-side of the leaf. I've read that this is also a symptom of thrips. I've read that the black dot is actually a mold or mildew that grows in the feces of thrips and spider mites. (This mold/mildew is relatively harmless - as far as I know it doesn't spread outside the feces-drops at all.

I know you're extremely-low budget, so hopefully you have at least a magnifying glass around the house. Either way, you may consider investing in a "pocket microscope"... probably the best $15 (USD) I've ever spent. Also heard of people using a jeweler's loupe - maybe a better option since it doesn't require batteries. Just make sure it's at least 60x.

As for how they got there... they're pro at getting around. They can hitch a ride on pollen, dust particles, or simply ride on the air. (I speculate that they could make a tiny parachute out of web - something common of true spiders in my area this time of year.) They can also ride in on your clothes, hair, etc.

To keep them out would require a "clean room" kept vacuum sealed and any person would have to take a decontamination shower before entering. That's not to say you shouldn't take steps to reduce their chances of getting in (i.e. covering intake vents with a "screen" small enough to keep them out, avoiding going directly from outdoors into your grow room, etc)

Hope this helps.

 

[Maffchew]

If the web was really "hanging off" then it might just be an actual spider web... I once found a black widow building a nest in the middle of one of my outdoor plants; was really deep in the middle of a dense part of the plant.

Anyhow, to be sure just look for 4 things:

1) tiny webs (usually only visible under a microscope or detected by seeing mites/eggs/debris resting in the web - will usually look like specs floating above the leaf surface).

2) tiny specs (will appear white-ish to orange) that move. The warmer it is the faster they move. Almost exclusively found on under-side of leaves.

3) Silvery squiggly lines visible on the top-side of leaves. This is the color the leaf cells take on when the buggers suck all the juice out of the plant cells. (Most microscopic plant-eaters leave this sort of sign, so this alone doesn't indicate spider mites unless accompanied by other signs.)

4) Black specs/dots. It'll look like a tiny droplet of tar, usually on the top-side of the leaf. I've read that this is also a symptom of thrips. I've read that the black dot is actually a mold or mildew that grows in the feces of thrips and spider mites. (This mold/mildew is relatively harmless - as far as I know it doesn't spread outside the feces-drops at all.

I know you're extremely-low budget, so hopefully you have at least a magnifying glass around the house. Either way, you may consider investing in a "pocket microscope"... probably the best $15 (USD) I've ever spent. Also heard of people using a jeweler's loupe - maybe a better option since it doesn't require batteries. Just make sure it's at least 60x.

As for how they got there... they're pro at getting around. They can hitch a ride on pollen, dust particles, or simply ride on the air. (I speculate that they could make a tiny parachute out of web - something common of true spiders in my area this time of year.) They can also ride in on your clothes, hair, etc.

To keep them out would require a "clean room" kept vacuum sealed and any person would have to take a decontamination shower before entering. That's not to say you shouldn't take steps to reduce their chances of getting in (i.e. covering intake vents with a "screen" small enough to keep them out, avoiding going directly from outdoors into your grow room, etc)

Hope this helps.

Funny you should say that because i just had a peep and i found a small jumping spider hopping around (not sure of there original name).
Shit, there smart to move around like that, there like bloody lice lol.
gave them a little mist of 50/50 soap water. see how they go..

 

[Maffchew]

Week 6 & 3 flowering. Plant #1 leaves are dying, yellowing and curling. Plant #2 looking bushier everyday, hoping for a female.

Buds filling in

 

[trailblazer]

coming along nicely now! Is the web thing still a problem or just a spider setting up camp?

 

[Maffchew]

Not really soap and water did the trick, pretty sure there were spider mites and maybe a few ordinary spiders

 

[Maffchew]

Buds are filling in nicely estimating about 7grams yield, lollie popped it and trimmed dying leaves.

 

[Hydrogrown]

Cool cabinet, are those pc fans? I wonder what the output is because i want to make a small cabinet for a mom or two and clones but ventilation is a possible issue. I love DIY grow journals and your results are looking good.

 

[JohnGalt]

Maffchew, been days since you updated. Hopefully it's just the Holidays keeping you busy. Let us know how it's going when you get a few minutes.

Oh, and if you missed it, I had a successful harvest a couple weeks ago. Check my thread when you get a chance.

+rep cuz i can!

 

[Jacob Bell]

Hey Maffchew, how's the grow coming?