LED Micro Winter Wonderland

[Hashbrownd]

Hey Folks,

New to the forums, but in the little time i have spent here i have already learned so much. It seems like a fantastic community, so much so that i gathered up the courage to actually post for a change (not limited to 420).

Lately i have been impacter by increasing costs, which has lead me to believe that making a high short term investment for a long term initiative might be the way forward.

So, i have decided, to expand my hobby and learn how to be self sustaining and do so at a small cost moving forward.

As the title reads, and some of you may already guessed my concerns, i have decided to build a microgrowery, with led lighting and the poorest seasonal choice (wet, cold climate) you can imagine.

I dont shy away from a challenge and it was sort of a now or never scenario, so i have bought the majority items needed or anticipated neer for the project.

The shopping list was as follows:

300W LED light box (140W out)
2 x 7 Gallon "Plant buckets"
1 x Draining tray
7 x Mylar Sheeting
10 x autofem seeds suited for colder climates
1 x bag of activated carbon
2 x 120mm desktop fans
1 x timer powerplug

I am yet to make a decision on the soil, germination process, light cycle, possible heating... as it will be sheltered but not heated...

Although i am doing my best in considering all the factors, i am new to this...

I was wondering if anyone has faced similar circumstances as myself or whether there is someone to offer advise.

Although i am certain there will be eventual fruits from my labor, i would like to nurture to the best of my ability and hopefully get it right the first time.

Hopefully hear from some of you soon!

 

[Curly Beaver]

Hello Hash browned, and welcome. I will attempt to pay forward the help that was so generously offered to me about three months ago. I had never considered growing and now I have a closet full of nice plants ready to put into flower later this week when a new light is delivered.
With the phrase "Winter Wonderland" being used, are you also from Michigan? I have an inside grow underway but hope to have several ready to go outside next spring.
Fox Farms Ocean Forest seems to be very popular and was recommended to me, as well as Perlite and PromixBX at a ratio of 1/3 of each. Later on (3-4 weeks) you'll need some additional nutrients, again Fox Farms was recommended, they have a 3 pack available.
As far as germination, I tried a couple different ways, killed several seeds (drowned) and settled on a moist paper towel in a baggy in a warm place for a day or two, then right into the soil mixture. In fact, I just started another seed last night.
It would be nice if you can find someone's grow journal to follow along, it's amazing what you can learn from them.
I have found growing to be a lot of fun and very rewarding, there are a lot of very knowledgeable & helpful people on this forum.
Welcome and good luck, you will enjoy it.
Beav

 

[Hashbrownd]

Hello Hash browned, and welcome. I will attempt to pay forward the help that was so generously offered to me about three months ago. I had never considered growing and now I have a closet full of nice plants ready to put into flower later this week when a new light is d
With the phrase "Winter Wonderland" being used, are you also from Michigan? I have an inside grow underway but hope to have several ready to go outside next spring.
Fox Farms Ocean Forest seems to be very popular and was recommended to me, as well as Perlite and PromixBX at a ratio of 1/3 of each. Later on (3-4 weeks) you'll need some additional nutrients, again Fox Farms was recommended, they have a 3 pack available.
As far as germination, I tried a couple different ways, killed several seeds (drowned) and settled on a moist paper towel in a baggy in a warm place for a day or two, then right into the soil mixture. In fact, I just started another seed last night.
It would be nice if you can find someone's grow journal to follow along, it's amazing what you can learn from them.
I have found growing to be a lot of fun and very rewarding, there are a lot of very knowledgeable & helpful people on this forum.
Welcome and good luck, you will enjoy it.
Beav

Hey BeaverIslander,

I probably should have mentioned i was from sunny Ireland, as it might have been relevant to the story

Firstly, thank you for the advice. It seems that indeed the moist paper towel seems to be a preference. Although i read quite a lot as well that the autofems prefer not being moved, at any stage, thus try and germ in their eventual flowering pot.

I am very excited to start the construction (housing) and get the micro started, the journal is a good idea actually... i might consider this for myself and will see if there is anyone who has gone for a similar setup.

The hard thing for me to find out:

Should i worry about the cold? November to feb can have negative temperatures, although he strain should be ok with colder climate
Does anyone have experience with LED in cold weather? Because the lamp will have less excess energy, less warmth will come off the lamp as well.
Do longer lightcycles during cold weather provide advantage at all? Does it stress or strenghten?

Beaver again thank you for kicking this off for me, i hope i can endulge in further tales of experience

 

[Curly Beaver]

I will not be able to help you as I will be doing my grow inside as we too have extremely cold, snowy winters. My plants are going to have to adapt to the temperature that we keep the house at, which ranges from a low of around 62 (it I don't get up and the wood stove goes out) to 75 and 80 on occasion. Generally 65-75 though. The LEDs will help with this kind of heat but I doubt they would be sufficient to keep them from freezing. Good luck, and maybe someone from Ireland will weigh in with advice.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

What will be the temperatures of your grow room when it is completely empty?

I deal with some low temps in the winter but not so low that my lighting can't warm up the room enough to make it viable.