ThinkFab's First Grow - Mids in a Tub

[ThinkFab]

This is my first grow, and my first "grow room", if you could call it that.
In total, I have spent roughly $100 on everything to make this project. about $80 on the first trip to Home Depot, and another $20 on the extra fan and cord I need to keep the temps down. On to the list of supplies used for the "grow tub".

[Home Depot]
45gal tote $16.99
Miracle-Gro Organic Choice potting mix $4.47
4 outlet sockets $8.36
[Meijer]
2-6' 3 way extention cords $2.24
emergency blanket (mylar) $2.49
duct tape $4.99
thermometer/hydrometer $5.49
24 hour timer $9.99
4 6500k 26w 1600 lumen CLF bulbs $12.98
1 gallon distilled water $.83
51 small foam cups (for planting) $1.49
[Radio Shack]
blue led 80mm fan $9.99
120mm fan $9.99
enercell value pack surge protector $9.99

TOTAL COST=$106.30

The seeds for this grow were taken from a stock pile that have been sitting around, from mid's. I dont really expect to get much of anything out of this grow, except for some know how on the next grow. The vegging and flowering will be done in an appartment building, so I could use some tips on keeping the smell down.
Any advice on the grow is appreciated. Onto some pics!

day 2

slightly warm, and way to dry. picking up 2 humidifiers asap

the inlets for the 2 fans.

 

[poker shark]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

Welcome to 420 TF....your setup looks identical the one I started with last year. I found it best to go into flowering mode quickly as the space in the tub gets crowded very quickly.
It looks like your seedlings are in clear containers? You might want to change that as roots do not like light.

Good luck
+reps

 

[Dain Bramage]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

spray paint the soda bottle bottoms black to protect the roots

 

[ThinkFab]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

Thanks guys. i didnt even think about the roots. good thing they arent to old yet. im going to take care of it now.

 

[Dain Bramage]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

glad to have been able to help

 

[ThinkFab]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

pics from today. decided to go with electrical tape for the base of the pop bottle pots. repotted the small plant into the other pot. it had much longer roots than i thought it would.

its a bit cocked, but it should grow strait.

 

[Dain Bramage]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

A lot of folk's use a three part system,micro,grow and bloom like advanced or general hydroponics or a two part one for veg one for bloom like Neptune's sea food but with the soil you used did it come with nute's in the soil already?If so you may want to tred lightly also with your hight you will need to begin flowering a.s.a.p.Also if you can try to pick up some kelp or sea weed to add trace elements to your soil

 

[ThinkFab]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

this is the soil

my Ph is around 5.5, but im not sure where to go to get Ph up. i feed them with distilled water, but that is also around 5.5, and i feel that is a bit odd. as far as the hight of the tub, it will be twice as tall after i mount another one on top of it in a week or two. thanks for the replies, as im still learning about this stuff on a daily basis.

 

[ThinkFab]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

A few pics from them last couple days. I changed some things around, because the humidity was around 25% most of the time. Added a humidifier, added two more cfl's, moved everything into my closet, and got some fertilizer/lime.

 

[SmokeyMacPots]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

I hate that we are forced to make our plants grow in such cramped spaces. But I love the ingenuity that comes about from it!! Awesome start man. Seedlings look very healthy!

and

 

[Dain Bramage]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

true but it is a testament to how versatile this plant is,the best most clever growers out there today are not working with corn or orchid's or anything else.Thay are growing small cannabis gardens all over the world and creating strains that can thrive almost anyplace on earth.We have pushed the world or hydroponic growing to the point where n.a.s.a comes to us to feed the world of tomorrow.your grow is looking good and thanks for the plus rep

 

[ThinkFab]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

Since I have had a few people say something about the height of the grow box I'm using. I am modifying the existing box, and in turn, will have twice the height.

Some more pics of the progress.

Some more goodies I picked up.

 

[Barry Manilow]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

Hey that's really cool looking!

Your ph will be a problem it's way too acidic already and the MGO will break down and increase the acidity. The lime will act as a slow buffer but it is not fast acting, mix as much of it into your soil as you can. It's also a nice source of calcium.

You'll want your water to be around ph 6.8. You can go to any pet store and find safe ph up and down solutions. Maybe even in the pet depts of larger stores like Walmart.

When you think you have things dialed in a bit, start checking the ph of your runoff. That will tell you exactly where you are.

Good luck!

 

[Barry Manilow]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

Note the ph up and down stuff is with the fish. It's also a great place to get pond-zyme which is the same as hygrozyme but way cheaper.

 

[ThinkFab]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

Thanks bluedog. The lime seems to work good. The main thing I'm trying to do right now, is to get the humidity up. even putting the tub into my closet, and my humidifier being on high, only got me to ~ 40%.

 

[j4s2u0]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

Looks pretty sweet...
Kinda like my first 2 grow boxes,I actualy started with a blue one like yours and then changed to a thick tough one,lol..but now they are in a pc and they seem to love it,
God job so far though,

 

[ThinkFab]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

I decided to re-pot my plants last night. I dont plan on re-potting them again, unless for some reason they look like they need to be. When re-potting, I mixed in bat guano to the soil, and added lime. As I mentioned earlier in the post, my pH needs to be raised, and I'm using lime to control it. I also took out one of the 6500 k bulbs, and replaced it with a soft white.

the added lime

Untill next time....

 

[ThinkFab]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

Just a few fresh pics.

Replaced a light

 

[akasa]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

That's a lot of growth for 5 days! But it looks good.

 

[Dain Bramage]

Re: ThinkFab's first grow....mid's in a tub

When i can i try to start my plants in the container i plan to use for the entire grow to avoid any transplant problems.i also use lime and bat guano to augment my soil