New Grower Jimmy's Newbie Grow

[jimmy the bean]

Hi everyone :tiphat:

This is my first attempt at a grow. I am almost beside myself with anticipation I have been looking around and gathering stuff for the last few months, and now I reckon I am ready to go.

If I may appeal to all you wonderful experts in these rooms to give my specs a once-over, with any advice/improvements most welcome.

I will be growing 2 plants in a wardrobe 5'h x 3'w x 1.8'd (27 cub ft). The grow needs to be stealthy, but not super-stealthy.

I'm using five 30w cfls 6500/2700k. I have a carbon filter/outtake fan at the top of the room, an intake at the bottom, and a small room-fan for air circulation on the floor. I will try to upload pictures shortly...

I've been testing the temp and it has been hovering around 28-30 celsius (82-86F). This is too hot isn't it?

I have raised and lowered the lights, had the fan on and off, but it has never been lower than 27c.
Also, is a reflector hood necessary? I have covered the inside with some reflective material I had in the garage (it is used to line wall insulation) and am aware that hot-spots could be a problem. I am moving the temp sensor around to see if there are any. I really dont wanna have to redecorate!

At first I hope to grow 1x autoseeds candy kush and 1x creamofthecrop cash crop, using biobizz light mix soil, biobizz grow,bloom and topmax. I have read varying reviews of biobizz stuff but hey, you don't really know til you try it yourself, and enough people seemed happy with BB.

When I get the temps stable I'll be ready to germinate. Hopefully some pics to follow...

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

Hello and welcome, Jimmy! My man, you've come to the best site out there for growing cannabis, especially autos! Site is filled with very knowledgeable, very friendly members who are more than willing to do all they can to help make sure your first grow is a successful one. I'm entering the home stretch of my first grow, and my buds are looking rather decent thanks to these guys I call my AFN fam! Just make sure to keep a grow journal because it will help you, and those who are trying to help you.

Have you thought about incorporating some type of co2 supplementation into your setup?

 

[jackmc]

Hello and welcome Jimmy! I've just started my second grow and the fine people at AFN have given whenever I've asked. It's a very gratifying hobby. Good luck!

 

[Bilbo]

Hey there Jimmy, temps at this time of year are a nightmare if you're not led although a couple more months and us led folks will be buying up all the greenhouse heaters or sticking cfl's in to keep the temps up!
Depending on your budget I personally would think about adding a small led panel before trying co2. I'm in a tent anyway so I'll have to wait until I've built a wardrobe like yours that can be sealed airtight before going for co2 but I'd need to figure out the cost/yield ratio before I splurged on a full co2 kit.
You shouldn't need reflectors since you've lined your space reflectively but that's for the cfl experts to advize you on. I think you've got roughly 30watts per sq foot so consider more lights if you get the temps sorted out.
I'm growing 1 cash crop in my tent atm and you might find that two plants in your space is a lot too much!

 

[jimmy the bean]

Wow thanks for the replies fellas, this really is a top site.

I did look into co2, but only a home-made sugar/yeast/tubing effort would fit my pocket right now, and i'm gonna try to keep things simple this first time.

Nice one Bilbo for the heads-up on cash crop- I was planting two in case one went wrong somehow... can you post a pic of your CC to give me an idea? Also what is your square footage?

Thanks man

 

[woodsyb1]

Welcome to AFN #jimmy the bean!! It looks like you've got a nice starter set-up going there! If you're looking to add a cheap CO2 solution to your grow you could always purchase a pre-mixed CO2 bag like EZ CO2 or Exhale CO2 bags. It's a cheap and less invasive method without rigging up an entire CO2 system. Best of luck on your first grow and I'll be tracking your progress!!

 

[jimmy the bean]

Thanks woodsyb1 :thumbs: pretty sure if I use co2 at all it will be the diy method, those bags seem to get a bad rap online (so does anything if you look hard enough I guess)... My more immediate problem is the temp, its around 72f outside but reading 82 in the room (lights on) and, strangely, around 88 with the floor-fan on. The carbon filter and outtake fan seem ok. The lights are around 12" away from the temp sensor.

If I move the light any further away I will be reducing its effect, right? :dunno:

 

[NekoSempai]

Yea, you don’t want them more then a foot away with CFL's. Though, if you can get your heat sorted out, I would highly recommend trying to get it within the 6-2 inch range for optimal photosynthesis.

Good luck man. Ill make sure to stop by and help with what I can. I’m very limited in my arsenal as I’m a new grower myself.

Currently on my first auto grow..which would be my 3rd actual grow. Got some Candy Kush auto growing too. Mines growing in high temps 79-86F. Tis the struggle of the summer.

 

[Bilbo]

Quick question regarding your temps Jimmy, where is the intake getting air from and what speeds are your fans set at?

 

[jimmy the bean]

Hi Bilbo, thanks for asking! I have a 3" square intake hole at the bottom right hand corner of the drobe, so the air should be gettin dragged up to the filter, with a 9" desk fan on the lowest setting... still a bit of a gale and I don't know if the seedlings would take it...

I'm thinking now that maybe my reflective material is creating hotspots, because it does have a few crinkles that I thought i may get away with. I have moved the sensor about and the temp remains pretty constant though... Any views on flat white paint instead?

I've taken two 30w bulbs away, leaving me three (90w) and the temp dropped 2 degrees. I really don't wanna lose wattage tho.

What do you reckon dude?