3x 23W CFL / PC Case / Soil / Bagseed

dlusion · Jun 28, 2009

The case is some old HP Pavillion case I retrieved from a PC recycling center. Funny thing is, I asked the guy I got acquainted with there if he knew of a good PC grow case and he pointed me in the right direction. :jump:

3 x 23W CFL's in cheap-o sockets. I used a phone charger to convert AC to low voltage DC to run the PC case fans. I tore apart the PSU and left a useful amount of the PSU enclosure intact so that the PC looks like a normal PC. It also makes it simple to plug/unplug and came with a fan suitable for being used for exhaust. I often find that the top fan pulls the heat of the CFL's out quickly, lowering the ambient temperature of the case to around 76F.
I originally had aluminum foil on the sides but I've read and been told that foil will produce 'heat spots' and potentially damage my tomato plant. I just recently (last night) painted the innards of the case flat white. I put it all together, but it sure does smell like paint now. I wonder if that will effect the plant in any way? Hopefully the charcoal/carbon filter I plan on using will decrease the amount of leaked light through the rear openings.

She (hopefully a she, hehe) looks healthy for now, but I just switched her light cycle from 18:6 to 12:12. I have not used 'nutes' yet other than whatever was premixed into the soil. I do have a bottle of this Miracle Gro Shake n' Feed stuff, but I've yet to see anyone else use it and I'm not sure if it could do more harm than good.

This is the stuff in question:

Any advice/tips/etc? I only water sparingly every other day or so. I am not sure how long it takes to develop a proper root system and I'm not sure if I'm not watering enough, but I've heard that over-watering will lead to a quick and dismal death for the plant so I'm trying to steer away from that.

PS, does my plant look more Indica-ish or Sativa-ish, or is it too early to tell?

Thanks
dlusion

Aerohead · Jun 28, 2009

Looks like you are off to a good start. The only thing I would change is the masking tape on the base of the bulbs. The tape happens to be right where the ballast is located and is the hottest part of the bulb. I'm not sure if the 23w bulbs get hot enough to burn that tape but it will likely get brittle and break letting the bulbs fall on your baby!
You might want to get that plant a little closer to the bulbs too if you can.

Your little gem looks to be indica dominant based on the width of the fan leaves.
Nice work on the PC case, off to a good start, hope she's a lady...

dlusion · Jun 29, 2009

I guess I just don't know a better method of holding the lights together up there.. any suggestions?

PS Thanks for the ballast idea, and how much closer should I allow my plant to get? Is that nute/fertalizer any good?

Aerohead · Jun 29, 2009

I'm not sure exactly how I would hold those fixtures. One idea would be to use wire and weave it like figure eights around the sockets. Another idea might be a huge hose clamp with a zip tie to keep it oval shaped..

As far as how close to the lights, I would try to keep them within an inch or two. I run mine almost touching the bulbs. One exception might be if you are going to be away from home for a few days, then move them another inch or so away. The thing i'm learning about cfl's is that they have even less penetration than I thought and the plants have to be almost touching them for best results. They make up for the lack of penetration with a superior spectrum and really work well if kept close. I am amazed at the quality of bud these cfl lights are putting out, they are exciting.

As far as the nutes go, you will find lots of opinions. Are they the best, probably not, but they are close to it and they are very consistent and easy to use. I would recommend them to start with and if you want to play with others later, that's half the fun of growing. I tried the nova series and didn't like them, made my sump a tar pit and didn't perform any better than the flora series IMO. Also make sure to use R/O water or Distilled water with those nutes and the PH will be right on the money most of the time and take very little to adjust if it's not.

igrowone · Jun 29, 2009

nice setup, good case selection<br>
i'm doing a 3 x 26w cfl grow, so real similar to yours in bulbs<br>
as far as watering, once every 2 days is probably as much watering as you want to do, once ever 3 days would probably be better<br>
depends a lot on temps, pot size, soil, etc. - just remember that if you're making a mistake, it's probably from watering too often - not too little

Aerohead · Jun 29, 2009

I forgot to mention not to spend the money on the green bottle the flora grow as your soil should have enough ferts in it to take you to budding. I also spaced it and gave you the mix for hydro, just cut it in half for soil.

ScrubNinja · Jun 29, 2009

You could use long u-bolts for the lights.

I always try to give it a day or two air time after painting. Not that it's neccesarily bad, it just doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

Are you going to remove the rest of the casing? Just drill out the rivets. Best 'o luck.

dlusion · Jun 29, 2009

The first two days of a 12:12 light-cycle have accelerated growth. Are these images the first sign of sexual maturation for my tomato plant?

Could it be female, or am I celebrating sexual feminism too early?

FidelCashflow · Jun 29, 2009

it's probably still too early to tell sex, but good luck! i've been meaning to try a pc case grow for a while, but i'm leaning towards a slightly larger cab right now

dlusion · Jun 30, 2009

I'm not sure if it's an illness or not, but my plant's top leaves have started curling upwards toward the CFLs and the lowest set of leaves have began to 'pout'. The coloration of the leaves has stayed the same, no yellowing/browning yet. It may have been from lack of water, but I'm not yet sure. I gave it a little water last night and I will see if they perk up today! :dueling:

I will take new pictures later.

Spicoli · Jun 30, 2009

Thats a weird lookin tomato plant

dlusion · Jun 30, 2009

I was just enjoying a tomato one day and decided to plant a seed I got stuck between my teeth (so to speak) :yeahthats

. I swear it's a tomato plant, though. You cannabis guys smoke way too much weed if you can't see that! :wink: :laughing:

Tonight I'll post more pics. This can be some kind of bagseed grow journal for anyone who cares..

Crafty · Jul 1, 2009

Good start dude. Curious to see how this one ends.

dlusion · Jul 1, 2009

In prison, but I guess I'm just pretty paranoid right now. I had too much to eat tomato wise tonight.

dlusion · Jul 3, 2009

I wonder how long it will take for this plant to reach sexual maturity... it seems as if growth has been slower recently than it has been since I started the 12:12 light cycle.

Anyone want to take bets? I'm wagering that it's a female, but I'm just hopin' anyway. :jump:

My plant appears healthy, but I have yet to give it nutrients of any sort (other than what came pre-mixed in the soil). Should I give it some of that Miracle-gro shake 'n feed stuff?

basscadet · Jul 3, 2009

dlusion said:
I wonder how long it will take for this plant to reach sexual maturity... it seems as if growth has been slower recently than it has been since I started the 12:12 light cycle.

Anyone want to take bets? I'm wagering that it's a female, but I'm just hopin' anyway.

My plant appears healthy, but I have yet to give it nutrients of any sort (other than what came pre-mixed in the soil). Should I give it some of that Miracle-gro shake 'n feed stuff?

MIRACLE GROW???????????? :noway:

NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!!

Sorry to be yelling, but Miracle-Gro is shit, and not the good shit. I used the all purpose, dissolved in water, and damn near killed mine. But then again I used it on a cannabis plant, might be safe for tomatoes. :laughing:

By the way it's stretched it could be male, my plants showed after 21 days from 12/12.

Leaves curling up is a sign of heat stress, and the droop is a sign of needing water, but they look ok from those pics.

How have you set up the ventilation?

Good luck, may your pc case be bountiful.

dlusion · Jul 3, 2009

Uhoh, could this be severe enough to warrant a visit to the infirmary or is it just too close to the CFLs?

I suppose I have been watering a bit sparingly, I'll give her (I'm being hopeful!) some water and see if those bottom leaves perk up a bit.

Bass, thanks for the input. I had no idea whether the Miracle-Crap was worth it's weight in feces, or gold. Thanks for clearing that up. I am just using two PC case fans for exhaust with passive intake. I have yet to worry about smell, but I plan on making my own carbon scrubber of sorts.

cat in a box · Jul 3, 2009

Hey. Any time I have grown seedlings, they never needed nutrients for at least 3 weeks. It will be ok for a while.

I am interested in doing a pc grow and my case is almost exactly like yours. What I do not understand is how to keep a fan going and how you are powering your lights, is all that electrical stuff easy for a electrically impaired grower to do if told how?

dlusion · Jul 3, 2009

I'm a bit off right now (ate a tomato, so to speak). I managed to rip apart and use a cellphone charger as an AC to DC converter. It isn't too hard and you can do it with any brick transformer or cellphone charger/whatever. Make sure the voltage is between 10-14V and the amperage output it between 0.600 and 1.2 amperes. You can use just about any size case fan with that kind of configuration. You can usually run multiple fans, too. If multiple fans are slower than the single fan (obviously a little, but SIGNIFICANTLY) you can find a different transformer that's has more amperage.

I'm going to assume you know how to just implement it in the circuit... solder the electrical leads that connect the prongs of the transformer to your house's electricity to wires and solder those wires to the circuit... cut off the plug from the cell phone charger cable and run the wire to the wire of the fan.

ScrubNinja · Jul 4, 2009

Yeah that's what happens when they're too close to the bulb.

About the fans you want the amps to be equal or more than that total amperage of all your fans. 3 x 300ma fans, for example, would total 900ma or 0.9Amps so a 1Amp power supply would be a good choice in that case.

Only run the fans on 12v for full power. Less volts will be weaker but it's ok if that's what you need. More than 12 may run but it's not good.

3x 23W CFL / PC Case / Soil / Bagseed

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