# Clandestine Grow Room #1



## Ricochet Ranger (May 4, 2011)

This is my first real effort to grow an herb garden, and so far - so good. From the outside, all that can be seen is a normal bifold closet door. Hanging on the outside is an organizer with various unremarkable objects, shoes, t-shirts, and so forth. 

But, opening the door reveals a 'blind drape'. It is black on the outside and white on the inside - designed specifically for folks who sleep days and work nights. It is suspended from a simple telescoping curtain rod inside the closet. The closet walls are also painted white thus maximizing the interior reflective quality. 

Pulling the drape aside, the grow light is suspended from a telescoping shower curtain rod and connected to a Brinks timer plugged into the best surge protector I could find at Walmart. This makes the light height easily adjustable and made structural modifications to the closet interior unnecessary. 

A 24" folding camping table, six plastic flower pots, a bag of Miracle Grow potting soil, and a small clip-on desk fan... and I was on my way. I also hang auto air-fresheners within to mask any odor. This is all in a corner closet in my bedroom. Several people have been in close proximity to the grow closet and no one has suspected that it houses anything but my clothes.

I purchased the light online. Everything else is from an afternoon trip to my local Walmart. Even with the light, my total investment is just under $100. Since my only goal is to sustain my own supply of selected herbs, I see no need to ever expand the space.

I used seeds that I had saved from some delightful herbs I came across recently. The grow closet has been assembled and operating for about 16 days. The herbal growth in the pics is 20 days since germinating. I am on a 18/6 light cycle right now and waiting patiently for signs of gender. 

This project is putting all those high school science class experiments into a whole new light. I welcome your feedback


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## Locked (May 4, 2011)

Looking good brosef.....the only thing I can add right now is be careful using MG potting soil....if it has time release ferts in it it cld burn your plants...the other thing is when using bag seed be vigilant and keep an eye out for hermies....bag seed tends to have hermaphrodite qualities a lot of the time.


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 4, 2011)

Hamster Lewis said:
			
		

> Looking good brosef.....the only thing I can add right now is be careful using MG potting soil....if it has time release ferts in it it cld burn your plants...the other thing is when using bag seed be vigilant and keep an eye out for hermies....bag seed tends to have hermaphrodite qualities a lot of the time.


 
Great advice. Thanks, Ham


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## nouvellechef (May 4, 2011)

Wait till week 8 flower. You really need a exhaust fan and filter. Summer is coming too. A exhaust fan controls heat also. Have you used a preventative for spider mites yet? I would. Or else you might be in the sick plant section in a couple months.


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 4, 2011)

nouvellechef said:
			
		

> Wait till week 8 flower. You really need a exhaust fan and filter. Summer is coming too. A exhaust fan controls heat also. Have you used a preventative for spider mites yet? I would. Or else you might be in the sick plant section in a couple months.


 

Thanks for the heads-up, Chef. Good concerns. I have a plan to run a vent up through the ceiling and out the attic. It's an old house with 10' ceilings and there is plenty of airspace in the closet. I just haven't reached that part of my 'to do' list yet, maybe a week or so. I'm not really worried about summer heat. The closet is in an interior room and I have good a/c in the house. 
The spider mite possibility hadn't crossed my mind. What parasite preventative would you recommend? I'll take prevention over correction any day...


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## Locked (May 4, 2011)

Yeah you don't want to battle the Borg....


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## nouvellechef (May 4, 2011)

Floramite. Get it on bay. Little goes really long way. One spray in last week of veg cycle, then flip to 12/12. Wear goggles/gloves when you spray. Turn off all fans in room, before spraying.


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 5, 2011)

nouvellechef said:
			
		

> Floramite. Get it on bay. Little goes really long way. One spray in last week of veg cycle, then flip to 12/12. Wear goggles/gloves when you spray. Turn off all fans in room, before spraying.


 
...and thanks! I found it on eBay, inexpensive and should be here in a week... plenty of time before I need to use it.


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## The Hemp Goddess (May 5, 2011)

What you have set up will do for now, but I really doubt that you are going to be able to take your plants through harvest without some improvements to your space.  How big is your space?  What size/type/spectrum light did you get?  You need different lighting for vegging and for flowering.  I would also like to encourage you to run your lights 24/7.  There is no need for a dark period.  Running your light 18/6 lengthens your veg period and encourages stretch.  You also need good air exchange--your plants need a continual supply of FRESH air all the time the lights are on--out with the old and in with the new.  To do this, you need a decent centrifuge type exhaust fan (eclipse, Vortex, Can, etc).  Car type air fresheners will do nothing for the smell once the plants start to flower.  A good exhaust system, negative pressure in your room, and a carbon filter takes care of smell.  I would also recommend getting some nutrients formulated for mj.  As already mentioned, keep a really close eye out for hermies since you used bagseed.


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 5, 2011)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> What you have set up will do for now, but I really doubt that you are going to be able to take your plants through harvest without some improvements to your space. How big is your space? What size/type/spectrum light did you get? You need different lighting for vegging and for flowering. I would also like to encourage you to run your lights 24/7. There is no need for a dark period. Running your light 18/6 lengthens your veg period and encourages stretch. You also need good air exchange--your plants need a continual supply of FRESH air all the time the lights are on--out with the old and in with the new. To do this, you need a decent centrifuge type exhaust fan (eclipse, Vortex, Can, etc). Car type air fresheners will do nothing for the smell once the plants start to flower. A good exhaust system, negative pressure in your room, and a carbon filter takes care of smell. I would also recommend getting some nutrients formulated for mj. As already mentioned, keep a really close eye out for hermies since you used bagseed.


 
...and I'm starting to research improvements now. Thanks for the pointers


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 13, 2011)

...and they're looking robust. Healthy and strong. I currently have 12 plants in 6 pots. All is ready to re-pot as soon as I begin to see signs of gender... checking with a magnifying glass during every morning watering. Planning to go 12/12 with light cycle and begin nutes with re-potting next week, May 21st.


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## The Hemp Goddess (May 13, 2011)

I wouldn't put them into 12/12 until they were sexed.  If they are not sexually mature and you put them into 12/12, it is simply going to encourage stretch.  Do you  have alternating nodes yet?


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 13, 2011)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> I wouldn't put them into 12/12 until they were sexed. If they are not sexually mature and you put them into 12/12, it is simply going to encourage stretch. Do you have alternating nodes yet?


 
...and thanks for the info. I guess I'm rushing it a bit. No alternating nodes yet. I'll be patient... :farm:


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## Old_SSSC_Guy (May 14, 2011)

be careful when/if you try and lower the table, don't want to cut or smash the power strip.   

nice compact grow!


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## maineharvest (May 14, 2011)

Watch out when watering with that power strip directly underneath the pots.  They look nice and healthy so far.


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 14, 2011)

maineharvest said:
			
		

> Watch out when watering with that power strip directly underneath the pots. They look nice and healthy so far.


 
...thanks for the power strip advice, guys... I removed the table completely and mounted the power strip on the wall... no worries about inadvertently goofing things up on that end. The plants are all in the 12" range now... I'm having a great time with this!


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## suburban (May 17, 2011)

Looks like you're off to a good start, and people are throwing out some real good suggestions.  Getting all your electrical items off the floor/away from moisture is a real good one.  One thing you mentioned that I don't think I'd personally do is suspend a light from a telescoping rod - it might be a super-strong rod that screws really tight (I suppose they exist...) but IMO it's a MUST to have your heavy high-intensity lights firmly attached to a solid suport (joist or whatever) and make sure the chain or whatever can't come loose from the light (I like those little carabiner connectors in place of S hooks).

All it takes is for you to bump into that telescoping rod or hit it with something, and your rod could come loose.  The BEST scenario is the light crushing your plants (worst is broken lights and fire risk).  I know a guy who did something similar and it wasn't a week before he was in tending his plants and raised up and caught the pole with the back of his head and the whole arrangement slid to one side, fell,  and snapped a beautiful Hash Plant in its 4th week of flower.  He was real lucky his bulb didn't shatter, as it was an open reflector... (He cried for days.)

Maybe you could attach a backup chain to your reflector so your light stays safe if the telescoping rod fails for whatever reason (?)

Really nice first setup!


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## woodydude (May 17, 2011)

Looking good RR.
You have some nice growth there for such young plants.
The only real pointer I would give is to transplant the plants you have sharing pots ASAP. Waiting for them to show sex before repotting will cause you problems with tantgles roots, stunted growth etc.
They may show sex at 4 weeks, but it could be 6 or even 8. As they are 3 weeks old in the pic in post 11, they could double in size over the next 3 weeks. I would hate for you to loose a plant due to tangled roots.

Lots of green mojo my friend. W


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 17, 2011)

Hey Suburban and Woodydude, thanks for your great advice and for your supportive comments. I am going to place 2x4s vertically against both side walls directly underneath to brace the light suspension rod on both ends. That will take care of the rod-failure risk.  I do need to transplant soon as the plants are growing quickly and I am getting tight on closet space. I'll post some updated photos next week. Thanks again for your input


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 22, 2011)

I noticed a single leaf with signs of insect munching during this morning's watering. I took the pots out to my back porch and gave them a spray of Natria, making sure to spray new growth and leaf undersides. 
They were at 4 weeks last Thursday and they're robust and looking great. Alternating nodes have appeared on two of them and I have them on 24/0 light. I hope to see some solid gender identification soon... life is good


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## The Hemp Goddess (May 23, 2011)

Boy, until Woody mentioned it, I hadn't noticed that you had multiple plants in single pots.  You really need to get them separated NOW.  I suspect that some of them may not survive.

You are getting a lot of stretch.  I think you may want to top them and see if you can get your light closer.


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 23, 2011)

Thanks for the advice, Hemp Goddess. I have the new pots now and will be repoting a few of them this afternoon... need to get in the right state of mind first... :bong1: 

...that's better. Now I'm ready to do some gardening


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## Hushpuppy (May 23, 2011)

I agree with THG that you are gettin some stretching from a little bit of light deficiency. From the pics it looks like you are using HPS for your lighting. I would suggest yu get yu 2-4 T5HO flourescent lights to put in with that HID, as that will punch up the lumens that the plants need and give them a better spectrum of light during the veg period. Yu can get them for around $30 each from online.(I use access discounts or HTGsupply) If yu don't get'em this go around try to get them for the next grow and yu will see the difference. I would also recommend that after suspending yer light pole that you get either some light pullies (pretty cheap online) or get some good twine and make the light height adjustible so that yu can keep the light as close as will not burn the plants. I would also highly recommend not using MG plant food as it is VERY HOT and MJ is very sensitive to nute levels. Also, the nute needs of the plants will change considerably as they go into flower and MG doesn't allow for that change, and that will cause yer yield to suffer...It would be a shame to go thru all this work and have wimpy buds at the end. Good Grow Mojo to ya


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 25, 2011)

...and thanks for your advice. My budget is pretty much spent on this project right now, though. I can sustain and maintain it with nutes and such, but additional lighting and so forth is unfortunately going to have to wait until my next grow. I am truly the epitome of a 'low budget' hemp grower. Sounds like a cool song by the Kinks, eh? 
The plants all survived the repotting just fine. I did lower my light (thanks Hemp Goddess) and built a frame from 2x4s to hold it securely above the pots. With 12 pots pushed together on the closet floor, I am out of space, though. I'm anxious to see gender signs so I can remove the males and devote all my limited resources to bud-producing female plants. They all hit the 5 week mark tomorrow. 
Since the closet is in my bedroom, I leave the bifold door ajar most of the time for CO2 exchange. If someone comes to my house, I just draw the blind drape across and close the door. Simple, but effective so far.
That's my update for now. I welcome your comments and critiques. Thanks.


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 25, 2011)

Hushpuppy said:
			
		

> ...I would also highly recommend not using MG plant food as it is VERY HOT and MJ is very sensitive to nute levels. Also, the nute needs of the plants will change considerably as they go into flower and MG doesn't allow for that change, and that will cause yer yield to suffer...It would be a shame to go thru all this work and have wimpy buds at the end. Good Grow Mojo to ya


 
...I appreciate your feedback. As you suggested, I did not use MG when I repotted everything yesterday. I used commercial top soil. It provided a rich nute-neutral base upon which I can add whatever nutritional supplements I want. I'm using Botanicaire Liquid Karma in a single morning watering now. They seem to be responding well. I'll adjust the quantity and schedule as they progress. Again, I'm a 'ghetto-budget' grower, so the pricier supplements are going to have to wait for another day. From the very first concept of this project until now, I still have less than $100 invested in the whole thing. If this all works, I may start my own cable show, 'The Frugal Pot Gardner'


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## The Hemp Goddess (May 25, 2011)

When it gets time to flower, I believe that you will find that a bifold door and a drape is not enough to keep your space 100% dark during lights out.  You might want to address that now before they are ready to flower.  You really do need to be absolutely 100% dark.


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## Ricochet Ranger (May 26, 2011)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> When it gets time to flower, I believe that you will find that a bifold door and a drape is not enough to keep your space 100% dark during lights out. You might want to address that now before they are ready to flower. You really do need to be absolutely 100% dark.


 
will do, Hemp Goddess. Thanks for the advice


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## Ricochet Ranger (Jul 24, 2011)

Been off livin' the dream for a while and thought it about time I updated my grow closet progress. I'll post a couple pics of the buds that are taking over the plants. It's crazy... can hardly wait to harvest this batch and start my next one! I have learned a whole lot with this first crop. The next is going to be madness!


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