1st time grow advice needed please

hi all im new to forum so hello ,today ive decided to go ahead and start to make effort to grow some of my own , the space i have for growing is a lockable cupboard dimensions are 14inch wide by 20inch deep by 5 feet high,kept in a warm bedroom ,today i aquired a light with growlux 600w high pressure sodium bulb with reflective 1/2 shield thing round it and power box adapter . i have got 5 feminised seeds cheese variety also in the shop the guy gave me some small round brown dehydrated seed germinator type thing that expands in water ,i have now put 1 seed in dark warmroom in moist container to try germinate in the small brown earthy seed thing, i have a few questions i woould very much appreciate answering
1. is this strength lamp suitable (it seems v strong , bright ) and should i just fix light in top of cupboard or have as adjustable height?
2. this space is only suitable for 1 plant right?
3 . should i paint inside cupboard white, it is dark wooden cupboard at moment
4 i need some sort of ventilation plan any ideas (not so worried about smell of weed)
5.the crop should take about 12 weeks? and how much crop could or should it be if all goes well?

i realise this is a lot and i thank you for any help i have a lot more questions but i wait till i see if i get any help with these first i have read a lot online and i am determined to make it work i thank you again for any help

 

1) 600 will work very nicely. Make the height adjustable. Becareful during the sprout stage - they can get fried. Let a few nodes develop before the light gets lowered. How high? ~2.5'+ After some true leaves and nodes develop lower the light while using the back of your hand to check for heat. If your hand is getting hot its too low. See how the plant responds but not too much too fast.

2) I think you may be able to squeeze 2-3 in (small and straight up) - however if your single seed sprouts - clone it. One plant - after cloning - would fill the space up nicely. (IE: try to set up a small clone area with cfls or a small bank). IMO a single plant would be better.

3) Dark is bad. More light = more growth = more bud. White paint, white plastic, mylar.

4) Yes ventilation. Hole in ceiling -> exhaust fan. Be sure to hang a thermometer in there.

5) Never grew cheese but the time depends on how long the veg period takes. When young you will see two branches per node, when mature they will alternate. Switch the timer to 12/12 hours (light/dark) and then keep an eye on them for ripeness the last two weeks.


You can do it.

 

ty very much for the reply , im keen to have just 1 plant unless i would yield more from 3 (tall thin )plants than from 1 bigger plant , i am still a bit unsure of ventilation but im working on it , will paint inside white tommorow, and to b truthfull im totally lost with the clone with cfls ? or small bank could u please explain (in a idiotproof manner)

more replies would b great if anyone has similar set up in the same limited space

also plan is to start plants at 16hrs light /8 dark , then onto 12/ 12 when ready
ok? ty again

 

I would use a 18/6 light/dark. Some strains (Durban Poison - If I remember) can flower at 16 hours of light.

A couple of compact fluorescent bulbs or a "shop light" fixture will provide enough light to properly root cuttings. Cuttings (or clones) will allow you to have an identical genetic replication of the original (mother) plant. So if you have a nice girl you can keep cloning and cloning and have her for quite awhile. After harvest the next oldest clone goes into flowering and so on. Also if you are unsure of a plant's sex (normally if no preflowers are seen by alternating node time ~ male) you can give the little rooted clone 12/12 hours of light and let it show its sex after a few weeks.

 

Lol new here t n likeing wat i see. Many yrs ago i grow in a cupboard t about the same size. I lined all the inside with tin foil n put a shelve 3 thirds of the way up n fitted a bathroom extraction fan into the shelve. I made sure both compartments were air tight from eachother by filling in any gaps in the shelve. Then i put holes in the top n bottom of the cupboard so the air flow formed an s shape as it got drawn from the top through the shelve by the fan and out at the bottom. Then fitted a 65 watt sodium light in bottom and top of the cupboard. I used the bottom compartment t grow n bud plants and the top department 4 cutting.

 

ok ty for the replies guys , im looking into computer fans with 2 louvre vents for air movement and a very small oscillating fan for inside, i have feminised cheese seeds from green house seed company so im hoping for no trouble with males , plan to hang big light on 2 hooks in top of cupboard with metal chain to adjust height as needed.
first seed is still in dark room no sign of life yet only been 24 hrs so not worried yet



also i got brilliant white gloss for inside i see a lot of people say use matt paint , surelly gloss will b ok? a quick response would be good cause the paintbrush is out and ready to go !!!

ty again i realise you prob see these questions from newbies all the time and i thank you very much for any help i still have about a ton to learn but im keen , and almost excited , lol havent even germinated a seed yet

 

Gloss will be OK, I think with flat you get about 15 TO 25% more light reflection, so your choice .

 

ok ty well its painted white now and im about to fit 2 louvre vents i am a bit worried a small amount of light coming in these. so new question does dark period have to b completelly dark like no light at all the louvre vents have a downward slants but may let a very small amount of light in will this b a problem? ty again

 

i am liking the idea rocklobster with the fan in the shelf with the vent at top and bottom however im concerned with loosing growing height the cupboard is only 14 by 20 by 60 inch height with the light i have a 600w growlux high pressure sodium im thinking ,if what i have read is right ,that this will need to be approx 24 inch? from top of plants so as not to fry them . ( please correct me if i am wrong here i kind of hope i am!! )
with cupboard only being 5 foot in height , minus light fitting and hooks for hanging on ( 7 inch) and no fry space (24 inch) this will limit my plant to be just under 3 foot high pot and all !!!

so if anyone can help what will / should space between light ( 600 watt high pressure sodium) and top of plant actually be ?, the no fry zone im calling it .

 

if this is true how much could i yield from one 3 foot plant?

 

Corrected me if wrong but i believe using 600 watts in a small space could be askin 4 trouble as a rule i would use 50 watts of light n 1 plant per square foot in your situration Ok ya can use more powerful lights but i find plants believe or not can grown t quick in a confined space especialy from seed coz they mature at 6 t 8 weeks n will grow about half inch a day or more. I would grow 4 a month then pinch the head grow 4 another month take a few cutting and then bloom them. As 4 yield really depends on strain genetics n stress but ya should get about half per plant. I found the set up i described t b very good for fast turn around and kept me nicely in smoke.

 

yes ive been reading up on some of this and im worried about the HEAT of this light in such a small space , thing is ive bought the light now so its the one im gonna have to use,i would rather buy a bigger cupboard than another light

theyre is so much to think about /look into, this is my first grow so maybe i dont wanna overcomplicate things. initial plan was 1 bigish plant from seed (in soil)in this white cupboard under the light (on a timer), couple of air vents and a fan to blow air about . water every 2 days wait a few months and bingo a couple of ounce !!!! obv keeping an eye on plants daily and ajusting ph of soil ect
would this work? is it possible?

i am totally new to this and no disrespect ment if this above comment is absolute rubbish and insulting to a serious grower

now im starting to worry about inadequate exhausting /overheating
and if im gonna b better with say 4 small plants (clones) under a wire mesh (sprog i think its called) to restrict height and yield more?
dam this is getting complicated the more im reading up the harder the whole process seems to be becoming , maybe im reading more into this than i should b as a lot of things im reading are for growrooms not a simple cupboard set up but im gonna do it , so i might as well do it right.

has anyone run a light of this strength 600w hps in such a small space (14 x 20 x 60 inch high)without a big exhaust system , Is theyre any way 2 vents and a small oscillating fan inside is gonna work ? thanks again people ANY advice much appreciated

 

Hehe as ya startin t c there's as many ways t grow as there r ppl growin the stuff, the trick is t learn by ya mistakes n find wat works 4u. Scrog or screen of green is a way of gettin alot of yield from a small number of plants by growing 4 longer time along a mess as opposed t sog or sea of green where ya pack em in grow 4 shorter time n get smaller yield per plant. Not the best set up I've done but at the moment i'm growin in a 4 foot long by 2 wide by 4 high home made cupboard with 200 watts of sodium lightin spread over 3 lights with n extraction fan blowin air out at the top n 2 large pc fans pulling air in n find in the summer tempture can easily get t 90. As 4 ph its important but as a newbie i would.nt worry t much i live in a hard water area n me plants grow fine. Ps did ya say ya already started a seed? Hows she doing any sign of life yet?. Gawd i'm jealous there so cute when they start growing

 

Completely dark is what you want. No light greater than that of a full moon is the rule of thumb.

 

ty for replies guys

well we got germination happening , have a little root starting so im happy on that front,

im off to hardware shop for thermometer and a 6 inch oscillating fan.
i am really still worried about ventilation / overheating so im gonna run a trial 16 hrs with light on , 2 louvre vents fitted and small oscilating fan going see what temps im hitting .

at moment seed is in dark warm room , when will i turn light on ?its just a normal house llight but im gonna use for first few days of growing and keep it on for 24 hrs a day so as soon as i see a shoot coming up is that when i want light on or does in need light for the shoot to come up? also 24 hrs ok?

i appreciate all your help guys my simple grow is getting more complicated by the minute!!!

 

Relax dude ya troubles hav only just started jj. Soon as the shoot starts t come up it best time t put the lights on but a normal 18 on 6 off will do. Good that you will be doing a trail best tempture should be between 70-80 any higher or lower will affect growth. Sounds a bit silly but 4 an enclosed space set up i would also check the outside tempture so i know how much hotter it is, quiet handy information 4 them hot summer days. Really important never subject seedling t anything over 80.