The Closet DWC Grow Guide
Aka “Gorilla in the closet”
In this guide we will go through how to make your own DWC growing system setup for your closet or other small areas
INDEX
I. Preparing the grow room
II. Gathering supplies
III. Building the systems
IV. Lighting in a small space
V. Finding your strain of marijuana
VI. Providing the essentials – (air, nutes, temp, humidity)
VII. Wisdom
So you want to grow and don’t have the money time or space well I’m going to tell you how you can grow in a small area in this case a small hallway coat closet, using a minimal amount of time money and space.
I. Preparing the grow room
The first thing I look for in a grow area is how stealthy it is.
Things to think about are ventilation, stealth, and heat.
The first thing you want to do is clean the grow area very well with either a diluted bleach water mix (1 cap per gal) or Lysol disinfecting wipes use these to clean walls, door, ceiling and everything else in the closet.
Next concentrate on the floor vacuum, mop whatever you can do to get it clean. This is imperative to help stop bugs and mites and fungus and all the other nasty stuff you do not want in your grow room.
II. Gathering Supplies
Here is the supply list and where to get them.
o5 gallon buckets (1 for each plant you want to grow) 2-3 for small closets. Buy the darkest color you can find if white is all you can get then grab some black duct tape or spray paint.
oAir pumps – best way to go here is to the local pet shop and get the biggest one you can afford usually under $30 you will need 1 per bucket. Duel outlet diaphragm is recommended.
60 gallon pump from petco oAir line for air pumps about 4’ per pump outlet.
Air line from petco oAir stones and one way check valves
Air stones Check valves oLight socket / reflectors (on this one get from Wal-Mart or petco) clamp lights are good for versatility
Light socket / reflector oHumidity / temperature gauges (these are usually pretty cheap under $20 for a good one)
Humidity temp combo gauge oFans – if you don’t already have some small fans or a big one then time to go get one I bought two from wall-mart for $4 each and they work great.
oNutrients – for nutes do some research and find one you like I know a lot of ppl that use three part fox farm and love it.
HID Hut Discount Gardening Supplies, Hydroponics, Digital Ballast, Carbon Filters, Grow Lights is a site to look for them.
oNet pots – these come in a variety of sizes but for this grow 4” and 6” is best avail at most hydro stores these can also be found online from
HID Hut Discount Gardening Supplies, Hydroponics, Digital Ballast, Carbon Filters, Grow Lights oGrow media – this is what you will be growing. Most people I come across use Hydroton but small cleaned river rock will do the trick as well. and if you want you can use rock wool cubes or rapid rooters
III. Building the system
Ok this is how we are going to make this grow come to life!
Take your 5 gallon buckets (in this case it will be one just repeat for all of them same process.)And clean them well with soap and water, if you have hydrogen peroxide it will help disinfect.
After they are clean and very well rinsed out and dried then set it aside and grab the lid ,you are going to cut a hole in the center of the lid just big enough to set your 4”/6” net pot into so it hangs from the lid then set it aside,
Next grab the: air pump, air stones, check valve, and air line.
Cut a length of line long enough to reach from where your air pump will be to the bottom of the bucket, now take that same piece and attach it to the pump at one end, about 3-4” from the pump cut the line again and insert the check valve make sure the arrow points towards the bucket end not the pump as this valve only works in one direction, now reattach the air line, and at the bucket end attach your air stone it will look like this
{AirPump}----[check valve]---------------------------[air stone]
Now you need to put a hole in the side of your bucket just big enough for the air line you can use a drill or heat up a screw driver on the stove and push it right through the bucket, you want to make this hole somewhere near the top of the bucket above the water level. Place the air stone at the bottom of the bucket in the center.
Ok now you need to get the lid and net pot, fill the net pot with your grow media and snap the lid on. DONE … not so hard was it?
IV. Lighting in a small space
Lighting is one of the most important things you will need to grow and there are all types of light for growing but for a closet grow that requires stealth we will be using CFL lighting as it has advantages in confined spaces and are very cheap and use little energy. Of course HID lights will produce better but will heat up your small area way to much, so go down to home depot or Wal-Mart or anywhere you can get light bulbs in your community and look for 23w and 150w/100w and get a mixture as this will give you different light spectrums and a better grow set them in the closet on the sides and above the DWC systems this will give you good coverage and produce very little heat and with a fan or two you will have plenty of circulation and low heat levels .
V. Finding your strain of marijuana
Well if you’re a first timer then I recommend Northern lights or a hybrid with northern lights as this strain was developed to be the perfect indoor grower with good bud and good yields. But the choice is yours just remember get something made for indoor growing.
VI. Providing the essentials
Well we are all set up now, we have our bucket fully assembled and our seeds have germinated (check germinating
here)
Now put you seed into the grow media close to the bottom / middle with root down you will need to water lightly from the top of the pot for the first few days till the roots grow past the bottom of the net pot. When they do fill the bucket up with nutrient rich ph balanced water about 1” to ½” below the net pot with air pump running the plant will soon reach its roots into the bubbly water and the grow like crazy. Give them a fan that is blowing on them from day one as this will help in overall strength of the plant. And keep it cool in the room. keep your humidity and temp as stable as possible low to mid 70’s is good with a humidity of no more then 50% and in late flower no more then 35% and you should be good to grow!
VII. Wisdom
Ok before you go getting all farmer john there are a few things I have learned a lot came from the people at
greenpassion.org.
Always keep your secret because if you can’t don’t expect others to. And always look at the FAQ then ask the question because believe me it has already been asked and answered, and please don’t be one of these people I see on TV overloading circuits and causing a house to catch fire!!! We are here to help learn and heal not to burn down the block so always SAFTY FIRST!!!
And above all remember Just try and act NORML!!!
More pics to follow soon !!!(action shots!)