first time grower plz help!

[adrianvasquez1985]

this is my first time growing any type of plant, i have been reading some guide's about growing and i think i can grow my own weed.. i already have 8 seeds on pots im just waiting for the girls to pot out of the ground. here are some pics of the things im gona use to grow.



this is the light fixture i made. do you think 8 cfl are enough

this is the cabinet im gona use.


i also install 2 pc fans on the back top exhaust bottom intake. just incase i need ventilation.. should i put some light traps on the back so light cant come in through the holes?



this are the dimensions of the cabinet
21W x 15L x 21H.

i was thinking of making another cabinet taller than the one im using. maybe 21W x 15L x 36H that way i can use the old cabinet as the top of the new cabinet.. or should i just grow it in the small cabinet?

[scott06]

First welcome and consider a more stealthy screen name. Second welcome and rest assured you will find great advise on this site - do you have feminized seeds? great choice for a first grow
well let's get started -
the lights...when you ask is it enough we need to know how many watts each bulb is - better still you should read the CFL tutorial carefully several times - it is a bunch of info but very good for the cfl grower...should you still not be able to figure out how many lights just ask again

next number of plants - you can squeeze in eight if you use methods like SOG or ScOG - as a new grower I would recommend a simlple grow with 2-4 plants max in that space

next vents - good though you may only need air pulling out but a tiny occilator inside to move the air around..it will make the plant stems much stronger

odor control - have you thougt about it? once they flower they are gonna stink

soil - the soil should be ok but far from optimal...most growers like to adjust ferts themselves rather than count on the slow release of a premix even organic

pots - I think you will need bigger...opinions vary but I wouldn't go smaller than 1 gal for a soil grow...

I hope this is helpful rather than overwhelming...If you like to learn by doing and don't mind learning from mistakes keep going full speed...but you will find a wealth of info on all your questions and concerns on the FAQ section...my opinion is slow down learn more - plan more - then dig in

lights and schedule
soil-growing medium
ferts
containers
temp
humidity
containers
air flow volume
odor control
etc.
have plan and a reason for all your choices and then go for it... also you will be able to ask very specific questions that the experts on this site can adress (not me, I'm no expert) i think you will be much happier in the end if you learn more and plan more before sprouting anything
what are the books you are reading...maybe some other members can vouch for their usefulness for a first grow.
good luck budy

[scott06]

total CFL watts x about 65 = total lumens (a measure of light intensity)

you will need a minimum of 3000 lumens per square foot by the time they flower (less for seedlings)

so

your grow area is 21"x15" or 1.75'x 1.25' or 2.2 sqare feet

so you need 2.2 x 3000 = about 6600 lumens

6600 divided by 65 is about 101 watts

101 divided by 8 is about 13w each CFL bulb

in the other direction

13w x 8 bulbs x 65 = about 6700 lumens
6700 divided by 2.2 = 3070 lumens per square foot
- just good enough - you could go higher but not lower

you can double check the math but I think this is close enough for rock n roll

Ok here we go. You have a 50/50 chance of getting females. So with eight plants in veg u could use 12 bulbs with Mulan on the walls. For flower u could use 14-16 bulbs with mulan on the walls. You should be fine becuase the walls will help you out in the long run with light deflection. Cfls will surprise you. I'm flowering 4 plants with 15 bulbs and have enough light to add two more plants with ease.

[ISO2BWELL]

Also, with the design of the fixture you have made, you can go to any hardware store and pick up the 2 into 1 adapter, doubling the amount of lamps you could run. Remember though, the lamps are rated in W generally compared to an incandescent, for instance, a 23W CFL will put out out the lumens of a 85-100W incandescent. 4 of those 23W lamps = about 100W of power, so make sure the cords and fixtures can handle the current needed. 10 lamps is about 230W...pretty good bit of current.

You don't show a cord on the fixture yet, so I would suggest a heavy duty extension cord, cut off the female plug end and wire it up (with good wirenuts) to your leads. Try to bundle the wires a bit too, as loose wires can be dangerous..

ISO