i'm looking for a new apartment because i have to move out very soon. so far my search has not been promising. in my current place there is an attic access door in my walk-in closet, which makes it very easy to exhaust my box. however, in most places i've visited there is no attic door or any way to remove heat unless i direct it through the closet door when it's open. so here's the plan. by keeping the lights off during the day when i'm most likely to have visitors i will be able to dial down the fan and keep the closet closed because the box won't be generating heat. if someone comes over to visit while the lights are on i want to be able to switch from my 250W HPS to some compact flos. that way i could reduce the heat enough so that when i close the closet door for an hour or two the temp won't get out of control. for veg this should not be a problem as long as i provide ample lumens and always turn on the flos before turning off the HPS -- should be less "confusing" for the plants. my only real concern would be during 12/12 when the girls get most photosensitive. will switching to flos for a few hours once or twice per week, and maybe an entire 12-hour light cycle once/month, cause too much stress for the girls?
I have seen this floor unit a/c. It looked like one of those stick fans. No outside vent required. I turned one on in the store and I dont think it would cool down a large room but a grow box or a closet I think it would be great.I seen them at Lowes and The price club.
Ventilation is needed for more than just temp. control. Marijuana needs fresh air. Lots of it. When the CO2 from the existing air is depleted, growth ceases. One way is to supply it is to replace the closet door with a second-hand one from a wrecking yard, or make one out of plywood (saving the orig. one for when you move). Cut 2 holes--I up high (exhaust), 1 down low (intake); instal a bathroom exhaust-type fan in each. Add a oscilatting fan for stem strength and air distribution and voila!
ummmm, well i understand the importance of ventilation for fresh air. my question was whether or not the change in light temporarily would stress the plants. i'm not at all concerned about the lack of fresh air getting to the plants when i switch over to flos and close the closet. in fact, i forgot to mention that the closet has its own a/c vent supp fresh air (just not when the a/c is off). anyone else care to take a stab at this one?
Well I am not a pro but supposing an entire grow can be done on flo's, yes this can be done (my hypothesis is) if in moderation. It might affect your growth on a somewhat miniscule scale but for how many times you may be doing this I do not forsee any adverse effects on your ladies. 1.Possible stunted growth 2.Temperature problems - Why I say this is because you mentioned compact flos (CFLs) and they can generate a good ammount of heat when compared to their tubular siblings which when combined with you turning down your fans for discreetness may cause problems. If this is not the case I apologize in advance. The only other thing i can say is as far as flo's go, they tend to make more wispy buds.. not as dense and such but I dont think it would amtter too much. -Just my opinion.. someone please correct me if I am wrong.
thanks, chronix. it will just be a temporary thing when i have non-grower friends visiting late at night. my concern is not so much for the size of the buds as much as it is for the possible stress that could be induced as a result of the sudden light spectrum change. also, since the closet has its own a/c vent i will have the option to turn on the a/c fan whenever i close the closet so that i know there will be at least some cool, fresh air getting into the box so the girls can breathe and the lights do not get too hot.
Okay well i just tried to post and it fucked up so im gonna cut it short here.. If you want to induce the least possible ammount of stress on your girls I would suggest getting Warm floros (Red spectrum) and some cool floros (blue spectrum). Those together would create the most complete possible spectrum you could get from the CFL side of the track. If you need more help on this topic just ask and i'll help you out to the best of my ability. -CG
Possible problems: >Reduced flower production with the drop in lumens >Higher chance of hermies with photo irregularities You should be able to keep those plants in flower provided you have enough fluorescents.
If your only going to use flors once in a while I would think it would be the same as a cloudy day on an outside grow and that doesn't seem to hurt them.
I would guess that it doesn't since the same ball of gas is always burning, but maybe the clouds reflect and refract light producing a different spectrum higher? Thats a really good question gg.
I know this is out of line but in my opinion you are far to good a grower to be switching like that. Just leave your HID'S goin and keep everyone out for a while. You know as welll as i that it is worth it in the long run. I did that for a long time in college. if you have someone over say you have a friend from out of town over.
My girls went through what I call "light shock" when my HPS ballast died. They got very tall and spindly when I had to put them back on the floros and now are wilting and limp under the HPS. But then again I didn't have enough floro light for them so my situation might be different than yours. They have also perked up with a watering, so I'm hoping for the best. You could always tell your non-growing friends that you have a loud furnace/AC unit or your neighbors are noisy (or just turn the TV/Radio up). Just my .02 -------Dom
well the whole reason i considered this option was due to the way this closet in a single-bedroom apartment is arranged. my roommate and i finally found a new place for us both, so i should be able to exhaust my box where visitors won't be able to hear it. hopefully i won't have to mess with any flos unless i take clones. thanks for all the replies anyway.
