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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > The Ethnobotanical Garden
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Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden!
    #10855884 -

Hello Hello! I finally received the seeds I bought in mid May from a nameless member :mad2: ! However, I am trying to pop out some seedlings before I move back to school since I surely wont have established plants. I'll have about 3 weeks to start them before I transport them to school where at the very most I will have a windowsill. Because of this I will be buying a small lighting setup for a 4ft by 4ft area on a budget. I also planned to surround the area with white walls to retain light. Anyway, from seed I am growing Nicotiania Rustica, Sida Cordifolia, Rivea Corymbosa, and Trichocerus Peruvians none of which have sprouted up and will all be growing in the same space. I might toss in a salvia cutting some point along the way and other misc. plants.

What I need to know is...

1. What type of light bulb / socket should I buy for such a space?
2. Can I make home-made ballasts(the things that direct the light) or other parts to save money? (any teks?)
3. What timer would be a good match for this setup? (I don't think anything too complicated would be necessary)
4. What universal light schedule would accommodate all these types of plants?

Any advice for my first time dorm garden would be appreciated!


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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Deekay]
    #10855996 -

Hello there fellow college student!

If you look in my signature there is a link to my own Dorm Garden.

I used mainly sunlight though as I had a very large South facing window.

For my seedlings I used a fluorescent grow light purchased at Home Depot that consumes 15w of power but puts out the equivalent of 75w.

I put it in a simple round metal housing and kept it about 2 feet from my seedlings(granted they were all cacti)

I also made walls for it out of mirror board (Styrofoam with mirrored overlay)

My timer was on 12/12 and I used a simple plug in timer(outlet-timer-power chord)

N. Rustica did great for me in a big window, R. Corymbosa will do alright if they have something to climb on, T. Peruvianus will do excellent, and I have had no experience growing Sida Cordifola although it looks like an easily grown indoor plant.

The biggest problem I had while there was maintaining an optimal humidity for all my tropical plants, and many suffered due to this.

As you can see from my growlog I was very lucky to have the kind of setup I had AND have an awesome roommate who enjoyed plants as much as I.

Plants definitely give dorm rooms a very good air about them and I feel are very beneficial to college life.

:super:


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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Cactusdan]
    #10856157 -

Thanks for the fast reply, I have checked your dorm thread many times and was really impressed (and partly inspired). Anyway, for the walls I thought that white surfaces reflected more light than mirrored so I planned to spray paint some thin cut plywood. As for a bulb I don't have to pay for electricity so the best output for the money is what I'm looking for, could you suggest a specific type of bulb (really important because I will be relying on virtually no sunlight). On an aside humidity shouldn't be a problem as my roommate is from Nigeria and well...he likes to keep the room as hot as....well Nigeria :tongue:! You were so lucky to have had a large south facing window my homes glass back doors face directly south and every plant that lives inside thrives!

edit: If you have a link to the timer you used it would be much appreciated!


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Check out my gallery :sun:

Do YOU have The Band's sheet music books? I am paying cash!

Edited by Deekay (08/13/09 09:53 PM)

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Deekay]
    #10856232 -

My timer looked like this one



As for the white v. mirrored walls, I'm unsure which truly does a better job at reflecting, all i know is if you spray paint give them a LONG time to air out and dry as I've found plants do not like the fumes at all.

Honestly I can't recommend a specific light for you, mine worked well but I can't for the life of me remember the manufacturer and what not.

Just go to your local big box hardware stores garden section and look for a growlight that fits your dimensions and budget.


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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Cactusdan]
    #10857145 -

If you want to do it up proper, you could get yourself some High Pressure Sodium (HPS) or Metal Halide (MH) bulbs.  Don't start any dorm fires though. 

I've actually been looking into this myself for this year. I'm not really sure what sort of lamp if any I want to get, and I don't want to piss my roommate off too badly. For my cacti seedlings a fluoro will probably do fine, but for everything else, I'm less certain.  I don't want to be that crazy guy who gets the DEA knocking on my dorm room door because I'm eating energy like a grow-house.  And I'd be that guy if I didn't stop myself.


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The Plant Mage Guild

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Horticulture]
    #10904227 -

These Metal Halide Bulbs look appropriate from what I can tell. Would I be able to rig 3-4 of these above a square area containing my plants? Also, I've seen a bunch of stuff about ballasts, how necessary are they? Can i just take 3-4 normal (lamp) fixtures and rig them upside down facing my plants? Also, does tobacco need to flower before harvest, I realize they will not reach their full potential indoors so I figures i was just going to keep my plants constantly in vegetation considering they're mostly vines,leafy plants, and cacti.



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Check out my gallery :sun:

Do YOU have The Band's sheet music books? I am paying cash!

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Deekay]
    #10904828 -

Deekay said:
These Metal Halide Bulbs look appropriate from what I can tell. Would I be able to rig 3-4 of these above a square area containing my plants? Also, I've seen a bunch of stuff about ballasts, how necessary are they? Can i just take 3-4 normal (lamp) fixtures and rig them upside down facing my plants? Also, does tobacco need to flower before harvest, I realize they will not reach their full potential indoors so I figures i was just going to keep my plants constantly in vegetation considering they're mostly vines,leafy plants, and cacti.



MH's are great, but you absolutely MAY NOT use normal lamp fixtures. You will set your dorm on fire that way.  Nor do you need to be putting 4 of them behind your desk.  I would say that 1, in a proper fixture, with good ventilation is all you should begin with.  These things throw a lot of heat, even at only 100 watts. 

You also must consider scale.  Don't make the mistake of being over-ambitious.  Lest you are going to wind up throwing a lot of money at something that is not going to pay itself off, and very well may wind up being a big headache for you.  Wanting to have some healthy plants in your dorm room is reasonable ambition.  Wanting to grow a crop of tobacco with other stuff in your dorm may be over-ambitious. 

Start out small, and work your way up to what you can handle.  Consider your roommate who may not like living in a room that constantly smells like tobacco, is 95 degrees, and flooded with light 12 hours a day.  If you're really serious, I suggest you try 1 MH lamp, and get to know it, how it operates, how bright/hot it gets, and how well it takes care of your plants.  If purchasing a real fixture is out of your budget (the cheapest I've seen, bulb-included is $60), then just go with fluoros.


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The Plant Mage Guild

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Deekay]
    #10905323 -

Deekay said:
Any advice for my first time dorm garden would be appreciated!


Aight man I'm gonna help you out with your dorm room dilemma since I've been there done that.

Don't use a metal halide/high pressure sodium light in your dorm room because:

1) They get hot as fuck and you don't want to start a fire
2) They are bright as fuck
3) Your proposed set-up is sloppy as hell and dorm room space is at a premium
4) You don't need all that power
5) You will scare girls away (see #3)

I present you with your solution which costs around 20 dollars and doesn't involve a cinder block on your desk:

1) A 10 inch metal heat lamp fixture from Lowes with attached clamp...cost 11$.  The heat lamp part just means the fixture has ceramic fittings on it so nothing burns, it nicer than the metal ones for only 4-5$ more.  Plus it has a heavy duty cord compared to a regular fixture.

2) CFL aka Compact Fluorescent Bulb, I use a little 28 watt one for my a sally clone and it is plennnnty of light but you can go bigger.  You will be surprised how well one of these reflectors concentrates light.



The clamps these fixtures have are really great and allow a nice clean setup, especially if you want to put 2 side by side. 

I just have the one 12 inch pot for sally as she likes a ton of root space but you could get a ton of smaller 4-5 inch pots in there.



Your cacti might not do so well but the others will do great with the CFL's.

Oh and you don't really need a timer unless your trying to go for 12/12 but your not giving it total darkness anyways so don't worry about it.  Just unplug the light when you go to bed at night and plug it in when you wake up.

And another note from someone whose lived in dorms in the past.

DON'T tell anyone your growing Salvia!  Your setting yourself up for some drunk thief that assumes they can rip off some leaves of your precious plant and smoke them to "trip balls" to fuck with your shit and your sally, not to mention someone narking on you.  It is schedule 1 after all.

Edited by vadub (08/21/09 03:37 PM)

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: vadub]
    #10910238 -

Thanks for the posts guys :smile:. I think I'm going to try out your method vadub with probably two of those. But as for bulbs, I have looked into CFL before and it was unattractive simply for a lack of power. I am going to be growing tobacco with no expectations really, but Rivea Corymbosa (climbing plants) I want to do well and climb, will CFL lights be effective much farther from the plant than what you posted? Also why would that setup not be suitable for cacti. Thanks!


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Check out my gallery :sun:

Do YOU have The Band's sheet music books? I am paying cash!

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Deekay]
    #10921549 -

I bought one of those heat lamp reflectors that has a porcelain socket and supports up to 300 watts, could it handle high temperatures if necessary from a 250w MH bulb? Also, I only saw HPS/MH bulbs in rather oblong shapes, are there any that are 'normal sized' that could be adapted to a 10' heat lamp reflector that was posted?


--------------------
Check out my gallery :sun:

Do YOU have The Band's sheet music books? I am paying cash!

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Deekay]
    #10922205 -

vadub said:
Don't use a metal halide/high pressure sodium light in your dorm room because:

1) They get hot as fuck and you don't want to start a fire
2) They are bright as fuck
3) Your proposed set-up is sloppy as hell and dorm room space is at a premium
4) You don't need all that power
5) You will scare girls away (see #3)



Assuming he actually creates a decent setup, none of these points would be valid...
Dan's guide avoided all of these. He had a vent for heat, it was covered so the brightness wasn't an issue, it was a small area, you  need HPS or sunlight for growing cacti, and he could fit something like that into the bottom of a closet.
Most of that is common sense. Mylar and vents comes with most HPS setups.

HOWEVER, I wouldn't suggest doing anything until you meet your roommates.(if you plan on having any) Even if you do decide to grow legal plants, it's unwise to bring that stuff with you if they're not cool with it.


vadub said:
I present you with your solution which costs around 20 dollars and doesn't involve a cinder block on your desk:



He mentioned growing 4 different kinds of plants, so you suggest a single CFL? That's not enough for 2 salvia plants, let alone cacti.

vadub said:
Your setting yourself up for some drunk thief that assumes they can rip off some leaves of your precious plant and smoke them to "trip balls" to fuck with your shit and your sally, not to mention someone narking on you.  It is schedule 1 after all.


Salvia is illegal in Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Delaware, Maine, North Dakota, Illinois, and North Carolina. If he lives outside those states he should be safe. However, theivery happens no matter where you are. Also, like I said before, you're still growing drugs, which may be frowned upon by your roommates. Chances are you will have other less legal drugs while you're there, and the attention and reputation of growing drugs probably doesn't help. Your school may have it's own set of rules regarding salvia.
Deekay said:
will CFL lights be effective much farther from the plant than what you posted? Also why would that setup not be suitable for cacti. Thanks!


Because CFLs are so weak, they need to be very close.
Cacti naturally get LOTS and LOTS of sunlight. CFLs and floros are good for plants that would naturally get indirect sunlight(like salvia) but can't recreate an environment that would be suitable to grow cacti.

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: lolbience]
    #10922285 -

If anything, I'd probably just pick one plant that takes indirect sunlight(a single salvia cutting would be ideal). You could use vadub's setup or something similar. I know you can get the light fixture he has posted at any hardware store for like 5$.
You could even put it at the side of your desk and get a flexible desk lamp that you'd keep bent down to the plant while you're not using it. However it would still need to be relatively close to the plant, you wouldn't be able to leave it on the top of the desk and leave the salvia on the floor.

I really don't suggest starting a collection while inside a school dormitory. If you really want to, I'd go with 1 or 2 plants that require little light.

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: lolbience]
    #10924735 -

Do these lighting tips still hold true for adult Loph with a large south facing window?

This would just be a temporary solution, until it starts getting really cold. The dormancy period should be shortened this year.

Edit: Assume mirrors would be too intense? Something like metallized Mylar or aluminum foil would be best?


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Where ever there are three people, one of them will be my teacher.

Everything I say is a lie. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. ad infinitum

Edited by papatong1 (08/24/09 05:08 AM)

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: papatong1]
    #10925170 -

papatong1 said:
Do these lighting tips still hold true for adult Loph with a large south facing window?

This would just be a temporary solution, until it starts getting really cold. The dormancy period should be shortened this year.

Edit: Assume mirrors would be too intense? Something like metallized Mylar or aluminum foil would be best?


I believe white surfaces reflect more light than mirrors.


I think I'm going to end up growing a 3x Rivea Corymbosa, 2x tobacco, 1x Sida Cordifolia, and a pot full of cacti from seed; no salvia. These are all in pots. The tobacco will be in small enough pots as to just become little bushes and the corymbosa should have enough space to climb decently. What wattage MH/HPS would support this, the total floor space would amount to no more than 2x2 feet so this space is considerably smaller than I first though.

Also, I know my roommate, he was my suite mate from last year, he likes a hot room and stays up super late.


--------------------
Check out my gallery :sun:

Do YOU have The Band's sheet music books? I am paying cash!

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Re: Proper Lighting for a Dorm Garden! [Re: Deekay]
    #10929183 -

Really? Research will be done.

Good luck on your project.


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Where ever there are three people, one of them will be my teacher.

Everything I say is a lie. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. ad infinitum

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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > The Ethnobotanical Garden
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