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Enter file # to View, D#]ownload, ?, <CR> to main:>17
Viewed from Centre of Eternity 615.552.5747
-+- The Merry Pranksters from Menlo Park -+-
10.1990.01.01.17
Marijuana Grower's Handbook - part 17 of 33
by pH Imbalance
"Novel Gardens"
from
Marijuana Grower's Handbook
[Indoor/Greenhouse Edition]
Ed Rosenthal
Many people who would like to grow their own think that they don't have
the space. There are novel techniques that people can use to grow grass
anywhere. Even people with only a closet, crawl space or just a shelf can
grow their own.
The smallest space that can be used is a shelf 15-24 inches high. First,
the space should be prepared as any other garden by making it reflective,
using flat white paint, the dull side of aluminum foil, or white plastic.
Fluorescents are the easiest and best way to illuminate the space. About
twenty watts per square foot are used, or two tubes per foot of width. VHO
fluorescents can be used to deliver more light to the system.
Plants can be started in 6 ounce cups or 8 to 16 ounce milk cartons
placed in trays for easier handling.
With a shelf of 3 feet or higher, plants can be grown in larger
containers such as 4 to 6 inch pots, half gallon milk containers trimmed to
hold only a quart.
The plants can be grown vertically only, as they normally grow, or moved
to a horizontal position so that the main stem runs parallel to the light
tubes. The plants' new growth will immediately face upwards towards the
light. One gardener used an attic space only 4 feet tall. She let the
plants grow until they reached 3 feet and then turned them on their side.
They used more floor space so she opened up a second bank of lights. At
maturity, the plants were 3.5 feet long and 2.5 feet tall.
Another grower turned his basement with an 8 foot ceiling into a duplex
growing chamber. Each unit had 3 foot tall plants.
If the plants are to be turned horizontally, then they are best grown in
plastic bags or styrofoam cups so that they can be watered easily in their
new positions. After being turned on the side, a hole is cut in the new top
so the plants can be watered easily.
Some growers have wall space without much depth. This space can be
converted to a growing area very easily. The space is painted white and a
curtain is made so that the space is seperated from the surrounding
environment; this will keep light in and offers protection from nosey
guests.
The fluorescents should be placed so that they form a bank facing the
plants. Although the plants naturally spread out, their depth or width can
be controlled by training them using stakes or chicken wire placed on a
frame. Wire or plastic netting is attached to the walls so that there is at
least a 1 inch space between the wire and the wall. Some people build a
frame out of 2x4's. Twist ties are used to hold the branches to the frame.
Additional light can be supplied by placing a fluorescent unit on either end
of the garden or along its length.
Growers who have a little more space for their garden, with a minimum
width of 1 or 2 feet, can grow plants without training them. Fluorescent
lights can be used to light the garden by hanging the light fixture from the
top. All sides should be covered with reflective material. A metal halide
lamp mounted on a movable apparatus will help the plants grow even faster so
that the entire garden is illuminated several times during each light cycle.
Some people can spare only a small closet. Closets usually are designed
in one of two shapes: square or long and rectangular. In any closet up to
six feet long the simplest way to grow is by painting the inside of the
closet white and hanging a metal halide light from the ceiling. Closets
with dimensions of 5x5 or less need only a 400 watt metal halide although
they can accomodate 1000 watt lamps. Larger areas need at least two 400
watt halide lamps.
Thin, rectangular closets are served best by a metal halide unit mounted
on a solar shuttle type device. A fluorescent light unit hung from above
the garden also works well. Additional fluorescent tubes can be used to
supplement the top lights. It is convenient to mount them on either end of
the hanging fixture if the closet is long enough so that they do not use
potential growing space. A closet 2 feet by 7 feet might be illuminated by
a 400 watt metal halide on a track, two 6 foot long VHOs or 4 regular
fluorescent tubes hung from the ceiling. A grower might also use 14
screw-in 8 inch circular reflectors mounted on two 2x4s and hung above the
garden. About 8 combination 8 and 12 inch circular fixtures will also light
the area.
As the plants grow taller, fluorescent lit gardens will respond to
fluorescent tubes placed on the sides of the garden below the tops of the
plants. This light wll help lower buds develop.
One of the main problems inherent in the nature of small gardens is the
lack of ventilation and CO2. For good growth rates the air should be
enriched with CO2 or provided with a fan for ventilation.