So you’ve decided to grow marijuana. Maybe the price was too high and you want to become self-sufficient. Or maybe you have glaucoma and need a constant supply of medicine. Regardless of the reason, you’re probably wondering where to start. How much money will I need? Where can I get my supplies? The answers to these questions may surprise you.
Before you head over to the local hydroponics store, you might want to visit your own basement first. Remember that huge pile of obsolete computer hardware that your wife keeps telling you to get rid of? It’s a good thing you didn’t listen to her, because that stuff’s about to come in handy. Your obsolete PC components could save you a bundle on expensive grow supplies. Allow me to explain.
Every grower knows that controlling temperature is paramount. Marijuana won’t grow if the temperature is above 85 degrees F. Now you could run out and buy an expensive cooling system, air conditioner, or other plant-related cooling device, but you already have something that will do the trick – computer fans.
Case fans are a grower’s best friends. They’re small enough to incorporate into any cooling system, they’re relatively quiet (you don’t want to attract attention) and they consume very little power. If you are planning on using a sealed reflector for your lights, you can cut a hole in the side and place a case fan in it. Seal around it, then run some dryer vent hose to a window or fan outtake. You now have an air-cooled light fixture. This will dramatically reduce the amount of heat in the room. You can even have one hose system that connects to all of your lights. Just add a case fan wherever you need to increase airflow. You can even place the fans inside the hoses!
Staying on the topic of heat for a second, let’s talk about MacGyver ballast boxes. Marijuana grows can be expensive to start up, so some people buy the bare minimum and try to improvise a bit. Enter the MacGyver Ballast Box. Too cheap to buy a ballast box? No problem. You can build your own out of old PCs.
First, find an old PC with a small form factor (too large and it defeats the purpose). Remove everything from the case except for the case fan. You’re now looking at a sweet air-cooled ballast box. There are plenty of holes in the back to run wires in and out of. You probably even have a heat sink and fan that you can fix directly to the ballast. Surely you have some thermal paste, right? Just do what you do when installing a CPU heat sink and fan. The only difference is that you will have to find a way to secure the assembly to the ballast. If you’re really keen, you can hook up the ballast exhaust to your existing venting system so that the heat from your ballast is removed from the room.
Before you try this, make sure you read the ballast circuit diagrams. Hooking up a ballast incorrectly could, at best, destroy the ballast. At worst, it could burn your house down or electrocute you. If you don’t know what you’re doing, consult someone who does before you try doing it on your own. Also, if you go with a heat sink and fan, remember that ballasts get REALLY HOT. If the fan is made of plastic, check it every once and a while to make sure that it is not going to melt! Remember, the number one cause of death-by-grow-room is fire. Always have a type “C” fire extinguisher in your grow room.
If you’re already great with computers AND growing weed, and you’re looking to improve quality and quantity, the ultimate growing solution can be yours. Prepare to step into the big leagues with a computer-controlled automation system.
Imagine that you had a computer that could control an entire hydroponic grow for you. I’m talking everything, from temperature to CO2 to TDS and pH. If that’s not cool enough for you, it can also control any 120V devices in your grow room, such as fans, lighting, or ozone generators. “Big deal”, you might say. But let’s kick it up a notch. Imagine that you could control your grow room remotely from any web connection or web-enabled cell phone. If a problem occurs, you will receive a text message or email notification. Such a system would pretty much eliminate all human error from the situation.
This system already exists, and it doesn’t require anything more than a hydroponic set-up and a regular PC. Oh, and the special software kit. Right now you may be thinking about the cost of such a kit. $4000? $1200? Try $450. That’s right, for the price of two ounces of weed, you could have a fully automated grow room. Of course, this isn’t going to do everything for you. You still need some basic knowledge about the art of marijuana cultivation, and you will still need to buy or make a hydroponic set-up. However, if you’ve done that and are looking to step up to the next level, the computer-controlled automation system will save you some time and give you a much better product.
Now, some people don’t smoke or grow weed, and that’s fine. Luckily, these tricks can be applied to any indoor grow room, regardless of what you are growing. The same techniques can be applied to, say, hydroponic tomatoes.
These are just a few ways that one can incorporate computer hardware into grow rooms. If you know of a trick not listed here, please share it. Also, take a moment to click on the reference links at the bottom of this article. You’ll find information on some of the techniques listed here, as well as general tips that will help you to achieve maximum yield. Happy growing!
The Growtronics Computer-Controlled Automation System
Grow Tips From Jorge Cervantes
Cybercrop – Marijuana Cultivation Enters The Computer Age
