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Micro Stealth Grow - Metal Cabinet


Hashslag

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I'm very much confined to a small space that I can truly call 'mine' and which only I use. So I'm often looking around the place and wondering what I can do, or what can I modify, to facilitate an indoor grow. I'm a very moderate user compared to many, so I don't necessarily need enormous yields to keep my going - usually only one or maybe two small vape chambers an evening. I came across some info this week regarding 'micro stealth growing', which I'm sure I was aware of but had perhaps forgotten.

 

I think this sounds exactly what I need. A guy on the youchoob created a little micro setup inside an Ikea Hällan metal cabinet, which are about 40x40x75 or something. Really small, but possible for one plant. Plus being metal, he could attach most of the equipment inside with magnets which was pretty cool. Made it really easy to move the little portable fan, for example. It had strips of LED lighting, two on either side, and four smaller ones in the top. The results were pretty amazing tbf (all the lower site buds were still hefty since light had gotten to all the plant). It had a padlock hole on the door which was a nice touch, although not so stealthy with a padlock on the front!

 

So I think I may go this route, then, if I decide I'm going to go for it. Has anyone else ever had experience with making something like this? I know it's a bit restrictive with the small size, but I really don't mind that.

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1 hour ago, Hashslag said:

I'm very much confined to a small space that I can truly call 'mine' and which only I use. So I'm often looking around the place and wondering what I can do, or what can I modify, to facilitate an indoor grow. I'm a very moderate user compared to many, so I don't necessarily need enormous yields to keep my going - usually only one or maybe two small vape chambers an evening. I came across some info this week regarding 'micro stealth growing', which I'm sure I was aware of but had perhaps forgotten.

 

I think this sounds exactly what I need. A guy on the youchoob created a little micro setup inside an Ikea Hällan metal cabinet, which are about 40x40x75 or something. Really small, but possible for one plant. Plus being metal, he could attach most of the equipment inside with magnets which was pretty cool. Made it really easy to move the little portable fan, for example. It had strips of LED lighting, two on either side, and four smaller ones in the top. The results were pretty amazing tbf (all the lower site buds were still hefty since light had gotten to all the plant). It had a padlock hole on the door which was a nice touch, although not so stealthy with a padlock on the front!

 

So I think I may go this route, then, if I decide I'm going to go for it. Has anyone else ever had experience with making something like this? I know it's a bit restrictive with the small size, but I really don't mind that.

I seen them for sale on eBay mate fully built 

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Did you look in the micro/experimental section in the lighting subforum? There's a guy in there who grows in a pc case, you could borrow some of his ideas?

 

Where would it be? In the house or an outbuilding? If the later then you will want to insulate it somehow, it will help to keep the environment stable. That will take a bit off your finished size.

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That's plenty big enough to do a grow mate, I started out in something smaller in fact. At your levels of consumption you should have no worries being self sufficient. 

 

 

Also have a look at @Mullets grows. 

 

 

 

 

One thing I would be worried about with a metal box is condensation on the walls especially if it was situated somewhere cold like an outhouse or shed. I'd probably go for something made of wood myself, maybe an old kitchen unit, might not be as convenient to mount things but IME you only ever really need to do that once. 

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You ever considered wooden cabinets? They look nice, easy to screw hooks into, easy to drill 100-150mm holes, irrigation fittings, electrical sockets etc. 

 

You could disguise it as a tv cabinet in the spare room/shed. 

 

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10 hours ago, Slippy One said:

You ever considered wooden cabinets? They look nice, easy to screw hooks into, easy to drill 100-150mm holes, irrigation fittings, electrical sockets etc. 

 

You could disguise it as a tv cabinet in the spare room/shed. 

 

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Top job that mate I still struggle to get my head round how you guys grow in such small spaces it amazes me everytime

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I agree that a wooden cabinet might be better. More flexible, easy to extend if you want more space. I built my own cabinet from bits of old furniture two years ago. Did quite a few grows in it, will be converting to a veg cabinet this year now that I'm growing in tents. Speaking of which, you get tents as small as 40x40x80. I grow in a 50x50x100 and currently have six plants in there! (Though that wasn't the plan originally and probably not recommended).

 

In a small space, training plants will be key. Topping, LST, ScrOG will all help maximise yield from one or two plants.

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Thanks chaps, @Slippy One that cabinet is a beauty mate!

 

OK, so here's the layout. It's in my garden studio, which is basically a shed with double glazing, cavity wall insulation etc etc. It's where I work, basically. It has heating as well so the temperature is reasonably simple to regulate. I have very little space due to existing furniture and I don't want to lose any of it because I love it all (mid century bore that I am). I do have a white metal filing cabinet next to me, which is a similar size to the unit I mentioned in my OP. My sneaky thinking was that I could simply substitute one for the other, without drawing too much attention, as I would if I shipped in a new wooden unit (which I have no space for anyway, really). So in terms of cabinet, my mind is more or less made up, although I certainly wouldn't discount wood if something of a similar size were available. Ease of drilling etc is definitely a pro that the metal doesn't have, although with a Dremel and some snips it's still very doable.

 

I still can't believe people do grows inside old computers! I'm going to look that up to see what sort of setup it involves, I thought that would've been way too narrow a space but I don't know shit tbh lol 

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9 minutes ago, Hashslag said:

Thanks chaps, @Slippy One that cabinet is a beauty mate!

 

OK, so here's the layout. It's in my garden studio, which is basically a shed with double glazing, cavity wall insulation etc etc. It's where I work, basically. It has heating as well so the temperature is reasonably simple to regulate. I have very little space due to existing furniture and I don't want to lose any of it because I love it all (mid century bore that I am). I do have a white metal filing cabinet next to me, which is a similar size to the unit I mentioned in my OP. My sneaky thinking was that I could simply substitute one for the other, without drawing too much attention, as I would if I shipped in a new wooden unit (which I have no space for anyway, really). So in terms of cabinet, my mind is more or less made up, although I certainly wouldn't discount wood if something of a similar size were available. Ease of drilling etc is definitely a pro that the metal doesn't have, although with a Dremel and some snips it's still very doable.

 

I still can't believe people do grows inside old computers! I'm going to look that up to see what sort of setup it involves, I thought that would've been way too narrow a space but I don't know shit tbh lol 

Why not use the filing cabinet take all the draws out and runners out until the insides flat line with wood to connect everything to take the draws cut all the fronts off stick them to a board and put hinges on the inside do all the holes at the back it will look like a normal filling cabinet mate

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Ok mate forgot to say on eBay there was a fully built one with everything brand new £1000 which I thought was a piss take think it was about the size of a small fridge freezer 

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Just now, Baron von greenback said:

Ok mate forgot to say on eBay there was a fully built one with everything brand new £1000 which I thought was a piss take think it was about the size of a small fridge freezer 

Yeah I saw that - fucking grand like lol I mean, if you're loaded then go for it I suppose haha! But no, I don't think I'll be getting it somehow :) 

 

I did actually toy with the idea of converting the existing filing cabinet - certainly something to think about!

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17 minutes ago, Hashslag said:

Yeah I saw that - fucking grand like lol I mean, if you're loaded then go for it I suppose haha! But no, I don't think I'll be getting it somehow :) 

 

I did actually toy with the idea of converting the existing filing cabinet - certainly something to think about!

Ye that's what I though mate start making them and flogging em cause the gear that came with it wasn't that price did you see that 8 pot ailean system don't know what it went for but it was only£300 when I seen it bargain

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11 hours ago, Baron von greenback said:

Why not use the filing cabinet

 

My mate did this years ago with an old chest of drawers, it was genius, you really couldn't tell even sat right next to it. 

 

If it's in a heated space then I reckon metal would be fine, crack on mate, I reckon your onto a winner. 

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25 minutes ago, MindSoup said:

 

My mate did this years ago with an old chest of drawers, it was genius, you really couldn't tell even sat right next to it. 

 

If it's in a heated space then I reckon metal would be fine, crack on mate, I reckon your onto a winner. 

 

Yeah, I reckon it could be a really nifty project if I can pull it all together - I've started drawing it out already, I'll post my design up in here when I've finished, then hopefully you good people will be able to point out any obvious pitfalls (if you'd be so kind, of course!) I've discovered that the drawer fronts are easy to remove from the actual drawers, and would be easy enough to affix onto a sheet of thin ply or whatever. I don't think I' be able to do any decent hinges, so I'm thinking a completely removable front panel which attaches using magnets would do the job just as well as a hinged door. Possibly better, since the door won't get in the way when I'm tending to things inside the box.

 

Exciting times! Hopefully this will be a project I see through to completion (I have a terrible habit of not finishing things!)

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