How To Set Up a Grow Box For Indoor Growing

Read and find out how to set up Grow Box easily, quickly and economically. In this informative article written by our team of experts Eureka Grow Shop you can finally learn everything about setting up an indoor grow. Starting from manual and automatic lighting, up to air recirculation for plant health, to temperature and humidity controllers useful for perfect indoor cultivation.

1. What is a grow box?

Grow boxes or greenhouses for indoor cultivation, are able to grow and bloom different varieties of plants. Inside you can grow, chilies, tomatoes but also aromatic plants or decorative varieties such as orchids. The advantages are many for example a grow room, it will allow you to grow plants in any environment and in any climate but also to do it in a natural way, without resorting to pesticides. Grow boxes for indoor cultivation are available in various sizes, consist of an aluminum support structure, are generally very easy to assemble and read so that they can be moved effortlessly and are covered with a cloth that can be of different materials. The most common is the  Mylar cloth, a special fabric that reflects as much light as possible into the greenhouse. To make the most of them, the grow rooms can be equipped with accessories designed to complete any type of cultivation, such as  cultivation lights or practical irrigation systems.

2. Grow lamp and reflector

As you know, plants need light to grow, so choosing the right low-wattage indoor grow lights can help you keep your growth vibrant and healthy. So how much light is needed? Sunlight emits from 32,000 to 100,000 lumens, which will be the unit of measurement of the luminous flux; therefore, with  indoor LED lamps used for cultivation, it is necessary to provide at least 25,000 lumens and as much lux as possible to indicate the illuminating surfaces so that the plants are not affected by Influenza. Often it is necessary to combine lamps with reflectors. When a light is in operation, it produces a luminous cone with greater luminous intensity in the center of the luminous cone, which fades towards the edges. Of course, depending on the distance between the luminaire and the implant, the width of the illuminated surface will vary; in addition, the use of reflectors doubles the light intensity. To choose the lamp read the following points concerning the installation:

• Pulleys are often used to suspend the reflector that must be hooked to a metal beam of the box.
• The reflector must be positioned almost in the center of the Grow Box, taking into account that the lamp tends to produce less light on the side of the lamp holder.
• In the case of CFL lamps, the lamp holder must be wired through the screws that are located on the back and then the reflector must be mounted. Finally you have to screw the lamp into the reflector.
• In case of HPS Lamp, the HPS light kit must be installed. We recommend placing the power supplies and power strips outside the growbox or indoor growing space.

3. Timer for automatic lighting

Timers are useful for controlling the photoperiod which would be the proportion between hours of darkness and hours of light. Most of the tools used for low-wattage cultivation require a basic mechanical timer, while for switching on MH or HPS lamps we recommend a digital or mechanical timer (Omnirex-T). 

4. Vacuum cleaner and extractor for air recirculation in grow box

An extractor is a device that extracts and removes the “stale” air, that is, the air poor in oxygen and rich in harmful elements, essential to set up a Grow Box in the best way. Also known as a “vacuum cleaner“, an extractor is used to purify the air and promote natural ventilation, especially in rooms without windows or too small for adequate ventilation. In addition, a good extractor can fight moisture, which in addition to spreading mold and mites can harm the health of plants.

The air extractor must be chosen according to the  size of the Grow Box and the heat generated by the lamps, at this point we remind you that the extractor must be positioned in the upper part of the Box to suck the heated air rises upwards. The air extraction system is very fundamental for the health of the plants and to avoid the stagnation of bad odors.

5. Activated carbon filter

The activated carbon filter must be chosen according to the size of cultivation we use and the environmental conditions outside. They are mounted on the air extraction circuit. They have a very important role because they eliminate odors, that is, they reduce 100% of odors and must also be installed at the end of an Anti Odor Extraction Kit.

6. Suspension pulleys for cultivation lamp

With these devices that we will tell you soon you must place the lamps at the optimal height quickly and safely avoiding the risks of homemade systems: Rope Ratchet or Easy Roller which are lamp height adjustment systems.

7. Indoor plant fan

The fan serves in addition to eliminating pockets of moisture, it provides CO2 through the movement of air that prevents mold and pests, in addition it strengthens the stems of plants that react to the oscillation. If you grow in a grow box there are normal clamp fans or oscillating clamp fans. Remember that the fan must never be pointed directly at the plant but must rotate continuously or in the worst case must send air against a wall. The rotation mechanisms of the fans are delicate and it is better to choose robust models that can be timed with lamps or automatic ones.

8. Digital thermo hygrometer for temperature and humidity

A thermohygrometer is a fundamental instrument for measuring the temperature and relative humidity of the air, which is the ratio of absolute humidity (the water vapor present in the environment at a given time) to saturated humidity, which is all water vapor that can be absorbed by a given environment at a certain temperature and pressure. This tool can never miss the call when it comes to set up a Grow Box in the best and safest way!