Choco Craze: Chocolate Haze 12/12 Grow in a Micro Maze

01/01//2025: Happy New Year you all.... Inspiration and Building My Own Micro Growbox I was inspired by the MiniGrowbox One, an impressive product with a smart approach to micro-growing. However, I found it a bit too expensive, which motivated me to design and build my own version. The goal was to create a growbox with better lighting and active cooling via the back panel, all while keeping costs reasonable. The growbox has modest dimensions of 36x36x65 cm, requiring an efficient growing strategy. I’m planning to upgrade it later with a CO₂ sensor and a PPFD sensor to allow for more active and precise adjustments for optimal growth. Setup and Light Schedule I chose to germinate the seeds directly in soil, as this method reduces transplant stress and simplifies the process. To increase the chances of success, I planted three Chocolate Haze seeds from RQS in the soil, hoping that at least one or two will thrive. Due to the limited height of the box, I’m starting on a 12/12 light schedule right away to keep the plant’s size manageable. My plan is to top the plant once and then use the SCROG (Screen of Green) technique to make the most of the available space and ensure maximum yield. The lighting is powered by a 120W panel, currently running at 85% of its capacity. A new driver is on its way: the Mean Well ELG-100-C1050B-3Y, which supports PWM dimming. After some tweaks, it should work with the SpiderFarmer GGS controller, allowing even better control over the lighting setup. Ventilation and Noise Optimization For now, the ventilation is handled by a PWM-controlled PC fan. While functional, it’s a bit too loud at 33dB. In the future, I plan to replace it with an EC fan for quieter and more efficient operation. Starting the Grow I planted the seeds during New Year’s Eve and am curious to see how quickly they’ll sprout in this setup. A nice bonus is that I can monitor everything remotely via an app, which adds extra convenience to the process.