When I first started, I thought the depth of the closet would be a hindrance, but soon learned that it helped more than harmed, (except for when I get grand illusions of having 15 plants going at once, and then during those times it sucks, BUT I END UP WITH MORE THAN I NEED BY THE TIME 8 WEEKS ROLLS AROUND. (6 weeks flowering and two weeks drying.)

The top shelf has an area equal to the bottom, except for height, which is only 3 ft, is used for cloning. I use a 4 ft. double bulb shop light, outfitted with GE's Plant and Aquarium Wide Spectrum Lights. Although I've never had a problem rooting clones under 2 Cool Whites, I found myself with a little extra cash one weekend, little bit of a buzz, and the urge to do some 'shopping' for the ROOM. The 'actual' grow tubes, (from what I've learned so far) use less electricity than the Cool Whites, but don't put out the same amount of lumens either.

What you pick up with the extra "Red and Blue Spectrum," that these "Grow Tubes" provide, you lose in actual lumen output. I've seen a quicker response using the "Grow Tubes' on the clones however. I use 'willow water' on my clones, as well as Rootone, and have VERY close to a 100% success rate, with cuttings having visible root growth within 9 days, and new foliage growth within 14. I's sure that having the clone room above the flowering room helps. The clone room stays about 85 deg. F. during the day, and there is enough room to keep a couple buckets of water up there as well, raising the humidity enough where I've never had too use any type of 'tent,' I do spray the clones twice a day and make sure that the topsoil never dries out. Now that I have a 'rotation' schedule, with clones always established, I harvest 5 plants, every six weeks, and pull in at least 3 to 3 1/2 oz. of dried bud per harvest.

I grow what is known here as 'Early Durb,' a cross between Durban (you seem somewhat knowledgable, do a search), and Early Girl. Ironically enough, it was grown as a hybrid for Northern climates. Roughly 1/5 lb. of bud per 6 ft. plant, AND WAS ALSO DEVELOPED FOR OUTDOORS! It's growth characteristics totally resemble those of other strains of Indica, but it seems to have a propensity for indoor growth under fluorescents as well.

In the lower flowering area, I have 2, 4ft. double tube shop lights with HO fluorescents installed. HO stands for High Output for those not familiar with these tubes. There are also VHO's, (Very High Output, go figure), but they require a retrofit ballast, (not cheap).The HO bulbs run off of a standard ballast, but put out 40-50% more lumens than a conventional fluor. tube, with a difference in electrical consumption almost nil. They do not exert any more heat either, which allows me to keep the plants 2-4 inches away from the light. The VHO's produce alot more lumens than either standard or HO fluoro's, but between the heat and electrical cost, you may as well have a halide or HPS. The High Output Fluoro's seem to be working well, and they're cost is not much greater than regular fluorescents.

I DON'T VENTILATE! With the fluorescents, I don't have to worry about heat buildup, and to be honest with you, there are (or it appears to be anyway) enough cracks around the door, for proper fresh air intake. I sometimes leave the door cracked in the mornings while I'm at work, but seeing as I use the door itself as a reflective surface, I try not to do this, (as I'm about to explain). I have a 3" desk fan up top with the clones for circulation, and use a six inch clip on type fan down below in the flower room. The cloning area up top is kept closed, with a 3" hole drilled into the ceiling of the closet, and vents into the closet upstairs. (The building was remodeled, but only the first 2 floors, containing 2 apartmenst per floor, left and right, but the 3rd floor are still rooms (a rooming house), and as my wife and I are the managers, we just tend to keep that one room unoccupied, and if it is rented, I've installed 3 floor grates into the ceiling which allows air but not light, to exit into the upstairs closet. I use an Amcor Ionizer (bought from QVC for 70 bucks) that actually just sits ontop of the 2 light fixtures. It doesn't weigh anything, and is unnoticeable when I have to raise the lights on their chains. Durban doesn't smell too bad, until its last two weeks of budding anyway, and with the Ionizer, you can't smell it unless you put your face in a bud. I didn't know it at the time that we bought the unit, course when we bought the ionizer, I wasn't planning on growing herb again either, BUT, I have learned, specifically from a study done by The University of Virginia, that plants exposed to negative Ions, particularly those fruit or 'flowering' bearing plants, were generally healthier, and REPEATEDLY showed higher yields as compared to those plants that did not receive the negative Ion exposure. It just so happens that its another,' killing 2 birds with one stone.' ODOR and POSITIVE GROWTH.

Keep in mind that the light fixture is practically touching the walls in this grow room, except for one end, which is where I aim the 6 in. fan towards, to bounce off of the wall, and to damper the breeze somewhat as it reflects back onto the plants. In a regular fluorescent 4 footer, you have 10 watts per sq. ft. (albeit not nearly as efficient as a metal halide or HPS), with a HO tube, you have app. 30 watts per ft output, however the electricity is SUPPOSED to be equivalllent to that of the regular 4 footer, (they do raise the light bill by about $4.00 a month as opposed to regular fluorescents) and have definately proved to be beneficial. HO's are not 'known about/talked about,' because they are or can be quite uncomfortable to live/work under for any period of time. ANY HARDWARE STORE can order these for you, if they don't already carry them (remember, they take a standard 40 watt fluor. ballast), and is not known as a 'suspicious purchase.'

I grow in a soiless mix that consist primarily of vermiculite, perlite, sphagnaum moss,and I add my own dolomite lime. The stuff feels like cotton candy (and personally, if you're gonna make sure that you start with good seeds, I'm a firm believer that you have to start with a good medium, regardless of which way you choose to go). I AM A PUSHER, in the fact that I do (and I know that not alot of people will agree with me on this) use fertilizer. Using a soiless mix of the grade that I do, allows me to 'push' the plants with nutrients, without (anymore) the fear of burning them. I know what the soil can accept, and what it can't. If I do ever end up burning the plants, the soil allows me to 'leach' without any breakdown in composition, but as my plants are only really 'fed,' for six weeks before they are harvested, and for the last two weeks of that are given only fishtank water, there is little or no chance of nutrient buildup.

I'll be the first to admit that having the walls as close to the plants as they can be, (and the leaves literally are touching the walls), helps to contain the light that I do provide. That narrow closet now seems to have been built for my specific needs. It's really incredible. I use 5,10 gallon pool chlorine buckets to grow in, with a diameter of about 12 in. when they're cut in half. They are about 16" inches tall, and have never caused a plant of mine, under these lights, to become rootbound.

I will add, although I don't believe that it is helpful or harmful, (under these lighting conditions), that I make my own homebrew, 20 gallons every eight weeks, and during fermentation, I 'pipe' the 4, 5 gallon keg's Co2 into the grow room. I only ferment for 14 days, so I make this coincide with the last two weeks of budding. I don't know whether it's helped them or not, but seeing as I'd brew anyway, regardless whether the ROOM was there or not, I feed one main line into the growroom, and keep the outake hose submersed in a thermos full of water to keep the dust out of the lines. It bubbles, makes me feel better, although I know that my plants really can't use the extra Co2 unless they had the extra available light, the Co2 is there, so I use it.

Now that u know the growing conditions, my schedule: Clones are rooted up above, started the same day that the 2 to 2 and 1/2 ft plants are put into flowering. By the time 6 weeks is up, and I harvest, the new clones are about 20" inches, if they need a little more, I'll put them under the HO's for a week at 18 hrs before I start the 12 hr. cycle, but for the last few crops, I've realized that if I can keep the plants to about 2 1/2 feet or under, they produce much more bud.

Yes, I do "PUSH" my plants, but I've learned how to do it. With my schedule, I've found that I'm able to throw the 'fert' to 'em, (both organic and inorganic, and they are right there with me, always on time. This schedule may may be off from one to two weeks, sometimes right on, but as I'm (STILL) learning what I can and can't get away with, I've got great smoke everyday, ain't getting ripped off, and when the old lady and I fire up a bowl at the end of a WORKDAY, we slide a little deeper into our couch, and for a time, all is right with the world. The Nutrients I use:

Everything is diluted with fishtank water, from a 50 gallon domestic carp tank. I have to do a water change periodically, (every 3 weeks about 18 gallons, yeah right. It's easier (and more beneficial) to use the tank water for watering.

One week prior to putting the clones into the flowering room, I (or the old lady) mist the plants HEAVILY, at least twice a day (more if one of us is around). Misting the plants helps to get rid of the excess Nitrogen (N can actually transpire through the leaves). This helps to stop the vegetative growth in the plant, and allows it to focus its energy into producing flowers.

Throughout the plant's cycle, roughly 12-14 weeks, I use Bodine's Fish Emulsion, (I can get away with the odor because of the ionizer.) I still mist everyday, regardless of the cycle. I'm lucky enough that the humidity level stays low with the HO fluorescents, (they don't put out alot of heat, but apparently its just enough to take care of 5 moist buckets of soilless mix)

The breakdown of Bodine's is:  
 
                Total Nitrogen                    5.0%
                Ammoniacal Nitrogen               0.5% 
                Water Insoluble Nitrogen ?        0.5%
                Other Water Soluble Nitrogen?     4.0%
                Available Phosphuric Acid p2o5    1.0%
                Soluble Potash           k2o      1.0%

                          3 % Nitrogen
                          35 % Phosphur
                          10 % Potash

Sometimes hard to find this stuff, but it works great for me. Hardly any Nitrogen (and although plants need N throughout their life, THE LESS THEY RECEIVE (As long as they were grown healthy to begin with) WHILE BLOOMING,THE MORE THEY WILL PUT INTO GROWING BUD AS OPPOSED TO LEAF.)
[NPK Note: The lack of Nitrogen does not increase bud development, rather, the increased P supports it]

I also use minimal amounts of Epsom salts, but do up the dose for the first four weeks (of six!) of budding.

I intentionally keep my plants short. I've 'heard that after 4 ft., fluorescents lose their effectiveness. I'd say after 3 ft. that you've got nothing, even with HO's (remember people, High Output Fluorescents).

It just so happens that that 'small closet' worked out for me quite well. If I could have 6 HO's down there, I would, but there isn't the room. I've got enough smoke to last me between harvest, with a little left over to be 'nice' for those that matter.

Following this method (actually, I tamper with some plants in different ways) and KEEPING A NOTEBOOK, whether on the 'puter or in the grow room itself, each crop produces more bud (up to 3 1/2 oz. from 5 plants), and although I've been been doing this for a 'few' generations now, from time to time, I still catch myself sitting in a fold up chair in front of the open door, just before the lights are about to go out, and I'm amazed at what the 'ladies' can do while I'm not there. I spend probably 20 minutes a day with them, went ahead and spent the $15 for the moisture meter, $22 for the pH meter, and now.......... let's just say that I have some 3 hit shit that no one would believe is 'homegrown,' whatever that is, and I no longer dread March when 1/8 ths are going for $50.

I'm growing Durban, crossed with Early Girl, and doing it under fluorescents. Up to 3 1/2 oz. from 5 plants. Tell me that I ain't and I just might not be able to sleep tonight, yep, that'll happen.