Many commercial sites out there sell those turnkey PC grow systems for as much as $599.99. I have always thought that these prices are rather ridiculous. The people selling these units are probably investing $124.99 building each system and taking in $450.00 in profit. People are buying them so it’s definitely not a bad business model.
Just take a look at the PC Planter System system below:
The components are simple. PC Computer Case for $29.99, one 50 watt incandescent grow light bulb for $3.95, reflective insulating material $5.95, mini ozone purifier $15.00, housing material for lighting and wiring $20.00, mini two plant hydro resevoir tray system $34.99, humidity & temperature monitor $25.00, computer case fans $5.00, and light timer $7.99. Making the grand total for building this system around $128.00 which is around my original estimate above. So rather than buy one of these over priced systems, why not build your own?
You could do it for far less than $128.00 and have similar results. Let’s try to build a system for under $20.00.
It’s fairly easy to find a really old computer case that someone does not want for free. I had no trouble finding one. After removing a few screws and a few other modifications I had a perfect start for a grow box. I then picked up some styrofoam insulation which I used to line the box on all 4 sides. I also picked up a cheap extension cord, a lamptimer, and a light bulb socket plug adapter which allows me to plug the light bulb directly into the extension cord. I cut a small hole in the top for ventilation. Within 20 minutes my system was practically completed.
I added a regular incandescent light bulb that I obtained from an old lamp to add additional light and some heat to the inside of the grow box. This will improve the results since plants respond so well to a slightly warmer environment. I added a small glass of water to add a slight level of humidity to the inside of the case which the heat from the traditional light bulb would slowly cause to evaporate.
The completed grow system is shown below.
Using this system I was able to get good results, probably not much different than what I would see using the $599.99 system at the top of this post. The biggest difference is that my system uses potting soil and their system is totally hydroponic. However, I was able to get good results and saw my plant flower in around a week. They were strawberry plants of course. 
The break down of the total cost to build this system is shown below. If you do not count the materials that can easily be found for free, such as the old PC case and the lamp then your costs will be around $19.75!
| Old PC Case | $ 0.00 |
| Extension Cord | $ 1.25 |
| 2 - Socket adapters | $ 5.00 |
| Lamp timer | $ 4.00 |
| 2 - compact fluorescent blubs | $ 7.00 |
| Small sheet of insulated styrofoam | $ 2.50 |
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| Total | $ 19.75 |
So once it flowers you transport it into what? Does the hydroponic system require that you transport the plant as well after it flowers?
I guess you can transport it into the ground from a potted plant or to a bigger pot.
With a hydroponic system you need to transport it to a bigger hydro system, because once raised in hydro a plant should be kept in hydro. Just a guess.
Hello, thanks so much for stopping by my site! Hope to see u back soon!
I knew as soon as I saw I Grew a Ton o Ganja Confession who it was Natalie!!
U Crack Me Up!!
;)) xoxo Peace*
Hey Billy! Nice to see you again. I love the new pics on your site. How are things up in Canada?
how did you get the fan to work cause i cant get mine to get going?
Try hooking the fan up to a PC power supply unit.
can u link me to something that will work
kyle, you can by a pc power supply almost anywhere. just check out your local computer parts store or type “pc power supply” into Google.
Seriously!?! How much ganja could you possibly grow in such a small area? These plants would be tiny!!!
I guess this type of setup would only be used to start young plants. You would need to transplant them elsewhere once the plants get too big for this small environment.
Have you ever considered that all these PC manufacturers like Dell are now making thinner, smaller cases? And that these smaller computer cases will make it more difficult to grow your plants in these types of systems?
I want to know what adapter is needed to allow me to plug the
featured product below into a regular outlet.
This is the URL for the product
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2261643
if i used a universal AC adapter sorta like this one. and just cut off the plug and wired my fans to it, would it work?
if not how would i go about doing so
http://www.electotronics.com/geav23650universalacadapter.aspx
if i used a universal AC adapter sorta like this one. and just cut off the plug and wired my fans to it, would it work?
if not how would i go about doing so
yes, it will work. go to the electronics section of Home Depot and they can help you more with buying the components needed to wire the fans and lights.
this is the adapter i have in mind
this ac adapter is totally unnecessary. you can wire directly to the fan or light bulb fixture without the use of this ac adapter. its just an unnecessary waste of money.