new grower

[Ace977]

im new to growing and i have my 2 seedings (about an inch tall) in my closet and have them on a 12/12 cycle. is it true that this will make them show sex and bud faster but give you a lower yeild? because i dont really want to have a huge plant thats going to take up alot of room and give off too much smell. im also not looking for alot of bud i just want enough to last a while i would be happy with a half O from this plant:jointsmile: and also if i keep it on 12/12 how long should it be before they bud?

:jointsmile:thanks for the help:jointsmile:

[Ace977]

i will also try to put pics up tomorrow

[Ace977]

anyone?

[keeko]

it will take about 3-5 healthy weeks for a seedling to show its sex. what kind of light are you using?

[davejohnwright]

You will never reach a half O/plant if you start seedlings off at 12/12, shit you'll probably only get a joint, seriously. You must first vegetate the plant which is simple, Just switch the lighting cycle to anywhere between 14/10-24/0, the increase in light will cause the plant to grow (Just think of it as spring/summer for your plant) then when your plant reaches a little more than half the size you want it to be, switch over to 12/12 (think of it as autumn for your plant)Thats when it will start budding and you can determine sex. Some folks will switch the light from veg to flower to determine sex, then switch back to veg so that they can get rid of the males early on. Any more questions feel free to ask, I have many answers.
Peace

[Ace977]

ok i switched to 14/10 and am using a cool white tuble like bulb (a foot long) and am getting CFLs as soon as i get the money

also aprox. how long will it take before i get buds?

[davejohnwright]

How much head room can you get for your plants, strain, and care will determine how long it will take.
And with a 1 foot flouro tube, it's going to go alright for a little while, but after your plants get to a certain height (usually small) it's growth will most likely freeze (I tried many cheap flouro grows when I was first learning) until you get more light. I hate to beat a dead horse but a good HID system really is the way to go, I had to bullshit my taxes (the IRS was pissed) to get the money together for one, but it worked sooooo much better!
Anyways, expect roughly 2 months after you switch to flower for the buds to be ready, then (this is going to piss you off) You gotta cure em', if your impatient this will take a month. If you want them to reach thier full potential, 3-6 months. Sorry, but it's just the way it is, takes forever to get the first crop, but if you keep a veg area and a flower area, you can keep a new crop rollin' in at the end of every flower cycle, and eventually, you got something ready every couple months.
What a pain in the ass it is to get good pot! But it's sooo worth it.
peace

[Ace977]

[attachment=o143648]

[attachment=o143649]

the first 2 are of my biggest seedling. 6 days old

[attachment=o143650]

this plant sprouted later then the other but is on its way and im going to transplant it to a new pot (same as the other one is in). 3 days old

[attachment=o143651]

and this is what im using as light for now (its about a foot and a half sorry for sayin a foot)

any tips or advice would be nice:thumbsup:thanks

[TheGanjaKing420]

I think you need to bump your light up to 18/6 personally, but thats just me.

[stinkyattic]

I think you need to bump your light up to 18/6 personally, but thats just me.
I agree entirely.

Ace I have experience with that particular light... played with it for seedlings and was not happy with it. You need like 3 or 4 of them... or a REAL T5 fixture...

[Ace977]

i went out and bought a 15 watt CFL today and am switching them to 18/6 today. and how many lights do you think ill need for 1 plant?

[keeko]

around 1500-2000 lumens. it should say the amount on the cfl package it came in. usually its about 3-4 lights for one plant.

[sublimebudsmoker]

yeah your plants are way too young to be on 12-12, but if your just going to see how easy it is to grow then i guess you could, but id wait atleast till they got around 2 foot before id think of 12-12 but thats me

[davejohnwright]

I hate to tell you this, but 15 watt cfl's are next to worthless. Your gonna need between 10-20 of em'.
But don't get discouraged, many good growers start off trying out cheap ineffective light sources, myself included. Trial and error is the best way to test your limits. Shit, my first couple indoor grows were with cheap flouros, I had no where near enough light, then my next couple indoor grows I had to much light (yes it is possible to have too much light, if anyone dosent believe me put a 1000w HPS in a closet thats 2' x 4' x 8'). Now I got it down to a fine art, and with patience you can too.
peace

[CRIME IN STEREO]

how many 42 watt (they're like equal to 150w incandescent) CFL's would one need?

[davejohnwright]

I'm gonna have to say 5,6,7 something like that, and thats not gonna get you big, killer plants, unless you use it to veg, and get a good flowering light.
peace