kaiten's 1st grow w/ CFL

[kaiten408]

Hello fellow users and growers, after a few weeks of lurking here and reading some books I decided about a month ago to start growing.

Considering cost is an issue right now I went with a CFL set up in my closet. I also opted to use some nice bag seeds I have accumulated. I attempted to germinate about 20, but only 5 sprouted.

Lights:
At first I was 2x 13w CFLs, which have since been upgraded to 2x 68w and 2x 26w for a total of 11,900 lumens @ 2700K

Medium:
~50/50 mix of Miracle Grow seedling starter soil and Jiffy Mix soilless mix (a mixture of peat moss, perlite and lime)

The "grow area" has been covered with an emergency blanket to keep light in and has a "door" for the front also covered. A fan has been keeping the temps stable and I can see some good girth building in the stems. The climate stays at around 70-75* with ~40% humidity.

Anyway, onto the pics. Let me know what you guys think, this is my first attempt at this and any and all help will be appreciated.

-K :jointsmile:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1673.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1672.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1671.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1670.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1669.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1667.jpg

And this one is my Ivory :rastasmoke:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1668.jpg

Can anyone tell me what those little stems are that are poking out between the lower leaves and stem?

[headshake]

Can anyone tell me what those little stems are that are poking out between the lower leaves and stem?

are you talking about where the new growth is coming in? if so those will be shoots of new growth.

also, keep your lights to within 1-4" from the tops of your plants. CFLs don't have great canopy penetration.

good growing!


-shake

[kaiten408]

Thanks shake..i'm trying to figure out how I can get them closer without it looking too ghetto.

And as for that new growth, I mean this part that I have circled..sorry for any confusion

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1668-1.jpg

[redtails]

Yeah those will be branches really soon. He tried to explain it with "shoots", people and their technical terms...

[deadbeef]

This should be an interesting grow to watch. Good luck kaiten.

[kaiten408]

@ deadbeef: Thanks man...I hope it turns out well

@ redtails: Gotcha, thanks for clarifying that for me.

UPDATE:

I lowered the 2 main lights in the front by using a hangar and clipping them to it. I'd say they are about 3-4" from the tops. Looks kind of ghetto now, i'll try to whip something up better and get a picture.

Any tips on watering? I've been watering every other day, putting about 3-4oz. of water in each pot, no nutes.

[kaiten408]

Pics as promised:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1674.jpg

And a couple of my baby, Ivory....she's already starting to get that familiar smell :jointsmile::D:jointsmile:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1675.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1676.jpg

[headshake]

Any tips on watering? I've been watering every other day, putting about 3-4oz. of water in each pot, no nutes.

pick up your pot around the lip with just your index finger and thumb on both hands. you will be making a "diamond" shape while holding the pot in the middle of the "diamond". bounce it up and down. do this when dry and then again after watering/feeding. there will be a very noticeable difference. when it's dry, time to water.

don't worry about the grow looking ghetto. we all start somewhere. it doesn't matter what anything looks like besides the final results.

good growing!


-shake

[Enemyace]

Hi kaiten 408,

I'm new on the board too, only a couple days. Yer girls, (hopefully!), are lookin' good. How old? I have a couple plastic "terra corra" pots like that. Will be interesting to see what progress and results you get from the cfl's. Considering those myself. Looks like you're making good use of your resources. Good luck!:thumbsup:

Mike

[kaiten408]

Thanks Mike :thumbsup:

They are about 2-3 weeks old I'd say. I think they look pretty small compared to some other grows on here, but I think that has a lot to do with my lighting situation.

I started out with just 2x 9W 5000K cfl's putting a whopping 900 lumens :rolleyes:...then I upgraded to 3x 26w cfl's but it was still weak...and finally up to 2x 68w + 2x 26w. I think changing the lights so much might have stunted the growth at first, but now they are doing very well.

[Enemyace]

Hi, I know how that goes. It's always a work in progress and an effort to upgrade during the growing to try to get better results. I've done that myself, but those look good for that amount of time. I hope my results will be as good, but I probably won't be able to start anything new until after the holidays. I've never started in winter before. I hope you get good results, and it's always a learning experience.

Mike:thumbsup:

[blowin]

hey guys well my setup is simple and on low budget for an HPS system right now.
what soil for my ladies, and where can i get the CFL sockets and is it the cool white that do the job. or the yellow ones will work too???
thanks

[Enemyace]

Hi, cool white I would think for the 1st, vegitation stage. Yellow, or better yet, more red for the bud stage. But I'm not an expert.

Mike

[kaiten408]

hey guys well my setup is simple and on low budget for an HPS system right now.
what soil for my ladies, and where can i get the CFL sockets and is it the cool white that do the job. or the yellow ones will work too???
thanks

Well first off, I think this would have been better asked in your own thread.
And why do you need CFL sockets if your using an HPS system? :wtf:

Anyway....Can anybody tell me if it's normal for the new leaves to be a much lighter green than the older ones? I'm assuming it's because the chlorophyll hasn't been fully developed yet.

[Shovelhandle]

Really nice grow and log here. Shov

[redtails]

Well first off, I think this would have been better asked in your own thread.
And why do you need CFL sockets if your using an HPS system? :wtf:

Anyway....Can anybody tell me if it's normal for the new leaves to be a much lighter green than the older ones? I'm assuming it's because the chlorophyll hasn't been fully developed yet.

It's either when they are experiencing rapid growth or Nitrogen deficient in my experience.

[kaiten408]

Thanks Shov. :smokin:

Lets hope it's the rapid growth redtails :thumbsup:

[mainegrown]

ya i have been wondering that too but then the leaves darken out a day later but now i think that they may be too dark a green!
i hope you are right but i also think you are too if that is any consolation
luck -J

[Enemyace]

I've had that happen with unusually light green. It stayed that way for a good while and nothing seemed to be amiss. It eventually changed to a more normal green.

[mainegrown]

in my observation of my girls i have found it stays light green for a day.. sometimes 2 then it starts to darken quickly?? is that how yours act??

[Enemyace]

It may have without my noticing. That one was among one of many, and a later addition to the 'family'. I wouldn't worry about it. As long as it doesn't start getting brown or drooping. Mayhaps there are inconsistencies somewhere responsible. I usually notice trouble by the tips curling and browning.

Mike

[monny10]

Hi Kaiten,

Good luck with your Grow! :thumbsup:

Did you manage to get those CFL's any closer?

[kaiten408]

Hello everybody....I hope everyone had a good christmas :jointsmile:

I've had to leave my plants in the care of my roommate since the 22nd, hence the lack of updates recently. However I did get him to send me a picture from his phone, so please excuse the low quality

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/imagejpeg_2.jpg

They've definitely grown quite a bit! He told me that some of the leaves were starting to yellow at the tips.....i'm guessing this is classic nitrogen deficiency.

I'm going to have him pick up some fertilizer from Home Depot for me to hold the plants over until I can return to them after the New Year. Any recommendations for OTC fertilizer?

Thanks in advance for help,
Hope you guys have a great new years...smoke some :rastasmoke:

K

[jakester]

Don't fertilize much yet, if at all. Wait till you repot. Go to 2 or 3 gallons and fill those puppies up. Hold off on the fert until you can add a little for flowering. Let them eat that soil up.

Just my opinion though. I hate seeing people burn their plants when they just need a bigger home.

[jakester]

If you have to add it, some of the granular Black Gold tomato stuff maybe, a small amount with some new soil on top before a watering. You may not see any effect until next year anyway. Most plants take a few days to even register a difference in soil.

[kaiten408]

Thanks jakester :thumbsup:

I told my roommate to hold out on the fertilizer...when I get back home I'll transplant the plants into bigger pots using my potting soil, Jiffy mix and some worm castings.

Hopefully the casting will provide sufficient nutrients until I start flowering.

K :jointsmile:

[kaiten408]

I picked up some Fox Farm 'Big Bloom' today while I was Austin. I've heard some great reviews of the entire Fox Farm line. I'll be starting the ferts within the next week, but not before I transplant them.

[mainegrown]

i hope the FF works for you... i have been thinking about ordering some.. i dont have an outlet to buy any at but i really like the reviews i hear all the time...
-J

[MonkeyBone]

Do you water your plant when they are realy dry or when there is 1-2 inches of dry soil on top?

Try having some light on the side of your plants, it helps so much with cfls!!

Great job so far!

:thumbsup:

[redtails]

Be careful, you have worm castings in the soil & the BB has it also so you might accidentally burn your plants.

[kaiten408]

@MonkeyBone: I usually wait til there is only moisture near the bottom of the pot, I like making the roots stretch for that water, I read that it helps them build up better.

As for the CFLs, I will definitely be adding some more once I begin flowering. I'll add a Y-adapter to the ones on the side and maybe get another 65W (300w equiv.) CFL, that bad boy puts out some serious light.


@redtails: Thanks for the caution. I was under the impression that excessive castings wouldn't cause any nute burn. Do you think I should hold out on mixing it in with my soil, or just cut down the strength of the Big Bloom?

Thanks guys

K:rastasmoke:

[MonkeyBone]

I usually wait until it is really dry. When soil against the pot is not touching it anymore. Crusty dry, but not for a week! 1-2 days MAX. When I see it's crusty dry, I put 3 liters of water in a container and let it sit there for 24h. So next day I water it.

It depends on the plant itself! Mine likes hot temps and cold dosen't harm her. She likes being thirsty like a lost man in the desert! But she is touchy for nutes..She dosen't like too much, and too low she will yellow fast.

Know your plant!

:thumbsup:

[stinkystink]

all right I just started wit some cfl's as well I found a 300 watt with 4200 lumens its soft white I dont know if thats bad or good but I will see maybe you could try it to there at home depot good luck.

[stinkystink]

sorry for that last post did not realize that you already have those again sorry I am really not that stupid.

[redtails]

I'd start at low levels with the Big Bloom, mixing the castings in will provide a longer period of release so when they are used up you just up the nute concentration in the water. That way you save your BB for longer, it looks like I'm going through it all (1 qt) within about a dozen plants with only 3 weeks veg cycle and full strength mix (2T veg, 1T flower per gallon).

[headshake]

big blooms is moslty composed of worm castings and seaweed so be careful. the big blooms is to be used as a catalyst for the tiger bloom and grow big.

i've used the entire lineup of FF nutes and thought they were okay at best. they did produce big buds but they also seemed to not mix that well and often gave an unstable pH reading. they wreaked some havoc on the plants is basically what i'm saying. and that was following fox farms feeding schedule. i'm not saying they suck and i'm not bashing them, just be careful with them.

you're gonna want to pick up some other nutes for flower.


-shake

[Buffalo Soldier]

subscribed..looks like a great grow in the making.........love these cfl logs. reminds me of the old days....yet i still use them LOL:cool:

carry on my friend looks great.........



buffalo:rastasmoke:

[kaiten408]

big blooms is moslty composed of worm castings and seaweed so be careful. the big blooms is to be used as a catalyst for the tiger bloom and grow big.

i've used the entire lineup of FF nutes and thought they were okay at best. they did produce big buds but they also seemed to not mix that well and often gave an unstable pH reading. they wreaked some havoc on the plants is basically what i'm saying. and that was following fox farms feeding schedule. i'm not saying they suck and i'm not bashing them, just be careful with them.

you're gonna want to pick up some other nutes for flower.


-shake

Thanks for the heads up shake...I guess i'll need to pick up some tiger bloom. I didn't buy any Grow Big because I thought I was far enough into the veg state that I didn't think it would be necessary.

When you say unstable pH reading...how were you checking it? same temperature and what not right? and were you using litmus paper or a liquid pH test kit?

I'll need to look around for a quality pH adjustment kit...I saw one where I got the big bloom but didn't pick one up at the time :stoned:

[headshake]

Thanks for the heads up shake...I guess i'll need to pick up some tiger bloom. I didn't buy any Grow Big because I thought I was far enough into the veg state that I didn't think it would be necessary.

if you follow the FF feeding schedule you will use GB in weeks 7/8. your plants will need some N during flower, it's just minimal.


When you say unstable pH reading...how were you checking it? same temperature and what not right? and were you using litmus paper or a liquid pH test kit?

i've used two different pH meters (one being a digital one) and had readings that like to fluctuate. the digital meter was a friends and he told me that he's never seen it bounce around like it was. i can't say it's the nutes for sure, but it's something to keep in mind.

good growing!


-shake

[kaiten408]

Hello everyone,

Sorry I have not updated recently, I was away for quite awhile and my plants were in quite a distress when I returned. But I'm happy to say that I've since fixed'em up and they are looking be-a-u-tiful :jointsmile:

They have all grown exponentially, and some are still growing. One of them is already full out in flowering and is smelling like god's vagina :thumbsup:

I started using Fox Farm Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom in increasing strength since last Monday. I was quite worried about over fertilizing and burning them, but that fear has since dissipated. These plants eat these nutes up, I can tell a noticeable difference in plant growth and overall look (healthy) since I've been using them.

Anyway, on with the pictures:

Here's the overall op, consisting of 5x 300w equiv. CFL with 21,000 lumens total:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1677.jpg

This little guy was nearly dead, but somehow I managed to bring him back from the brink:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1678.jpg

This is the plant that is in full budding mode:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1679.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1680.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1681.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1683.jpg

Here's my tallest plant, she's got pre-flowers but is still in vegetative mode:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1684.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1685.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1687.jpg

Smoke some :rastasmoke:

K

[redtails]

Glad everything's fine now kaiten, the babies are looking great. I really like the look of the plant in the blue bucket, reminds me of the first plant I ever had. It all gets more exciting from here! :thumbsup:

[kaiten408]

I know! And the crazy thing, that I'm still in disbelief at, is that these were all bag seeds and they were all female! :jointsmile:

[MonkeyBone]

I was starting to worry about your man! Plants turned great!!!

:thumbsup:

[no1169nn]

woooow those are some nice plants considering your using only cfl lighting
good luck with this

[kaiten408]

Thanks for the compliments guys :thumbsup:

However, I do have some bad news...I had to pull the "gimp" plant....she was actually a he. Couldn't have him sending pollen everywhere so I sent him to can.

The rest are looking great, all have female preflowers and are beginning to flowering. The shorter indica-looking plant is blooming wonderfully. I'm shooting for a mid-march harvest of her, but only time will tell at this point.

Smoke some :jointsmile:

K

[kaiten408]

Quick question for the veterans out there:

My short indica plant (the one that is budding) is still in quite a small container, but it's already at least a week into it's flowering stage.

So should I transplant it to a larger pot or just leave it? I don't want to send it into shock and stunt it. I figure if it's not going to grow vertically much more, it should be fine but I just need reassurance. :stoned:

K

[redtails]

Honestly I've never personally seen a plant shocked by transplanting, except when the soil was way overwatered with almost no perlite or the roots were torn while removing it. If you have any experience transplanting, I'd say go ahead and give it a try but remember it's best to do it when the rootball is good and dry to minimize breaking it.

[kaiten408]

UPDATE:

Everything is going great right now. The short indica is budding beautifully, I've got some teaser shots of it posted. The other sativa looking plants are healthy and growing exponentially still. I'm going to have to move it to a bigger location where I can raise the lights higher.

Also I'm still wondering if I should transplant the indica plant? Part of me says to leave it, but another part thinks the plant won't be able to grow/bud to its full potential. Any thoughts on this?

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1688.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1689.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1690.jpg

[PhatJay]

Lovely pics, they look very similar to how my ladies looked last week, but a bit more healthy.

*subscribed*

________________________________________

Phat Jays 1st Grow (belated log w/pics)

[caregiver420]

Looks like some excellent bud on the way, kaiten408.

I'd say If you can carefully pull the dry root ball out of the bucket easily and it is tightly wound together, then go ahead and transplant it. If there aren't a lot of roots holding the dirt together then carefully put it back and don't bother transplanting it. Once you get down to the last six weeks of the plants expected life, don't bother with transplanting since the plant has most likely redirected all of it's energy and isn't bothering to grow anything except for the sexual organs.

[kaiten408]

UPDATE

Everything is looking good still. One of my smaller sativas is looking kind of weak, dunno why? :wtf:

However the indica is going great, it's really starting to fatten up :jointsmile:

I noticed on some of the lower bud sites that some of the tips were turning amber...i'm asuming this is normal :stoned:..Please let me know if not, maybe from overnuting?

Pics coming later

K

[kaiten408]

Picture time!

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1691.jpg

Here's the sativa that is starting to flowering:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1692.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1693.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1694.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1695.jpg

And now for the indica, notice the amber tips:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1696.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1697.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1698.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1699.jpg

[kaiten408]

UPDATE:

Plants are looking great for the most part. The tall sativas are a little unmanageable due to lack of LST and some of the upper fan leaves are burning from being to close to the lights, but it's still budding just fine.

The indica is looking amazing, I'm hoping to harvest in ~2 weeks, I'm planning on March 12th in time for Spring Break. Any tips on picking a more ideal harvest time? I've been checking the trichomes with a monocle but can't get a good image of them. :stoned:

Here's pics of the indica:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1735.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1733.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1732.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1731.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1725.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1728.jpg

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo181/kcp0027/Log/IMG_1724.jpg

[jtsik330]

sweet jesus:stoned:

[Shovelhandle]

Those plant pictures are swell! :thumbsup:

[PhatJay]

Looking good, :smokin: it would be nice if you could add something to the odd picture to give us a sense of scale.

[SmokeMyPiece]

Very Nice! my Sativa's in the same boat.. hope it fills out like urs:thumbsup::thumbsup:

6 cfls @ 2.5 weeks

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[kaiten408]

Okay...I think it is time to harvest the indica. I feel like it's gotten as fat as it will, over 80% of the pistils have shrunk and the buds are covered in orange hairs. I've also been flushing it for the last 8 days, though it still smells pretty earthy.

Does anybody think I should wait longer? I'm going to start curing immediately and hope that I can get at least some bud for Spring Break.

I'll be updating with pictures soon.

smoke some
K :jointsmile: