flowering question

[UPYooper]

I am a novice grow this is my first time taking plants all the way into flowering stage. I do this as a hobby so please doesnâ??t rag on me to hard.

Okay first the facts.

Started with two seeds from mid-grade sativa all I could get my hands on.
I am growing in soil in a closet. Decent sized pots probably 3-4 gallons. Intended to keep plants small but they have gotten a bit huge on me. Should have moved to flowering earlier.

Here is the log:

11-10-2005: Started bunch of seeds in one pot. Five grew. Under one lame light on 18/6 schedule. No fan at this point.

12-10-2005: Down to two plants in two pots. Got serious (somewhat  three 150W CFLs, still 18/6 schedule. Nutrients are Miracle Grow 24-8-16. Water de-ionized about every 4-5 days rotating with and without nutes. Added a small fan to closet. Kept top of plants ~ 6 inches from lights at all times.

12-30-2005: Moved to 12/12 for flowering. Each plant is 20 inches high. Both plants have nine nodes. Moved the nutrients to Miracle Grow 10-52-10. Rotate water with and without nuts every 4-5 days. Covered inside of closet with blankets to keep very dark during dark period.

01-24-2006: Still on 12/12, each plant is huge many nodes and branches, each plant over 35 inches high (they are growing out of the closet :mad: . Both plants clearly female with many small flowers. Bottom fan leaves are wilting and dying but top leaves look nice but somewhat small.

Okay here is my question.
Compared with other pictures on this site my flowers seem underdeveloped for this time frame. There are many of them but they are just white filaments coming out everywhere no visible bud formation. Also they have absolutely no smell to them? Is this normal for it to sometimes take so long to get visible bud formation? Could it be I donâ??t have strong enough lights? I know 400W HPS or something would be better but that is not feasible right now. Could it be because they are sativa? I have heard they take much longer to develop. Any thoughts?

I think in the future I need to get a hold of better seeds. Oh well this is a learning processes.

Sorry no pictures no digital camera right now.
Great site by the way very good ideas here. You guys and gals would make some great scientist. Well I mean the growing area, the drug testing area is full of idiot posts.

[Nature Boy]

Are the CFL's 150 watt CFL output, or a 150 watt FLORESCENT REPLACEMENT BULB(WHICH WOULD ONLY BE ABOUT 32-35 WATTS)?

If you are running 150 watt CFL's, the base of the CFL will be a Mogul base (a whole lot bigger than you would screw a regular light bulb in), if the CFL's you have are screwing into regular size sockets, you are WAY underpowered, if you are using the HUGE socket though, you have 300w true CFL power, yet I might add more..........

The stretching is due to lack of light and/or the sativa in the strain.......

Find out about your existing lights, and then we will see what is up......

Sativas flower late too, with powerful cerebral highs, but lower yeilds........

You can bend your colas to accomodate your size restrictions, and secure them with sticks to support them horizontally..........

Holler back!

[Mrs.WeedChick]

You should look at these 3/4 weeks flowering, and the same thing happens to me everytime. I never find the strain that grows heaping buds up the stem. Oh, woe is us!

[UPYooper]

CFLs are the biggest I could find at Home Depot.
They screw into regular sockets but I have them in reflectors you can get at home depot as well. The closet is all white on three sides so that helps reflections wise. But I agree I think I am way under for lighting. I think the key is to keep your plants smaller if you are stuck using less light (that is flower as early as possible).

Yep mine look a lot like yours Mrs Weedchick (nice name), a bit less developed though and your stems are stronger. I think you have me beat.

Can you plug those high powered lights into normal sockets from extension cords??

Thanks

[Nature Boy]

CFLs are the biggest I could find at Home Depot.
They screw into regular sockets but I have them in reflectors you can get at home depot as well. The closet is all white on three sides so that helps reflections wise. But I agree I think I am way under for lighting. I think the key is to keep your plants smaller if you are stuck using less light (that is flower as early as possible).

Yep mine look a lot like yours Mrs Weedchick (nice name), a bit less developed though and your stems are stronger. I think you have me beat.

Can you plug those high powered lights into normal sockets from extension cords??

Thanks



Ok Bro..........

You are going to need some more CFL's............

About $20 a piece, you can add 4' CFL hoods (2 40w 3000 lumen tubes in each, for a total of 6000 lumens)!

And with your cramped space, with the tubes, you can let your plants grow right into them and touch them, without burning them at all, unlike the compact CFL's you are presently using.......

Not that they are bad, just can let the plants touch them!

Chuck about 2-3 4' CFL hoods in the closet (the more, the better), and see what happens..........

YOU HAVE WAY TOO LITTLE LIGHT!

[UPYooper]

Got any links to show how the CFLs you are talking about are different than mine?? But I cant find mine on the Home Depot site.

I see nothing at home depot bigger than mine. I am a light novice so please be descriptive.

Thanks so much for your help, figured light was the issue.
They grew great in veg state but I read you need much more light for good flowering.

How many CFLs can you run out of a single socket with out worrying about overload? I guess it doesnt come close to a big entertainment center?

[Nature Boy]

Got any links to show how the CFLs you are talking about are different than mine?? But I cant find mine on the Home Depot site.

I see nothing at home depot bigger than mine. I am a light novice so please be descriptive.

Thanks so much for your help, figured light was the issue.
They grew great in veg state but I read you need much more light for good flowering.

How many CFLs can you run out of a single socket with out worrying about overload? I guess it doesnt come close to a big entertainment center?


My friend has 8 4' G.E. Daylight tubes (4 hoods)

And 3 of the 200w REPLACEMENT floros (like you have, about 40w TRUE floro each)

All on the same socket and timer..........

You shouldn't have any problem there..........

Keep the lights you have and use them too..........

The compacts have more red in the spectrum, helps buds fatten with CFL's....

You can add a little at a time, and your plants will be O.K., it will just take longer to finish flowering.........

Holler back!

BUT START ADDING MORE CFL LIGHTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!

[amstron]

get a couple of envirolites, they come in either spectrum, red or blue and can get them in 150 or 200 watts. they are pretty cheap aswell. in UK its £20 for the bulb and £20 for the plug cable and fitting. so what thats like $75-80 each

[Nature Boy]

When you go to the store, look or ask for, Portable Shop Lights.........

The hood, that holds 2 4' 40w floro tubes, with standard 110v household plug is $9.99........

The 4' bulbs are 3.50-5.00 a piece.........

1 hood- around 6000 lumens (2 3000 lumen tubes)

Find the sq. ft. of your grow area, and you want about 2000- 3000 lumens per sq. ft.

Example:

6 sq. ft.= 12,000-18,000 lumens (2000-3000 lumens x 6)

That is your goal!

[Nature Boy]

Oh.........

And don't get picky on the variety of the 4' tubes........

They have warm white, cool white, daylight, and so on..........

You get about the same results from any of them........

Hell, mix em up if you want........

BUT DO NOT BUY THE EXPENSIVE "GROW" LIGHT TUBES, THEY ARE NOT ANY BETTER THAN THE CHEAP TUBES.........

[UPYooper]

Thanks everyone.
If any one could post some links to on-line examples that would be awesome.

[Seedling]

Mrs. Weed - try growing white widow - I am getting a ton of buds all along the stem

[gin4dub]

Ok Bro..........

You are going to need some more CFL's............

About $20 a piece, you can add 4' CFL hoods (2 40w 3000 lumen tubes in each, for a total of 6000 lumens)!

And with your cramped space, with the tubes, you can let your plants grow right into them and touch them, without burning them at all, unlike the compact CFL's you are presently using.......

Not that they are bad, just can let the plants touch them!

Chuck about 2-3 4' CFL hoods in the closet (the more, the better), and see what happens..........

YOU HAVE WAY TOO LITTLE LIGHT!

Yay, I get to pass down some knowledge (I made this same error too, a lot of growers do at first).:p You CAN'T ADD LUMENS. 2 3000 lumen bulbs doesn't give you 6000 lumens. Obviously the more light the better, but adding lumens just don't work. Happy growing y'all.