lighting questions, making the switch to 12/12, water quality?

first a little background,
I have a closet grow, a small space, 2.5' x 2.5' x 6' (L x W x H )with 4, 42 watt cfl bulbs suspended 6" or so above my plants. I plan on growing 2-3 plants. i have a 50 cfm exhaust fan at the top of the closet, venting into another room with a carbon filter on the end of the duct work. the closet is not sealed there is about a 3/4" gap at the bottom of the door for air flow and 1/2" gap at the top. I am growing in soil, my own mix of miracle grow potting, organic potting soil for flowering plants,and a little perlite. as of now my plants are still very small, and are not in their final pots yet. the lights are on a 18/6 timer. my exhaust and air circulation fans are on timers as well.

questions:

1. when making the switch to 12/12 i want to change the timer from its current setting, where it turns off as the sun goes down and on in the early morning hours, to off during the day and on at night, so the room stays cooler during the day. will this create any problems?


2. i have shitty city water, will this effect my plants? what is the effect of (city water v. well water or spring water) i am almost positive there is no water softener in my building, will a cheep Brita filter work? i can obtain spring water somewhere near by and would not mind the extra work if it will be beneficial.

3. should i install another exhaust fan, or is the one i have gunna get the job done? should i install an intake fan from the other room to my grow space?

4. is my lighting adequate?

5. is a 50/50 MG potting, organic flower potting soil mix ok? is there any reason this would cause me a problem?

an answer to any, if not all of these questions would be greatly appreciated.

sincerely,

spector

1. You can suddenly change to any 12/12 light cycle you want...just make sure there are no light leaks during the daytime.

2. Most tap water is OK to use. Do you know the ph of your water?...my 7.3 ph well water worked great with MG soil...:thumbsup:...it runout at 6.7 ph.

3. You need to maintain 70-85 degrees and introduce fresh air whenever possible. Use as many fans as necessary.

4. I have no experience with CLF's. sorry. There's lots of CFL grow logs: check them out.

5. Any good quality potting soil is OK. IMO. Mix in 20% perlite for good drainage. Water should go in and flow right out the bottom with ease.

Good Luck!

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questions:

1. when making the switch to 12/12 i want to change the timer from its current setting, where it turns off as the sun goes down and on in the early morning hours, to off during the day and on at night, so the room stays cooler during the day. will this create any problems?


2. i have shitty city water, will this effect my plants? what is the effect of (city water v. well water or spring water) i am almost positive there is no water softener in my building, will a cheep Brita filter work? i can obtain spring water somewhere near by and would not mind the extra work if it will be beneficial.

3. should i install another exhaust fan, or is the one i have gunna get the job done? should i install an intake fan from the other room to my grow space?

4. is my lighting adequate?

5. is a 50/50 MG potting, organic flower potting soil mix ok? is there any reason this would cause me a problem?

an answer to any, if not all of these questions would be greatly appreciated.

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1. If your saying you want to have the lights running at night, then that's is fine. Only problem is you will be sleeping so you won't be able to really check on them to make sure they are ok during the day light hours.
2. I usually don't worry about the water too much. I just watch for the PH. Go to Wal-Mart and get a PH test kit for $5. What is in the water probably does matter, but I don't have that problem here. Maybe get some distilled water or do some reverse osmosis.
3. Depends on how hot your grow room is. 75-85 is recommended. Never go above 90. Maybe you should do a dry run of your room to see how hot it gets when the lights are on.
4. In my opinion 4 CFL's are not enough. I'd go with no less that six, 42W...I have 10 23W (1600lumen) bulbs on 3 plants right now and they are starting to get hella-bushy. I will probably put in at least 2 to 4 more in there when I get ready to flower. Remember also that when you add more light it will get hotter in the grow cab/room. Also, bring those CFL to about 2''-3'' instead of six. Also if possible, put them at an angle rather than hanging straight down. Will get more usable light that way.
5. You can make any potting soil work. Just have to "tweak" it to work for you. Many dread that MG stuff, but it has worked for me! My first grow I had MG garden soil and used MG fertilizers (never again though; i upgraded :smokin: )

Good Luck and Happy Growing

DP, Italiano, good answers, guys. :thumbsup:

Good questions, too, spector, for a first post--welcome aboard!

The "stickies" here contain great info. Read the ones that relate to your situation and you'll be golden!

thanks people, i will go get a few more lights, a ph testing kit, and another exhaust fan. i kept the plants 6" from the lights because i was afraid of them burning, you don't think that will be a problem with them so close?

i recently read in cannabis culture that putting white sand on top of the soil around your plant is a good way to stop the moisture in the soil from evaporating, and it adds another light reflective surface.
1. do you see any problems with this idea?

2. wouldn't the sand eventually seep down in to the soil and change its composition?

and one last issue

i have drop light hoods over my bulbs. the big silver round ones, there actually 8.5" in diameter and have vent holes cut for the heat to escape.
if i add more lights i would not be able to fit any more hoods at the same hight as the lights that are in there now. my walls and floor are painted flat white for reflection. without the hoods i could fit 4 to 6 more bulbs in the room. with the hoods i can fit 2 more bulbs. i can also pick up some normal 23 watt fluorescent lights( the long rod bulbs) and run them on the walls facing in towards the plants.

3. would it be ok to hang just the bulbs without any hoods to reflect the light ?

4. should i place lighting on the walls facing in towards the plants?

all of your guidance is greatly appreciated, and again thanks for the super quick responses to my last bunch of questions.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sp3ct0r802

thanks people, i will go get a few more lights, a ph testing kit, and another exhaust fan. i kept the plants 6" from the lights because i was afraid of them burning, you don't think that will be a problem with them so close?

i recently read in cannabis culture that putting white sand on top of the soil around your plant is a good way to stop the moisture in the soil from evaporating, and it adds another light reflective surface.
1. do you see any problems with this idea?

2. wouldn't the sand eventually seep down in to the soil and change its composition?

and one last issue

i have drop light hoods over my bulbs. the big silver round ones, there actually 8.5" in diameter and have vent holes cut for the heat to escape.
if i add more lights i would not be able to fit any more hoods at the same hight as the lights that are in there now. my walls and floor are painted flat white for reflection. without the hoods i could fit 4 to 6 more bulbs in the room. with the hoods i can fit 2 more bulbs. i can also pick up some normal 23 watt fluorescent lights( the long rod bulbs) and run them on the walls facing in towards the plants. Without the reflectors you may lose a bit more yield, but I don't think anything drastic, considering your grow room is small.

3. would it be ok to hang just the bulbs without any hoods to reflect the light ?

4. should i place lighting on the walls facing in towards the plants?

all of your guidance is greatly appreciated, and again thanks for the super quick responses to my last bunch of questions.

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If your lights are too far away then it won't be using its "max potential" in lumen output. I keep mine about 3 in away now that I have about 10 lights running on my three BB. You shouldn't burn them so long as your not TOO close or touching any foliage. Sand does help to a certain extent. It probably would eventually mix in with the soil. Never used it in a grow except for an accidental outside grow of some seeds I just threw outside in a sandpit. Grew lovely for awhile till I plucked that sucker when tending to the lawn. Yes, it's ok no to use reflectors is in a small grow room or cab. But of course, reflectors are what you need to keep light from escaping up. If you want to put lights all over the walls then shoot for it! :thumbsup: Remember, so long as you can control heating and humidity issues, then you can add as many lights you feel you may want. More lights = better yields! (so long as rest of needs are met)