First Grow - Week 3 - A Few Questions

hi there.
I have been reading in this forum for a while now absorbing info like a sponge. thanks for all your help so far. also please bear in mind that, as i am doing this purely for myself, i am not hugely fussed about an enormous yield just a regular-ish supply of lovely green.

I grow in a custom made box which measures 1.5' x 1.5' x 6'

I am growing some 99% guaranteed female seeds bought online as part of an indoor mix.this means that while i can be fairly sure of female plants i have no idea what strain they are.

I am growing a single plant (pics to follow when i can get them off my camera phone/borrow someones digital camera) in soil in a large pot which pretty much fills the 1.5' square base of the box.

I use a 250W HPS throughout the whole grow as i cannot afford to get a MH bulb as well at the mo.at the moment the lights are on 17/7

The plant itself is 8" tall, has 2 good secondary branches as well as the main stem. The leaves seem extremely close together and the smaller bits growing off secondary branches and tertiary branches all seem to be shaded an awful lot by the larger leaves.

My questions are as follows:

1) Vertical space is not a problem (6' to play with) but space in horizontal directions is limited to 1.5'. obviously the taller the plant the wider it gets as well so how tall roughly should i allow it to get before the limited horizontal space has an adverse effect on the plant (not enough light getting lower down, overcrowding, etc)

2) how tall should it be before swaping light cycle to 12/12. i have read advice saying 8" and other advice stating 2'. Dont worry i am not going to put it on to flower for AT LEAST annother week as the plant has only been on veg for 3 weeks. clearly the taller the plant the larger the harvest but i would like anywhere between 1oz and 2oz. if anyone could give an indication of how much i can expect from a plant which flowers at x inches tall that would be extremely useful as i can make up my mind. Please bear in mind Question 1 when answering this one.

3) How should i best take advantage of the bushyness of the plant? i have been considering papercliping the tips of the larger leaves together to alow better light penetration down to the smaller leaves.i do not want to cut off the larger leaves at any point as i am going to put the plant back onto veg after harvest in order to shorten the overall growing time for next harvest.would i be best doing this now with a while left on veg to maximise veg growth or during flowering?

4) there is so much plant in such a small space that i feel that the lighting is not being optimised.does anyone have any tips for this or is it best to leave the plant with all the leaves close together?

5) The plant is being grown in potting compost which has ferts in it already. how long will the plant take to use up these ferts? ie. when do i need to start supplementing its fertiliser intake and after that how much/how often?

sorry it seems that this post is now extremely long. i appreciate any advice that anyone can give regarding these important questions.

Thanks in advance.

Jo

hi there, i've been reading your post and have some comments to make.....ok here they are....

1,5x1,5=2,25 sq ft....that's plenty for one plant only, plus with your light of 250hps you get around 111 watts/sqft which is like heaven for plant growing....as for when to throw it into 12/12 do the following.....let it grow for one more week and then tie it down (LST), what you're looking for is to make a bush type plant, the reason for that lies on the limited light penetration your bulb of 250 has....obviously if your plant grows taller than 4 ft , your light will not be able to reach further down below considering the fact that it has to be already at a safe distance from the top of the plant.....if you LST it, you will be able to stimulate growth from the medium/lower branches and you will be able to control its' height....a large bush will grow with bud sites everywhere you look....also you can top it once or twice be fore 12/12.....by doing these two techniques (topping and LST) you will be able to be into 12/12 cycle within a month or so from today....the final yield though will definately be much much more than 2 oz....what you're looking for is many small to medium sized buds as you need your light as close to the entire plant....anyways, if you're only after 1-2 oz you can avoid doing any of these and go into 12/12 within two weeks from now or when the plant passes the 12 inches of height....remember, you can apply LST even during flowering but topping it takes place only when in vegetation..... :)

as for the fertilising thing......the plants when they need to be fed with ferts they show it to you.....in this case look for the first set of leaves the plant grew from the beggining....yeah, right, the two round leaves, right at the bottom of the plant....if they are green then the plant has everything it needs, when they start getting yellowish this means that you need to add nitrogen as the plant it consumes what is already stored in the leaves and thus the yellowing on the leaves alerts a nitrogen deficiency....normally the soil that comes already fertilised is good for most of the vegetation cycle....i completed my vegetation using ferts 2 times only within the 5 weeks that took to get into 12/12.....when you think it's time to apply ferts go low....use 1/4 strength for the first time and build up to full strength slowly....more or less in a normal situation you will be using them one time every week or like every 2-3 waterings depending of plant growth and needs....remember that overfertilising DOES NOT make them grow more.....that's all i can think of right now.... take care and good luck with your grow....post some pics when you can :)
and remember, look at your plant carefully, it can tell you what it needs....watch the leaves....

thank you for that advice.the bottom round leaves are looking a little yellowish so i shall fertilise asap. I think i shall go for the more patient option... i have been patient for this long i might as well wait a little longer.

and here are the pics...

as you can see the leaves are tight together.

i appologise for the poor quality of the shots but they were taken using some oldschool digital camera which takes images and puts them on floppy disks.