the complex questions of a perplexed noob

well, lets see....

i gess i should start off by saying "hi":dance: to n e 1 who drops by this thread. i beleive this will end up being quite a brute; i have a tendency to come up with the strangest ideas/questions at the most unusual time and places.:p i shall relate to everything stated as present tense, like i'm actually doing things instead of just thinking them...;)

more about me later.:o

ok, i saw at lowe's a 400w hps bulb. i walked around to the fixture isle, but alas! no 400w unit! so, looking at the bulb box, i see a note, "use only with ansi51 ballast". i walk around again, but, alas!! i find nothing that says "ansi51" anywhere! :(

questions:

what is ansi?:confused:
can i get just a ballast, and wire it myself?:confused:
how much (guesstimated) would the ballast cost?:confused:

~note~ i have sockets for the 400w bulbs. i don't have any idea where to get a 400w fixture, and ordering online is not going to happen.:(

~hypotheticle scenario~:cool:
ok, i have a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a.... you get the point. she is currently growing cannabis for medical reasons. for fun, i'll go through this memory in the first person, like it was me growing. ((easier to say me/i than her/she etc.) i don't partake or have involvement with anything illegal; this is all 100% made up. not real.) i have a bagseed plant. about 6 weeks flowering, give or take a week.:o she was grown outdoors and recently brought inside due to cold snaps.she is budding nicely, buds are starting to fill out but still small, however, i notice there are much fewer trichomes on her buds than on any picture i've ever seen.

questions:

is it normal for buds to lack trichomes; do they form later on?:confused:
are there any nutes or other products to increase trich count?:confused:
is it normal for buds to be the size of my thumb at this age?:confused:

i have recently changed my room arrangement as well. i have 8 blueberry from seed, two cuttings from each. the seeded have been flowering for a couple weeks, i discovered 3 males and sepparated them out. now they are being starved and are dying of thirst (:mad: the bastards deserve more!!) but sadly i've decided that they may be of use to me; i need seeds, so i will keep them alive just long enough to take the friut of their loins for my daughters. but the six copies have gone to the hogs.

well, i think that'll do for now, but don't worry; it gets better! stay tuned folks, same time, same channel, and well see you all later!:)

love, kp:p

I too have wandered through lowes - and found the same issues you have. I found myself strangely attracted to secuity lights at office buildings, like a moth to a flame. But your best bet ( i have been told) would be to purchase on-line from someone like http://www.e-conolight.com/Product/EFamily.asp or http://www.1000bulbs.com/.

Peace

:pimp:

as far a resin go`s(gland heads on storked trichomes) keep the air as dry as pos idealy humidity around 50% or lower this can be controled quite easyly and cheeply with a small dehumidifier. Apart from good light this is the only other facter you can easy control for better resin production.
I don`t think the size of your bud is a problem as long as they have adaquet light they will reach potencial.
My good buds(flowering cinamon and grapefruit under 400w hps, almost done) are about an inch long and nice and fat.
but the i do`nt know the size of your thumb.

I love the newb's, LOL.
Molasses 1 Table Spoon per gallon will help in flower to break down more of the nutes that you may decide to use giving a greater efficiency to the nutes and a smoother smoke to the final product. Also, going with a light cycle of 10 on and 14 off may help to fatten up the buds.
If you do want to order on line, then I can point you to a place to get a 400w bal for $44 and a 1000w bal for $105.
Adieu sweet Southern Comfort, oh yes my name is Bear, I have been known to be called darling Bear by my closest companions. LOL
Adieu

~hypotheticle grow update~
everybody got watered today, three males went out side. first set of clones are vegging nicely, second set is doing fine, still rooting. outdoor girl got a little too much light today,(fell asleep, so she got an extra hour),i have to turn her lights on/off manually.

~for my responders~
to hemlock: ah, yes. those office security lights cause many a "deer in the headlights" look (they're soooo beautiful!) lol. n e idea of store (not online) where these security lights can be found? thank you, great evergreen!

to zigi: i have dainy little paws. so my buds are pretty little marbles (you know how there are two different size marbles? my buds range from the small size to the larger size) thanx for the input, do you know how to increase the [I]number[I] of trichomes?

and to my darling bear: can sugar be substituted for molasses? just wondering, i don't have any molasses around the house. for the light schedule, if you think that will help, i shall start tomorrow. and alas, online ordering is out:(

it is good to meet all of you, you have been very helpful so far. please feel free to stop by kingdom often. for those who prove their worthiness and mettle i may so reward thou with knighthood.

thanx to everyone, once more

love, kp

ps bear, i'm not normally so forward, and hope you do not take offense from the "darling bear" statement. as we have only just met, we could not possibly be the closest of companions, however i feel as if i know you from another life, as if there were some sort of ethereal bond between us. i just could not restrain my fingers! i shall try not to be so forward in the future.

that being said, farewell to all, and to you my darling bear.

love some more, kp

Yes indeed my lady you may use sugar. You vividly remind me of a wood sprite that I new in another time and another world, and I will seek to learn more about you and your unique similarities to that kindred spirit. Those security lights can work, but they can get a little hot. If you get one, I think that I may be able to find some threads on how to modify the light cover and wire them up so that the ballast is remote so it can be separate from the light and remove some of the heat problems associated with the lights.
Wish I had more answers to give you, but with my own daily trials and tribulations, I lose the little creativeness and insight into these matters I do have.
Adieu

thanx bear, i will indeed use sugar. 1 tbsp per gallon, right? also, if i do get a security light, i'll disect it and turn it into a homemade cooltube (i have some oil lamp covers for the tube) and mount the ballast outside of the flowerbox.

~two questions reitterated~
what does ansi mean?
is there any way to increase the trichome count? or will she develope more in the next 2 or 3 weeks?

thanx a bunch!

love, kp:p

.

Oi Bluebear stop flirting with her, in RL she's a frozen meats truck driver named Roger.

.

Sorry on both ends of the questions, I searched high an low and found no info on the antsy terminology, and as far as the trichome increase goe's, the only thing I can find or think besides an assortment of flowering nutes and additional light is the sugar and decreased light cycle. The photo synthesis plays a key role in the trichome development and the nutes are little components that help to unlock the potential of that key, so with a plant that large and with so little light, or nutes that are high in P and or made for bud enhancement, I am at a los, but perhaps someone will arrive to save the day.
Believe me though, I have beat the bricks trying to find and think of something that may help. Sorry if I am coming up too short to really help.
Adieu little lady

Maybe granny can help...in another life she worked someplace where such things mattered but her memory isn't too good anymore. ANSI is an acronym for American National Standards Institute so you see it's not a specific ballast, but rather a rating or standard for a ballast meaning you need one that meets the ANSI 51 standard...if I remember correctly...

Granny thank you so much for that tid bit of info. I truly did look for it. We can always learn from our elders, so don't hesitate to chime in on the in door section and teach us or scold us, what ever seems best.
Adieu

yeah, thanky thanky grams. and faithless, i am NOT a fat ass truck driver named roger, i'm the fat ass dude you see at waffle house; you kinow, the one who scratches his ass before buttering your toast?

thanks bear, i know you kid what you could, i'll try ferts and sugar today.

~question~
can any one list ballasts that meet the ansi 51 standard? they had like forty different kinds of ballasts, they just didn't say ansi 51 on them. like i said, i can't order online, so if one of those at lowes will work, that would be incredibly and totally awesome.

thanks everyone,

love, kp

ps, hey faithless, can i butter yo bread? huh, can i?

Kind Princess - you remind me of someone :p

Hola, KP.

Here's a thread I posted to a little while back about trichome production.

Do Not use a Blacklight in your growroom

Basically, another way I've read to increase your trichome production is to give them UVB light. Try a lizard "desert" light. :D That plus low humidity will force the plant to grow more trichomes in an effort to protect their "seed" inside.

I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about the ANSI electrical stuff you are talking about. Can't help in that department.

So are we going to be able to see any pics of your friend's friend's friend's plants? Maybe you could look up some on the web and post pics that are similar to what you would imagine they would look like? :D

Be like the wind...cool & fleeting.

RastafarI :rasta:

TGF

dear emmpey, i seem to have some de ja vu about something like beards, and wool.... don't know, probably just wishful thinking, huh?:)

wind words to the fog, thank you so much, i'll try to get a uv b bulb today.

for pics, i'll see what i can find that looks similar. i added 3 23w cfl's to the outdoor girl this morning, put up a ton of reflectors; i think light amount has doubled :thumbsup:

thanx again!

love, kp:p

You know, I have herd the same thing about the UV rays and such. They are supposed to help with TC productions and also control pest some how.
Well good morning Princess. You rise early this morning, or have a long night?
Hope your sleeping OK.
Adieu

Kindprincess sorry for the slap dash reply if your not (wasn`t) using flowering nutes thats your best bet, what are you using? im on biobis topmax i find all biobis stuf top notch.
My cinnamon were low on the trich count until i got the humidity down thats why i mentioned it, doin great now.The notable increase comes in the last 3 weeks as the gland heads swell and burst.
however, differences in resin production caused by any of the growth factors (light,temp,humidity,nutes,water, etc)are small compared to differences caused by the variety(heredity) and full maturation (expresstion of heredity)
So for good resin production choose seeds that (should at least) produce resinous bud then try to improve the growth factors every grow is work in progress after all, small tweaks here and there can make all the difference.
Why not flash dry some and see how it smokes low resin doesn`t nesesserely
mean crap smoke.
keep me updated your maj.

Ok, besides the fact that I feel like I walked into the middle of Gone With the Wind here my question would be why don't you stop munching on your waffle for a minute and ask the guy at Lowes? Tell him you are growing maple trees for the syrup. BTW...can I buy ones of those knighthoods?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Weedhound

Ok, besides the fact that I feel like I walked into the middle of Gone With the Wind here my question would be why don't you stop munching on your waffle for a minute and ask the guy at Lowes? Tell him you are growing maple trees for the syrup. BTW...can I buy ones of those knighthoods?

---

^ Hilarious! hahaha Is it just because I'm stoned, or is this freaking hilarious. ^

:upsidedow

TGF

Na, I aint baked and it's still funny.
Adieu

i think this humorous as well, though i don't exactly know what you're talking about, weed hound. ansi? if you are saying to ask them for help finding a ballast, i've tried three different lowes electricians, they were all clueless. i can't believe it, but i know more about lights/ballasts/wiring than these morons! welcome to hickville.

lo bear, i had a long night, and an early morn. i did not get my uvb bulb, but i will, i may have said this, but i put up a ton of reflectors downstairs around the outdoor girl. she seems to like it better that way, though temps are holding still at 85 (as low as they go) reflectors form a box, allowing only half the circulation. but, buds look bigger already (wishful thinking?) and i can see more trichs.?. yep kinda wierd, but only about a third of the plant has a good tc count.

~hpotheticle question~
is it possible for different parts of the plant to mature sooner than the rest?

to zigi, thanx, i'll cut a small bud and try her out to see what we're dealing with.

well, i'll be back after the lights change.

love, kp

the buds at the top(gettin more light) will obviously be the best most trichs etc.
Is that what you mean?

I humbly beg your pardon for assuming you did not ask the peanutheads at Lowes and frankly I should have known you would not get a decent answer from them anyway. Since I know less about lighting than either you or the Lowe's dudes I will confine my future input to things I think I may thought I might have known at some point.

zigi, this plant can be seen as three sepparate plants (three different main areas) on one section, the hairs have started turning orange/red; this section shows more trichs. the other areas have white hairs with some pink thrown in for splash, an much fewer trichomes.

~hypotheticle question~
is it possible for one main branch to mature faster than antother?

i'll say this, the branch that has the ripe looking buds started to flower b4 the rest of the plant did.

i hope it is not ready yet, the buds are still so small... about a tenth of the size of my previous outdoor gro's. i'll give her a few more weeks. incidently, my dog ate my log... wow, that ryhmes! but i don't know when my plants did what now, so i'll have to use someone else's post on this site.

to my hound... please do not abandon, i know little of lights and ballasts myself. i only said that the lowe's guys were friggin morons. come back often please...

where are you bear? lights come on in 20 mins...

love ya all!!!

love, kp:p

Princess check your local yellowpages for industrial lighting stores cost me about 130 for a balast kit had everything but the socket

Well, hopin' I could help but knowin' what ANSI means doesn't really help all that much...

Sittin' here tryin' to decide if it's time to harvest...I can't see the damn trichs...guess I need to get a stronger magnifier tomorrow...my girls have been flowering since about 9//20...seeds were given to me so I don't know what they are. Sorry hon, not meanin' to hijack your thread...just yakkin' to myself.

thanx damian, i'll try to find one of those stores.

thank you too, granny, knowing what ansi means DOES help... now i just have to find a ballast to match the bulb. i took a bulb out of the box and found the numbers of the correct ballast (can't remember now, r something) but i figure that this is going to be the way to match up.

still have one bb from seed that has not shown sex yet... first to show flower (female) is begining to look tantalizing. she is starting to get hairs all over the place.

can't wait to see what the outdoor girl looks like in the morning, she is starting to go into high gear it seems.

found out i had a couple of clones mixed up... had plant 2 switched with 3, so i had two male clones under the veg light. thankfully, i hadn't tossed the clones yet, so situation has been remedied.

thanx guys,

love, kp :p

hello? is there n e body out there?!?!

I'm here. :D How're the girls doin'? You and the other ones. :D

TGF

Did you ever get your ballast problem sorted out? It gives me a headache. I wanna just buy you a complete light kit. :D:D

TGF

Im sorry i don`t really understand ( three different main areas on one section ).What evers goin on it sounds like its almost done.
Don`t be supprised to see a marked difference if your used to a outdoor crop, espesh if your light aint puttin out much.
It`s hard without pics maybe someone else will know.
I feel ive let you down your maj.

just went though thread to remind myself what you got (light) still not sure, can you remind me, sorry been up all night smokin white

Hey little lady, sorry that I didn't get back to ya yesterday. had a couple friends get killed yesterday, one got shot in the neck and the other hit by a truck fleeing the sceen, both dead. Well, about 13 of my child hood friends gone now, none by natural causes, RIP. Only 3 of us left, and 2 of us got holes to show that it might not of even been us 3 still kicking.
Well, hope all is well with you and yours.
Adieu

Sorry to hear that bear kinda now how it feels, but not as bad as that.Were thay in a stolen car on a job?, who shot him?

Awe, bad story, argument between friends, one shoots the other and tries to run and get hit and killed. Grew up with one all the way from grade school.
Thanks for the condolences
The Lord judges the quick and the dead.
Southern Princess, sorry for ranting on your thread.
Adieu

Well, Wow, I don't even know what to say about that. Makes my problems seem miniscule. :(

RIP

I'm gonna go look at my bud pics to feel better. Bummer. Sorry for your loss BlueBear.

Hey, Princess. Where you at?

TGF

BlueBear, woulda rather PM'd you than here in KP's thread, but I did want to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. It's always hard, but even more so with young people and when they're senseless deaths.

That hits the mark right on the point. I got out of the streets many years ago, but the after math of that lifestyle still affects me when things like this happen.
Love you all and will stop getting this thread so off topic, maybe I'll start a new thread.
Adieu

dear sweet, darling bear...

i'm so sorry to hear of the new. i've been at work all day, just got home. i can relate to the loss of childhood friends, as most of mine are on another plane of existence. wow, i feel bad for posting an update now. well, bear, i know that you'd want me to keep on posting so....

to the fog, still haven't figured out which ballast (i need model numbers or something) and outdoor girl has done me right and proud today whilst i was away. her buds are deffinitely starting to swell, and gess what... more trichs than yesterday! like twice as many. but only on 2 branches.

to zigi, you know how when you top a plant, you get 2 main branches instead of one? well imagine having three main branches, then immagine these braches becoming so stretched they fall to the ground and start growing horizontally. this is what happened to sage... she got way too little light for about 2 months durring a spider mite infestation (she is the only survivor of 10 initial plants). n e way, these three main branches have grown into what looks like sepparate plants. each main branch has about 20 branches.

the three main branches look to be in different stages of developement. she is under 9 23w cfl's. flowerbox for bb's has 4 48'' kitchen and bath flo's and 16 23w cfl's.

5 female bb's are doin excellent! lst'd one is a late bloomer. they are stretching lik crazy with tons of new growth in between. we're talkin thousand of hairs guys!! (tons of branches due to lst/topping) can't wait til these are actually budding...

as for clones... 100% sucess rate! all have rooted and are vegging, now its time to reread on clone moms (i have 2 clones from each female in veg now, plan on having one of each as a mom, and quick flower the rest, maybe a week or two of veg from this point)

clones are under 2 48" ge daylight tubes. feeding clones with green light root builder... flower nutes is super bloom by green light (i love this stuff!!!)

ne way, gotta go for a while, i'll be back later.

so sorry, bear:(

love to all, kp

ps, sage's stem base is almost 2 inches in diameter!!!

love, kp