first grow: northern lights; advice requested

5 x 26w + 1 x 125w CFLs in vegetative grow-cab (18 hours)
2 x 100cfm fans (18 hours)
6 x 42w CFLs in flowering (12 hours)
2 x 100cfm fans (12 hours)
1 x 250 cfm fan (12 hours)
Monthly, I pay about $60~ 65.. It's about $10 more than before I started to grow. And I also live in apt. and call your gas and electric company and ask about low income benefit if it's available..
If I am growing in my closet, HPS would be considered as my lighting option.
Before I started to grow, I was like drooling over other's ppl's plants and thinking about making my own water bong and stuff.. now.. I am just happy looking at my plants..
You need to make more money, dude.. You're gonna have a family to take care of..
Don't worry too much. Enjoy~

heh; i'm a student right now so i'm not earning much. cost isn't the issue. i could afford my electric bill to jump by $100, but i don't want to create suspicion, and i don't need to grow much anyway, as it's just for myself and i'm not an everday smoker


appreciate the advice. i'm nearly positive i'll be going with hps for flowering, but i am trying to decide whether to use cfl or flouro-tubes for veg. is one more efficient than the other? would it be better to use one strong cfl or many smaller ones? is one more efficient than the other?

You gotta make a right decision but there is no right answer for everything because not everyone is doing in the same way.
I went with CFLs because it is easy to buy.. One breaks, I could just drive and get one.. I am talking about convenience.. Don't be afraid to make mistakes..
One year later, you will be experienced.. I will be more..

I am planing to harvest one plant every moth.. My growing cabinet is for only 2 plants. When I harvest one, I transport one from vegetative cabinet and I have 2 ~ 4 cuttings at the same time.. I leave my cuttings in cloning chamber for 10 ~ 12 days.. so it's like.. keeps going and going..
Good luck on yours~

now that's a cool idea. my only concern of having one plant near end of harvest and one only one month into flower would be one overshadowing the other, but really that's a very cool plan indeed. i really might have to copy you there; i like it! the plants would get less light during their first month of flower (as the taller one next to it might block out a bit of light), but then in it's second month it would take that place while a new plant gets put into flower. cool idea; but wait, i think the issue would be with one light it would be high above the smaller plant, so i don't think i'll copy you after all


oh, and btw: i dreamed about growing last night. no joke. i got all male plants and i put them on 12/12 right away and it was a big disaster. not kidding. i can't believe i actually dreamed about growing, but clearly it's dominating my thoughts :)

my current plan for lighting:

1. several warm and cool cheaper 40ish-Watt cfl's from walmart; i can add more or less depending on who needs light etc. hang from ceiling with little round shades on each one, thus i can have a tall mother next to little babies and not have one big long flouro tube to deal with

2. one 200w hps for flower. one or two plants at a time

question: could someone suggest where to buy my hps/ballast with a shade and maybe a cool tube in a package? i've been looking at 1000bulbs. better suggestion? i definitely want a way to keep it cool, and if that came pre-built all the better

all in all i'm just happy and impressed with what a resilient plant this is; you can do things very differently and while not get perfect results, still get results

where do i buy nutes?


i still have to figure out how to rig cooling but with cfl and just a 200w, and out of the closet, i should do ok

i've decided to do silver pearl. i've ordered from seedboutique and now i'm sending them a $20 bill, covered up in an envelope with my address and order number

right now i have two $.39 stamps on the envelope; do i need more postage? i tried to find out on usps website but it's hopeless; this is going to surrey in the UK

Go down to nearest USPS office and have them put a postage.
I ordered NL from seedboutique and it was a good transaction.. and I think they still give away Durban Poison as freebies..
Talking about the dream.. man..
Someone tried to steal my babies and I was like fucking pissed off and
wanted to kill that motha-fucker.. I felt like I was in 1980s or something..
I was like a pimp.. a king of weed dealer.. and a gangsta.. whatever..
After I realized I had no gun in my hand and there were no enemies, I woke up..
just a stupid dream..
I am totally against violence of any kind... Peace!

wow; yeah, it was very weird; i'm looking at a dozen little green plants, and then thinking "hey that looks like cannabis", and then "oh little gonads..........on.....alll of them......ahhhhhhhhhhhh" it's the ganja grower's classic nightmare :) i'm getting ahead of myself with the paranoia

Everyone pushes for huge lights. Its funny. I've shown countless times what wonders a person can do w/ a little light too. On a 150w my main cola from my last plant weighed just under a full oz dry?!? That was 1 cola on 1 plant... and I had three plants (they were topped tho :( ) Its all about options. Hell for that matter you could spit that closet in two, use one side for veg/clone... then in a SOG w/ a small 250-400 and stagger it. 2 rows of dixxie cups clones every week -- 16 rows. That would give you 16 mini colas every week. You sir on on the right track. Just remember -- ultimately -- take advice w/ a grain of salt good sir. Use your head and go w/ what feels right and makes sense. Prime example, everyone talks about how low odor NL is. My femaleseeds.nl grows were DANK stinky. Even as little babies these plants REEKED. So, just play around, dont be discouraged, experiment!

Any smoke gained is only bonus. And -- the "any smoke gained" part will keep getting better and better w/ every grow. Promise. :thumbsup:

Pics are 150w + 2 48w cfl + 2 26w CFL. Thats not alot.

very cool; you're right. i'm nearly done with the planning. just have to wait for the seeds to get here, and setup the growrooms