Small Grow first time All CFL

This is my first log and first grow here!

Few of them problems i face right now. i'm still in the set up stage and i have to keep this room a secret so its hard for me to work on it. I am going to have 6 CFL going at once. I don't know what is better. a light cycle that is a 24/0 or something like 18/6... power bill is not a problem so id rather go 24 hours if its better. since i took so long setting up my room my plants stretched way out. im wondering if this is going to be a problem for me and maybe should i start over or is it going to work out now that i have the lights on them?

The space is rather small but im liking how everything is working out can anyone give me some suggestions that might help my grow. Should i have a fan going on these babies or would the air flow hurt them at this point? PLus when might i expect them to start filling out?
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Well I take it that those cfls are soft white... which are good for flowering and will work for vegging but I would look into getting some daylight ones (6500k)...

Personally I would start over cause those things are really really stretched and it would not take long to germinate new seeds and get to about the point you are now(but not all stretched out)...

A fan can only help, cools the lights, helps prevent humidity build up(can cause mold etc), and helps strengthen the stem...

Good luck on the grow

^^ what he said, they grew too tall and spindly. Start over and use Daylight spectrum bulbs 5500-6500k, 100WE-27w. I would use either 4 or 6 bulbs with 3 plants.

Also make some kind of enclosure with a reflective interior. That looks like an Attic or crawlspace, so making a Vented box should not be very difficult, spend a few more dollars and get a Light Timer, materials, Nutes, Temp. Gauge(Thermometer).
Doing it right the first time will provide for better results, thus making you much more happier with your 1st grow.

Good Luck.

One suggestion was to bury them into the ground .... that way i have less stem does this work? or would that be a bad idea.

I've done that with no adverse affects. As long as you correct the condition right away. If you dont correct it, it will just keep doing that.

get em out of those semi transparent cups

young roots (even old) shouldn't be exposed to light

all of this is Great information! i had no idea about the transparent root problems. hmm, Is it possible to flow with 1700 luminescent bulbs 6 of them? will that give you even a little bit of flower or will it just not work at all?

the color should be white cfl for veg, the red one stimulates stem growth vs foliage which is bad. yes 18/6 is better, plants get a rest and shoot up the next day and grow faster. 24H isnt good and it makes more males also.

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I moved some things around re potted them and then put them on 18/6. when do you think i can expect to see a little more growth?

I was hoping to be the first to tell you to bury those stems, oh well, they are looking good. Word of advice though, unless you have drainage holes in your pots, Don't over water! Stagnet water in cardboard pots, youre talking about root rot city. Play it safe and grow a ton.

Have you considered any type of training to increase your yield?

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Originally Posted by whisky

the color should be white cfl for veg, the red one stimulates stem growth vs foliage which is bad. yes 18/6 is better, plants get a rest and shoot up the next day and grow faster. 24H isnt good and it makes more males also.

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And not to be a nay-sayer. But under 24/7 light, i ended up with 6 fems out of 8 plants. Two of the males were stressed beyond belief before they ended up that way too.

The root growth is something to consider, but 24/7 is my favorite bet if you dont have to worry about heat, or other issues resulting form lights being on all day.

what works better for purposes of veg grow?

Go out to Walmart and buy the cool white bulbs, they come 2 to a pack or maybe 4, I am pretty sure Sams sells them also so they may be cheaper to buy in bulk there. Get 4 bulbs to each plant if you want to see significant growth. You can get tin at Home Depot to make a hood. Also make sure to get something that can circulate the air around the plant. 6500k is the spectrum you are looking for from Walmart for vegetative, 2700k for flowering.

6500k also known as daylight light bulbs...

All the way down to 4000K works pretty well for veg. That's what the kelvin on standard MH is gonna be.

Well time for an update! i have switched to some day light bulbs. 6500k, they are running on 18-6 light cycle, should i be doing that? the new light is already working a ton better then the old ones. heres some pictures.
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The light cycle is a never ending debate. My one friend swears by 18/6, others by 24/0. If your plants are clearly thriving better under one then another, use it. They both work dandy. If you want a compermise try 20/4 (I was wondering if doing the first 3 weeks of veg as 24/0, then the next 3-4 weeks with 20/4 then the final 2-3 weeks with 18/6 so you're weaning them onto 12/12, but it may cause undue stress.)

Your grow is simaler to mine so i'm enjoying it. So far those are some healthy seeds. I wish ya good luck, ill be watching and rooting for you

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Originally Posted by Mic-Mechanic

(I was wondering if doing the first 3 weeks of veg as 24/0, then the next 3-4 weeks with 20/4 then the final 2-3 weeks with 18/6 so you're weaning them onto 12/12, but it may cause undue stress.)

Your grow is simaler to mine so i'm enjoying it. So far those are some healthy seeds. I wish ya good luck, ill be watching and rooting for you

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That is how I did my first batch. I read allot about this. It turns out that this is a more natural way of shifting them. Thus safer. I can't say I noticed a diff. but I had no hermies.

alright then i guess ill just leave them on the cycle they are on. seems to be working just fine. Yeah i'm excited that they are actually growing now. with the other lights growth was taking days for just a small improvement. now its pretty drastic! yay! i have one plant that looks like its a little weak but if i only get 2 plants meh better then zero.

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That is how I did my first batch. I read allot about this. It turns out that this is a more natural way of shifting them. Thus safer. I can't say I noticed a diff. but I had no hermies

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It makes sense to me. Not only is it natural but it diminshes the shock of switching from veg to flower. I mean think about it, 24/0 to 12/12 is a HUGE jump. Thats why one might believe that 24/0 causes hermies, because theres one more stress factor. Obiviously if your plants are happy and perky then its probably not enough stress to do severe damage, but if your plant is unlucky and a bit stress it could be the straw that breaks the camels back.

I really find it hard to believe that its a inherent quality of 24/0 causing hermies. Now i know i am not even done my first grow and as such quite the newb, but i've read up alot and 95% of what i hear about factors that induce hermies are either

a) because they are stress factors, not because of the actual action but the stress it causes.
b)They're 'growers myths' if you will. The one thing that is for sure is stress causes hermies. However anything more complex i tend to be skeptical of unless faced with overwhelming evidence

well im sure my plants might go Hermie with the amount of stress i have put on them so far. i mean i had them under a small 18 watt white light florescent for the first week then moved them into 135 watt white light CFL... Re potted them because they were to stressed and then put them under some natural lighting 6500k CFL. So stress is their name at this point. but who knows i am hoping for the best and well i think now that everything is straightened out it will work.

What is your grow medium?

if your asking about the size of the grow i'm yeah defiantly small to medium i don't expect a lot and well i would be happy with anything!

So long as there aren't real visible signs of stress (sad wilty plants). I mean some stress is unavoidable, espically for us newbies.

He wasnt asking about the size, he meant what soil or soil substitute are you using?

Anyhow, keep us posted on how your plants are!

im growing under similar lights. i actually mad a plywood board with cheap wiring and 6 sockets.

ive got 3 23-watt daylights, 2 60watt floodlights (incandesent) and a 60watt household reg. bulb since one cfl died.

theyre finicky, expect to replace one by the end of the month. besides that, my plants love em, arch towards the cfls and not the floods yellowish light.

(ps: my plants are happily 2 ft tall at 7 weeks old and 2 weeks flowering)

PPS: by grow medium, he meant soil, rockwool, etc, not crop size. looks like soil tho

LOL! No no no. I meant, what is your medium, as in soil or coco? A mix?

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Originally Posted by stickyichy

if your asking about the size of the grow i'm yeah defiantly small to medium i don't expect a lot and well i would be happy with anything!

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Oh well to answer that. i got some potting soil from the grochery store. Turf King Potting soil. Its Nitrogen .10% phospale .05% and potash.05%
It says it comes with a 30day feeding already in the soil. I just figured this would be better then plan old dirt out of my yard.

good idea. id suggest feeding it it more ferts tho as soon as ya can, even in reduced amounts... if you dont want to shell out for hydroponic pro. stuff, ive always had a great experience with miracle gro

yeah i have had good experances with the grow spikes you can buy at the stores. You just need to chop them up and then let them desolve in water. I give them some water feedings of that plus normal water feedings so that they dont get an overflow of nut.

Just a quick question.... so i noticed that after i put up some reflection it got a little warm on my plants so i put in a fan. It was pretty noisey so i took it apart and spayed it with a little w840. the only thing i'm worried about is if w8-40 is bad on fast moving parts such as a house hold fan.

Its also getting kind of cold here and well the place i have might as well be outside under cover... i cant keep it warm when the lights are off so do you think it would be best to run at 24-0 just for heat purposes?

well figured that i should give some picture updates. here you go guys feel free to give me anymore info on things... plus any answers to previous questions thanks! enjoy!
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Little guy doesn't seem to be doing well but better then before.
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gotta say its been interesting to watch how your little grow space has evolved ^^.

As for ferting, dont even THINK about ferting your babies yet. Those seedlings will be fine just drawing nutes from the endosperm left overs and the soil until they have 5 leaf nodes.

Also id suggest some LSTing when they get bigger, ive just started flowering my first grow and i have to say that im REALLY impressed with the lsting. Granted my girl has only been on the 12/12 light cycle for 5 or 6 days but ive got around 12 branches trying to be the top cola, im really lookin forward to seeing what kinda bud formation i get.

your girls seem to be doing well, im pullin for you man ^^.

Yay! yeah me too, its been funny how things have changed.... just a newbie question but LSTing?

Low stress training..

Basically when the plant is old enough/big enough you tie it down to lean towards a side which promotes horizontal growth instead of vertical... which allows light to shine more so on the stem of the plant which in turn produces more nodes also it helps fill out your grow space.

yea LSTing really makes the difference and you dont loose anything just gain.. with practically doing nothing:)
I think you may have an overwatering problem thats why your plants look so droopy. also you should check the soil ph

something to think about:

http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-faqs...b-growbox.html

http://boards.cannabis.com/growroom-...on-filter.html

can over nutting cause the droppy leaves too?

How well did you clean those OJ cartons before you planted those girls??

Those things look tons better since you buried them! wait 4-5 weeks before feeding them anything! The grow looks good so far. Many people harp on the downfalls of CFL lighting. There are negatives for sure, lower yields, and light intensity is weak at best. That does not mean you can't have a great grow using only CFL's. Check out my grow in my Sig. All CFL except for 1- 175W Mh street light. My pics, I feel, speak for themselves.

hmm well thats good news. I cleaned out the both with water only. i wouldn't want to put anything into the dirt that wasn't needed.