confusion over cfl positioning

hya everyone hope sum 1 can help?
im currently growing 1 plant(sex undetermined as yet)grown in normal compost
watered with all purpose miracle grow
using 1 cool and 1 warm cfl
my plants approx 1 and a half mnths old
and was topped out about 2 wks ago
my question is-shud 1 have my bulbs close up or not?
because im getting told 2 difrent things on the net
i originally had them right up but my leaves got scorched and i lost a couple low down
im planning on gettin a few more cfls asap
ive enclosed sum pics-does my plant look ok and has anybody got any suggestions please?thankyou in advance:thumbsup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jarrod

hya everyone hope sum 1 can help?
im currently growing 1 plant(sex undetermined as yet)grown in normal compost
watered with all purpose miracle grow
using 1 cool and 1 warm cfl
my plants approx 1 and a half mnths old
and was topped out about 2 wks ago
my question is-shud 1 have my bulbs close up or not?
because im getting told 2 difrent things on the net
i originally had them right up but my leaves got scorched and i lost a couple low down
im planning on gettin a few more cfls asap
ive enclosed sum pics-does my plant look ok and has anybody got any suggestions please?thankyou in advance:thumbsup:

---

hi guy, with CFL's you want the bulbs as close as you can get them
without burning them. use the back of your hand to test it, meaning,
move your hand closer and closer to the lights until it feels hot to your
hand. that's your limit. if it's too hot for your hand, it's too hot for your
plants. it should be about 2 -3 inchs.

during the vegetative stage you want mostly blue light (5000K and up)
while in flowering you want mostly red light (2700K and under) and not
in a 1 to 1 ratio. during veg you want about a 3 to 1 ratio blue to red
and in flower you want about a 2 to 1 ratio red to blue.

btw, i hope you were able to clone the part you cut off when you topped?

good luck man, have some fun

come check out my garden to see a CFL grow

uh yeah... see how tall that thing is? thats stretch from light being insufficient and/or too far away. the CFLs can get close to plants. when/if you see leaf burn, move them away an inch or two. definitely get more bulbs, and shoot for something like this or along the lines of it. *EDIT* damn, bozo, you're quick!

thankyou vmuch bozo and gg
ima bit scared to b honest bout moving em closer after last time!lol
thought id lost it-i had noticed it was a bit leggy-but it is gettin quite bushy at the top
im going to get 2 more cfls warm ones 2m after work and will lower the lights a little-ill post an update in a week maybe well see a difrence?thanks again

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jarrod

thankyou vmuch bozo and gg
ima bit scared to b honest bout moving em closer after last time!lol
thought id lost it-i had noticed it was a bit leggy-but it is gettin quite bushy at the top
im going to get 2 more cfls warm ones 2m after work and will lower the lights a little-ill post an update in a week maybe well see a difrence?thanks again

---

you're welcome man.

you need to do some research, and explore several CFL grows.

GoldenGraham is right about the stretch, you need to move the lights closer.

i'm no expert man but i guarantee, if you read through my thread,
you'll learn a few things you need to know.

if you're serious about growing you'll want to learn to clone also
so you might want to check out my cloner thread as well.

again, i'm no expert, any success i've had has come, in large part, because
of help i freely recieved from more experienced growers here and elsewhere.

what that means is, don't just read my threads, read many threads.
here are a few that helped me get started, in no particular order.

http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-li...iscussion.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/plant-pro...anted-one.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/medicinal...abstracts.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...ever-grow.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-gr...-training.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...-learning.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-gro...-kush-mom.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/growing-i...ve-stinky.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-gro...ency-baby.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-gro...-dankness.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...-darkside.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...wood-tree.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...criticism.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/growroom-...on-filter.html


i know it's a lot to read but it'll be fun too, especially as you watch your plant
grow.

lol, believe me too, this is only a small sample of the threads i still follow.

good luck man

bozo, just hafta thank you for your DIY instructs on the bubble cloner. workin like a charm! i made a 4-site one to establish my "stream of green" concept. just enough for me and family/friends. passing an online doobie to ya! :jointsmile:

thanks again mate ill read through your reading list when i get in from work
im thinking of keeping it ticking over till spring then maybe planting out
im a bit doubtful over the cfl route now after what ive read
bye for now

you're welcome man, and take your time with that list, it's more for
reference in the beginning.

anyway, here's a before and after of one of my CFL buds.
pic 1 is about 3 weeks before harvest and pic 2 is after a
months cure. pic 3 is a group shot.

maybe not as big as HID nugs but still tasty, none the less.
and i just grow to feed my head so these are big enough for me.

and you're welcome too GoldenGraham, glad i could help.

thats a mint bud-bud!
it fills me with hope-ive put another 2 20w warm cfls on it 2day
that makes it 1 cool and 3 warm now hope that will suffice?
ive also moved the lights to within 6 inches
oh i almost forgot is it ok to have the lights on 24 hours continuously?
i read online that its ok to do that as plants dnt require a dark period is that ok?
new pic attatched-the cool/daylight type bulb is the 1 top left
peace bro

you should check out my grow i'm useing cfl's too, urm, um i mean now i'm using cfls:thumbsup:

Hi guys :thumbsup:
hi think uv got them mixed up abit, u need mainly 6400k daylight for vegging and the warms for the flower. to remember i just think of warmth=happy and buds=even happier,lol.:rastasmoke:
goodluck

P.s if poss try and enclose a corner to grow in so the light isnt lost, looks big area for 1 plant

hya again i went to see my local hydro shop to basically pick their brains!i was told whatever ive read growing pot with cfls is a waste of time and money-
i mite get somethinbg smokable but very little and poor potentcy and to invest in a decent 600w hp lamp-he sed i had to decide whether i was playing or serious about gettin a worthwhile result-i was quite taken aback 2 b honest
so now im back 2 square 1(i was kinda hoping the cfls would b ok)
i dont mind saving up for said lamp but is he bullshitting me to get me to buy from him or what?is there anyone in the uk using a 600w lamp set up that could tell me how much its goin to cost me in elec per mnth to run pls?
or should i persevere with the cfls till say after xmas and see what my plant looks like?
thanks again u must all b gettin bored with my continual whining sorry

HPS is a better light, no question. CFLs do just fine in a pinch and i averaged about 1/2 oz per plant using 12 CFLs. I will be growing four plants next time around for 2oz from CFLs. Trust me, its potent. I'd get a feel for growing with CFLs then move on to HPS in the future.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jarrod

hya again i went to see my local hydro shop to basically pick their brains!i was told whatever ive read growing pot with cfls is a waste of time and money-
i mite get somethinbg smokable but very little and poor potentcy and to invest in a decent 600w hp lamp-he sed i had to decide whether i was playing or serious about gettin a worthwhile result-i was quite taken aback 2 b honest
so now im back 2 square 1(i was kinda hoping the cfls would b ok)
i dont mind saving up for said lamp but is he bullshitting me to get me to buy from him or what?is there anyone in the uk using a 600w lamp set up that could tell me how much its goin to cost me in elec per mnth to run pls?
or should i persevere with the cfls till say after xmas and see what my plant looks like?
thanks again u must all b gettin bored with my continual whining sorry

---

don't listen to his bullshit man! he just want's to sell you a light.

the real question you need to ask yourself is whether you're growing
for personal use or are you trying to make money.

if you are trying to make money then he is right and you should
break down and buy the HPS.

if you're just feeding your head then CFL's are more than adequite.
(i'm averaging about 2.5 oz's per month in my own little CFL SOG)

scroll back up a bit and take another look at that bud pic i posted,
that was grown with nothing but CFL's.

heres a link to a thread by the micro-grow master, go check out what he
is doing with CFL's, then go talk to your hydro guy, lol.

***DrBud Takes CFL SOG to the Next Level***

btw, did you go through my garden to see what i'm doing with CFL's?

oh yeah, jkeabs is right, you have the spectrums backwards, you want
mostly blue or 'cool' light during veg and mostly red or 'warm' light during
flower.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jarrod

hya again i went to see my local hydro shop to basically pick their brains!i was told whatever ive read growing pot with cfls is a waste of time and money-

thanks again u must all b gettin bored with my continual whining sorry

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by justanotherbozo

don't listen to his bullshit man! he just want's to sell you a light.

---

Jarrod you already broken the golden law; don't talk about it !! Be really careful, I'm quite sure you don't want the police to drop by your place, if you buy from a hydro shop ALWAYS pay cash and don't leave any informations.

As justanotherbozo said it's bullshit, I've been around for a while and there is a lot of great grow with CFL.

To begin it's perfect, because an HPS and/or MH light will need you to really work harder on the air exchange systems, some little fans won't do! If you really think about going that way make a list of what you need and give yourself a budget or else you might me soon overwhelmed by the cost:
Ballast, light, fan, timers, dirt, nutriments, etc... Advise plan the thing !

There a lot of informations on the board try to look around and read, still I'll try to be around if you don't find what you need.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LuciferN

Jarrod you already broken the golden law; don't talk about it !! Be really careful, I'm quite sure you don't want the police to drop by your place, if you buy from a hydro shop ALWAYS pay cash and don't leave any informations.

As justanotherbozo said it's bullshit, I've been around for a while and there is a lot of great grow with CFL.

To begin it's perfect, because an HPS and/or MH light will need you to really work harder on the air exchange systems, some little fans won't do! If you really think about going that way make a list of what you need and give yourself a budget or else you might me soon overwhelmed by the cost:
Ballast, light, fan, timers, dirt, nutriments, etc... Advise plan the thing !

There a lot of informations on the board try to look around and read, still I'll try to be around if you don't find what you need.

---

thanks for the props man.

hope you don't mind but i figured you might like a cleaner look in your
signature so i did the code for you, just paste this code over the sentences
that contain your current shortcuts then, just delete the underscores in
both the shortcuts. there are 4 underscores in each.

[URL=_http://_boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/164410-2nd-grow-new-setup.html#post1931798_]This is my new dream[_/URL]

[URL=_http://_boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/159229-spare-room-closet-start.html#post1902578_]My old dream[_/URL]

this is what it will look like the way i set it up. if you want them side by side,
like mine, just paste the code in with only a comma and a space between them.

This is my new dream
My old dream

hope you like the color, lol

edit: actually, the code for the color isn't there, hopefully, you'll
be able to figure out how to change the color.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by justanotherbozo

thanks for the props man.

hope you don't mind but i figured you might like a cleaner look in your
signature so i did the code for you, just paste this code over the sentences
that contain your current shortcuts then, just delete the underscores in
both the shortcuts. there are 4 underscores in each.

[URL=_http://_boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/164410-2nd-grow-new-setup.html#post1931798_]This is my new dream[_/URL]

[URL=_http://_boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/159229-spare-room-closet-start.html#post1902578_]My old dream[_/URL]

this is what it will look like the way i set it up. if you want them side by side,
like mine, just paste the code in with only a comma and a space between them.

This is my new dream
My old dream

hope you like the color, lol

edit: actually, the code for the color isn't there, hopefully, you'll
be able to figure out how to change the color.

---

Thanks man, I actually have no problem with HTML, I don't even know why I didn't do this myself ! :P

i just looked at the dr bud link u sent me
absolutely amazing or what!!that hydro bloke was well trying to blag my head!
im goin to my local sainsburys to get some more daylight bulbs
i think they only do 18w daylight cfls-ive got 1 now how many more do you think i should get for 1 plant in a small cupboard?
thanks for all your help i would lost without friendly knowledgeable people like yourself

ta for that mate ill try and sort it later im not very computer savvy!
after me almost killing my plant last nite ive gone and got 2 more daylight cfls making it 3 cool and 1 warm do you think thats enuf for 1 plant?also ive got new good quality compost with perlite-do you think i should perhaps start again-or re pot into the new medium-or leave it alone?ta lucifer

you're welcome for DrBud's link, that guy is amazing. i know it's kinda long
but, if you take the time to read through his threads, just read what he says,
ignore everyone else, you will learn a lot. for example his soil mix.

i mention that 'cause you say you got some compost and perlite.

i would say yes, mix up some new soil with the compost and perlite mixed
in, then repot into a 1 gallon pot, when you do the re-pot, bury the plant
deep enough to cover the bottom 3 or 4 inches of the stem.

you shouldn't do that for an older plant but with a young plant like yours,
you should be fine.

and 2 cools and 1 warm will be fine for now. here, take a look at one of my
light fixtures. it's a 4 bulb bathroom fixture i got at a local discount builders
supply house for under $5.00 and the splitters cost $1.50 each for a total
of just under $12.00 total.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by justanotherbozo

you're welcome for DrBud's link, that guy is amazing. i know it's kinda long
but, if you take the time to read through his threads, just read what he says,
ignore everyone else, you will learn a lot. for example his soil mix.

i mention that 'cause you say you got some compost and perlite.

i would say yes, mix up some new soil with the compost and perlite mixed
in, then repot into a 1 gallon pot, when you do the re-pot, bury the plant
deep enough to cover the bottom 3 or 4 inches of the stem.

you shouldn't do that for an older plant but with a young plant like yours,
you should be fine.

and 2 cools and 1 warm will be fine for now. here, take a look at one of my
light fixtures. it's a 4 bulb bathroom fixture i got at a local discount builders
supply house for under $5.00 and the splitters cost $1.50 each for a total
of just under $12.00 total.

---

hya mate-dnt laff but ive tied them 2 bent sprouts up with hemp string(i thought that was mad)u shud see em look so funny!where they had bent was discolouring-look better now
im leaving re potting til them sprouts strengthen a bit ill fukin break em if i mess em again!
got 3 18w cool and 1 warm atm got loadsa warm cfls here for later
shud be enough?
im gettin a max min thermo 2m and a timer i keep forgettin what time i turned em on and off
ur setup is basic and very effective-i really like that u dont need all the fancy gear do you?(dnt b offended my wording could b better)youve just proved to me that cfls are viable and for that i salute you
dont be offended

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jarrod

hya mate-dnt laff but ive tied them 2 bent sprouts up with hemp string(i thought that was mad)u shud see em look so funny!where they had bent was discolouring-look better now
im leaving re potting til them sprouts strengthen a bit ill fukin break em if i mess em again!
got 3 18w cool and 1 warm atm got loadsa warm cfls here for later
shud be enough?
im gettin a max min thermo 2m and a timer i keep forgettin what time i turned em on and off
ur setup is basic and very effective-i really like that u dont need all the fancy gear do you?(dnt b offended my wording could b better)youve just proved to me that cfls are viable and for that i salute you
dont be offended

---

lol, have no fears my friend, i have a very thick skin. and i don't mind
you calling my stuff basic, 'ghetto makeshift' is probably closer to the
mark, lol.

i didn't start this to show how to grow weed with nearly no budget, just
to document what i was doing and to grow enough to feed my head and
save the money i was spending every month on weed.

i started this thread back in late March with some bagbeans and i now
have a little SOG that produces about 2.5 ozs per month, plenty enough
for my head.

now i'm confident i can grow successfully, i have sent for some quality
genetics. i ordered AK-47, PPP and White Rhino, all non-feminized. they
are supposed to come with 5 free beans too that, according to the site,
are a Mazar and Afghani cross.

anyway, i keep my fingers crossed and wait. wish me luck, i got beat
on my first attempt to buy good beans.

that sound ace mate im goin to follow their progress
the avatar im usin is a new pic of my plant with the string its perked up a bit now
do u think ive enuf lights?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jarrod

that sound ace mate im goin to follow their progress
the avatar im usin is a new pic of my plant with the string its perked up a bit now
do u think ive enuf lights?

---

yeah, you have enough for now.

btw, if you go to HomeDepot or Lowes or any store that sells propane
grills, you can find wooden skewers. the long ones are about 18" long
and they work great for stakes to tie your plants to. just soak them in
liquid detergent first or they get moldy.

btw, get youself a little oscillating fan to blow the air around in your cab,
that wind blowing on your plants will force them to develop stronger, thicker
stems that will be able to hold all those fat buds you're gonna grow.

lol, and you need to set started on that reading list i gave you.

theres beena terrible accident
my improvised lighting gantry has fallen down again i was nearly in tears
looked like an exotic xmas tree with all them lights on it!so ive taken them 2 top shoots and put em in that new compost i got
havent used rootin compound tho
really need to get seeds
cant find neware cheap
kept the mail stem aswell thats got 2 leaves

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jarrod

theres beena terrible accident
my improvised lighting gantry has fallen down again i was nearly in tears
looked like an exotic xmas tree with all them lights on it!so ive taken them 2 top shoots and put em in that new compost i got
havent used rootin compound tho
really need to get seeds
cant find neware cheap
kept the mail stem aswell thats got 2 leaves

---

can't you just start some bag seeds?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by justanotherbozo

can't you just start some bag seeds?

---

theres no bush around atm ive asked every body
theres a herman head shop in chester near where i live i get payd fri and ill go get some seed what would u recommend as an easy 1st time grow pls

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jarrod

theres no bush around atm ive asked every body
theres a herman head shop in chester near where i live i get payd fri and ill go get some seed what would u recommend as an easy 1st time grow pls

---

lol, sorry man, by bag beans i mean seeds i got from a bag i bought.

i live in the USA so getting decent seeds is problematic. i got cheated
the first time i sent for seeds back in July.

this time i sent a money order to a company in the UK, hopefully, this
time i'll get my seeds. i sent for AK-47, White Rhino and PPP.

so, if i get my seeds, this will be my first time i'll even know what strain
it is that i'm growing. which means i'm not qualified to recommend any
strain. not to mention, you might not like the kind of buzz that really turns
my crank.

are you at all familiar with the differences between sativa's and indica's?
the differences in the way they get you high?
the differences in the way they grow?

the best that i can do is to suggest that you go window shopping at some
seedbanks and read the descriptions of the different strains they have.
look for one that looks really tasty to you.

go read the descriptions of the strains i chose, maybe you'll like those,
the PPP (pure power plant) is supposed to be easy to grow, resistant
to pests while delivering a decent, even bountiful, yeild along with a
strong, social up buzz, just my cup of tea.

you really do need to spend some time reading through that list i gave ya!

hya j-a-bozo hope alls good your neck ofthe woods?
ive recieved my seeds plumped for ak48
10 seeds for £15($25)
theyve been soaking in a mug with a drop of water for 4 days now and nothings showing yet
what do you think?
should i-leave em alone and see what happens?
plant en in some compost?
put em in damp paper towels
or chuck em away and start again?
thanks:cool:

I like your dedication jarrod. What I normally do with seeds is this:
~Take a small glass of cold tap water.
~Add 2 ice cubes and your seeds.
~Wait 1 day.
~Remove seeds for inspection.
~Carefully take each seed and scrape away the outer membrane surrounding the area where the seed will split with your fingernail. (the membrane is not very thick so you might not think your doing anything but your helping expose the inside of the seed to moisture)
~Take all the seeds and place them on a wet paper towel (not too wet but not dry)
~Fold the paper towel over the seeds and place into a ziplock bag.
~Hang bag vertically in a dark area so when seedlings sprout the taproot will orient downward. If you just lay the bag flat the taproot will become disoriented and may spiral.
~Check daily for sprouts and paper towel moisture.
~Transplant sprouted seedlings to growing medium.

With this germination practice I have had 90-100% germination rate.

Hope this helps.

Also in regards to HPS use, I am growing with pure CFL's and on my first grow, I am halfway through flowering and sampled some underdeveloped buds. I got high off of 2 hits and am expecting maybe 3 oz. from one plant, good enough for me for now:jointsmile:.

To figure out the cost of your system follow this little guide for the monthly cost for a 600 WATT hps used solely for 12/12 flowering in a regular US home with 120 volt circuits.
Basic Equation to find amp draw. (good to know so you don't overload any circuits)
WATTS=AMPS x VOLTAGE
600=A x 120v
A=5 amps
Most power companies in the us charge a basic rate for power usage via Kilo(1000) Watts per hour. Example- $o.o55 per KiloWattHour (KWH)
At 600 watts you are using .600 KW per hour.
In 12 hours you are using 7.2KWH (.600KW/h x 12 hours=7.2kwh)
With your KWH charge applied your daily cost is $0.396
(7.2kwh x $0.055=$0.396) take it monthly ($0.396 x 30=$11.88)
So $11.88 per month to run a strictly 12/12 600watt HPS with energy cost at $0.055 per KW. Cheaper than a 1/8 of crap weed. :D

Good luck, I will be watching this one!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jdsoil

I like your dedication jarrod. What I normally do with seeds is this:
~Take a small glass of cold tap water.
~Add 2 ice cubes and your seeds.
~Wait 1 day.
~Remove seeds for inspection.
~Carefully take each seed and scrape away the outer membrane surrounding the area where the seed will split with your fingernail. (the membrane is not very thick so you might not think your doing anything but your helping expose the inside of the seed to moisture)
~Take all the seeds and place them on a wet paper towel (not too wet but not dry)
~Fold the paper towel over the seeds and place into a ziplock bag.
~Hang bag vertically in a dark area so when seedlings sprout the taproot will orient downward. If you just lay the bag flat the taproot will become disoriented and may spiral.
~Check daily for sprouts and paper towel moisture.
~Transplant sprouted seedlings to growing medium.

With this germination practice I have had 90-100% germination rate.

Hope this helps.

Also in regards to HPS use, I am growing with pure CFL's and on my first grow, I am halfway through flowering and sampled some underdeveloped buds. I got high off of 2 hits and am expecting maybe 3 oz. from one plant, good enough for me for now:jointsmile:.

To figure out the cost of your system follow this little guide for the monthly cost for a 600 WATT hps used solely for 12/12 flowering in a regular US home with 120 volt circuits.
Basic Equation to find amp draw. (good to know so you don't overload any circuits)
WATTS=AMPS x VOLTAGE
600=A x 120v
A=5 amps
Most power companies in the us charge a basic rate for power usage via Kilo(1000) Watts per hour. Example- $o.o55 per KiloWattHour (KWH)
At 600 watts you are using .600 KW per hour.
In 12 hours you are using 7.2KWH (.600KW/h x 12 hours=7.2kwh)
With your KWH charge applied your daily cost is $0.396
(7.2kwh x $0.055=$0.396) take it monthly ($0.396 x 30=$11.88)
So $11.88 per month to run a strictly 12/12 600watt HPS with energy cost at $0.055 per KW. Cheaper than a 1/8 of crap weed. :D

Good luck, I will be watching this one!

---

i chucked em in the compost wiv my baytree cuttings-still nowt so i hada dig round in the soil and hey presto rite down deep in the compost were 4 seeds with a nice taproot!im made up as u can imagine-ill try and not kill em this time lol
thanks for you help mate really appreciated