New grower needs help.

hey everyone first time grower needs some help. Well to start off i got the seeds from a friend who got it from his friend/suppler who growers in west Virginia and i have been growing indoors for around 10-12 weeks. I made my own cfl grow box i have 3 125w light bulbs and 1 120w light bulb they r on 18 hours a day and off 6 hours. I have two small computer fans one blowing in on my plants and one blowing out. The problem i am having is i am not sure when to switch from veg to flower bc i have 3 different size plants? So if anyone has any advise about when i should change to flowering and if i should do something different with my setup that would be great.

Good looking plants. Its up to you what you want, you could make a seperate grow area for the smaller plant to veg for a while more or you could throw them into flower now and have two big plants and one little guy... depends on what you're willing to do!

When your plants go into flowering they will double in size if not tripple. So this means you need to give your plants enough space up top so they wont outgrow there living space. When your plant has filled half your growing area it would be a good idea to switch on the 12/12. IMO when your biggest plant gets to w/e half ur hight is switch it to 12/12. If your topping them though its a different story. P.S. get some more soil in those pots they look low!!

Your plants look nice but they seem to be a little small for how old they are but sometimes pictures do no justice for size. What is your soil and are you using any nutes?

What size are the pots they're in?

"Morbidangel" makes a great point with the soil. You should fill your pots up higher because the root system will not grow within a couple inches of the top of the dirt.

Here's what a normal root system will look like

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Originally Posted by beefyberg

Good looking plants. Its up to you what you want, you could make a seperate grow area for the smaller plant to veg for a while more or you could throw them into flower now and have two big plants and one little guy... depends on what you're willing to do!

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Well i dont know what i am going to do yet but i know i want to keep them all together bc i dont have any room to make a seperate grow area. What do u think about let all my plants veg for a few more weeks? Do u think it will help my little girl catch up to the bigger ones and could it hurt my bigger plants at all?

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Originally Posted by jon420

Your plants look nice but they seem to be a little small for how old they are but sometimes pictures do no justice for size. What is your soil and are you using any nutes?

What size are the pots they're in?

"Morbidangel" makes a great point with the soil. You should fill your pots up higher because the root system will not grow within a couple inches of the top of the dirt.

Here's what a normal root system will look like

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I wish the pictures were wrong but there not two of my girls r small for there age for some reason idk why i have done the same thing to all of them and they are all different sizes. I wasnt using any nutes b4 but around 3 weeks ago i changed pots and the soil and now i am using mriacle grow 6 month release in a 1/2 gallon pot. I am going to add more soil tomorrow b4 i water them.

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Originally Posted by Morbidangel

When your plants go into flowering they will double in size if not tripple. So this means you need to give your plants enough space up top so they wont outgrow there living space. When your plant has filled half your growing area it would be a good idea to switch on the 12/12. IMO when your biggest plant gets to w/e half ur hight is switch it to 12/12. If your topping them though its a different story. P.S. get some more soil in those pots they look low!!

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well my big girl is about half way to the top of my grow box but i am not sure if i should switch to 12/12 or top it later. I am not sure if my smaller girls r ready to start flowering yet bc of there size so i am not to sure what i should do?

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Originally Posted by Euro4Lyfe

Well i dont know what i am going to do yet but i know i want to keep them all together bc i dont have any room to make a seperate grow area. What do u think about let all my plants veg for a few more weeks? Do u think it will help my little girl catch up to the bigger ones and could it hurt my bigger plants at all?

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Your smaller plants can be put into flower whenever you want. Just the longer you wait, the more yield you will get in the end. But If your big plant is half way to the top of your grow box then I would start to flower them. You will be surprised how much they grow when you switch to 12/12. Don't want the big girl to grow into the lights! Keep us updated as to how its going and good luck. And as far as it hurting the little plant, It will be fine, you will just have a nice short stubby plant.

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Originally Posted by Euro4Lyfe

I wish the pictures were wrong but there not two of my girls r small for there age for some reason idk why i have done the same thing to all of them and they are all different sizes. I wasnt using any nutes b4 but around 3 weeks ago i changed pots and the soil and now i am using mriacle grow 6 month release in a 1/2 gallon pot. I am going to add more soil tomorrow b4 i water them.

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I would suggest NOT adding any nutrients to that particular soil if you just started using it. I tried to add very little nutes to that same soil with my grow and I had a problem with nute-burn. I didn;t use any nutes through my whole veg cycle and never had one problem lacking any nutes. I am now nearly 4 weeks in to flower and only using just under half strength Bloom Booster. I am being very careful because of the soil. I suggest you do the same.

It can also be tricky getting the soil-PH correct with that soil. Keep a close eye on the soil-PH because the 6-month release wil fluctuate a lot but it mainly goes very high. It took me 3 weeks to get my soil-PH correct without harming the plants too bad. Just take your time and be patient.

Is it possible for you to expand your grow-op any?

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Originally Posted by beefyberg

Your smaller plants can be put into flower whenever you want. Just the longer you wait, the more yield you will get in the end. But If your big plant is half way to the top of your grow box then I would start to flower them. You will be surprised how much they grow when you switch to 12/12. Don't want the big girl to grow into the lights! Keep us updated as to how its going and good luck. And as far as it hurting the little plant, It will be fine, you will just have a nice short stubby plant.

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Thanks for all your help i am going to change the light today to 12/12 and in a week or two i will put new pics on this thread and let you know how flowering is going.

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Originally Posted by jon420

I would suggest NOT adding any nutrients to that particular soil if you just started using it. I tried to add very little nutes to that same soil with my grow and I had a problem with nute-burn. I didn;t use any nutes through my whole veg cycle and never had one problem lacking any nutes. I am now nearly 4 weeks in to flower and only using just under half strength Bloom Booster. I am being very careful because of the soil. I suggest you do the same.

It can also be tricky getting the soil-PH correct with that soil. Keep a close eye on the soil-PH because the 6-month release wil fluctuate a lot but it mainly goes very high. It took me 3 weeks to get my soil-PH correct without harming the plants too bad. Just take your time and be patient.

Is it possible for you to expand your grow-op any?

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Ok i am not going to add any nutes and i am going to order a ph soil meter now that i am using mg release. I am not sure if i want to expand yet but i do have about 2-3ft on the right side of my grow box that i am not using. i would have to get more lights and maybe one or two more fans if i do expand. Do u think i should expand my grow room?

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Originally Posted by Euro4Lyfe

Do u think i should expand my grow room?

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That is a personal choice that only you can make. I suggest doing what you can control daily because they need tending to daily. More lights is always good. It is hard to have too many lights when using CFL's but they do get hot too and will burn. Do what you feel comfortable doing and can afford.:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Euro4Lyfe

Thanks for all your help i am going to change the light today to 12/12 and in a week or two i will put new pics on this thread and let you know how flowering is going.

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Yeah no problem. And I am using the same soil. 6 month release MG soil. I haven't used any nutes at all but I am using molasses, you might want to look into that. If you do use it MAKE SURE it is UNSULPHORED. The molasses feeds the organisms in the soil which in turn will feed the plant. General rule of thumb is about 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. And you can just water your plants with that mixture until you are ready to flush the plants.

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Originally Posted by beefyberg

Yeah no problem. And I am using the same soil. 6 month release MG soil. I haven't used any nutes at all but I am using molasses, you might want to look into that. If you do use it MAKE SURE it is UNSULPHORED. The molasses feeds the organisms in the soil which in turn will feed the plant. General rule of thumb is about 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. And you can just water your plants with that mixture until you are ready to flush the plants.

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I've been curious about using the molasses with the 6-month release but have not used it. Have you used it in prior grows with the 6-month release? Did you use it the whole time? How did it compare to not using it? Thanks!!!

I have not used it before, but I've heard a lot of good things about it. And not through the whole grow, Im only using it during flowering. I wouldn't use it for the whole grow. I've read that its supposed to help your yeild a bit. So why not? :jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by beefyberg

I have not used it before, but I've heard a lot of good things about it. And not through the whole grow, Im only using it during flowering. I wouldn't use it for the whole grow. I've read that its supposed to help your yeild a bit. So why not? :jointsmile:

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Sounds good, let me know how it turns out.:smokin:

Hey Jon420 check out my grow

http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-gr...irst-grow.html

Just had an idea, doesnt help much now though. But! you could have topped the crap outa the big girl to reduce upward growth. This would have allowed your 2 other girls time to catch up height wise.

Yepppers! You could also LST the taller ones (Tie down the main stem with bread ties) to the edge of the pot (drill holes) and pull those branches down gently cause you might break one. Dont worry cause a bandaid and a matchstick can heal any broke stem.

Now you have plants the same canopy height and maybe you heavily increased your yeild by the LST. Sounds like a win win.

Now you can flower with the canopy all at the same height.:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by pipefitter

Yepppers! You could also LST the taller ones (Tie down the main stem with bread ties) to the edge of the pot (drill holes) and pull those branches down gently cause you might break one. Dont worry cause a bandaid and a matchstick can heal any broke stem.

Now you have plants the same canopy height and maybe you heavily increased your yeild by the LST. Sounds like a win win.

Now you can flower with the canopy all at the same height.:thumbsup:

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i was thinking about LST my bigger girl but i dont think i will be able to bend my main stem without it breaking so do u think i should LST the few middle branches that have the biggest leaves or will that not really help at all And do u think i should top my bigger girl?

If you try to tie them down make sure you water first. It makes the plants more pliable. With that being said do not tie dow any stems other than the main one as this will make your current problem a bigger problem. If you dont want to tie I recommend you use phone book to compensate for height and go for the 12/12. Assumung there is a ceiling you are already getting close to. Also, I've never been s topper so you have to ask one of the other folks.

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Originally Posted by Morbidangel

When your plants go into flowering they will double in size if not tripple. So this means you need to give your plants enough space up top so they wont outgrow there living space. When your plant has filled half your growing area it would be a good idea to switch on the 12/12. IMO when your biggest plant gets to w/e half ur hight is switch it to 12/12. If your topping them though its a different story. P.S. get some more soil in those pots they look low!!

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Yes, very very low on the soil their. Might I also at topping your plants is very usefull when limited space. :)