McToker's 1st Grow with CFL

[grow1964]

Nice setup. you did your homework for sure.

[McToker]

Thanks grow........ and I'm still doing homework.

Now, I'm trying to find a different mix to use on the next transplant. I started out with MG because it was easy to find and I didn't know any better at the time.

I've searched all over town for an unfertilized potting soil with no luck. I'm figuring that the ferts, especially in the big pots are about used up and, based on Stinkyattic's recommendations, we'll be going to Pure Blend Pro Grow and Pure Blend Pro Bloom for Soil. UPS says they'll be here tomorrow.

But, I know I'll be needing to transplant to bigger pots soon and am at a loss finding anything unfertilized.

Anyone have a recommendation on something I can mix up or, as a last resort, order online?

[hydrocannabis]

mctoker mctoker. UR shit looks great my brotha.:thumbsup:

[McToker]

mctoker mctoker. UR shit looks great my brotha.:thumbsup:

Thank you.......... Thank you very much.

Nutes got here today. Feels like we're rollin' now.

Been checking for preflowers. Nothing yet. I know it's a bit early, still vegging, but I can't help looking anyway. The babies range from 3 to 4 1/2 weeks since sprouting. Starting to get some alternating nodes on the freak.

[joedirte]

hey nice first frow bro. good luck with your flowers!:hippy:

[anbesol]

Hey MC. Can I make a Slight Suggestion? You should really add about 6-10 more cfl's for your grow. If you can. Pick up the book Buds For Less. you will probably have small fluffy buds from just that small amount of light. Good Luck!

[McToker]

joedirt ~ Thanks man.

anbesol ~ 6 to 10 more? I don't know that I could fit too many more in there. There are 12 bulbs in there now. Even if I replaced the 4-light unit with a second 8-light one, that would only add 4 bulbs. Buds for Less, I'll check into it. Thanks.

The wife and I never imagined that there would be so much to learn when we started this adventure. We really have to tip our caps to the wonderful folks that this site has pulled together. It makes for quite a pool of knowledge to draw from.

[McToker]

Hey MC. Can I make a Slight Suggestion? You should really add about 6-10 more cfl's for your grow. If you can. Pick up the book Buds For Less. you will probably have small fluffy buds from just that small amount of light. Good Luck!

Does the homework ever end?

Been reading......... a lot. Cervantes' book has been a great help.

I'm still trying to keep this "relatively" inexpensive. With that in mind, I calculate that I need to shoot for about 27,560 Lumens, or more, to get a respectable volume at harvest. My Homebox is 6.89 sq. feet.

I found a good deal on a 150 watt HPS putting out 16,000 Lumens. If I run that along side my 8-bulb fixture (12,800 lumens) it would give me 28,800 lumens.

I'm just wondering if the heat will still be manageable. I looked at running a couple 125 watt CFL's but the cost is double the price of the HPS with less output. Just seems like the HPS is more bang for the buck.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

McT

[McToker]

Well........ even though I found a good deal on an HPS light, I was still concerned about the extra heat it might generate so, I looked at vented hoods and cooltubes. That basically doubled the price of the light.

While digging for info on hoods and cooltubes, I stumbled across a photo that Opie Yutts had posted of his setup. Then, it struck me. I could add enough CFL's to reach my goal of 4,000 to 5,000 lumens per square foot for flowering.

The result is Frankenlight. Since the babies are still vegging, I'm only running 20 6500k bulbs. For flowering it will hold 22 2700k bulbs for a total of 35,200 lumens or roughly 5100 lumens per square foot.

Anbesol ~ Thanks for pointing out the lighting deficiency. I wasn't able to find the book you mentioned but I did pick up Cervantes' book. The stickies in the lighting section were a big help, too.

Opie Yutts ~ Thanks for the idea I needed to gain enough bulbs. Our original plan was to do this with all CFL's and, now, we're staying on course.

In the photos we haven't put all the bulbs in yet, but y'all should get the idea.

[Shovelhandle]

you know, a little box fan can cool a pretty good size hps. I used that for 400w in a meter² area. The ambient was generally 65-70ºF. At the canopy the temp would be 80º-85º. Just an observation. good luck with the CFLs though. They can do the trick too. You know the math now.