First time grow, advice please

[COOLWHIP]

oh yeah and I have 8 plants right now all together

[PhatJay]

I have 10 23watt 2700k and 3 68watt 2700k cfl in the room right now, is that enough?

No... I am a bit pissed with myself for not noticing this earlier, but I joined the thread late and thought you had got the lighting side of things pretty much sorted.

It is better to calculate what you need in lumens rather than watts (your bulbs packaging should say how many lumens they put out), You want to aim for 5000 lumens (5U) per square foot of your grow area. I am currently using 10U in 4.5 square feet (about half what I should have) and I am getting around 2oz per plant. Also during veg, I only used 1 x 125w (5U) on my second grow, so you can get away with using less during this period, this section taken from the Marijuana Cultivators Bible backs my theory up, as the plants require less area and therefore less light.

Taken from the Marijuana Cultivators Bible (page 3)....

"Current theory holds that the minimum amount of lighting
needed to sustain growth is around 2,000 lumens per square foot. Mid
range is around 5,000 lumens per square foot. Optimal is 7,000 to 7,500
or higher lumens per square foot."


Marijuana Cultivation Bible | Scribd

oh yeah and I have 8 plants right now all together

Doing a quick calculation in my head, I reckon you have enough light to get a reasonable yield off 3 maybe 4 plants (depending on the size of them). Or a really good yield off 2.

[COOLWHIP]

ok I have 3 68 watt cfl 2700k that have 4200 lumens each
10 23 watt cfl 2700k that have 1600 lumens each
Thats a total of 28,600 lumens all 2700k spectrum
right now I have my mylar tent at 3ft x 3ft x 4ft

[COOLWHIP]

do you think that is enough phatjay?

[PhatJay]

ok I have 3 68 watt cfl 2700k that have 4200 lumens each
10 23 watt cfl 2700k that have 1600 lumens each
Thats a total of 28,600 lumens all 2700k spectrum
right now I have my mylar tent at 3ft x 3ft x 4ft

Assuming that 4ft is the height...

3ftx3ft = 9sqft

9x5000 = 45000 lumens

You have over half of what is considered midrange, so you should be able to get a similar or better yield than me. If you have any spare 6500k from vegging you can add these as well, it will create a broader spectrum of light which the plants will appreciate.

3ftx3ft is a small space for 8 plants though (if all of them turn out to be female, which is unlikely if you are growing from bagseed). Plants prefer about 2sqft each, mine are a bit cramped as they have 1.5sqft each, they are tangled up with each other and I cannot take them out of the cabinet. I have to use a nutrient syringe to remove the runoff.

You will probabaly end up flowering 4, but because your plants are small you might get away with flowering more (an unintentional Sea Of Green), you will just have to play it by ear and see how many you can cram in there.

[COOLWHIP]

I have 8 other 23 watt 1600 lumen 6500k spectrum cfls so I should put those in there as well? would be adding another 12,800 lumens

[PhatJay]

If you can fit them in, go for it. The more light the more bud. Keep an eye on the temps though. They may be a lot cooler than hps but they still build heat up over time if your ventilation isn't adequate.

Spread them around aswell, don't put them all above, use some of the 6500k as side lighting (if you have room) it will help the lower buds fatten up.

[COOLWHIP]

K thanks phatjay Ill make a trip to the hardware store for more fixtures and will cramm what I can in there and post a pic when Im done

[CovertCarpenter]

... but yeah, I agree with PhatJay in that you should get those extra bulbs in there and try to get the canopy both as even as you can (either SCRoG or LST while vegging), and the lights as close as you can (2" to 4") with lotsa airflow...

And you can make up with closeness what you don't quite have in lumens

I'm doing the same thing in my livingroom garden, with 24,800 lumens (12 bulbs total, all spectræ represented), but I'm only trying to cover four plants in about 2.5 square feet (2' x 1.25'). Currently have bulbs around 4-5" from plants, but wanna get that closer as soon as I can get some decent little cheapie fans).

As soon as I can, I wanna get all Sunbl4st3r CFLs in there, because I could up the light to 30,000 or 40,000 lumens, and at a cost of 312 or 416 watts, respectively.

Gonna do individuSCRoG next there...

[bubadutep75]

Good going on your first grow, it looks like things are getting better, I see that you are using foil as a reflector, that is the worst thing you can use it doesnt reflect worth crap, it sends light in all directions and it makes hot spots on your plants, I would use flat white paint or get some reflective mylar.