first timer set up

[cypher420]

this is my first time with only basic knowledge of growing.

Plants are 6 weeks old. 3 different strains. 2x2f fluorescents above, 1f fluorescent at the side and desk lamp with fluorescent grow light. on 24 cycle still, using 10-10-10 fertilizer every 2 weeks.

My questions were; Should I get more lighting? if so now or just when they get bigger? Will I need to transplant them again? I know the roots get big and i'm not sure if those pots will support them. When is a good time to stop growth and switch to flower?

any help is appreciated.

cheers

cypher420 Reviewed by cypher420 on 06-15-2010. first timer set up this is my first time with only basic knowledge of growing. Plants are 6 weeks old. 3 different strains. 2x2f fluorescents above, 1f fluorescent at the side and desk lamp with fluorescent grow light. on 24 cycle still, using 10-10-10 fertilizer every 2 weeks. My questions were; Should I get more lighting? if so now or just when they get bigger? Will I need to transplant them again? I know the roots get big and i'm not sure if those pots will support them. When is a good time to stop Rating: 5

[ThaFooT]

hey man i was searching threads n thought id help. i dont know much but i can help u out.

u will need more light as the plants get bigger. your babies will grow with what u got but not as good as if u dropped a $100+ on bettre lighting. same with the pots ur using, they will work but ur results wont be as good as if u had them in 5 or 10 gallon buckets. and about flowering. from what i read u can force them into flower but this may cause stress, i believe u should wait until the plant reaches maturity befor flowering!!! tons and tons of info on this site! i learn more and more every hour!!! cheers buddy and good luck!!! its so exciting!!!:smokin:

[GaGrown]

Pinch the tops out of them.. They'll bush out some for ya,too. Get a little bit of knowledge under your belt for now:thumbsup:.Later would come the bigger lights. With the set-up you have you should do fine!! Turn back your timer to 16 hours on and 8 hours off. They will keep right on vegging.

Ga Grown!

[CovertCarpenter]

...will try to answer your questions as bes' I can:

â?¢ Should I get more lighting?

Yep. Your current lighting seems ok, but they will need more lumens before long. Think about getting a nice digital ballast, and perhaps either a MH or HPS bulb in the 250w - 600w range. 600w would be nice overkill in the space you seem to have.


â?¢ if so now or just when they get bigger?

You could augment your lighting at any time. MH will give you a great spectrum for veg, and HPS a great spectrum for flowering. If you're thinking about adding either of these, try to get a digital ballast that will drive both types of bulb, or at least one offering a manual switch to do the same.


â?¢ Will I need to transplant them again? I know the roots get big and i'm not sure if those pots will support them.

Those pots should support 'em for a bit yet, but you should transplant 'em into at least 3ga. pots when the apparent 'size' of the plant is larger than the container below it. 3 gallon pots should be enough, but if you have a particlularly vigorous one, give it 5ga.


â?¢ When is a good time to stop growth and switch to flower?

Try to veg 'em until pre-flowers show. That will also help you to determine if any are male and need to be culled. Once switching the lights to 12on/12off, you MUST not let any light disturb their sleep period. Make sure your grow area is light-tight, so as not to stress the lil' darlin's in their dreams...

Hope this helps--I'm sure you already have your PH and temperatures nailed down, of course