CFL 42W/150W flouro OK to veg?

[weedracer119]

thats cool. i didn't know if you were a minor or not because in one of the posts it was asking how old everyone is and most of the users on this forum are little teenagers. about 16 or something. but hey the younger they start, more power to them. they'll just be smarter when they get older. just was wondering. that is a really cool way for a teen to keep it away from parents cuz it doesn't look like it puts out to much light accept the glow of the bucket. and it is budget wise too cuz it only needs one cfl. it's a sweet set up and i'd like to see how this grow turns out. keep us updated. good luck!!

[Max Blast]

Just a quick update and clarification.

The liitle plant is now about 3 3/4 inches tall and has grown to within about 1 1/2 inches of the CFL. Soon I will use some small spacers to elevate the bucket/light setup. No ill effects so far, four nodes and growing. I am using potting soil of unknown origin (left over from old regular gardening projects) and used MG Gardening soil when transplated to 8" pot.

Even though there currently is only one 42watt CFL the square footage of the space is only 2/3 of a square foot. This gives about 63 watts per square foot of area. The walls of the white bucket are very similar to flat white painted surfaces and it makes it quite bright in there. I know it would be better using MH for vegging but I just wanted to try this out to test the results of a cheap "quick and dirty" grow method. So far, so good. Not looking for maximum yield, just something small and easy.

The seed I started with came from a grow that an aquaintance has that occasionally produces seeds (hermie I guess) and is either OG-Kush or Bubba-Kush (?) I am told. I will be glad when I finally get to determine the sex so I can tell whether to continue or not. Do I need to get to the 12/12 forcing before I can tell the sex? Or is there another, quicker method?

regards,
Max Blast

[Max Blast]

I have been trying to keep the CFL as close as possible to the top of the plant. It appears that I let it get a little too close as there is some burning on one of the fan leaves as well as one of the top leaves as seen in the photo.

It appears that for this 42watt CFL that 2" or less is required for growth but less than 1" leads to burning.

Plant is now 5 1/2" tall and has 5th node already (3 weeks veg time)

Hope I can be patient and wait for after 5th veg week before forcing flowering period and sex ID.

regards,
Max Blast

[weedracer119]

it's looking good max. is it still in the bucket or is it outside of it. this should turn out to be a nice plant. bet you can;t wait to get the smoke. good luck and be patient.

[Mac Maniac]

Hmmm...

Very nice set up. Think I'll go finish my little [desk-size] closet set up with a few more high-wattage fluorescent bulbs [at the moment, equivalent of 200watts, using four 18watt bulbs available in hardware stores], some flat white paint [I hear mylar and reflective materials tend to burn leaves by acting like concave mirrors in focusing light...], potting mix and seeds, now.

[Garden Knowm]

very cool max blast... if you are not taking clones.. you should flower now.... she will double and maybe triple in size which is already to big for a 70watt HPS..

I also really liked the bucket!!! good mood lighting!

[Max Blast]

First off, I am highly honored anytime GK sends a compliment my way as I am totally new to indoor growing.

The setup actually worked out OK for a small hobby grow I think. Total space was less than 1 sq ft of floor space and only 24 inches of vertical hieght. (top of the bucket)

Yes it was an interesting mood light and being in the closet I was able to close the doors when necessary. I stayed with the 42w cfl for the entire grow. Yes it was slow growing and yes the yield was small but it did work and several of my friends were knocked silly by the smoke that resulted. I estimate I got about a little less than a quarter oz from the grow but as I stated yield was not the objective, the learning process was.

I did not go with the vert scrog but did go with the screen method seen in the photos. I probably should have flowered a lot longer (only 8 weeks) for more yield but I just could not wait any longer. BTW the smell was absolutely monstrous for only one plant. (no odor control used)

last pic is just before harvesting

Max Blast

[stickygreenlightsabr]

Awesome job. The tiny buds look so cool.

[Max Blast]

Thanks Sticky, I mainly did it to see just how a minimalistic approach would work.

Total costs for the setup was less than $25US including everything except the seed itself.

One plastic paint bucket at $4
One 8" plastic pot and tray at about $4
One 42watt CFL at about $10
One plain old light socket about $3
One used extension cord (laying around the garage)
Some MG soil mix and some MG houseplant food (leftover stuff I had around)
Some bricks used for spacing up the bucket when it needed to raise up for plant growth. (had those laying around in the back yard)

No fans, No timers, No odor control, No CO2, No special stuff of any kind. I did not even check the PH of the tap water I used.

Having said all that, my next grow will be in a cabinet of about 3.75 sq ft floor space and about 30 inches tall. I'll still scrog (using 4 plants) to keep the vertical hieght controlled. And, most importantly, I'll use a 250watt HPS for flowering! The vegging will be under CFLs because I can get them real close to the plants to control vertical size without burning or heat problems. I'll also build a fan powered carbon scrubber for the odor, it will be outside the box dimensions. And I'll be using Shultz ferts this time out of respect for Zandor's advice. Still a soil grow for simplicity sake. And I'll use a timer this time for convenience sake.

regards,
Max Blast

[Newgodsgrace]

Max Blast's lighting setup sounds like its going to work, with what lumen hes getting. a 3" Ballests Bulb isnt what I want thank is good lighting I using a 500w light does it need to be water, fertalized with nutrines, Potassuim, etc. or lots of watering? 24/7 everyday to my seedingling embryo?

I need help with my plant growth.

Yes Max blast those lights are florescent so they do
work and provide some food for the plants.
The only downfall is you have to use more than one
of these lights in your garden, due to the fact they
they are small lumens, hope this helps, peace.
:nova: