light finally came and first grow is underway

[JonDro]

inside my closet only 1 seed has sprouted out of 4 so i stuck it under the light i was wondering if it was ok for them to be on the carpet..? tommarow im going to home depot and getting 2 pieces of plywood and make 2 walls, both pieces nailed at 90 degrees with some kind of reflective material on the walls and the closet walls.. should have the 3 other seeds sprouting soon and was wondering if the 400w hps was too much light and heat for the little plants.. hopefully the picture works

JonDro Reviewed by JonDro on 02-03-2007. light finally came and first grow is underway inside my closet only 1 seed has sprouted out of 4 so i stuck it under the light i was wondering if it was ok for them to be on the carpet..? tommarow im going to home depot and getting 2 pieces of plywood and make 2 walls, both pieces nailed at 90 degrees with some kind of reflective material on the walls and the closet walls.. should have the 3 other seeds sprouting soon and was wondering if the 400w hps was too much light and heat for the little plants.. hopefully the picture works Rating: 5

[doco]

In my opinion, it may be a little much for brand new seedlings to have it so close - I move my light about 3 or 4 feet away from brand new ones for a few days and gradually get closer after that. You might want to get a couple of CFL while you're at HD...few days under CFLs (close - inches from seedlings) and they'll be much more prepared for the intensity and heat of the 400w.

Good luck & happy growing

[JonDro]

i went and got my walls with aluminum bubble wrap on the sides an i got a 65w floodlight for my lil plant, still waiting for the other ones to sprout.. what do ya think?

[MULLETMAN]

SETUPS STARTING TO COME TOGETHER. dO YOU GOT ANY VENTILATION FOR THAT CLOSET. iVE GOT A 250 WATT IN A CLOSET AND THAT SUCKERS HOT WELL NOT TO MENTION IT'S BULB AND BALLAST BUT NONE THE LESS THINGS GET HOT. iF YOU GOT SOME SPARE LIGHTING MAYBE CFLS TRY USING THEM FOR LESS HEAT AND STRESS ON YOU. iF YOU CAN ALREADY PROVIDE GOOD GROWING CONDITIONS W/ THE 400 WATTER THAN WHY NOT BUT WITH 3 PLANTS MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF AND USE THE 400 WHEN YOUR READY -FLOWERING-

bY THE WAY IME USING OVER 500 CFM IN EXAUST FOR MY CLOSET, SOUNDS LIKE OVERKILL BUT SEEMS TO BE WORKING

NONETHELESS GOOD LUCK

[doco]

Ya that 65w will be perfect for its seedling stage, then you can hit it with the 400w. Happy growin.

[deftdrummer]

In my humble opinion, I would move that light that is right above the seedlings a little further away. It is too hot and too intense of light for the poor seedlings at this point. Your young plants needs low heat and low light for the first 2-3 weeks of life. Once they develop enough resiliency and leaves to absorb the light switch to your 400W and gives those babies just what they want and make sure the temps stay low. My first grow was in a closet very similar to yours and heat was a HUGE issue with my 400W light. That was with a built in ballast and no exhaust what so ever out of the room. You need to get low wattage fluourescent lights over those babies or perhaps some cfl's. The reflective stuff is good but mylar from your local grow store would be a lot easier and more efficient. More light is needed in the later stages of veg and flowering, not so much right now. Good luck to you and may your first grow be a great learning experience!

[doco]

If I'm not mistaken, that is a 65w CFL he's got over them now, which should be good for a week or two.

[deftdrummer]

whatever it is, it looks a bit too bright as young as they are.

[JonDro]

heres some update pics of my babies.. the bigger ones turning a lil yellow on the tips and the 2 leaves at the bottom are really yellow, im not sure if thats good or bad, i have to water it everyday.. when i get home from school the pellets are dry as hell, i water them until the pellet is pretty damp.. i keep them on 24/0 with a 65w cfl about 18" from the plants.. feedback and advice please..

[JackdaWack]

apparently not bright enough...duh, it looked close enough didnt it? those little guys are streatchin. u need the light to be as close as possible with out burning them, put your hand inbetween them and if it bothers the back side of you hand its too close, if not move it closer, also i would find a way to keep them wet, dryness isnt good, but better then them being soaked all the time.