1st Grow Experiment - CFL From Seed

Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

no drainage for the cake pan, there isn't to much spillage yet because they're still in cups. and i am only giving them a little more than a 1/4 cup in the the evening. i am going to transplant this weekend. i will go grab some 2.5-5 gallon pots depending on what i have room for. i am scared because i might have to ditch a couple before i know the sex when i get bigger pots because of space issues. but i would rather not do that since im playing a numbers game until after i force flower and hopefully see some pistils.

in the end i am hoping and aiming for just one girl. maybe two. this is my first grow and i am a super noob so i dont want to over do it. especially because i am doing it in a small apartment closet. i am just experimenting and seeing what happens. will definitely be doing a much larger scale grow after this with good seeds, bigger space, and more knowledge! thanks for all your help and advice guys. it really helps and is much appreciated! :thanks:


i'll have some pics up soon. probably after the transplant. :roorrip:
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

The cake pan is to catch the runoff from the pots! :laughtwo:
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

yeah i was a little confused on that too. haha. i think it was a typo. i did put some drainage in the cups with a screwdriver.

anyone have a suggestion on some cheap fixtures for when i get more lights. im gonna grab some more 45watt cfls and some y-sockets in a couple weeks so im looking for some fixtures to put them in that i can manipulate and move around for good posistioning during flower.:bong:
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

hypesavlife said:
yeah i was a little confused on that too. haha. i think it was a typo. i did put some drainage in the cups with a screwdriver.

anyone have a suggestion on some cheap fixtures for when i get more lights. im gonna grab some more 45watt cfls and some y-sockets in a couple weeks so im looking for some fixtures to put them in that i can manipulate and move around for good posistioning during flower.:bong:
Click to expand...

I like those cheap CLAMP ON shoplight fixtures that come with a metal shade. I use these all over my growrooms cause they are portable, can be used with and without the shade on them, and can handle any wattage of CFL you can buy that fits a standard lightbulb thread.

Here are a few photos from some of my grow areas showing these in action. In the first photo of my flowering room, I also have two behind my main T5 fixture without the shades on and "Y" fittings on them so I can have TWO 45 watt CFLs per fixture.

P1011654.JPG
P1011656.JPG
p1011838.JPG
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

nice. those are exactly the kind of things i am looking for. did you order online? i cant see the clamp ons costing too much. but that "t5" fixture looks like it might cost a pretty penny.

and i checked out your grow journal goldengoose!! that gdp looks to die for. the bbk came out looking quite nice too. your photos of the trichromes on the gdp were amazing though. my mouth is still watering. great stuff.
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

hypesavlife said:
nice. those are exactly the kind of things i am looking for. did you order online? i cant see the clamp ons costing too much. but that "t5" fixture looks like it might cost a pretty penny.

and i checked out your grow journal goldengoose!! that gdp looks to die for. the bbk came out looking quite nice too. your photos of the trichromes on the gdp were amazing though. my mouth is still watering. great stuff.
Click to expand...

Cool! :)

Thanks Man! Appreciate the compliments and glad that you enjoyed checking out my journa! :) Yeah... I always love checking out the trichomes on a soon to be harvested plant with that Celestron scope! :thumb:

Takes the guesswork out of calling "The Chop"! ;)

Regarding the fixtures...

I ordered mine online from amazon.com cause they were a bit cheaper than the Tru-Value hardware store we have down in the closest town. However, I did have to buy the larger diameter shades from them cause amazon doesn't sell anything over the 8.5 diameter shade. Doesn't matter if you plan to remove the shade anyway.

Designers Edge E-245 Incandescent Clamp Light, 6-Foot Cord

1667285533950.png


If you have a Home Depot or a Lowes in your town, you may want to check in there first cause they may have a larger selection of sizes and their prices might be even cheaper! Good place to buy the 45 and 65 watt CFLs too! :)

Also... Check out the DIY fixtures that MSquared is using in his grow

Screwed into those porcelan bulb sockets are the "Y" fittings I was talking about that you can screw into the clamp ons with the shade removed and have TWO bulbs per fixture. :thumb:
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

:thanks:yeah i just checked a bunch of different stuff on amazon. i think im grab a couple of the hydrofarm clamp fixtures, and the 2ft t5.

so it'll be 6 45 watt cfl's and whatever i decide to put in the t5. i'm also going to pick out my nutes, get a ph solution, a humidity meter, and a couple more fans. im getting some extra money soon so i think its right to spoil my babies with some new stuff. :bongrip:
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

Sounds good!

I forgot to mention that the large T5 fixture I have in my flower room is a Hydrofarm Designer Series 4 foot x 6 tube. It was a little over $300.00 if I recall. They definitely aren't cheap, but they also make some less expensive versions that don't have the dual switches and the AC outlet on the end for daisy chaining.

Oh! Before I forget! You're going to need a good pH meter! I recommend the PH-200 by HM Digital. I own two of these and they are outstanding and VERY accurate! :thumb:
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

Hey everyone, had a quite eventful day. picked up pots. i'm not sure what sire they are. look to be about 2 gallon. i fit 4 into my space. i left one lone soldier in a cup. i'm not sure what to do with it, its also getting no direct light.

that is also an issue with these bigger pots i need to go pick up more lights and fixtures. get 2 bulbs for each plant and a couple extra.

i got home and transplanted them. had to be the scariest thing i've done so far as a first timer. but all look healthy and happy. i cut the cups and tore them and got them in quick and easy. patted them down and gave them a nice fat drink. the only thing i was concerned about was them being away from the light and on my porch in the dark for a little amount of time.

shouldnt be a problem though. we'll see how they are doing in the morning. and i will go pick them up a few more 45 watt cfls, and a couple gallons of the safeway distilled water.

any suggestions on nutes in the next couple weeks?

here are some pics.sorry for rambling this cherry pie nd me roor has me toasted! thx everyone:roorrip:

100_8118.JPG
100_8119.JPG
100_8120.JPG
100_8121.JPG
 
Looks like you've been busy! ;)

I always recommend having a supply of vitamin B1 transplant solution on hand for transplanting seedlings and newly rooted clones. I use "Liquinox" brand in the blue bottle. It's cheap but effective in preventing transplant shock/wilting. Also makes a good first nute feed for first week or so in a new pot.

Best to hold off on any other nutes for about a week and then start with half strength till the plants are a little more nature with a more robust root structure. Another great early nute to feed young plants is organic kelp extract. High in the natural form of Nitrogen so its gentle on new and still developing root systems.

I use "Growmore" brand. I've got a photo of it and the B1 bottle in my journal from about two weeks ago when I was transplanting my last cloning session clones.

Hope that helps you out some. :)

Cheers and good luck with your new grow! :thumb:

Sent from my iPod touch using Forum Runner
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

thx goose, i check out the growmore organic kelp, i think i am going to pick some of that up in the next week. i like the sounds of it and would like to give my girls some extra nitrogen and see how they like it.

in regards to the transplant solution, i think i'm good. all look happy and perky. none went into shock. i transplanted the last one today and gave away my two smallest babies. they will get better lighting and more space in theyre new home and i'll keep them updated too.

im probably going to go foxfarm for late veg and flowering. i figure i will force flower around day 20-35 depending on how rapid growth is in the next weeks. what're thoughts and suggestion on this? i was thinking of getting the 3 pack kit (tiger bloom, grow big, bigbloom) they seem to be quite popular and i have a feeding chart a friend gave me. i was going to to do 1/4 strength and build up on the foxfarm if i do end up getting it. im open to other options though on both nutes and when to go 12/12, i'm still investigating. lemme know peoples opinions and results on this. :thanks:

as to my 3 babies i kept. they are looking healthy and happy. sets of nodes are coming in, original true leaves getting bigger, nice rich green coloring. they are freshly 10 days old. here are some pics. just watered earlier gave them a couple liters of distilled water. i won't water for awhile now, they were getting a little droopy. since the other two left i have a lot more space. i put all three in a row with a 45watt 6500k directly on top, and on the left two they have another 45 and 2 23w 5000k's on the sides. going to get more lights this week. my temp has dropped. i'm quite happy about that. running 73-83F now. so im going to keep beefing up the lumens. :thumb:

thanks for following, cant wait for everyones feedback!!! :roorrip:

100_8128.JPG
100_8126.JPG
100_8125.JPG
100_8123.JPG
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

WOW! They sure do grow fast! Looking good my friend! Keep it up!

You will want to get a fan on them soon to help build their stalks nice and thick! I have a few fans I run in both my grow areas on a timer that turns the fans on for a few hours and off for a few hours 24/7. Having them run during the dark cycle will also help prevent powdery mildew and other such stuff when the plants get older.

You don't point the fan directly at the plants, but you want them to get enough of the air flow so that they move a bit.. Without a fan, the seedlings will end up too willowy and delicate and will easily topple over if the top gets too full of new growth. This is a common mistake new growers make. The time to build thick stalks is right now when they are little and their stem cells are in overdrive! :thumb:

Regarding soil... Fox Farm Ocean Forest is a good choice, but Happy Frog is nearly identical and generally costs less and they give you an extra .5 cubic feet per bag! I know that Old Med Man over in Hawaii swears by "the Frog" and won't use anything else these days! I have both here and they look identical! Out of the bag, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart!

So... If you can get Happy Frog where you are for less than FFOF I would say GO FOR IT!! even if they are roughly the same price, that .5 more of Happy Frog makes it the better deal, at least if you buy the big 2 or 2.5 cu ft bags
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

hey everyone, woke up and encountered my first problem. the light on the side of my biggest plant was too close and burned one of the bigger true leaves. i moved the lights away to light the other ones for now and just kept one 45 over the top of her.

everything else looks great. theyre really vegging nicely. im seeing new growth constantly. cant wait to go get my babies some food and see how they like it.

i do have a fan on the top closet rack, and when i sleep i close the door and the fan bounces the wind around making the plants move and sway slightly. i wondered if that was ok for them. glad to know it's helpful and not making it stressful for the plants. and when i go to bed its reaching 86-89 by the time and i wake up, then i open the door turn my ac on and put the fan on a lower speed, its gets down to 71-73. the one day i didnt run my ac the closet got over 90 and i dont want that to happen again. despite what people say i've noticed my plants really like when it's below 80.

i'll post some pics in the next fews days. im going to get some kelp extract.. pick up a timer. maybe a few more lights. and another fan. once theres some significant growth, and i have some more supplies i'll update with some pictures. as more now thanks for everyones advice and feedback. :roorrip:
 
Re: 1st grow experiment, CFL from seed

hypesavlife said:
i'll post some pics in the next fews days. im going to get some kelp extract.. pick up a timer. maybe a few more lights. and another fan. once theres some significant growth, and i have some more supplies i'll update with some pictures. as more now thanks for everyones advice and feedback. :roorrip:
Click to expand...

i got a timer yesterday from volunteers of america for 90 cents! i don't know if they have those where you live but VOA and Goodwill are awesome places to find light fixtures, fans, timers, and other random grow stuff for super cheap
 

Similar threads

A
Anthonyjohn's 400w HPS/CFL Blue Dream 12/2011 1st Grow
2 3 4
Replies
67
Views
6K
420 Girl
420 Girl
Y
Yx - Bag Seed - Eco - First Grow
4 5 6 7 8 9
Replies
179
Views
10K
David Bowman
David Bowman
F
Budmaster 450XG LED & 200W CFL - Autoflower Grow
Replies
6
Views
2K
David Bowman
David Bowman
C
First Soil CFL Grow
2 3 4
Replies
64
Views
7K
Bruce Wheelman
Bruce Wheelman
T
Bag Seed & Autoflower - Closet - CFL - Grow - 2nd Grow
2
Replies
33
Views
4K
David Bowman
David Bowman
Back
Top Bottom