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- #141
steff
New Member
It's dark outside but I had to try and get a pic because I haven't looked at her much. This is the top of one of the middle branches 
First Time Grower
- Thread starter steff
- Start date
You'll be pinching tops and thinning plants quickly in no time.
Now is the time to start planning for next year. Learning about and deciding on a soil type, accumulating what you need. Mixing and cooking the soil. Grow closet/tent and security.
Your plant has a main stem or stalk. Where the side stems come off the stalk there is also a big fan leaf. This junction is called a node. This basic pattern continues on the stalk and any growing stems until flowering. In flowering the new nodes become flower (bud) sites instead of branching, and new bud sites will pop up anywhere and everywhere the plant can.
steff, leave her alone and out of the light for her dark period. No pics, no porch lights. She needs uninterrupted dark or she could get confused.
Now is the time to start planning for next year. Learning about and deciding on a soil type, accumulating what you need. Mixing and cooking the soil. Grow closet/tent and security.
Your plant has a main stem or stalk. Where the side stems come off the stalk there is also a big fan leaf. This junction is called a node. This basic pattern continues on the stalk and any growing stems until flowering. In flowering the new nodes become flower (bud) sites instead of branching, and new bud sites will pop up anywhere and everywhere the plant can.
steff, leave her alone and out of the light for her dark period. No pics, no porch lights. She needs uninterrupted dark or she could get confused.
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- #143
steff
New Member
Just a quick picture through the sliding glass door. . Looking good
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- #144
steff
New Member
I think it's safe to say she is now in the second week, and I'm really enjoying watching and learning! I know I didn't actually get advice on this, however I chose to go ahead and get the Tiger Bloom and some PH adjuster because I read it lowers the PH. turns out I've been giving hey 7-7.5 PH this whole time. . I was so scared giving her the first dose, which was four days ago. Yesterday she got her second dose, hopefully I don't kill her! I think she looks great though 
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- #145
steff
New Member
Crap I just noticed I gave her the first dose the 27th which means I gave the next dose a day to soon. I need to pay attention more
OldMedUser
Formerly Known as LabRat
She's looking real good Steff!
Leaves all reaching out to the sun, no curling or brown edges and nice uniform colour.
L8r
Leaves all reaching out to the sun, no curling or brown edges and nice uniform colour.
L8r
Exactly what OMU said. She looks fabulous!
Now that you're messing with PH, adjust your solution to right around 6.4. If you get tired of PH and fretting over it you can check into organics, like Living Organic Soil aka LOS (like SweetSue), High Brix aka HB growing (look to Doc Bud for info), super soil (originated by a person known as Subcool) or any other organic soil recipe you can find. These folks have all but lost their PH meters.
Hydroponic PH adjusters are a no-no in organics. They are harsh acids and bases and will affect soil microbes. But since you are already down that path, finish it.
Now that you're messing with PH, adjust your solution to right around 6.4. If you get tired of PH and fretting over it you can check into organics, like Living Organic Soil aka LOS (like SweetSue), High Brix aka HB growing (look to Doc Bud for info), super soil (originated by a person known as Subcool) or any other organic soil recipe you can find. These folks have all but lost their PH meters.
Hydroponic PH adjusters are a no-no in organics. They are harsh acids and bases and will affect soil microbes. But since you are already down that path, finish it.
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- #148
steff
New Member
Yea, I now know that I will not make this mistake again. It is scary adjusting that stuff, I feel like I need a lab lol... I had purchased the Tiger Bloom thinking I read it was organic, only to read later that day it is a different formula Fox Farms sells and I mixed it up. I had already opened it, and couldn't exchange, so i just used it. I wanted to do everything organic. Up to this point I think I was doing everything organically.
Poop, huh, lol.
Live. and. Learn. BUT next one I will know better!!
She does look pretty though! Even the lowest branches now have flowers
Thank you for all the positive words!!! <3
Poop, huh, lol.
Live. and. Learn. BUT next one I will know better!!
She does look pretty though! Even the lowest branches now have flowers
Thank you for all the positive words!!! <3
I love seeing 'eureka' moments.
I love having them published on these pages so we can re-live them over and over.
She looks beautiful steff. By now I know you can feel her energy. Cool, isn't it?
Heirloom is right, you're hooked now and you're at the best point to start thinking ahead. When you're ready, there are any number of qualified growers who will be honored to help you become more and more comfortable with the process.
Growing these babies is addictive. We acknowledge that and plan for it. Work it into your budget steff. It's easier if you just accept it. 
Heirloom is right, you're hooked now and you're at the best point to start thinking ahead. When you're ready, there are any number of qualified growers who will be honored to help you become more and more comfortable with the process.
Growing these babies is addictive. We acknowledge that and plan for it.
Work it into your budget steff. It's easier if you just accept it.
Sue's addicted...bad. Luckily she's addicted to plants, not cats.
You've got the bug steff. You'll be eying closets and nooks wondering if you can fit just one more in. It's OK. We all fight that battle.
You've got the bug steff. You'll be eying closets and nooks wondering if you can fit just one more in. It's OK. We all fight that battle.
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- #152
steff
New Member
So I brought her inside this morning because she is getting soooooooo beautiful 
I was really getting paranoid someone was going to notice she isn't a vegetable.
Well two hours later we got a notice on our door that the owners are doing remodeling on our balcony, and needed access real quick if we would allow. Talk about good luck,
she was in our closet happy under her CFL lights lol. 
Anyway, I just wanted to post this real quick so I wont forget which day I brought her inside..
I was really getting paranoid someone was going to notice she isn't a vegetable. Well two hours later we got a notice on our door that the owners are doing remodeling on our balcony, and needed access real quick if we would allow. Talk about good luck, she was in our closet happy under her CFL lights lol. Anyway, I just wanted to post this real quick so I wont forget which day I brought her inside..
Remodeling your balcony? For real or was it an inspection?
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- #154
steff
New Member
Yes, they actually are. I didn't notice they started the other building already..
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- #155
steff
New Member
I placed two bulbs to close, and she got a little burned on the tip of a few leaves.. they're now about 2-3 inches from her. I need to put something that reflects in there, maybe less wattage bulbs?
Do you have the lights in reflector domes? The best thing for even light reflection is semi-gloss white paint. You would think foil or mylar, but no. It's semi-gloss white.
I would not cut back on wattage unless you got a bulb(s) that produced as much or more lumens as what you current lights produce. In horticultural lighting you really need to look at the spectrum of light and the lumens produced first, then wattage second. Your plant doesn't care about watts, it cares about spectrum and lumens...... and heat if you get it too close. Only your budget cares about watts.
After all that, no, I would not recommend going with less wattage. If anything give her more but make sure you're not too close with them.
I would not cut back on wattage unless you got a bulb(s) that produced as much or more lumens as what you current lights produce. In horticultural lighting you really need to look at the spectrum of light and the lumens produced first, then wattage second. Your plant doesn't care about watts, it cares about spectrum and lumens...... and heat if you get it too close. Only your budget cares about watts.
After all that, no, I would not recommend going with less wattage. If anything give her more but make sure you're not too close with them.
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- #157
steff
New Member
Go figure white works, my closet is so bright! Well my daughter broke her binoculars a while ago, and I messed around with them and my phones camera. Pretty cool, just wish I could focus more. The bright lights make my head hurt lol
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- #158
steff
New Member
Few more
OldMedUser
Formerly Known as LabRat
Looks like pics I've taken by putting the lens off an old film camera in front of the lens on my now dead digi cam. +reps
I use foil right on the back sides of CFLs to reflect all the light to my small plants Steff. A reflector even a few inches away from a CFL bulb doesn't help a lot. By the time the light hits the reflector and gets back to the plant it has lost most of it's power. I see a lot of grows here where the lights have no reflectors at all so the plants are only getting 25% of the light the bulbs give off if that. Foil on a CFL will not cause hot spots that will damage your plants. That holds true with even a small HID light but CFLs just don't have the intensity to cause hot spots. Just cut some foil like a large T so the top of the T can be wrapped around the base of the bulb and the bottom end be tucked into the coils at the top of the bulb. Keeps them in place with the fan blowing. Most of the light from them comes off the sides as well so cone type reflectors can help if the top end of the bulb is aimed at the plant. Heavy foil can be used to make those or those foil catch pans that go under old stove elements can be had cheap and bent into a cone shape.
L8r
I use foil right on the back sides of CFLs to reflect all the light to my small plants Steff. A reflector even a few inches away from a CFL bulb doesn't help a lot. By the time the light hits the reflector and gets back to the plant it has lost most of it's power. I see a lot of grows here where the lights have no reflectors at all so the plants are only getting 25% of the light the bulbs give off if that. Foil on a CFL will not cause hot spots that will damage your plants. That holds true with even a small HID light but CFLs just don't have the intensity to cause hot spots. Just cut some foil like a large T so the top of the T can be wrapped around the base of the bulb and the bottom end be tucked into the coils at the top of the bulb. Keeps them in place with the fan blowing. Most of the light from them comes off the sides as well so cone type reflectors can help if the top end of the bulb is aimed at the plant. Heavy foil can be used to make those or those foil catch pans that go under old stove elements can be had cheap and bent into a cone shape.
L8r
- Thread starter
- #160
steff
New Member
Thank you, everyone, for always giving me such useful information!
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