CFL closet

[rastaherbman]

Ok so I found a neat place in my area that sells everything I need from here on out Lights,grow mediums... the works.... So I got my self a thermometer and some nutes I think I will try out soon. What do you guys think though? Or the times I should use these nutes.

I honestly don't have a solid solution to venting this closet. I have some ideas but they change every time I think about it. Was gonna put a vent at the bottom of the wall and some exhaust fan sucking air to the attic, add a door and seal it tight. Some fans circulating the air. Then adding some type of ionizer in that room. The room is offlimits to anyone aswell.
But I'm looking at plans to make 2 more grow boxes so this room is gonna be pretty modified when Im done.



Day 5
I seen some roots peaking out today and totally forgot to grab some extra cups to house these babies until transplant. What color should I get ? Anyways I recycled some old card board I had laying around to shadow the roots until tomorrow. I hope that amount of light exposure for several hours today wont hurt the seedlings.

[michiganrules]

hey man dont like the card board on the tops of the cups ...think it makes it hard to let your soil breath...

[theganjaguru]

Your doing a soil setup, so you need to let you soil breath. The tops are for hydroponic setup, hydro breaths differently. At least you covered the clear cups. Looking great

[rastaherbman]

Michiganrules: Gotcha I was doing that just for that day as some of the cup sleeves I made weren't as tight and some light still leaked from the top to the roots

These things are slow as with cfl's. I started another batch on the top shelf with some flo's just in case something goes wrong with this run. Plus I got a hold of some great rego seeds and had to give them a go

What about those nutes guys. Are they good for vegging or should I go with something else ?

[BUD08]

Every thing looks great but i would get rid of the MG and be careful with the guano. ferts like that can burn the plants very easly. Might want to think about getting some fox farm nutes instead. Looking good!!

[rastaherbman]

Ok I got some fox farm marine cuisine also.... But I forgot to ask when should I transplant to another pot? I was gonna go for a few more days befor I transplanted to 3gallon pots and only veg for 18-21 days total. I'm not trying to get BIG ASS BUDS so average to small little nugs will work for me.

[spur]

I usually let the seedlings get a little bigger before transplanting.. seedlings stretch a little regardless of light height or intensity, and I like them to get that out of their system before transplanting... then I bury the plant so I dont see that leggy base.. always worked for me.

A good way to avoid disrupting your roots when do transplant out of the cups is to "plant the cup", pack the dirt in (not tightly, just enough to hold the form) around the cup, then take the cup out, remove the cup and put the solid cup form of dirt back in the hole.. the roots will appreciate not being dislodged.

[ABBOT]

At least 2 weeks Or when your plants are 4-6" tall. As far as your nutes, stay away from slow-release fertilizers, they take too long to break down and can't be flushed prior to harvest. Also i recommend that you buy some Earth Juice or any other organic nutrients. Chemical nutes and pesticides should not be used to grow cannabis.
I also recommend buying a 250 watt High Pressure Sodium or a Metal Halide. That would really boost the quantity and quality of your herb.

[ABBOT]

I forgot to say that your love and dedication is highly evident in your pics. Your closet looks like mine 11years ago. Keep at it.

[rastaherbman]

Thanks Abbot, BUD08, spur and everyone else . I think I might have fried them a tad with the lights being to close and a little nute burn to add to the problem lol damn it.

We live and we learn to try new things everyday. I added a lil bit of humus to the first soil mix and blood meal . Maybe to much because even the seedlings are showing signs of burn on the tips but not drastic. : (

They are showing signs of coming back though, the nodes are short but growth is there everyday. Just not as rapid as I have seen on these borads. I just had an addition to the family last week also(YAY!) so I havent had time to really evaluate the conditions to correct them. Nearly 3 weeks and only 6 inches tall. This sucks but I learned what not to do.

Abbot: I thought about getting a 250w HPS or MD, but my funds are drained until next month so cfl's will have to do for this batch. And yes I love cultivation and these forums. Hopefully I can get as good as you fellas sooner then later

[ABBOT]

Thank -you and congrats. Your plants are growing fine. CFLs can only do so much. Also, put a fan (if you don't already have one) blowing gentley into your closet at floor level. You want all of your plants leaves to be gentley moving or you do not have enough air for them to be happy.

[theganjaguru]

42 watt soft white cfl's from home depot are perfect for all stages of growth, specially for flowering, because it contains the red/orange spectrum flowering plants thrive on. Of coarse their is better lights out there, but if you're on a budget, cfl's are the way to go. I used 8 42 watt soft white cfl's, used them 360 degrees and instead of getting one huge main cola, I got 6 huge colas. When I finished, I ended up with 2 foot pineapples yielding 5 oz. per plant.

You don't want to use nutrients for the first week on seedlings, tap water is what to use. After the first week, than you can use nutes but on at quarter dosage, when the plant turns to vegetative stage than you can slowly introduce higher dosages.

As far as transplanting, what you can do is get a 3 gallon container, fill them with soil make a hole, in the soil for the plant. Now there is two great ways you can transplant with a cup, one is to cut the bottom off the cup and place it in the hole or you can pack the cup and remove it by gently squeezing the cup while pulling it out. Next time don't grow in cups, at all. They are way to much of a pain in the ass.

What a fan does is replace the bad/stale air around the blades for the stomates to soak in fresh C02. Humans breath oxygen, plants breath carbon dioxide.

You need to have more confidence in your babies and yourself, who doesn't want big ass buds. You can do this, it's very simple and fun.

Also congratulations.

[ABBOT]

Wow, I never got that knid of success when i was using them.(CFLS) Then agian that was a long time ago and i never tried arranging them at 360* - clever- I think i might try this just for fun. You know, on the side. ~wink~

[theganjaguru]

ABBOT- Yeah it works really well, but now I grow with 600 watt HPS hortilux bulbs, for the full spectrum. I also grow hydroponic, instead of soil. I like automation and faster growth. I grew cfl's cause I was on a budget and had very little space.

It worked really really well, but you have to pay a lot and I mean a lot of attention to the girls. Concerning moving the lights up everyday, keeping them 3 inches away at all times is a pain. Try it out, it's pretty cheap.

I use miracle grow moisture control, which the ph is 5.1 so I balanced my water ph to 6.8.

[theganjaguru]

When are you going to introduce flowering or start to force flower? Also how tall do you plan on the plants to be?

I personally introduce flowering at 5 to 6 inches. I like my plants at 2 feet but stout.

A good cheap trick to increase C02 is to put dry ice (compressed and froze C02) into a show box with medium sized holes on top. 1 pound of dry ice will create 1000 ppm, plants thrive on 1500 ppm.

Don't waste your money on any high pressure sodium or metal halide under 600 watts. I recommend electronic ballast or if you have $600 try out the UFO LED, it works damn good, but low on yield but great on resin production.

I'd like to request some updated pics. Thanks