Beginners First Grow: Arjan's Haze #3 in Closet

[supermanninja]

Hello people!

I have just started to build my stealth box of an old closet with two doors. The closet has the measures: Height 165cm (64,9”), Width 94cm (37”) and Depth 47cm (18,5”), which means that the inside is about 0,729 cubic meters (25,7 cubic feet) big.

In this space I intend to grow three Arjan’s Haze #3 but I have a few questions regarding light and the strain it self:

First I wonder if this CFL-light kit is any good and if it would give enough light for the plants to make a good yield in my grow space?
CFL-kit: CFL Lighting Kit Complete 2 x 125W, 89.95 euro

I also have a feeling that the Arjan’s Haze #3 strain are going to be taller than my grow space allows, and I wonder which way is the best to control the height of the plant without loosing final yield and quality?

Regards…
/SupermanNinja

 

[supermanninja]

Anybody?

Update:
I have measured plastic pots at a local garden equipment store and found out that I will have enough space for three 12 litre (3,1 gallon) plastic pots in my growspace.
Pretty big, but I hope that extra root space will make the plants happy and juicy

/SupermanNinja

 

[CannaRebel]

Bearing in mind that you need a minimum average of 40w per square foot of space between Veg and flowering.

You have 94 * 47 = 4418 square cm = 4.75 square feet
4.75 * 40 = 190 watts minimum, your light wont be enough for 3 plants.

Arjan Haze also tends to grow tall and CFLs don't have much light penetration to begin with (Lumen) so unless you intend on keeping that plant short and busy you wont be getting much yield with this setup.

For a bit more money you can get a 200W HID, the end results will be considerably better.

 

[supermanninja]

Thank you for the answer.

I have changed my plans considerably.
I have now ordered following kit:
Kit - Sylvania HPS-TS 250 W

The plants are now growing under one 11W CFL (550 lumens) each and are all looking fine and healthy. On Wednesday they’ll be two weeks old and when I receive the 250W HPS I’ll go 12/12 immediately.

What do you think?

 

[CannaRebel]

Nice choice, so for your next grow you can simply get a MH bulb to do your vegging with.
250 Watts is perfect for your grow.

Now you just need to think of exhausting:
You have 25 Cubic Feet of air that you need to vent once a Minuteman (minimum) or 3 times per minute (optimum). So looking at the same site you already got your stuff from I can recommend this fan:
LTI Fan 125mm - 225m³/h, 78.00€.

Odor control is optional, but always keep in mind that fans loose about 25% of their pressure when the air has to go through a carbon filter.


if you're on a budget you can just get a couple 120mm computer fans and install these, always at the top and cut exhaust holes at the opposite lower end.

 

[supermanninja]

Precisely what I thought, MH bulb for the next run.

I changed the three 11W CFL that I used and bought three 20W CFL which has twice the lumen output. These will from now on be used throughout the grow and later as supplement lights on the sides when the HPS arrives.

It's also good to hear that the 250W HPS i bought is enough for my space and I hope to receive it at Friday and start blasting 12/12.

As exhaust I bought one 120mm industrial fan which looks identical to a computer fan, though it's made in metal and moves 2,40 m3/min. It drives on 230V and I use a light dimmer to adjust the fans rpm.
Picture: : Fan

When I receive the carbon filter I'll hook everything up to an expandable air duct equal to this one; Combi duct hose 102mm to suck air from the inside through the carbon filter and out at the top.

/SupermanNinja

PS.
Pics will soon come.

DS.

 

[1st timer]

Sounds good to me dude I'm in for the journey ............. .........

 

[CannaRebel]

Sounds like the ingredients to a nice grow...count me in too

 

[supermanninja]

I think I have a bit of a problem.

The HPS is up and running without hassle since yesterday but the humidity is 44% and it's 90-95°F in the closet. The HPS is hanging about 23" from the tops.

The plants are looking bushy and deep green, but the sides of the leaves are curling up towards the light, which has to do with the heat. Right?

What is the best solution? New over dimensioned exhaust fan?

EDIT:
What about this one:
2500/2200 rpm, Two modes: 180/140 m³/h - 24/21 dB(A)

 

[opus]

i would look at let them veg little long, give u a chance to fix the heat in there too

 

[supermanninja]

So you think that 18 days in 24/0 isn't enough?
How long do you think that I should veg them?

The cooling setup is this:
1. I have the window of the room open.
2. One 1"x 3,5" hole in the back of the closet in height with the plants with one 120mm industrial fan in front of it (inside the closet), providing the closet with cool air and blowing across the plants.
3. One 120mm industrial fan hanging in front of the bulb tip to cool it down.
4. One 120mm industrial fan sucking the warm air thought a coal filter and out the back.

All three fans are at full speed and they all move 144 m3/h each.

The thermometer reads 89°F and a humidity of 27%.
How bad is it? :surrender:

/SupermanNinja

 

[opus]

i would say that is fine didnt read all of it didnt see u where at 18 days yes littel high but u can start 12/12

 

[CannaRebel]

Humidity is good at 27%, some might say it's a bit low, me I would be very thankful if I can go that low, also helps in fighting mold and fungi

As for your temp, 89F is slightly on the warm side for the plants, but since you're cutting to 12/12 any day now, I would recommend having the lights on when the sun is down outside and the air is general cooler, so it's good.

We want pics btw

 

[supermanninja]

After 12 hours of darkness the light have now been on for almost two hours and the temperature is 87,8° F and the humidity is 30%.

And now, finally some pictures! The plants are all 19 days old.


The ventilation is not quite complete, I'm thinking of building my own cooltube. But you get the hint.

This is how the closet looks from outside

First girl (got some heavy yellowing on one of the lower leafs that's almost totally dried out)

Second girl (the biggest one so far - has got some small yellow spots that's seems to retract)

Internodes on second girl. This is how bushy the plants are

Third girl (the smallest one - has some small yellow spots as well (as you can see to the right in the pic.), but they also seems to retract)

/SupermanNinja

 

[supermanninja]

Quick update:

The air temperature in the closet are now 82° F with the window open (it's 48° F cold outside).
The humidity is around 40% and climbs to about 75-80% over the night (no lights or fans on)

So that feels kinda good.
I will update with new pictures next week so that you'll see the progress week by week.

Take care!
/SupermanNinja

 

[Growheart]

So you think that 18 days in 24/0 isn't enough?
How long do you think that I should veg them?

The thermometer reads 89°F and a humidity of 27%.
How bad is it? :surrender:

/SupermanNinja

I think vegging anywhere from 15+ days is fine, its your choice on how big you want them to get (double during flowering).

Regarding your temperature, 89 is NOT ideal, and over 90 F is death for your plants, 90 is the absolute highest you can go without running into real trouble. Daytime you want 77-80 and nighttime 70-75 great. During veg, higher humidity is okay (50-60%), but you want low dips in night temp. During flowering, low humidity at ALL times of 40-50% is what you aim for, and temps can start dropping at night after the first few weeks.

The air temperature in the closet are now 82° F with the window open (it's 48° F cold outside).
The humidity is around 40% and climbs to about 75-80% over the night (no lights or fans on)

question: Why are you turning off the fans at night ? 70-80% humidity at any point during flowering is not good and will potentially lead to bud mold and pest issues.

The plants look overall healthy but I do spot some leaf tips curling up, and yellowing of new growth.

2nd question: unless I missed it, you never mentioned anything about nutrients. What ahve u been feeding them, whats the soil used, ph of water ?

Overall I really like your setup, but we need to see the whole picture if you want more feedback & help, which it looks like those plants may need. And a side note - you posted this thread in the wrong spot , should be in grow journals / current and on going since it is a grow journal!

, subbed and here to help

 

[Planter]

lookin good mate

 

[Planter]

what soil are you using and what nutes have you chose?

 

[supermanninja]

The thread started out as a question, but since it now has become a grow journal I would be happy if a moderator could help me move it to “Grow Journals”.

question: Why are you turning off the fans at night ? 70-80% humidity at any point during flowering is not good and will potentially lead to bud mold and pest issues.

The fans go off because the whole closet is connected to the same timer. But I’ll get another cable so that the fans can run while the rest of the closet is turned off.

2nd question: unless I missed it, you never mentioned anything about nutrients. What ahve u been feeding them, whats the soil used, ph of water ?

I have not been using nutrients at all this far, but I thinking of buying something for the bud production. But I don’t know what sort and brand. Any tips?


So this is how it looks today, 9 days of flowering – 27 days total. The leaves are curling slightly like in the last pictures that I uploaded and that is because of recent heavy watering. Beside that I think they look just fine.
The soil I use is a Swedish high-class brand called Hasselfors, which is made for professional gardeners. The soil has a PH level that’s made to be watered with standard Swedish tap water (which usually has a PH of around 7).
But now, pictures:

From left to right: Second Girl, Third Girl and First Girl.
I changed place on Second and Third Girl so that the smaller Third Girl would receive as much light as possible standing in the middle. As you also see, Second Girl is a bit taller than the other two and grows more in every way. It simply has the best genetics. I'm thinking of cloning her.

Second Girl from above

Second Girl is producing hand fans - eleven tips so far

Second Girl from the side. Best gentics of them all:

Third Girl from above:

First Girl from above:

Temp and humidity:

/SupermanNinja


PS:
Can I topp the taller plant even though it has been in 12/12 for 9 days?

 

[Growheart]

Hey SupermanNinja, nice looking plants! #2 really is bushing out quite healthy.

As far as cloning and topping, both are things which should ideally be done during veg. If you top now its taking energy away from potential bud production.

Cloning... you may be okay, never done it but read that its best done during veg unless you want midget plants.

I am in my 5th week of flower and wish I'd cloned. However I plan to reveg the best pheno's and hopefully can get clones that way.

As for nutes, well I personally use a simple solution that was reccommended at my local hydro shop, you can check out the details in my journal. But any Fox Farms stuff is what people around here seem to love.

You really should have them on some sort of feeding program. Plants need water, food (nutrients), and light. Your girls like healthy, so they must have been getting food somehow,,, So your soil must have had some nutrients mixed in, possibly time-release? We gotta know what soil your using to properly reccommend nutes.