Blazingbuds' CFL & LED Soil Grow - Unknown Strain

[OldMedUser]

You could just not use so many lights. You have major overkill going on for lights with plants that size.

Two of those CFLs or the LED alone is plenty for what you have going on.

Eventually you'll need more but not now.

L8r

 

[Cruizer]

From experience I would use a zip tie or something to secure the splitters to the power strip so they won't fall out of the sockets and land on your plants.

 

[Blazingbuds]

You could just not use so many lights. You have major overkill going on for lights with plants that size.

Two of those CFLs or the LED alone is plenty for what you have going on.

Eventually you'll need more but not now.

L8r

Hey thanks for the input! I know that its definitely overkill, that's what I was going for haha. But I dont have the seedlings up to the light. They sit down below on the cooler. About 1.5 feet lower that the big plant. They were up on the pot for picture sake. I know its a lot of light, even for the big plant. But her growth has definitely picked up with that light. I use only three bulbs, 5000k.

ALSO,

Even when I run the LED all by itself, it still hits 90 in there, easy. Now its not 100, but still hot as hell.

Also, if i had to choose one or the other, which would be more beneficial.

Intake or exhaust from outside the closet?

 

[Blazingbuds]

Quick update
Is this another side branch starting, or a calyyx?

Top has recovered nicely. Two side branches have came in to replace top. Also It looks as if two more side branches are reaching for the top. It looks like 5 tops at this point. You can see what I mean if you look closely.

New growth

 

[brightlight]

Hey Blazingbuds.....saw your posts here & there & came over to join ya. Good growing so far.

 

[Atlien0079]

Set up is coming along nice. Try and get those cfls pointed down at the plants with some type of reflective wing. Yourbaby is looking healthy though

 

[grimmreefer]

BB been meaning to get over here for a while. Looking good man! Everything looks happy. I would highly recommend starting to think about an exhaust. These things really start to stink. It's a wonderful scent but like you said "I don't want to have that conversation" I can say from experience not all mother-in-laws are cool with dope growing in their little girls house. You could get a little 4" fan with a carbon filter for pretty cheap, you just have to cut a hole in something. I use a big MF and can still smell it outside sometimes. Also for intake I just ran a duct through the wall with no fan. This gives the room negative pressure so nothing comes out that isn't going through the filter.
The bag seed will more than likely be female if they came from a dispensary. I can't say from experience but I assume most commercial guys don't keep males around the girls.

 

[grimmreefer]

Oh yeah if your trying to go inexpensive you should look into mineralized soil. It is a little more work/money in the beginning but you end up giving them pretty much straight water.
One step further would be LOS there are some great growers on this site that are using it with great results.

 

[Blazingbuds]

So I found out my plant was a male today. This was really discouraging. But you gotta keep going. I also got rid of a couple ugly looking seedlings. I have the best seedling under the lights, and 10 OG seeds are in paper towel at the moment. I put the LED away. Dont need it for a single seedling. I have it under a few 23W CFLs. Ill update with pics in a few days.

 

[Blazingbuds]

Here is how the grow is going! Hope you guys decide to stick with me here despite the fact I lost my good looking plant. Anyway, things are progressing nicely. Seems to be quicker than before. Maybe being started in high quality soil, having the correct cool light, as opposed to hot 2700k light. Maybe a little experience helped too.

I have these under 115 actual watts of CFL, (5, 23w bulbs @ 1600 lumen) Four of the five are 5000k Cool daylight. There is one 2700k in the middle. I've read that the 2700k is good for rooting.

Now, about the red solo cups. I have a bunch of fiber seed starter cups, but I'm not a fan. They will hold no moisture, and they dry out the soil. Which gives my plants roots no support to stand. I have to excessively water it to keep it at a reasonable level thought the day.

Here are some pics from today

Has the first leaf set, then a three leaf set and now a five leaf set, working on the next node.

This is to show what I use to "close" my grow box, white is a decent reflector of light. Very simple. Screws put in backwards work as hangers on the top shelf. One shot is of the inside surface, the other is how it looks when its closed up. Then I close my closet door which is weather stripped.

 

[JoseQuervo]

Looks great!

 

[Blazingbuds]

So if i have like two gnats in my grow is it something to be worried about?? I was watering the soil, and noticed a gnat fly out when the water hit it. This happened twice. Seemed like they may be fungus gnats because I've read that they are weak fliers, and often stay on the plant, or around the soil. I hope to God its not, but knowing my luck it is. I turned up a couple of inches of soil and saw no larve, so Idk any input is helpful. Ill post a pic of a smashed one and see if we can identify it.

Furthermore, my best looking seedling is having slightly wilted leaves, which makes me think larvae are chomping on my plant.

I also put my plants on the 18/6 cycle, They got their first dark period today.
On a side note, I got my temp to drop 11.5 degrees from the lights being off. This will be great during flower. I can really control the tempature.

 

[Blazingbuds]

Hey guys, Just quit my Job today. It got me thinking, what do the people of 420 Mag do by day? If you'd take a look at my new thread, in my signature, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Blazingbuds]

Heres the bug shot I promised.
Looks like a fungus gnat. What do you guys think??

Heres the setup. The seedlings are a week old, yesterday. Decided to put the LED back in, and drop the floor. The bigger plant is coming along decently, but its growing slow. I transplanted it after my update last week. Planted it down much farther, where the cotyledons used to be. I now noticed that made sidebranches start on every node set, Ill probably FIM or top it soon.

 

[brightlight]

Hey Blazingbuds....your bug ID is correct, that's a fungus gnat. I should know....I've had plenty of the little sh*ts. Best remedy for me is consistently the beneficial nematodes. A fresh batch is about the only true eliminator in my experience. BT, SNS 203, H2O2 act more like suppressors, not complete mass killers. Hope you kill them all!

 

[Blazingbuds]

Thank you for your reply! Thats funny you mention the hydrogen peroxide, I was about to go to town with it.

I Should just start over you are saying?
If so, I accept that. I've read of Epic battles with the dreaded fungus gnat.

 

[brightlight]

Yeah I've had some big time gnat wars. But the herb always came out good so don't throw out anything. For a longtime I didn't want to use H2O2 believing that it would kill off my microbes, but have since learned that H2O2 will kill the bad anaerobic bacteria & not the good aerobic population. I recently tried a relative mild dose, but it didn't do too much. BT is my 2nd best line of defense, but I always have to use quite a lot. If they increase, suggest a dose of nematodes...fast, clean, effective. Imo absolutely the best remedy. A female lays ~200 eggs so they can increase quickly. The eggs seem to come along with the bags of coco/peat we buy. Good luck bro.

 

[grimmreefer]

I agree with Bright. Though I have never personally used them I have seen nematodes work with great success. I have had pretty good luck with mosquito dunks and sticky traps also. The yellow traps are good to have around anyways as a way of telling if you have a few or a full on infesation.

 

[Blazingbuds]

Ill have to get that going soon, just a little tight for money at the moment. Thanks guys!

 

[Atlien0079]

letting your dirt dry out completely usually kills the eggs they lay in the dirt. Most time they are only around because you might have over watered in the past. Kill the ones flying around dry your dirt out then you should be ok. Then water when the plants really need it.