CFL Grow Advice Needed!

[donpaul.p]

Re: CFL Grow Advice Needed!!!

some more proof you can get amazing results using cfl's. their are many haters out their so that proves you can grow with them, ill keep reading these cfl journals and helping where i can and picking up tips along the way, cant wait to see the results,

 

[68camaro]

Re: CFL Grow Advice Needed!!!

this grow is the first ive seen with reflecters and buds!
ive not seen to many cfl flwrs lookin like these!

 

[donpaul.p]

Re: CFL Grow Advice Needed!!!

ive not seen many reflectors for same, was going to make my own, i have got my lights in sort of a light cage, 4 lights above the plants in a home made contraption that i had light fittings strapped to so the 4 lights are all at the same height i was just going to build a reflector around all 4 of the lights so each light wont have it own reflector but the outide of this light strip i built will have a reflector made so it has like four sides hanging down sort of at a diagonal angle reflecting the light downwards and sort of across the plants, ill show you on my journal when i get back to my grow and you will see what i mean, but the lights im going to hang down the side of the plants will have sort of a half cut open tube reflector so its reflecting the light the length of the plant without reflecting the light up and down, confused well i am, the pictures will be ablt to explain better so once ive made them ill post some pics so you can see what im rambling on about,

hey people dont forget to vote in the comps theirs some good names in their so get voting and lets make sure someone who deserves it wins, here is the loink for the comp page, you can vote on member of the month and plant of the month and bud of the month, i didnt know this but before they started the voting you could nominate a person or your own plant or buds so i didnt get chance to nominate who i wanted but thought id let you all know so you can have a look and vote for the person or plant that deserves it.

comp link here
420 Contests - 420 Magazine

happy growing

 

[sfw88]

in the 1st pic there's 5 plants,2nd pic 3..all the reflectors are from recessed lighting fixtures that I got from tearing down a casino, they have a mirror finish, I got about 50 of em,,when i saw em my eyes popped out, I could see there value for growing, So I built a rack to hold 9 of em,and put 27 watt cfl's in em .It hangs from a pulley, so i can crank it up as the plants grow.I surely don't want to cut in on someone's Thread. And I appologize for that..I guess it's time to start my own. here's a couple current pics

 

[sfw88]

I also have mylar in there now,,mixed feelings I think the flat white walls ,worked just as well

and here's a new area i just built with 4 clones in it 2 -200 watt cfl's 1 -100 in the middle

store bought reflectors ,,the 200's wouldn't fit in my small reflectors

 

[TorturedSoul]

So I built a rack to hold 9 of em,and put 27 watt cfl's in em .

You're running 243 watts of light in your garden? I'd be interested in reading how much you harvest (trimmed and dried). Wonder how it will compare to an average yield under a 250-watt HPS? I ran a 250-watt HPS for a while five or six years ago and was never able to hit 1g/w. Think my best result was 232 grams. But it wasn't a strain known for high-production, mostly sativa

 

[sfw88]

well I gave 1 plant to a very good friend, and she is also HOT,, the other 4 ,, I didn't weigh but got jars like this from each 1.

 

[kaptinKhronic]

here are a few new pictures of the 3 and a half week plant . feedback ?

 

[kaptinKhronic]

are the fan leaves to droopy ? or is that normal ?

 

[TorturedSoul]

here are a few new pictures of the 3 and a half week plant . feedback ?

Plant looks healthy.

Might look even better with a little more root-space, have you considered filling the pots with more soil (and the ones that decrease in size as you get closer to the bottom are also costing root-space that wouldn't take up any more floor area if you went with straight-sided (vertical) pots instead.

On the lights, I feel you would get a larger percentage of usable illumination from them if you ditched the "trouble light" style reflectors which have the bulbs vertical and instead hung your lights horizontally, since the bulbs produce the vast majority of their illumination from the sides and only a small amount from the end. You'd immediately jump to a figure closer to 50% (which would not have to be bounced off your reflector at a bad angle in order to get to your plant) and for the other half you could fabricate something from reflective flashing, bright-flat white painted wood, or soda cans (actually make decent reflectors for small CFLs, especially if you put a restrike bend in it). Would be a great way to get the most out of the light that you are already paying for each month.

 

[TorturedSoul]

are the fan leaves to droopy ? or is that normal ?

I would be far more concerned if they start looking "eagle-clawed," especially if the green in the leaves goes "extra green, dark." That could point to a nitrogen OD, I suppose. Doesn't look like that now.

Are you monitoring pH to avoid any nutrient lockouts and the like?

 

[donpaul.p]

what im planning on doing as a reflector is to have say 4 or 5 lights in a sort of uneven row above the plants and place all the plants into one big reflector so ill have the base that the bulbs holders are tied and then make my own reflector that angles the light down and slightly out, this would prevent the light going upwards but would benefit from having all the lights under the same reflector, i think it would benefit anyway, then once you have got the lights above set up and reflected you could hang some down the sides of plants and have a reflector for each bulb directing the light onto the side of the plant, due to the fact that cfl's lumins drop drastically after more than a few inches.

you can test this by lifting one of your pots up and holding it right under a bulb then slowly move it away then you will notice that once you get past about 2 inches the light drops off by loads, also having the cfls bulbs on their sides produces more light than the end of the bulb, the end produces enough but the sides have more area and put out more light than the ends,

 

[donpaul.p]

as for your plants, they look fine mate, the leaves are droopy because they are getting big, as the stems start to fill out you should notice it will hold the leaves better, the main 2 reasons the droop like that is due to lack of light which would cause the stems to stretch closer to the light, or lack or to much water, its about finding the balance and sticking to it, but to me your plants look nice and healthy and looks like your doing a good job with what your using, my plants are slightly behnd yours, i took some pics today and posted them in my journal,

im not sure if my big bud is growing right, to me the leaves dont look right but i may be worrying over nuffin, its seems to me like their wilting but ive checked the water and not over watered them so i dont think its a water problem, im hoping its just because the leaves are now starting to develop and its now just starting to grow its proper leaves so im hoping it will start piking up, im changing the pots next time i go over to bigger pots, not sure when to start addin the niutes, ive got a hydro shop by my moms so im going to pop in their and have a look at what nutes they stock.

i hope it all goes well with your grow, ill keep watching this space and see how your getting on and pass on any tips i get and hopefully ill pick up tips from your grow, it would be good to see the results,

 

[kaptinKhronic]

is it normal for the fan leave to become droopy ? i just waterd them and now they seem a little droopy . i lowerd the fan speed to they dont blow from side to side hard from the breeze

 

[TorturedSoul]

Having a "well-drained" soil can help keep that issue to a minimum. Do you have enough perlite or the like mixed in for adequate drainage? Cannabis likes to be well-watered - but it doesn't like to "stand around with its feet wet."

 

[sfw88]

I think she looks great ,,I agree ya need to get the light on the plant, not the whole grow area a good reflector is a must ,and fill your pots up to the top with your grow medium, I would get rid of the tie wrap you have around the base, I don't think it's needed ,and will girdle the plant stem quickly

 

[kaptinKhronic]

the top leaves have perked up and now the stems are purple :] not sure of the genetics of the seed but i know its about a good 65-70 degrees in the room , off of my knowledge a plant turns colors either by genetics or if its cool in the room !

 

[kaptinKhronic]

 

[sfw88]

yes she looks great to me ,but I'm sure shes getting root bound, and when ya transplant it ,,watch her take off, she will love more soil to grow in ,and will show her appreciation to you ,right away

 

[Mr Mud-Pie]

Oh ya u need a big pot now that's a half gal pot u got there go up to ether a 1gal or 3g or 5gal depending on how big you would want her to be but I'm loovin the pics! Great job!