First CFL Grow Using 30 Watt CFLs

Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

i thought that as well about the light and dark period, my last grow 9 years ago was strictly 18-6 but then i started reading more and more about 24-0 and decided to go with 20-4 as i thought myself that the plants needs dark time, but the more i read and the more i saw i decided to give it a go, i mean you can tell how healthy the plant is by looking at the leaves, and if 24-0 harmed plants or reduced yield then knowbody will be using that method, so tonight is the 3rd night that the lights have been on constant and from my own experience i can see loads more growth and the new leaves at the stem that was slowly growing have realy picked up and are now looking like leaves, i had my doubts at first and i always said plants need some dark time, but when top growers are using 24-0 and getting great results i thought i would try it and i think the results speak for themselves, if i see any signs my plants are suffering then ill put the schedule back, i think by starting on 20-4 i have let the roots establish so i know they have strong routes and thats why i have changed, i really think the growth rate has shot up, the plants look healthier and the leaves feel and look thicker,

i wont just switch to 12-12 ill over a few days bring the lights down slowly to the flower stage, but ive seen loads of new growth and my plants seem really healthy at this stage,

from what ive read cannabis is graded a c3 plant and this can thrive under constant light, i wouldnt of changed the lights if i had any doubt of the schedule, i have read loads and looked at loads of journals and videos on this site and others, i have seen reports that root growth is more during 18-6 and this drops off as the plant gets less night time hours, but i think i have given my plants a strong route base when i transplanted into the bigger pots they was pretty much root bound, if i see any signs of stress or i dont think the growth is a good as it should be then ill cut the time back down.

what im actually thinking of doing is keeping with 24-0 for a week or 2 then slowly bring the time down when im getting closer to flower, this way im pretty much treating it as if the days are getting shorter, i think this will be less of a shock to the plant than going strait to 12-12, so if all goes well ill stay at 24 for about a week a so, then ill take it back to 20-4 until im ready to flower, then ill drop it down to say 18-6 for a few days then down to 12-12, i mean i think thats about the best idea,

on the other hand im no expert grower and not grown a plant for about 9 years now, im just trying to learn what i can and produce what i can, ive seen great resluts using 18-6 and like wise using 24-0, the only difference seems to be the veg period, because the growth difference between 18-6 and 24-0 is 25% so if that means keeping the lights on gets me 25% more growth then that means i can flower a bit earlier,

when ive taken clones what im going to do is do 2 grows side by side using the same nutes and same water amounts etc etc, and compare the difference between 18-6 and 24-0, ill do these grows side by side and then i can see for myself what the difference is, as far as i can tell its down to the growers own prefrence and what works best for them.

im going to stick with 24-0 for now and see how it goes if i see any problems or growth slows then ill take it back, but i was amazed by the extra growth just over the last 2 days, the growth had been pretty constant and as expected but since the lights have been on 24-0 the plants seem to have shot up more, now you could argue the plants do this naturally as they have more leaves, but its just to hard and difficult to say at the moment.

all i can do is wait and see,
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

I think you'l find this very interesting. Provided by one of the pro's Twelve12!

The Gas Lantern Routine for Growing Cannabis

Been running this light cycle for a month and the results are amazing. I would say this light cycle is superior to any other light cycle for vegetative growth.

For veg:
12-1 (Gas Lantern Routine) - Superior
15/9 - High
16/8 - High
18/6 - Middle
24/0 - Low
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

@JBC dont say fings like that mate, i was growing my plants at 20-4 as i thought they needed dark period, but after reading loads of journals and finding out cannabis is a c4 plant which dont need dark period like c2's do, as far as i can tell my plants seem to be better for it and loads more growth, now this could be that my plants had got good roots due to the 20-4 schedule and maybe thats why their growing well now, if i saw any sign they was suffering or growth was slow i would change it back, but my plants have really filled out now and loads of new growth, but info like that makes me wonder, but i dont want to mess about the lights to much and have them hermmy on me, ill leave at 24-0 for now and see how it goes, how ever, i have got a sort of level to go from ive just sprouted a seed that is now growing under 24-0 so ill see how this grows compared to the other plants, so ill see what happens, i am very interested in glr, i think it would be easy to set up using 2 timers as you could have one timer at 12-12 then have the other set at 1-23, so it comes on for the hour in between the dark period, im just a bit sceptical, i havnt got many grows under my belt so not really sure what to do, or even what grow method, but the more i read the more confused i get, people say one ways better than the other but then another grower says the opposite, its difficult to decide.

i would love to see a grow journal that has got 3 or 4 different grow rooms using the same clones and keep everything the same exept the light schedule then we would all be able to see from start to finish what way grows best, i really cant believe that knowbody has done this yet, with all the debate about lighting schedules i really dont believe knowone has tried it, the only way im going to find out for sure is if i do it myself, so with the clones i get im going to set up at least 2 different grows keeping it all the same exept the light schedule, its the only way im going to see the actual results
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

Mate i'm not saying its better, I said you may find it interesting, If 24/0 works best for you then keep it at that. I'm just experimenting with techniques i've never used before but heard really good results off very good growers off this site, where they have tested these themselves.
It's good to do things different ways to find the best for you.:peace:
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

i hear ya mate, i also like the word experiment as well, thats why i cant wait for my clones so i can have 2 or 3 side by side grows keeping everything the same except the lighting schedule and ill journal it as well, its the only way im going to se for myself whats best, like my grow now, its an experiment using cfls, ive never used them to grow before so wanted to try and so far im happy with the results because as soon as i lowered the lights the plants stopped all stretch and the nodes are so close to each other,

my problem is i want to get the best out of this grow as i can, i think im going to stick with the 24-0 unless i see my plants suffering, but so far they are thriving but im not doing a side by side grow to compare with, so i may be noticing more growth and faster growth but it might be due to the plants having more leaves and less to do with the lights, maybe the plants will grow the same if the lights where on 18-6, who knows, till a side by side test is done their is no way of knowing, anyway my problem now is, my plants are getting to the age where i can start deciding what grow method to do, id prefer to bush my plants out instead of having them tall, now my plants are mostly indica strain so wont grow as tall as sativa, but id prefer to keep them bushy than just have a few branches that produce buds, ive just not grown long enough to experiment or even know whats best to do, but id like to get the most i can out of these plants and my cuttings ill experiment with, i just dont know whether topping or fim is best or go with lst, i know its my decision and different growers will say different methods are best, i just want to do all i can to get the most i can out of this 1st grow,

anyway enough of my rambling,
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

i do agree glr is a better option and everyone who has tried it has got great growth so it is something im going to try, but the normal schedules like 18-6 n 20-4 etc etc have not been tested side by side to compare results, one grower says 24-0 is best and he got loads of growth but how does he know when he is not trying the other methods with the same strain, i mean say he done 18-6 and the plants didnt thrive. so the next seeds he got he grew 24-0 and the plants thrived, but the plants are from different stock so the seeds that grew and thrived under 24-0 might of grown even better under 18-6, but because their is no base experiment to grow on and people are comparing the results against other growers using other schedules its to hard to say whats best, people use different nutes, different lights, their needs to be some experiment done with clones keeping feeding and light type exactly the same and just have the experiment run using different lighting schedules and if this was then documented we could all see what was best.

but then you could argue different strains and all that kind of stuff.

but what if plants that started at 18-6 for 1st week then 20-4 for another week to grow roots and plenty of them then go to 24-0 till flower, would this then produce more growth due to strong root structure, their is just to many variables that could be tested,

ive looked everywhere on the net for videos or pics of side by side grows testing the lights and i cant find any, ive found some side by side grows using different nutes but lighting schedules is knowhere to be found, i would of thought that by now somebody out their would have done some sort of testing because without side by side grows using clones it just wouldnt be a fair test and would be highly flawed, its no good 2 grower miles apart groing under different lighting schedules using different strains and then posting their results as been worse or better,

it needs looking into more and some testing needs doing, im really shocked this hasnt all ready been done,
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

Hahaha.
Funny madness lol.
But people are experimenting. You learn every grow you do. I found my lights on 24/0 made my plants stretch more, but like you say other factors come into play. A red spec bulb with make plants taller whereas the 6500k blue keep nodes short.

Just try it all the ways yourself, its fun.

But if you want a small stocky plant like you say, you probably will as you have the 6500k for veg which does that to your plants and the fact they are indica dominant, they will stay down if you keep the lights low and super top them by keep bending the main stem down so all the other branches catch up to that height giving it a flat canopy, sort of like a scrog ish.
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

i fink thats what i want and the way to go, i mean having one big cola is nice but it leaves you with the lower branches that have smaller buds or under developed buds so im thinking that if i can get the plant at all the same height then i should get the best yield, ive got plenty of chances to experiment and try different things, like you say its fun and interesting to see how the plants come along, i mean to be honest ill be happy with what ever i grow, its my first grow in 9 years and ive gone with cfl's so what ever the out come i think ill be happy, lesson learned and all that,
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

well its done, no going back now, i fim'd the big bud plant, now only time will tell how it turns out, i think i dont it right, i didnt cut the leaf growth off as well, i just carefully pulled the new leaf growth back to give me access to the tip of the stem, then when i found it i cut it down about 80%, so hoping i done it right, if not then i guess the plant will just take time to recover and push more growth to other parts of the plant, so ill keep checking and ill put pics up of the results as and when they happen, ill fim this plant and let the others grow as is, and see what the difference is,

ive also started to tie the leaves back so the light penetrates the lower parts of the plant and the new stem growth gets as much light as possible, so all been well ive fim'd the big bud, so lets see what happens next
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

outside is always good, not where i am though, to cold at night, as for my lighting been 24-0, it only been a few days at that schedule i was growing 20-4 and when i changed to bigger pots i noticed they was route bound even though the plants where all small, so i put them in bigger pots and kept the lights on 20-4, i kept reading different versions of whats best for lighting times etc etc, some people argue its 18-6 others swear by 24-0, now i read that plants are a c3 and not c2 which do need dark time, i have noticed loads of growth since leaving lights on all the time, the plants seem to be growing quicker, that could be just normal due to the plant having more leaves so its not proof it is growing quicker, ill keep it on 24-0 for a few days and see what happens, so far im pleased with the results, but if the plants start to look a bit worse for wear or dont seem to be growing as much then ill switch it back to what it was, but so far so good,

ive read many journals and seen many videos of both methods of lighting been used, and its to hard to say without doing a side by side grow using clones and keeping everything the same and only changing the lighting schedule, and thats what i intend to do.

i know how my plants grew under 20-4 and have it all documented and now ive just had a seed break out the soil so i can compare the grow on this to the grow the other plants are. for instance the plants that are now on 24-0 started on 20-4 for a few weeks before the change, now i have pictures and measurements of how the growth was going under 20-4, so what i intend to do now is measure how quick this seed grows and compare it agains the measurements ive all ready got, then i can see how the growth is affected, then when i put it in bigger pot i can compare the root growth as well.

i think by me starting at 20-4 ive built up a good root structure for the plants as they had the night time periods, so they wasnt started at 24-0 so im hoping that they have got enough roots now to manage with the extra light. but so far i can complain but until some side by side grows have been done from start to finish its just to hard to say, and to be homest i cant believe that knowbody has done this yet, with all the top growers out their using different lighting methods im juts amazed it hasnt all ready been done and documented, top growers who write books swear by 24-0 from start to flower, surely if it done the plants harm and gave less yield then these growers would recomend using other shedules, when i take cuttings im going to have at least 2 different grows going and im hoping for 3, so that way i can keep everything the same and just change the lighting schedule, i need to see for myself whats best, comparing 2 different growers growing different plants under different schedules is not good enough to make a choice, their needs to be a good experiment thats done side by side using same clones and keeping everything the same like measured water, measured nutes, etc etc, then that way the results can be compared and documented and the best can then be chosen, ive looked everywhere for different tests but found none, the only video test i have found on the big video site was comparing 2 methods, i searched for 18-6 vs 24-0, this then gave me some vids that showed the plants did have upto 30% more growth and meant you could flower the plants sooner, their needs more tests before anyone can say whats best
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

when i first pop my seeds i give em 24/0 then after 1 week 20/4 then 1week later 16/8 then keep it there till 12/12. seems to work for me.



:Namaste:
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

theirs loads of different lighting schedules, the one method ive heard and seen produces the best growth is glr schedule, but the problem ive got with this is. your giving the plants 12 hours ov light, well 13 including the extra hour during the 12 hour dark period to keep the plants in veg, now from what ive read plants are more bushy under 24-0 and are taller under 18-6, so using the glr method ur giving the plant 11 hours of dark each day, so are these plants growing taller than say 18-6 and less bushy like under 24-0,

i have heard many say its the best grow method but are these plants taller or more bushy or do they have all round extra growth,


and does glr give better growth and more yield, ive heard it talked about and people who use glr swear by the method but how can they compare it when maybe they had a bad grow under 18-6 and since starting again under glr they are giving the plants what they need, i cant see it compares without some sort of test and using the same clones, it would need a big setup and seperate grow rooms, but i think i can split 2 of my floor to ceiling cupboards into 6 different sections so i could get 6 different grows on, how ever the risk levels go up where i live so wont be doing 6, when these have flowered and the clones taken ill do at least 3 different grows and see the results myself, im going to do 18-6, 24-0 and glr method, its no good me keep reading different journals and watching different videos because i cant compare what im looking at as its all different strains, all different lights, nutes, etc etc, so until a test is done im going to keep at 24-0 till flower and take some clones then the fun can begin
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

Although I haven't grown with anything besides 24/0 I feel for the first time grower it's probably the best way to go for many reasons

1. Limits stretch
2. don't have to bother with a timer and possibly screwing your schedule up and u also don't have to have a grow box that is completely blacked out during the off time which I heard can cause stress if not blacked out
3. it's a good constant that eliminates reasons for growth besides nutes, light distance/quantity/quality, watering schedule.
- now I'm not saying that the dark period is bad it saves energy cost, longer equipment life, grows bigger plants but where growing nugs not sticks.
- some may say that at 2 weeks I got a one footer but leave out the fact they only have 2 nodes, well I'd rather have a 1 footer after a month that has 4 or 5 nodes and has been topped once or twice.

- yea I'm confident that the 24/0 is the best atleast for me with CFLs the only other light cycle I would try would be 12/1
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

DP the vids are sweet keep em coming I only have a problem with them when u go super close to show off the new growth. Besides that there real neat
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

theirs loads of different lighting schedules, the one method ive heard and seen produces the best growth is glr schedule, but the problem ive got with this is. your giving the plants 12 hours ov light, well 13 including the extra hour during the 12 hour dark period to keep the plants in veg, now from what ive read plants are more bushy under 24-0 and are taller under 18-6, so using the glr method ur giving the plant 11 hours of dark each day, so are these plants growing taller than say 18-6 and less bushy like under 24-0,

i have heard many say its the best grow method but are these plants taller or more bushy or do they have all round extra growth,


and does glr give better growth and more yield, ive heard it talked about and people who use glr swear by the method but how can they compare it when maybe they had a bad grow under 18-6 and since starting again under glr they are giving the plants what they need, i cant see it compares without some sort of test and using the same clones, it would need a big setup and seperate grow rooms, but i think i can split 2 of my floor to ceiling cupboards into 6 different sections so i could get 6 different grows on, how ever the risk levels go up where i live so wont be doing 6, when these have flowered and the clones taken ill do at least 3 different grows and see the results myself, im going to do 18-6, 24-0 and glr method, its no good me keep reading different journals and watching different videos because i cant compare what im looking at as its all different strains, all different lights, nutes, etc etc, so until a test is done im going to keep at 24-0 till flower and take some clones then the fun can begin


Mind you this is only my opinion
But since your using CFL and this is your first grow I'd keep it as simple as possible. 24/0 does work and works well.

Once you get into the bigger lights such as MH and HPS then you could look at different lighting schedules. My next grow I will be using the GLR system
but, I'm also running 2000 watts of light in a 4x8 tent. Causes a lot of heating issues and costs more money to run.
 
Re: first cfl grow using 30watt cfls

the video and pics are pretty crappy, the kids lost the leads to my camera so been using my fone, as soon as the new leads for camera turn up ill be posting new pics and videos of a lot better quality, my fone has no auto focus on it, so you can zoom in manualy but it dont give you any close up focus, so my vids and pics will look a lot better very soon.

a quick question, ive ordered some auto flower seeds and wondered if its possible to grow and flower these under 24-0, im only asking as i didnt want to start them under 24-0 and then change to 12-12 when my other plants go to 12-12, can i keep the auto flower under 24-0 and if it is auto flower am i better using 2700 k bulbs or 6500k bulbs, never grew autos before so unsure
 
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