Hypo Hippy's first indoor grow

[MI-grower]

I found ya bro. Your ladies are looking very healthy man. I found this photo to help you out with understanding lst. It helped me out alot when some one I forget who but here ya go.

Best of luck to ya..

 

[MountainHigh]

Yo Medicine.....took your advice and went ahead and stabilized the bases of the plants. Anybody out there have the definitive word on how close to put a 400W MH from the tops of the plants? Currently, have the light at 18 inches and the temp is solid at 80 degrees. Would like to optimize the lumens, but don't want to F anything up.....know what I mean?

Air cooled hood, you should safely be able to get 12" with a 400watt. But younglings, I would stay at 15-18" probably.

"Medicine"High out!

brother.

 

[Hypo Hippy]

MI....thanks for stopping by and thanks for the diagram. you are right, that is very helpful and I will put it to good use.

Mountain...our hood is not aircooled, but 18 inches seems like it is working out ok. Tried a little lower just for giggles, but the temp soared within minutes. Raised the light again and actually went back to about 22 inches (scared me a little).

Thanks for the help guys...definitely!

 

[MountainHigh]

MI....thanks for stopping by and thanks for the diagram. you are right, that is very helpful and I will put it to good use.

Mountain...our hood is not aircooled, but 18 inches seems like it is working out ok. Tried a little lower just for giggles, but the temp soared within minutes. Raised the light again and actually went back to about 22 inches (scared me a little).

Thanks for the help guys...definitely!

A rule of thumb that I read somewhere is, place the back of your hand at canopy height for 1 min (you can do it I know it hurts ) and if your hand is uncomfortably warm after a minute then your light is too low. A fan helps cool the tops a lot and will let you get closer. I usually can tell after a few seconds and have figured out from last grow what height will burn the foliage.

Peace brother, and I am sure you will learn, too far they will stretch and too close they will burn....the eternal battle that Icarus lost.

 

[Hypo Hippy]

Yeah man....the hand trick passes every time. Have a fan running 15 mins on and 45 mins off. Right now it is COLD here in the deep South. Global warming my AZZ...lol. Anyhow, thanks again for stopping by my good man.

Be cool...

 

[Retired One]

Looking nice, Brother.

Keep them fed and watered and you're on your way to a great harvest.

+rep for some luck

 

[Hypo Hippy]

SouthernW....thanks for the reps and the kind words. With the tips and nuggets of knowledge from guys like you and the rest here on the 420 we will be alright. Gotta live and learn, right? It is alot of fun. Keep doing what you're doing. Cold here today, isn't?

 

[Hypo Hippy]

grow room with 4 additional 100w cfl

 

[Hypo Hippy]

daisy

 

[Woodsman]

Sweet looking set up Hypo and very nice plants. Your on your way to some super weed!

 

[TorturedSoul]

grow room with 4 additional 100w cfl

Look like 23-watters to me. Anyway, if they're above the plants and not down within them for side-lighting (can't tell for sure from the pic), I'd suggest you turn them to a horizontal orientation under those reflectors. CFLs put far more light to the side than they do downwards - the best way would be a double-curve reflector with the two curves meeting directly over the bulb, but either way.

Every little bit helps when you're trying to maximize your harvest.

 

[Hypo Hippy]

TS...thanks for the tips. I didn't realize that. Do you mean point the end of the bulbs towards the plant. By that, I mean a linear line projecting out from the socket, or point the bulbs down towards the ground and have the light radiating horizontally off the coils. A little dainbramaged right now so may not be thinking too clearly. We will rectify the situation tomorrow. Thanks again for stopping in a checking on us. Good nite.

 

[Leave Weaver]

everything is looking really nice man, keep it up +reps

 

[3lions]

Yeahh looking great hypo. Will the room fully keep out all light when it comes to dark periods?

 

[Hypo Hippy]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Appreciate the +reps LeaveWeaver.

3Lions....yeah it is a 4x8 closet that has only one source of outside light and that is the door. We will have it completely sealed to block out each and every ray of the pesky stuff. Won't be long before we get to that point....got a little more vegging to do and then the MH gets swapped out for the HPS bulb. We need to get those side shoots pointing up to the light to make more of the good stuff.

Thinking about switching to 18/6 for a day or so before going to 12/12. Any opinions? What are the benefits of having a completely dark period prior to flowering? Read about a lot of the topic, but am more confused than ever. Discussion anyone?

 

[TorturedSoul]

Do you mean point the end of the bulbs towards the plant. By that, I mean a linear line projecting out from the socket, or point the bulbs down towards the ground and have the light radiating horizontally off the coils. A little dainbramaged right now so may not be thinking too clearly. We will rectify the situation tomorrow. Thanks again for stopping in a checking on us. Good nite.

Now I'm confused. Threads up (or down, lol) is vertical orientation. Threads, uhh... out... err...

Unscrew one of them and stand it on its base. Now knock it over. Ok, it's now (more or less) resting in a horizontal orientation. I'm a little damaged most all the time. Makes things interesting around here, but mostly for other people.

Along with maximizing the light hitting your plants is minimizing that which doesn't. If you've got an open space and you're not filling it with plants but are illuminating that space, consider shrinking your grow. BUT this could raise temperatures at the plants.

Thinking about switching to 18/6 for a day or so before going to 12/12. Any opinions? What are the benefits of having a completely dark period prior to flowering? Read about a lot of the topic, but am more confused than ever. Discussion anyone?

Completely dark period? You mean 24 hours? Part of me wants to say that multiple abrupt lighting schedules (vegatative, then dark/dark, then flowering) might be stressful. But I can't really verify that. I have done and not done but didn't form an opinion one way or the other (probably because I didn't try side-by-side experimenting with a control "group").

If you do try with a control (identical clones, one extra dark period, one traditional straight to 12/12), I'd be interested in your results - both "does it decrease flowering time" and "does it screw up the 40:60 calculation of harvest date".

 

[Hypo Hippy]

TS...thanks for the reply. It is a little confusing. The horizontal orientation of the bulb I mean. Make sense that the most light would be coming out in the "top" down orientation, because that is the way the bulbs are hung in traditional light fixtures.

As far as the light regimen, I have not really decided what I want to do. I am leaning to at least a day or two of 18/6. Not in stone yet, but almost there. The question about the total dark came about from reading other ideas out there. Live and learn, right?

 

[MountainHigh]

Everything is looking good Hypo or do you prefer Hippy or Mr. Hippy or....

from the mountains. +rep

 

[TorturedSoul]

TS...thanks for the reply. It is a little confusing. The horizontal orientation of the bulb I mean. Make sense that the most light would be coming out in the "top" down orientation, because that is the way the bulbs are hung in traditional light fixtures.

As far as the light regimen, I have not really decided what I want to do. I am leaning to at least a day or two of 18/6. Not in stone yet, but almost there. The question about the total dark came about from reading other ideas out there. Live and learn, right?

Top down? You lost me again.

18/6... You're giving them 24/0 now? (I CRS right now) I don't see any harm in going 24/0 - 18/6 - 12/12. I missed that part I guess. Used to have a chart listing a very few strains and the minimum dark period required to flower them. Can't find it anywhere, unfortunately. Not all listed 12 as the minimum. Ended up not being something I ever bothered following up on.

Kind of disconnected right now, will probably zone in and out until sleep (hopefully) comes. Have a good night.

 

[Hypo Hippy]

MH....You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me RJ, but you doesn't have to call me Johnson.....lol. No seriously, I don't give a hoot what anyone calls me as long as they call me...right? Thanks for the +reps....seriously. I appreciate you stopping by here and passing on your nuggets of know-how. Be good