My first grow - Comments appreciated!

[matiarchus]

Hi all.
I would like to share with you the details of my first ever grow. It is in a closet I adapted myself.

I would value any feedback. Especially I would like to get any views on pruning the lower branches. The lighting arrangements I have and the shape of my grow closet are such that the lower branches and leaves are not getting much light.

I do wonder if it is a bit cramped in there and if perhaps, in retrospect, I would have been better growing just one plant and "splaying it out" sideways using LST to enable greater spacing of the leaves. As it is, right now, I have two pants (both topped and slightly lolloped) which are very close together (leaves fighting each other for space).

I have installed a home made SCROG net type thing to prevent the plants growing too high and I plan to use his to space out the main buds at the right hight when they start coming through

In the meantime should I remove the bottom third of the foliage which is not getting much in the way of light?

Timing of these photos:
1 week into flowering after 7 week veg phase

Strain:
Northern lights feminised (normal, not autoflower)
Medium:
Canna Professional Plus
Pots
Two 12 litre fabric pots
Nutrients
Canna Terra Vega, Canna Terra Flores and Canna Rhitzotonic
Light
125 CFL under a reflector. I have two 125 CFL bulbs — blue for veg, red for flowering.
Ventilation
Rhino Extraction fan with carbon filter, hung from top of cabinet and ducted to outside the cabinet.
Passive air intake (hole at the bottom of the cabinet).
I also use a clip on internal fan which has been hung using strings from the top of the cabinet. I wonder how necessary this is because the rhino extractor fan is quite powerful (more than enough for this cabinet I think). It is not ideal as it vibrates against the inside of the cabinet, which is in my living room and the noise is annoying. Would value views on this. Could it go?
Temperature control
Thermometer with probe.
Small tubular heater.
The closet is kept at about 18C -22C. I need to use the heater to raise it into this range. To get the temps any higher I would need to turn on my flat's central heating which I don't want to do because then I would get too hot myself!
Nutrient and PH Control
At the moment I am watering with light Canna nutes, about once every six days. I give the plants a bit of a flush before I add nutes and generally the run-off ph has been about 6.8.
Hope you light the photos and I would welcome any comments......

 

[The Germinator]

Personally I am against removing bottom growth. If you look at my journal the biggest best buds and yield came from below.
My one and only plant was pollinated and still got almost 11 ounces dry. I know someone that cut the bottom stuff from two non pollinated plants and got 11 ounces total. I think had he left it that he would have had way more. Just my opinion. Our plants were same age.

 

[Kalimaki420]

You will get different options on defoil and removing lower growth.
I do it manly in veg and sometimes at ~ 21 days 12/12 , if I see in veg that a plant don't like training I don't touch in bloom.

I would remove the inline fan outside the box, you will need the space.
Make sure there are no light leaks, I would not trust that box with photos.

1 plant with some topping would fit better in that space and will keep the plant shorter.
The weaker the light the more they stretch and you got 2 weeks stretch to go.

And

 

[What is sober]

Its crowded in there..if you can afford it build a bigger box or buy a tent asap. You don't want to wait 4-6 months for 20 grams.. or have space/height issues at week 4 of flower..branches need space...other than the space issue the plant looks green which is a good thing...

 

[matiarchus]

Thanks all for feedback.

I've just lst'd the plants a bit to keep them short and removed a little bit of the undergrowth not getting much light. Agree the space is definitely too crowded. I'm considering binning one of the plants (unfortunately I need to stick with this grow space). I wonder if binning one of the plants will result in a better yield in the long run? Next grow I will just do one plant for sure and probably Veg for a shorter period but for now I shall persist as it is and see how things turn out.