My1stGro - New Member & Grower Journey Journal

I recommend a tent for sure. I used to grow in my closet but got a 4x2x5 for like $80 and it's the shiz.

Im not recommending this light because its not a sponsored product and that's against the rules but just for a reference here's a cheaper model of led.

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Hello My1stGro and welcome!! I am a first timer myself and have had a blast sharing info and ideas. It looks like you've got a good basic setup going, but if you don't mind, I got some tips for ya. You can check my journal as the info I'm giving you is what I have learned so far if you want more details or pics. My grow is a DWC and using CFL's so it will vary slightly since your using soil. I would recommend checking out some of COFinest and LightAddict's journals. They have helped me greatly.

Okay, so first, you need a lot more light. I have seen some very nice grows with CFL, but it does require a lot of them. I am currently running 6 for veg giving me total wattage of right at 200. Because they don't put out the heat like HPS or the others, you can have them really close to your plants. I keep mine at about 2", but you can go as close as you want, just don't make contact. I like having mine at the 2" marks cause it only requires me to raise my lights less often. I find that my plants can put on an inch overnight sometimes and it keeps me from burning the leaves. Also, make sure you have a high Kelvin on your veg bulbs. During Veg, they like the daylight(blue light)spectrum and it keeps them from stretching too much. Give you nice compact little pants with variations depending on the strain. When you are ready to switch to bloom or if you want to encourage them to stretch more, then go with the 2700K(red spectrum) bulbs. This will give you more stretch during veg so I wouldn't recommend using them until you're ready to flower. Especially if you trying to keep it on the DL. Some will run a dual spectrum setup and it seems to produce good results as well. I am currently just running 6 6500K CFL's and have had very good results. It's really up to your preference and what you can afford. I ran Y-adapters to my sockets so I can run 2 bulbs per socket. These are around $3 - $5 depending on your area and availability. I haven't fully committed to a flower plan yet, but there are some really nice options out there.

You could go with the LED Reflectors like this:
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or you could go HPS like this:
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Both are pretty economical investments, but I would lean towards the 400W HPS MD combo off Ebay for a start. Choose the 6" Cool Tube Reflector w/ Add on Wings and go for both bulbs. The HPS will get you through Veg and the MD will get you through Bloom. I have heard very good things about this setup and the fact that it helps keep your temps from getting to high. I am seriously thinking about doing it myself, but the holidays made Steve very poor...lol Maybe next month I can free up some cash and I can give you real first hand experience. HunterNitro turned me onto these and I have been chomping at the bit ever since. However, the LED option could also work very well for a micro grow. Won't have to deal with as much of the heat with this method either, but still need to watch that your temps don't get too high.

For Nutes my friend, I am would recommend checking out the journals of the guys I mentioned above and see what they do. COFinest has some awesome videos on his threads and give great info. LightAddict has won every award you can on here so his info is money in the bank in my opinion. DrewDrop also has very good info and a ton of experience to learn from. Those are probably the top 3 I've seen doing soil grows, but that doesn't mean there aren't others that can help. I have just had contact with those guys so I feel confident recommending them. SoilGirl also has some very good journals to look at. I spent the first month just reading before I even made my account and started a journal and was frequently drawn back to her journals.

You will also need to think about what kind of training if any you will use. For small grows, SCRoG's(Screen of Green) seem to be the preferred method. It's basically just a screen you place over your plant to hold the stems out and down to allow light to hit the bud sites directly. Once Again, COFinest is the master and has lots of videos to watch. He even has a Youtube channel that I myself am subbed to. LightAddict has a method he calls Fluxing that seems to produce some monster buds. I know him and SoilGirl both are using that method on there journals so it would be worth checking out.

Another thing you could try is some selective trimming. I say selective, because you don't want to stunt your plants. Take just the fan leaves that are on the lower branches and then any that may be blocking light. Some prefer to just bend the leaves out of the way, but I've seen some pretty drastic differences with results when done properly. There is a whole thread on just trimming before and during flower. I have been trimming mine pretty aggressive, but I have 2 plants in one 5 gallon bucket so I kind of have to to let them have room and not choke each other out.

So, to recap, you need to get more light and get it as close to the plants as you can. Go with the higher 6500K during veg and then switch to the lower 2700K when you are ready to flower. If you can get a bigger grow box or have a closet you can use I would recommend that as soon as possible. Some like to line their's with foil or white plastic. I am just using a small closet with white walls and get plenty of reflection off the walls. Some would say not to use foil if you use LED or HPS because it can cause hot spots. It really comes down to what you have available though, so work with what you got.

Next you need to decide if you want to use a SCRoG or not. If you use a SCRoG, then you won't need to train it a whole lot. If you're not using the SCRoG(I highly recommend for small grows as do others on this site), then figure out how you want to train them. Find journals where people are using different methods and use the one that best suits your setup. It may be that you use several methods and that's fine too. I haven't had any issues getting my questions answered so don't be afraid to ask. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask as they say.

You will need to figure out what you want to use for nutes. Once again, tons of journals to give you a better idea of what to use. Just make sure you have a good idea of what to look for to avoid under or overfeeding. Soil seems to be the harder of the 2 to manage I guess. Mainly cause if I over feed them I will see it pretty quick with Hydro and all I have to do is change the water. For soil it takes longer for the issues to show and then flushing can be a bit of a bear. i don't know if you've come across these yet, but I wouldn't attempt a grow without them.
These first will show what to look for when you sex them. First is female, second is male:
female_sex.jpg
male_sex.jpg

Next we have the PH guide and a deficiency/overage chart:
PH_guide.jpg
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Now, all that being said, I am not a professional by any means. Most of this is stuff I have learned myself from this site, previous gardens and good old Google. You will find opinions to support every method out there and you will find a lot that don't support it. Never just take someone's word for fact. Always do your own fact checking to ensure you're getting good info. I wish you the best of luck and will keep checking in on ya. Best of luck brother!!

~K~:Namaste:
 
if you want to go LED on a budget, you can either get inexpensive unknowns on E-bay that you may (or may not) get lucky on quality... or you can get something inexpensive from a known forum sponsor. These are used by a few members around here. I just placed an order for the 100x3 and will be using that on my next grow (supplemented with CFL side-lighting if necessary)

These are the Mars "old style", which still seem to be effective.

60x3 (probably best for your small box, though you MIGHT need a little more height) - LED Grow Light 60x3W - Mars Hydro
100x3 - LED Grow Light 100x3w - Mars Hydro

IMO, hard to pass up that kind of deal if you're thinking of getting your feet wet with LEDs... and if you expand to a larger tent/room down the road, you can always use the little one for supplemental - or use the little one for a veg box and a bigger one for a separate flower box.
 
Man I'd pass on the led and go with a minimum of a 4 bulb ho t5 fixture 8 bulb ideally.
Then a good hps for bloom.
Great results will be had that's what I use

I also set up,repair,consult and build people's grows. And this is still currently the best option. Led is catching up though
 
Hey Guys! i definitely want to take the time out to thank all the great people that's been giving me brilliant feedback its really been helping along with my mini adjustments but here is today's update of the babies. I'm a bit sad Lol i need more lights i want to build a CFL light panel and incorporate 4x 2700k's and 5x 6500k's all in a spiral for more spectrum!! #TheCannabisGod recommended a 400w 400 Watt HPS MH Grow Light System! i think its great and very affordable and i also read that HPS and MH provide a better Yield. my only Concern is the Heat in such a small box.. Also if i do decide to switch from my CFL to the 400W 400 Watt HPS MH Kit for some reason i feel like i would have to build a full blown grow room in my closet lol I dont know!! THIS IS THE BABIES YESTERDAY!​
 >>
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AND THESE ARE THE BABIES TODAY!!!: >>


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:Namaste::420:
 
Subbed, this is sure going to be fun to watch :D Great start so far!!

If I where you, I would hold off on expensive purchases till you have finished this grow .. a tent might be a good idea for peace of mind on how lightproof your area is in bloom, but other then that, you seem to have everything you need ;)

I would not invest in HID if I where you. LED's are more effective, giving a better range of usable light, and all you need to make sure of, is that you train the plants a little as LED's do not penetrate as much as HID. You will also have less heat management, and related issues and costs.

Take a look at this journal to see how well you can do with just CFL's: Beateo's - Soil - Lemon Kush Feminized - 2014 - 1st Attempt

My own grow only had LED for the last month ... veg and first month of bloom was pure CFL as well.

Just soak up experience, save some money, and start researching your options .. what works for me, might not work for you. HID is becoming obsolete fast tho .. with LED grows outperforming them on a grams/watt basis. Just make sure you buy the best you can get when you go LED. This is expensive, but well worth it.
 
Planet J has a good point about holding off on expensive purchases. Cfls works just fine for me while I was getting the hang of things. I haven't used HID or LED yet but I have been doing lots of research over several months and have found a lot of evidence saying that LED's are now more efficient than HID. Only 60% of the light produced by the standard hps bulb is usable by plants. Keep this in mind: PAR is much more important than lumens when talking about growing plants. Lumens are for humans, PAR is for plants. LED are designed to only produce ligbt thats usable by your plant. HID is designed to be very bright.
 
Here as requested :)

Ok with the cfl bit lol. I'm running currently 2x30 watt home bulbs. This is vegging; 1 big girl in a 5 gal pot. 3 others in just under a gallon and 4 babies! :) :)
Now of course more light is a good thing and will improve structure of the plant etc through nodal spacing. Yet you honestly can veg with far less than people think! Its more about bulb proximity at the point your at. Each plant needs to be basically within an inch of the bulb to stop stretch.
Yet if you get a little just pot them up sank some and your fine!

When you decide your path for training ill help where I can as that's my bag really!

Anyway best of luck and buds to ya! :)
 
PlanetJ said:
Subbed, this is sure going to be fun to watch :D Great start so far!!

If I where you, I would hold off on expensive purchases till you have finished this grow .. a tent might be a good idea for peace of mind on how lightproof your area is in bloom, but other then that, you seem to have everything you need ;)

I would not invest in HID if I where you. LED's are more effective, giving a better range of usable light, and all you need to make sure of, is that you train the plants a little as LED's do not penetrate as much as HID. You will also have less heat management, and related issues and costs.

Take a look at this journal to see how well you can do with just CFL's: Beateo's - Soil - Lemon Kush Feminized - 2014 - 1st Attempt

My own grow only had LED for the last month ... veg and first month of bloom was pure CFL as well.

Just soak up experience, save some money, and start researching your options .. what works for me, might not work for you. HID is becoming obsolete fast tho .. with LED grows outperforming them on a grams/watt basis. Just make sure you buy the best you can get when you go LED. This is expensive, but well worth it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Guys!! your feedback is more than appreciated! special thanks to all the people that are joining but not only that also training me along the way you guys are so fudgin awesome and yes i have been doing some extensive research and LED's are super dope and damn almost next to perfect for growing plants!but will follow @PlanetJ and @DrewDrop's Advice and just hold off on those purchases and lets see what i can do with a few CFL's what i really need to do as well is reconstruct a better grow box and switch to FoxFarm Ocean Forest as well as Get Their Nutes.. thats my next investment guys should be about roughly $30-50 coins just for that so im SUPER Excited @LightAddict im like mudasukin sponge im ready LOL :420:
:thanks: P.S : I NEED HELP I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO THREADS LOL HELP!!!
 
Hid out performs Led period

I pull 11lbs out of 19 plants anybody doing that with led? No
My meds all test over 20% proven anyone with led got those results? No
I've competed in Seattles medical cannabis cup placed.
Has led ever taken the cup? No

Hortilux, lumatek may not be sponsors here but they are industry standards

I build grows,consult,fix and Leds technology just isn't there. If you doubt me look at my photos
Look at climagrows builds!
 
OK firstly lol I don't think we need to get into the hps versus LED bit here :). Its all about suitability for the space etc. Hps is a great way to go if you cant afford to get the better topflight LED's. Im very lucky to run the best top end LED's and can say they destroy hps without a hesitation. Thats just my humble experience though! :)
 
Dutty Panty said:
Hid out performs Led period

I pull 11lbs out of 19 plants anybody doing that with led? No
My meds all test over 20% proven anyone with led got those results? No
I've competed in Seattles medical cannabis cup placed.
Has led ever taken the cup? No

Hortilux, lumatek may not be sponsors here but they are industry standards

I build grows,consult,fix and Leds technology just isn't there. If you doubt me look at my photos
Look at climagrows builds!
Click to expand...

@DuttyPanty WOW that's insane!! i checked the HPS and MH they are not that expensive.. well at least for what i'm trying to do... i want to atleast yield about 1lbs or 1 1/2 Pounds each harvest that would be awesome... im always on your thread and your plants are monsters!! so the proof is in the pudding there. i think every system has its unique thing... its a matter of preference and skill i guess.. cant wait for the babies to hit 12in then its time to determine sex....
 
@LightAddict has done some awesome things with CFL's i'm All Ears Lol eventually i want to make upgrades but i definitly want to make the most out of what i have... Thanks Guys loving everyone's feedback
 
If I recall correctly, you asked on how to subscribe to threads ...

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