Nebula's First Grow!

[nebula]

hey everyone! i just started my first grow really recently & i would love input from you more experienced growers.
sorry if i really sound like an idiot, i'm really really new to this.
this is more of an experiment, & if all goes well i'll consider growing more with better strains. i planted five seeds that i just got from the bag. it's been about three days since they've sprouted, and so far they look pretty good.

* i've started them in in those jiffy pellets, one seed to each pellet.
* i'm pretty broke, so the best lights i can get are CFLs. right now i have them under one 13w CFL.
* i water them when needed and i keep the lid on to keep the humidity in.
* right now they're growing on my desk, but as soon as i need to i plan on transferring them to bigger pots into my closet.

so i've done a little basic research, but my knowledge is still really limited.
they sprouted on february 7 & i've been keeping the lights on 24/7. i figured on february 21st i would move them to the closet & in bigger pots with the right kind of soil, and i would keep the lights on 18 hours and off 6 hours. then after four weeks of that, around march 21st, depending, i would take whatever females there were and put them under 12 hours light on/12 hours off. i figured i should be able to harvest sometime in april.

please give me feedback!

 

[obliviconsent]

I started mine in those pellets too. Just be careful because their roots grow fast. I had to transfer my girls to dixie cups about a week after they sprouted and I ripped off the netting for better root growth.

 

[nebula]

I started mine in those pellets too. Just be careful because their roots grow fast. I had to transfer my girls to dixie cups about a week after they sprouted and I ripped off the netting for better root growth.

oh sweet, yeah i need to transfer them soon; i have these big gallon pots to put them in

 

[kailpot]

Awww the little babies. Couple at the back are stretching for the light, you might like to bury the stems a bit when you transplant them. Also I saw someone here using pieces of drinking straw cut length-ways and wrapped around the stem to support it. Good luck

 

[munchin FACE]

thanks for the advice guys
we'll be sure to follow it
and there are plenty of pictures yeet to come

 

[luxx]

5500K-DAYLIGHT-BALANCED-FLUORESCENT-CFL-BULBS

Y-SOCKET-ADAPTOR-DUAL-BULB-SOCKET-MEDIUM-BASE

(you can get these much cheaper from the hardware store.. they allow you to take your single and make it dual, or if you get 3 y adapters, then you have 4 per socket..)

5500k is good for veg so start with them, when you switch to flowering it will be a lower kelvin rating.

since you only have one 13w, your babies are starving for light, try taking the light down to about 1.5-2inches from the tops.

good luck, anything i can do to help let me know, ill be watching....

 

[munchin FACE]

Thank you so much luxx
i ran across your grow journal and all i can say is
we are glad to take any advice you can give us hahaha


thanks for watching the progress of our little ladies (hopefully hahaha)
me and nebula are gonna try to make it as fun as possible

peace!

 

[Saucy]

ey munchin a nebula , love the babies there looking very pretty but , i know you know u need more lights as well as i do but there very important for how the plant will grow and budddd.... i didnt use the pellets as you did because i can never find them in the store where did u grab em from and what kind of soil are u going to use?

 

[nebula]

wow! thanks for all the feedback everyone! lighting will be improved asap. i also tied some of the stems with toothpicks so they're a little more stable.

@Saucy; i just found the pellets near all the soil & gardening supplies at the hardware store. i'm still pretty unsure about what type of soil would be best.

 

[luxx]

you want a non nute releasing, organic garden soil, top soil, and a bag of perlite. u want to add make your mix 30pct perlite. Also get a cheap nute trio pack. since the soil lacks the nutes, you can control the npk better w your own nutes. there are lots to add, but let that be a base on what you should start with.

if u can afford it, go with fox farm organic soil, and nutes, from what i hear you wont be disappointed. for me, i went and got a cheaper nutes with close formulas. im still new to soil amendments also, but im willing to learn with you.

(ps. soil is cheap, perlite is semi cheap, nutes around 40 dollars shipped if u go with the cheap ones.)

 

[nebula]

hey luxx! thanks for the info the nutes & perlite will be purchased tomorrow if all goes as planned.

i have a bit of an update; i just transferred the pellets into dixie cups with some organic soil mixed in with it. unfortunately as soon as i even touched one of the taller ones, it bent and snapped right in half so now there are only four sprouts left. i added more light, and they look pretty content in their new home.

before transferring into dixie cups

i took apart the pellet of the one that snapped just so i could see what the root looked like.. in the span of the few days this has grown the root already went all they way through the pellet and the netting!

new home

 

[munchin FACE]

aww
one snaped
poor weedling...do you think we should put in toothpicks and tie them to the stems? or is that a bad idea? anyone have an oppinion?

 

[luxx]

did u pack the soil very much? seems like the roots aren't extending much, and they are stretching. toothpicks would work great, as long as you dont stab the roots (guilty)

this might help, idk im stoneded.

keep it up, im rootin for you.

 

[nebula]

yeah, now that i think about it the soil in the pellets was still packed fairly tight, i should have loosened it a little more. but now it's packed a little better in the dixie cups

nice set up i have 6 CFLs running now, & they're a lot closer to the light so no need to stretch. i need organize better lighting though.

 

[luxx]

set up i have 6 CFLs running now, & they're a lot closer to the light so no need to stretch. i need organize better lighting though.

what are the wattage? color temp?

 

[munchin FACE]

im not sure compleatly. I just shot nebula a txt to take a pic of the new setu up, so hopefully shell tell us, ill call her when shes out of the shower.
while we wait for her, can you tell me more about lights
like from square one?
we know a little bit, but not enough for the whole grow

so it would be awesome if u taught us what we need to know.

 

[luxx]

i know enough to get you started...

but first read This real fast,
and now take a look at what Kamel at gc has posted...

Kamel's CFL Guide

Why Use CFL's?
Because. Not everyone has a big space to grow in. When space and heat are an issue, HID's become less practical as you are faced with either rigging a cooling system which could involve cutting holes in walls, ducting, and more power usage, and of course more $$$. Or what if you're just growing a couple plants at a time to keep your own stash full (like me), and don't want to go through the trouble of HID lights? CFL's are everywhere, in all shapes and sizes, and are CHEAP. Most need no special fixture, and can be placed much closer. They are a great way to start out growing, keep a small crop going, or use with HID lights. With practice, your CFL grows can rival your neighbor's HID grows.

Types: CFL's come in mainly two flavors, Soft White (color temperature 2700k) and Daylight (color temperature 6500k). For a complete grow, you should use both. Soft white mimics the spectrum of a HPS light, and is best suited for flowering. Daylight's color spectrum is like that of metal halide lights, and is excellent for the vegetative stage. (This applies to tubes too. Around 6500k for veg, around 2700k for flower.) There are also tubes labeled plant and aquarium. I haven't seen them in CFL form, but they have no real color temp, so I'm not sure on their efficiency, but I've used them and it's rather slow growth for the watts.
-There is a large difference in vegetative growth when going from soft white to daylight. Therefore I recommend you use daylight CFL's for vegging, even if you are flowering with a HPS light, because they do not stretch the plants. You don't need much light for good veg growth, especially when using 6500k CFL's. If power savings are a priority, 30w per plant can suffice to a decent size, but more is always better.
-Of course, use 2700k soft white for flowering. I have no results to back it up, but I like to use a single daylight bulb while flowering too, just to balance the spectrum. Whether it helps or not, it's more light nonetheless.
-I wouldn't recommend using any CFL under 20w, because it's just too damn small. (Remember, when talking CFL wattage, refer to the actual watts used, not the incandescent equivalent, i.e. 26w CFL = 100w Incan.) Lights of America is a cheap brand, and while they work, they don't last as long and fail prematurely more than other brands. GE and Phillips are big names, and make a more reliable and slightly more powerful product since they have a name to uphold. Monster CFL's 65w and up work great too, either a self-ballasted screw-in type, or the type that needs a special fixture with the ballast built into it. They can pump out lumens like a HID. Again, my Lights of America 65w Daylight burnt out in a week, but it was 11 bucks and easily replaced.

Using CFL's: One of the advantages of CFL's is that they screw into any normal light socket. Therefore, mounting options are endless. Take into account the size, shape, and heat given off by CFL's when deciding how to place them.
-Light comes from every square inch of the bulb, and to get the most out of them, try to have every inch facing as much plant matter as possible. More light comes off the side of the long 42w spirals than the front, for example. CFL's are not as intense as HID lights, so distance is critical. You don't want your lights more than 4 inches away from your plants. With LST, you can put your CFL's literally inside the plant, between branches so that all the light is being used. Try to light all sides, not just the tops.
-Reflecting light is important with CFL's to use every bit of light they give off. Use good reflectors, paint your walls flat bright white, or get mylar.
-However, if your CFL is too close it may burn the leaves, so trimming or a fan may be needed (recommended anyway for stronger stems). Bigger bulbs obviously are hotter than smaller bulbs. Fluorescent tubes can touch the plant without burning it, but an average CFL will roast anything it comes in contact with. Even 26w CFL's burn. You want to get close, but not too close. Try to stay about 1 inch away. Having a fan blow right through the plant over all the lights helps get them closer. And monitor your plants so they don't grow into the lights. If you're going away for a week, move the lights up in anticipation of your plants' vertical growth.

How many watts should you get? There's no real answer, just the rule that more is better. Try 100w for 1 plant, any more can usually share the light already there, so maybe 30-50 additional watts each, depending on your situation (remember, look at actual watts used, not incandescent equivalent). You can tell when you need more light, when parts of the plant are in shade and buds are barely coming in. Those areas need some direct light. Once all bud sites are well lit, you shouldn't be disappointed. You can add as many lights as you can fit, respecting power, heat, and space. But don't leave parts of the plant in shadow, get another 26w CFL and stick it in that hole.

 

[munchin FACE]

so from this im getting that reflectors is a must?
and when we flower, switch to red band lights.

also we are growing in a closet, how do we deal with air flow? or since we are useing floresent, running a fan, and cracking the door here and there is good?

 

[luxx]

so from this im getting that reflectors is a must?
and when we flower, switch to red band lights.

you can grow with out them, but its a lot better with a reflectors aiming the light to your canopy. correct about the lights.

also we are growing in a closet, how do we deal with air flow? or since we are useing floresent, running a fan, and cracking the door here and there is good?

yea, the cfls dont put out a lot of heat. whats the temp of the room outside the closet?

 

[munchin FACE]

well one of our light fixtures can be multi directional

sorta like this

and im not sure of the temp.
ill have to ask her when she calls me later tonight

im thinking with the lights have the spider light hitting as many angles as possible
and have the other desk lamp hit the to/back half of the plant.