New growth and need some answers please

[Hydroaddict]

Hey I'm new to growing and I have a few questions well one really. I've grew these from bag seeds and it's been about three weeks to a month and I've been using CFLs but not sure the watts. But I have what to me looks like male pollen sacs but isn't it way to soon to tell the sex? Please if anyone knows what it is or is I just me being a newbie or what. And sorry about the quality of the pictures.

 

[StoneOtter]

Yep you said it. Good one! Welcome Hydro. It's a boy.

 

[Hydroaddict]

But why so soon. How does that happen

 

[Hydroaddict]

It's not even six or seven inches high I don't understand.

 

[StoneOtter]

But why so soon. How does that happen

I think it happens when they become mature. The plant says it's time to become a mature male and it does what it does to do so. The same as showing female with pistols. It's their puberty maybe?

 

[StoneOtter]

Is it an auto? Edit: I see it's bag seed. I don't know really.

 

[Backlipslide]

Do you have your lights 12/12? If a plant is grown from 12 on and 12 off from the get go, a plant will flip to flower when it’s mature enough. So that would mean what ever height the plant is when it’s mature enough, she He will flip to flower. Sorry for the sausage fest you got going on in there

 

[Hydroaddict]

Nah It was on a full 24 hour light schedule then the day before yesterday I got a timer and it's been 18-6 the last two days. I have three others that started the exact same time that aren't showing... It's weird

 

[GHempster]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

IMO

I would say that there is not enough light and not the proper spectrum for growth and has caused your girls to take drastic measures as they don't think they will survive.

 

[GHempster]

I count about 12 or 13 plants under 3 house light bulbs. .

What's in the pots and what's the environment readings. What have you given them?

 

[HugePeckerhead]

You created a micro grow because you didn't have enough light spectrum for the plant to grow and mature. Those lights are fine for seedlings and that's about it. Even if you had only one plant this would be the result.

 

[Hydroaddict]

I count about 12 or 13 plants under 3 house light bulbs. .

What's in the pots and what's the environment readings. What have you given them?

It's just miracle grow potting mix and I'm not sure the temp the house stays at 70. And I haven't given them anything but water. The other ones that came up the same time seem to be doing fine.

 

[Hydroaddict]

You created a micro grow because you didn't have enough light spectrum for the plant to grow and mature. Those lights are fine for seedlings and that's about it. Even if you had only one plant this would be the result.

So that's not enough light? But I've seen people grow with CFLs like that. Should I bring them outside or in the window or what. I'm really broke and can't afford any different lights or I would.

 

[GHempster]

Anyway to get them more light. You could build an array of cfl bulbs. You can make the array really cheap but of course you have to be safe if you have a buddy that works in electrical would be best to consult him/her.

I would want at least 3 or 4 100w bulbs for every sq ft space. Most household bulbs are not clear but frosted so the light is dispersed at random angles all over the place which is great for lighting a room but sucks for growing. You want direct light pointed at plants.

This might be over kill but I like a lot of light and cfl not designed for growing so you are fighting the engineering.

@SmokeSara and Mars Hydro has some really top quality, inexpensive lights. The TS600 which is around $100 Canadian is a really great light.

Happy growing.

 

[GHempster]

It's just miracle grow potting mix and I'm not sure the temp the house stays at 70. And I haven't given them anything but water. The other ones that came up the same time seem to be doing fine.

IMO

A premixed soil is hard to grow cannabis in as you are unsure really what is in it and in what ratio. Plus there will be nutrients in there that you will be fighting against as they will be released to plant at wrong times in the wrong amounts.

Search this forum for soil recipes should be a low cost homemade recipe out there.

 

[SmokingWings]

It's not even six or seven inches high I don't understand.

But why so soon. How does that happen

Some of the others have given possible reasons and here is what I think has happened. You got some bagseed and most likely you have no way of knowing if all the seeds are from one strain or if each and every seed is from a different seed. With that in mind it is very easy to understand why one seed might be from one of the many different auto-flowering strains and probably not a photo-period strain.

You were able to see the male flowers and recognize them which is more than many first time growers are able to do. In some ways you could consider it luck that you found this male plant. You can now pull it out of the pot it is in and toss it on the compost pile or put it in with the municipal yard waste. You have one less plant to worry about and will have an empty pot that you can use to transplant one of the others into when they get larger. Actually, that plant looks pretty healthy but there is no point in trying to save it.

I have a couple of suggestions and you may like them or maybe not. I understand when you mentioned that you are really broke and feel that you cannot afford more lighting. Yes you can put them on a window sill but if you are in the North American continent or any northern hemisphere area you are at the beginnings of winter. The days are short and getting shorter till the end of the month. The available sunlight on the window sill is minimal and except on the very brightest of days you will still have to have the lights turned on and near the plants. If you are in a country in the southern hemisphere you can think about a small outside grow.

Do a search looking at how other CFL growers arranged their lights and just how many they had for the number and size of their plants. You will find ways to work with what you have going already and still stay within a budget but I know that more money is going to be needed.

One thing you want to check on if you continue with CFL bulbs is that many growers think that the best position is to have the bulb sideways to the plant. They say that more light comes out the sides and not the end. Some CFL growers have built their own multi-bulb fixtures to hold the bulbs instead of having them hang down from the wires singularly or in pairs.

Another suggestion is to make notations when doing important things; like when you planted the seeds. You said that it has been about 3 weeks to a month ago. That one week is 25% of the time since the seeds were planted or since they sprouted. Either waym it is understandable why many of us make notes. I use a marking pen and painters tape and stick it to the side of the pot. It stays with that pot and the plant in it until I transplant at which time the tape gets pulled off and stuck on the new pot and another piece of tape is added with the date of transplanting. It is almost impossible to remember these details after several days without those notes. I have been through this myself and I have the feeling that there are several others who will admit that they forgot important info, especially the date they did something because they did not make a note.

You mentioned that you have

.... been using CFLs but not sure the watts.

The info on the watts is on the base of the bulb. Just above the metal base that screws into the socket is a ceramic or plastic section which is before the curly-Q tube starts. Somewhere in that area will be the manufacturer of that bulb. Also there is the wattage being pulled from the wall. You should see more info including lumens and the kelvin rating. I just went downstairs and checked several different CFL bulbs. If for some reason you go to the store to buy more CFL bulbs the packaging in bulbs sold here in my state will have some other information. Example would be the package says "150 watt bulb" and says "uses only 23 watts of electricity" or IOW, that bulb is equivelant to a 150 watt incandescent bulb and pulls, or uses, about 23 watts at the wall.

As it is, I think that you have at least one low wattage bulb rated at about 60 watts incandescent and the other two are either rated at 100 or 150 watts equivalent, or one of each.

One of the things you will find out reading other threads on CFL grows is that you need more bulbs than you have in that photo to pull off a harvest with all those plants. If you keep buying curly-Q CFL bulbs you will need to buy something to screw them into and more electric cords. You might want to consider the two bulb y shaped fixtures. Some of the photos in the threads you read will show grow room or tents with those.

No matter what I come up with we will have to accept that you have to spend some more money. Either go all the way and buy a lot of curly-Q bulbs and wires and things to screw them into right from the start. Or, every week buy a bulb, extension cord, maybe some 2 bulb adapters and don't forget an inexpensive timer unless you already have one.

I started off with the CFL bulbs and by the time I had purchased and set up just 6 of those curly-Q things, all rated at 150 watt equivalent I figured that the best thing was to go with LED lighting designed for growing. My oringinal intentions were to eventually have an inexpensive LED set-up for both the growing area and for the flowering cabinet so instead of continuing to buy CFL until ready for LED I jumped in and started investing in an LED set-up that fit my areas.

The soil you bought is not the best one for what you want to grow but there is a way to work with it. If all the soil you have is what is in the photos you will need more. Plan now on what soil you will be buying without buying more of the Miracle Grow stuff. Again, you will have to spend a more money but in the long run it will be worth it.

It is a bit of money up front but we all had to start somewhere.

 

[Hydroaddict]

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment on my post. I finally got a lil money up, lol like 20 bucks and got some cheap light socket splitters and built a light I hope is better than what I had. It seems to be going good for what little I know. Please let me know what you think about it. And I get it that I probably have too many plants for the light but hopefully I can get a job here shortly and I'll be able to buy what I need.

 

[Backlipslide]

Awesome bro! I hope your able to get a job lined up ASAP for your self!!

check out @The Mechanic he made his own light board! Maybe you could do something similar.