This one is rough.

[chaosridden]

I am starting to grow my first plants EVER. I am working out of a closet space of MAYBE 9 square feet(estimated) but am only growing 3 plants for now.. They have already sprouted and are about 3 inches tall. but only have 4 little leaves. 2 of which are kind of rounded and 2 are pointy. Yes it was a marijuana seed. Its been about 4 days since i planted them in soil after the whole papertowels and germination thing.. My real question is lighting. I have no clue about this HPS sodium, halide, incandescent shit. I just need to know if i can do this with a higher wattage lightbulb(like 150watt) out of a 250 watt clamp light fixture from lowes. I cant be spending hundreds on lighting because the only reason im growing is because i dont have that kind of money to pay for my weed. This is no large garden folks and i am far from an expert on what to do here. I dont need people telling me im retarded and have no clue because i know this already. I just need some pointers as to what to do to keep my 3 ,hopefully, ladies to be happy. I did realize after looking it up on the internet that i had them way to far away from the light source. which for the past few days and for the next couple hours is a small flourescent tube from lowes. So i fixed that and now its about 6 inches away from the plants. they seem to have perked up a bit just in the last few hours. i cannot make bigger space to grow and I cannot grow anywhere else. So in my conditions please help me. I am extremely embarrassed to have to come on here and look like a fool in front of you all but i really would like for my plants to work out for me.

 

[richgannon_2001]

hey, if your using a flouro tube you can have the plants relatively close to it otherwise they will stretch and not be able to support themselves, i 150 watt might be enough if you only get 1 or 2 females but i think if you were lucky and had 3 plants itd be tough to grow them start to finish, you can probably find a hps thats 250 watt that can take care of those plants for under a hundred bucks.....just know that if you dont get the appropriate lights you may be growing a plant for 9 months before its ready so if your gonna spend your money on anything save it up for a decent light itll pay for itself quickly

 

[Smokin Moose]

Try this as model grow for beginners on a budget. Do it the way Boss has and you will get great results. Also, the faq's at the page header has most of the answers you are after. Good luck mate. Boss's Poor Mans Grow

 

[chaosridden]

i changed to a 150 watt cfl with one of those reflective aluminum hoods. I looked for a 200-300 watt but 150 was the highest i could find. the flouro tube was only like 20 watts. Much brighter in there now. cfls dont get very hot right? its a small space and im not tryin to burn my house down. my 4 leaves got bigger over night so im pretty excited.

oh and another thing. do i need specific equipment for a hps light or can i just put it into my clamp light?

 

[richgannon_2001]

most hps come with a relfector and ballast, you cant just plug it into a normal socket

 

[StonerGrower]

Cfls get warm, but not hot enough to cause a problem.

If you want to run that HPS you NEED a ballast.

 

[chaosridden]

will a 150 watt do the trick for 3 plants? i know once they start getting bigger they will probably need at least 2 of them. but can i get a successful grow out of these lights?

-pictures soon.

 

[StonerGrower]

You can, but you wont like the results. CFLs bassically have power in numbers. Its more efficient just to go with a HID light.

 

[chaosridden]

does this ballast thing require wiring? i live in an apartment. i need something that can plug into a extension chord. can i run a hid like this?

 

[StonerGrower]

Yes you need to wire a ballast. It will plug into a regular wall outlet. But snce you live in an apartment I dont know if HID is gonna b your way to go. HID creates alot of heat and youll need some source of intake an exausht to get rid of hot air. This usualy involves running ducts and such.

 

[Damagoman]

I looked for a 200-300 watt but 150 was the highest i could find.

You'll only find the higher wattage cfl at a grow/indoor gardening/Hydroponics shop
or a electric supply company(ask an electrician where they buy parts)

Or Even better
a 420 mag sponsor
Welcome to Cheap Grow Lights!

 

[chaosridden]

ah yes. ducts are a no go in my situation. Sooo i suppose a few cfls will have to do. if i can find 300watt cfls.. how many for the three plants? I will have pictures of my grow space and ladies as soon as i can find the chord that connects from the camera to the computer.

 

[StonerGrower]

I cant stress this enough...The more light the better! Theres really no limit for too much, but theres always not enough if you know what I mean. You want a minimum of 2000 lumens per square foot of space.

 

[chaosridden]

alright. thank you very much. I will keep you posted.

 

[chaosridden]

day 6 since i planted them in soil. i still only have the 2 round and 2 pointy leaves. but they are getting bigger. the one is pretty tall but too tall i think. so i have it prety close to the light. maybe 6 inches at most. I think the reason its so tall tho is because when i first planted them the light was like 2 feet above them. And im only working with 2 150watt cfls until i get some money for 2 300 watt cfls if i can even find them. my work space is roughly 4x3x2. Ive got 5400 lumens alltogether. and 3 plants. not good i know but i dont have money or anymore lights. and i cant find the damn chord for the pictures.
theres ur update for now. VERY open to suggestion.

 

[chaosridden]

how long into it can i expect these to sart looking like marijuana leaves?

 

[menial]

About a week.

It does depend on your definintion of "real cannabis leaves" though. You'll see serated leaves pretty soon.

 

[chaosridden]

yup got the sreated ones. just waiting on more now.

 

[chaosridden]

ahh... more leaves. is it normal for them to be coming in at different rates? on one plant the second set of leaves came in much faster than the other 2. im going to transplant today i suppose. i have 3 17qt planters....Im pretty excited because for my first grow I am acually much further than i expected to get. keep you posted. good growing!

should this be in grow journals?

 

[Ms.Fox]

I think the reason its so tall tho is because when i first planted them the light was like 2 feet above them. And im only working with 2 150watt cfls until i get some money for 2 300 watt cfls if i can even find them. my work space is roughly 4x3x2.

Yes, but thankfully you've lowered the light, so it should be much better for them. I would, when you get the chance, invest in a few more and go with higher wattage. You'll be thankful you did, and so will your plants. ;-)