My First Ever Grow - 4 23W CFLs - Some Organic Soil With Manure & Organic Humus

[Jjboyo119]

So this is my first grow ever I know my grow box isn't the best but I just wanted to see if I have a green thumb and I am on a budget.
I got nature's care organic garden soil
And earth grow organic humus and manure
I have 4 23 watt Phillips cfls 6500k.
My grow box is an extra bath tub where I have some aluminum foil(which will be removed tomorrow) and emergency blankets.
I have an old short oscillating fan
And it is bag seed from a friend supposedly rocket fuel and a random mid.
I know I need better lights but if this works I will buy better ones.
So far I think I'm doing pretty good but I figured any advice besides the obvious letter light and better grow box would be appreciated.
I will post some pictures and it would be awesome if you guys could let me know if they look good or I'm doing something wrong.
Thank you

 

[Phototropic]

Re: My first ever grow with 4 23w cfls, some organic soil with manure and organic hum

Check out growweedeasy.com and surf some grow journals on here. They're incredibly valuable resources because you can watch people start then skip to the end and see the results then compare to you own setup and have an idea of what to expect.

92watts is a little low from my research but i imagine they'll grow. I'm at about 258 watts CFL shared between two plants.

The ask us anything thread is a good place to post quick questions as you go.

Good luck

 

[worldgrow]

So this is my first grow ever I know my grow box isn't the best but I just wanted to see if I have a green thumb and I am on a budget.
I got nature's care organic garden soil
And earth grow organic humus and manure
I have 4 23 watt Phillips cfls 6500k.
My grow box is an extra bath tub where I have some aluminum foil(which will be removed tomorrow) and emergency blankets.
I have an old short oscillating fan
And it is bag seed from a friend supposedly rocket fuel and a random mid.
I know I need better lights but if this works I will buy better ones.
So far I think I'm doing pretty good but I figured any advice besides the obvious letter light and better grow box would be appreciated.
I will post some pictures and it would be awesome if you guys could let me know if they look good or I'm doing something wrong.
Thank you

Good stuff man get some pictures up ! i am just about to end my first grow as well also used cfl but with a extra 2x 58w 5 foot floro tubes . At the end of flower had about 10 to 12 cfl packed in between colas and was a pain to adjust them daily

But hell the grow turned out gr8 .... grew 2 plants one was harvested about 2 weeks ago and think of chopping the other this weekend

Just keep at it!!! the cfl will grow buds but with just that your yeild will not be great but quality is still great

I made a make shift grow box

First ever harvest 1 plant but did not get weight

This one will be copped soon

. From Africa

 

[Jjboyo119]

How do I post pictures

 

[Jjboyo119]

 

[Jjboyo119]

Are they looking pretty good?

 

[GrEeNdAyZ]

Looking good so far JJ...your in the right place...keep it up.

 

[worldgrow]

Looking good buddy growing with cfl you need to try and keep your canopy nice and even to allow light to reach all parts so start training once the grow a little more .Keep lights as close as possible to them .Your soil looks a bit barky but they seem to be growing well so far .if you are not sure about how and when to train google the topic there are some good instructionals out there . I would suggest topping once or twice and using lst LOW STRESS TRAINING for the rest of the grow

try not to let them grow to out of control like mine did

. From africa

 

[Jjboyo119]

Yeah I got excited and planted before I read about perlite so when I move it to a bigger container I will have a better soil mix. I have been reading about topping and plan to get more bulbs for the sides.

 

[Jjboyo119]

Yeah I got excited and planted before I read about perlite so when I move it to a bigger container I will have a better soil mix. I have been reading about topping and plan to get more bulbs for the sides.

 

[Jjboyo119]

That's the cheap grow box only have 2 plants in it right now till I get a better light thought about doing 4 but didn't think it produced enough light just yet.

 

[Jjboyo119]

And I have the light about 2" above the plants

 

[worldgrow]

you could veg 4 there but would need way more light in flower and space lol . But from the pic your lights look a bit far away from the plants i would keep them much closer like 3 to 4 inch above the seedlings and move them higher daily as they grow .So far your of to a good start keep it up and you will be rewarded with some great bud

. From Africa

 

[GrEeNdAyZ]

Your in good shape. If you have read about perlite then you already understand about drainage, so that's good. You know enough that you have a fan to keep the air moving, but with a couple of plants in a small space my only advise would be to keep an eye out for bugs. I've tried to over fill a small space and that was a big mistake. Easily fixable and nothing to stress about but best to be prepared.

 

[Jjboyo119]

I moved them down that was before the germination was finished. I will make it taller after I buy more emergency blankets. Thank you guys for the advice anymore would be greatly appreciated.

 

[GrEeNdAyZ]

Totally agree with worldgrow about the distance from the light, but you already know that. I'm sure you know the bulbs get hot, and your prepared to move them up. At this point just take it easy on the water. I'm sure it's human nature to water, water, water to make them grow but as I'm sure you have read, MJ doesn't like wet feet or in other words don't be afraid to let the soil dry some...you'll know right away if it wilts due to lack of water. If that were to happen, they bounce back after a drink. Other than that, enjoy watching it grow and have fun!

 

[Jjboyo119]

Than you I have seen about the water and I have been trying to refrain and let the soil get alittle dry before I water I try to not over water it when I do water. I will definitely keep posting pics as they grow. Still don't know if they are male or female yet hoping for 2 females.lol

 

[BluePhoric]

Hey Jj ! I wish you a happy grow.

23w Bulbs are great, but you'll need more, like at least 1 bulb for 2 tops, and optimally, put those close (~2 inches)

My recent first grow, with cfls, organic also, was pretty fun. I started with 2 bulbs per plant, then 4, then 6, 8, 10. It was about 1 bulb per top ;-)

My log is going to be moved to the completed journals soon :
Blueberry Canuk & Euphoria Royal Queen - Organic Soil - CFL Only - First Grow

If you go to the last page, you'll see detailed results and what I used. It's full of info there...
Comments are welcome to my new log : BluePhoric's In Between Grows Journal

BP

 

[Jjboyo119]

I got told last minute I'm going out of town Monday till friday for work do you think my cheap water system will work? It drips about 1 drip per minute

 

[BluePhoric]

I got told last minute I'm going out of town Monday till friday for work do you think my cheap water system will work? It drips about 1 drip per minute

If you water normally monday morning... that's 4 days without a watering. It's possibly too long depending of the retention of your soil mix. But my 2 seedlings were fed just about once every 4 days, so yours can possibly make it without a dripper also.

Maybe consider giving more water and letting some excess in a dipper at the bottom so the plant can uptake it if in need ? Or drip the water in the dipper, with an overflow mechanism ? Just ideas.

I'm a bit scared of untested/unmonitored mechanisms that can do too much or not enough or unexpected things during one's absence.

Did you test how much water your dripper drops over a determined period, like 12 hours ?
What is the temperature and humidity in the room ?
How often do you water recently ?