Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

[aspiegeek]

So thought I'd do a mini journal of my stealth grow. This is the first time I've ever grown anything so big learning curve on everything!

First off my space! Approx 4x3 ft, old cupboard I bought from a charity shop for £10!

Lined with reflective radiator backing (in hindsight this may have been a mistake as it's fairly thick so insulated and I've had over heating issues so I don't think this helped! A thinner material may have been better!)

I went for CFL's as my space is limited, budget limited and HPS or LED's from reading would have created even further heating issues!

So I have 2x 200W dual CFL's, and 4x 45w CFL's. Although only using 1x 200w CFL whilst in veg. The others will come on when I switch to flower.

I have a 4-inch intake black orchid fan fitted at the back as my intake fan, and a 4-inch 100mm exhaust fan at the top with carbon filter. Plus 2x clip on fans.

With those running I can keep temps between 23-25c with 1 light on or with everything running I can keep it between 26-28c so a acceptable temp.

I'm growing 2x Candida as it's high in CBD+low THC. And 1x Auto jack plant

All female so I don't have to worry about that atleast.

Took me a week or so preparing the cupboard as it involves a lot of drilling! Cutting holes and sanding!
If it wasn't for needing to be stealth I'd def buy a tent! So much easier.

I'm on week 6 of vegging now with the Candida, the auto jack I've only just planted but I'm in process of building a stealth pc tower to put that in later as part of a present so will update more on that when finished.

Soil: Biobizz and bought there nutrients to go with it

I'm lucky where I live my PH levels are already perfect so I don't need to adjust them

Will add some photos shortly of the setup

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Photos

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Latest photos. I’ve modified it a bit further so I can have the smaller lights on the inside of the door. Space is defiantly a issue. I’m thinking of moving it into my caravan instead of the spare room as half of my issue is I have bad anxiety so of course I have anxiety about fire risk.

I’ve made sure all the parts I’ve used are higher quality. And I have a fire alarm and fire extinguisher to hand. The timers and extensions I’ve used again are high quality and capable of running 3000 Watts (I’m not running near that) each is loaded around 800 Watts.

Anyone put my mind at ease a bit?

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

With the Candida plants 1 I have topped and the other I’m trying LST with, trying to get it to grow sideways to increase the yelid. This seems to be working so far. The Auto Jack being a auto plant from what I’ve read you can’t do LST? Only topping method? Which is fine as it will be going in the PC case as soon as it’s ready. I accidentally broke a stem yesterday, didn’t know what to do with it so planted it and will see if it grows roots (I doubt it as I have no hormone gel) but worth a go. I’m hoping the Candida will help me with my anxiety issues.

I’m thinking of switching them to flower in another 10 days?

 

[Phototropic]

Cabinet Stealth Grow With CFL Lights

Your journal popped up on my feed so I'll just hit a quick reply here. Looks like you're investing in good lights and other equipment, which is great. Space looks tight for three plants from my own first grow experience. But it will depend on genetics, when you flip and how well you manage growth, especially training in veg and through the flowering stretch. I seem to have been lucky and didn't get too much stretch.

They look young to be flipping the lights to flower. I went for 2 months before flipping. How old are your girls?

I'm sure you know, the auto doesn't change light schedule. I don't know about autos too much but i don't see why LST would be a problem.

Anyways, stealth grows are usually interesting experiments in plant development at least, so good luck. Tight space is difficult.

This is a great community to help you along. I'll be keeping an eye out for your progress.

Check out my journal (Phototropic's First Grow - Pure Power Plant In Soil Under CFL) if you'd like to get an idea of what's coming. I'm a first timer in a box with CFLs. Nearing my first harvest so things are slow, but exciting.

Also, pop onto Ask Us Anything - Sharing Knowledge 420Style. Very helpful people there who will give you some good info.

 

[smeghead]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Alright aspiegeek, hows it going?..good to see that you stsrted a journal. ..your plants look amazing my friend, great job.
Happy growing

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Hey

So the Candida girls (Mary & Jane are there names lol)

Where planted and sprouted around the 20th of Oct so I guess if I switched them on 20th of November that would only be a month?

So perhaps too early?

I figured if I try LST with Mary and topping with Jane atleast then if I did it wrong I’m unlikely to screw both plants up lol

So Mary is being bent sideways and I’m going to try for a spiral with her.

Jane is just being topped so will see how that goes!

Jack (the auto) apart from topping I don’t think according to what I’ve read that I have to do much with. Jack will be going into the pc tower as soon as possible once the other fans and filter for it arrives! (Grrr post being slow!)

I actually planted 2 jacks thinking that the first one wasn’t going to sprout, and guess what! Both have sprouted.

So 1 I shall keep in with my girls and the other is going in to the tower. They have only just sprouted so I should be good for another week keeping them in the seedling tub at the back. According to the info they should go into auto flower and be done in 11-weeks at most.

Think I’m going to have to move my grow into my caravan tho as I live in a cabin so it’s a small area already and I’m concerned the stink will come out and get on stuff and the fire risk aspect is bugging me.

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Alright aspiegeek, hows it going?..good to see that you stsrted a journal. ..your plants look amazing my friend, great job.
Happy growing

Hey thanks! It’s been a big learning curve as I’ve never grown any sort of plant ever! Done a lot of reading before commiting to doing the grow. I’d of preferred a tent but stealth was required so went with the cabinet option

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Some close up pics of Mary & Jane taken today

 

[EastCoastGhost]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

I will sub in, you can get great results with autos. If done at right time to a healthy auto it don't bother it a bit. Wether you top or not I would still LST. Im on my second grow and I had alot of help on my first journal from the great people here. I will train all my plants for now on, it will increase your yield big time and you can get some nice size colas lol. I have a couple in flower now, I flipped them on the 20th of last month, I'm hoping for some nice size colas.

 

[Phototropic]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Hey

So the Candida girls (Mary & Jane are there names lol)

Where planted and sprouted around the 20th of Oct so I guess if I switched them on 20th of November that would only be a month?

So perhaps too early?

I figured if I try LST with Mary and topping with Jane atleast then if I did it wrong I'm unlikely to screw both plants up lol

So Mary is being bent sideways and I'm going to try for a spiral with her.

Jane is just being topped so will see how that goes!

Jack (the auto) apart from topping I don't think according to what I've read that I have to do much with. Jack will be going into the pc tower as soon as possible once the other fans and filter for it arrives! (Grrr post being slow!)

I actually planted 2 jacks thinking that the first one wasn't going to sprout, and guess what! Both have sprouted.

So 1 I shall keep in with my girls and the other is going in to the tower. They have only just sprouted so I should be good for another week keeping them in the seedling tub at the back. According to the info they should go into auto flower and be done in 11-weeks at most.

Think I'm going to have to move my grow into my caravan tho as I live in a cabin so it's a small area already and I'm concerned the stink will come out and get on stuff and the fire risk aspect is bugging me.

Like i said, i flipped 2 months after germination. However, "too early" is relative. You have to consider your space. I have a lot more space then I'll use on this grow. Could be i trained then well, gave enough light where they didn't want to stretch, or most likely it's in the genetics to stay short. It was a consideration when i bought my seeds. Ultimately, the rule of thumb is to assume a doubling in size within the first two weeks of flip. This didn't happen for me but i don't exactly know why. You should allow for it or you may end up growing into your lights like many have done (and as cool as CFLs are, direct contact is still to close).

Topping and LST are training techniques that can be used very successfully in conjunction. I feel that LST is essential. I topped each girl twice. On one, Lucy, i did damage one of her new growths so it made her a little lopsided, but she balanced out in the end. Spirals are cool but you can keep it simple and just pull in four directions like on mine. Be gentle. It's all really not so difficult if you are careful and slow. I use binder clips and a spool of twist tie from Home Depot; works great.

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Like i said, i flipped 2 months after germination. However, “too early” is relative. You have to consider your space. I have a lot more space then I’ll use on this grow. Could be i trained then well, gave enough light where they didn’t want to stretch, or most likely it’s in the genetics to stay short. It was a consideration when i bought my seeds. Ultimately, the rule of thumb is to assume a doubling in size within the first two weeks of flip. This didn’t happen for me but i don’t exactly know why. You should allow for it or you may end up growing into your lights like many have done (and as cool as CFLs are, direct contact is still to close).

Topping and LST are training techniques that can be used very successfully in conjunction. I feel that LST is essential. I topped each girl twice. On one, Lucy, i did damage one of her new growths so it made her a little lopsided, but she balanced out in the end. Spirals are cool but you can keep it simple and just pull in four directions like on mine. Be gentle. It’s all really not so difficult if you are careful and slow. I use binder clips and a spool of twist tie from Home Depot; works great.

Yeh the Candida plants can grow very large, but I knew this when I got them started. So training is a must do! They will stay manageable if I keep up with the training (I hope). I went specifically for them as they have one of the highest CBD levels you can get with the lowest THC
Levels. Which is perfect for me and my useage.

The Auto jack was a freeby with my Candida seeds so I thought may aswell. They only grow very short so the description says!

When I topped Jane yesterday I accidentally broke a branch. Gutted but think she’ll be ok.

I’ve almost finished the PC case which 1 of the auto jacks will be going in. Will post pics in Mo

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

So this is the pc case which 1 of the autos will be going in. I just stuck the babies in there whilst I was fixing lighting in the cabinet today as I’ve not finished it yet, got to make it more light proof and add carbon filter

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Hey guys so got some questions:

When I do flip to flower on Mary & Jane, do I keep all the training supports on? Or when I flip then let them go?

Should I be chopping leaves off? Or trimming? I haven’t topped Mary as she’s going into a spiral but I have topped Jane once and now on advise vent some branches over aswell.

The autos (Jackie & Jill) Jill will be staying and Jackie moving. I’ll do training with both.

 

[Phototropic]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Leave the LST in place. Keep an eye on it for digging in your girls' stems. It happens when people use wire and thin string. I never ran into it.

I found myself adjusting the LST every few days, tightening and moving it higher up the nodes.

Once flower hit i reduced some of it, but did end up tightening everything a couple weeks in. I would just leave it and continue in the future through flower. At this point, i haven't adjusted in a few weeks but it's still very taught against the growth.

I trimmed a lot throughout. Different goals for sure when trimming in veg vs flower.

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Leave the LST in place. Keep an eye on it for digging in your girls’ stems. It happens when people use wire and thin string. I never ran into it.

I found myself adjusting the LST every few days, tightening and moving it higher up the nodes.

Once flower hit i reduced some of it, but did end up tightening everything a couple weeks in. I would just leave it and continue in the future through flower. At this point, i haven’t adjusted in a few weeks but it’s still very taught against the growth.

I trimmed a lot throughout. Different goals for sure when trimming in veg vs flower.

Ok great I’ll do that. Is there trimming guide that explains more about how to trim? I’ve never done any form of plant growing before so need to learn how.

 

[Phototropic]

Cabinet Stealth Grow With CFL Lights

Ok great I'll do that. Is there trimming guide that explains more about how to trim? I've never done any form of plant growing before so need to learn how.

I would encourage you to scan through my grow journal. I've detailed my opinions on trimming and my topping and LST. lots of pictures. When i started a few months ago, reading others' journals was immensely helpful.

Also growweedeasy.com has been an invaluable resource for me for everything! I recommend that site highly as i know many around these parts do too.

Also check out Your Guide to Pruning Cannabis Plants for Maximum Yield | Leafly for some good info.

Make sure you have some sharp pruning scissors and disinfect them with rubbing alcohol prior to use.

The basic idea is that the leaves take in the light. If the light isn't hitting the leaves then the nutrients going to those leaves are wasted energy. Snip those. I also trimmed away or tied down anything that was blocking new growth. When you get to flower, you'll want to trim anything covering a good bud. Or else trim away a bud that will never get good light. Of course, in flower your fan leaf production is less so you have to make sure you leave a canopy to take in light for food.

You seem to have a lot of light, so you can also adjust your bulbs to get some coverage to lower areas and reduce pruning. Someone said to me when i was researching that they look down at their plants and anything they can't see gets snipped. Again, changing your lights can effect that tactic.

There is some stress to the plant with pruning so give them a rest between. I liked doing a pruning session then letting them be for a while. I noticed a growth spurt after pruning my girls.

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

I would encourage you to scan through my grow journal. I've detailed my opinions on trimming and my topping and LST. lots of pictures. When i started a few months ago, reading others' journals was immensely helpful.

Also growweedeasy.com has been an invaluable resource for me for everything! I recommend that site highly as i know many around these parts do too.

Also check out Your Guide to Pruning Cannabis Plants for Maximum Yield | Leafly for some good info.

Make sure you have some sharp pruning scissors and disinfect them with rubbing alcohol prior to use.

The basic idea is that the leaves take in the light. If the light isn't hitting the leaves then the nutrients going to those leaves are wasted energy. Snip those. I also trimmed away or tied down anything that was blocking new growth. When you get to flower, you'll want to trim anything covering a good bud. Or else trim away a bud that will never get good light. Of course, in flower your fan leaf production is less so you have to make sure you leave a canopy to take in light for food.

You seem to have a lot of light, so you can also adjust your bulbs to get some coverage to lower areas and reduce pruning. Someone said to me when i was researching that they look down at their plants and anything they can't see gets snipped. Again, changing your lights can effect that tactic.

There is some stress to the plant with pruning so give them a rest between. I liked doing a pruning session then letting them be for a while. I noticed a growth spurt after pruning my girls.

That's a massive help, thankyou so much. Going to have a read of everything today. Have ordered some trimming scissors as I didn't have proper ones so once they arrive will give the trimming a go. Maybe I'll just do one then post pics to make sure I've done it ok before doing anymore. I maybe moving the girls into a tent in my caravan as my other half is complaining about the smell lol they do kick out a great smell but not so good to get on work clothes. Have ordered a 120x60x150 cm tent. Gives me a little more room than the cabinet. Going to put oil heaters in the caravan as this time of year it will get cold. I'm really tempted to upgrade to a LED light for flower if there going in a tent but not sure the tent is big enough for a led and if it's likley to increase my yield enough to warrant the cost of one?

A good quality 450W VIPARSPECTRA is £140, same brand but 600W is £160? But it's if the tent will handle the heat?

Or a cheaper brand like MEIZHI is around £80 for a 480W

I'm sure there actual draw is lower than the stated wattage tho.

Would I be best just sticking with my CFL's? Maybe add a small UFO LED (200W) for like £30?

Not forgetting I'm on a flight path where I live so slightly concerned about heat signature from above!

 

[Phototropic]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Glad to help. Paying it back to the community.

Pictures convey a lot so i always feel the more the better.

There have been a few times during my grow that I've thought the smell was strong. It wasn't. It keeps getting stronger. If you're not in flower yet and the smell seems strong, you should definitely be concerned about the smell closer to harvest (in my first time experience).

I think that upgrading to LEDs is worth it. I will for my next grow but i didn't want to invest until i had a success under my belt. The yields do look more significant. CFLs are great for veg but if you can afford LED for flower, then it seems solid. Again, you have a lot of watts there (what's your total? Always talk in real watts not "equivalent" which i think you have been) so you may just want to finish this one off with those and see how it goes.

One thing about LED that I've read enough times and have seen people make a mistake with often is that you need more distance between them and the plants.

- Halogen has to be far due to heat.
- CFLs don't give much heat and need to be close for coverage.
- LEDs don't give much heat but the intensity of that light is so great that they need distance because the light will burn the plants, as opposed to the heat burning.

So with LED you need more height in your grow space than with CFLs, not because of heat. Some people think that because LEDs don't put out much heat, they should be put close; that's incorrect. There are graphs that you can find. Most people on this forum seem to be using LED so it shouldn't be hard to find some good advice. Jump on the "ask us anything" thread i posted earlier and you'll get some good responses.

Cheers.

 

[aspiegeek]

re: Some Gear No Idea - First Grow Under CFLs & LED - Candida CBD Strain

Glad to help. Paying it back to the community.

Pictures convey a lot so i always feel the more the better.

There have been a few times during my grow that I’ve thought the smell was strong. It wasn’t. It keeps getting stronger. If you’re not in flower yet and the smell seems strong, you should definitely be concerned about the smell closer to harvest (in my first time experience).

I think that upgrading to LEDs is worth it. I will for my next grow but i didn’t want to invest until i had a success under my belt. The yields do look more significant. CFLs are great for veg but if you can afford LED for flower, then it seems solid. Again, you have a lot of watts there (what’s your total? Always talk in real watts not “equivalent” which i think you have been) so you may just want to finish this one off with those and see how it goes.

One thing about LED that I’ve read enough times and have seen people make a mistake with often is that you need more distance between them and the plants.

- Halogen has to be far due to heat.
- CFLs don’t give much heat and need to be close for coverage.
- LEDs don’t give much heat but the intensity of that light is so great that they need distance because the light will burn the plants, as opposed to the heat burning.

So with LED you need more height in your grow space than with CFLs, not because of heat. Some people think that because LEDs don’t put out much heat, they should be put close; that’s incorrect. There are graphs that you can find. Most people on this forum seem to be using LED so it shouldn’t be hard to find some good advice. Jump on the “ask us anything” thread i posted earlier and you’ll get some good responses.

Cheers.

You’ve been a big help, really appreciate it ah harvest is a total other challenge lol think I’ll “cure” it in the tent. If I get to that stage

So light wise I currently have 2x big 200W dual spectrum CFL’s & 1x 45w 6500k cfl and 1x 45w 2700k cfl. Actual wattage not equivalent

According to my math which could be off lol in a tent 120x60x150cm I have 20-square foot? If working on the needing 42w per square foot then I’m 350W less than the ideal lighting for that size? Although 840 watts for 3 plants seems a lot to me! Will they do well if I only give them the 490W? I could add another few smaller CFL but then with the heat they all create maybe I’d be better off with 1 HPS 600W light?

LED would be my first choice but like you said they can burn plants easy if not enough height, and the Candida plants will grow fairly tall even with training. So maybe not the best choice

A 600w HPS light with ballast will set me back £60 which is more affordable. But don’t know if that 1 light is going to kick out more heat than my CFL’s. The big CFL’s do kick out a lot of heat but then it maybe better in a tent.

Tent arrives tomorrow hopefully so I’ll set it up and see how hot the CFL’s get in there. If it’s much cooler than the cabinet then maybe hps would be worth considering.

I’d be happy sticking with my CFL’s, just don’t want to put in a tonne of work and have a pants yelid