First time CFL closet grow on a budget.

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Your Evil Twin

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These are from a bag of... pot. Pretty good pot, that's as far as I can narrow it down. I had one false start where I think I buried the seeds too deep, they didn't germinate, I dug them them up and, alas, they were dead. But the way I see it, I learned something and it's better to fail two days in than two MONTHS in.

I didn't want to risk having another ten seeds fail on me at once, so I tried a couple on my next try, they sprouted, so I have more seeds germinating, I planted one today, and the others will probably be ready to plant tomorrow or the next day.

Right now they're just in a temporary spot while I prepare my closet (there's a lot of junk in there to move out and I have to give it a very thorough cleaning.) But at the rate these are growing, I think I have to start hauling ass on that one.

So I'm seven days in, my biggest plant is a day ahead of the other two. So I did quite a bit of homework reading into how to do this, but it's liberating to be able to talk about what I'm doing here (I've been being good and keeping it secret). And if problems come up, I can seek help.

Enough rambling: The PLANTS!
 

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Y

Your Evil Twin

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Oh, BTW, people are welcome to post replies.

Just keep in mind what I'm up to here. This is for personal use. I don't really have to ability or desire to do a highly-sophisticated, top-of-the-line operation. I'm just doing the best I can with what I've already got and the limited few bucks I can spend. I'm really enjoying being the father of these little weedlings and can't wait to see them grow up.

And I should point out that I'm planting eight altogether. Eight with the expectation that half will be male. If I got really lucky and had eight females, I might be in trouble, because I'm not sure my closet could hold them.
 
Mystik

Mystik

Active Member
I'm on a very simple closet grow myself right now, it just started flowering.
Hopefully you already know but you want to keep the lights as close to those seedlings as you possibly can manage or they will stretch and fall over on you.
The biggest issue with closet grows is supplying fresh air I do this with a small fan in the door. It's not that important at seedling phase as they are still for the most part working on their own built in nutes.
Make sure you have holes in the bottom of your cups for excess water to drain out of or they will root rot and die on you at a early age.
 
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Your Evil Twin

Member
Mystik said:
I'm on a very simple closet grow myself right now, it just started flowering.
Hopefully you already know but you want to keep the lights as close to those seedlings as you possibly can manage or they will stretch and fall over on you.
The biggest issue with closet grows is supplying fresh air I do this with a small fan in the door. It's not that important at seedling phase as they are still for the most part working on their own built in nutes.
Make sure you have holes in the bottom of your cups for excess water to drain out of or they will root rot and die on you at a early age.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I put the lights where I did because some guides I was looking at the time recommended 10cm distance, or about 4 inches. From what I read HERE, it should've been half that if not closer. So, my stems are a little scrawnier than I'd like. But, now they ARE about the proper distance. So, I'll leave the lights where they are, and slowly raise when appropriate. When my newest seeds sprout, I'll elevate the cups until I have my closet ready. Then I can just hang the CFLs according to each plant's need.

I also learned, a little too late, that I shouldn't have used the clear cups >.<, and they do have holes in them. Although I think my potting soil is denser than I want. I'll transplant into a perlite/soil mix, leaving the original medium around my rootball as I do it, so that the lighter soil is introduced at a less abrubt rate. (I'm worried a change in medium, even a good change, might cause shocik)
 
Karmacidal

Karmacidal

Well-Known Member
Looks like we're on a very similar path with budget, space and experience. I wouldn't worry too much about the scrawny stems. When you transplant, just bury them a little deeper and they seem to work out all right. I did the same thing and now at 3.5 weeks they're the size of AA batteries. Lots of pics in my grow journal (link in signature) if you're curious.

Keep us updated - I'm scribin'.
 
Y

Your Evil Twin

Member
No pics today because I don't really feel like putting them up EVERY day. I'm looking at Tuesday as another pic day. I should have plenty of new sprouted plants by then, and ten days in seems like a nice round number to take pics for. But I WILL describe what's happening.

I'm heading into town in about half an hour (that's why I gotta make this quick, I need to hop in the shower yet.) While I'm out I'll pick up some of the things I need for my closet, so I can finally have that set up. I think my biggest plants are going to want to stretch their legs soon.

I can see the smallest speck of my oldest plant's third set of leaves. And leaflets are starting to form on the sides of its second set. So I like to see that, it'll start to have that distinctive cannabis look before I know it!

The seed I planted yesterday sprouted overnight, looks healthy so far, nice and green, nice stem. And as I said I would, this one will be CLOSER to the light!

One of my other plants might need a support at least for the time being. The stem is coming out of the ground crooked, and now the weight is getting to be too much for it. On the other hand, the side of the cup it's in can prop it up if need be too. At least enough to keep it from lying on the dirt and suffocating. What do you recommend? I gotta bounce in a couple minutes, so I have to leave it as is for a few hours while I'm gone, but hopefully by the time I'm home I'll have some suggestions. ^_^
 
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Your Evil Twin

Member
Quick update, and this might be a good lesson for some other newcomers to growing. I think I had my light TOO close to the plants. They're fluorescent so it didn't burn them, but I think it made the plants not know which way to grow. I raised the lights just half an inch or so about three hours ago and they've already straightened up quite a bit.

Anyway, I wasn't able to get as many fixtures as I wanted, because there weren't that many at the store (I'm using these adaptors that are a plug on one side, and a light socket on the other.) But I got three more CFLs, which combined with the two I already have brings me to five. I wasn't able to find any information on the 2500k or 6000k or whatever. I know they're 1750 lumens apiece, though, and I ultimately plan on having eight.

I also picked up one of those mylar emergency blankets, which will be about big enough to line my closet. It should look pretty cool in there once I have that all the lights hanging down. Okay, it'll look 50 billion OTHER grow closets, but still cool. ^_^
 
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Your Evil Twin

Member
Oh! And I noticed my soil seems to be drying more quickly. Does that mean my plant is developing more roots that are drinking up the water more quickly? Because if that's so, then that's probably what I want to see happen. ^_^
 
Y

Your Evil Twin

Member
Day 9

I took some pics today after all because I have my closet set up. I don't have as many lights in there yet as I plan to, but I moved my three large seedlings in there because the two CFLs that are there now are providing as much if not more than the two small tubes I had them under. I'd have more lights in there, but I could only buy three socket adaptors yesterday (it's all they had left at the store I went to, but I'll get more ASAP).

Once I have the closet in all its lit up glory, I'll show some wider pics of it. But for now, just the plants. You'll be able to see the crooked one I was talking about. And it looks like my largest has new leaves forming at some spots other than the top now, so that's cool.
 

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Your Evil Twin

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The last of my seeds have sprouted, and they seem to be doing just fine. So, I'm up to my eight. That does mean there's about a ten-day offset between my oldest and youngest plant. That may be problematic when it comes time to flower. I'll probably split the difference, since I'm potentially in a time limit here.

The older plants seem to be taking to their new home pretty well. I think I'll put a fan in there soon. I have one in mind, but I need to wash it first. The stems could do with the exercise.

I think they may be ready for transplant soon, I'll do that once I have everything I need for it. At that point I WILL need more fixtures in there because I won't be able to put the plants so close together.

Well, take a look and let me know what you think. I'm especially happy with my eldest (it in the lower right), it's really starting to kick in now.
 

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420bud

420bud

Member
Looking nice so far. The plant leaning over scares me tho. I would put the fan closest to that one.
 
Y

Your Evil Twin

Member
420bud said:
Looking nice so far. The plant leaning over scares me tho. I would put the fan closest to that one.
Click to expand...
The thing about that one is its stem comes out of the ground that way. Right at the base it's curved. You can't see it anymore because I added a little soil to help correct it. But I don't want to do that again because I'm worried I could cause stem rot if I bury it too much.

I think I may have to add a temporary support and then, yes, get the fan in there. Those two things ought to remedy it.
 
Karmacidal

Karmacidal

Well-Known Member
They look really nice, Evil. Good and green.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the biggest concern about stem rot is when the soil around the stem stays too wet. My problem was I didn't bury my seeds near deep enough and they all sprouted and shot up within a couple of days. They ALL looked like your one leaner. I transplanted them and buried them pretty deep and just made sure I didn't water right around the stem. But the fan you're adding may just solve your problem all by itself. Still, looking good and can't wait to see how they go.
 
Y

Your Evil Twin

Member
Well, you're obviously doing something right, because I've been keeping an eye on your grow journal. If that's how MINE look in another two weeks, I'll be very pleased!
 
Y

Your Evil Twin

Member
I was a bit busy to make an update over the last couple days. But I'm here now.

I stuck a fan in there shortly after my last update and it did wonders. In a day those stems were thicker and stronger. That one leaner I had is standing upright and proud.

Then a younger plant started to lean a bit, as you'll see in the first image. But two days of gentle breeze straightened that one right out too.

As far as my bigger ones, I've got some 5-bladed leaves now, and some of my older leaves are started to become branches where more leaves are forming. I think I'm getting close to transplant time. I intend to do that this week. I hear they'll really start to take off at that point, which is something because as it I'm now having to adjust my lights a couple times a day.
 

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Your Evil Twin

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Got my first set of 7-bladed leaves today. I thought it was just gonna be another set of 5-bladers, but the extra two grew while I was sleeping.

I'm trying to find the right containers to transplant them into. I'm looking at two-gallon. I'm expecting about 18-inch high plants here, and I certainly don't want them to get any bigger than two feet, so that should give the roots plenty of room.

What I'm really looking for is grow bags, especially since I plan to buy eight containers and stop using half of them. Not really sure where to get those, but I'm gonna go shopping tomorrow.

And since I intend to a) have these be about 18 inches and b) top them, when should I do that? I *THINK* once I top them they'll stop growing taller, (I believe that's one of the purposes of it, and to make more branches). But I'm not certain, and I want to do it at the right time.

Anyway: PHOTOS! Take a look.
 

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Karmacidal

Karmacidal

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Looking good, Evil! The stalks are thickening up nicely.

I topped mine at 4th/5th/6th node period...they were about 5-6 inches tall and they've definitely gotten much taller! They've easily doubled in height since then and just this last week alone, they put on 3".

The book I have that's so widely talked about on this site, Buds for Less with CFLs by the infamous Garden Knome, says they triple or even quadruple in size during flowering. I'm seeing this is not exaggerated at all. I'm starting to panic a bit. I've got a side by side comparison photo of a weeks growth in my journal if you want to see.
 
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