first cfl grow

grower77666

New Member

  • this is my first grow im wondering how much i can expect to yield
    4- 23w 5000k cfl
    2- 23w 2700k cfl
    30x30x16 LxHxW
    timer set to 18/6
    random top soil from true value and perlite in a 1 to 4 ratio
    temp at 85-90 day 70-75 night
    two usb fans one for intake one for exhaust​
    thinking about getting a fan to blow directly on the plants
    should i LST, SCROG, or both also should i get nutes if so what kind
    how long should i flower and veg for are my plants looking healthy for day 1
    do you think an ounce is possible i will put in more light during flower
    i'm growing 4 seed hoping that two are female and flower those​
    i also just added a yeast and sugar co2 maker

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karousing

Well-Known Member
you might want to go out and get some 42watts for flowering.
the 5000k should be more towards 6700k for vegetative.
temps are good, maybe a bit high in the day but no biggie.
fans are good, an oscillating fan will help them grow stronger stocks
scrog would probably be best if done on all 4 to help with an even canopy
co2 is good but turn off the fans at night so they can use it properly and it doesnt just get blown out the exhaust
veg time is up to you, keep in mind that most plants double to triple in size. i had a male cheesedog that quadrupled in size and is my current father for breeding

the longer you veg, the more nodes you will have for yielding

i did a 12/12 from seed on a female cheese dog and am expecting between 1-2 ounces no problem
i dont know the genetics of your seeds but even 1 plant will easily yield 1-2 ounces dried with about 30 days of veg after the seedling phase. (i consider it a seedling until the first true set of leaves show up.)
the first true set of leaves is not the round teardrop ones, not the next set, but the set after that looks like genuine standard pot leaves.
 

BlackMesa

Active Member
I would say an ounce is very achievable but if you went with a bubbleponic/DWC route it would be possible to double that. Are your soil ratios 25% soil - 75% perlite? if that's the case you may get a better yield yet.
 

treegoesmoo

Active Member
I don't wanna be the black sheep here, but there's a couple things you really need to keep in mind. Is the box 30" tall and you have to minus 5-6" for the light fixtures? And once you transplant, you're gonna have to keep the height of the pot as low as possible. In the end, I'm guessing you have about 20" give or take to actually grow in? And you're not gonna want your plants touching the light, even if it is just CFLs.

As for the temps, yeah you can grow your plants in 85-90F, but I think it really will slow them down a bit. And tbh, idk how you're planning to add stronger lights, your temps are gonna reach 95-100F. And trust me, that'll kill your plants slowly... If you can, get some better ventilation and it should bring the heat down. Or make a passive intake or something. Oh I just saw you have co2. I heard you can have slightly higher temps with it, but idk, adding more lights might be pushing it, unless you can vent it out.

You're gonna want to LST your plants asap. I've seen plants that grew its whole life at a 90 degree angle. It's crazy, so don't be afraid to be aggressive. Once it's kept down, add a scrog, and let it get filled up around 80%. Then once it flowers just tuck them bitches under, cause dealing with height issues suck man =T. Anywho good luck!
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
A 20" box fan puts out a lil over 2,000cfm.put it in the side of your cab problem solved for under 20 bucks
 

grower77666

New Member
so if i want more light i should get more ventilation? should i add another intake, exhaust or both im on a low budget
the dirt is 25% perlite to 75% dirt
how should i start the LST process just bend it over and secure it?
i made a screen out of string thats about 15x15 in with about 1.5-2 in holes is that big enough for the scrog or should i buy a metal screen
thanks for the input i need all the help i can get
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
Do what I said and put a box fan in the side, I have best results with a 1:1 ratio perlite to dirt... scrog is your lst
 

karousing

Well-Known Member
your only other option for heat other then increased ventilation is probably hooking up your ac vent to your air intake.

ive used ice packs in the past and with a scrog it would be more beneficial. you can get a box, cut 2 holes, 1 on either side, put the one hole up to the intake, and fill it with ice packs. the air will blow from one side, across the ice packs, then into your intake vent. cheap and easy.
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
I don't believe in overkill. You can always turn it down if your plants start to shiver...my cab stays the exact temp as ambient
 

dr grinsp00n

New Member
if two of them turn out to be female then you will get about about 2 ounces if you instead of scrog just topped three times each and invest in like twice as much cfl light
 

treegoesmoo

Active Member
I don't believe in overkill. You can always turn it down if your plants start to shiver...my cab stays the exact temp as ambient
Yeah I suppose. Whats the wattage on one of those said fans? And I'm guessing they're kinda loud? Tryna find ways to cool a cab w/o investing in an ac unit.
 

treegoesmoo

Active Member
Well before you go all crazy buying more light bulbs and adding ventilation, make sure the room that your cab is in can stay relatively cool. B/c if the room your cabs in can't stay cool, no amount of ventilation will help the temps inside w/o an ac unit. At least I think. If stealth isn't an issue, (I didn't see anything on a filter) just keep the cab open during lights on, it'll prob be around the same as the ambient temp.

If you think you can control the temps, just take some household lightbulbs. I'm not sure if its just me, but I just happen to have an abnormal amount of 23w cfls. So throw some in the cab and see what the temps are like. And again, if smell isn't an issue, and you don't wanna spend money on fans and what not, make some passive intakes and it should cool down a little.
 

grower77666

New Member
Well before you go all crazy buying more light bulbs and adding ventilation, make sure the room that your cab is in can stay relatively cool. B/c if the room your cabs in can't stay cool, no amount of ventilation will help the temps inside w/o an ac unit. At least I think. If stealth isn't an issue, (I didn't see anything on a filter) just keep the cab open during lights on, it'll prob be around the same as the ambient temp.

If you think you can control the temps, just take some household lightbulbs. I'm not sure if its just me, but I just happen to have an abnormal amount of 23w cfls. So throw some in the cab and see what the temps are like. And again, if smell isn't an issue, and you don't wanna spend money on fans and what not, make some passive intakes and it should cool down a little.
passive intakes? like air holes with light traps and it was meant to be stealth but i cant light proof it and its make poorly.
and does anyone have suggestion on whats i should buy for the box/plants
 

treegoesmoo

Active Member
passive intakes? like air holes with light traps and it was meant to be stealth but i cant light proof it and its make poorly.
and does anyone have suggestion on whats i should buy for the box/plants
I'm sorry, I guess I'm just not understanding this correctly. But is this a "stealth" grow or a STEALTH grow? B/c if it's a STEALTH grow, you're prob gonna wanna invest in some odor control such as a CF or at the very least some ONA block. (Can't say how well it works b/c I've yet to use it). And if you do decide to get a CF, then you're definitely gonna wanna invest in some better ventilation. B/c when you pull through a CF, it loses a chunk of its CFM rating. And just from my exp and what I've read, small fans ie: small desk fans, case fans, etc usually don't have the static pressure to be efficient enough while connected to a CF. So that brings up another issue, you're gonna need a decent fan for exhaust, and that could get a tad loud.

Passive intakes, it could be a bunch of small holes or just one big hole. I can't remember off the top of my head the math behind how big you should leave your passive intake but you can google it and there's a bunch of stuff on it. I'd light trap it. But tbh, just from my personal exp, cannabis is an exceptionally resilient plant. When I grew, and I was low on scratch, I'd take my plant out and snip a cola off while it's napping, and I've had light leaks, but never once hermed. (I don't recommend you do that but just saying that it's not gonna herm from the first light leak) But I'm also not saying it wont! So just be careful.

Anyways.... my suggestion would be to ask yourself this. If you're really down with the stealth grow, and you're low on scratch, I think the best option would be for you to add an extra fan or passive intake, and see how temps are there. And if they settle down to MAX 85~ then you'll be able to work with it. But if not, I really think growing with 130w CFLs and having decent temps around 75-80 is better than having 150-200w and having temps reach 95F. Yeah yield will be sacrificed, and it might seem to take a bit longer, and buds will not be as dense, but it sure beats the hell outta frying your plants if one day your ac goes out or it gets really hot out... When I grew, I had to take out my HPS (Sadface) b/c temps hit 92F with it... Switched out to CFLs and it was only at around 140W~. Buds weren't big or dense, but I'll tell you, shit was the dopest dope I've ever doped man... And I saved some money cause I didn't have to buy more fans or anything, just was a pain in the ass to get those CFLs in.
 

treegoesmoo

Active Member
And just another thing to think about... I've stopped growing since, but this forums cool and I like to see other people doing it. Once I get where I wanna be and can actually construct a proper grow I'll consider starting again. I had a decent set up, but no more money to spend, and it came to the point where I could barely afford some neem or calmag, or any other simple thing you might need to have in your arsenal. So basically I'm just saying, sometimes it's a lot more of a headache when you're not prepared. Not saying you can't do it, b/c I've seen people produce some crazy buds in cardboard boxes, but... we're not all that guy lol.
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
I easily pull a lb out of a stacked 35 gallon Rubbermaid tote( 20x26") with 24 26 watt cfls in a hood to raise and lower.. a 20" box fan fits exact dimensions and keeps it the same as ambient temps in the room. I have a small cardboard box with top and bottom open around the fan and thumb tacked a black t shirt over the opening. Massive airflow that's light proof and keeps hair and crap out..I grow using low odor sativas and don't use any sort of odor protection...
 

treegoesmoo

Active Member
I easily pull a lb out of a stacked 35 gallon Rubbermaid tote( 20x26") with 24 26 watt cfls in a hood to raise and lower.. a 20" box fan fits exact dimensions and keeps it the same as ambient temps in the room. I have a small cardboard box with top and bottom open around the fan and thumb tacked a black t shirt over the opening. Massive airflow that's light proof and keeps hair and crap out..I grow using low odor sativas and don't use any sort of odor protection...
EASILY pull a LB with 600w in a rubbermaid...? Interesting... Since I've never come close to that number I'll just leave it at that. Anyways qwizo, it seems as though stealth isn't a major issue for you. I'm pretty sure this guy can't just throw a 20" fan in front of his plants... But if he can, then sure why not if it solves his problem.
 
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