Advice on my first grow room

So I am pretty new to these forums, but I thought I would ask if my grow room is setup properly for what I am growing. I have about 10 small containers with seeds. Two 42 watt CFL's and an additional 15 watt CFL. So it's almost 5k lumens per square foot in a small container. It also has an oscillating fan blowing fresh air downwards and the pressure of the air pushing the downward exhaust back upwards through the metal grating of the fan and out of the sides of the container. I know the amount of light I have won't be enough for too many plants. I'm just trying to grow the 10 seedlings to a few inches first. With the small area, is the light sufficient for these seedlings for the initial three inches, or do I need more? Ofcourse, I will add more lights as soon as I buy some more to suffice the amount of light necessary to have atleast a few plants past that threshold. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I also have a picture to show the setup for a more precise analysis of the room. Any suggestions?

for a start that will get you going. after that expand as needed. try to get daylight bulbs for veg if you can. and if you dont have em, a water ph kit, and a combo thermometer/hygrometer. good luck with it.

Ery

Erysichthon said:

for a start that will get you going. after that expand as needed. try to get daylight bulbs for veg if you can. and if you dont have em, a water ph kit, and a combo thermometer/hygrometer. good luck with it.

Ery

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Daylight bulbs? What are those?

I know this is probably addressed all the time, but what would be the proper humidity and temperature for this space? I also need some advice on proper PH levels. I am using tap water (even though I know I shouldn't be) to water the plants. Should I boil the water I am using? Will this help remove the unwated additives in tap water?

airstr5000 said:

I know this is probably addressed all the time, but what would be the proper humidity and temperature for this space? I also need some advice on proper PH levels. I am using tap water (even though I know I shouldn't be) to water the plants. Should I boil the water I am using? Will this help remove the unwated additives in tap water?

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let the water sit for at least 24 hours, the clorine and other chemicals will evaporate. Check ph before using it.

Gorlax said:

let the water sit for at least 24 hours, the clorine and other chemicals will evaporate. Check ph before using it.

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The water has already been just sitting in my room for 3 days atleast so I think it should be fine then. I need to get a thermometer/hygrometer with a ph kit as well. Then I know I will be doing most of the important things correctly. Oh, by the way, with this setup, how long would it take to see some initial development and to see the seeds sprout out?

Bump........

the bulbs i was refering to are the 6500k spectrum lights, they have a bluish tint, they will be labled daylight as well. vegging plants like the blue light. when you flower regular cfls are the ticket. or even better HPS if you can do it. in flower you need lower spectrum light.

ery

water should be between 6 and 7ph, you can get ph strips at pretty much any garden centre...
you shouldnt use cold water your seeds or plants could go into shock
temp..75 to 80 celcuis

So, I have made some changes since my last post. I now have four 42 watt CFL's in my little grow room. I seem to see the soil in the container get dry really quick. Is this normal? How often should I be watering because I remember reading only once for the first week of the seedlings. The only reason I have any worries is because the soil looks so dry. Any ideas?

bump........ help please

The lights might be drying out the soil if they are too hot, and that fan could be helping dry the soil also. Check your temps and humidity ASAP and get them where they need to be. Keep the soil moist during germination but don't over water as its just as bad if not worse.

TheHappyCamper said:

The lights might be drying out the soil if they are too hot, and that fan could be helping dry the soil also. Check your temps and humidity ASAP and get them where they need to be. Keep the soil moist during germination but don't over water as its just as bad if not worse.

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I sorta thought the fan was affecting the soil as well, but putting the lamps at a much less confined space proved to keep the soil damp much longer. It isn't drying out and I am seeing growth within 24 hours of planting. Not bad for CFL's. I think I am going to make a grow journal for the fun of it. It will help with my motivation to grow. Here is a picture to see what has changed. Anymore suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

My dear fellow stoners. Out of my 8 plants(that were bagseed) I got one hermie, one female and 6 males. I have seperated the female and the males, but I am wondering. What is better? 1 Female or 8 males?