Allister's first CFL Grow

Hi all! Noob here who has decided to give an indoor CFL grow a shot. I am still in the process of getting everything I need to give it a go. I am going to be ready to drop seeds and start germ on some bagseed in the next day or so. I am using a small shower stall for my room, and still need to get mylar up on the glass enclosure. (See Pics)
I am also actively searching for someplace local where I can find the higher wattage CFL bulbs in the 65K-67K temp. Currently I have 2 63 watt and 10 26 watt bulbs, but they are all in the 2700K temp. Like the noob I am, I thought that the lower number would be the cooler temp spectrum.... Oh well, live and learn.
So, I have a few questions right off of the bat. Does anyone know of a large chain store where I can find larger watt (at least 40, preferably bigger) bulbs in the right temp? Also, I have a soil question. I am planning on going with FFOG and perlite... what would be a good ratio on the two?
Any other advice would be gratefully accepted too as I want to get a decent experience on this first grow and I realize the best way to do that is to listen to those who have done it before me!
Thanks in advance for all of those who help out, and for those that already have!

Allister Fiend

the more perlite you use, the faster your soil will dry out. FFOF already has plenty mixed in, i don't suggest adding any perlite to FFOF unless you are worried about drainage. adding 10% perlite to your FFOF mix could be a good idea. you could get your cfl's from home depot, or HTG supply online. they are my fav online garden store so far -----> http://www.htgsupply.com/Category-Compact-Fluorescent-CFL.asp

arik maso said:

the more perlite you use, the faster your soil will dry out. FFOF already has plenty mixed in, i don't suggest adding any perlite to FFOF unless you are worried about drainage. adding 10% perlite to your FFOF mix could be a good idea. you could get your cfl's from home depot, or HTG supply online. they are my fav online garden store so far -----> http://www.htgsupply.com/Category-Compact-Fluorescent-CFL.asp

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Thanks for the help! I will probably add just a touch and about a half inch at the bottom then.

Bit the bullet today and picked up a Hydrofarms 125 watt bulb in the right temp. Of course now I have to find a mogul to medium size adapter to use it! Anyone know of the best place to get one on a local level? I was thinking electric supply or lighting supply houses?? Hoping that maybe Home Depot will, but I didn't find anything searching their website so I am not holding my breath.

Getting closer to start as I also picked up the soil. But there are still some things I need to get this one off of the ground, feel good about my chances and know that I am giving it a good shot so I might have to delay the seed drop until the next pay period.

One day I will be able to give it a go!!

Well, no luck on the adapter for the lights yet, but going to just order one from Amazon and get going anyway. Planning on starting germ on 6-8 seeds and transplant the healthiest three into their new home. Will have to worry about the mylar and other stuff in a week or two. Not like it is important while I am trying to pop the seeds anyway....

Picked up a timer and power strip all in one for the room. I was grooving on it because it has four sockets that are timed and four that are always on. You can set the timer to do different things based on what you are trying to do.

Seeds starting to germ today. I have some 2.5 gal pots all filled up with FFOG and perlite ready for the 3 that look most healthy out of the 6 seeds that I am going to attempt to get to pop. Also have some tasty seeds that should be here in a few days to give me the proper motivation to make this a good grow! Wish me luck, here we go!
There will be more pics when I have my 3 girls picked out for the grow! Still working on getting their "room" just right.

Think I might have put them a lil too deep in the rockwool. I can see a couple have popped, but they haven't raised their heads up to say hello yet. Still waiting and hoping that they will find their way to the light. Of course, with the bags you get around here, they could have been subjected to God knows what before I got my hands on them, so who knows...

Big ups to Attitude!! Got my test order of some tasty beans today! Only 14 days from their door to mine. Can't wait to get some basic knowledge and get one or more of those babies in the ground! Sour Diesel, Humboldt CH 9, and Kannabia La Blanca.
I start thinking about bud porn just looking at the beans!!

So, two of the plants popped through on Sunday. Got them in their new potted home and have started with giving them some light and a little bit of wind from a small fan. I will post some pics I took later tonight or tomorrow when I get some time.
Off and running, here we go!!

Ever feel like you are just talking to yourself? Oh well....
Here are the first baby pics of my new girls. Now it is time to hurry up and wait!



BTW, they are named BS1 and BS2 (Bag Seed) Might give them another name at some point, LOL have to see what they start to turn out like.

Day 5 of the lil girls... For the last couple of days, BS 2 has been looking kinda droopy. The first leaves are sagging in an arch. They were originally sprouted in rockwool cubes and then transplanted into the soil about a day after they poked their heads up. Just wondering if this looks like over watering or what? As always, any help is appreciated!

Also wanted to throw props to Barrelhse for giving me this link:

http://en.seedfinder.eu/

You can find info on just about any bean here and learn what works best for growing it and what to expect! I am going to spend a couple of hours over there today just browsing!

im subbed up. best of luck! is it a 125 cfl light you bought??? you wherent clear so i didnt know but it looks like a 125 in the pic sssoooooo. props on being a daddy lets hope your girls get big and strong with the quick hurry fastness!

Subbd.
La Blanca grew a lot like my white widow. Even has almost the same smell - floral. Not quite the yielder that the widow was and colas weren't as dense but still some very respectable smoke!
Peace.

Hey looking good Allister. Don't look like anything is wrong with them, they've just gotten big enough for their leaves to hang down a little.
Looking good.

Yeah, I just needed to let them go for a couple of days. Been a long time since my last grow so I am like a new father watching over his little girls. Got to step back and let them do their natural thing a bit. Thanks for the reassurance!

Dick Moser said:

im subbed up. best of luck! is it a 125 cfl light you bought??? you wherent clear so i didnt know but it looks like a 125 in the pic sssoooooo. props on being a daddy lets hope your girls get big and strong with the quick hurry fastness!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the love! Yes, that is a 125 in the center and then each of the plants right now has a reflector with 2 26 watters in it right on them too. I have enough light to put 7 or 8 on each plant, but even with CFL, the heat is a problem in the small enclosure that I am using, so that will be an issue unless I get the right amount of cool air flowing through.

its wintert bro, unless your equateral im sure cold air should be abundtant! any thoughts on increasing lamp quanity/ lumen output? im into a bottle of sailor jerry so im not gonna review but i dont remeber seeing the setup, is iy a box or room?

I am set up in a shower enclosure in a bathroom. It is interior in the house, so I can't just open a window and let cool air in. That and the fact that in Florida right now, the temps aren't all that cold. I might have to look at some sort of cool air induction at some point because if I bust out all of the lights that I have and can use, then there will be a pretty significant amount of heat to deal with.