cfls not looking so great

hey all, i am currently growing 5 northern lights plants, now potted since nov 30. i have them under 8 6500K 26 watt cfls should this not be enough at this stage in the game? do these look to be average size for their age under the cfl lighting? would the addition of some co2 help give my plants a boost? this is my first indoor grow.

I am a noob also but I would say there is something wrong I have just some good bag seeds and this was takin on 12/13/07



And these are what they looked like on 12/24/07






Now what are the room temps, humidity, soil? You should also leave the lights on 24/7

looks good do you want to do some trading for some w rhino from GH

I pm'd you I didnt want to hijack his thread.

Hey Dude, two things. 1-do you ph your water? 2-how often do you water them?

8 of those lights is like 12,800 lumens which is basically enough for 3 square feet, approximately 18" x 18". So, I think you have enough light to sustain some fairly decent Veg growth, but I'd be willing to be your problem is in the water somewhere, either ph or overwater. It is real easy to over love 'em.

Take more pictures, please

i think they should be larger than that.. what compost medium are you using?? have you introduced any ferts?? if so, did you dilute them so as not to burn the plants?? when did you start ferts?? starting too early can make em stunted.
Get the lights closer to the plants..CFLs are only really good for vegging if you can get em 1" to 2" away from the plants. also try to get the bulbs laying horizontally, as they emit most of their light from the sides,so you are wasting some of their potential..
secondly, try n make some reflectors for the bulbs, so they dont waste half their output shining up away from the soil... in the meantime try n get some aluminum food trays, and cut a hole in the end that slides over the bulb holder..until you get a proper reflector setup..

try not to over water... put finger in soil 1.5" if its moist, theyre good for another day..if its dry water...but dont drown em.
Also the pots could do with more soil closer to the tops, wait for em to stretch a lil, and top up the soil..
what are temps in there??
check temps, check ph and get back to us.

jus my .2

just made one of these to show ya how the force the extra light down..
Theyll work fine until you get a reflector.. i use these every now n then if i need supplement light to some parts of the plants, in spaces where i cant get the a normal reflector in..

at this stage just add 2000 more cfl's and it will work for a few more weeks.


UPGRADE that light

Ha ha abudsmoker has a point tho...altho most ppl rag on CFL,they do work for veg, but if you want more impressive results and higher /more consistant yield, use hps\hid lighting.

i've introduced no fertilizer yet. the temp is usually around 22-23 degrees C and humidity is 50%. i have the cfls about 1 inch away. i am thinking that the problem could be my soil. i was reading on the bag a lil more and its a slow release nutrient formula. i water usually every 2-3 days, determinied by sticking my finger in the soil. i only water when theres little to no moisture felt. should i maybe introduce some kind of fertilizer any suggestions on what to use? i have good air flow in my box.i prefer to leave my lights on 18 hours a day, i run them at night while i am around. this may be stupid, but it seems to me that it maybe be less suspicious to the power company, just more steady usage. as if i left all the house lights on all night. not really sure how all that junk works, i could be just paranoid, haha.