energy saving bulbs (CFL'S?)

Mr. Cheese

Mr. Cheese

Member
I have smoked weed/resin for many years on and off but this is the first time im trying to grow a plant, i was going to leave it on my south-facing windowsill until it is ready to harvest but as i live in NE England and i planted it around christmas i would have a very long wait so after reading that energy saving cfl bulbs can be used i have put 2x20w next to my plant. Will this produce a better plant than sunlight or am i being stoopid?! The plant has alot of the long white pistules all over it and i think it has the potential to be a fantastic plant and i want to give it the best chance possible but as i am constantly financially embarrassed im limited to what i can do.
All id like to know is will these energy saving bulbs be better than the sun taking into account my location?
how much should i water and how often?
do i still need to give it 12 hours of darkness even with using these bulbs?
what can i feed it for super cheap?
can i take a cutting to grow another and if so when should i do it?
any help will be greatly appreciated.
i do know that so far im enjoying myself and it is something i really want to do on a bigger more professional scale.
i fkin love skunk
 
mr buddy

mr buddy

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
I have smoked weed/resin for many years on and off but this is the first time im trying to grow a plant, i was going to leave it on my south-facing windowsill until it is ready to harvest but as i live in NE England and i planted it around christmas i would have a very long wait so after reading that energy saving cfl bulbs can be used i have put 2x20w next to my plant. Will this produce a better plant than sunlight or am i being stoopid?! The plant has alot of the long white pistules all over it and i think it has the potential to be a fantastic plant and i want to give it the best chance possible but as i am constantly financially embarrassed im limited to what i can do.
All id like to know is will these energy saving bulbs be better than the sun taking into account my location?
how much should i water and how often?
do i still need to give it 12 hours of darkness even with using these bulbs?
what can i feed it for super cheap?
can i take a cutting to grow another and if so when should i do it?
any help will be greatly appreciated.
i do know that so far im enjoying myself and it is something i really want to do on a bigger more professional scale.
i fkin love skunk
Click to expand...
so u just have it on your windows sill ?
 
chemphlegm

chemphlegm

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
how much should i water and how often? water when soil pot is dry
do i still need to give it 12 hours of darkness even with using these bulbs? yes, if you wish to initiate flowering
what can i feed it for super cheap? jobes organic spikes are great
can i take a cutting to grow another and if so when should i do it? take them as often as you can, anytime you can, any stage you can. clones in veg will be healthier than if taken in flower, both work well eventually though

i fkin love skunk
Click to expand...
me too
 
Mr. Cheese

Mr. Cheese

Member
Thanks alot mate
After reading about the cfl bulbs being something i can use i have got a box and i have 2x20w bulbs on it, which i know isnt much but after a couple of days i can already see an improvement. More leaves are growing and the pistules are getting longer. Im convinced i can smell it aswell.
i have read many conflicting things about these cfl bulbs, for e.g. I read i only need 1 x20w per square foot of plant, then i read i need 150w for one plant, then if using cfls i can leave them on 24hrs a day permanantly, but then again it needs 12hrs of dark! Deeply confusing
Have you tried the thc shatter stuff or the crumble in "dabs" i believe its called? Im not a big fan, i think its too strong too quick and rediculously expensive, £35 for .5g!
£70 for a gram! Mental. Ill have it for free mind..
ill take a pic in a day or 2 and upload it.
As soon as i can i will be investing as much as i can to get me up and running. Theres not many people in my area who sell it..
Thanks again for the help
 
Mr. Cheese

Mr. Cheese

Member
mr buddy said:
so u just have it on your windows sill ?
Click to expand...
Not now, ive put it in a box with 2x20w bulbs on it. I didnt know i could use cfl bulbs and ive got shoeboxes full of them. I do need more lamps though. I read that if i leave it on a windowsill it wont be ready to harvest until autumn which is far too far away for me to wait. Ive seen it improve just over a couple of days so its better than the weak pissy sun im getting this time of year. Have you had a successful grow using cfls?
 
mr buddy

mr buddy

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
Not now, ive put it in a box with 2x20w bulbs on it. I didnt know i could use cfl bulbs and ive got shoeboxes full of them. I do need more lamps though. I read that if i leave it on a windowsill it wont be ready to harvest until autumn which is far too far away for me to wait. Ive seen it improve just over a couple of days so its better than the weak pissy sun im getting this time of year. Have you had a successful grow using cfls?
Click to expand...
it's my 1st grow mate I'm from the UK. I have 2 under a 400watt hps light.home made filter and fan from cooker hood extractor. 9 inch air circulation fan .there only tiny at the moment. re potted today in perlite mix with soil. now just made my own co2 generator
 
Mr. Cheese

Mr. Cheese

Member
that must be a mylar tent is it? How much was that? Ive now added 2 more bulbs so 4 in total. Im not sure of the total watts or lumens but it is helping it. I live alone in a 2 bedroom flat and my electric use is genuinely around 50p a day and even now with these lghts on ive not noticed any change! Im going to get more stronger bulbs as soon as i can and set up one of my cupboards until i get a tent. Im actually thinking about just buying the mylar in a roll or sheets and making my own.I Have a built in cupboard with a built in vent in the wall which leads to a void which i may use but it will only fit one plant really. The possibilities are endless! Do i still need to give it 12 hours of dark even if using cfls? Are the pistils a sign that it is flowering? Do you know what you are growing, which strain? Where did you get the seeds? How long will it take your plants to grow using your light?
Do you know how well tin foil reflects light? It is something i have thought about using as it is really cheap. I imagine we both will get better and better with each grow until we have it perfected! Hopefully sooner rather than later mind!
Thanks for replying mate, we should compare notes on how our first grow goes and try to help wherever possible.
Id really enjoy a nice joint right now, but only 4 month to go...
 

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mr buddy

mr buddy

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
that must be a mylar tent is it? How much was that? Ive now added 2 more bulbs so 4 in total. Im not sure of the total watts or lumens but it is helping it. I live alone in a 2 bedroom flat and my electric use is genuinely around 50p a day and even now with these lghts on ive not noticed any change! Im going to get more stronger bulbs as soon as i can and set up one of my cupboards until i get a tent. Im actually thinking about just buying the mylar in a roll or sheets and making my own.I Have a built in cupboard with a built in vent in the wall which leads to a void which i may use but it will only fit one plant really. The possibilities are endless! Do i still need to give it 12 hours of dark even if using cfls? Are the pistils a sign that it is flowering? Do you know what you are growing, which strain? Where did you get the seeds? How long will it take your plants to grow using your light?
Do you know how well tin foil reflects light? It is something i have thought about using as it is really cheap. I imagine we both will get better and better with each grow until we have it perfected! Hopefully sooner rather than later mind!
Thanks for replying mate, we should compare notes on how our first grow goes and try to help wherever possible.
Id really enjoy a nice joint right now, but only 4 month to go...
Click to expand...
ur plant looks good . my tent .light and ballast with filter I bout off a lad for £80.but I replaced the bulb and made my own filter that works way better... I got my seeds local in a shop. white widow.... if ur going to do your own grow room paint it white inside mate its best reflective there is ..also if I were you I'd just buy a tent you can't go wrong pal. I give my plants 18hrs light 6 hrs dark and will do through out the veg then I will drop to 12hr. .I have those 2 in and 2 just sprouted so I'll pop them in the tent in the next day or two..I leave my filter running 24/7.keep air clean. I ain't added any nutrition just going to leave them 4 weeks and just add basic. . were are you from mate and yes we will keep in touch home made co2 is in today so hopefully it'll bring them on better
 

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mr buddy

mr buddy

Well-Known Member
also if ur plant has white hairy pistals and not sack like balls it's female so I'd say u wanna do the lst training and get it into flower. . how old is it now
 
vostok

vostok

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
I have smoked weed/resin for many years on and off but this is the first time im trying to grow a plant, i was going to leave it on my south-facing windowsill until it is ready to harvest but as i live in NE England and i planted it around christmas i would have a very long wait so after reading that energy saving cfl bulbs can be used i have put 2x20w next to my plant. Will this produce a better plant than sunlight or am i being stoopid?! The plant has alot of the long white pistules all over it and i think it has the potential to be a fantastic plant and i want to give it the best chance possible but as i am constantly financially embarrassed im limited to what i can do.
All id like to know is will these energy saving bulbs be better than the sun taking into account my location?
how much should i water and how often?
do i still need to give it 12 hours of darkness even with using these bulbs?
what can i feed it for super cheap?
can i take a cutting to grow another and if so when should i do it?
any help will be greatly appreciated.
i do know that so far im enjoying myself and it is something i really want to do on a bigger more professional scale.
i fkin love skunk
Click to expand...

just for you : to my blog:
https://www.rollitup.org/Journal/Entry/a-collection-of-diy-ghetto-blasters.30154/
 
Mr. Cheese

Mr. Cheese

Member
Its actually over 3month old. I got A seed out of a bag of some type of skunk around christmas time and tried to germinate it which obviously worked then i just left it on my kitchen windowsill in a small pot of compost which had no drainage holes until i re-potted it a few weeks ago. At first i just planned on leaving it on the windowsill for however long it took to be ready to smoke but as soon as the pistills(?) developed and it actually started to look like it has the potential to be a good plant i really got enthusiastic and wanted to do the best i possibly can to help it grow. Then i started to look online at lights and growing guides and i was very surprised to see that energy saving cfls can be used to produce some really good looking plants and i have about 2 1/2 shoeboxes full of them. They are not as powerful as id like but they will do for now until i get more. I always thought growing weed costs a fortune in electricity and sometimes the police have actually caught people by how their electric bill has increased suddenly and by alot so finding out cfls or led bulbs can be used i now want to set-up my spare room to grow constantly. I want to get to the stage where i always have a big bag of percy and have plants starting and finishing all year long.
Im guessing my plant should be bigger and better for 3 months old, well if it was under these lights it would be but for being on a windowsill in winter i suppose its not bad. I live in Billingham, Teeside. North east England not far from middlesbrough (who are going to get humiliated by Man Utd tomorrow!) The temp since christmas outdoors has been between 1-2c - 10c max. My flat is never cold though and the sun has not been great, theres been the odd few days of bright sunlight with the rest cloudy.
I dont really know anything about the vegatitive state apart from thats the time it should get mainly blue light to help it grow, i think. Is that right? Do you think mine is flowering now? It doesnt really smell yet. I read thats a sign it is flowering. I dont have any air filter and the only fan i have is 12" desk fan. I live above a worthless alky piece of shit and one of the tommy tankers who stays with him smokes skunk every day so ill blame any smell on him. My spare room does have a pipe coming off the boiler which is boxed in so i can attach a vent pipe to that and as im in the top flat in a 3 story building the smell will hopefully not be an issue.
What do you mean by last training? Or 1st training? Is it best to have it under 24hrs light for the first several weeks? What are colas?!! Im guessing its the stalk with the buds on and some plants have more than one, is that right?
Is there any way i can tell which strain i have? Any obvious signs?
In your opinion should i be giving 12 hours light now? Then do i move to 16-18hrs light per day? Or do i give it as much as possible when flowering? If im trying to replicate natural sunlight then i should be giving it around 18hrs per day.
I have noticed lots of new leaf growth around the pistills and they are a nice dark colour green, quite a bit darker than the leaves grown under natural sunlight. Is that good? Surely the darker green the more light its getting to photosynthesize.
I watched an episode of cops a while ago where the cops found a cupboard being used to grow and it had a bottle of vinegar in it with some baking soda/powder or bicarbonate and they said it is used to create carbon dioxide by simply adding them together. I dont know how well it works or anything about it really but it must stink.
im going to let it have 12hrs of darkness tonight, hopefully its the right thing to do.
By the end of next week ill have improved my set-up considerably, i want to get several bulbs atleast 40w and ill make something to place them all around my plant where i want them. I think i have a tub of matt white paint leftover from decorating so until i get a tent ill sort out a cupboard.
Do you know anything about taking cuttings? Which bit to cut off? When to do it and how to care for them?
So many questions! I think you will be growing some awesome plants with that light inside of a mylar tent, and they should be ready really fast.
Im called Dan anyway mate
 
mr buddy

mr buddy

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
Its actually over 3month old. I got A seed out of a bag of some type of skunk around christmas time and tried to germinate it which obviously worked then i just left it on my kitchen windowsill in a small pot of compost which had no drainage holes until i re-potted it a few weeks ago. At first i just planned on leaving it on the windowsill for however long it took to be ready to smoke but as soon as the pistills(?) developed and it actually started to look like it has the potential to be a good plant i really got enthusiastic and wanted to do the best i possibly can to help it grow. Then i started to look online at lights and growing guides and i was very surprised to see that energy saving cfls can be used to produce some really good looking plants and i have about 2 1/2 shoeboxes full of them. They are not as powerful as id like but they will do for now until i get more. I always thought growing weed costs a fortune in electricity and sometimes the police have actually caught people by how their electric bill has increased suddenly and by alot so finding out cfls or led bulbs can be used i now want to set-up my spare room to grow constantly. I want to get to the stage where i always have a big bag of percy and have plants starting and finishing all year long.
Im guessing my plant should be bigger and better for 3 months old, well if it was under these lights it would be but for being on a windowsill in winter i suppose its not bad. I live in Billingham, Teeside. North east England not far from middlesbrough (who are going to get humiliated by Man Utd tomorrow!) The temp since christmas outdoors has been between 1-2c - 10c max. My flat is never cold though and the sun has not been great, theres been the odd few days of bright sunlight with the rest cloudy.
I dont really know anything about the vegatitive state apart from thats the time it should get mainly blue light to help it grow, i think. Is that right? Do you think mine is flowering now? It doesnt really smell yet. I read thats a sign it is flowering. I dont have any air filter and the only fan i have is 12" desk fan. I live above a worthless alky piece of shit and one of the tommy tankers who stays with him smokes skunk every day so ill blame any smell on him. My spare room does have a pipe coming off the boiler which is boxed in so i can attach a vent pipe to that and as im in the top flat in a 3 story building the smell will hopefully not be an issue.
What do you mean by last training? Or 1st training? Is it best to have it under 24hrs light for the first several weeks? What are colas?!! Im guessing its the stalk with the buds on and some plants have more than one, is that right?
Is there any way i can tell which strain i have? Any obvious signs?
In your opinion should i be giving 12 hours light now? Then do i move to 16-18hrs light per day? Or do i give it as much as possible when flowering? If im trying to replicate natural sunlight then i should be giving it around 18hrs per day.
I have noticed lots of new leaf growth around the pistills and they are a nice dark colour green, quite a bit darker than the leaves grown under natural sunlight. Is that good? Surely the darker green the more light its getting to photosynthesize.
I watched an episode of cops a while ago where the cops found a cupboard being used to grow and it had a bottle of vinegar in it with some baking soda/powder or bicarbonate and they said it is used to create carbon dioxide by simply adding them together. I dont know how well it works or anything about it really but it must stink.
im going to let it have 12hrs of darkness tonight, hopefully its the right thing to do.
By the end of next week ill have improved my set-up considerably, i want to get several bulbs atleast 40w and ill make something to place them all around my plant where i want them. I think i have a tub of matt white paint leftover from decorating so until i get a tent ill sort out a cupboard.
Do you know anything about taking cuttings? Which bit to cut off? When to do it and how to care for them?
So many questions! I think you will be growing some awesome plants with that light inside of a mylar tent, and they should be ready really fast.
Im called Dan anyway mate
Click to expand...
if it's 3 mth old get it into flower now 12hrs light 12 dark . is that also ur plant with the wire .? if so get that on to flower now . I'll start a private convo with u
 
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Mr. Cheese

Mr. Cheese

Member
thats absolutely incredible. That cant be your first grow surely! I like the table top appearance. Very impressive. What wattage bulbs do you have on that?
how old is it?
what strain is it?
when is it ready?
ill be able to grow like that one day, im determined and its something i enjoy. I wish id heard about these cfls years ago! All the time and money ive wasted buying weed when i could have been learning how to grow and building my own lighting rig. Bollocks..
I WILL have a plant like that within a year and ill show the pics to prove it.
positive thinking my friend.
Thanks for showing me the pic and making me very jealous. This is definitely what im going to be concentrating my time on for the forseeable future!
Cheers mate
 
mr buddy

mr buddy

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
thats absolutely incredible. That cant be your first grow surely! I like the table top appearance. Very impressive. What wattage bulbs do you have on that?
how old is it?
what strain is it?
when is it ready?
ill be able to grow like that one day, im determined and its something i enjoy. I wish id heard about these cfls years ago! All the time and money ive wasted buying weed when i could have been learning how to grow and building my own lighting rig. Bollocks..
I WILL have a plant like that within a year and ill show the pics to prove it.
positive thinking my friend.
Thanks for showing me the pic and making me very jealous. This is definitely what im going to be concentrating my time on for the forseeable future!
Cheers mate
Click to expand...
think he used the lst training there .. low stress training. . it's were u bend the main stem over and tie it off to the pot to allow more colons to grow up .. colons ..buds .. u can train them by bending and turning . look up lst bud training pal
 
Mr. Cheese

Mr. Cheese

Member
mr buddy said:
think he used the lst training there .. low stress training. . it's were u bend the main stem over and tie it off to the pot to allow more colons to grow up .. colons ..buds .. u can train them by bending and turning . look up lst bud training pal
Click to expand...
Do i still have a chance to do that with mine? Actually i dont think i have the room.
Theres 2 pics of my plant on here, one on my table and the other in a very temporary bodged up box with 4 bulbs on it. That one has wires. I only have lamps at the moment that ive just taken the shade off.
ill turn them off at 11 for 12hrs and put a black towel over to fully block out the light. When in the flowering stage will the plant get bigger or just the buds? Ive counted 15 of what i think will be the buds. If i can get them to be even a gram each ill be very happy. Ecstatic.
A friend told me cold organic tea is good as food, have you ever heard that?
How do we start a private convo? Ive no idea. I dont know how to 'like' threads or pics either.
low stress training, thats new to me but thats what i want to be doing.
i read something yesterday which said that the way the lights are arranged in that other pic is wrong and it said to definitely avoid arranging the lights basically exactly how i have mine! Ive only done it as i dont have alot of choice at the moment.
Right lights off.
Thanks for the help mate im fkin clueless!
 
Flagg420

Flagg420

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
I have smoked weed/resin for many years on and off but this is the first time im trying to grow a plant, i was going to leave it on my south-facing windowsill until it is ready to harvest but as i live in NE England and i planted it around christmas i would have a very long wait so after reading that energy saving cfl bulbs can be used i have put 2x20w next to my plant. Will this produce a better plant than sunlight or am i being stoopid?! The plant has alot of the long white pistules all over it and i think it has the potential to be a fantastic plant and i want to give it the best chance possible but as i am constantly financially embarrassed im limited to what i can do.
All id like to know is will these energy saving bulbs be better than the sun taking into account my location?
how much should i water and how often?
do i still need to give it 12 hours of darkness even with using these bulbs?
what can i feed it for super cheap?
can i take a cutting to grow another and if so when should i do it?
any help will be greatly appreciated.
i do know that so far im enjoying myself and it is something i really want to do on a bigger more professional scale.
i fkin love skunk
Click to expand...

BOOK FIRST. Then start trying to grow.

If you have to ask if you need 12hrs of dark, you don't know enough about how it grows to start it... like making a baby when you don't know the first thing about kids....

If you are growing to actually have a decent yield, in a decent 3 month period, you WILL need to spend energy. You will need HID lighting.

If you got time, patience, and dont mind spending every day for a 6 weeks playing with the plant before you start flower... you can use CFLs.

Remember this: A nice panel of 23w CFL can penetrate almost 3-4" of foliage........... the outer layer will produce. A 1000w HPS bulb can punch thru and provide light for buds 15-18" thru foliage. The whole plant, top to bottom, outside to the stalk... whole thing produces buds.

Light is the most important part of photosynthesis, don't skimp unless you have to, and if you have to, remember to adjust the plant accordingly.

If you want low heat, low power, then CFL or even LED is your best bet, but learn MUCH about LST training, so you expose as much of the plant to surface light as possible....

I just tell ppl, if ur serious, get serious. Spend the money the first time, get good lights, good fans, and good genetics. The nutes and dirt/water and all that is just salesmen, its all the same.

Sun and air.... if you want to play God, you gotta be willing to be a good God, not a half ass one... build your empire to succeed, not simply survive.
 
mr buddy

mr buddy

Well-Known Member
Mr. Cheese said:
Do i still have a chance to do that with mine? Actually i dont think i have the room.
Theres 2 pics of my plant on here, one on my table and the other in a very temporary bodged up box with 4 bulbs on it. That one has wires. I only have lamps at the moment that ive just taken the shade off.
ill turn them off at 11 for 12hrs and put a black towel over to fully block out the light. When in the flowering stage will the plant get bigger or just the buds? Ive counted 15 of what i think will be the buds. If i can get them to be even a gram each ill be very happy. Ecstatic.
A friend told me cold organic tea is good as food, have you ever heard that?
How do we start a private convo? Ive no idea. I dont know how to 'like' threads or pics either.
low stress training, thats new to me but thats what i want to be doing.
i read something yesterday which said that the way the lights are arranged in that other pic is wrong and it said to definitely avoid arranging the lights basically exactly how i have mine! Ive only done it as i dont have alot of choice at the moment.
Right lights off.
Thanks for the help mate im fkin clueless!
Click to expand...
if possible u want to hang ur lights above the plant and yes I'd definitely bendmain stem over and pop it on 12on 12 off start feeding nuts now go for just tomato liquid feed it's all you need
 
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