First grow. Could use some help....

Hello all. I have been reading these forums for a while now and have been very interested in indoor cultivation. I've messed around in the past but never with much success. Yesterday while speaking with a very convincing budtender I decided on a whim to take home a clone. She is Afgan x Skunk #1 and looks pretty good.



After a stop on the way home for lighting, the clone was placed under one 150watt CFL (actual watts 42) and left it alone for a couple hours. I noticed it was extremely dry and so I ran to the store and got steam distilled water as they were out of RO.

I had been reading about HID and never really read much about CFLs, hence when I picked up the lights I did not realize that the wattage that was being referred to in my skimming was "actual" and not "equal" so today I setup another 42watt CFL as you can see. Was that a run on sentence?



Unfortunatly I was only able to find that high of a wattage in 2700k; I know this spectrum is more for flowering but it will make do for now. My plan is to purchase 4 more 42 watt lights and another three socket fixture like the one pictured. Eventually I will get a 400watt HPS but I'm not there yet.

So a couple questions.

I noticed a few of the leaves were burnt on the tips and the outer edges were curling up.



I thought it was likely due to being too dry or should I be looking for something else?

I checked the bottom drain holes and can see roots in them and it looks a little big for its pot. I would like to repot in something like a 5 gallon DWC or a aeroponic system but I don't know if I should go from soil to clay and netpot this late in its growth, advice?

Or should I just stick with soil?

What do you use?

What would you recommend?

I want to do LST and was planning to start by topping and maybe taking one other cut for clones. I figured it would be nice to lower its height and take a shot at cloning any suggestions as where to cut?

Financially I am a little behind this month but in three days I can put 50 toward the project and 100 the following week.
Any suggestions as to where I should invest my money?

Also this morning I noticed yellow spots on one leaf and when I got home it had started to dry and curl. Is the water? I haven't ph'd the water just straight distilled, could that be it? Also I have yet to give it any nutes.



Well that's it for right now, you guys have already been tons of help just by reading sticky threads, responses and journals. I'll try and update as often as possible.

Thanks for your time.
-Schrod

First off, before anything, you need bigger pots for sure. With the super quickness. How hot is it in there. The spots look like where maybe you sprayed water or water was dripped onto them and it magnify burned, if you haven't given any nutes. Just get them in more dirt. Don't do anything fancy. Don't try to swap them up. That'd probably stress them to the point of death trying to desoil the root ball. Get a couple of pots and put dirt in them if you have to but man those are not gonna last very long in those containers. Hit me back up with how hot it is, if it's above 85, you're gonna get some heat stress. And as for LST, I've never been a fan of trying anything like that this late in plant life. You gotta start that early or you may end up causing serious or fatal damage. If I were you, I'd just throw it in something bigger, with more dirt, cuz it DEFINATELY needs it like, 2 weeks ago, and let it cycle out. A lot of the stuff you're talking about would have been a lot easier with seedlings, unless the proportion I'm looking at is just way off idk. That's my 3 cents.

Awesome. I will get it into a new pot ASAP. I have read its beat to use sterilized dirt but is that right?

I know LST is something you do in the younger stage but couldn't I train the clones I take from it?

It ranges from 65-75 lights on and 60-67 lights off. As far as I can tell.
I have only had her three days.

Sterilized dirt is over rated. Get a decent potting soil and you'll be fine. As far as clones, I think if I were you I'd worry more about making sure these survive. It doesn't look really bad now but you sound like you're ready to build a car after test driving one. Over thinking tends to kill plants and experience is by far the best tool. IMO, your best best would be to grow these out, test out your nutes, watering, ect. find out what works, then either go get another clone or some seeds and go from there.

I prefer using T5HO fluorescents for the early growth stage, then MH later. If you have to use CFLs, I would recommend 23w 6500k daylight spectrum bulbs. Cheap, and available. 2700k spectrum w/o enough 6500k spectrum will lead to very stretchy plants with long spacing between nodes (lower yield). Saving up for a digital ballast should be your goal. Then you can Veg with MH, and flower with HPS, since it accepts both bulbs. I agree with Cranker, I wouldn't bother with cloning these. Move them into 2 gallon pots minimum. Not much there to LST either, it doesn't look like it got topped early (Christmas tree'ish). General Hydroponics sells a liquid pH test kit which includes pH up and pH down for like $15, that's cheap and would help out. GH also carries a complete nute package for under $30. That is what I would invest in now. Last, I've got a couple questions about your setup:

1. Do you have a hydroponics supply store nearby? That would help.

2. What are the dimensions of the area you're working with?

Thanks for the advice. I do tend to get ahead of musket in all fields, I will say though it has taught me a lot in the past. I am getting more full spectrum bulbs tomorrow and will transfer to a larger pot today.

I do have a hydro store close to me but can only make it in on Monday because of ny work schedule.

I only have one clone that's why I wanted to try cloning from her. You guys keep saying "them" but there is only one, I hope I haven't misled you.

The dimensions I am working with is a closet that is aprox. 1.7' x 2.5' x 6.5'. Trying to use one of the bigger spaces but am still debating that with the Mrs.

Thanks again for the help, I'll post new pics once she is repotted.

I just realized that was a mirror in the first pic, I was thinking 2 plants too, probably where that is coming from.

yea i did the same thing i thought it was 2 plants lol