First set up

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ovd2

Member
I have 2x 5.0 Replti-glo 26w CFL's and 2x 4ft t8 daylight 32w bulbs

an air pump with 2 leads runing each to a 'T' then through the soil to provide oxygen.

I made a carbon filter with a slow pass to filter air in the closet. I lined the closet with my wife's old good Charlotte and ICP posters. and put plasic on the floor with 4 6" pots. I have a timer but I am going to try to run the lights 24/7 for my veg stage. I have just started with the ' seed in water/sink then to dirt' germ method. Is this a legit set up? Do i need to change anything? I have a thermometer on the wall and PH strips to check my water.


 
Brokeoldbloke

Brokeoldbloke

Active Member
Are the "5.0 Replti-glo" UV lights? Probably gonna burn your seedlings if they are. After a couple of weeks you're going to need more light regardless.
 
Brokeoldbloke

Brokeoldbloke

Active Member
Don't use the 5.0 Replti-glo lights. I would use normal cfl's in the 5000-6000 color range for veg. Think 50 watts minimum per plant. So with a splitter two bulbs per fixture. The last time I bought cfls it only cost like $6 for a 4pk. The 4ft fixture won't do much until the plants are big enough for side lighting. Also I've never seen someone aerating soil with an air pump.Where did that idea come from?
 
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ovd2

Member
My friend showed me. Im not sure if it works or not. Seems like a good idea, the hose sections that are in the dirt have holes in it ever inch on 2 sides and the end plugged so the air only goes out of the holes throughout the dirt.
 
stickyicky0420

stickyicky0420

Well-Known Member
yea your friend is dumb as shit lol u dont pump air to soil u pump air to a dwc set up witch is hydroponic sorry to say you still need to do allot more recherch keep it simple (kiss) keep it simple stupid. thats the moto i go by if you start going crazy with air pumps and nutes your plants will shurly die
 
stickyicky0420

stickyicky0420

Well-Known Member
ur soil should be loose enough to provide air to your plants roots the only reason people use air pumps is for a dwc set up (deep water culture) because the roots are completly submerged in water witch would suffacate them if there wasnt a air pump
 
Brokeoldbloke

Brokeoldbloke

Active Member
I'm interested in seeing how that works out for ya. You'll have to post your results. As fas as the rest of your set-up I'd be concerned about heat and smell. How are you bringing in cool air and venting the heat? Is the carbon filter hooked up to a vent fan?
 
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ovd2

Member
lol alright and thanks for the information. All i have to do is un-plug it. I will get some CFL's though and i turned off the repti-glo's and laid the flourescent over top to add more light until i get the cfl's. I have an attic right over top the room Im going to legit carbon filter, venting and a fan, and put a 4 inch hole in the top of the closet.
 
stickyicky0420

stickyicky0420

Well-Known Member
Brokeoldbloke said:
I'm interested in seeing how that works out for ya. You'll have to post your results. As fas as the rest of your set-up I'd be concerned about heat and smell. How are you bringing in cool air and venting the heat? Is the carbon filter hooked up to a vent fan?
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lol u relly dont have to worry about heat with useing lights that small get more experice before u give advice next time. vent fan lol u mean inline fan?
 
stickyicky0420

stickyicky0420

Well-Known Member
yea cfls will work great man thats deff the way to go on your first grow just make shure u dont over water them or feed them for the first 3 weeks of there lives. when you do start to feed only give 1/4 recomended nutes then slowly work your way up only feed every other week or every other watering. most commen problems new growers face is over watering nute burn and complicating things more then they should
 
O

ovd2

Member
Thanks what do you recommend feeding them along with the water ? 6 is a good ph for my water right?
 
Brokeoldbloke

Brokeoldbloke

Active Member
stickyicky0420 said:
lol u relly dont have to worry about heat with useing lights that small get more experice before u give advice next time. vent fan lol u mean inline fan?
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I meant a fan used to vent the space and if he adds a couple of hundred watts of cfls to that space so his plants grow he may indeed need to vent the heat.
 
stickyicky0420

stickyicky0420

Well-Known Member
umm no not relly thats pretty low and nutes will lower it even more i would raise it atleast to like 6.5 or so so you dont cause your soil to lock up nutes the water will influnce ph levels in your soil i keep my water at 6.8 personaly and i start to get lock out at ph 6 so i would say deffintly up it some just use a small amount of bakeing soda if you dont have any ph up. i would also invest in a ph meter you can get one for 20$ on amazon make shure to get a digital ph meter though not a soil ph tester because soil ph testers dont work at all hardly.
 
stickyicky0420

stickyicky0420

Well-Known Member
ok well truth is i used to use cfls and i never once used a carbon filter and a inline fan for that small grow ofcorse i used a ocolateing fan not a inline fan though witch is the only fan u can relly hook up to a carbon filter. when i upgraded to my 1000 watt hps air cooled set up i then started buying ventlation and carbon filters and such you can look at my grow if you dont think i dont know what im talking about. point is dont give advice unless you have expericed the same situation that way your not giveing bogus info
 
J

jjfw

Well-Known Member
I started with cfl's,total of 14 bulbs, from 23 watts to 55 watts. Alot of light with no heat issues. I did use a small fan for thhe plants. After 3 weeks I decided to purchase a inexpensive 400 watt light system,$128.00 on ebay. I know it's a cheapie,all i could afford now and plenty light for the space. What a difference. I'm a newie also, a bit leary in spending money. SS Disablity. Anyway, I strongly recommend you to buy a 400,600,whatever your space requires before you start spending on alot of cfl's,which you will need,the bigger bulbs are not that cheap. It's not complicated,just heat issues, do some reading. you will not regret it. There is a major difference if you want nice size buds. You'll end up spending more on bulbs,spitters,wire etc. Light makes a difference. Good luck with your grow and have alot of patience.
 
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