First time grow and using CFLs

Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
What do you guys think?
I decided to go with some clones for my first grow and put them in the cabinet yesterday.

I have 6x27 watt "Daylight" and 1x46(?) watt Soft White in there for lighting.

I was unable to get the bulbs in with the reflectors on using the 'Y' adapters but might go get some socket extensions so I can put them on. Do I really need the reflectors? I see grows both using them and not using them with apparent good results.

The Cabinet is 24"(w)x24"(D)x33"(H) interior dimensions.
 

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Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
Nobody wants to comment, eh?
I'm really curious about the reflectors. I had some questions about soil and nutes too.
The collective where I got the clones said to leave them in the cups they're for a week or so to reduce shock on them since they had only been transferred to the cups a couple days ago. Does that sound right?
I have some Miracle grow but noticed the local nursery has a hydroponics section where they have Foxfarm nutes and they sell the Foxfarm potting mix too. Should I return the Miracle grow and get the Foxfarm stuff or run the Miracle grow?
If I use the Miracle grow do I still need to add nuted or just water?
These are the things I'm unsure of and would really appreciate some help.
 
G

greenthumb213

Active Member
I use miracle grow but its horrible u can easily nute burn ur babies. Since ur using mg just water the plant with plain water if i were u i would get fox farm when they get bigger buy ff soil and transplant them. Reflectors are good to direct as much light possible to ur plant but they aren't necessary if u really want to make sure ur plant gets all the light it needs buy metallic gift wrap paper and put it on ur wall or just paint ur wall white if its white already u have nothing to worry about good luck with ur grow
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
I havent opened the bag of MG yet so I'll probably return it and go get the FF. The walls are white now so I'll stick with that. They were reflective originally but I read that some people had hot spots from foil reflecting the heat to the plants on CFL grows.
 
Sens

Sens

Active Member
Get the FF and get fresh air ventilation a lil fan to blow the leaves a little bit with fresh air. No nutes needed with FF just let it grow into container then transplant into a bigger container and keep goin until you reach veg height. That way you will always have fresh soil and nutes to keep healthy roots til flower. And make sure your temps are good. I like to stay 70 - 75. When they get bigger foliar spray with seltzer water is great too. Puncture small hole in top of bottle then shake up, got urself a auto sprayer. Cools down the leaves a bit if you run high temps some days. If you do good transplanting you shouldn't need fresh soil until flower. Good luck.
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
I have ventilation set up in the way of an intake labrynth and an exhaust labrynth with a fan on the exhaust side. I was thinking of putting another fan in there though just to move air like you suggested. I guess I should get on that then.
My temps are a little high (76 to 82) so maybe I'll up the fan size on the exhaust and put the current exhaust fan in there for the iar movement.

Thanks for the advice.
Just in the couple days that I've had them I can already see a noticeable change in height and a bunch of new nodes :-P.
 
Sens

Sens

Active Member
That does look like a long branchy strain. You gona flower in there as well??
 
V

vallilynn

Active Member
Sens said:
That does look like a long branchy strain. You gona flower in there as well??
Click to expand...
hi, i use cfls & t5's my ww are in thier 7 wk of flowering and looking good, i mix my mg w/peatmoss,perilite, sand and mushroom compost i have not had a yellow leaf yet, my mama is over 5 ft tall and my net to go into flowering is over 4ft tall will go to 12/12 in two weeks, im not haveing good luck getting pictures to show:weed:
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
Yeah I plan on flowering in the side of the cabinet they're currently in and will use the other side as a veg cabinet. I plan on replacing the 6500K bulbs with more of the 65W 2700K bulbs like the one I already have in there once I start flowering.
Then I'll rig up a new light setup in the other side using the 6500K bulbs I'm currently using for some more plants.
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
Here's pics I took today of the plants. Not sure if I should be concerned or not but the White Widow has a couple yellowing tips on two of the leaves. I remember reading about plant problem symptoms on here so I'll check that thread again to see what's up.
 

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Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
I didn't take any pics yesterday but will when I repot them into their final pots tonight or tomorrow morning. They're growing for sure. The widow is growing faster than the skunk but they've both grown quite a bit in just 5 days. I'm going to start LST I think after I repot.
I got some Foxfarm soil, Perlite and vermiculite. Just read that I don't need both of them (Perlite, Vermiculite).
Any thoughts?
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
I picked them up 1 week ago today. Iv'e since repotted them, added 1 more 68watt 2700k light, rearranged the lighting setup and rotated the cabinet 90 degrees taking out the center divider to get more air volume and have room for a larger exhaust fan.
Temps are better now and there's more light close to the plants. Only other thing I want to do is make a reflector for the new halo I made so all the light from the 68watt bulbs is directed to the plants.

Light total is now 2 @ 68 watt/2700k and 6 @ 27 watt/6500k for 16800 total lumens and just short of 300 watts being used. I'm curious to see if adding the other 68 watt bulb makes much of a difference.
Here's a couple pics taken today and yes the halo is purposely crooked. the Shiva Skunk plant is shorter than the White Widow.
 

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Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
I programmed the timer last night and cut the light back to an 18/6 cycle to try and help the problem of the leaf tips turning orange and yellow. Today was the first time they got 6 hours of darkness and when I just checked in on them they look really good.:mrgreen:
The lights had been back on for about two hours and the skunk looks darker and stands up straighter. The widow looks better too, all bushy and junk.bongsmilie
I decided to take the tether off the skunk for now and let it grow some more before starting the LST. I also tied a couple more branches down on the widow.
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
Can anyone give me their input on nutes? Someone already said that I used FF soil I shouldn't need nutes until I start flowering or something like that.

I've been using plain water so far but was thinking of starting them on the FF nutes for veg growth with the next watering. I plan on starting off with 1/4 or 1/2 strength and increasing after a week to ease them into it. I say FF nutes because that's what I already have so please don't suggest a different type since I don't have time to return this and go find something else. Really just wanting to see if the more experienced people here think I should start them on nutes or not.
Any thoughts????
 
R

reuben85

Member
Dezracer said:
Can anyone give me their input on nutes? Someone already said that I used FF soil I shouldn't need nutes until I start flowering or something like that.

I've been using plain water so far but was thinking of starting them on the FF nutes for veg growth with the next watering. I plan on starting off with 1/4 or 1/2 strength and increasing after a week to ease them into it. I say FF nutes because that's what I already have so please don't suggest a different type since I don't have time to return this and go find something else. Really just wanting to see if the more experienced people here think I should start them on nutes or not.
Any thoughts????
Click to expand...
i wood watch out how tall u grow your plants,im growing a great white shark right now an i grow it to be 16 inches in veg. an now its over 4 ft tall an im haveing problems budding it,im useing cfls an i think double of what you got.(great white,sativa strains grow taller)i have a bubbleberry too in flowering its about 20 inches tall an its doing hell of better then the gws an they both are 45 days in.my bubbleberry was about 8 9 inches when i started flowering it,i got some more in veg now an im going to grow then taller.then the gws i got in veg. now are 6 8 inches,im going to put tmem in flowering tomorrow.(bubbleberry is a indica strain dont grow that tall,all my 2nd try plant got topped an only veg. my plant for 4 6 weeks.4wks for sativa,5 6 wks for indica.check my grow out.:leaf:
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
I decided to get some FF nutes for flowering and changed the lights and cycle accordingly. Not sure how big they will get and don't want to get stuck with my plants squished against the walls and top of the cabinet before they're ready for harvest.

I'll update in a week with pics and junk.
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
I will take pics and update the grow tonight but had a question for the Ganja Gurus.

I have had a couple occasions over the past week where I HAD to open the cabinet during the night cycle. Once on Thursday for about 3 minutes or so and twice on Friday for about a minute each time. I also had to short them 1 hour on their dark cycle one day to reset the timer.
Is this enough of a fuck up in their light cycle to be concerned about hermies? I was thinking it wouldn't be enough to mess them up but wasn't sure.
 
Dezracer

Dezracer

Well-Known Member
Here's some pics I took when the lights came back on. I'm wishing I'd replaced my camera right about now though. These are from my iPhone since it's all I have at the moment.

They have been in 12/12 for 1 week and 1 day. I think they look pretty good and am excited. I'm not sure what to think about the Skunk though and you can't see it clearly enough in the crappy pics but it has the little hairs just like the Widow but the center of each new growth site almost looks like balls or seeds. Probably nothing and it's probably too early to tell though is what I'm thinking.

Any thoughts?

The first 3 pics are the Skunk and the last 3 are the Widow...
 

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