How are my plants doing? first time grower

I have been lurking for a while and learning. About two weeks ago I started my first grow. My larger plant is almost two weeks old and the others are around 5 days old. 11 of them are supposedly "dank" seeds I got from a friend and one of the small ones along with the large/older one are just from seeds I got out of a bag of reggie. All input and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

nice post, pleny of pics +rep for that. Looking good.

The pictures are way out of order but basically I started with my hps and a cactus. then I figured out it was bad to veg with hps so I went and bought 2 cfl bulbs with a dome reflector. then I got two more cfls and removed the reflectors because the guy at htg said they weren't helping because the reflective material I have covering the interior of the box is 97% reflective.
Anyway then I planted 12 more seedlings. As of now I have 4 35w 6400k CFL's. I still have my 150w hps that I am going to use to flower. I'm using Flora Nova 7-4-10 for my nutes combined with some Carbo-load in order to keep them short and stocky supposedly.

ak.fortyseven said:

nice post, pleny of pics +rep for that. Looking good.

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Thanks ak.

I like GH nutes, have used the 3 part for years, next grow will be Lucas formula 2 part.

I don't know very much about nutrients but the guy at htg said FloraNova is about as good as FF nutes so that's what I purchased due to my budget. I'm using FFOF and FFLW 50/50 with hydroton balls at the bottom of the cups

I have only used GH 3-part and shifting to lucas formula. Nova looks good, guess i go cheap, lol

Yea seems to be doing okay but I don't really have anything to compare to. I am using 1 tsp per gallon on the big one and 1/8 tsp on the little ones.

hey twisted, box looks nice rep for you lemme ask you about nutes, you use them with the seedlings? i am on a shoestring budget and am not too well informed on nutrients, all though i think i have read just about every thread and forum out there as well and am still confused on nutrients. i have a journal going as well if you wanna check it out maybe we can compare and give each other tips as we go. also, did you germinate in a dvd case? i used the mineral water in shot glass method and it worked fairly well, but nothing like those suckers you have in the case, right on with that my friend

no doubt on the +rep, looks great, would rep again if i could <3 cactus

Dude, turn that HPS on. I would veg under HPS any day before I'd veg under CFLs. Do not veg under HPS is a myth. In fact I have 4 vegging under a 1000w MH right now and 5 vegging under a 600w HPS. The 5 under the 600w HPS are doing better. Both are highly respected breeders and strains. I tried to veg under CFLs before and they are just worthless IMO.

Before CFL lovers start getting offended, I mean no offense, but CFLs just aren't for me. In my experience they take too long to accomplish what I'm trying to do.

mysunnyboy said:

hey twisted, box looks nice rep for you lemme ask you about nutes, you use them with the seedlings? i am on a shoestring budget and am not too well informed on nutrients, all though i think i have read just about every thread and forum out there as well and am still confused on nutrients. i have a journal going as well if you wanna check it out maybe we can compare and give each other tips as we go. also, did you germinate in a dvd case? i used the mineral water in shot glass method and it worked fairly well, but nothing like those suckers you have in the case, right on with that my friend

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Yes, I use 1/8 tsp per gallon for my seedlings which is 25% of the recommended on the FloraNova bottle for seedlings. After the first three waterings, I bumped it up to 1 tsp. As a new grower myself, I can't really educate you about or suggest nutrients. This is my first time. I have learned that there is an abundance of available nutrients out there. Naturally I would suggest the FloraNova Grow and Flora Nova bloom for flowering. Also you could visit your local hydro store and ask the knowledgable staff there about what they recommend for your budget. All you NEED is a grow nute and a bloom nute. However, there is 5 and 6 part packages that cost about 150 bucks. Just tell them you are growwing tomatos as they are very similiar to marijuana in their requirements. Most likely they will know what you are up to but it's kinda like the patient-doctor agreement, don't ask, don't tell. When I germinate I take two paper towels and wet them throughly, only squeezing a little water out. Then I space them out with a good 2 inches in each direction (only about 3-4 seeds per case) and fold them up in one very neatly followed by the other. Then I just close the case and wait atleast 4 days and then they look like that every time. They really take off fast once they hit the soil.

I will definitely check out your journal and yea we can definitely compare results to learn a lot hopefully.

i am diggin your cactus in there as well and your cab is brilliant my buddy is considering the same look, i am lucky enough to have a bedroom and closet and bathroom to work with and i live in the middle of nowhere in paradise, my gf gave me the green light on testing my green thumb, which to date has been only green when i mow the lawn, just picking up tips here and there on this rockin website...good luck and happy growing to us all

Thanks man. It was a lot of work building that thing. I am kinda regretting making it so small. I am worried about not having enough room to flower a decent yield.

I added the hps and left the cfl's in there too. Pics up later

TwistedTree199 said:

I added the hps and left the cfl's in there too. Pics up later

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Good move, you should see a nearly instant improvement in growth

I sure hope you are right my friend.

This is what i came home to after putting the hps in.

every one shriveled to nothing and became very brittle. My hps was about 8 inches away. I moved it to 16 and left it on. Temp inside box is around 78 F

MAN, your shit got light burnt?