My New Setup. Tips?

i just recently improved my setup. before, i had a tower of random stuff from around the house all stacked up to get my little sprouts close to my full spectrum torchiere lamp. it was working, but my plants became very leggy.

now, i have transplanted all of my plants into their very own 8" pots and buried them to about 1.5" below their first set of leaves.

i've stopped watering my 5 plants so much, and i'm using only distilled water when i do so. i also stopped using nutes. four of the plants are looking pretty healthy. three of the healthy ones are about 2.5 weeks old, and the other is about a week old.

the fifth plant, which sprouted about a week and a half ago, honestly might just be dead, lol. it just couldn't seem to get the husk of its seed off of it, and eventually it just stopped growing. then i just figured i might as well try to get the husk off, so i just pushed it off with the tip of a knife and it just fell off.

anyway, my new setup is pretty simple: a desk made of 2x4s and a 4'x17" piece of plywood. mounted to the desk is a simple frame from which the lamp hangs on two chains.

the lamp has two 4 ft long 40 watt full spectrum verilux bulbs, and right now, it is hovering about three inches from the top of my little plants.

i have a fan on the lowest setting constantly blowing in the general direction of my plants, because i want to keep the air moving.

right now, i don't have any heating lamps. i might get some in the near future, but for now, the thermostat at my house maintains a temperature between 63-72 degrees fahrenheit.

oh yeah, i'm still using miracle gro potting mix, but i plan on planting any new seeds in something a bit more ph neutral, like scotts or something.

the lighting schedule is still basically 18/6.

is there anything else i can do to get the short, stocky, bushy plants i want so very much? i really think that my previous overwatering stunted the plant growth, and the lighting situation wasn't good either. will this setup work out?

thanks in advance

Pics might help.

haha yeah i remembered the pics as soon as i posted it...lol

I'm no expert but looks good. As far as shorter, bushier plants, if you visit the FAQ section, they explain how to "top" the plant, which is basically cutting the very top of the plant at one of the nodes. The plant will then grow 2 offshoots, resulting in a shorter, bushier plant. You could also tie down or even bend the plant to grow at an angle, reducing the height. Again, I'd refer to the FAQ section. Good luck!

those plants are stretching, you have to move your light further down! and you may "rebury"() them so that the deeper in soil and don't break off on you.

besides that you got yourself a nice set up there

awesome, thanks! i'll rebury them right now actually. but what about that sick looking plant? should i just put it out of its misery and get a new plant started, or should i wait and see if it makes a comeback?

if you are referring to that in a blue pot, in the last pic you posted, i would give it some time and love and it will make it to a big and generous plant. i had a few that look that way and the made a comeback. never give up to soon on cannabis, it is the toughest plant i know, and i do not just grow weed hack, i wished my tomatoes would be as tough

holy shit more light closer now!!!!! Green nobody gave good advise....follow his words....

ok i reburied them and moved the light down about two inches closer. i also turned on my other full spectrum torchiere just for some added lumens, might as well.

oh by the way, the pics look really dark... i don't know why, it's actually really bright over at my station. don't worry, i don't keep my babies in the dark! i would never do that lol.

oh, and i was getting ready to bury my sick plant and when i picked up the soil with my little spoon, the plant's roots held strong and the soil pulled up around the plant and destroyed its little stem. i feel like a total asshole now. i'm a bad father.

i'll have to start a new seedling in my little seed starter things to fill the late plant's vacant pot.

oh yeah and i'm probably going to buy another lamp to hang from the frame on my station. i paid about 30 bucks for the fixture and the two bulbs on my current setup. is there any other type of lamp/bulb i should use that falls around the same price range, or should i just buy another one of the same lamps that i'm using right now?

i'd be willing to spend probably around like 60 bucks on a new lamp if it would really make a difference... but i am kinda short on cash these days lol. plus i still want to get a couple heating lamps...

as far as for veg your plants i would stick with floros or cfls, if you start to grow a dense forst of plants you my see yourself forced to buy a MH lamp with blast, but if you leaf some air inbetween your will be fine wit floros till you start flowering, for this a HPS is still the best thing to go for.
you can do it with a shitload of floros, it has been done in the past but a HPS sys will come cheaper for flowering. you may look at ebay for one, that is were i bought my used for 50 bucks, 400W one. in hydro stores they start around 120-130 bucks, so what i paid was fair.

by the way, did you watch that mr. green vid? i pass you the link POT-TV: Mr. Green: I Grow Chronic
he is not totally correct about everything, makes mistakes on the pH measurement for example but it is the most enjoyable vid i seen so far, check also with youtube for Jorge Cervante, he has some damn good vids on youtube like this one http://youtube.com/watch?v=CsyNhZAsJWU

oh, and i'm sorry about you plant, stick into soil and make it really wet, it may root once more, never forget, cannabis is damn tough!

yeah i did watch that first one, it was a fun one to watch. i learned a lot, and he really makes me wanna build my own hydroponics system! the other one i haven't watched yet, i'll have to check it out. i'll definitely have to check ebay for one of those HPS lamps, i'd love to be able to buy one secondhand for cheap.

yeah, but watch out on ebay, lost of junk and lots of kids that don't know the prices for the HPSs, saw a few go for more than a new sys of the same kind would cost you, those idiots had no idea whats-how-ever even with new sets on buy-now just below in the listing...