my uber please help me thread

[ebenezerfagglegold]

okay guys let me preface this by saying this will probably be a lot of reading, so if that turns you off then you may as well stop now. I don't really know if I'm having problems per say, but this IS a first time grow, an experimental, lets say learn-as-you-go kind of attempt. If you look back at my older grow room design thread entitled 'extremely ghetto bedroom growbox' you will see that plenty of progress has been made, however things aren't exactly running as smoothly as I would like and would really, REALLY appreciate if some more experienced growers could throw some advice or even opinions my way.

Lets start with the specs of my box here. I have 12 CFLs running, 10 are 26w 100w equivalent, and 2 are 40w 200w equivalent. I have the entire box lined with mylar, including the floor, however I do not have a hood for these lights. They are pretty much all hanging from separate cords with a Y splitter or two here or there. I have three actual lamps in there with flex adapters too. I have a 10" Honeywell fan going straight out the top for exhaust. I have two squares cut in the front with one computer fan running intake air inside. I am trying to install an exhuaust going straight into the attic, but as of now I can only use it at night because it doesn't do much for eliminating heat during the day. There is a computer fan coming out of the end of the 4" duct that is located in the attic, but the Honeywell fan that is on the top of my box is not going directly into the ducting so an air pocket forms in the midway point between the 10" fan and where the duct is there to suck that air up, which is a good foot away. I have two options here I feel. 1) get a 10 to 4 duct reducer to put over the Honeywell fan and attach to the ducting, or 2) get rid of the Honeywell all together and get an 8" inline fan(400CFM btw) and reduce that to 4 and hopefully that would take care of business. I just don't want to invest that 50 bucks if it ends up not working. I didn't mention I also have 3 4" fans inside mounted on the walls pointed up at the lights to help blow that hot air toward the 10" fan up top. FUck if you're still with me id be surprised.

my temps (according to my thermo/hygro that I got at Walmart for like 10 bucks) says im looking at highs of 81 during the day, and lows of like 72 at night. The wind in there isn't TOO bad but I have one tall plant that's dancing pretty hard from the top fan alone, but that plant is doing better than all of the others. The real reason for this post is this: I switched light schedule to 12/12 7 days ago, and other than some semi-serious stretching, I have seen no other changes. I have one plant, labeled plant #1 in the pics that is my favorite, because I was able to shape it just the way I wanted it(from now on I will only top, I had three failed FIMs on that tall plant). Plant #1 seems stressed the hell out and I don't know why. Same with plant in pic I called 'mr sad sac' because it looks just sad. I started with about 9 Daylight bulbs and 3 soft white, but as I switched photoperiod I changed it to 8 soft white with 4 daylight.

I guess I'll sum all this up with what I really wish someone could tell me. I'm on my own here and have no friends that grow or anything and honestly no one even knows about this except you guys, so..

1. Does this setup look adequate? What changes would you guys make to improve it?
2. Do plants get stressed simply by changing to flower or is something else wrong here? I've had my battles with heat stress and honestly simple drooping wouldn't be heat stress would it. especially at the temps Ive got in there.
3.Its been 7 days into flower with no changes except stretching and stress. Is this at all normal?

before I get these comments I just want to say upfront there are NO light leaks and NO overwatering going on here, sometimes I don't water for an entire week if the soil isn't dry. I also have not added the blooming, phosphorous heavy nutes yet, would that speed things along you think? I also am concerned that only 2 of these plants had alternating nodes when I switched. I didn't know anything about that until I started researching my troubles. and the fly strips.. well Ive seen some gnats(not too bad) so ive been using safer, azamax, and strips, which aren't really catching anything except me when I try to do work in there.

I don't know guys im just getting a little frustrated when I see people growing bud in a computer case with one cfl and yet im having problems with a setup like this. Thanks in advance for any help or advice. I'm new so I don't know what to expect with flowering but I thought I'd be seeing sex by day 7.

 

[Banana444]

I would definitely get an inline fan. That was one of my first purchases and it has served me well. I started with a similar small space, a 2x3x7 closet. And I started with cfls and found it a million times easier once I upgraded to a 400w digital hps and an aircooled hood. Cut my temps down big time from the cfls too. I say you are doing ok. You are going to have to do some major lst once your plants start stretching. They will double in size in almost no time. The plant you have named mr sad sac is definitely being overwatered. Thats why it looks a little droopy and the bottom leaves are yellowing. other than that they look fine, besides a little heat stress. For they flys and gnats, get the little yellow sticky cards, the gnats are attracted to them. And they are a pain, they like to stick to leaves and me, but they are better than those fly strips. You said you arnt overwatering, but you maybe both under watering and overwatering. My first two grows I swore I wasnt overwatering, but I still was. Aerating your water with an airstone helps with overwatering, because it adds dissolved oxygen into the water.

 

[ebenezerfagglegold]

thanks for the reply. I haven't really heard of a hps producing less heat than cfls, but aircooled I guess I can understand it. let me ask you this though.. isn't a 400watt HPS like using the same power as running a dryer all day? I mean that seems so intense as far as power bills go, but of course they are what EVERYONE says to use, I just don't want any suspicion or crazy power bills, but yeah I know how much that one looks like overwatering. It very well may be, I just waited 7 days to watert the fucker and the soil seemed pretty dry but maybe not, I need a moisture meter.

 

[Banana444]

I found it easier to grow once I switched yo a single light source that doesnt need to be moved much, a 250w hps can grow some nice buds. And you dont always have to wait 7 days to water. How long before the pots are dry? They are decent size and not big pots. My guess would be they would need water about every 5 days.

 

[ebenezerfagglegold]

well it depends because they are all different. for instance that plant I called plant #1 gets really light after a day or two, but most of the others stay pretty moist for days and days, with only the topsoil drying up really. I didn't use the best soil mind you, its actually pretty crappy. I think I'm going to go the coco route next time. My real concern with this is the flowering part. Its been 7 days, and sure they are definitely stretching, but no sex is showing at all. I could honestly use a male or two to chop down to give me some more room in there, but I've just been patiently waiting. I found it weird that Ive been reading things like 'don't flower until you have alternating nodes' and 'you're plants aren't mature until sex shows so don't flower UNTIL sex shows'. I had never really heard any crap like that until recently where ive been really researching the flowering stage. But that stuff doesn't make much sense to me because of the fact that 1 there are autoflowering plants and 2 that you can literally flower from seed. But its only been 7 days so im not freaking yet, but I DID think I'd see something by now. I'll see if the phosphorous heavy nutes help. Ive got 1 more plain water then im adding them into the mix.

this soil had premixed nutes in it. said they'd last for 2 months, which is about how old the plants are, and I flushed a few times. Now they are REALLY loving the nutes ive been giving them, though ive been careful with em, just little amounts of calmag and growbig. Man, I'm ready to see some hairs though.