Old guy does first grow.

Camo Hat

Well-Known Member
The reason everyone is badgering you about lighting is because you have 10 plants and 180w of CFLs. Now let's assume that you get 50% males, you'll have five plants, and you need to give plants at least a gallon of pot size per month of lifespan. So if you have a 10 week flowering and a one month veg you need about a 3 gallon pot minimum, and 5 would produce a larger plant. So say you can fit each pot into a square foot, that's five square feet. Some people say you want 50w per square foot, but with CFLs you actually need more than that because they produce less lumens per watt. You want around 5000 lumens per square foot during flowering optimally. You don't NEED that much, but that's how much you want. 60w CFLs put out about 900 lumens, and they only penetrate a few inches. During flowering you will 100% need new lighting, and if you want to get a substantial yield you're also going to need more light during veg so they put on the weight they need for you to get a good harvest. Sorry for the rant, but there's a lot of things I wish someone had told me when I was starting.
- - -
I appreciate the badgering. It's what I came here for and I thank you for your part in it !

I try not to ask stupid questions. Google is my friend and I use it as it was intended, but I do have a question that's difficult to google. As you can see, I have my sprouts in crappy little peat containers. Should I transplant them to an intermediate sized container before I put them in their final pot ? Ha ! I said "pot".

Thanks again.
 

Camo Hat

Well-Known Member
Hey man just a quick word of advice, i recently started this fine hobby myself and trust me you will eventually go for bigger lights.. i started with cfls and even before i finished my first gorw i got a 150 hps, now on my second grow and i started with the 150 now im on 400 :D trust me you WILL want more, running 8 cfls produced as much heat as my 400 man i actually use them now to raise heat if it gets a little low :D
Uh huh. I believe you. Right now the CFL's provide some warmth during this cold month.
 

janiking

Well-Known Member
Uh huh. I believe you. Right now the CFL's provide some warmth during this cold month.
dont get me wrong you dont need to rush your lights u can veg fine under the cfls ive seen so many people do it, save ya some cash but for flower u will want the hid system definately.
 

JBONESG

Member
I am teaching an old guy how to grow right now...Lucas Formula...if in soil...ph needs to be 7 and if not then 5.2-6.2 i think is the rule... i stick to around the 5.0's
 

janiking

Well-Known Member
I think you might be giving them too much water, correct me if im wrong but are those pots sitting in water?
if so well take the fukers out :D you only need to give them at this stage bout 60ml of water a day, no more because overwatering is the main cause of new growers getting things of to a bad start , i still have problems with watering cause i find myself wanting to care for them too much all the time , also get one of those thermo/hygro meters you want your Relative humidity pretty high right now cause well their roots are only tiny little baby roots and they love high humidity cause well they take what they need through their leaves.
 

JBONESG

Member
Yeah lettem dry out a bit..not meaning 2 days but maybe 1 day of dryness... make them air out..they liek that
 

Camo Hat

Well-Known Member
Hey man. If you're thinking about upgrading the light look no further. Internet savvy RIU user here, and this is the best deal in the continental United States on HPS bulbs (this will be the best for flowering, (2100K)) but will still outgrow 180w of CFLs if you're using a 250w or higher. If you go the magnetic ballast kit route you'll save yourself about 75% of what people who get ripped off and buy pre-assembled kits pay. I built my whole 400w lighting assembly for $48, plus a few extra dollars if you don't have a 120v power cord lying around, or wire strippers, and shipping of course.

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/60062/PLT-991437.html $7 250w HPS lamp. https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/89503/PLUSRITE-7257.html - $33.33 250w HPS ballast.

All the wattages are there from 100 to 1000.
A couple of questions, Serving Size. Will the ballast you linked to run more than one HPS lamp ? I'll need a "big socket" for the lamp, right ?

I have no problem assembling the thing myself.

Thank you.
 

janiking

Well-Known Member
A couple of questions, Serving Size. Will the ballast you linked to run more than one HPS lamp ? I'll need a "big socket" for the lamp, right ?

I have no problem assembling the thing myself.

Thank you.
nah ballasts only run one light at a time .. im not sure if you can hook up lets say 2 500 to a 1000w ballast but im pretty sure id dont work that way.. youll need an e40 socket for your hps.
 

ButchyBoy

Well-Known Member
Welcome Camo Hat!

Another retired grower here! Like others have said, you will be upgrading lights soon enough! :lol:

I started out with a 4 foot florescent fixture then upgraded to 5 of them. After that I upgraded again adding another 5. After that, I purchased a 600 watt HPS and used the florescent fixtures for vegging only. Soon after I added another 600 watt HPS. Now I use the two 600's for flower and 5 florescent's for veg.
I might have a whopping $500 into my setup now with fans and ducting added. I grow way more than I could possibly smoke and always have at least a pound on hand. I give away a bunch of smoke due to only being allowed 24 ounces on hand at any given time. ( I am a medical card holder and live in a recreational state)

I reuse my soil so I have not purchased any in well over a year. Same goes for nutes, I have not purchased any in well over a year as I do not use them. I use water only!! As someone mentioned, get and read the book "Teaming with Microbes" and get knowledgeable about soil. I went this route because the only thing I pay for is electricity and water which totals a whopping $70-$90 per month depending on temps. Remember I am retired and on a fixed income....

Good luck in your adventure! I will be watching this thread to see how things are going. :peace:
 

Marty Wanna

Active Member
Welcome Camo Hat!

Another retired grower here!
That is so cool!

I started out with a 4 foot florescent fixture then upgraded to 5 of them. After that I upgraded again adding another 5. After that, I purchased a 600 watt HPS and used the florescent fixtures for vegging only. Soon after I added another 600 watt HPS. Now I use the two 600's for flower and 5 florescent's for veg.
I might have a whopping $500 into my setup now with fans and ducting added.
I started with two hardware store Incandescent flood lights sold as grow lights, then 2 floros, then a 150W clear glass, then 400W big bulbs, then two 400s, then 600s, now 1Ks. 1000 watt metal halide for veg and 1000w HPS, two 4ft 54W UVs, and two infrared leds on timers for flowering. you can go a little "mad-scientist." But you have it right. Simple and easy.

I grow way more than I could possibly smoke and always have at least a pound on hand. I give away a bunch of smoke <snip>
This is also, so cool!
I reuse my soil so I have not purchased any in well over a year. Same goes for nutes, I have not purchased any in well over a year as I do not use them. I use water only!! As someone mentioned, get and read the book "Teaming with Microbes" and get knowledgeable about soil. I went this route because the only thing I pay for is electricity and water which totals a whopping $70-$90 per month depending on temps.
It IS a weed. It's GONNA grow!
and it IS WEED, So it's gonna be great!
 

ButchyBoy

Well-Known Member
That is so cool!



I started with two hardware store Incandescent flood lights sold as grow lights, then 2 floros, then a 150W clear glass, then 400W big bulbs, then two 400s, then 600s, now 1Ks. 1000 watt metal halide for veg and 1000w HPS, two 4ft 54W UVs, and two infrared leds on timers for flowering. you can go a little "mad-scientist." But you have it right. Simple and easy.



This is also, so cool!


It IS a weed. It's GONNA grow!
and it IS WEED, So it's gonna be great!

My wife mentioned that I need one more 600 watter. A friend of mine just inherited a whole grow room full of equipment and asked if I needed anything out of it. I said NO.
I feel that I flower enough with 1200 watt's as is and don't want to increase my electrical usage since my goal is to reduce it! I have done enough adjusting of timers, fans and A/C-heaters in the last two months to reduce my electric bill from $230 down to $180 :clap: (new house new setup) That puts my grow room electrical usage right around that $70-$90 mark per month. I harvest 3-5 plants per month getting roughly 3-5 ounces per depending on strain. That is a lot of smoke for under $100 per month!!! :bigjoint:
 

Camo Hat

Well-Known Member
Welcome Camo Hat!

Another retired grower here! Like others have said, you will be upgrading lights soon enough! :lol:

I started out with a 4 foot florescent fixture then upgraded to 5 of them. After that I upgraded again adding another 5. After that, I purchased a 600 watt HPS and used the florescent fixtures for vegging only. Soon after I added another 600 watt HPS. Now I use the two 600's for flower and 5 florescent's for veg.
I might have a whopping $500 into my setup now with fans and ducting added. I grow way more than I could possibly smoke and always have at least a pound on hand. I give away a bunch of smoke due to only being allowed 24 ounces on hand at any given time. ( I am a medical card holder and live in a recreational state)

I reuse my soil so I have not purchased any in well over a year. Same goes for nutes, I have not purchased any in well over a year as I do not use them. I use water only!! As someone mentioned, get and read the book "Teaming with Microbes" and get knowledgeable about soil. I went this route because the only thing I pay for is electricity and water which totals a whopping $70-$90 per month depending on temps. Remember I am retired and on a fixed income....

Good luck in your adventure! I will be watching this thread to see how things are going. :peace:
Ah ! A man of experience. Thank you.
 

retyred

Active Member
Always nice to have a hobby once you stop working. I've been growing in coco/perlite flood and drain. I use the drain in the garden out back, I hate to waste good fertilizer. Good luck with the grow, I was in the same boat before retiring.
 

retyred

Active Member
Here are a couple of photos of two of my plants. Being a hypochondriac about damn near everything to do with sickness and death, I'm concerned that they're perhaps dragging along and headed for a slow and painful ending.

Opinions are sought. I'll brace myself.

http://www.imagebam.com/image/fb8661396946559

http://www.imagebam.com/image/0db132396946564
Best advice I got here was to not be a helicopter parent and develop a little patience. There's no instant gratification.
 

KittyBudette

New Member
Yipes ! Mogul bases, ballasts, HPS, ferts, Indica, Sativa, fans, carbon filters. Dudes, in 1969 I simply told my buddy I wanted some pot. I handed him $20 and he handed me an ounce.
I know what you mean,dude....retired also:)
Back then,we loved those pot prices:weed:
I grow with cfl...only 2 plants at a time though,in the winter.
I have a harvest ready to go in about a month,I hope.
Trichomes are still clear and quite frosty.I use Miracle Gro
and they love the stuff:-o using tomato food for blooming.
I like to keep it simple.Looking forward to my summer grow:)
Greatest of luck to you and welcome to the best site!:clap:
 
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