Uk farmers 1st CFL grow

Hi, Just thought i would share with you pix of my first grow. Im using 250w CFL in a grow cabinet i've made.

I was told by friends that it wouldn't work well, but i went on and grew these anyways.
These two pix are of my plants which are Topp44 Fem bought from weedseedshop (excellent service by the way).

I've had these on flower for 40days, so not long to go now.

Any advice on drying these buds out properly would be good.....also, can i re-veg these plants after harvest? Well, any advice on anything would be good...this is my first grow,so i know nothing LOL

Jono

Those plants look great mate , how big is your grow area and how many plants you got in there? ive just started a grow with a 300w CFL hope my plants end up lookin half as good as yours !!!

Jon Ashman said:

Hi, Just thought i would share with you pix of my first grow. Im using 250w CFL in a grow cabinet i've made.

I was told by friends that it wouldn't work well, but i went on and grew these anyways.
These two pix are of my plants which are Topp44 Fem bought from weedseedshop (excellent service by the way).

I've had these on flower for 40days, so not long to go now.

Any advice on drying these buds out properly would be good.....also, can i re-veg these plants after harvest? Well, any advice on anything would be good...this is my first grow,so i know nothing LOL

Jono

Click to expand...

very impressive

Nice grow man. I just started my 2nd CFL grow. Drying is the easy part...hang dry in a dark cool closet, leaving it cracked for fresh air...it usually takes about 5-6 days...start checking them a few times a day on day 3...when the nugs start cracking of the main stem they are hanging from, but before the main stem dries out and cracks it's time to cure them...the nugs that don't crack off, leave drying longer...usually the smaller nugs crack off first then down to the bigger nugs...sometimes the bigger nugs take a day or two longer to dry...to cure your nugs, fill up, losely, a sealable container with nugs, tupperware works and is cheaper than glass jars...i just let mine sit over night, the next day i open them up, dump em out if they are really wet, like when you first cut them, or just let them sit in the jar open if just moist, when i get home from work, i seal them back up over night again and repeat...from here it's personal preference...i do the sealing and opening of the containers for 2 weeks, then it's at my desired dryness and smell, then i seal it and let it cure for another 2 weeks, just opening the container once a day to check on the nugs, but resealing them right away...patience is key in your cure...most imprtantly, make sure you flush your plants with distilled water for two weeks before you cut, you want those leaves yellow and emptied of nutes.

Revegging is something i wouldnt recommend if this is your first grow , its easier and less hastle to get some clones or buy a few seeds then when you veg them just take a few cuttings for future use

Agree with the above... Tho will work in theory. I hope those buds firm up for ya

doesnt look like he is comming back ....

Thanks for the advice on the re-vegging, i think i`ll just get some more fem seeds. Anyone recommend a good strain to grow with CFLs?

what size is your grow area and is there just the 2 plants there? heres a tip flush for the last 2 weeks then leave your plants in complete darkness for 5 - 7 days then chop ... once chopped turn the plants upside down and hang them in complete darkness again for another 5 - 7 days , after that trim all the fan leaves off and place into paper bags or between a few sheets of newspaper keeps checking the buds and after a few days they will be ready to smoke or to cure further in a jar if you want

Hey RobbieP,

The grow cabinet is approx 2m high and 1.1m wide.Ive attached some pix of it. I started 8 plants in there, one was a male so i removed it. The others seem to grow fine, with plenty of space around each plant. I used square pots, its easy to arrange them this way. I have a fan at the top of the cabinet for circulation, ive got a carbon filter setup but ive not had to use it, these plants dont smell to bad. I thought they'd stink the place out. The heat in the cab is fine too, the CFL gives off a little heat but the fan blowing around it keeps it in check. Ive put foil all inside the cabinet, but also alot of mirrors on the doors and back of the cabinet. This seems to help alot in getting light around all the plants.

Thanks for the tips mate, much apprectiated. I cant wait to smoke these bad boys, but i know ive gotta see it thro to the end lol.

A 'few' strains, not many, do benefit from an extra few hrs darkness at the end as it encourages them to release the excess of resin but not many strains benefit. Even for those it does it's debatable anything more than a couple of days is needed. If the breeder recommends that then do it, if not then it isn't suggested. Always refer to the breeders, if you have a specific question, try to ask the breeder too.

Under cfl they are not going to smell so bad as they wont reach full potential, turpenes, cannabinoids etc all desire better light to reach their maximum potential. Of course they can still produce.

Use your grow room to dry them. keep it around 70 degrees and air movement but not blow direct onto plants as want it evenly drying. Remove the bigger leaves and hang them upside down as suggested, on coat hangers or something. light is enemy here, keep it dark. They are dry enough to put into glass jars when the stems snap as oppose to bend. Then cure in those jars. The buds will get tastier and much much nicer over a couple of months curing in these jars.

Good post mate, given my restricted grow space would u still recommend HPS lighting. I chose CFL because im on a bit of a budget as far as running costs go, but if im only getting 50% outta my plants i would think about using a bigger light. Ive concerns about the heat etc in such a small space. I have a 4" extraction/carbon filter, would this be enough to keep the heat down enough so i dont stress the plants?

( oh so many questions to ask, lol )

Firstly your plants seem to be doing well, so well done for that so far..

Your ambient temps etc are all going to come in question. If you can blow cold air into the room then HPS would be preferable. But indeed cfl is preferable to over heating etc

It is possible to go 250w hps. It is also possible to use the same ballast and connection fitting for either hps or cfl bulbs sometimes. Perhaps that is worth a try as it may mean it is viable in the winter cooler months for hps but in summer it is too warm and you can stick the cfl bulb in.. just a few thoughts

a friend of mine uses a 200w CFL and he has done for the last 2 yrs , his plants are always good and compact , he does 2- 4 at a time and always gets 2-3 oz a plant .... i wouldnt say thats only getting 50% out of his plants .....

also i disagree about the darkness i believe it is important and i have noticed a difference from keeping plants in darkness ....

here is another post i found on RIU ... read this and see if you agree .. obviously everyone has different opinions but it works for me and what do you have to lose from trying it ??

HERE IS SOME INFO I GOT FROM A POST BY BRICKTOP .
"The Stichting Institute of Medical marijuana (SIMM), the first company to sell marijuana through the pharmacies of Holland, has been investigating the medical possibilities of cannabis, together with TNO laboratories and the University of Leiden.

One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency.SIMM’s growers separated a crop of mature plants, harvested half of them and kept the other half in absolute darkness for 72 hours before cutting and drying. Analysis of the resulting dried buds showed that some varieties had seen an increase of THC of up to 30%, while CBD and CBN remained the same."

HERE'S THERE RESPONSE ,
""Try it...it works with most varieties"

,SO IT'S 72 HOURS FOR ME FROM NOW ON !!
it's also free

3lions, i`ll look into getting a small hps light, i see what your saying about the winter/summer thing. Thanks for the input mate.

Robbie, if i get anywhere near 2-3 oz per plant i'll be chuffed mate!! I was only looking to get 1oz per plant at most, so anything above that is a bonus. This green is for me, i dont intend on passing it on. Im pretty skint these days so figure i`ll grow my own and chuff it all myself As for the darkness debate, ill give it a go. I`ll split my plants and try leaving a couple in darkness like you say.

Is your mate growing in a room or cabinet like im doing?

yw

Jon m8 I sort of oversee about 40 grows, all personal small indoor grows, closet and tents in the main.

In my own home I have a 1.5m tent with 600w set up which is perfect for me to have about 6 great plants and a little room to maneuver.

Just to reiterate, you can get good results with cfl but you will get better results with hps if all things are equal. It isnt a knock, its just a fact of light

Its day 44 of flowering, these still need a little time i think. I've attached some pix of the gland thingys on the leaves.Im not sure if you`ll be able to zoom in on these,but they are clear at the moment, i belive im to wait until they go mostly amber. Is there a set timescale as to when they will change from clear to milky to amber? Or does it change from strain to strain?

It CHANGES FROM STRAIN TO STRAIN AND ENVIRONMENT TO ENVIRONMENT (DAM CAPS)

You don't want the trichs all amber my friend, amber is when they are starting to deteriorate in a way.

I highly recommend harvesting in stages to see what you prefer yourself as an individual.. i.e some at 5% amber and some at 20% amber. There will be noticeable difference in the highs

Jon Ashman said:

Is your mate growing in a room or cabinet like im doing?

Click to expand...

he is growing in a airing cupboard conversion that is roughly the same size as your setup

I also agree with 3lions , HPS is better results than CFL but at the end of the day its what is best for your personnal circumstances ... i used to use a 250HPS but after moving house and having to settle for a slightly smaller growing area i found the 250HPS was raising my temps too high so now i use CFL.. i know HPS are better but im getting good results with the CFL so far so im happy .. its whatever works for you mate , as long as your happy with the end result.

i also agree with 3lions about harvesting in stages , it will let you know what high is best for you and it gives a nice variation to the same strain !
watching trichs can sometimes be a pain lol they can take ages to change or they can change over night .