First grow. This is for hobby. Help with CFLs.

Hey all, I'm pretty sure this will be my first post here on GrassCity so hello to everyone, my name is feddema.

-if I get any terms wrong, I'm sorry, I'm still trying to gain as much knowledge as possible and I'm guessing I probably have a few things wrong-

This is just a learning thing for me. I'm not getting my hopes up for any bud at all, though getting some would be nice. I'm actually trying to keep this as low key as possible, more like just a regular old potted plant that someone could have in their room. I plan on doing a little LST to keep it shorter and I'm probably going to have to keep it trimmed short, bonsai like -I've read there are ways to do this, not exact like bonsai, but with the idea of a small plant. So tips on that will be helpful too-

I think you should get what I'm going for.

Here's what I have going on right now. Today was a very special day for me, I noticed my first sprout popping it's little leafs out of the soil! Yeaaah! But now I'm not quiet sure what to do with lighting. So maybe some of you can help me out.

My setup::
Thanks to the wonderful guides stickied here, I got started just fine. I have my growing smoke planted in a 7-8" pot, with about a 6" diameter. I made sure that the soil was kept moist and I haven't really worried about the lighting yet. I'm growing in my room (no grow box/closet, just the plant on a table right beside a southern facing window in michigan) and the only other light source in my room is a 26w CFL about maybe 8-9' away from my baby.
*Now with a desk lamp set 10" above with a 26w CFL in it, just not turned on*

I guess you could call this just a hobby grow?

My questions::
Today it sprouted, and I think I should probably get some more light for it, but because this isn't a plant I'm growing to just to smoke, but more to learn, which means I don't want it big really at all, there isn't many guides out there for me.
So, if I should add more light, to make sure it can be healthy, I think I could probably add one more CFL to my setup.
-Should I use a 26w or a 13w.
-When should I set it up? Now, or wait a little longer -how long?-
-When I do set it up, what lighting schedule should I use? 24/0? 18/6? A different one?

Yeah, that's it I think for now.

Thanks,

Edited by Feddema, 26 January 2010 - 05:48 PM.

Im about to do my first grow also and from what i have been reading you want 100 watts per plant when using CFL's i also read somewhere that you shouldnt go below 23 watts for CFL's. Im pretty sure you might want to move that light closer to your plant also. I to am going to be using CFL's for my grow 8-26 watts at 6500k for veg stage. Theres a good guide in general indoor growing on CFLs. As for the light schedual Im going to be doing 24/0 because that is what i keep seeing. Again im new to this also so i may be wrong but just trying to help out

so, be honest now...did you read ANY of the stickies in the "beginner" forum before you wasted 20 minutes typing all that out? a 26w cfl 8-9' away. your pretty much wasting your time. to say that your growing for a hobby and you dont care if you get bud out of it is pretty much a smack in the face to all the hard working ppl that spend countless numbers of hours researching and testing different grow methods to produce the best buds you can get. this isnt a "hobby" feddema, its a lifestyle. DO or DONT do..there is no try..lol (the search button is your friend, and the stickies here are better then any book you can buy) IMO

Yeah, I have a desk clip-on lamp thingy with a 23w CFL is the socket already set up above the baby smoke, but just waiting for the go ahead to turn in on. I also just read about spectrums, and the packages of my bulb says that its 2700k, just wondering if thats good or should I go for something else.

so, be honest now...did you read ANY of the stickies in the "beginner" forum before you wasted 20 minutes typing all that out? a 26w cfl 8-9' away. your pretty much wasting your time. to say that your growing for a hobby and you dont care if you get bud out of it is pretty much a smack in the face to all the hard working ppl that spend countless numbers of hours researching and testing different grow methods to produce the best buds you can get. this isnt a "hobby" feddema, its a lifestyle. DO or DONT do..there is no try..lol (the search button is your friend, and the stickies here are better then any book you can buy) IMO

Ha, alright. Seeing as I have spent countless hours reading about growing and such, that just makes me a idiot because I said that the way I light my whole bedroom is a single lightbulb that's always there. Maybe you didn't read the whole post or maybe I worded it wrong but I'm asking the questions because I am trying to grow quality bud, but I'm not going for a full scale op but just a little potted plant. There really isn't any guides for seeing as it isn't a very practical way to grow.
I'm doing it as a hobby, not a lifestyle because that's my choice. I have funds to buy the bud from the grower and I'm not trying to take any business or start my own, hence this is a hobby - the same thing people do with alcohol.

vegging needs light and darkness. Absolute undisturbed darkness and jus leaving it on ya desk wont give ya the undisturbed darkness

vegging needs light and darkness. Absolute undisturbed darkness and jus leaving it on ya desk wont give ya the undisturbed darkness

Because of lack of better place to grow it, could I construct maybe a box to set around it at night when it needs the darkness?

yeah a simple grow box would do lol but if ya gonna build a grow box atleast get the 100w of light to go with it lol be a waste otherwise

yeah a simple grow box would do lol but if ya gonna build a grow box atleast get the 100w of light to go with it lol be a waste otherwise

Yeah, I read that that 26w of CFL should be as good as 100w with other stuff.

you need actual watts not equivilant. You need 4 26w cfls, nit 1

If power savings are a priority, 30w per plant can suffice to a decent size, but more is always better.

^from a CFL growing guide.

I'm trying to keep it small, which makes me think that I should try to keep the light less intense.

well get the light about 2-3 inches away then so it doeesnt stretch.

Good luck buddy and god speed little sprout

I should turn it on now then?

heres a link to a sticky in here for "absolute beginners" it covers everything from how to germinate to light to watering...everything you could possible need for a "one plant grow" can be found there. http://forum.grassci...g-cannabis.html

You should grab one or two of those y connector to hook up to your grow light put 26 watters in there, when its time for lights out just put it in a dark warm spot.

Thanks to the wonderful guides stickied here, I got started just fine.

Yeah, since you still haven't read it, I clearly stated that I have looked at the stickies, but thanks again..

You should grab one or two of those y connector to hook up to your grow light put 26 watters in there, when its time for lights out just put it in a dark warm spot.

Yeah man, I set up a desk lamp real snug up and close, with foil around the pot to reflect the escaping lights back in. I also found a light safe box that fits around and over everything, with a timer set up to 18/6. Its on now. Cant wait!

Edited by Feddema, 26 January 2010 - 07:37 PM.

i wish you luck with your grow, sorry my opinion made you re-edit your initial post. but after Re-reading your "edited" post it is clear to me that you might have read stickies in this forum but you didnt pay attention while reading. so let me compile it for you in a easy to read hold your hand kinda way:

18/6 or 24/7 lighting for veg.....12/12 for flowering
actual watts per plant 100w (4-26w cfl bulbs)
ph level 6.6-6.8
6500k cfl lights for vegging
2700k lights for flowering

do not use MG because of the time release nutes. use an organic medium.
foxfarm nutes are a great thing to start with cause it is hard to "burn" your plants with them. just follow the instructions.

after the first week (from sprout) only water when first 2-3" of soil is dry to the touch.

LOW STRESS TRAINING:
STEP 1 : Grow your plant from Seed or Clone to 3 or 4 leaf sets, some use 5 but i always use 3 because after 3rd leaf set the main stem starts to harden and it will be harder to bend over your plant properly without breaking the main stem.

STEP 2 : Using a metal hook (i cut small sections of cloths hanger and bend a U shape at the end as a hook) bend over your plant with metal hook at the last internode (space between the last set of fanleafs and the next to last) and stick the metal hook into your dirt to hold down the stem.

STEP 3 : This is really not a step, just waiting time... Take note of how the top of the plant that was bent down will bend back upwards towards the light, this could take anywhere from 3 hours to 1 day. Under my 1000 Watt Metal Halide light it does it in under 3 hours.

STEP 4 : Veg and dont tie down until you have a new leaf set. You will notice Side branching has started already because good light is getting to the main stem areas next to each fanleaf stem intersection with the main stem.

STEP 5 : Depending on your starting pot size you may have to transplant. If you started out with a large pot, repeat step 2 over and over again holding the main stem down with hooks until you reach the end of the pot. In this illustration to save time and drawings, i started out with a small pot and it reached the end of the pot after the first tiedown. I repotted it into a 10 inch pot which will be my final pot size for this plant in order for me to continue the LST Bends around the inside edge of the pot.

STEP 6 : Now that your new leaf set has formed you have enough length in growth since the first bend(s) to allow you to start bending the stem horizontally around the inside edge of the pot. Use metal hooks again to keep this bend in place. Side branches should be coming along very nicely.

STEP 7 : Continue repeating steps 4 and 6, allowing the plant to grow and then keep tieing it down along the inside edge of pot using metal hooks (or whatever your using) Side branches should be forming and growing up towards the light.

STEP 8 : Continue to repeat step 7 until you are all the way around the pot... when you reach the point where your plant first met the edge of the plant Top the plant (cut off the very top of the plant ) and hold it down horizontally with a metal hook.... During all this time of repeating step 7 you should also be tieing down horizontally the new branches that have formed from the main stem as much as possible until you use up as much space as possible inside the pot as well , the outter branches growing over the outside edge of the pot you can hold down as well with string to keep those tops even with the inner branches.

STEP 9 : After you have used up all possible space inside the pot (or your eggcrate) its time to just let it flower.. This is a side view of how it will and should look by that time with all the side branches growing upwards towards the light.... these will all become Collas unlike a non LST plant will only have one colla.


that should hit on about everything you requested. good luck with your grow.
oh and using foil around your pot isnt a great idea because it can cause HOT SPOTS that the plant will not like.

Edited by mental_assassin, 26 January 2010 - 08:22 PM.

Yeah, I edited it, ofcourse. That is what people do to update it. I don't get your point?
-check what time I edited compared to your post? Yeah, didn't think so-

But yeah, I know how to LST my plant, hence why I said I was going to do it and didn't ask any questions about it. Thanks anyways for copy+pasting all the info so its in more places on these great nets. Spam.
Yeah, foil is bad if it isn't used right, but making sure its flat and evenly spreads out the light good, then there shouldn't be a problem. I plan on getting some white glossy posterboard to replace it. The foil is just temporary till I can get out and get some.

Because I'm not trying to make this thing anything huge, I'm just testing the 2700k for now. They were the only things in the house today and again once I go out I'll get a 6500k. I'm also thinking of buying a fan, because I hear that that will make the plant stronger?

But if anyone reading this has ever done a bonsai type deal, how did it work, what methods did you figure out works the best?

-EDIT- (Yeah, I edit..)

Read about bonsai moms, I could do that minus cloning it. Right?

Edited by Feddema, 26 January 2010 - 10:22 PM.

After reading through this thread I am starting to wonder what the hell you have questions about? I cannot understand how, if you have read the stickies, how you could not know if it was a good idea or not to turn on an additional light? When someone tries to actually help you, do not start criticizing. And if you have done the hours of research, you wasted your time....

yeah the fan will make the stem stronger (keep it on low and get one that oscilates), and im seriously not trying to be a dick (just keeps coming out that way) so lets start over..lol

as far as the "glossy" poster board...make sure to use the flat white side of it cause (believe it or not) reflects more light then the glossy side.


oh and by the way, i did look at the edit time..and it was 19minutes AFTER i posted...so i made a point and you quickly edited to make yourself look better.