Urgr8estfear 3rd fluro/HPS soil grow

[HiTCheR]

UPDATES? come on man what the hell

[urgr8estfear]

Originally Posted by HiTCheR

UPDATES? come on man what the hell

Excuse me?

[HiTCheR]

This is a grow journal right?


What are the babies doing

[SmknVTEC]

Originally Posted by HiTCheR

What are the babies doing

Probably much of the same considering he updated only 24 hours ago.

[Mr.Wicky]

I had one plant that was a runt for about 2 weeks and then it started to boom, turned out to be a female and is now the biggest plant in my box! I may have been a little lucky but have hope for the babies they might still come through!

[HiTCheR]

Its sort of a wierd question but can you grow with 100%

warm white cfls (the Marathon 42w kind? (equivalent to 150w)

how many would you need in a 4x4 ft space?

[urgr8estfear]

@Hitcher,

Yes you can. I recommend 1 42W bulb per sq. feet.
So thats 16, or 12 or 8 if you can't spare the money.
A 600W HPS would probably be better during flowering.
Please read my second grow journal, there I compare HPS with fluros.

@Mr. Wicky,

Lucky you! In my experience a bad start usually means it will consistenly perform worse then those who have a good start.
I'm thinking now maybe the top soil of the pots of those that perform worse may have dried up a bit quicker then the others.
I ventilate like a maniac and needed to water twice a day at the start to keep the seed wet because it's so high in the cup.

[urgr8estfear]

UPDATE DAY 010

Unfortunately 3 seedlings are dead.
Yes that's right the ones that stopped growing after germing.
Oh well.. 7 remain :


For those 7 all is (still) peachy!
They do seem to be a bit bigger then my during my second grow.
And they'd better cause I'm running 24/0 now and not 18/6.
Not by much, but I'm assuming the difference gets bigger during the coming days since the first 5 days or so the light is only there to keep the temps up a bit.
Makes sense right?

[greeny909]

Originally Posted by urgr8estfear

UPDATE DAY 010

Unfortunately 3 seedlings are dead.
Yes that's right the ones that stopped growing after germing.
Oh well.. 7 remain :

I notice you have clear cups, is that not a bad idea ? That's what I've read at least.

EDIT: I thought about that for a second, and I guess it doesn't make a difference since you have the lights on 24/0.

[urgr8estfear]

Hi greeny909,

Actually the cups are white.
They're just very thing.

And yes transparency is an issue, concerning algae and what not.
But I think I'm good there, the top layer of soil dries out real easy, and it's only 1 or 2 weeks before they need be transplanted.

But I just don't see why running on 24/0 helps with this?

[greeny909]

Originally Posted by urgr8estfear

Hi greeny909,

Actually the cups are white.
They're just very thing.

And yes transparency is an issue, concerning algae and what not.
But I think I'm good there, the top layer of soil dries out real easy, and it's only 1 or 2 weeks before they need be transplanted.

But I just don't see why running on 24/0 helps with this?

Hi urgr8estfear, I've read some conflicting points of view on the clear/transparent cups, so I'm not sure what to think anymore. Some people said the transparent are good because they can see the roots, and others have said that the roots shouldn't be exposed to any light. You're right, the 24/0 probably has nothing to do with it, I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that. It might have something to do with the fact that I have not smoked for 8 weeks ! lol.

Anyhow, your last grow turned out pretty good, I'm pretty sure this one will be even better. Good luck !

[SmknVTEC]

I have read about this too and don't quite understand it. Even if light is bad for roots, the soil is still black and covers most of them anyway. Plus, by the time the light gets all the way down to the pots, especially on a tall mature plant, it is pretty dim from lumen drop off with distance. I also don't recall any grow books mentioning this either. I have not personally verified this theory so until I do I remain skeptical.

[urgr8estfear]

Transparent cups are bad because algea can form between the cup and the soil.
Right in between the space you get from contraction of the soil due drying out.
The bottom part of the cup is pretty much damp always so add enough light and algea can flourish.
Seedlings will not like this because the algea changes the soil and algea may even grow on top of the seed or any plant parts.
The algea outside stuck to trees, fences, walls and so forth also flies around in the atmosphere inside your house.

I'm no algea expert but I do know algea over here grows on any kind of surface, especially dead surfaces like concrete, glass or metal.
Probably the severity of this problem is determined by where you live.

[Spittn4cash]

I never heard that b4 about the algea..interesting tho..

but yea, common belief is the roots dont like lights, thats why clear or transparent cups are a no-no. it can slow, halt, or stunt plants growth, so if U notice Ur plants are growing slower than usual, U know where to look. most people are lazy and dont pay attention to the small things, like taping the sides of their cups, that will help their plants grow so much better.

Ive always learned that the dark period is the time where the plant uses stored energy to create roots..this will still happen with 24/0 just not as fast.

24/0 is good for people who dont have timers, or those who are fresh to the growing scene, but for most experienced growers it causes more problems than it solves since this leads to issues with heat stress, worrying about the plant growing into the light, lght bill, the fact that plants can only utilize up to 16 hrs of light, etc..

[urgr8estfear]

Originally Posted by Spittn4cash

I never heard that b4 about the algea..interesting tho..

but yea, common belief is the roots dont like lights, thats why clear or transparent cups are a no-no. it can slow, halt, or stunt plants growth, so if U notice Ur plants are growing slower than usual, U know where to look. most people are lazy and dont pay attention to the small things, like taping the sides of their cups, that will help their plants grow so much better.

Ive always learned that the dark period is the time where the plant uses stored energy to create roots..this will still happen with 24/0 just not as fast.

24/0 is good for people who dont have timers, or those who are fresh to the growing scene, but for most experienced growers it causes more problems than it solves since this leads to issues with heat stress, worrying about the plant growing into the light, lght bill, the fact that plants can only utilize up to 16 hrs of light, etc..

Yeah algea can be a pain, especially near trees.
Around here sometimes the bark of a tree is more green due to algea then it's leaves are.

Dunno about 24/0 being for n00bs though.
I read many people swear by it during the first two weeks of growing.
That's why I'm trying.
I've noticed how plants that do well in the first two weeks outperform the others later in life.
Since plants grow exponentionally this makes sense kinda.

UPDATE DAY 012


As you can see all is well in my growbox.
They seem to be on track for 12 days of life.
There are two things I wonder about :
-when will I stop with 24/0 and go to 18/6?
-when will I transplant? (the roots have reached the bottom yes, but they seem to small)