see i was gonna lst but i decided against it because i want to get a feel for how fragile they are before messing with em too much. But ya 2 of my girls are pretty bushy and not really budding yet the 2 that are were unintentionally lollipopped. I didn't like the bottom growth so i took it off to try n clone em.
just a quick question guys, would these CFLs do? I'm thinking of getting 12 26watt bulbs (6 6500k and 6 2700k), ill use 5 (so 130 watts in total) for 2 autos
Just starting out here. How important is having the right kalvin during veg? Doesn't the plant just grow to a certain size during veg (which I imagine is possible with an kelvin spectrum), and then just use the appropriate lights for flowering, when it matters more? Am I wrong here. Reason I'm asking is, I'm trying to do a budget grow, and expenses seem to be adding up quickly. If I have 30 CFL's going, and have to buy 2 sets (2700k, and 6500k), then all of a sudden my lighting expense is at $120 before even factoring in sockets, wiring, etc... So, do I really need 6500k? What would I be losing by just going 2700k the whole time?
Just to let you know. That is alot of heat for a growspace. I had 11 going on side a 4ft t5 and temps were pretty high at that time. Then i got a 400watt hps that cost $98 and its wayyyyyy cooler in my room now. Just saying that many cfls will probably get pretty hot if heat is an issue. Btw why spend $120 on just 30 cfls if your on a budget you could get a 600 watt hps/mh combo and only have to switch bulbs from veg to flower and that comes with a timer lamp ropes and digital ballast. Sounds like your trying to grow more than a few plants. On a budget. Btw that combo comes with both bulbs
30 cfl's wouldn't cost $120, 60 would if I have to buy 30x 2700k, and 30x 6500k. Just like how I may have to buy a MH, and HPS bulb if going the other route. 2 reasons I'm going CFL. 1) It's a stealth growbox, so I don't want buzzing of lights, or pumps from hydroponics. 2nd reason is heat control. When I said 30 bulbs, I mean that's my upper end. I'm starting with 1 section of 8, then adding fans, and extra bulbs till I think light and temperature are good. I'm aiming for 30, but I could be wrong. Also, my cabinet is very short so I don't have room to leave a big gap between the lamps and the plant to prevent burning. CFL's, what I'm going with. Didn't really mention all that, as I just want to know what the downside of not going with 6500k during veg is.
oh okay well idk if there is but i have just tested out some of my flower cfls on my sedling and veg stages and both stages seem to be doing as well as when i used my T5 veg lights. Soooo for me so far I dont see a difference.
Right on, thanks. I assume you use ballasts, and what not, so do you do metal halide generally for veg, or have tyou tried HPS bulbs during veg by chance?
Never tryed mh even though i know they are generally used during veg. I got my first 400watt hps about 2 weeks ago and honestly i dont plan on using cfls ever again after my second harvest, since i plan on buying an extra 400 watt digital ballast combo again minus the bulbs since i already have 2 extra from my first combo im going to take my t5 out of flower and put it in with my seedling/veg stages after putting my new hps up in my flow room. Now having said that Idk if mh is better than t5 but i do know t5 will be less heat and probably less harmful up close for veg, which is what is recommended for t5. Plus i already have a nice t5 ballast, so why spring for another? Now if you have none of the above and if i could go back in time i would have only bought one 400 watt double hps combo for veg and flow (just in case one bulbs broken or watev.)and saved myself a few hundred on my first grow. Buuut to each his own, I look at it like atleast now i can go forth with perpetual, but ya still would of rather of spent that extra cash on more soil and stuff.
I'm finding out that starting your plants outside might be the way to go. For me at least. The Sun is better than any light we can provide. During my "research", I've found my plants begin showing signs of where the buds are going to grow earlier. When starting off with 24/0 you're getting height but you're not getting girth. The plant in the first pic has almost as much girth as my best plant inside. The second plant, as you can see, also shows signs of where the buds will grow. I have about 3 more weeks of flowering on the inside. So once that's done I'll put these into veg for about 2 weeks then flower for 8. At about 6 weeks, of the 8, I'll be planting more seeds so that I can maximize my growing time through out the year.
Are you sure all your plants are female? Also what's your plan once they start getting big spreading out?
And if I can make a suggestion...I see one of your plants leaning towards the light, try rotating them. That's what I do for my plants outside so that they don't lean one way too much.
I had a thought just now. If veg lights are supposed to promote growth in veg and flower lights are supposed to promote bloom in flow. Maybe using flower lights during veg will help to bloom in veg. Idk ill have to run a side by side on a younger plants clones in separate boxes or something using one of each light. Will using flow lights in veg help to promote bloom hormone production?
No they are still 24/0. I do think the eldest of the bunch is showing sex but not sure yet keeping an eye on her. They are in the bathroom connected to my flow room. Once they're big enough ill throw em out to the big lights.