Hi everyone, So it thought I would document my first grow and hopefully you can advise me. I'll start with the equipment I have. 3 x MED GOM auto seds 1 x Special Kush #1 (not sure at what point I will kick this one off, store gave it for free, its not auto) 5 x Blue spectrum CFL 35 watt 6400k 5 x Red spectrum CFL 35 watt 2700k All cabling required for the lights Grow tent 80cm x 80cm x 160cm 2 x 4" fans, one for air in and another for air out, with tubing Nutrients for growth and another for bloom 9.5L pots with air holes in the sides leakage holes in the bottom and trays Biobizz light mix Perlite Thermometer Ph Down and tester EDIT: I now have a 400w dual spectrum HPS lighting setup Firstly do you think that's enough light for the 4 plants? The CFL's look really large..... If I need more could I use some standard CFLs from a hardware store? I was thinking of using all the 10 CFLs above at once but during the first few weeks before flowering I would keep the red CFLs further back from the plants and the Blue ones close. What do you think?
You've got 350w of cfls, life would be easier with a single 400w mh/hps. You've probably enough light to get going, all the blues and a couple of the reds. There's no point using 35w cfls unless they're close to the plant. I don't think you'll need an inlet fan in such a small tent, passive intake through the vents will be fine. I'd add a 6" clip fan to keep the air moving around. I'd just use the bloom nutes with the auto's. Start weak, 1/4 strength when the plants have developed some leaves(5-10 days).Read up a bit on the cfl and grow guides on this site, this site also has some good info http://www.growweedeasy.com/ And most important, have fun.
thanks, So would you recommend using both colour CFL's from start to finish close to the plant? I'm only worried about the Auto's
I'd stick with the autos for your first grow. Mixing varieties can get complicated. Different lighting and nutrient schedules and different growth rates. Start with the blues and add them all by week 2 or 3, its gonna be hard to position all those lights to make the best use of them. What's your plan? You want about 100w per plant, with clever positioning one bulb can serve 2 plants, ie hanging a bulb between them. However this can get complicated and messy with a lot of lights in a small space...
Ya i was already thinking about hanging between plants. Now I've ordered a 400w dual spectrum HPS light and ill hopefully move it in by week 2. i can then use the cfls fot veg for the next batch hahaha sounds good to me if it all works out. What you think?
A1 decision, a little research goes along way... Try these guys http://www.growweedeasy.com/home I tired the same thing my first grow, the little link at the bottom shows you where 2 years and a few hundred on wasted kit has got me....
4 plants germinating for 62 hours and no sign yet of a sprout. I guess I need to be patient. I'l start with my photos once they do (fingers crossed)
Directly in their main 9.5 litre pots Using the mix above with 25% extra perlite I gave the pots a very good watering with a low amount of nutes then left the pots under the lights for 24 hours before I planted the seeds. I planted them about 1cm below the surface and covered the pots with cling film and put them under the lights. Its a method that someone has been using with success so I used it too. Maybe they are just slow seeds, none of the seedlings are visible yet. been 68 hours
If you've put them straight into the soil it will take a long time to germinate. You'll need to keep them warm(28C/83F) and moist, don't let them dry out. You didn't use the paper towel or glass of water method to get them started?
2 of them have sprouted in the last few hours so id expect the other two to follow shortly. they are nicely moist. Its in the high 20s in temperature under the lights. Should be ok I read somewhere that with autos its best not to transplant them and thats why I potted them directly.
Excellent news, keep the soil moist. Try not to get the leaves wet, and be gentle! You can easily wash young seedlings out of the soil if your not careful. Don't feed them yet, and make sure you pH all the water you use to 6-6.5. Get them as much fresh air as possible, like I said before there's no need for an inlet just make sure you're extracting the stale air... A few pics would be nice...!
The second looks ok but what about the first one? https://www.dropbox.com/s/u51m3z2w0iic9ne/IMG_20141102_232752.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/b10s5hc456wx1vj/IMG_20141102_232724.jpg?dl=0
I dont think it will even need water in the first week. The soil is nice and moist but I will monitor it.. Thanks
Hey mate, I received my 400w dual spectrum HPS with reflector. How far should have have the lamp from the seedlings?
About 14 inches but this is the best way to be sure http://www.growweedeasy.com/hps-grow-lights-setup#distance-mh-hps-plants Actually about 20 while they're young
4 days since the first sprout, is this normal growth? They are not shadows btw, the light affects my camera