Hey errvrybody! I am brand freakin new to growing and I have decided to go with an indoor cabinet that is about 3' long 3' high 2' wide. Also, I can drop a shelf with lights on it down to make it only 1.5' tall. I am planning on growing some Northern Lights because I have always had great experiences with it. I have 2 CFLs that are use 55watts(says its equiv. to 200, but I dunno how that works) they are pumpin out about 4k lumens a pop. I also have 3 smaller CFLs that are producing 1k lumens each. (20watt 75 equiv) I am also planning on purchasing a HPS light to use during veg. growth. I need to find a good store bought plant food a cheap HPS setup and any information about wattage and if I have ample light going to these babies. I know it is my first grow but I was thinking of using the lst method because I really dont have anywhere to take the plant if it gets over 3' tall and I hate the idea of cutting so much beautiful plant. I will try to post some pics of what I have going atm (be nice, I have only sunk like 50 bucks into the setup so far)
Nice set up for 50.00,I would line the inside(including doors)with the white stuff you have at the bottom portion of that left cab side. I see you have a fan in there also. You may want to position another fan above your light if it gets too hot,it will cool the heat coming off the light. Remember to make sure there are no light leaks and keep that air circulating. Good luck. You should do a grow journal.
Yeah, the white paper is just a high gloss paper that my friend can get for free so I am waiting on more. I do have issues with light leaks, I assume that just takes lumens or watts out of the system? But once I get more of that paper I will be able to seal the inside much more securely. Thanks for the comments! I appreciate any suggestions
I started a grow journal on my blog... http://forum.grasscity.com/blogs/demibolt/... Question: I have the grow box in a basement that is usually around ~65F, the lights keep it warmer in the box, but I certainly don't have heat issues. Is there anything I need to do differently because the box is in a cold room?
update pictures: with just 2 days of growth these puppies have shot up much faster and bigger than the other ones. I can really see the difference in having intense light and better growth medium.
65 degrees during lights out should be ok..a few degrees warmer would be better, but not a huge deal. I have had decent results with the alaskan brand fish emulsion and bloom..usually lowes or HD has it.. It's imporwtant to cover all light leaks to prevent stress on the plant during the dark cycle...when it's dark it's need to be pitchblack in there, especially during flowering...or you'll have a bad experience
I have been running them with 24hour lights, some people say its a good way to get the plant growing fast. I am not trying to get huge yield, just some home-made smokes for me and 2 friends, do you think 24hours of light is a bad idea? There are differing opinions on the internet I have found
Don't use high gloss paper. Use mylar/emergency blanket or just paint it flat white. Glossy paper does't reflect as well and could create hot spots. Check out htgsupply.com You can find good cheap HIDs there. and everything else. Plus you'll get some free lighters! Oh yeah remember you can get an HPS unit and get an MH Conversion Bulb so you can run both veggin and flowering.
24hrs light is fine...I've never noticed any problems with them not having a "rest" period. I personally don't think that 24/0 is worth the extra electricity as compared to 18/6 though...seems bout the same growth to me. eastcoast22 has a good point about the paper too...ironically the gloss coating actually absorbs light, flat white reflects more light. not a huge deal though
Yeah, I may try to find some cheap solutions to the paper ( I am trying to budget as much as possible) so any ideas of common things that work well would be smashing! I have decided to leave the lights 24/7 just to maintain the temp, I have been trying to leave off extra lights n such to offset the energy cost I also have 2 orange and white traffic barrels (acquired totally legally...) they are about 4' tall and rather thick so I might convert my whole setup into a barrel grow once my plant gets flowering... any thoughts, questions or concerns? Don't bother telling me about all the expensive equipment I should get lol, I would if I could XD
common sources of super cheap mylar would be potato chip bags or poptarts here check out this grow for ideas on your traffic barrels...dude pulled like 5.5 zips out of a garbage can..
Hey I noticed some browning on the tips of the first set of leaves, is that amount natural? Still waiting on seeds, but barrels have been painted, I plan on switching to them for veg, or maybe just use them the whole way through eventually
it might just be a little tip burn...it's kinda early to be showing def....I'm not exactly sure. they'll probably just grow though it but keep a close eye on the edges.
also, the leaves seem to be curling up on the edges a little bit? almost like the leaf is making a "u" shape kinda. Like they are curling up (_____)
Perhaps you over watered it? I transplanted mine last night into a bigger pot and it was watered quite a bit. My leaves got really droopy overnight but perked right up after a few hours of light.
One week old I wasnt planning on keeping these 3 sprouts, just using them as an experiment. But is there anyway to separate them without too much trauma the bottom set of leaves seems to be curling a big still and they are already starting to smell dank when you move them a bit
if you pop em outta the cup and lay them on their side they should come right apart..if they stick at all just soak em in water and they'll slide right apart.
Update: transplant I had to separate the 3 main plants because they had already rooted up the soil. the first set of leaves is getting yellow and dying off, from what I understand that isnt unnatural. But someone lemme know how these things look for being transplanted for 18 hours For some reason I can only get one pic to load, but 2 plants look very similar to the pic