Cfl and lst grow

Definitely top it once its big enough

 

I can't see how many nodes you have because im on my phone but you should wait till there are at least three and then top the fourth one or wait till you have four nodes and then top the fofth one.

 

If you are doing LST then there is no need to top them. LST will keep it low and bushy, and will increase your bud sites.... good for CFL grow. Topping is usually done to produce multiple cola's but will make it bush out for a little while, until it starts reaching for the sky again.

The main reason why I say don't top, in your case, is because topping shocks the plants and will stop growth for a short time (a couple days to a week). LST done properly will not shock your plants and since the outcome you want is shorter plants then LST is the way to go.

edit: just saw your last post that you topped, we posted at the same time. Keep doing LST, just topping it will not keep them short.

In my grows I do both LST and topping. I top (actually I FIM) them at 4-5 nodes then let it bush out for a 3-7 days and tie down the new stems. The one tie down is all I do though, it separates the new cola's giving them better light penetration. And since I don't continue to LST they grow straight up and the new multiple cola's get plenty of light. This method works for me because vertical space is not an issue for me. I am growing under CFL's and florescent's.

 

I lst and topped but only because I am working with a small space and had to do everything I could to keep her relatively small. If space isn't that big of an issue its not a big deal

 

Since you are doing LST try to train the main stem in a spiral around your pot, like a coil, starting from the outside edge of the soil and ending in the middle of the soil. A good tie down are pipe cleaner's, since they are fuzzy they won't dig into your plant as it grows and they usually stick in the soil well. If those won't stick in your soil then get some stiff solid core wire with a rubber/plastic coating. Bend them in a hook shape like a candy cane, sticking the straight end into the soil and the hook end around a stem behind a node so the tie down won't slip off as she grows.

EDIT: since you topped you will have at least 2 main stems now. I would still wrap them both around in the coil like I said above. If you train one stem one way and the other a different way then your girl may get too big for your space.

 

Just don't do a really tight coil. If you are going to keep them in those current pots then I suggest one full circle around the outside then just turn it to the middle and stop.

Flowering time is strain dependent but usually takes 7-10 weeks. 2 months is a good guideline for most strains. But keep in mind, Sativa's generally take longer to flower than Indica's. But looking at your pics they look Indica dominant, hard to tell for sure though. Hopefully my input helps!

 

Also the stems look kinda stretchy, if you can squeeze in a couple more CFL's you will benefit. You have 2 in there now, just adding 2 more will do wonders. Maybe add some "Y" adapters so you can have 2 bulbs per socket. And, use the correct bulbs! 6500K for vegging and 2700K for flowering (12/12). I can see you are using the smaller CFL's that are available at hardware stores. Those work fine but you just need more of them. Try for 4 - 42w for each stage. So, 4 - 42w 6500K for veg and 4 - 42w 2700K for flowering, 6 in flowering if you can. The 42w CFL is equivalent to a 150 watt regular bulb, but if you can't get the 42w then make sure you are using at least a 23w... those are equivalent to a 100w regular bulb...... the 20w are only equal to a 75w and the 13w is only equal to a 60w.

 

Definitely do not use regular incandescent bulbs. They are very inefficient and don't produce enough of the necessary light spectrum that our girls need, plus they get real hot and that is bad in a small grow space. I was showing the equivalent comparison to a regular bulb just to give you a better idea of what wattage you would be equivalent to. In a space like yours I would think you need about 400w equivalent, so around 4 - 23 watt CFL's should work fine.

I really think you should stick with the CFL's, unless you have $ and can afford good LED's .... but we are talking several hundred there (they make cheap ones but those are intended as supplemental lighting). Or you can go with CFL's intended for our purpose, a 150w CFL would do great in your space. I think a set up for one of those is around $150.


Sorry Treehustler, didn't mean to jump in and take over the thread...

 

That should do great, and a great price too!