Hey guys, ive started my first grow already and lookin for some advise on lighting ill tell u first that im not growing full flowering plants, just cloning and vegging up to like 1 or 1.5 feet, before putting them outside to finish. so I assume obviously that growing small plants like that doesn't require hi powered lights or ventilation systems at all it only requires the 6500K fluorescent lights correct? so what I want to do is get the most square feet for the lowest price, and keeping wattage reasonable. thinking for that i use party cups and put around 4-6 plants per 24w cfl per square foot. does that sound like a good ballpark? I bought myself a 12 pack of 24W cfl 6500k from walmart costed me 50$ for the bulbs if im just vegging the clones 1 foot high how big of a growing area will these light provide and still get a decent speed of growth Also, is it possible that cfls isn't the best option and I should go for the t5s or the big tubes if I want to get more square feet?? another question is how much lighting is required to keep a mother plant to stay in veg over the winter and ready to go for next year? i don't wanna under or over do it Well that was my most pressing question but if you wanna give me a tip or 2 on my grow that would be cool its my first time, heres my plan: right now ive got 8 tiny plants grown from feminized paradise seeds they are about 2 inches high right now and I have exactly 2 months left to get as many cloned plants 1 foot tall from them outside as I possibly can. before its too late to put them outside. (that gives them about 70 days to flower outside) could a experienced grower confirm if my 8 seedlings are already 2 inches, (couple weeks old yes i know i started late) 2 months should be enough time to grow em, clone em and veg a little bit before putting them outside. 70 days after that to mature outside before harvest time. aiming for 50-100 plants but ill want to do the max i can with 8 baby plants and 2 months Using the miracle grow powder at 1/2 strength per 2 weeks and jiffy peat pellets and party cups
Q1 so I assume obviously that growing small plants like that doesn't require hi powered lights or ventilation systems at all it only requires the 6500K fluorescent lights correct? A1 correct Q2 so what I want to do is get the most square feet for the lowest price, and keeping wattage reasonable. thinking for that i use party cups and put around 4-6 plants per 24w cfl per square foot. does that sound like a good ballpark? A2 no, 24w per square foot will cause you problems. I would have a minimum of 60w per square foot Q3 I bought myself a 12 pack of 24W cfl 6500k from walmart costed me 50$ for the bulbs if im just vegging the clones 1 foot high how big of a growing area will these light provide and still get a decent speed of growth A3 5 square feet, a 2x3 area at a push, but the plants will be a bit stretched and scraggly by the time they get to a foot Q4 Also, is it possible that cfls isn't the best option and I should go for the t5s or the big tubes if I want to get more square feet?? A4 it doesn't really matter, fluorescents are florescents, that's a little over simplified but there isn't much difference when you consider the difference from hid lighting Q5 another question is how much lighting is required to keep a mother plant to stay in veg over the winter and ready to go for next year? i don't wanna under or over do it A5 I light my mothers with 40w per square foot. this promotes some stretching, but when it comes to cloning this can be desirable Q6 Well that was my most pressing question but if you wanna give me a tip or 2 on my grow that would be cool its my first time, heres my plan: right now ive got 8 tiny plants grown from feminized paradise seeds they are about 2 inches high right now and I have exactly 2 months left to get as many cloned plants 1 foot tall from them outside as I possibly can. before its too late to put them outside. (that gives them about 70 days to flower outside) A6 your going to have to grow them for at least a month before your able to take any clones, and that's with good growth and no cock ups. it's probably do-able but but you don't have much room for error Q7 could a experienced grower confirm if my 8 seedlings are already 2 inches, (couple weeks old yes i know i started late) 2 months should be enough time to grow em, clone em and veg a little bit before putting them outside. 70 days after that to mature outside before harvest time. aiming for 50-100 plants but ill want to do the max i can with 8 baby plants and 2 months A7 I suggest you buy more seeds. 2 inch plants at 2 weeks old suggests you have problems already Q8 Using the miracle grow powder at 1/2 strength per 2 weeks and jiffy peat pellets and party cups A8 don't add nutrients for several weeks and half strength will be too high. but when and what amount exactly will depend on many variables . I probably wouldnt add any nutes at all in your situation
awesome reply never got such help on any forum before. heres my new revised plan let me know if im missing something return the 24w cfls and get 8x t5 54w HO lights 48 inch, real cheap on ebay from Canada less than 300$ for the lights timers ballasts reflectors everything. that would cover a folding table sizes area 5x3 feet with walls of mylar to reflect the light. ill but another 5 feminized seeds and grow everything for about 1.5 months before making as many clones as I can, veg them up to a foot and presto. no more nutrients until after the clones are rooted cause they can mess up cloning ill use the same lights afterwards to veg 4 mother plants over the winter of the most successful plants maybe with 5g DWC how about an oscilating fan would that stink up my house like weed or is it a good idea
actually now im thinking those lights are enough for 1 5g DWC over the winter and maybe an area of 2x4 feet that makes 50w per square foot
sounds like a plan... you will need fans to move the air around constantly. this is a must so the plants can "breath". plant don't have lungs so require the air to flow over their stomata very much like fish need water flowing over their gills. have you considered a hps light? hps generally covers twice the area that fluorescents will if the wattage is the same. plus fluorescents require the plants to be within a couple of inches of the bulb. this becomes complicated when you have 6" difference in your plant heights