Been doing a lot of growing research, reading hundreds of blogs and articles and what-not. Decided to give it a try. Then I find this forum when I googled something about the plants. So then I decide to join and this is my first post. Not only is it my first post, but my first time growing.. well.. Anything. I'd like to share some pics with you guys to see if everything looks ok. I don't really know what to expect. I'm about a month in.
I have no idea why the pictures are so big and sideways.. but if you right click and open in a new window it should shrink them. sorry
so whats your set up? and your plants need more light there stretching, and its better to have them in separate pot so you can move them around like 2 litter bottles. and smaller pics please
I just went to Walmart and bought a desk lamp. I was using a bulb I got from Walmart too but it sucked so I went to the local hardware store and got a fluorescent 30w 2200 lumens today. Will post smaller pictures tonight sorry again.
Well you have a nice camera to take pics of the trichomes, when the time comes!! You need more light, your seedlings are stretching out, trying to get to the light. If you provide more, they'll be more compact, and sturdy. In a week from now, you're gonna need to transplant these little ones. Have you given thought on how you'll grow them?
Thanks I have an iPhone 4s the camera is pretty sweet. I just bought a new bulb yesterday and I can already tell the difference in plant color and they are already getting a little thicker in the main stem. I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do about moving them, like I said I haven't ever grown anything indoors and moving them seems pretty high risk considering my experience.
Just search youtube how to transfer plants isn't too a difficult task but the method I use of turning them upside down I don't see how you could do it with 2 plants
It's actually really simple to transplant, especially when they are that old. I'd lay out a trash bag, flip the pot upside down, let the ball come out, then GENTLY work the dirt apart to find the roots and separate the plants. As long as you are gentle with them, and don't tear anything you should be fine. Then hollow out a spot for the plant in the new bucket, and cover the roots back up. You want to bury the stem all the up to just under the first leaf set to get rid of some of that stretching. I had the same issue with stretching, I ended up transplanting twice. Check my sig for my journal, and I have some pics in there of how things went.
That bulb looks like its going to put out more heat than light. Do you have the funds to invest in real lighting (HID, MH and/or HPS?)
That was an incandescent p.o.s. light in those pictures. I just bought a fluorescent 2200 lumens. I saw a small hps for like 50 bucks and it needed a ballast too. Guess I could get that if I need to. Is 2200 lumens enough? Also, I think I remember reading something about hps spectrum being more red and better for flowering stage? If so I could definitely get that. Money isn't the problem I'm just a little ill educated on horticulture as a whole, just decided to try this for fun and now I'm like hey if your gonna do it, do it right. Plus I want some good yield.
If you have the cash, then I would search for at least a 150W (preferably a 250W or 400W) HPS on craigslist. You can normally get them for under $100 pretty easily. MH is better for vegging as opposed to HPS, but you can veg just fine under HPS (What I am currently doing). The ideal setup would be a MH/HPS switchable ballast so that you can switch the bulb out defending on whether you are flowering or vegging. The HPS/MH lighting will give you a lot better final product, as well as more of it.
Thanks for the advice. I read your grow journal too, it's full of knowledge. I will definitely have to look into the mh for now. I'm sure they have some at my local hardware store. I'm gonna post another picture later and show the difference in color of the plant and thickness with just one day under the fluorescent bulb. I really feel dumb for trusting that a bulb I got from Walmart could successfully grow a weed plant.. Lol. Also, I thought I might want to mention that this is in a closet. A pretty small one at that. So take into consideration when giving me tips because I don't think a ballast as big as the one you had will fit in there. Plus there's the whole issue with heat and ventilation. I honestly like the fluorescent bulb because it is so cool. I can touch it and it isn't hot only warm so I have it like an inch or two away from the plants. They already doing so much better.
Fluoros definately work well for seedlings, not sure about vegging/flowering though. Never used them before. As far as finding a light at the local hardware store, I know that neither Lowes nor Home Depot carry the ballasts, they just carry the bulbs. I paid about $90 for my 150W HPS, but I bought it new from Amazon. You can for sure find it waaay cheaper on craigslist or Ebay. That same $90 could have got me a 250W on craigslist. You may have already mentioned it, but what is your lighting schedule currently? I would recommend a 24/0 schedule based on the amount of lighting you have. Other than the stretching, they look good. Try and get the light as close as possible to them without getting them too hot. Typically if you put the back of your hand next to the top of the plant and it's warm, then you are too close. So lower the light down until you start to feel warmth on your hand. Do you have a fan on them? That will help alot with strengthening the stems and giving it a good foundation to support the buds in the future.
I am on a 24/0 light schedule and it's been like that forever. I read somewhere that once you have 7 sets of true leaves then it's time for vegging and to then lower it to about 15-20/9-4. Is that right? I have a little box fan I guess I could put it in my closet and put it on low.
Ok so here's some pics. I'm just gonna give the links this time so they won't be so damn big. The bulb. http://db.tt/w90zWleR The stem greener and a lot thicker than yesterday http://db.tt/ODUB5k96 And just curious. Idk why this one plant is doing this but on this set of leaves only they are both twisting around the same direction. Clueless http://db.tt/ybxoFE06 are the first and second set of "baby" leaves supposed to be dying? If not I might have a problem
Keep light on those gals for between 16 and 24 hours (I go with 18) during veg and then switch to 12/12 for flowering. Make sure your grow room has ZERO light leaks during flowering. And I mean ZERO. Test it and test again. Make sure that room is pitch dark. Further advice... Fan and air circulation is a must. Keep airflow around the plants at all times. The plants use up CO2 quickly and must be replenished. A good flow of air will also signal the plant to produce cellulose to make the stalk and stems strong. Outside plants get beat my wind, rain, etc. Inside strong airflow will simulate that. Lighting- well, lighting is everything if you want good yield. I currently have 1500 watts of HPS and MH lighting (over 200,000 lumens) on four plants, and if you ask me I still don't have enough. If funds aren't an issue then get yourself a 1000 watt HPS in a good luminaire (one that can be air cooled is best) and you'll be amazed at the difference. HPS is best for flowering, MH is best for veg, but if you can only afford one light then get the HPS. You can always get a MH conversion bulb for veg that will work in the HPS luminaire and ballast. I personally use both HPS AND MH for veg and flowering, but that's just me. Anyway, that's my two cents for what its worth
^^ What he said. You don't want to switch your light schedule untill it's time for flowering, and when that time comes you will want to switch to 12/12. I would throw the fan in there, it will help grow stronger stalks, as well as circulate air, help prevent mold, so on and so forth. As he said, the more light the better. If I could afford/fit 10k watts in my tent I would do it. haha The plants produce crystals to protect itself from the sun, thus the more light it has, the more protection it needs, and the more crystals it produces. Another thing to consider when looking at the lights is heat. You want to make sure that you are keeping temps down around the mid 70's, and the more light you add, the more you will have to worry about controlling temps.
Thank you all for the info. I've already learned so much lol. The fan is in there now. It blew a little hard so I had to turn it the opposite way. It's kinda hypnotizing watching them dance lol
Haha, yea it is. I've spent plenty of time just sitting in my tent watching them grow. It's good for them too, the Co2 in your breath is beneficial to them. Keep reading around, there are tons of very knowledgeable growers that post on here, and you can find the answer to just about any question you can think of.