Im reading everywhere all I can, I just dont understand the light cycle, I understand what type of bulb, but what do i DO with the bulb? I keep a bulb above the plant 2" at all times during the veg stage (beginning stage right?) and pretty much after that I dont know for how long any of the stages last, or where to put the bulbs after that >.> Im going to continue searching but any help please please will be greatly appreciated!!!1
It depends on what type of bulbs you are using. CFL's are supposed to be placed close but MH/HPS will burn your plant if too close. As far as time cycles it depends. The most common is usually 18/6 for veg and 12/12 for flower. That's just the standard. Some prefer gradually switching (20/4->18/6->14/10->12/12->10/14) and so on. Its just trial and error mixed with personal experience.
[quote name='"DrewtOkes"']Im reading everywhere all I can, I just dont understand the light cycle, I understand what type of bulb, but what do i DO with the bulb? I keep a bulb above the plant 2" at all times during the veg stage (beginning stage right?) and pretty much after that I dont know for how long any of the stages last, or where to put the bulbs after that >.> Im going to continue searching but any help please please will be greatly appreciated!!!1[/quote] If your using CFLs keep them as close as you can without burning them. Put your hand at the top of the plant and see how close the bulb can get before you begin to feel substantial heat. The whole point of vegging your plant is to the let the plant grow larger before you induce flowering and it begins to buds. Longer veg=Larger plant=Larger yield. As shizmot said, there are different veg cycles, but it's your preference. No scientifical data backing up any cycle is better than the next. Usual veg is about a month. By then (usually) preflowers show and you can determine sex and pull out any males. What is your question? When to use each light cycle?
I always did 6 wks of veg and usually it'd be around 12 weeks of flowering, depends on when the trichs are ready and what kind of high you want from your plant.
im not really saying anything anyone else has not posted... but I thought i would give my interpretation anyway you should have posted the type of lights you intend to use but like previously posted CFL's come many different spectrums... we are trying to replicate the suns rays during summer(daylight bulbs)(5700 Kelvin) and winter(soft white)(2300 kelvin) you keep the CFL bulbs close enough to get sufficient light coverage, but not too far because the farther away the bulb, the more stretching happens with the plant... the easiest way is to use the back of your hand... if the bulb burns the back of your hand, its too hot for the plant first we use the daylight bulbs to simulate summer... set your timer for either 18/6 or 24/0(my personal favorite) once your plant(s) are roughly 1/3 the total size you want them to be(usually about 1 month of growth or so) flip the timer to 12/12 and put in your soft white bulbs... how long depends on the strain your using... anything between 9 and 12 weeks is pretty normal like previously posted watch the color of the trich's to tell when your plants are ready for the chop... ....... obviously if your using fluro's/led/HPS(mh) or plasma there are subtle variations.. but its really the same thing as using CFL's... get as much light as close as possible, but don't burn the plant good luck
^ I thought it was 2700k and 6500k if I'm not mistaken? At least that is what I use for warm and soft lighting.
your not mistaken.. I pulled from memory...but the soft white and daylight bulbs are what the OP is looking for thanks for the correction
Hey Drew, Everyone has given you excellent advice, I'm just going to add to it a bit. The type of light (cfl vs hid) will determine the distance between your plant and the light. But once you have that distance, you maintain it throughout the entire life cycle of the plant. You will need to raise/lower the lights (or raise/lower the plant) as the plant grows taller. What I'm saying is, the light wouldn't be farther from the plant during flower than it is during veg. As far as duration of light cycle, we are trying to replicate the sun's natural light cycle as summer progresses into fall (when cannabis matures outdoors). Towards the end of summer, the days start to get shorter and the nights get longer, thus prompting the cannabis plant to start flowering. This is what we are trying to replicate indoors. When you are ready to begin flowering, you switch your light to a 12/12 cycle (12 hours on, 12 hours off) and maintain that cycle until the end of flowering. How long flowering takes depends on the strain. As stated, 8-12 weeks is typical. Some equatorial sativas can flower for 16+ weeks! Unlike flowering, where the cycle will last as long as it takes for the buds to ripen (regardless of how long you want it to take), your veg cycle can be as long or as short as you want. Longer veg times will give bigger plants, which will produce more bud in flower. Some people also veg lots of smaller plants for a couple weeks, and then flower them. Veg time is usually dictated by your space restrictions and how much height you have to work with in your grow area. The plant will double or even triple in size during flowering, so take that into consideration in deciding when to begin flowering.
oh my, thank you everyone you've helped me tremendously!!!, im using the CFL's like everyone has said my plan is to keep the light 2" above the plant @ all times during veg, to get it about 4 ft - 5 ft, then after that what do i do? Do I put a big cfl in the middle of all the plants for them to thicken up during flowering ? or veg? until the end?
[quote name='"DrewtOkes"']oh my, thank you everyone you've helped me tremendously!!!, im using the CFL's like everyone has said my plan is to keep the light 2" above the plant @ all times during veg, to get it about 4 ft - 5 ft, then after that what do i do? Do I put a big cfl in the middle of all the plants for them to thicken up during flowering ? or veg?[/quote] Look into LST, SoG or SCRoG. It is almost a necessity when using CFL's. I definately wouldn't hope for 4-5 ft without the use of a lot of vertical lighting. Are you getting multiple small wattage CFLs or one big bulb?
ok, ill look into those, ... ive typed them in, cant find what any of that is, Umm.. thats my problem, I dunno. I mean I don't want the electric bill to be retarded, this is pure legal purposes non-profit. i saw this guy "chronicstories" on youtube, he used a big CFL light to fatten his buds, but unfortunately i seen the video over a year ago and it's gone. but that's all i remember .. his plants weren't that tall tho.. I'll do whatever it takes, I just really want to do this right. Rumpleforskin his buds are exactly what i'm aiming for
Don't look to youtube for good info on growing. http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute...olute-beginners-compendium-helpful-links.html Click the link and scroll down to advanced growing methods. Read those links and it should clarify LST, ScrOG, SOG, and Topping. For your benefit, I would list any and all questions you have.
[quote name='"DrewtOkes"']ok, ill look into those, ... ive typed them in, cant find what any of that is, Umm.. thats my problem, I dunno. I mean I don't want the electric bill to be retarded, this is pure legal purposes non-profit. i saw this guy "chronicstories" on youtube, he used a big CFL light to fatten his buds, but unfortunately i seen the video over a year ago and it's gone. but that's all i remember .. his plants weren't that tall tho.. I'll do whatever it takes, I just really want to do this right. Rumpleforskin his buds are exactly what i'm aiming for[/quote] Check kamelredlight's CFL guide he has an intense amount of useful information. LST is basically the practice of tying the plant down to make the side shoots turn into tops/main colas.
Ok I read the lst training guide, i kinda get it, but the images arent working so im still lost :/ lol anywhoo I read the CFL guide, i mean.. it helps but it didnt explain what im actually looking for. from what ive collected i just need to make sure at least one bulb is close enough to the plant at all times 2" away and all the plant is getting light
[quote name='"BYOweed"']What are you looking for?[/quote] Yes what information are you looking for exactly? And a base rule for lighting is usually close to 100-150w for the first plant and an additional 50w or so for each additional plant. Distance is something you have to get a feel for. You can't really use just a set distance. LST is a lot easier than it seems when you first go through guides. I thought the same thing when I was trying to figure it out but really you just wait till its decent height, tie it down and from there try and swirl it around the bucket. The results you get are incredible.
the information ive collected so far from what youve told me and guides for cfl's - 100w small bulb per plant 2" above her at all times - after veg state comes 2-3 cfl's pointing at her at all angles, making sure all the stems are gonna bud throughout flowering, now im hoping there's an easier way, but i cant have my house lighting up like a christmas tree via bill and thermal and im also very tight on cash right now so i can't invest in a super system with led's and such, i can just mcguyver lights where they need be and invest of nylon or the best reflective stuff for the walls i'm in colorado, legal and everything here as well as I am to grow, but they still will come knocking if they see it and harrass me for my permits, etc. (just want to avoid that all together)
[quote name='"DrewtOkes"']the information ive collected so far from what youve told me and guides for cfl's - 100w small bulb per plant 2" above her at all times - after veg state comes 2-3 cfl's pointing at her at all angles, making sure all the stems are gonna bud throughout flowering, now im hoping there's an easier way, but i cant have my house lighting up like a christmas tree via bill and thermal and im also very tight on cash right now so i can't invest in a super system with led's and such, i can just mcguyver lights where they need be and invest of nylon or the best reflective stuff for the walls i'm in colorado, legal and everything here as well as I am to grow, but they still will come knocking if they see it and harrass me for my permits, etc. (just want to avoid that all together)[/quote] What do you mean by 100w small bulb? And I still don't see any questions man CFLs aren't going to cause any suspicion unless you have a shit ton. I have enough watts of CFLs in my living room to grow a plant..
[quote name='"DrewtOkes"']the information ive collected so far from what youve told me and guides for cfl's - 100w small bulb per plant 2" above her at all times - after veg state comes 2-3 cfl's pointing at her at all angles, making sure all the stems are gonna bud throughout flowering, now im hoping there's an easier way, but i cant have my house lighting up like a christmas tree via bill and thermal and im also very tight on cash right now so i can't invest in a super system with led's and such, i can just mcguyver lights where they need be and invest of nylon or the best reflective stuff for the walls i'm in colorado, legal and everything here as well as I am to grow, but they still will come knocking if they see it and harrass me for my permits, etc. (just want to avoid that all together)[/quote] OK first of all be careful when buying lights, you have to make sure you are getting 100 actual Watts and not equivalent wattage. There is a HUGE difference and I cannot stress that enough. As for maximizing your light output you have a few choices, there's a grow tent, which I have no idea how much they cost but I've been debating buying one myself, but if not that check your local hydroponic store. They should have either Mylar which is great or this stuff called orca grow film. I used the orca because its supposed to have 95%light diffusion and I think like 92-93% reflectivity and it is extremely durable which means when you buy it once you will have it for a very long time. But get something of the sort, basically it really boosts the amount of light you get per bulb without spending more money on your power bill.
Twelve weeks. That's be a sativa obviously right? Indicas I grow are usually around no yeah anywhere from eight to twelve weeks. Op just remember anything over twelve hours of light no flowers. Anything 12 hour dark you get flowers growing.