What would be the minimum light required to keep 2 healthy mothers? I know that a 400 MH would probably be ideal for only 2 mother plants but I would rather not add another ballast. Would anything less than a 400W work?
Yeah, what Arcturon said. Home Depot sells a 65W CFL flood light (look in the outdoor section) rated at 6500 degrees Kelvin that's the perfect spectrum for holding mothers. It has an internal reflector & hood that works great, just mount it on a 1X4 screwed to the wall so you can adjust it. You'll need a lamp cord to wire it but no biggie, just remember the wire nuts and electrical tape. This light will grow a mother big enough to take 30+ cuttings from. Another very good alternative is a 42W cool white CFL at WalMart or Home Depot. HD also sells a cheap spun aluminum reflector (in their shop light section) with a spring loaded grip for ease of adjusting as long as you have something to clamp it on. A 2X2 screwed to the wall works great for this. Save your 400W for the heavy lifting, CFL's are the perfect tool for this.
This is exactly what I use, and exactly where I got mine! The 65w(the box says 300w equivalent) is 10-15$ and the fixture is 10-15$ as well.
How does one care for a mother plant? Is the light schedule 18/6? Is it better to keep a mother in a DWC bubbler bucket or soil? Is there a different schedule for nutes? Reason i am asking is because I am growing from bag seed and hoping for a female... I was planning on taking a cut if it is a female and making it a mother plant. Thanks
All of that is up to you. Everyone is different in their feeding and light schedule, but 18/6 is a perfect cycle. These plants can flourish in any environment, If you like DWC, do DWC. If you like soil, go soil. First grow? I recommend soil as it's easy to kill plants with over or under maintenance with hydro as a starter. I'd say read around the whole forums, finding threads that interest you and taking a piece of each one with you.
Thanks - I did some reading. Just took a clone and used an aerogarden. Will transplant once roots look strong enough.
Arcturon & I seem to be staying on the same page, cool! If you're comfortable with dirt, definitely go that way, helps the learning experience. I've had really good luck keeping mothers in a 6"net pot / hydroton, held in a 19 qt. Rubbermaid or 20qt. Sterilite container. Here's some keys to keeping them healthy: - Cover the container sides with heavy black plastic to keep light out (causes algae growth plus roots don't like light) - Keep a regular check on your airstone. Disconnect the hose from your pump & blow through it, a "fresh" stone requires very little little pressure. I usually get a couple of months, maybe more, before replacing. I like the 10" length airstone. - When you move your rooted clone to the bubbler, place enough hydroton in the bottom of the net pot so that the top of the clone's rooting medium is one layer of hydroton (about 1/2") below the rim of the pot. Place the clone, fill around the sides, and one layer on top. - First fill of a freshly rooted clone, fill the container to a point just even with the bottom of your rooted clone's medium, then start bubbling away. Within a week or two you'll see fresh roots growing into your DWC. The roots will keep up as the nute level drops. You want that air space for extra oxygen. - I start with 1/2 tsp. per gallon of each of GH Flora's 3-part nutes, ph-ed. As the plant starts sending out roots, increase to 1 tsp. / gal. for the first month while you are training / topping continually. Once you get a good branch structure established, usually 4-6 weeks, go back to 1/2 tsp. per gallon from then on. - It's a PITA changing nutes, so I buy an extra container / same size, mix new nutes, and simply lift the lid off the old and transfer to the new. Then thoroughly clean the old & set aside for next change. - Once a good root mass establishes, I like to keep the reservoir level at 1 to 1 1/2 gallons, dropping to 1/2 gal. before I add fresh nutes. Calibrate the side of your reservoir in 1 gallon increments on your first fill, mark with a Sharpie. - You can grow a mother capable of providing 25-30 cuttings in about 2 months. Even if you're not ready to take cuttings, it's important to prune the top and roots occasionally or the plant will get too tall, looking like a giant poodle tail (everything at the top). My next project is going to be bonsai mothers in a DWC bubbler. I don't grow a lot of plants but I like to keep several strains waiting for variety. Thinking this is going to be the ticket. I'll keep everyone posted once I get that going. Have fun & keep on keeping on!