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Light Leakage - Is it significant?

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by stickybud, Jan 5, 2007.

  1. #1 stickybud, Jan 5, 2007
    Hi guys,

    I just spent the last few days acquiring supplies for my 1st grow, and I have some seeds on the way from the doctor! I got my confirmation email, too! :hello: I absolutely cannot wait... they will go straight out of my mailbox into germination :D

    So, I have a couple small pots, a 26W CFL (soft white), and 2x 19W CFL's, a nifty new timer. And, I spent a good bit of time at Home Depot personally inspecting all the dirt they had available to find the best one! I found an organic dirt (Garden Pro Ultralight Topsoil), white bag with green writing.

    Anyways, the dirt looks really nice (I have of course, prefilled the pots in anticipation :D), and it has a slightly higher nitrogen concentration relative to potassium/phosphor, so I thought it would be ideal for germination. And also to confirm my suspicions, the label said it was appropriate :p (Not exactly for growing uhh... well)

    Anywho, sorry to bother you with all that info, I'm just a bit excited and will post pics once uhh, I start. So, my question is, my closet has a bit of light leakage... it's not terribly significant, but it leaks light. Do you think this is going to be a huge problem in regards to timing? Should I try to hang a blanket over it or something to block light?

    Also, do you think I have enough light for 2 plants, or should I add some additional lighting?

    Thanks for any input!
     
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  2. #2 mister2, Jan 5, 2007
    You want soil with NO added nutes, i wouldnt buy that.
    light leakege during veg is not an issue apart from people seeing a glowing cupboard lol.
    howerver in flower it can turn your plant hermie.
    A few layers of duct tape over the inside of the cracks will soon fix that prob ;)
    Good Luck
     
  3. #3 LOTE, Jan 5, 2007
    if you are trying for two plants i would get some more lights. you dont even have a 100 watts, and your going to want more than that for just one plant. i would suggest three or for of the 42 watters to go with your current lighting.

    good luck. and keep us posted!:smoking:
     
  4. #4 stickybud, Jan 5, 2007

    Hah! To think I forgot about duct tape...

    It says:

    0.05 - 0.03 - 0.04
    Excellent planting mix for trees and shrubs.
    Ideal for lawn patching and seeding
    Great for gardens too!


    Other than that, it apparently doesn't contain any other fertilizers or anything... and the soil itself looks very plain and twiggy.
     
  5. #5 Always-Dazed, Jan 5, 2007
    Your soil will work, I have some with even more ferts in it and my girls are growing well with no burn.

    You need more light. If you feel like spending, you can find some 100w cfls on the internet for $20-25. Or you can just buy more of the biggest ones you can find at home depot or walmart. Try to get at least 6. I've seen plants grown with just 1 or 2 cfls but more is obviously better.

    How big is the closet? Hanging a dark blanket or blackout curtain inside of the door will catch most of that light during your dark period.

    Good luck, let us know how it goes. What strain are you growing?
     
  6. #6 chimera, Jan 5, 2007
    Here is a clue to tell if you need to do more work with your light leak. Enter the area your growing in, turn off the lights in there and close any door that you have, now if you can see your hand 1 foot from your face you need to do more before you start flowering. As a side note, to get the most out of your plants use continuos light 24/0 till there ready to flower.

    Oh, and if you really want a successful grow get an HID light!! otherwise start piling the cfls in there 2 plants 10-15 bulbls. In the end you'll have as much in cfls as you would have had in the HID light.
     
  7. #7 stickybud, Jan 5, 2007
    My Home Depot didn't have much in the way of higher wattage. And the ones I got are the full spectrum lighting. I'll order some more 100W CFL's on the net... I guess what I have will do until they come in :rolleyes:

    Also, Home Depot carries these great little "light repair kits" for $10 a pop which basically includes a socket and an electrical cord (and some extra parts...). So, I'm hanging them down, so it'll be easy to adjust height and get them right where i need them.

    Do the HID lights require a special lighting fixture? What about: http://www.elights.com/phil400watme.html

    Do you think a 400W light would make too much heat?

    Always-Dazed, my closet is 4' wide, 2' 2" deep, and 7' 8" tall, and they can really have the whole closet, so they can very well be 7' 8" tall :D

    Edit: I'm growing Blueberry, feminized seeds.

    Also, why do some people use 18/6 and some people 24/0?
     
  8. #8 sikabuyin, Jan 5, 2007
    Good luck man. Let us know when your seeds get here. I've got some on order from the dr also. Once you get them in soil you should start a grow journal and upload tons of pics.
     
  9. #9 ISTANDALONE, Jan 5, 2007
    if your worried about the nutes in the soil, just dilute what you have with organic soil. nuted soil is ok (well, sort of) when mixed with non-nuted.
     
  10. #10 chimera, Jan 5, 2007
    I grow in a 40"x6'x7'6" room and I have 2 400 watters going, just have to finigle the fans to get the air circulating right to keep them cool, so you should be fine with a single 400 watter. As for size, you can grow a plant about 4 1/2 feet tall in there, which with a little lst shouldn't be a problem.

    That is just the bulb, you need a reflector and ballast as well. You can find them complete at ebay for around $150, get a 400 HPS system with a conversion bulb, it will take care of all your lighting requirements from seed to harvest.
     
  11. #11 Rabiez, Jan 5, 2007

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