Michigann's First CFL Bagseed Grow - Super Cheap Setup

Discussion in 'Indoor Grow Journals' started by Michigann, Mar 13, 2012.

  1. [quote name='"Michigann"']Well, it was a just supposed to be a "bare minimum" project so I didn't wanna really buy an MH or HPS light setup. Figured CFLs would be the easiest cheapest way.[/quote]

    Correct mate. Ive got 10x30 watt bulbs, 2x computer fans going out and 1big fan going in on my flower space and 4x30 watt bulbs 1 computer fan going out and 1 going in on my veg room and I've not even notice much difference in my electric and I've only spent about £150 in total.
     
  2. I've spent only maybe like $60 , & i spent $22 of that just on the soil.
     

  3. If you drop another 50-100 bucks on lights you'll more than double your yield. 6 40 watt CFLs will keep those babies plenty happy :D cheers
     

  4. That would get too hot and I don't really have a good ventilation system lol, just a box fan above it blowing air through a hole thru the top
     

  5. well then IMO drop 40-60 on lights and then 10 bucks on another fan ;)
     
  6. #26 Michigann, Mar 15, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 16, 2012
    EDIT: I got rid of one of the seedlings because i had an incident with being really stoned and dropping one of them during watering. So thats why theres only 2 left...

    Hey guys, just a quick update.

    Got a video for you, one of the sprouts has a few little yellow spots? Feedback please :D

    Be sure to change the quality to 1080p :bongin:
    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gGwGh_Ghx8&]Day 3 - YouTube[/ame]
     
  7. So the two plants seem to be doing okay, theres a new small small set of leaves coming in, but i'm a little worried because one of the plants has a couple small yellow spots :confused:
     

  8. I know I am two days late, but please be careful. Seedlings cannot take the same intensity that more mature plants can. I have ruined several seedlings by putting my lights (55w PLL) too close. I had them all about 2" from the lights and everyone of them except one ended up stunted with dried out leaves. I basically wasted 4 seeds and several weeks on plants that will never recover (two have been tossed, one more may be going soon).

    I would say to start out at around 4-5" and see how your seedlings do. If they stretch, move the lights closer. But be very careful when getting them as close as 2".
     

  9. Where are the spots? On the rounded leaves (cotyledon) that the plant starts out with? If so, don't fret too much, pay more attention to leaves that develop after them.
     

  10. Yeah on those. But okay makes sense cause theres new leaves that are growin that i can see :D
     
  11. And I also have the lights pretty damn close, should I change that? cause they looked like they were stretching before
     
  12. Just watch them, if the leaves start yellowing, it could be from having the lights too close. That is what happened to mine.
     
  13. Agreed. Just watch em.. they do a pretty good job of telling you what they want...
     
  14. I probably need to move my lights up a little then
     

  15. If it is just the cotyledons yellowing and not the first true leaves, don't worry about it. If you start to see some distress in the tips (or more) of the true leaves, then you should move them out asap. It doesn't take much to stunt seedlings in my limited experience.
     
  16. Yea I'm seeing yellowing in the tips of the leaves.. and I won't be home until later so I can't move the lights right now.
     
  17. i keep mine at 3.5 - 4 inches away from my plants but i also use a couple pieces of mylar beside my cheap ass tin hood to keep as much light around them. They seem to be happy with normal stretchin. not totally surroundin in just hangin on two sides so theres no added heat buildup. try it might help
     
  18. im also a first grower in Michigan. im going to use the same setup basically too! my seeds are still germinating tho but should be done really soon like 1 more day
     
  19. I'm a very pissed off individual today.

    So I was not home all weekend, had plans. I watered my plants before I left and I knew they were gonna be okay. But on saturday, I texted my sister and told her to lift my lights up about another inch and a half. She said okay and that she did and I was so excited to be able to come home today and look at the new growth because there were a set of new leaves coming in before I left on friday.

    I come home today, open the closet door and walk over and move the box infront of the box with the plants, and I see the fucking lights ON TOP OF THE FUCKING PLANTS

    :mad::cry::mad::cry::mad::cry::mad::cry::mad::cry::mad::cry:

    So I rage. How the FUCK do you NOT realize that you instead DROPPED the lights on the little plants, and didn't raise them. She says "I didn't move the box infront of it I just pulled the cord up"

    Apparently, that extra FIVE seconds to make sure everything was fine, was just too much for her.

    Now my plants are fucking fried. I'm not even going to try to save them, I'll upload pics if you guys want but it's a sad sight. The little small leaves that were coming in are completely crisp. There's no way it'll grow now.

    I don't even know what to do..
     
  20. I almost know how you feel, except only I have been responsible for my grows. I started growing for the first time in early February of this year. In that time I have burned up 7/8 seedlings due to heat/light stress. My temps never got over 88 at the canopy but after much research, it seems 55w PLLs are pretty intense for young plants. I was doing 2-3" at start, then 4-5" and all seemed well. I still did not like the temps in the high 80s so I built a new fixture that had a plexiglass barrier between the lights and growing space, and a fan to pull air across the lights and out of the veg box. But I also added another 55w so my total is now 220w.

    The only seedling that held up to the light stress was a Female Seeds Neville's Haze. I had it under the new fixture all day yesterday and some of the prior evening, and although the fixture was 4" away and air cooled with a canopy temp of 80, it is showing signs of light/heat stress too. So after researching more, it seems the best distance for these higher wattage PLLs is 9-14" for younger plants. The light it was under was actually more intense because instead of being under a single 55w, my new arrangement is set up with 2 lights closer together to increase lumens per plant.

    I thought it was mostly heat and some light stress, but it seems the light was even more of a factor. So I have now moved the lights up further and the NH is about 6-7" away (it is not really a seedling, has 5 leaf sets). I hope it perks up, I moved them this morning and it already looks a bit better.

    Sorry about your own situation!
     

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