NEW to gc and growing. pics inside.

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by faceburner, Jun 28, 2010.

  1. Hey stoners.
    Im relatively new to the world of growing and just wanted some advice from the masters. First of all i've had a plant going for about two weeks now. The strain is Pineapple chunk and I started it from a seed that I ordered from barney's. Im growing in soil and trying to do the whole organic thing. I've sectioned off a space in my closet and set up a light. But, im using one of those eco friendly coiled bulbs and I was wondering if this bulb is going to be enough to last through the entire growing process or should I buy something like a metal halide bulb to beef up the light output. Because right now its putting about only 100 watts.

    Also my other concern is that my plants wont get enough nutrients from trying to grow organic. I recently added a bit of banana peel, egg shell, and coffee grounds. And the plant seems to be taking to it well. I've also switched from watering my plants with distilled water to collecting rain water and using that.

    as you can probably tell im on a budget.

    any tips or hints?
     

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  2. Your plant is behind where it should be at two weeks in. I'd say it's still too young to try and add nutrients to. Organics depends not on direct chemical nutrients but by bacteria and biologicals in the soil breaking down organic material in to nutrients.

    You did not add perlite to your potting soil and that can cause issues with aeration, ultimately increasing your chances with root rot. When you transplant, make sure you mix in at least 30% perlite.

    Good luck.
     
  3. is there anything i can do now to get it on track?
     
  4. also, I was thinking about switching to a 100 wat metal halide bulb. Would I need to buy a ballast for just a 100 watter?
     
  5. how far away is your light from the plant? and is it 100 watt equivalent or 100wats used?
     
  6. The light started out quite far from the plant but after I realized this was a problem I moved it a few inches away. And thats a very good question, I believe that its 100 watt equivalent.... but if not that could explain my slow growth. I may just double up on the type of bulb I have and that may fix the problem.

    Also I saw in another thread that you could run a 70 watt Metal Halide Light Bulb with no ballast. is this true?
     
  7. You need at least 100W per plant TOTAL.

    I'm assuming you're using CFLs since you said that it's a 100W equivelent. You need to run 4-5 of those bulbs if this is the case.

    I also noticed that you said you're on a budget. If this is also the case you might want to stick to CFL as a Metal Halide is gonna run more on the bills.

    One of my buddies is also on his first grow and this forum has been a major help and learning tool for us. So far it's been a trial and error grow but it's coming out pretty good :D
     
  8. Are you burying banana peel in the pots? If so, get that out of there! Having decaying matter in the pot will cause the growth of anaerobic bacteria - bad news for plants. It also will attract pests. Coffee grounds are too acidic to put near seedlings, too. I recommend scooping off the coffee grounds if possible.
     
  9. #9 CAmpania, Jun 28, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 28, 2010
    you should go get a 105W CFL from home depot, should be about $25 bucks. you can't use it for the whole growing process though, you'll need at least one 105W 2700k and at least one 105W 6500k, if you're just growing the one plant. that should be good for one plant if you use the 105W 6500k for vegging and the 105W 2700k for flowering, plus whatever light you're using now (depending what color temperature it is). some people say for flowering it's ok to have a 6500k in addition to your 2700k.

    edit: with CFL's you need to look at the actual wattage, not the incandescent equivalent. a 100W equivalent is probably a 23-27W CFL. the plant looks really small for 2 weeks and looks like it's stretching, you gotta get some more light in there ASAP homeboy. good luck with the grow, can't wait to see what the harvest looks like :)
     
  10. When did Home De Pot start selling 105w cfl bulbs in both daylight and soft white?
    I've seen and purchased and used the 65w soft white cfl and I didn't really like it.

    Personally I prefer lower wattage cfls, 23w and 27w bulbs are strong enough to offer some casting distance (like 2") and if the are kept within 1 inch (about 2cm) from the plant then they are extremely effective watt for watt. The heat is so low on these wattages that you can keep them practically touching the plants without issue.

    Higher wattage CFL bulbs don't offer much more casting distance but they do produce a bit more heat. For the sake of the plant I prefer the 27w day light cfls. For a single plant, all on CFL, I'd run it like this:

    One 27w day light 5000K cfl until the plant has 3 leaf sets, then another one 27w day light 5500K cfl from 3 leaf sets to 5 leaf sets, then another one 27w day light 6500K until the plant hits maybe 6 or 8 inches tall. After that point I'd add two more 23w soft white 2100K and 2700K bulbs and a 23w cool white 4000K bulb. The total wattage is 150w actual. The total lumens is somewhere around 10,000 to 12,000. Add in the cost of 6 clamp lights, with the cost of the bulbs, and the final cost is about $40.

    Not much you can do about the soil now. Just make sure you water infrequently, every 3 to 5 days is fine, and you should be using enough water to see some drain out of the bottom. Wait until the planter is very light when you lift it, the weight tells you the soil is dry and ready for more, and then water it thoroughly. When you transplant (no sooner than 2 weeks from now) remove as much of the dirt as you can without harming the roots. Prepare your new soil with the perlite, and then everything should be good.
     

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