Here is my grow from seedling to whatever stage it is when you view. I have 5 seeds but am currently only growing 1 just to make sure it goes well then I will grow more. I will tell you more in the next post.
The seeds are Oasis as the thread title indicates, here's hoping she's a she. Here's the setup: I'm currently using 1 120V 60Hz 42W CFL in a large aluminum foil covered cardboard box with a small fan to keep it cooler and to stiffen the stem. I'm keeping the lights at 24/0 for two days and then going to 18/6 for one and then back to 24/0. I started the sprouting process on July 9th so the last picture is the plant at 16 days. The soil is perlite and MG mixed 1:3 respectively. I will add another smaller light in about 2 weeks once I plant my second plant and transfer this one. Smell is going to be the biggest problem and (as you can tell from my setup) I can't afford a carbon screen. Any tips on how to maximize growth speed, keeping in mind that this is low budget, are greatly appreciated.
Get a daylight CFL, they work a lot better. Save the soft white for flowering. Actually, use em both. The more light the better.
These daylight CFLs of which you speak, are they basically at any 'ol HomeDepot? Updatish: My temp. has been near a steady 88F I think that's a lil high but I don't know how to lower it. The grow is in my unairconditioned basement.
looking good need more light but looking good.. you say the temp is high? it should be okay just put a bowl of ice or something next to the plants or the fan... basements are perfect places too cuz of the coolness and humidity 88 is a bit high but nothing to get all worked up over... only start looking for more solutions if u see ur plant is getting heat stressed... or wilting... but looking good keep up the good work
Home depot actually seems to fail me a lot. Wal mart has daylight bulbs. The one near me has 25w and 30w. Rather the SUPER wal mart has them, the regular one here doesn't. I guess it's different at every store so just gotta get out there n look. If you're not sure if it's the right bulb, the key is a color temperature of 6500k. Soft white (most commonly sold) are 2700k.
I'll bike there 2morrow. As well as posting an update, seems to have stopped growing significantly but it could just be my constant checkups.
High Y&S Nice job so far so you can't be that stupid after all hehe. The non-super Walmart by me has a big bulb selection and has the spiral cfl's. They are about $6 or $7 each. And the brand is 'Lights of America.' Don't go by the 'equals 85 watts!' You have to go by the actual watts used. As your plant gets bigger, you want to add bulbs optimally getting to using enough bulbs to equal 100 or so actual watts used. You can use less tho but figure on eventually using (3) 35 watt bulbs. At least this I how I figure really, it is the amount of lumens you use but 100w per sq. foot is in the ballpark of what is best. If you have enough cash for two bulbs, I would buy only one and use the remaining cash to buy a 3 gallon pot and then buying another bulb in two weeks. Your baby looks like it is ready to show 5 fingered leaves so that little cup is too small. You will be suprised how much root you will see whan you pop it out to transplant. Just transplant directly into the final size pot as going to a 1 gal pot and then trying to transplant that into a 3 gal size sucks trying to fill the dirt around the sides as there is not alot of room. I got the same problem in my basement with temps too...not much you can do unless you can afford/build a better fan system. As cody said, although 88 is high, it is no biggie if you watch how much water they need/use. Figure in Mexico or Jamaica, it gets alot hotter than 88 in the sun so its all good. Hope this makes sense hehe. Good job growing so far though! I am not familiar with Oasis but looks like strong Indica?
Thanks I was planning on waiting a week or so to transplant but with your urging and my gut feeling that the lack of growth may be root related I will transplant it into a 3-4 gallon pot. I read that Oasis will grow to about 4-5 feet tall which is reallllllly high and I'm guessing using LST will aid in keeping it a little shorter. Any good threads on LSTing? Updatish: I've added a 26 soft-white CFL (I had it just wasn't using it) and 2 48" 40W flouros (which have since been moved from the top of the 2.5' box since they were probably pointless at that height). Tomorrow I wil probably buy a daylight CFL in the highest Wattage i can find and a 3 or 4 gallon pot which I'll transfer it into tomorrow. I also plan on unghettofying my setup and preparing for a 55 inch plant. Would white paper work just as well as white paint as far as reflectivity is concerned? Thanks for all the comments tomorrow night I'll have a pic of the plant .
Well today I went out and got some new and improved things. I bought a 5 gallon bucket, put some water seepage holes on the bottom and filled it with the rest of my Miracle Grow Moisture Control soil, Perlite, and Scott's Potting soil with added phosphorus (it was the one iwth the least added nutes). I also bought 1 48" 40Watt daylight deluxe (6500 K color temp) bulb. I transplanted my baby into the soil mixture and watered it with a little over a cup of water. The lights are 1 42W CFL, 1 30W CFL, 2 48" flouros one soft white and the other the daylight deluxe. I put another box on top of my old one and did away with the aluminum foil and instead covered the walls in the whitest biggest paper I could find. I cut two holes into the top box one for the fan to blow into and the other so the flouros can poke through since they were a few inches taller than the 2 stacked boxes. Here are the latest pix of my baby. It's still only about 4 inches tall but is beginning its 3rd node is that ok? I did notice and EXTREMELY small amount of burning on two of the top leaves (each burn had the surface area of .3 mm^2) I figure it was because the 42 W CFL was pretty close to them and I can't get the temp below 88 its stays between 92-88. I've been putting some ice in front of the fan to help but it's hard to keep up with the melting. I had just sprayed my baby before taking these pix so that should explain any odd colors. The later pix are of the setup from the outside and the inside. This weekend I hope to get a Daylight CFL to add to or replace one of the CFLs I have now.
Wow, your box makes me smile. I especially like the painter's tape hehe. Hopefully you will see change for the better in a week or so from your improvements. I grow in my basement and actually use a white cardboard box for reflection but since I have all my basement windows blocked and don't go down there when the lights are off, my box is topless *wooo! hehe* which allows most of the heat to disapate into the room. Perhaps that in an idea if your box is sealed up tight? And Vokal is who taught me lst so the Col's link is great. If I remeber right, and I may not, he also played around with some all fluro grows but I think I am confusing him with Polski ... anyway seach for his journals for possible ideas; he also posted plans for a growbox designs and all sorts of stuff.
Day 18 (starting from the day I put the seed in some paper towels) My baby seems to have fully recovered from any transplant shock and is perking up and looking happy, hope yesterday's changes give it a growth spurt. I'll have another pic or two tomorrow. Lucian Thanks making that box took waaaaaay too long about 4 hours w/o good AC was painful but very gratifying. My box used to be topless (w00t Mardi Gras) but the temps were in the same vacinity and taking the top off the box may make it too unstable (it's barely standing now lol) but thanks for the advice. I'm hoping the fan + putting ice in front of the fan will keep it at a bareable temp. until Sept. when the heat should start lowering. Stoend The picture is deceptive the lights are as close as I can get them without burning the plant. I may move the furthest light to get a better angle but I don't think that wil do much.
If you are worried about burning them don't spray your leaves with water. Those little droplets make excellent lenses which focus the light and heat on specific spots on your leaves. You should be able to get your plants as close as 2 inch. Assuming you have 'proper' ventilation. I use 18W CFLs and 18W fluro-tubes. Due to my excellent ventilation, my leaves don't burn even at 1 inch distance @ 35 celcius.
Sorry to disagree, but water droplets do not cause burning! For it to burn the leaf would have to be a suficient distance from the lens, it is not...as an a side I was just reading your journal and notice that you mentioned Miracle kill, did I say that oops ment miracle grow. If its timed release you may want to get them out of it. Do a search on Miracle grow and you will see what I mean. I personally stay as far a way from there product as I can when it comes to my babies.
Thanks all for the suggestions, I will lay off the spraying the leaves just to be safe. I may spray it during the day and turn the lights off from 11-5 so that the heat isn't too bad and I'll give the baby a lil spray so she can cool off during the dark 6. I think I'll stay with hte miracle grow for now since it seems to be doing well and it worked fine with my last half grow (long story that's too uninteresting to tell here). The Scott's potting soil is timed released phosphorous . If I notice any problems I'll change both instantly though. Lucian, I will be ultra stoked if I can get a yield like that. I read that some yields from Oasis could be around 250 grams ( I think i remember that right) which is amazing, but I'm guessing that was a great setup with 400W HPS rather than my ghettoness lol.