My first grow and I've learned a lot thus far. Just wondering how my girls are doing as far as growth. I don't have any pics atm, but they are 4 weeks old tomorrow, from the date they popped their pretty little heads up, and range from 5"-7". They're looking pretty healthy from what I can tell, just wondering if that is a reasonable height considering I'm a total noob. I started them under 3 par38 led flood lights @ 6000k, 15 actual watts and 1200 lumens each (I know, way not enough light). A couple days ago I switched to cfl's, below is my current setup: Grow medium: fishy peat mixed with crushed growstone and perlite, currently in 5 gallon grow bags utilizing about 3 gallons. Lighting: 12 @ 23w cfl's, 8 @ 6500k and 4 @ 2700k in a diy reflector hood (made out of an old 4' x 4 tube florescent light fixture, hood size is approx 3' x 22", all the space I have). Running a 18/6 light schedule (was running 24/0 until a week ago). Grow space: 40"w, 24"l, 48"t Fan/ducting: one diy ducting fan (made from old hair dryer). 6 girls (hopefully), sprouted from bag seed Temps are staying 78-90 with lights on and dropping in the low 70's to high 60's with lights out. Humidity, now that I'm running the ducting fan, has been hanging 30-40%. Trying to get my humidity up, but it's pretty dry here and I run on wood heat so that just makes it worse. I'm growing strictly for personal use, and don't expect a lot of bud just trying to learn and improve as I go. I live off grid, so everything has to be simple and not create a lot of power draw. Saving up to buy some P300 LED's since I could run those off batteries/inverter and save on some generator gas. I've been perusing the forum and honestly have learned tons here, so thank you GC posters from both me and my girls. Will try and get some pics up later.
I noticed some brown spotting, and everything I read pointed to a mag deficiency so I started them on some cal-mag, also have been having a hard time getting ph under 7 so I picked up some pH down and lay watering watered them with it and the cal-mag, water was at a pH 6 so hopefully that'll help. Have a run of the mill analog pH meter, but it'll only pH the soil. Have pH paper for the water but can't pH my run-off water as the soil discolors it too much. Hoping to get a better probe so I can pH the run-off water soon but that's my options on my current budget.
They're all looking a little droopy, but they all just got transplanted so I'm not worried about them. 5 were done yesterday and the middle front was today since I had to get more perlite. The lights are 2"-3" above the canopy, should I raise them a bit? The bottom pic just shows the top of my diy reflector hood, 8 light fixtures (2 outer front are clamp ons without the reflectors as I ran out of light fixtures, will finish those once I'm not using this light). The center back and front, and the two in the middle row have doublers in them. What do ya think?
They looking very nice, a little on the small side but nothing too bad. Those lights will not be sufficient for flowering, though!
They've been starving for light, my poor girls, actually giving 3 to a friend so I'll be able to concentrate more light on just 3 myself. Planning on going another 2-3 weeks before I flower, hoping to have my led by then so I can make them a bit happier. Led over with cfl's in clamp lights from the sides for extra light. Like I said, totally ghetto, low budget, and not expecting a lot except knowledge. Do you think, if I can't get my led by flower time that 12 of the 23w cfl's would be enough for just 3? I have 4 spots I could put doublers in still, so that could push me up to 16- 23w.
I figured they were a little small, of course when I transplanted I buried part of the stalk as I had a high humidity issue for a while and got lots of the root bumps up the stock so I know there'll be roots higher now, probably buried over an inch on each. Also had them super light deprived for a long time so they were growing pretty slow.
Ended up giving all but one away. The one I kept I've been putting outside in a really small greenhouse and in a window inside to grow in natural light. The one I kept looks to be a girl, lady parts on the sixth node from what I can tell, still no internodes though. Of the ones given away only one male, five out of six from bag seed ain't bad, kinda makes me wonder if I now have nothing but male seeds left, lol.