I didn't read the whole thread but I never understand why people say any amount of light on a seedling is too much, they grow naturally in sunlight the most intense light you can get.. why would seedlings not be able to handle 12 CFLs if they can handle sunlight?
Yeah I thought so too, the difference being with mine though, was that it wasn't the light (lumen output) but instead the heat ouput by said lights. My grow cab once spiked at 100F And not to mention lack of proper air circulation and things like that. Anyways, long story short, In my case when nursing young seedlings I will use no more than 2x26w CFLs until they are strong enough for my cab. Though, now that my temps are regulated ... I might try again with at least one seedling and see if i get the same problems.
Lasko 655702 - Three-Speed High-Velocity Blower Fan, Black and Yellow bite the bullet, I got one at wally world today for 18$ on winter clearance, usually run 45$ i put it next to the cab without even my exhaust finished and temps dropped to 78 ish. Don't put bags over your children heads... then the heat has no way to escape... When i want to nuke chicken, without it loosing its moisture in the microwave.. i leave it in a zip lock bag with the edges cut off... that sucker nukes up warm through and juicy in under 2 minutes, to the point where i can't eat it its too hot... If your cab is spiking at 100+ and you have bags over your little girls heads... think of the chicken analogy, its probably 200+ in those bags... wich is making the air even hotter with no way out. If the soil is the issue, you may just want to dump and start over, as this issue will be persistant throughout
Thanks for tip will look into it. Though right now my 6" desk fan seems to be working fine. The real problem for me I found out was my DIY reflector (wood painted flat white) was too close to the lights and was driving temps up like mad. Once moved higher my temps came back down under control. Take it as my lesson learned. I would agree. I am currently germing three more seeds and have acquired some soil without nutes. Will see how they turn out. An update of sorts here are the infamous six now. Three have been badly singed and stressed and the other three look ... well ... at least they look a lot better than the former three. Random side note: I'm thinking of naming them after famous female pilots once any become confirmed females.
Okay, I've decided that I am going to transplant my plants to bigger containers this weekend. I did go out and purchase some soil without time release nutes in them. My question is this; Which soil should I use in my new pos? The MG time release soil, or the fert-less soil. Since I already used the MG soil would it cause further nute burn if I use it again? Or are the plants going to be hardy enough to withstand them now? But, if I use the fert-less soil, will that cause stunted growth as well? Will post updated pics of babies as soon as I take them (soon).
Posting updated pics of the girls (weell hopefully they're girls). Side Note: I can def. tell the differnce between the 2700k and 6500k lights, In one plant I have 6500K on one side and a 2700k on the other; needless to say the plant's side with the 6500k is doing much better. Its the plant that is growing all retarded and you can def. tell which side is which. I am planning on transplanting this weekend. Any tips are appreciated. Also is it normal for the plants to start stinking already?? A couple smell dank as hell.
hey glad to see their doing well, the difference in light spectrums dont effect growth all to much, using the 27k's only in veg makes the plant stretch a more than they would but with a mix like u got you wont really see much difference than from using all 65k's for veg, although a mix is better IMO ps you think they stink now your gonna have a shock once u flower lol, but yea its normal so many people say they smell as seedlings, mine never have though
Thanks mills, I still kick myself for not having listened to you about the zippy humidifiers, oh well. I guess you live and learn eh? However, with that being said, if you look again at the first pic in the set I posted, you can notice that the left side of the plant looks decidedly different than the right side of the plant. This is what I was talking about, you don't think it has anything to do with the lights? Believe you me, I can't wait!
yea it prob could be, i think i worded it wrong before as its not like theres no difference(my mistake lol), i only said that as ive seen some videos of some experiments using only 27k's & only 65k's i was surprized at the lack of difference between them obviously wasent sientifically fair experiment but was interesting to watch lol anyway im rambleing on, on a side note does your soil have any drainage/airation in it like perlite?
Damn, good question, I'm glad you brought that up. When I first started these plants in solo cups I did not use any perlite whatsoever. This is part of the reason I want to hurry up and transplant to bigger pots this weekend, so I can also include perlite in to the mix, as I realize it is very important. How should I go about doing that? My question is because I realize that when transplanting the solo cups I will be moving the original soil without perlite into the new mixed pot with perlite. Will this cause problems? The reason I ask is because now the soil closest to the plant (which came from the solo cup) will have no perlite, yet the soil around the edges of the pot (new soil with perlite) will have perlite. Will this cause problems or am I over analyzing this?
nope no problem at all dude i did that exact same thing for my mate, as he didnt use any perlite, the roots will just grow out into the new soil just as usual the old bit of soil with no perlite is no worrie as they gonna be growing into all that new soil
Okay, so today I transplanted three of the biggest plants into much larger pails, maybe 2 gals? Will find out later and update. Transplanting went well, actually glad I did it a bit earlier than I wanted to initally, as I had one which was really close to being rootbound. I tried to loosen the root mass at the bottom of the pot a little before putting it in the new pot. Not much to see here, I hope the plants will really start to ramp up their growth a bit now that they have more room to grow. When will it be safe to start adding nutes to the babies? How do I add nutes? Remember my soil (MG Organic) already has continuous release ferts. in it.
i grow w/ MG all the time, you dont want to add nutes for AT LEAST a month maybe even 2. they look like they're doing fine in that soil now that you've learned what you were doing wrong.. they do look a lil stretched. my suggestion would be to move the lights closer to the top of the plants in the larger pots and set the smaller ones still in the cups in the gaps between the pots. you want the lights no closer than 2-3 inches from the top of the plants. and you may want to add some supplimental lighting on the sides, as it helps em get bushier... the more light the better, just remember more light means more heat, so you'll either need to turn that fan up or add another one. but they're looking good so far.
Thanks for the comments samiel, yeah I def. need to move the lighting array down like 3-5". The problem is that I used the built in railing system in my closet which are spaced around 8-12" apart. So I need to install some hooks in between each rail so I have more leeway over the height adjustment of my lighting setup. 'm heading out to my local Mega-lo-Mart tomorrow and get some screw in hooks. Thanks for the heads up on the MG soil too, so I will continue to water and watch cloesly. I am also going to get a ph meter or some sort, this weekend as I realize you can only cross your fingers and *hope* to have a good grow without one. How bad is the stretching, be honest ....
they're a little tall for being what 2-3 weeks old? oh and another thing, if you cant move the lights simply put something under the pots to raise the whole plant up. ive got a sprout that is about 4 days old and it may stick up about a 1/2 inch out of the top of the soil. ive got a 2700k 23w cfl about an inch way from the top of the plant and 2 23w 6500k's about 4-6 inches away from the plant, the 2 6500k's are in 8 inch reflectors so i cant get em much closer than they already are. most people dont realize that MG has ph buffers mixed in the soil. as long as water you're using isnt above a 7-8 ph you should be fine. personally i use rain water to water with. the ph is perfect and lately ive had almost an endless supply of it. as for the stretching, once you get the light closer they should start to fill out. they look ALOT better than the first set of pics you posted. oh and only water em every 3-4 days. you want them to kinda be thirsty before you water them. when the leaves droop just a little give em water. they'll perk back up within 10-30 mins of watering them.... honestly ive seen alot of people on here treat their plants like a pet. feeding and watering everyday... they forget that its a plant.. if you have any houseplants around you'll know what im talking about. oh and aquaglobes are a good investment too... they'll let you stretch out the watering time and also let you stretch the feedings too.
hey Stankopolis there looking good, you got no worrie from a little bit of stretching, the fan will strengthen the stems, but if it does bother you just plant them a bit deeper when you have to repot so the soil levels a bit higher thus making your plant no longer stretched
Of course, <smacks forehead>. It's funny because I've seen simillar problems on threads here and always said to myself, "just move the pots if you can't move the lights." Guess it's always obvious when it's not your problem, eh? That's great news. Honestly, just been using tap water that I let sit for 2-3 days. Thanks, moved my pots up closer to the CFLs, hope will help with the stretching. Also got a 6 pack of 23wattt CFLs @ 6500k. Will have all 6500ks in the grow cab. I plan on vegging for a month and a half or when they start to show sex, whichever is first.
id say they 'should' show after about a month(dont hold me to that lol), ive read alot that it very common for them to not show sex untill there flowered, but most plants that ive vegged for over a month have shown sex, come to mention it i noticed a blue cheese plant of mine showing sex to day, she was planted on 2nd oct not sure how long shes been showing though lol