Low Budget 1st Grow

[Bigmescan]

Hey whats up guys. 1st timer grower and proud parent of two 25 or so day old baby girls! (fingers crossed.) I didn't think I would have gotten them this far so I have to decide to call on the Grow Gods for some assistance.

These two plants are bag seed and of unknown origins. The smoke was good so I decided to try to make some more. Ok this is a small cabinet setup each plant has 1 23w daylight cfl with a hood about 3 inches away. From what I have read it sounds like they need more??? They are on a 18/6 schedule. They are only watered when needed with bottled water. The soil has the 3 month time release nutrients. Would it be a good idea to transplant to clean soil and add nutrients myself? I don't know temps,ph,humidity, or any other important fact I probably should know, but hey I'm on a low budget so Ill do what I can. I have uploaded pics of setup and the girls. Just waiting for approval.

Any comments,suggestions, or heckles will be welcomed and appreciated. Maybe we can get these girls to the end. But now its time to smoke a bowl!

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

hey man, you should def get two more lights..the plants will appreciate it...as for changing the soil as long as the plants are growing healthy theres no reason to put them through the shock of a move... also just for reference your soil Ph should be at 6.5 and keep the humidity at like 60% i'd say

Should the lights be the same as the ones I have now? Or would it be better to get something brighter?

 

[TheSickness]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

I don't know man, those plant are about the size of my seedlings when they were 1 week old, but I grow in rockwool and I have 6 26w cfls and 1 42w cfl. The big advantage of cfls is that they do not produce very much heat so you can put them an inch or even less from the tops. what type of ventalation do you have on them?

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Thanks skunk!

Sickness as of now there is no ventilation set up besides the fact I open the cabinet doors and let breathe a couple of times a day. This wasn't really a planned grow, just kinda using what I have available. The size of these seedlings is my concern also. I have read quite a few grow logs and others plants at about a month old are mutants compared to mine. Do you think they will hit a growth spurt when I add a couple of more lights??

 

[TheSickness]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

I had an indica thawas only 5" tall for 3weeks then it hit a huge spert and actually caught up to it's sisters(~18"). But they were under high levels of light the whole time. If you can turn the lights horizontally they will be a little more efficient. Put a fan on them, or else the stems will be very thin, thicker stems will allow nutrients to get to the tops and nodes easier, also thin stems will be unable to support buds. if your on a buget get the fan first, that way you'll get some heathy branches and a good heathy stalk. Then get some more cfls.

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Hopefully I can get a both lights and fan today. If not at least the fan and see how it does. Also if plants continue at this rate how long before flowering and what kind of lights for this particular setup?

 

[QnxGanja]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Pretty good for a low budget grow ;]

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Ok I switched light setup from vertical to horizontal and I have added a small fan. I have noticed some quick growth in the last two days, but for some odd reason one side of plant #2 is growing faster than the other. Is this normal?

From side view plant looks like it is growing at a 45 degree angle.

Top view the leaf on the left side is double the size from the one on the right. Plus all the new sprouts at branches are growing faster.

 

[TheSickness]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Thats normal, a plant will rarly grow straight up.

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Ok it's been a couple of days and plants are actually growing pretty quick. I had a slight problem with the lighting. The screw that keeps the light at an angle was loose when I set it and it leaned right into the top leaves and gave my baby a little burn. Luckily I went back to double check the timer and caught it before it totally damaged her. Oh and I was able to get a 150w hps bulb from a friend and realized its not gonna work without the proper ballast. Should I try to find a ballast cheap and used to plug into or just go with the cfls for flowering?

Here are some pics of the progress so far.

This the one that got burned. Most of the damage is on the new leaf on top and slightly on bigger leaf to the left.

Side View of Plant #2

Top View of Plant #1

Side View of Plant #1

 

[TheSickness]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

mmmmmmmm, they're looking better, but you really do need more lights as well as reflective siding. People say aluminum foil is a terrible relflective surface, but it's better than nothing and as long as you don't let it crinkle. Is it 'less than legal' to grow where you live?

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

mmmmmmmm, they're looking better, but you really do need more lights as well as reflective siding. People say aluminum foil is a terrible relflective surface, but it's better than nothing and as long as you don't let it crinkle. Is it 'less than legal' to grow where you live?

Yeah I've read tons of thread and how most say foil is no good but I put some up yesterday just because it was my only alternative. But hey this is a learning process and I am going to have a lot more knowledge for when I decide to go Pro like you guys. Yeah I would say it would be just a tad "less than legal" to grow here.

 

[HHGreenHand]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

DEF need a bit more light, espescially if you plan on getting any bud out of that baby. Reflective wall surfaces and VENTILATION! I would guess that the length of the stems initially was due to the heat inside the cabinet. They stretch, generally, to evaporate more water with more surface and thustly cooling them. Also, the gentle breeze of a fan will circulate air and when moving the plant, will cause the stem to thicken and the plant to be a bit bushier and shorter than tall.

 

[CharlieMopps]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

DEF need a bit more light, espescially if you plan on getting any bud out of that baby. Reflective wall surfaces and VENTILATION! I would guess that the length of the stems initially was due to the heat inside the cabinet. They stretch, generally, to evaporate more water with more surface and thustly cooling them. Also, the gentle breeze of a fan will circulate air and when moving the plant, will cause the stem to thicken and the plant to be a bit bushier and shorter than tall.

Good info right there for the novice grower.

 

[Smokin Moose]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

I have to admit I have used foil to trap light around the sativa pheno I am finishing off. Necessity is the mother of invention IMO.

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Thanks for all the info guys. I will get this down sooner or later. Cant' wait till I can post some pics of some real ladies. It will be real nice when I can get the funds to do it properly.

 

[RooRman]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Your plants look very healthy, just don't expect them to flower huge with the CFLs. Stronger lights in the right spectrum are what cause plants to bud massively so don't be disappointed if you harvest less than what you expected.

Your doing a excellent job for a first timer and you should be proud of whatever you do harvest off them.

 

[HHGreenHand]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

I am a novice. But I am also a CFL grower. They are useful, cheap lights. However, they do not provide a direct, floodlight-like spectrum. Direct all light down. Your plant needs light over every angle to be bushy and full. That what you want with your area. A ScrOG may be in order, also. I wish I had cabinet space like that...

 

[Bigmescan]

Re: Low Budget 1st Grow.

Alright its been a few days and I have kinda switched up the game plan. I have put one of these plants under straight sunlight, and the under the cfl's. They are both on a 12/12 schedule. The one getting the direct sunlight is starting to stretch more and the stem is a tree trunk compared to a few days ago. The other one is getting there, just growing slower. I have had added 2 150w added to the 4 23w I have now and when timer comes on in the morning I should have pure sunlight coming out of my cabinet. The only thing I am worried about is the temperature. I do have a small fan in there but if doors stay closed its just going to be circulating hot air. I do have a therm. So I'll check about an hour after lights come on and see how hot is going to be. Here are some pics of the one getting sunlight.