Question about first grow in space bucket with bag seed

MackMcMacMac

MackMcMacMac

Well-Known Member
Photo of the Month
June 2018
Hi! New member here. :)

I started my first grow using bag seed, so I don't know yet if I've got a female or whether it's autoflowering or photoperiod. I'm using a 5-gal space bucket set-up with 4x 23w CFLs (18/6) & supersoil (I have a 180w UFO LED ready to go for flowering). It's coming up on 2 weeks into the vegetative stage (~4 weeks from sprouting), and I've been training with LST.

I'm wondering how long I should let it grow before going 12/12. Because of space constraints, I thought maybe 2-3 weeks in vegetative, max. If it's autoflowering and not ready to start making buds yet, will the reduced light cause problems? Any advice?

:Namaste:
 
Hi MMMM -- I don't understand your time accounting. Vegetative stage starts at germination, so maybe your plant is four weeks old? If so, examine the nodes carefully. If it's an autoflower, chances are it will have preflowers by four weeks from seed. If not, it's probably a photoperiod plant.

As for how long to stay in veg, if "worst case" (best case?) the plant triples in size during its flowering stretch, you'll want to go to 12/12 before it gets to 1/3 of your maximum growing area.

BTW, four 23-watt CFLs will support growth, but you are not going to get anything like the yield possible with that little light. (I'll bet your plant already looks kind of spindly.) You would want at least twice that much light even for a small plant. (If you look at the link to the hydro grow in my sig file, you'll see that I grew a 14" tall dwarf with about 200 watts.)

A 180 watt LED probably has 90 watts true power, so even with that, you could probably use more light. In any case, it's probably time to turn on that LED immediately.

Good luck and have fun! :)
 
Scientific said:
Hi MMMM -- I don't understand your time accounting. Vegetative stage starts at germination, so maybe your plant is four weeks old? If so, examine the nodes carefully. If it's an autoflower, chances are it will have preflowers by four weeks from seed. If not, it's probably a photoperiod plant.

As for how long to stay in veg, if "worst case" (best case?) the plant triples in size during its flowering stretch, you'll want to go to 12/12 before it gets to 1/3 of your maximum growing area.

BTW, four 23-watt CFLs will support growth, but you are not going to get anything like the yield possible with that little light. (I'll bet your plant already looks kind of spindly.) You would want at least twice that much light even for a small plant. (If you look at the link to the hydro grow in my sig file, you'll see that I grew a 14" tall dwarf with about 200 watts.)

A 180 watt LED probably has 90 watts true power, so even with that, you could probably use more light. In any case, it's probably time to turn on that LED immediately.

Good luck and have fun! :)
Click to expand...

Many don't consider the plant in veg until it shows its first set of true leaves. For example when the seed sprouts they'll consider it the germination stage when all it has is the cotyledons up until it has a full set of leaves. But I have also seen others who just wait a week or two before calling it the veg stage... just a each their own type of ordeal definitely not uncommon though just everyone does it different.. just like when you flip to 12/12 everyone considers the first true budding day a different day damn near. Lol
 
Thanks much for the replies! Yah, like Death says, I wasn't counting the two weeks after sprouting as "vegetative." The site I started learning from considers that "seedling" stage. But in any event, Saturday will be 4 weeks since she poked her head up out of the dirt. :)

I haven't seen any prebud type of growth yet. If she's photoperiod, then yay.

I'll get my LED light top set up ASAP. (I'd have done it last night, but the choices were: use my dull pocketknife to cut through the plastic bucket or smoke some weed. LOL) I was afraid the 180-watt LED would be too intense in that bucket. (A friend has a 2x2x4 grow tent with a 600-watt LED and he fried his plants.)

One of the benefits of using a space bucket is that if I need more height, just get more buckets. Width is the biggest challenge so far. There's not much room for her.

This is her at three weeks. I've trimmed some outer fan leaves to let more light get to the lower nodes.

21_days_old.jpg
 
LED light top is set up. I hope it's not too close. I haven't measured yet, but I'd guess maybe 15-18" above the canopy. Does that seem reasonable for a 180w lamp? I can get a couple more buckets if it needs to be farther up. Thanks!
 
I'd suggest starting with the manufacturer's recommendation, though a 180 isn't very intense. (Bear in mind that the area right under the light is the most intense--they're not as even as you might think.)
 
I have a handful of different space buckets I've been using and they have 300w equivalent leds (60-80w @ the wall) and I put seedlings in them 1-2 weeks after they pop out. I've noticed they seem to keep tighter node spacing with the LEDs than when I had cfls. I just recently put a 200w eq c.o.b. in one and was very happy with the veg growth from that. I haven't flowered one with it yet though. I would suggest flipping yours soon the stretch kills you in a bucket. The plus side to the LEDs I have had mine end up as close as 8 inches after stretch and it was all good. Good luck.
 
Thanks, TB! I noticed that after just a few hours under the 180w LED, the plant's newest "baby" growth started to lighten considerably. I was afraid I was hurting her, so I went back to the CFL light top (it's so nice that the tops are interchangeable!) until I could get another bucket spacer to raise them up a bit. I plan to do that today -- it should put about 18-20" between current canopy and the LEDs.

Was I panicking for no reason? :)
 
Most likely. It may take a day or two for the plant to acclimate to the new light. It looks like your discolorations are most likely PH related. Its taking some playing around to find a feeding schedule / medium combo that doesn't create lockout problems for me. My medium seems to dry out faster than she drinks it.

Mine are slightly interchangeable, I'll try to post a pic
 
The pH meter I got was wonky and hard to read, so I got some litmus paper. The tap water I'd been giving her measured 7, but the purified water I drink is 6, so I'll give her that from now on.

Since she's 4 weeks old today, I started the 12/12 light cycle today. :slide:
 
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