1st Time Growing with CFLs . Need Help !

ChiefsitandChief

Active Member
Thank you Chief and Calicatt
I'm getting more and more excited . soaked another NL seed 24hrs and into the soil it went last nite. Still waiting for her to sprout , so High Hopes is going to have a baby sister :))
However ... I realized yesterday that I need to flip her and the new seedling to flowering next week , If I want to finish them by the time I have to move out of here sooo.... I'm kind of bummed about that. Is it ok for a seedling to spend about a week with 24/0 light cycle and go 12/12 ?
Yes and you could start her from sprout if you wanted to...
 

ChiefsitandChief

Active Member
thanks Chief , quick question mate : How long did your NL take from switching to 12/12 till the harvest ?
I'm moving out of here sometime in April and Nirvana says the flowering time is 7-9 weeks..
About 9 1/2 weeks but that's because I was going for a 50/50 milky amber so you may not want that and you may be able to pull earlier.
 

Dabolili

Active Member
High Hopes . Day 20 20.jpg IMAG1135.jpg
Gave her nutes today for the first time.
Tomorrow 12/12 flip . YaY

Her baby sis 2 days old : IMAG1136.jpg
tiny fuqing thing :)
 

Dabolili

Active Member
Update :
High Hopes . Day 21 .
21.jpg The first day of 12/12

How low can temps get at night cycle without having to worry ?
I live in NorthEast ... brrrrr
I can leave a humidifier ON overnight but it has this weird red looking light coming out of it and it might fuq with my plants
 

333maxwell

Active Member
Temps before flowering.. probably still want to keep it at LEAST in the low 60's at night .. most strains will adapt no worries but not much lower if you can help it. Although once you flower the difference in night and day temps can cause some real issues and slow phosphorus uptake to nil. She's a hardy plant, I've had her live through snow storms.. she's also finicky and once a whole crop dies on me just because I looked at it wrong.. you know the drill.

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I haven't read this entire thing yet.. and this is just advice, take it or leave it.. I'm just another cat with anecdotal experience, certainly maybe apply some next time if you fancy anyway.. I did have dozens of these CFL grows under my belt over the years.

Just put ONE single 25-28 (whatever, low watt, more than 15) 6500k (some have good results with 5000 and some go 2700 from start to finish.. the best results I get for new growth is 6500's) about 3 inches above it (or bring the plant up to the light) and continue to veg it under that one light until it grows out of the space and then give it two bulbs.. add lights as she's ready for them.... too much light is a waste of money, bulb life and has no added benefit for at least a few weeks.

I LST and pinch em down, so everyone's mileage will vary.. For instance, been awhile, but I vegged under one of these (don't laugh too hard, I know it is ghetto.. it is supposed to be ghetto, I take great pride in my household grows using common household items.. it very much fit my space and living space at the time)
and just stuck em under a chair 24/7
for around 3 weeks of bending, tying, training time. This
was vegged under just two bulbs in just over 3 weeks, ready to rock and roll. This is the day she was to be transplanted, adjusted and soon stuck into the flower from vegging under two 6500k 28 watt bulbs. I probably could of got her under stronger light a bit sooner, but I wanted to keep it slowed down while I waited for room in the flower box to replace it with.


All I'm trying to say is ya.. no need for so much light, you can do a LOT with a little. People ask me how many grams I get per watt (which is silly) but the first 3/4's of it's veg time is under a 28 watt bulb.


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Same goes with flowering.. if I have no other in the box and I am flowering the one plant or even a few smaller ones, I start out with half the light I will end up with and exponentially increase it. I started flowering the plant in the picture under about 100 real watts of of 6500k and 60 real watts of 2700 k, and by the time she is done she is surrounded by 350 watt's or more.. I add them as the plant tells me it's time. If I were to flower right under the 350 watts, the leaves will get yellow quick upon flower no matter how much nitrogen you pump into her (to a point). For the longest time I thought this was because of too little light at the bottom.. turns out it was the plant eating it's self because in transition to flower, CFL's are more powerful than they get credit for. Once I backed off the CFL's and added them only as needed, the plants grew better and stayed greener.

Then again, I am growing tiny 8 inch tall plants that will put out 3-4 zips manicured at the end. 300 watts of CFL in a 1.5x1.5 space right over a canopy that is in full flower is a LOT more light than folks give it credit for. Back off on the lights when in doubt.. even CFL's..


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Sorry for the prattling rhetoric.. I can be windy.. just trying to help.. but I certainly am just one guy and one way.. good luck in however way you adapt to..


Peace~!
 

Dabolili

Active Member
High Hopes . Day 22 . Day 2 since 12/12 . 22.jpg
Her baby sis IMAG1145.jpg

Can I still top/fim after switching to 12/12 ? or that would be too much stress on her ?



 

calicatt79

Well-Known Member
She looks good :) I'm not sure if you should top/fimm now since you already switched to 12/12. I'm pretty sure they need time in veg to recover from the cut....I'd just let her go au natural! One big GIANT cola :)
 

calicatt79

Well-Known Member
you can cover the red light on your dehumidifier with electrical tape :)

I'm in NE too, and my temps can get as low as 65 before I start to worry. You can get a portable heater and put in on it's own timer to kick on when lights go out and just adjust the thermostat on it accordingly. That's been keeping my lights off temps at 70-80, and without it it can get 30 degrees in my closet :o
 

Dabolili

Active Member
She looks good :) I'm not sure if you should top/fimm now since you already switched to 12/12. I'm pretty sure they need time in veg to recover from the cut....I'd just let her go au natural! One big GIANT cola :)
I was over at your thread checking your girls out ... mmmm you're very close to harvest , no ? they look soooo yummy and I'm glad you're smoking some nice kush. I've seen mexi brick weed ..NO BUENO lol
thanks for reassuring me about not touching it now that I've put her to flowering. au natural it is . I also started another one 12/12 from seed :) If I get couple of grams off of her , It'll be worth it.

IMAG1148.jpgIMAG1149.jpg
Can't wait till she stretches a lil bit so I can fill up that pot with more soil . made a rookie mistake transplanting for the first time .lesson learned :)
That's High Hopes 23 days old . 3 days since 12/12 and her baby sis - Shithead - my assistant :) IMAG1143.jpg
 

calicatt79

Well-Known Member
LAMO Shithead....HAHAHA!!!

Yeah, things are really starting to swell up for me. The ladybuds on the NL are filling in nicely and my branches may need some bamboo reinforcements, which is always a good thing :)

Your soil is lookin GREAT btw :) I love me some clean lookin soil :)

I did a 12/12 from seed grow as a fun experiment and let her just go....she stretched out soooo much. Here she was in a teenie tiny pot at 6 weeks flower. I got about a zip from her too. She was a bean to a hermie from my first grow! She was some primo smoke :)
Here she is : Shorty Jr.....lol!
101_7028.jpg101_7031.jpg101_7036.jpg101_7037.jpg101_7050.jpg

and this was her as a baby:
101_6881.jpg

So your High Hopes sure is gonna get her stretch on real soon. She just needs some time to adjust and settle back in :)
 

Attachments

High Hopes . Day 22 . Day 2 since 12/12 . View attachment 2527678
Her baby sis View attachment 2527679

Can I still top/fim after switching to 12/12 ? or that would be too much stress on her ?



Shes looking very great/healthy , cant wait to see more .
and topping/fiming while in 12/12 could make her go hermi due to stress ... reveg her if ur gunna do that.

heres a link to my first CFL grow...
https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-fluorescent-lighting/625343-first-indoor-cfl-grow.html
 

Dabolili

Active Member
Shes looking very great/healthy , cant wait to see more .
and topping/fiming while in 12/12 could make her go hermi due to stress ... reveg her if ur gunna do that.

heres a link to my first CFL grow...
https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-fluorescent-lighting/625343-first-indoor-cfl-grow.html
thanks man , I will keep updating pretty much daily due to not having much else to do lol
I can't reveg because I'm moving out in april . no time to have veged longer , which I was going to do originally and scrog it or lst or whatnot
oh well , next time . )
 
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