Sorta newb here! need some help

swift196

Active Member
Hey every1.. This is my second time at this, the first time I grew 1. Started it in doors, then moved it outside. I didn't really take care of it inside but once i moved it out and added some home made nutes(bird droppings and other random things), the plant flourished. Later to be taken by the pigs!!

Now i obtained some seeds of Triple A Jack ( what i was told). Out of 5 seeds 4 are doing well surpriseingly. I have constructed a box about 1.5' tall 2' wide and 1.5' deep. Lined it with foil and i got 1x13watt cfl.. I know i need way more light, but how much is the ?.. I can get a 400w hps but is that too much for 4?? Is it better to stick to cfl?? Also it says on the box of bulbs that its 825 lumens.. I was reading a bit on cfl and 6500k or 2400k?? it says nothing on my box about spectrums..The babies seem to be doing fine! A nice light green color and standing strong.. I'm using tap water with a spray bottle and im spraying around the stem... Any pointers for another 1st timer??
 

frostythesnowthug

Well-Known Member
Its your call bro... you can use CFLs all thru the grow if you wish, or you can use the 400w..
Firstly, you might wanna remove the foil lining and paint the inside FLAT white,not shiny.
Foil can create some pretty amazing hotspots in your grow area and burn your plant..Flat white paint is much better or try to find some mylar..If you insist on using foil, ensure you use the least shiny side.

Lights:- i'd say itll prolly get hella hot in a space that small if you use a hps...I'm sure there guys here who have used hps in that sized grow area, who will advise you on it..

so far as cfls go, DITCH the 13w asap..Go to the store and get the highest wattage CFLs you can find.
Walmart and home depot stock CFLs that are 42w..which is perfect for your needs..
In short, you want as many cfls of the highest wattage you can find and in the CORRECT spectrums for each operation during the grow.

For Vegging - Try to find bulbs that are marked as "DAYLIGHT", these are perfect, they have the correct 6500k color,that contain more blue light that the plants use during growth (look on the sides of the cfl box, the 'k' rating will be on there somewhere..)
Alternatively, you can use bulbs marked as "COOL WHITE"..These will work too, just not soo great as the daylight bulbs...I think the cool white bulbs are around marked up around 3500k-4500k..

For Flowering - Use the highest wattage bulbs available to you that are marked as "WARM WHITE" with a 2700k rating (again this will be on the packaging)

If you cant find 42w cfls, you can use the 20/26w bulbs too, you will just want an extra 1 or 2 in the grow space.... i'd figure on 4 cfls (WITH REFLECTORS~MAKE YOUR OWN THERE ARE TUTORIALS IN THE DIY SECTION) to start decent vegging...once they get taller and bushier,and the lower leaves start getting shaded, start adding extra lighting..
Then when youre ready to flower, swap the bulbs over to warm white and change the timer schedule.
CFLs emit most of their light from the sides, so try to get light fittings that will allow you to hang/fix the bulbs horizontally..Reflectors are a REALLY good idea too, to stop light wastage...Also Cfls's need to be positioned no more than 1"-1.5" from the leaves/canopy.

ps dont really need to be misting the plant yet,just water it the regular way....make sure you let the tap water stand for a coupla days before ya use it, or you'll be feeding your plants Chlorine..I use bottled mineral water that is ph7..
Do you PH test your water??
 

swift196

Active Member
Thanks for the reply..! Well i made some mods to my box... first i turned it upright so it stands about 2 feet tall now. I went to the hardware store and i bought 1 y connector that plugs two cfls, so now i got 3 in the box. 1 24w cfl and 2 13w.. I placed them on a horizantal power bar.. Way more light!! lol They didnt have anymore y connectors so tomorrow i have to go to another place.. As for cfls i will try to get the most powerful ones tomorrow.. For now the babies look happy, they are about 3-5" tall. 1 of them has six leaves, the others have 4. Still a nice light green color ( but not too light )
on them.. standing straight and look healthy. As for water I have 2 big pitchers on stand by.. I have not ph tested because i dont have a tester, I dont have that much cash to work with so is there any cheap ways to do this?? Have you ever heared of the strain triple a jack?? .. I had bought some stuff with a friend and we found them in the buds. It was very very good stuff, so i'm hoping it will come out nice.. I'll try to get some pics to show you what they are looking like..

Till tomorrow then!
Thanks alot
 

swift196

Active Member
Correction.. I replaced both 13wcfls by 24w cfls. Still no sign of the spectrum on box.. the 24w say 1600 lumens.. no k's... They are about 1.5" away from the babies.. They seem to like the new addition!! I water every 3 days, but not to much.. This might seem ghetto but i dont have a timer.. I am the timer.. Right now there running 18/6 on my clock. lol. Seems to be doing fine for now..... any suggestions??
 
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