Custom growbox and progression using CFL's

[FLOWER PIMP]

Yeah, temps are dropping here too. It was 31 when I went out to the box, and it was a nice 75 degrees inside the grow box. My heater wasn't running either, which means it probably doesn't run very much because of how well the grow box is insulated.

Just keep monitoring your temps . You still might want to think about a space heater while the lights are off though. That way the temps don't get to lower during "night time".

I think my PH is to high and not acidic enough, I have a PH around 7.5. I may add some bloom ferts to increase the acidity and hopefully help with flowering. That, air exchange, and possibly a new screen soon.

this is exactly what i was thinking today on the way to work. I'm not sure about how the plant will like 88 degree days and 40 degree nights. i would assume thats a bit too much change.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

i have reread a bit and see you have a few mentions of picking up and hps. is this still a consideration? being that i'm on day 2 of mine, i would recommend it to any one who is considering and surely before outfitting with more cfl's. your electric sitution should be solid as well as the heater and hps wont run at the same time, as you mentioned above.

how is that flowering comming along???

 

[mary.chiva]

i have reread a bit and see you have a few mentions of picking up and hps. is this still a consideration? being that i'm on day 2 of mine, i would recommend it to any one who is considering and surely before outfitting with more cfl's. your electric sitution should be solid as well as the heater and hps wont run at the same time, as you mentioned above.

how is that flowering comming along???

Yeah, once I get the electric worked out, then I'll go for an air cooled HPS. For now, it's this box and CFL's.

Flowering...:: sigh :: it's not coming, yet. Since I moved the box to a darker place on Sunday and rearranged things, I'm hoping she starts soon. There are little TINY 'growths' at some of the nodes, but nothing like the pictures I keep drooling over on every one else's threads. It sure isn't the same speed as everyone else, I'll tell you that much.

I plan to do a decent sized nycd/lowryder grow soon. I just need the seeds.

Hopefully I get something by the weekend. I'm going insane!

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

i would almost bet that hps would bring em out a bit more quickly.

not sure 100%, i would imagine that lower light levels could make the plant flower slower. review your amps and see if you could fit that hps in. don't bother air cooling at first since you are outside. the heater will only run when it is off and that is a good thing. thinking back i bet your still plenty good with the amps.

are you feeding any nutes?
do you still have that screen up?

 

[mary.chiva]

i would almost bet that hps would bring em out a bit more quickly.

not sure 100%, i would imagine that lower light levels could make the plant flower slower. review your amps and see if you could fit that hps in. don't bother air cooling at first since you are outside. the heater will only run when it is off and that is a good thing. thinking back i bet your still plenty good with the amps.

are you feeding any nutes?
do you still have that screen up?

I'm sure your right about the HPS flowering the plant quicker, a lot of people say that. I really want to get one, and probably will very soon (I just need to scrounge up the money). I think my electrical setup is actually fine if I replace the CFL's with the HPS...I'd only have an increase of about 150 watts. I may get one and try to air cool it after the fact like you suggested, but I can almost guarantee that I'd have to exhaust hot air. Even without the blankets on top my box the heat stays in pretty well (I guess it's the 3/4 inch plywood).

The nutes that I have been using have really just been mushroom compost (mixed in with the original soil) and I've added a top layer of earthworm castings twice. I'm sure there is plenty of food for this girl to eat, but I've been debating picking up some Fox Farm Big Bloom anyhow.

Yeah, the screen is still up. I think the screen is 'ok', the pictures just make it look like there is a loss of light, but if you are in the box and under the screen, it's freakin' bright, seriously, plus the plants grow towards the light. Regardless, I still may change the screen to the more open poultry netting, but it has to wait till the weekend. I don't really have more than a few minutes each morning to work in the box since I have to go to work. I have a lot more time on the weekends.

Saturday will be a good day in the grow box . I'm installing a fan to bring in fresh air, possibly changing the screen (if I go to the store to get some), and probably adding some Fox Farm. I also need to make a better door set on a hinge...but that will probably be the following weekend.

Oh yeah...I checked my breaker box and everything in there is a 20 amp. In fact, there is a 60amp breaker in there, I need to figure out what circuit it's hooked to. I'll figure out soon which breaker controls the building, just haven't had the time. Even still, it's definitely set on a 20amp breaker though, whether the building's circuit is shared with something else in the house....well, that's what I have to figure out. For now, I'm fine, and I bet I could buy that HPS. Neeeeed to get the cash .

 

[mary.chiva]

Well, my temps were 77 this morning, nice.

New symptom...probably same issue...::sigh:: one of the strong branches was drooping this AM....but the soil was dry, so I watered. If the droopiness doesn't go away during tomorrow's AM check, then the problem probably IS light not penetrating the screen enough. I'm just going to plan to replace the screen with poultry netting. I'm going to pick some up on the way home from work.

I'm also going to the hydro shop during my lunch break to price HPS'. I know what I can get one for online, but they have a good selection at the local place and usually are competitive.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

i checked all over for a good price on those things. i like seeing touching and feeling before i buy. but couldn't find one to compare to HTGSUPPLy.com, make sure to at least check them out. there ggrrrrrreeeaatttt.

also, is there a way you can turn your box on its side so the plant can grow straight up with supporting lights on the top and side??

also, if vertical size is an issue. have you thought about "cloning" and taking as many cutting as you can from the plant and flowering those. that would give you back all your vertical space and you could do away with the netting or start a fresh SOG approach. just a thought, i understand how the ideal and actual thing work.

just don't give up. your looking good.

 

[mary.chiva]

i checked all over for a good price on those things. i like seeing touching and feeling before i buy. but couldn't find one to compare to HTGSUPPLy.com, make sure to at least check them out. there ggrrrrrreeeaatttt.

also, is there a way you can turn your box on its side so the plant can grow straight up with supporting lights on the top and side??

also, if vertical size is an issue. have you thought about "cloning" and taking as many cutting as you can from the plant and flowering those. that would give you back all your vertical space and you could do away with the netting or start a fresh SOG approach. just a thought, i understand how the ideal and actual thing work.

just don't give up. your looking good.

Yeah, I've been drooling over htgsupply.com for about a week or so. If I can't get a ballast and 400w setup from my local shop for a price that is close....then I will probably order from htg.

As far as turning the box on it's side, it's pretty much all the same size, it's like a big cube.

I also have thought about the cloning...it be tricky now because of how the plant has grown, but we'll see. I think I'm just going to go with the poultry netting (my friend is currently doing this and his plant is budding fine and growing along the screen), and a 400w HPS.

Question: What gives of the majority of the heat, the HPS ballast or the bulb? If it's the ballast, couldn't I install it outside of my box???

 

[mary.chiva]

I just got back from the local hydro shop. The lady who runs the shop is very particular about the products she sells, so her gear is of high quality and also more money. Plus she backs everything up with a nice warranty. BUT...I don't have the kind of money she is asking for right now. So...I'm probably gonna buy the cheap 400w HPS from htgsupply.com.

I'll buy the HPS later, for now, I am going to install the poultry netting to fix my screen/light issue, and give the plant bloom ferts (just picked up Tiger Bloom and Big Bloom). I'll do the netting and fert's during 'morning time' @ 10PM tonight.

I need to get this plant bloomin' and I have immediate issues to address. I have enough light in there without the HPS, really. I just WANT the HPS...

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

Yeah, I've been drooling over htgsupply.com for about a week or so. If I can't get a ballast and 400w setup from my local shop for a price that is close....then I will probably order from htg.

As far as turning the box on it's side, it's pretty much all the same size, it's like a big cube.

I also have thought about the cloning...it be tricky now because of how the plant has grown, but we'll see. I think I'm just going to go with the poultry netting (my friend is currently doing this and his plant is budding fine and growing along the screen), and a 400w HPS.

Question: What gives of the majority of the heat, the HPS ballast or the bulb? If it's the ballast, couldn't I install it outside of my box???

i would estimate about 60%/40% split. The ballast producing the 60%. Then again maybe even 70%/30%. A higher quality ballast should potentially produce less heat as it is more efficient. i personally haven't had stable outside temps or enough time with my setup to test.

my box is insulated and about 4 x 4 x 4. i have a glass windowed storm door though, with both the light and the ballast in the cab its only 89 degrees. no fans either

funny about the box size, the divide through the middle messed me up.

now to just only get this plant flowering....

 

[mary.chiva]

Well, the branch that was drooping was NOT because of lack of light due to the screen, it was lack of water. Now, the branch is nice and perky again - haha - when I did my AM check. It seems my plant needs water almost every other day now...thirsty little girl....

I did not get a chance to install the poultry netting, but I'll do that tomorrow morning cause I bought some. I'm not as worried about my current screen filtering light, not now that my plant looks healthy again. Still, I'll get the new netting installed tomorrow, it will be better than what I have now.

I did, however, feed her some Tiger Bloom and Big Bloom this morning. Hopefully that helps speed things up. It looks like there are still more SMALL growths at a lot of the nodes...I'm hoping she kicks off flowering soon, especially with these new fert's.

Here's hoping.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

sometimes no matter what you do you cant speed up nature.
it could just be you have a slow flowering type.

if you want to experiment a little more- try putting a
2500K cfl directly over one of flower sites. This will
tell you in few days if the overall light isn't strong enough.

I'm betting regardless of you decision to pick up an hps or
not you are going to have to shine more light on the plant
to get full buds.

Have you ever checked your PH?

keeping in mind all plants grow different. i had my in veg about
10 weeks from seed. maybe a few more. when i put it into flower
i didn't see any flower sites. about 3 days later there they were.
i did not have advanced nutes for mine, i did have basic nutes though.
i did have a lot more light directly over the plant when i switched it
to flower. and thats about it. my plant was subjected to unregulated
humidity, poor temps, (sometimes i thought the roots were going to freeze)
but, i put those cfl's about 1-4 inches from the plant and as many as i could
manage. just trying to share my story in hopes to help yours. all
though, as the first sentence says, plants have different schedules.


these threads can get hard to follow. i really want to see you succeed.
so try this. Give us a new post with all the specs- listing all your light
types, sizes. how long its been in flowering, how long it was in
veg, what type of dirt, where your getting your water from, etc, etc.. this will make it easier for anyone to
chime in, i like helping people but i don't have time to read 30 mins of other
peoples post to give advice.



also, how are the plants on the other side of the box doing? how many
do you have now? whats there light situation? any nutes for them? i just gave
my little ones there first taste of the fox farms goodness...

just outa curiosity, have you looked at my grow? its by no means a pro grow,
, i'm really just curios.

 

[mary.chiva]

I actually had a 2700K bulb near one of the flowering sites and just recently moved it above the screen, really no difference then what I have going on now, thankfully. I still think I should change the screen to something more open (which I have now). The HPS will probably be ordered next Friday.

I have an electronic PH meter, and if it's accurate, it says 7.5...which is a bit high, it's in the safe range apparently...but a little high. I also have a PH tester where you mix the soil with water and one of those pills. I have not used this PH tester recently, but I will tomorrow. I also just added fert's, so I'm going to see if the PH drops, it should (according to what I've read).

The only plant I have growing is the one seen in the last set of pics I uploaded. The other plant I had in the big white pot (there is a pic of it in my original post) was a male, and I killed it. Currently, I just have 1 plant, but it looks like 2 because it splits into a Y from the base of the stalk.

I vegged my current plant for not even a month after I brought it inside from outdoors. It wasn't even 4-5 inches tall when I brought it in. I switched to 12/12 about 4 weeks ago when the plant was ROUGHLY 20 inches (I didn't measure it, but I'm sure it was around 20 inches and had many sets of leaves). There are lots of things that have been wrong and changed in those 4 12/12 weeks.

1. I have 6 40w 2700K bulbs. 4 are above the plant, 1 on the bottom, 1 in the back towards the top (see last posted pics). I also have 2 17w grow tubes mounted to the box (see last posted pics).
2. I vegged 24/0 for about 1 month.
3. Been on 12/12 for 4 weeks...more recently showing tiny growths (hopefully pre-flowers) at some of the nodes. I read that you should start your counting when it goes into flowering, not when you switch to 12/12...who knows?
4. I used regular miracle grow moisture control potting mix, mushroom compost, and earthworm castings for a soil mixture.
5. I have been using tap water and leaving the containers open for 24hours to allow chlorine to evaporate. I have NOT checked my water's PH, I should.
6. Lastly, I just this morning started the plant on a tiger bloom/big bloom schedule.

I really think the plant will flower and do its job....the conditions are decent, and she sure has enough to eat. I'm just a newb and its my first grow...so I'm also impatient. PLUS...this plant was bagseed...I have no idea about its history...I just know it was decent smoke because I smoked her mom . It's probably some sativa from mexico...and takes 14 weeks to flower...lol.

I bet once I get my ventilation a little better and add more lights, I'll be in good shape. I also want my next grow to be with the HPS. I'm going to order the HPS next Friday and also put a order in for some lowryder/new york city diesel seeds.

 

[mary.chiva]

Well, I did it...I couldn't wait. I just ordered my 400w HPS from HTG. Hopefully it gets here soon! I will order some good seeds soon too. Oh happy day.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

Well, I did it...I couldn't wait. I just ordered my 400w HPS from HTG. Hopefully it gets here soon! I will order some good seeds soon too. Oh happy day.

thats amazing... you will love the difference! and so will your plants!


there shippings great, got it in 2 days, but i'm like 10 hours away so it makes sense.

happy day, indeed!!!!!

 

[mary.chiva]

Oh no.

I checked the plant this morning and the majority of the leaves were drooping, almost all branches. I'm thinking there can only be a couple causes. One, I just recently gave her fert's for the first time and it was after I watered...so...two, I could have over watered...and three there was probably some stress after I installed the new screen.

I thought about flushing the soil, but I'm going to hold off in case I over watered. I'm leaning more towards me over watering anyhow. Hopefully I'll check her tomorrow and she'll be perked back up.... If she isn't better tomorrow I will take some pics for everyone's help.

Thanks for tuning in. More to come...

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

dun, dun, dhaaan... I c Dr. Mary.Chiva has arrived.

how does that new screen do?

 

[mary.chiva]

dun, dun, dhaaan... I c Dr. Mary.Chiva has arrived.

how does that new screen do?

The leaves still look healthy, just droopy. Like I said, hopefully she perks up tomorrow, I don't like it when she's blue .

The new screen does seem to let more light through, let's see how it does.

I think I may get some lowryder seeds soon. The harvest of lowryder would be the same time as this current plant's harvest. Then I'll have enough of a personal stash to last me a while and I can go on grow vaca =). I guess I just REALLY want my new 400w to get put to good use .

 

[mary.chiva]

Ok, I bought some seeds. Instead of growing lowryder, I bought Papaya and Aurora Indica (2 short indica's) from Nirvana. Hopefully I get my seeds soon and we can get a couple new plants going.

Aurora Indica | Marijuana and Cannabis Seeds for Growing your own weed. Straight from the breeder.

Papaya | Marijuana and Cannabis Seeds for Growing your own weed. Straight from the breeder.

 

[mary.chiva]

:: sniffle ::

My girl has a problem, period. I've uploaded a couple pics. The water meter says the soil is moist not wet, the needle is in the middle, and the top of the dirt was dry.

If this is overwatering, how long does it take to bounce back?

Can stress cause this? I installed a new screen.

Can Fox Farm Tiger Bloom and Big Bloom cause this? I followed the directions.

I gave her a glass of water today (probably 8 oz). I did this in case I needed to dilute some of the Fox Farm.

HELP. PLEASE.