Custom growbox and progression using CFL's

[mary.chiva]

Ok...we're back in business.

I checked the plant again after the 8oz of water and quite a few of the leaves perked up. I can't imagine that she was under watered, but maybe.... It's just weird because I have been watering when the soil gets dry. I'm still thinking it was the fert's I added.

In any event, I flushed the soil and she's looking a lot healthier. I am going to try the tiger bloom/big bloom again during the next watering. If this happens again I'll know what caused it.

Man it sucks being a noob. I guess this is good practice for when I get my good seeds. I can't wait to grow some papaya...mmmmm.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

It is great practice for the papaya!!!

that is great you got the plant back to life though. now you know what a plant looks like that is underwatered.

do you have a plan of action when your new stuff comes in?? I would imagine that your light should be in real soon. and the seeds maybe a couple weeks away, i dunno. will you vegg your seeds with your hps and give up on your current plant? or continue to flower and setup a seperate area for the papaya until it comes along? its almost harder once you have an hps, now its like you need two. HAHA.

don't feel bad, about the water though, i almost cooked my little ones. they were brittle. i think they will make though, we will c 2morow.

 

[mary.chiva]

It is great practice for the papaya!!!

that is great you got the plant back to life though. now you know what a plant looks like that is underwatered.

do you have a plan of action when your new stuff comes in?? I would imagine that your light should be in real soon. and the seeds maybe a couple weeks away, i dunno. will you vegg your seeds with your hps and give up on your current plant? or continue to flower and setup a seperate area for the papaya until it comes along? its almost harder once you have an hps, now its like you need two. HAHA.

don't feel bad, about the water though, i almost cooked my little ones. they were brittle. i think they will make though, we will c 2morow.

You know, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do when my seeds and HPS get here. I want to keep trying to flower this plant, but with electricity concerns, I'm nervous to have a veg setup going at the same time as a flowering set up due to wattage and my electrical circuit. I thought about it and I still may be ok, but I just want to be careful. I may give this current plant to a friend to continue the grow, or I may keep it, I'm not sure...ahhhhhh.

Eventually I plan to get a MH conversion bulb for vegging and using a good HPS bulb for flowering. If I do decide to veg some papaya then I will just use the CFL's for now.

EDIT: I just checked the plant and she's back to 'normal'. I say 'normal' because my newb watering skills killed off a lot of foliage. The mid to top of the plant looks ok but the bottom lost a lot of leaves. She is starting to give more pre-flowers now though, which is good, but I'm sure my final yield won't be fantastic with this plant.

I'll see how she looks by the time the seeds get here, and if she still doesn't show much progress...then I'll chalk this one up to learning and either give to my friend if he wants it, or I will get rid of it to make room for the good plants.

 

[mary.chiva]

I just talked to our friend at HTG and they'll be shipping my new HPS today or tomorrow. I called for a status, but I also decided to add a MH conversion bulb. I want to have the bulb in case I decide to give up on this current plant and veg some papaya and aurora under the MH.

If I keep the current plant, I'll veg the good seeds under CFL's...that is, if I feel comfortable enough to have a few veg CFL's running at the same time as the 400w HPS AND potentially the space heater + fans....that's a lot of watts.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

just a few thoughts...

have you ever figured out if the circuit to the building is dedicated? or do other sockets / lights operate off the same breaker?

It would be good to put that question down and it will make you feel better knowing your electrically safe. Lets crunch some numbers. and make sure that you will be safe in all situations. Worst case, since your wiring is only 6 years old, i bet you would trip the breaker. older homes with low wattage electrical cable really run the risks of fires.

i would say that unless you absolutely want 2 see your current plant through, switch to the MH and grow a new. It would be good practice to go through a full flower and harvest. however, your plant is fairly tall and i could only imagine that the complications with the height and heat of the light, vegging with cfls will out way the beauty of growing shorter, compact (non-stretched), properly filled, lush, identified little ones. as the MH will make them very nice in comparison to cfls.

but, then again that will make your first home bud like 3 montsh away, which is a long time. I understand this as i too ordered the MH conversion and it will most likely sit on my shelf until perhaps next fall as i hope to flower all the way through winter.

1320 watts is a good safe max to run all the time, with no worries.

 

[mary.chiva]

just a few thoughts...

have you ever figured out if the circuit to the building is dedicated? or do other sockets / lights operate off the same breaker?

It would be good to put that question down and it will make you feel better knowing your electrically safe. Lets crunch some numbers. and make sure that you will be safe in all situations. Worst case, since your wiring is only 6 years old, i bet you would trip the breaker. older homes with low wattage electrical cable really run the risks of fires.

i would say that unless you absolutely want 2 see your current plant through, switch to the MH and grow a new. It would be good practice to go through a full flower and harvest. however, your plant is fairly tall and i could only imagine that the complications with the height and heat of the light, vegging with cfls will out way the beauty of growing shorter, compact (non-stretched), properly filled, lush, identified little ones. as the MH will make them very nice in comparison to cfls.

but, then again that will make your first home bud like 3 montsh away, which is a long time. I understand this as i too ordered the MH conversion and it will most likely sit on my shelf until perhaps next fall as i hope to flower all the way through winter.

1320 watts is a good safe max to run all the time, with no worries.

Nah, I haven't figured out if it's a dedicated line yet, I just haven't checked. I do know that the smallest breaker in my box is a 20amp, so that's at least a good thing. I do need to figure out if the circuit is shared with anything in the house, I'll do it soon. I doubt that it is.

I added up my wattage and if everything runs at the same time I'll be right around 1500watts, just a hair under. My heater won't come on unless it gets to be under 70 degrees and I can't imagine it coming on if the MH/HPS bulb is on, which means I'd only be running around 500w with the lights on. The intake and exhaust fans I'm going to install (soon...I have them spec'd out) will only run a few times a day for maybe 5-10 minutes at a time. Even if all the gear does come on, your probably right, it will most likely trip the breaker (I'll test this theory by turning all the gear on when I have it set up).

As far as my new grow, yeah, I probably will give up on this current plant and just veg the new plants using the MH. I need the space back in my box and I have no idea what strain this current plant is, how long it takes to flower, if it gives decent yields, etc. Plus, I beat her up bad enough to affect my yield, I'm sure of it. I'll just have to keep buying bud until I eventually get my own harvest...::sigh::.

I hope to get a harvest close to the end of January and another at the end of April. If I do it right and get a good enough yield, I shouldn't have to worry about cooling down a hot grow building during the summer months, but instead I can start another grow during the cooler months.

The good news is, once I have all this down and I'm self sufficient...I will never buy herb again. If I can help it.....

 

[mary.chiva]

Quick update...

Sometimes I wonder about myself :: sigh ::...I've had some loooooowwww humidity lately in the grow box, high 20's... and I haven't been paying much attention to it. I just did some research and I didn't realize that when your humidity is below 40% the plant can start to have issues. Browning/yellowing leaves, paper thin leaves...the plant transpires more and drinks more water, etc. That explains why my plant has been drinking so much freakin water....... I'm going to pick up a humidifier so I can have it available for my papaya grow. Man, I'm a jackass sometimes.

Also, my new HPS should be here tomorrow, and my guess is, the seeds will be in next week. I'm also contemplating building a bigger grow box. It will fix my plant height issues and help with my probably soon-to-be heat issues when I get my HPS hooked up.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

b-4 you try with a humidifier try a bowl of water with the a fan blowing over it. if you can get the water to move under the fan and light, i bet you will have no trouble. i did this and my humidity levels shot up into the 70's. of course, thats too high or just about. also, the more plants you have the higher the humidity will be. if you look at my pics i have a few other plants for this reason. it really helps.

i would agree with building a bigger box. or a least changing some dimensions. but hey thats the purpose of your first grow. to get it all figured out.


i should be able to get some pics this weekend of my new grow box. i have found that passive cooling works well for the winter. hopefully it can be of some help. i do have a fan in there now, its not doing much for the temps.. it is blowing cooler air on the light, allowing me to get my plant all the more closer. with out actually haveing an air cooled hood.


go get some more plants and a bowl of water and see what happens to that humidity. remember with that hps, the water will evaporate even faster increasing your humidity all the more!!!!

 

[mary.chiva]

Yay, I just got my light. I'll be installing it this weekend along with something to help raise the humidity. Soon I plan to make a door that seals with weatherstripping, install that shiny insulation to the inside walls (and lose the blankets on the outside), and add the 2 duct fans to bring in fresh air and exhaust stale air.

Rather than build a new box, I think I can get this box the way I want it (been reading a lot on grow closets and I think I already have something good to work with). BUT, I want to get it right before I start the good seeds, so I'm going to stick with this current plant until all environmental conditions are addressed (stable temps, stable humidity, more air exchange, etc). I'm almost there...

Then all I need to worry about is caring for the babies' health and not the conditions of the grow box.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

that sounds like a good idea. u and i were adjusting our conditions as they arise probably stressing the plant and our selves. you might even be able to get something from your test plant in the end after all.

r u going to stick to the sog method?

will you start a different thread or continue this one?

 

[mary.chiva]

that sounds like a good idea. u and i were adjusting our conditions as they arise probably stressing the plant and our selves. you might even be able to get something from your test plant in the end after all.

r u going to stick to the sog method?

will you start a different thread or continue this one?

I agree about the trial and error conditions. I think I could still get an ounce or maybe more from this current plant (probably more). It actually looks good right now...I was impressed with how she bounced back. I may have just lost some of where the bottom buds would have been...but that's really okay. It's still not worth updating pics yet though.

I'm not going to do the ScrOG, but I am going to keep my screen installed to stop plants from getting to close to the light and just grow short Indica plants, which should be fine for now. If the plants do make it to the screen it won't be as bad as my current plant. The plant I have now is a taller type plant and is growing along the screen more than the indica strains I purchased will grow along the screen. Meaning, I should be able to grow more of those types of plants than the kind I'm growing now.

When I do eventually start my new grow, I'll probably create a new thread/grow journal. For now, I'll keep this thread to show how my box matures into its final version, and possibly until this current plants harvest.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

i cant wait to here about how the light changed your life. hahaha.

 

[mary.chiva]

Quick update...

I've changed my mind yet again...I'm going to lose the grow box. I'm sick of spending money on something that's not ideal.

I'm going to do something like a tent set up and I'll have the ventilation and height room I need. I've got most everything I need, so over the next couple days I'm going get things set up and take some pics to show you all.

I also made up my mind about this current plant...she's getting axed. Sorry to my baby . I put her through to much hell and it's not worth seeing it through. Especially when I have papaya and aurora calling my name.

Pics to come in a few days and then this thread will be closed and a new one started when my seeds get here.

L8r.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

thats what it is all about!

a little practice and now you know whats up!

I cant wait to see your new setup.


did you ever plug that light in??

 

[mary.chiva]

thats what it is all about!

a little practice and now you know whats up!

I cant wait to see your new setup.


did you ever plug that light in??

Nope, haven't plugged it in yet. I actually had it shipped somewhere else and didn't pick it up until yesterday. I'll get her all plugged in once the new area is setup.

More to come

 

[mary.chiva]

I got the HPS hooked up and a new grow area started. Wow, that light is bright, my goodness. Once I get things cleaned up and a little more work done, I'll take some pics.

BTW, there is no way that light would have worked in my grow box without air cooling it. That bloody bulb puts off some heat! I would have had crispy critters for plants...good thing I re-did things.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

hahahaha.

its amazing isn't it.

 

[mary.chiva]

You know, it REALLY IS amazing. I can't believe how bright this thing is. I had to do all kinds of stuff (probably more) to keep the light in the building and not seen from the outside.

I'm so glad I bought this HPS setup...and I can't wait to see how it works out for me.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

yep! i have a box inside of a building and yet that light still shows through the cracks off the building door. i'm not sure if i want to fully seal it up, as its the only fresh air the building gets. the door is not facing my house and gets no attention. it just kinda looks like i'm holding hell hostage in there at night.

i'm excitied to see what your dreaming up for your new plants...

will you use the ballast for heat inside u'r new box or keep it out for heat reasons? my ballast is outside. the box. i am able 2 move it in though when the temps drop to like 14, which isn't hopefully for a while yet. tonight is fairly warm. on these warmer nights i have to power a fan a the light to help dissapate the heat from the plant. i have burned a few of the upper leaves, just like 3. i may start to think of a do it yourself air cooled hood. i know some people use the cormick baking tubes used for bread. i might try and place that inside my current hood. i dunno, i know you loose a few lumens through the glass but i think you more than make them up with the closer distance.

have you killed your last plant? are u drying the bud sites just to get a taste?

if you haven't killed it yet, is there any way you can pratice more on it? like taking a few clones?


did you get the timer from htg? i don't like mine. im going to replace it with a cvs timer. i have had it screw up twice. once, the lights stayed on and the other they didn't come on. luckly i was there quickly for the second one. i would just hate for that thing to mess up my pretty flowers. haha..


i took some clones off my big girl. a bit to many to manage. i removed all the side stems that put buds at 1/2 the plant hieght and lower. i figured, it would help wiht the top since that is were the light is the brightest. i don't know if it was a good idea or bad yet. but the plant is doing super fine wiht it. they are enjoying those fox farms. yummy...

also, i put more plants in the flower box to fill it up. the humidity shot to 90.


i wouldn't have typed soo much if you werent closing this thread.


peace-

 

[mary.chiva]

yep! i have a box inside of a building and yet that light still shows through the cracks off the building door. i'm not sure if i want to fully seal it up, as its the only fresh air the building gets. the door is not facing my house and gets no attention. it just kinda looks like i'm holding hell hostage in there at night.

i'm excitied to see what your dreaming up for your new plants...

will you use the ballast for heat inside u'r new box or keep it out for heat reasons? my ballast is outside. the box. i am able 2 move it in though when the temps drop to like 14, which isn't hopefully for a while yet. tonight is fairly warm. on these warmer nights i have to power a fan a the light to help dissapate the heat from the plant. i have burned a few of the upper leaves, just like 3. i may start to think of a do it yourself air cooled hood. i know some people use the cormick baking tubes used for bread. i might try and place that inside my current hood. i dunno, i know you loose a few lumens through the glass but i think you more than make them up with the closer distance.

have you killed your last plant? are u drying the bud sites just to get a taste?

if you haven't killed it yet, is there any way you can pratice more on it? like taking a few clones?


did you get the timer from htg? i don't like mine. im going to replace it with a cvs timer. i have had it screw up twice. once, the lights stayed on and the other they didn't come on. luckly i was there quickly for the second one. i would just hate for that thing to mess up my pretty flowers. haha..


i took some clones off my big girl. a bit to many to manage. i removed all the side stems that put buds at 1/2 the plant hieght and lower. i figured, it would help wiht the top since that is were the light is the brightest. i don't know if it was a good idea or bad yet. but the plant is doing super fine wiht it. they are enjoying those fox farms. yummy...

also, i put more plants in the flower box to fill it up. the humidity shot to 90.


i wouldn't have typed soo much if you werent closing this thread.


peace-

LOL, it's cool, you can type away .

As far as my new area, it's in the back of an attic now and there is no more box, at all. The ballast is actually in the same area as everything else and my temps today were 80 on the dot. My space heater runs A LOT more now, hopefully that isn't a problem. My guess is I'll go through a couple cheap space heaters...time will tell.

I want to buy some mylar eventually to hang from the ceiling around all the plants (when I get them started...still no seeds). I also am going to insulate the ceiling and do something with the floor (basically lay down something so I don't kick up dust and so excess water from the pots doesn't leak to the bottom floor).

As far as the current plant, no, I haven't killed her yet. I just feel so bad...look at the pics I just uploaded. It's almost like she's telling me...please, don't kill me...I am bushy and will give you bud...lol. She is loving that HPS and is starting to straighten back out (because the screen isn't limiting height).

Even still...I don't have any flowering going on yet...which is damn depressing. By the time she starts...the other plants will probably harvest...::sigh::.

Oh and, no I don't use the timer HTG ships. I have 2 digital timers I bought from walmart and they have battery back ups to save my settings. It's a good thing too...our neighborhood lost power for a split second yesterday...I had to go back and turn the space heater on...

Sorry about the pics not being the greatest...I took them on a crappier camera. I still plan to take pics of the entire area...right now it just doesn't look all that great, so I took some of the plant and light instead