First time CFL grow - Need feedback

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SyNiK4L

New Member
Okay so i have just redone my origanal design with completely different CFLS cus i looked on here and found that i was using the wrong bulbs :? Newayz HERE is what i started with. and HERE is what iv changed it to. I now have 6 daylight 100 watt equiv bulbs and 2 softwhite. Im wondering if the bulbs are close enuf or far enuf from my plants. I am also wondering if i should keep the 2 soft white bulbs or go ahead and get another 2 daylight bulbs 2 replace them. The plant on the right is a clone and the multple plants on the left are 3 week sprouts.. im runnin them 18-6. and i spray water distilled water and then i water the actual soil with my homemade hydroponics system that i shortly water by hand for now. What do yall think? all feedback is appreciated. Thx - SyN
 
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pokesalotasmot

Well-Known Member
Your light setup looks ok for veg. Keep your mixed spectrum lights, many people (myself included) do it. I have yet to have a problem or complaint.

Your plants however look sick. What soil are you using? You add nutes yet? Put a small oscillating fan (on low) on them to help the stems strenthen up.
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
by nutes do u mean nutrients? and im using those starter things that u put water on and they grow and u put seeds or sprouts or clones in them till they have a good root system then u just take the outer layer off and just stick the whole thing in the ground. i cant think of what they are called. after that im gonna use scotts potting soil. something better ud recommend? i think they were sick because i had a really crappy light system before and the wrong bulbs i just changed to this light setup today. i had all soft white bulbs instead of daylight bulbs and i only had 2 and a flood light that i think was puttin off to much heat for them even at 2 - 3 feet away. im pretty sure thats why they were sick the one on the right is a clone that is about a week and half old and then the others on the left are all 3 week sprouts. and then i have 3 other seedling sprouts that havent made it outa the dirt yet.
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
and iv used a tiny bit of nutes for the new sprouts but they are only like 3 weeks so i havent used much and i only did it once cus i didnt wanna over do it being that they are so young and then the clone doesnt need nutes yet at all in my opinion its only about 1 1/2 - 2 weeks off the mother.
 
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pokesalotasmot

Well-Known Member
Jiffy seed starter pucks? A lot of people use them so I guess they are good. I have a few to try out next time I take clones.

If you had a lot of heat from that old light, that probably didn't help your situation, but I would NOT add any nutes yet. Your plants are still pretty young; wait probably 2 or so more weeks before you add any nutes, and make sure you do it at half, or even 1/4 strength.

For soil, I can't say anything about scotts, I've never used it. I use Fox Farm Ocean Forest, and many people here use it as well as Pro Mix. Just mix some perlite with it to help with drainage. Make sure whatever soil you get does NOT have any time released nutes in it; it'll make growing a real pain in the ass.
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
thx for the good info. + rep. and ya im waiting on the nutes for alil i just did once to maybe help alil since those last lights i had created nothing but problems. and ya those pucks r awesome. i used them for all the plants i have now and then ima move them to the bigger pot once they get a good root system. and iv already made a 1/4 strength nute solution in a milk jug gallon. Iv hear alot good about scotts heard bad bout micacle grow so i decided to jump to the little more expensive stuff.
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
new update....i ordered some mylar should be comin early next week. But for the mean time i have 3 emergency blankets that i lined my planter and my walls with. and i am now running and fan. 8 daylight CFLs. not still not using nutes yet. still not time yet. and my 4 seedlings i planted have sprouted. YAY. new pics HERE. both clones died cus they werent cloned correctly by my friend. but i have now taught him so tha next batch should b better but for the time being iv got 4 seedling sprouts and 3 (3 week) sprouts. and 1 random plant my buddy gave 2 me to see if i could save it. Check out the pix and tell me what yall think.
 
Top 44

Top 44

Well-Known Member
6500 k for veg, 2700 k for flower. A mix works also, just make sure you have more blue spectrum for veg and more red for flower. You can get the cfl's in really close, like 2-4 inches. I personally prefer 24/0 cycle for clones/veg. Regular potting soil mixed with perlite works just fine, I bake my soil in the oven before use to make sure there are no insects etc in there. No nutes for the first few weeks, and then build up from .25 strength. Good luck bro.
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
Top 44 said:
6500 k for veg, 2700 k for flower. A mix works also, just make sure you have more blue spectrum for veg and more red for flower. You can get the cfl's in really close, like 2-4 inches. I personally prefer 24/0 cycle for clones/veg. Regular potting soil mixed with perlite works just fine, I bake my soil in the oven before use to make sure there are no insects etc in there. No nutes for the first few weeks, and then build up from .25 strength. Good luck bro.
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thx man good info. i have all 6500 cfls right now cus im only doing the veg and clone stage inside my place and then im moving them out to my friends land to flower them. i use those starter pucks for both my seeds and my clones. they have worked great so far. my oldest plants are about 3 weeks old. Still no nutes yet on those? i will move the pucks to a bigger pot here in the next week or so. but they havent made a huge root system yet so im waiting till they take ovr the pucks alil bit. i have scotts potting soil and perlite for the pots when i move them. i water once a day with my fogger. and i spray the leaves and whatnot with distilled water as well. i over watered my first plants so im making sure not to do that this time. u like 24-0? iv been runnin 18-6 so my plants have alil time during the day to recoop alil. like i said i water once a day but then i usually spray the foilier at nite when the lights turn off before i goto bed so that the water doesnt just evaporate quickly cus of the lights. is this a good or bad thing? all feedback is appreciated. + rep
 
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pokesalotasmot

Well-Known Member
SyNiK4L said:
thx man good info. i have all 6500 cfls right now cus im only doing the veg and clone stage inside my place and then im moving them out to my friends land to flower them. i use those starter pucks for both my seeds and my clones. they have worked great so far. my oldest plants are about 3 weeks old. Still no nutes yet on those? i will move the pucks to a bigger pot here in the next week or so. but they havent made a huge root system yet so im waiting till they take ovr the pucks alil bit. i have scotts potting soil and perlite for the pots when i move them. i water once a day with my fogger. and i spray the leaves and whatnot with distilled water as well. i over watered my first plants so im making sure not to do that this time. u like 24-0? iv been runnin 18-6 so my plants have alil time during the day to recoop alil. like i said i water once a day but then i usually spray the foilier at nite when the lights turn off before i goto bed so that the water doesnt just evaporate quickly cus of the lights. is this a good or bad thing? all feedback is appreciated. + rep
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I've never really understood the allure of running veg 24 hours. I understand doing it for fresh clones for about a week, but IMO, why give the plants a light schedule they'd never see in nature? :confused:

Not sure why exactly, but I want to say that misting your plants would probably be better done in the morning? Just make sure you don't do it during flowering, its a good way to encourage bud mold/rot!

And you water your plants every day? Make sure your soil is dry before you give them more water, you don't want to drown them. I have 2 week old clones upstairs that I only need to water about 3/4 cup of water every 2-3 days.
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
pokesalotasmot said:
I've never really understood the allure of running veg 24 hours. I understand doing it for fresh clones for about a week, but IMO, why give the plants a light schedule they'd never see in nature? :confused:

Not sure why exactly, but I want to say that misting your plants would probably be better done in the morning? Just make sure you don't do it during flowering, its a good way to encourage bud mold/rot!

And you water your plants every day? Make sure your soil is dry before you give them more water, you don't want to drown them. I have 2 week old clones upstairs that I only need to water about 3/4 cup of water every 2-3 days.
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will u look at my pics for me i think i already did over do it...problem is since they are all in their own pucks sometimes 1 will dry out b4 another so when that happens i just turn the fogger on....so from now on ima wait till they get dry....and water each individually does that sound like a better idea....okay cus heres the deal....the 3 -3 week clones. 1 of them was already in bad condition when my friend gavem to me....but now the other 2 seem to be going kinda the same direction...so for example speaking about 1 plant...some of the leaves on the plant are perfect....while others are starting to turn yellow...and then some on the same plant are completely yellow almost dead looking curling up. im confused cus it lookes like the plant is fine...but then theres a couple leaves that are showing signs of this....and this is happening really bad on the one that was bad when i got it....sorta bad on the second 1....and just just startin to do this on the last 1....what am i doing? overwater? nitrogen diff? should i use nutes yet?

heres the newest pics
 
middlefingerhere

middlefingerhere

Active Member
I've never used CFL's so I'm not sure what kinda heat they give next to nothing I heard, but if your foilar feeding remember water is a magnifiying glass. Usually you want em to dry up before the light cycle as not to damage leaves. Those things looked pretty soaked, but thats just my two cents.
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
middlefingerhere said:
I've never used CFL's so I'm not sure what kinda heat they give next to nothing I heard, but if your foilar feeding remember water is a magnifiying glass. Usually you want em to dry up before the light cycle as not to damage leaves. Those things looked pretty soaked, but thats just my two cents.
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thx man....ya they dont give off much heat at all.....and ya iv been foilar feeding....i try to do it at night b4 i goto bed when the lights are off but sometimes i do it during the day...could this create problems?
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
so i got a new resivoir with lid....10 gallon container that i filled alil more than half way and got the water right....i got another 20 gallon one under it that im turning into a cloner. iv put together the PVC pieces i need to make the sprayer. pics here. i just need another pump and a drill to cut holes for the actual sprayers. the pic shows only 2 sprayers i will actually have 4 to 6....2 or 3 on each side...and then ima cut holes in the lid and use those basket planters to make an aeroponics cloner. On a side note my sprouts are doing great. new pics of them are up here. the 3 week sprouts are doing alil better im learning how much 2 water better now. i think overwatering was deff my problem. what yall think
 
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SyNiK4L

New Member
new update. i just noticed that 2 of those smaller sprouts already had a massive root system and was growing out the bottom of those starter pucks. so i went ahead and transplanted them straight into pots...as well as 1 of the 3 weeks sprouts. so i got new pics up. i took out the fogger and put it off to the side to run to keep the humidity in the room alil higher. Check out the new pics. HERE.

and i also added 2 more daylight CFLs so that totals 10. 230 watts. its lookin good
 
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