First time grow, making sure everything is ok *PICS*

Hey fellas, this is my first time growing marijuana and I just want to make sure everything is setup well and there are/will be no problems. My friend gave me a random marijuana seed so I sprouted it and put it in soil. My setup contains a 20W fluorescent light (weak, I know) that runs for 18 hours, from 6 am to midnight. I water my plant with distilled water pretty much every day, once a day. Occasionally I will skip a day. There is a fan blowing on it indirectly, so the leaves just barely waver. A couple mornings I would wake up to find my plant bent over to the side of the cup, so I cut up a drinking straw to support it and made sure the fan wasn't blowing on it so hard. Here are a few pictures of my setup. Let me know if everything is looking good, or if there's something I should change. Keep in mind I'm a college student so my budget should stay somewhere around $5.00 ha.

that thing needs WAAAAAAAY more light. It is so stretched beause it's not get'n adequate amounts of light. Also, less water. Let it really dry out between waterings.

Stick to outdoor grow i guess and pray for the best?! Do you have an hps flowering light?

kawehio said:

Stick to outdoor grow i guess and pray for the best?! Do you have an hps flowering light?

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Well, I don't have the land or the cool neighbors, or the climate to grow outside. I live in Michigan and right now there's about 3 inches of snow in spring ha. I don't have an hps either. I'm just planning on the vegetative stage for a while. What kind of things can I do to improve my setup?

Scheiße!;662091 said:

Well, I don't have the land or the cool neighbors, or the climate to grow outside. I live in Michigan and right now there's about 3 inches of snow in spring ha. I don't have an hps either. I'm just planning on the vegetative stage for a while. What kind of things can I do to improve my setup?

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First of all, I would start with getting a better lighting system. Go to your local hydroponics or gardening store. They should have CFL's for you that should be good for vegetative state. When you get into flowering though, you will want a HPS Lamp which can range up to $100-200 w/ ballast.

Secondly, I would go to your nearest walmart and buy an emergency blanket and put it around the walls of where it is. This isn't as good as mylar because it has creases but it is made out of mylar and can help.

That will help with the lighting issue. Anyone else care to poke?

Thanks TheSky! those were some good tips. I think I'll go window shopping tomorrow. How would aluminum foil work instead of mylar or the emergency blanket idea? Because I have foil just laying around here. Would that work if I put it up with almost no creases?

Aluminum foil is 60-70% reflective. Mylar is 92% reflective. The emergency blanket costs about $2.56 and its huge. It's up to you, eitherway you will be increasing the light dramatically. Also, I would go with a different location for your grow. You want more of a controlled environment.

Oh yeah, and go to Borders and Barnes and Noble and get you a book. I have "Grow Great Marijuana" by Logan Edwards. Teaches you almost everything you want to know.

dont use tin foil it gets hot spots and is not even as efficient as a flat white wall....also the next time you grow start out in a bigger cup...you only want to transplant one time otherwise it makes un needed stress for your plant...if you do use tin foil make sure its on the duller of the two sides....make sure there is no creases also...good luck and keep us posted

He is correct. White wall can be 70-80% reflective. Although I would highly suggest getting an emergency blanket. ^_^

alright lets not put the horse in front of the wagon here.
First and most important go buy a CFL or two. in the Cool White spectrum. this will get you by for a week or maybe even 2.
Second... I Hope i am seeing things with the straw. did you thread that plant into the straw or is is beside it. Should be on the outside for numerous obvious reasons.
Third... Replant into a bigger pot up to its leaves Those roots are pretty pissed off at you right now for exposing them to light. see through cups are a NONO...Purchase a five gallon pot or bucket with good drainage .that way you wont have to re-pot.
Lastly, Please read this ASAP... GROWFAQ

What kind of wattage CFL should I be looking at? Does it have to be cool white, or will a warm do fine as well? BTW, the straw was cut in half, then cut down the length of the straw so I could just set it up next to the plant. With the re-potting, would it be ok if I just bought some miracle grow soil, or some general brand fertilizing soil from Flowerland or something?

and another piece of advice is if you plan on starting in a cup, make sure you start out with a cup that isn't clear. The roots like the dark to develope and I'm sure you will see a big difference.

your gonna want at least a 27w cfl which is the same as a 100w conventional light....make sure it says daylight also the other ones dont have enough spectrum in it...

but White wall can be 70-80% reflective but also white wall dont suck the light...

If you wanna ghetto grow definitly get some cfl just use some take apart some old lamps and get some the biggest cfls that the lamp will run use a couple of those ditch whatevers goin on with those straws throw some more dirt in that pot and read read read. just make just u get those lights like 2 to 3 inches from the plant the closer the better, just make sure they dont touch. Theres a badass book called grow 8 oz of bud for 100 bucks it will teach you all the basics. So read read read. very important. good luck

Thanks for all the great info guys, but unfortunately my plant took a turn for the worse as I put in some new additions. I got a real pot and put some fertilized soil in it and also brought back a 13W CFL from home, I'm planning on getting a 27W tomorrow, but this is all I had on hand. I buried the plant up close to the leaves and hooked everything up. After transferring the plant into the new pot with the new soil, I gave it a little bit of water, but now it looks as though it's dieing. The leaves are bending down and the stem is like string. What happened? Here are some pictures. I have the CFL and the fluorescent tube working at the same time.

maybe just stressed from all the changes.... is that stem inside the straw?? lol yeah MI sucks it got warm and then bam snowed half a foot

yeah hopefully it's just stressed and will heal itself. dude Michigan has been so gay lately. it was spring almost a week ago and theres a foot of snow on the ground.... Oh and that straw is cut sideways so it's not encompassing the plant's stem, just supporting it.

and another piece of advice is if you plan on starting in a cup, make sure you start out with a cup that isn't clear. The roots like the dark to develope and I'm sure you will see a big difference.

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Hmm, I've seen lots of people start out in those clear solo cups. Their grows turned out pretty well.

GrnMan said:

Hmm, I've seen lots of people start out in those clear solo cups. Their grows turned out pretty well.

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No its def a bad idea to put sprouts in clear cups...its been proven that roots HATE light.what does a clear cup allow the light to do....that right penetrate giggity giggity.