Second grow, looking to setup better grow space

suspect54

Active Member
Hi everyone, May i first say that these forums are awesome, they've helped me out so much, i've been lurking constantly for the last few days, learning so much.

I have three small plants growing right now, under a 4ft floro tube and one of those high wattage cfl grow lamps. the problem is, i dont know the wattage or lumens or, really, anything about the lamp, it was given to me. My last grow I used that lamp the whole way through, and harvested a measly 6 grams off my one 22inch plant. There were certainly other factors, but this is still a tiny crop. I now have three small plants, from bagseed, that were started 8 weeks ago under just the floro. (i did not start these, my friend did, and the light was not sufficient) The plants have now been growing for going on 9 weeks and they are hardly taller than one foot, they arent very bushy either. I figure the obvious solution to this problem, along with many small things, is more light. I plan on getting a 400W hps from htg for flowering, and then using either the big cfl i have, or a 400W mh for the mother and veg, and then building a little box for clones. I have a closet space, about 10ft x 2.5ft x 6ft, or so. I would really like to do this right, but i have limited budget, and i have to make sure these three little ones stay alive.

I know all kinds of new people come on with these same questions, but I would really appreciate some help. I need to find out what lamp this is, and if i really need this Mh, or if i can get away with the cfl/floros/more cfls for vegging.

Help me harvest more than 5gs!!

Thanks everyone.

-(very bad)Pics of the light for possible identification?

 

Stealing

Well-Known Member
Hey suspect, looks like you may have a 100 watt or 150 watt fluorescent. this may be a perfect light for one or two plants, but you may benefit adding another light just the same if possible. And about the 400 watt MH, sounds good, best light to veg with. If possible, add MH and HPS light during veg, and flowering(or you may take out the MH if you want less airy buds). If you have a tight budget, it would be better to buy just the HPS and using it during veg and flowering with the fluoro you got. The best watering cycle for your plants, should be to water well 1-3 times a week, making sure there is good drainage in your pot. Give fertilizer 1-2 times a week, but never more then it says on the package (high nitrogen for vegging and high phosphorus for flowering). Keep the light cycle to 24 ours on and 0 off, or if you want to give your plants a bit of rest or want to save a few bucks, put them on 20/4 or 18/6. Marijuana benefits best growing 24/0 during vegging though. Keep the temp at about 23-30 range during the peak hour of the day(a fan will help lower temps if it is too warm) and humidity at around 30-55 but never higher as it may introduce mold and mildew. Make sure you have a big enough pot for your plant size (under a foot up to 10", and over a foot 10" to 18").
Keep the fluoro light as close to the tops of the plants as possible(2-5 inches away) as fluoros give off little heat, and plants will benefit from less lumen loss. These are the things marijuana needs in order to grow strong, big, and healthy, so try keeping the variables in this range and you will grow a nice crop. Good luck, and happy growing!
Peace
 

suspect54

Active Member
thanks for the advice stealing! I definitely want the hps, but i'm thinking about using that and the fluoro(or MH) separately, as i want to keep my mothers/clones/seedlings in the veg and have the flower room going all the time, so that i can harvest once every 8 or 9 weeks. My idea is to veg for 8 weeks and then flower for the same, so that theres always something flowering and as soon as its ready to harvest, more can be put in. Is this a decent plan? I know this gets asked a TON, and theres no real way to accurately answer this, but can somebody give me a general ballpark of what i might be able to yield with a setup like this? I know there are alot of factors to take into consideration, i just need a reason to justify dropping 150$ on a light.
 

chunkymunkey33

Well-Known Member
There's a few things that will determine your yield. First find out what strain are you growing and usually you can find out the average. The second thing is the light. If you're going to a decent size grow going you should get the HPS since that's what's best for flowering and usually plant's usually grow a tremendous amount during the flowering stage. If you don't want to get the MH, you can get some 6500K cfl's to help with vegging. Hope this helps a little.
check out my grow....
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/51756-lowryder-2-cfl-s-my.html
 

suspect54

Active Member
I dont know what strain i'm currently growing, as it was random bagseed, but I'm planning to grow northern lights next, either after or alongside of these.
 
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