Right i just couldnt sleep so i just read the whole thread, and have a few things to make a comment on.
Please do not get offended by what i say, i am just trying to throw some info out there for you. Do what you want with it, but it is all based from books, articles, grow diarys, my grows and experiences.
Ok, let me start.
I myself started out a bit like you, a stealthy grow in some kind of bedroom furniture.
I too used CFL's and it was very ghetto, under a desk with a black bin liner on the front that leaked light and a box stuffed behind which leaked out the top.
I didnt have anything to measure temp or humidity and i watered daily.
This is when i learnt about over watering and that is what your plants look like now.
Sure they are growing, but they are dropping down and the roots dont get a proper wet/dry cycle. I left it be and the leaves then started to uncurl and even out, becoming strong and sturdy.
I also learnt about when to fert (first true leaves turning yellow) and when i over fert (mainly leaf tip burn but there are many many symptoms.
1 was an auto flower that stayed short and yeilded me just over 1.oz dry, the other 3 were females, all 3 were moved outdoors in the UK summer, they stretched to get the light but only 1 got close to finishing before first frost. Others needed a good month more and the other 2 months more.
So all in all im talking really fucking ghetto that i shouldnt have yeilded as much as i did!
After that grow, i went on to my second, and decided to mess about with some LED's to see what i could yeild. The light ran cool and kept the plants short.
I over watered once and remembered what i had done before.
I didnt introduce nutes til about a week into flower, and even then i introduced @ 1/4 strength, 2 days later i gave water, then 2 days after that nutes again.
If the plant looked a bit pale or yallow leaves i would up the nutes a fraction at a time, with a plain watering between.
I also wanted to maximize my yeild for my space, so started LST'ing my plant and this worked bloody well!
I had about 15-20 main heads per plant!
I yeilded 2.oz in total, and let me to this conclusion;
When growing with CFL's or LED's, the veg time is greatly increased and you should never introduce nutes until the plant tell you too.
Do not use the grow charts as they are more of a guidline. Change the time scale acording to plant size. Those charts are based on 1 plant under 1000w i believe..
You should also systematically pot up during the grow, i have found 2-3 times works well for me, but always resulting in finishing in a 6.5 litre/ 1.5gal square pot.
Why?
The most important thing to have a healthy grow...is ROOTS!
If you have a healthy root ball, you will have a healthy grow.
This has brought me on to my 3rd grow, a 600w stealth grow.
Having a long veg time and long flower time under cfl/led just bummed me out, so i just started hacking away at my old wardrobe til i had it looking nice and tidy, perfect for 6 plants.
Since starting the grow, i havent really had any real problems.
No over watering, no over ferting, and im also using hydro for the first time, no probs yet.. Fingers crossed.
Sure i still ask questions about my plants, but mostly i know i dont have a detrimental problem so i kinda sit back and let it play out. If i see anything getting worse then i start to ask myself if i have done anything against schedule.
If i havent i check how much water it has drank, what the ph & ppm run off is and i will also pull it out and check the roots.
Now....
Onto your grow and a few things to think about.
You started out in those party cups and all was good. In the future, try misting the surface of the soil in those early stages once or twice a day and use some kind of humidity dome, or a baggie, like i used in my LED grow if you check it out.
That pot size is way too much in my honest opinion, especially seeing as you just potted up from a party cup.
Problem with this is, yes youre right, it seems like the plant drinks a lot, but it doesnt.
Why?
Quite simply because you dont have your whole 3gal pot full of roots, so adding a gal of water for a plant that size isnt gunna do it any good.
What you will be left with is stagnant water,which will cause bacteria to thrive and cause all sorts of root complications for your plants if the soil is damp with staggy on the inside.
Look at the roots of my waterfarm babies, not much bigger than yours and thats a 2gal reservoir and lots of room.
@ the end i will be left with a massize 2gal sized rootball!
Like i said, it is very important to;
Check plant and pot dry weight and water once you know how long it takes to dry out, wet & dry cycle!!
Only feed once leaves start to turn yellow, this depends on the soil you are using and the size of the plant. Every plant will be different!
Less is always more!!!
Feed less and see how plant responds. Up nutes if plants still look like they want/need it after a day or two.
Here are a few links that are worth having a little read through.
They have saved my skin many times when nobody on the forum replies, and trust me,i know how that feels. people rarely respond to my threads, so ive had to learn by my self, and hell with it, learn the tough way but you wont forget and make the same mistake twice!
http://www.greenmanspage.com/guides/plant_abuse.html
lots of reading stuff at the bottom.
Hope that gives you some insight!
...keep growin...
Peace & Love!
Oh...and dont forget, always do your own research on someones advice, especially if they dont have their own grow on the forum!
