Packet seeds, first grow in PC case

[liquidavid]

Hi! A couple of weeks ago I got some seeds from a friend of mine. I have no idea what kind of cannabis they are, so if anyone finds out along the way, let me know.
I didn't want to invest in growing them, but after 3 of them hatched I put them by my window, and watered them for about 2 weeks. I started my part of research, now I know why they stretched (not enough light), so I got an old server tower for about 15 bucks, and a pair of cfl (23watts each) lights. I already ordered a 9W red LED light bulb from a guy I know, so that will sit in the 3rd socket in the middle. I'll document their development, any opinions are welcome. And NO, I dont want to spend hundreds of dollars on them

 

[liquidavid]

UPDATE:
I bought a roll of mirror foil and 2 PC fans. I spend this morning covering up the holes with white electrical tape, then covering the walls (also the bottom and the top) with the mirror foil. I hooked up the fans to an old AC adapter, then plugged it into the same divider I plugged the lights in. I use a simple time switch, set to 18-6, mainly on during the night, and off during the day, so if accidently someone visits me at the wrong time, it stays dark and quiet.

Here are the pictures:

 

[liquidavid]

I've made a mini humidifier out of an electric scent diffuser. I've cleaned the small tank with hot, almost boiling water, filled it up with tap water, and wired the diffuser to a cord with a plug. What do you guys think?!

 

[liquidavid]

I've been working with two 23W 2700K cfls, but I finally found a place nearby I could buy 2 6500K bulbs. They didn't have two of the same kind, so I bought a 20W spiral and a normal 23W. I've decided not to buy the red LED bulb for 30 bucks, instead I mix up the cfls I have now. I have 3 sockets in the case right now. As far as I know the best setup would be 2x6500K and one 2700K for veg stage and 2x2700K and one 6500k for flowering.

Your opinions and comments are more than welcome!!!

 

[McFonz]

I wouldn't bother wasting my time growing with 2x27W CFLs.
If it would finish it will take a way and you will get 10 grams at most.

If you'r going to use CFLs get the 45W or higher ones and use at least 3 of those.

Whats your humidity that a humidifier is needed?

 

[liquidavid]

I wouldn't bother wasting my time growing with 2x27W CFLs.
If it would finish it will take a way and you will get 10 grams at most.

If you'r going to use CFLs get the 45W or higher ones and use at least 3 of those.

Whats your humidity that a humidifier is needed?

Thanks for commenting! I know I don't have enough lights atm, how bout 4x23W cfls? I dont think more than 2 of these plants would fit in the case, so in case one turns out to be a boy, i'll pull that one. I was trying to maximize light reflection with these mirror foils, maybe 4 cfls will do the magic this way. Winter is coming in my country, so the air is pretty dry right now, thats why I thought some humidifying is necessary.

Edit: In case you were wondering, I don't have a hidrometer yet This project is still in the development stage.

 

[McFonz]

2x45W CFL is much better than 4x23W, and is easier to manipulate.

Don't expect too much from using such low lights. You should be able to score 10-15 grams from that setup.

Its a nice learning experience but to grow proper (dense) buds you need much more than that. a 150W HPS is what I consider a minimum to grow proper herb.
And I grew under CFLs for a while.
(And a 250W HPS is way more effective per watt than a 150W HPS)


In your pc case the humidity rise since water evaporate from the plants and pots. You should aim for 70% relative humidity in this stage. up to 80%
It could be achieved with placing a clear plastic cup over the seedling with a hole in the top for air circulation. That way the humidity is captures and rise.

Above 80% and you risk mold issues and fungus gnats.


Good luck

 

[liquidavid]

Thanks for the advice again! To be honest I have a set of HID lamps, with a cold and a warm bulb, both 300W. Me and my friend started growing 5 seedlings about 4 years ago, but got busted by my mother (DOH!), and they ended up in the toilet.
Low costs and less space led me into growing with CFLs in a computer case.
I will keep an eye out for bulbs with more watts, but these were the easiest to get my hands on.
How long does the plastic cups need to stay over the seedlings?
I'd be happy if you kept on following this journal and giving some feedback!

 

[SocialFauxPas]

Move from mom's and get the HID lights back out....CFL's in a PC box is just enough of a grow to get busted by mom or the police but not enough to make it worth while...No Offense! As said above it is at least an experience so have fun, be safe, don't expect a huge yeild so it really doesn't matter which 3 CFL bulbs you use

 

[delci]

Ya, maybe use some more light to grow more but that's just me lol although the set up looks good. What's the temp? How's it going now.

 

[liquidavid]

OK, OK! I've already gotten more bulbs, I'll install them when I get home.

I dont live with my mom any more, I just don't want my power bill to run up. I've seen some ppl get a decent yield with arould 100W of cfl/ plant, and I'm only planning on keeping the healthiest female I will get.

I live in Eastern Europe, so noone will come and inspect my apartment, and my neighbors are young couples mostly, I also live on the top floor of the building so there isn't much to worry about.

Anyways... keep on adding comments, we'll see what 4x23 watts of cfl will do with these plants. I only want to do this as a hobby, and get some yummy weed for smoking with my g/f and my mates.

 

[myselfship]

If you don't live with your mom anymore, why not use the 300w HIDs and make your g/f and mates truly happy?

 

[liquidavid]

I live in the middle of a big city with a population of 2 million. It wouldn't be wise to double my electrical bill from one month to another. The apartment I live in was bought by my grandmother, she gets her hands on the bills before I do, so if not the police, she would definately notice the sudden change. I would love to raise a big ass bush of cannabis, but that option is just not available for me at the moment.
I hope I can still get your attention with my micro-grow setup, so stay tuned for the next couple of weeks/months, we'll see what happens.

My next move is to install these two 6500K 23W bulbs I got and setting them to the right height/position. Check back in a couple of hours for the results.

 

[myselfship]

Hmm. Well, good luck. I would try getting 45w bulbs at least though. For one, they have the most efficient output of all the CFLs, and they'll work much better than the 23s.

 

[fictionalgrower]

I see you getting a lot of negative comments about how your setup won't work. Don't worry though it can be done. I personally purchased a 5 pack of 26W 6500k bulbs from the local home improvement store For around 11 dollars (I'm in the U.S. but I'm sure you have a similar store near you). Those 5 will get you through until you decide to flower. At that point I suggest adding as many 2700k bulbs as you can afford. If you do some research on here you will see that as far as CFL's go the most efficient bulbs per watt are the 26W ones (they are cheap too). Get some Y splitters from the hardware store so you can put more bulbs in your existing fixtures.

When you do switch to flowering you may want to consider your HID light since you will need @ 300W of CFL to produce a good amount of bud anyway and the HID will produce more lumens for the same energy cost.

Good luck man, I'm subbed

 

[McFonz]

My 8 ribs radiator is 2000W and I run it 4 hours a day during winter.
My smaller space heater is a 500W one. I run it 6 hours a day during winter.
My refridgerator consums around 250-300W and it runs 24\7.

300W running 12 hours a day is not likely to double your bill, and if does - it should be noticable with the bucks your paying.

I pay around 0.52 NIS per kW. Running a 400W light and 120W of venting while the lights are 12\12 and the venting is always on for 60 days is 240NIS. While its not that low its nothing for anything to bother looking into.
1USD = 3.6NIS.

 

[liquidavid]

Not much to tell, they're looking nice and heathy. Exept the one on the left, one of her cotyledon leaves was yellowed when she got out of the seed, and now leaves are only growing on one side I'll just name her Peg-leg.

O yea! And thanks for the subbing, this kinda makes my day. My g/f isn't this happy that I'm talking about the plants all day.

 

[fictionalgrower]

very handy, I think you will do just fine.

 

[DumpsterKeeper]

Don't be discouraged from using cfl. If you have the right setup and proper nutrition for the plants, you can produce plenty of high quality herb for yourself. I'll admit that HID lamps can produce larger denser buds per watt, but they're not practical for everyone's setup.

I like your setup. I've seen pc case grows before, but I like the idea of a server case. Don't be afraid to get creative with ways to add more lights. I ended up going from a power strip on the wall to hanging shop lamps from the walls and ceiling. Since your cubic feet space is linited to the cubic feet your case contains, this means you can really max out your lumens to footspace ratio if you use your head. Right now they're looking great.

What nutes will you be using? Do you know what strains they could possibly be?

 

[SocialFauxPas]

Here Here....

If you don't live with your mom anymore, why not use the 300w HIDs and make your g/f and mates truly happy?