CFL 1st Grow =D

Sup people new to this whole forum stuff
Been readin up on various forums for quite a while, especially this one

Right down to business
I've got some bagseed that was aparantly white widow, which has germinated and is under a 75w equivalent CFL
Feeding on just water for the moment
Soil from a gardening store my dad uses
CFL's gathered from a couple diferent sources,
got two 14w's that are equivalent to 75w
A 11w that's equivalent to 60w
An 8w that's equivalent to 40w
All warm white 2700k
And 3 other 11w's I'm not sure about as I took them from a few lamps in a shit practice room that ripped us off xD
Got some tomato blooming shit from BnQ that I'm gonna use during flowering for bigger buds =)
"Levington Tomorite liquid tomato fertiliser"
NPK (If I read the right bit) 4.0, 4.5 and 8.0

Pics are taken on my dads Nikon, fuck knows what model

Built a chamber for the seedlings and for veg growth (plants will most probz outgrow it) out of a carboard box and used tinfoil (I know I know...just didn't have anything else)

So yeah any help or that would be good

well first things first, congrats on your first grow and welcome to RIU, although im a new poster as well. now then...that light is way to far away from your plants. The effective lumens from a cfl dissipate very quickly, and farther than 2-3 inches of distance almost makes their use pointless. also the "equivalent output" of the CFL's are useless, the only thing that matter is actual wattage. all in all i believe you have exactly 99 watts with all your bulbs together. unfortunantly young plants are best grown under a light spectrum ranging more in the 5000k-6500k range. the 2700k lights are what you need, but not till you begin to flower your girls. however the plants can use that light so for now its ok, just try to add some daylight spectrum bulbs. also, the sun puts out 10000 lumens per square foot, and a 23 watt cfl puts out less than 2000 lumens...if its within 3 inches. the minimum for a plant to grow is around that number, but it will be stretched, weak, and easily victim to illness. however if you put a couple of bulbs within a few inches of your cups, you will see a substantial increase in plant growth, and health...dont fertilize till youre a couple weeks in and your plants have put out a few sets of leaves...


hope that helps

Take out the foil.

5000k-6500k range IS REALLY NOT NEEDED
my girls are 3 months old and i started them with 2700-3000K cfls
3 fair ladies from the yellow spectrum

I checked the lumen output alltogether and it's 769x2, 600 and 400
So altogether the lamps equal 2538 lumens
But I only have the one light fixture just now which is why I don't have them all in
And I only have the warm white ones just now as they were donated by my sister xD
I know I need the blue spectrum more for veg, but I'm making do with what I can just now
Stuck another seed in some mineral water to germinate aswell
That's what the little cup in the pics was

I've got another box I'm going to line with the wrapping paper that's got mylar type shit on the back
Gonna pick some up later on today
And make the hole for the light a lot closer to the plants
Just using the more powerful light just now as it's all I can
Some of the CFL's are bayonet (?) type ones and the others screw in, and the only screw in fixture I have is totally un-removable from a lamp, which I can't fit inside the box

Thanks very much for the help, will update 2moz when I have adjusted the box

Cool thread, i dig your DIY option. My two cents...

Definitely want to ditch that foil for mylar, it creates hot spots BIG time on your plants...
With CFL growing you want those lights as CLOSE as possible honestly 1/4 inch away is safe...
burns usually occur ONLY if the plant makes contact with the bulb...
Everything you think about CFL equivalent wattage TOSS it out the window... haha
that was among the first things i learned on this forum... it's all about lumens and temp ratings...
i see you did the add up the lumens method... i learned only a couple weeks ago, thats not truly the way to add lumens...

Lumens, Lux, and Adding it all up..

Check that link VERY informative info about the power output and proper use of CFL for growing...

haha those are my two cents... look forward to seeing more form you grow!

Heres the updated box =)
Managed to get the metal lamp in there
Turns out one of the bulbs was 3500k
Balanced the lamp on a stack of old VHS tapes

But yeah getting the mylar wrapping paper shit today hopefully if I can, if not definately tomorrow, and I'll get some cable and some fixtures while I'm at it, and wire them to the mains plugs I've got lying around in the house

Cheers for the input keep it coming

Ikilledthepromqueen said:

Heres the updated box =)
Managed to get the metal lamp in there
Turns out one of the bulbs was 3500k
Balanced the lamp on a stack of old VHS tapes

But yeah getting the mylar wrapping paper shit today hopefully if I can, if not definately tomorrow, and I'll get some cable and some fixtures while I'm at it, and wire them to the mains plugs I've got lying around in the house

Cheers for the input keep it coming

Click to expand...

do you have a patio? or a windowsill with lots of sun? as young as those plants are, they would do well in part-full sun until you have box situated. honestly they might do better at this stage that way than the two lamps. just a thought.

i like that your thinking!!!

Nah I live in sunny sunny Scotland mate xD
Nae sun ever reaches this desolate shitehole xD

Nah I did have them on the windowsill in the pots with a clingfilm cover to germinate, minus one of them I just dropped in water
But the weather is so fucking changeable, like last week was blaring sun (for us xD), then today was major rain
Im planning on sticking them up on my windowsill whenever its really sunny, like regardless how far I am into the grow, just 'cos I'm sure they'll benefit

Once I've got all of my gear I'm converting a mini-loft I have into a proper room, but for now even a shoebox would do xD
Seeing as they're only babies

Cheers

Growing CFL? Make sure you read ANY post by Roseman. The Local CFL Professor.
https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-growing/202718-cfl-tutorial.html
You will need more light quickly. Spectrum matters more than you think. Keep your lights CLOSE. Good luck.

Areet time for another update
Moved the lights closer and added a 3500k CFL
And the growth has shot right up, I'm pretty pleased
Gonna go on a wee spending spree and get more lighting fixtures and some mylar very soon
I need to like xD
But yeah heres pics of them
I've not got a timer just now and I forgot to switch the lights off, they've been on roughly 17-18 hrs of light a day
Would it be a giid idea to leave them on 24hrs til they're bigger or I flower?
Just because it would be easier as I amn't in my flat a lot, got a very demanding social life xD

Cheers

depending on who you talk to 24 hours is good or bad. it certainly does NOT inhibit their growth. they will grow under 24 hour light. some say it doesnt give the plant/roots any time to recover, hence the dark cycle. as young as they are though, and you don't have a timer 24 hours SHOULD be alright. i say that but you're the grower and you're seeing them everyday, so you ultimately have to make your own decision.

go for 24 hours UNTIL you get a timer, just so they plants have a consistent light cycle, and it doesn't confuse the little kids. but definitely get a timer soon, and get them going on a regular 18/6 (18 hours light 6 hours dark) light cycle. remember the closer the better! especially at this stage, as young as they are they can stretch ALOT and leave you with an elongated, weak stem. (check the first couple pages of my WaterFarm grow in my signature, i started out with that problem)

consider a fan as well once you get a node or two established, just a gentle breeze to mimic the outdoor breeze, it will help strengthen the stem and later on equal a stem strong enough to support BIG BEAUTIFUL BUDS!!

doing good keep it up!!

Nice one
Yeah I've got em pretty close
And I'm going on to BnQ tomorrow for a proper spending session
More fixtures and I'll get a fan and some mylar from a supermarket
And yeah I think I might actually have a timer somewhere come to think of it
I shall ask the old man ^^
Yeah I was pretty scared about having them strech too much, but I've noticed a pretty big difference now I've moved the light
I'll just get a small fan and use a bigger box I've got lying about to put all the lights in, and cut a hole for the fan,
Does it matter about light leaking out a bit? The old man's all for me growin and I'm not letting people I dont fully trust near the room I have my box in so stealth ain't an issue
It's just a shame money is otherwise I'd be straight onto the 1000w HPS
Gonna get some Earth Juice Grow aswell online
And maybe some of these CFL grow lights
Any advice about this site before I go ahead? Just I've heard CFL grow lights that aren't Envirolites tend to fail
www.sunlightsheds.com
Cheers

those lights look legit. check my waterfarm thread, i'm using a bulb similar to that and actually JUST did a post about it last night. should be the last page or page before it. remember though THOSE CFLs have a larger socket, so you will need a reflector or basic hood to screw it into. its larger than standard sockets, unlike other CFL.

oh and light leaking out doesnt matter, just uh.. lost light? i guess? light leaking in during dark hours is what your main concern should be. but i guess light leaking out is just light that could be trapped and reflected at your kids.

nice...looking good

Harro people
Couldn't go on that fuckin shop
Couldn't get cash

But yeah I changed that daylight bulb to a much more powerful bulb, gives out over 1200 lumens
Dno what spectrum tho, but I figured a shit load of lumens in a not perfect, but usuable spectrum was better than a few in the perfect spectrum

Grow has shot right up like
Quite proud of the babies xD

One's already got its 3rd leaves formin now

That one just loves to grow, and I love it too tbh

Gonna get wiring them bastard sockets as soon as I can

Plus would anyone be able to tell me why the leaf on one the later planed one is an odd shape?

Cheers

nice grow mate, im pullin up a chair to watch

the leaf could be twisted like that from a ph inbalance...if i dont have my facts mixed up lol. not really something to worry about, since normally the leaf will fix itself as it grows, but if all the leaves come out twisted like that , deff check the ph. good looking start though, i like the shape of the leaves in that third pic.

happy growing!

dont worry about funny shapes. prot3us1 had a plant the sprouted THREE leaves per set. no joke, instead two baby leaves like you see, its first set of true leaves sprouted in threes, it now has an interesting flat stem, and odd branching... but its flowering! funny things happen!

yea that is called "tri-foliar" ...i read about it in a marijuana horticulture book. i had one once...i felt like the luckiest guy alive, especially cuz it was among the first 5 seeds i ever sprouted. mine turned out male though :-'(