CFL grow about 10 days in. Suggestions please.

The first seedlings of this grow pooped up about 9-15.

I'm thinking I should have gone with a 600 or 1000w HPS or MH since these CFLs do produce heat from their ballasts and I've spent a good chunks of change on bulbs but I'm too far in to change. Maybe next time.

Here is some of the setup.:

The hydro finally came. I transplanted some newer seedlings but I didn't wash the roots and put them in rockwool. Is that bad? I just seem to loose plants hen I mess with roots and they looked so healthy I didn't want to screw up. A couple are in spagnum and the rest are in as small a ball of the original pacific forest, black gold, light warrior, dolomitic lime mix. It's an experiment but am I making a mistake? One of the "?" free seeds I got is going NUTZ!!! It sprouted way after the NL/BB but is as big as the best one. Any ideas what it might be?

I added 2 CO2 bubblers. One is a 5 gallon office cooler jug with a hypo needle run into a bubbler and it gives off a bubble a second unless shaken. When shaken the ballooon on top expands and it speeds up some. I can tell if I have CO2 if the balloon is standing. Pretty good setup.

Please take a look at the leaves closely and tell me what I'm doing wrong. When I transplanted them I nuted them lightly but maybe not lightly enough. Do you think the browning of the leaves is a little nute burn? PH is good. Maybe over watered? I've been having a bit of heat problem and the room was running 85-90. Is that maybe why the leaves look a little puffy and distorted?

if u think it is too hot with cfls then u got ventilation problems and anding a mh or hps is going to but off more heat lots more heat

I have the ventilation under control now. It's at about 75 with lights on and cooler the 4 hours the CFLs are off. I wondered if it was the 90-100 degree temps or adding nutes too soon that caused some of the leaf curl and a touch of browning. Maybe it was just shock from transplanting or I damaged a root or two. They seem to be doing good now.

What I meant about the HID lights is that for what I eventually spent to get the light I wanted from CFLs, I could have gone with HPS or MH for less $$$$. The DFLs probaly use less energy though and I'm sure the heat is less than HID lights.

So, how do you think they look for only being 10 days, or less, old? I'm trying REALLY HARD not to over water or over nute.

Gimme some tips n pointers guys. What am I doing right and what can I improve on?

water when u pick up pot and it feels real light or stick finger inch or so in soil to see if dry
dont keep them always moist let them ask for water and dont use full strength nutes yet
so are they in soil or hydro now i kind of got confused lol

can u please tell me why u put those orange balls in there?

that is clay hydroton pellets for absorbing moisture used for hydroponics
btw OP great clear pics nice pic taking

Drew4312 said:

can u please tell me why u put those orange balls in there?

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I think they look great!, if you have never grown under HID, it's a huge difference from CFL's on power consumption and heat. I had no idea how much of a difference until i did it myself recently. My power bill went up $100 this month running a 600w a small fan, a bathroom exhaust fan and a small air pump on 21-23 hour days.
The heat was unbearable to be close to without pushing air over the bulb, I had no idea how hot these things got...my room temp went up 30 degrees before I figured out the right system on the fans. I am currently sitting at about 78-85 depending on if my air condition is running or not.
When the plants get to like a couple feet tall, the CFL's can't continue to push enough lumens to all of the fan leaves that will creep around... and this is why i upgraded. it was either upgrade to one light or upgrade to like 5-10 CFL's just to keep up... LOLZ! I wanted more light to handle just 3 plants...
https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/370316-grape-ape-gorilla.html my posting with my setup...

14 total under 58,000 lumens of 3 spectrums of 20 total CFLs plus 5 13 w(1150 led) panels . I've got 6 growing in a DWC hydro system ( orange balls), the other 8 are in a soil mix of fox farm Pacific Forest, Light warrior, Black gold worm castings and dolomitic lime.

Here is what I have for light:
CFLs:

2- 5000K - 7000 Lumen ~ 500w 13" CFL (14,000 Lumens)
2- 6500K - 3000 Lumen ~ 150w 8" CFL (6,000 Lumens)
6- 6500K - 2000 Lumen ~ 100w 6" CFL (12,0000 Lumens)
6- 2700K - 2000 lumen ~ 100w 6" CFL (12,000 Lumens)
4- 2700K - 3000 Lumen ~ 150w 8" DFL ( 12,000 Lumens)

LEDS

5 - 14 w 250 LED Red / Blue panels. (1150 LEDS)

I've been having a time keeping heat down below 90 ! I've got the room vented to my house HVAC return duct right now with a 12 inch oscillating fan a 8 inch stationarry blowing around the DWC and a huge floor fan blowing into the closet and it's down to 80. I guess that's OK since thats the temp outside.

I run the CFLS and LED panels 18 hours then just the LEDs for four hours.

Here is where I need advice. Am I using TOO MUCH LIGHT?? All of this light is creating a heat problem. With the room at 90 and the optimal temperature of the air being about 70 and optimum water temp of the Hydro being 65 for MAXIMUM OXYGEN UTILIZATION, would I be better off turning off all of the 2700 K CFLS ?

That would eliminate TEN lights in the 2700K spectrum. Maybe I should just use the 2700K bulbs for flowering.

In a Hydro system, and I presume insoil too, oxygen utilization in 65 degree water is TWICE what it is in 80 degrees!! The lights create heat and heat reduces oxygen utilization.

Do you think the lights might be actually detrimental because of the heat??

This is a BIG QUESTION GUYS. I need serious advice on this. Some of my leaves are oddly distorted and some low leaves are gold. The Northern Light / big bud almost looks BLUE, is that good or bad?

Any suggestions on OPTOMIZING my grow would be greatly appreciated.

ohhhh,!!
I saw this picture and was like .... !!! !!!! !!!!? thought you only had a couple of those small CFL's with all that! LOL

I actually sat at 90 degrees for a week or two and I didn't have any problems for that time period, in fact they are big and beautiful...
but do you have AC on in the area and can port it to your grow area? or can you push air across your lamps and into a duct? are you ducting from the lamps or the entire grow area into the air return?
The heat in the room is important but not as imporatant as possibly burning the tips of the plants one day when you are at work and coming home to a drooping weeping closet full of ladies...
the yellowing could be a diffinciency, are you nuting yet? what are you using, are you 'ph'ing the water?

The low leaves turning gold is common btw, not entirely good but it's definately a hint from your plant telling you it needs something. If they need to fall off, they will, I sometimes clip them so they do not steal the nutrients and water from the rest of the plant that is not yellowing.

I've got 4 PH meter / thermometers coming. I'll put one in the DWC Hydro and the other 3 in various soil pots.

I would like to figure out a way to cool my hydro water. I'm thinking about taking it apart and putting a drain hole just below the water line so I can put a few ice cubes in. I'm freezing some small cylindrical crystal light containers. I'm going to try putting a cube in every morning but if I do I'll need an over flow.

Mt CO2 solution is starting to smell pretty high proof. Maybe I should get a distiller too. L.O.L!!

get u some 16 oz coke bottles and drink the coke and fill with water and freeze them and add one when lights are on keeps my temps low in dwc

I'm thinking

Hydro is really hard to get a hang of. I would suggest switching them all too soil until you have a good idea about hydro. It is very much a pain in the ass too deal with the ph flucuations and ppm for hydro and soil is alot more forgiving

Thanks Dank.

lol, and the the fire burns strong from within thy wallet....

practice with some bagseed

DankBudzzz said:

Hydro is really hard to get a hang of. I would suggest switching them all too soil until you have a good idea about hydro. It is very much a pain in the ass too deal with the ph flucuations and ppm for hydro and soil is alot more forgiving

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I completely agree, I cannot stand all the crap with hydro, like when the plant is taller than you and you discover that one of your hoses is plugged from salts or calcium build up. I live alone and dealing with that shit single handed or knowing your shit will die if you don't... hell, I have learned my lesson.