First CFL Grow-Bagseed-Stealth-Germinated 3-23

Ok guys so I've decided to do my first grow. I've been reading up here at RIU and other places as well and I feel as though I have enough information to do this project successfully.

The seeds I have are from good stock from a friend of mine. Two of them are supposedly Sour Diesel and the other two are unamed. All of these seeds are from some very dank plants regardless of what they really are.

My Setup:
-2 - 37 Gallon Rubbermaid Bins
-4 - 42w 2700k
-2 - 26w 6500k
(I plan to switch the 26w out after veg for an addition 2 more 42w 2700k's at flower.)
-1 - Computer Fan (Exhaust)
-1 - Small Adjustable Desk Fan (Intake)
-2 - PVC Elbow Intakes
-1 - Timer
-2 - Powerstrips
-Expert Gardner's Potting Soil
-Superthrive
-7 - Rolls of Reflective "Chrome" Duct Tape
-Some Twist Ties
-3 - Light Bulb to Electrical Socket Adapters
-3 - Light Fixture "Y" Splitters

More Will be added as I gain funds (namely nutes)

So, I germinated these guys on 3-23-09. It only took a day and a half for the seeds to grow tails and they all sprouted within a day or two of planting. They're all planted in the regular 16oz plastic cups, I covered them in tape so none of the roots would be exposed to light.. I remember reading this is bad?

I plan to transplant them to 8-10"diameter pots in which they will remain for the entirety of their growth.

I'm going to get a temp/humidity gauge today at Wally World, but the temperatures seem to stay pretty steady and not too hot so far.

I started using superthrive at waterings around 3/31 and it does seem like the plants have had a small boost in growth (of course I've never done this before so I could be totally wrong.)

I plan to LST all of the plants once they reach around 6" or so. I'm still not positive when I should start flowering these babies but I want to make sure I have enough room for at least 3 of them.

Well that's just the basics.. So far I think they are doing ok, sorry for the sub-par pictures, alls I have is my phone atm.

The first picture shows an overall view, I have the plants raised up so they are about 3-4 inches from the lights. The lights hang from the lid of the top Rubbermaid and are all connected to a power strip.. I'll get a picture up in my next post. The small exhaust fan is on the left, I constructed a duct on the outside of the box so no light could get in through the fan. The right side has my two intake pvc elbows and my moveable desk fan that draws air in from a vent behind it and blows it across the lights.

The 2nd picture shows the whole setup from the outside. (I cover it with a blanket and stack junk on top of it.. can't even tell what it is).

The 3rd picture just gives a better view of the side with the desk fan and pvc elbows..

The 4th is a picture of the 4 (hopefully gals) this morning April 3. The sprouted on the 27th or 28th of March so that gives an idea of how old they are.

I have a few questions that I'll address here in a little bit when I have more time.

If there is anything you'd like to know, or reccomend, PLEASE ask or Please do tell

Thank you, and let me know how you think it's going.

Ok so, one of my biggest questions is: How long should I veg these in order to keep them at a managable height inside of these two rubbermaids?

According to what I've read, plants grown under CFL's can only be around 20" for best results.. Is this true?

Will an 8" or 10" diameter pot be large enough for one plant to grow until harvest in this environment? I planned to have 3-4 pots room permitting.

Ok these are just some basic questions so I can plan ahead here, any help would be greatly appreciated. I admire the knowledge so many of you have and will gladly accept any advice you could give me.

Man I figured people might notice this. I don't want to post in other people's journals or anything so hopefully this gets some attention heh. I plan to keep this updated regularly if enough people want to see it.

greenzebra said:

Ok so, one of my biggest questions is: How long should I veg these in order to keep them at a managable height inside of these two rubbermaids?

According to what I've read, plants grown under CFL's can only be around 20" for best results.. Is this true?

Will an 8" or 10" diameter pot be large enough for one plant to grow until harvest in this environment? I planned to have 3-4 pots room permitting.

Ok these are just some basic questions so I can plan ahead here, any help would be greatly appreciated. I admire the knowledge so many of you have and will gladly accept any advice you could give me.

Click to expand...

Those pots are fine. I started flowering on day 17 at around 5" tall. They now range from 15-32" depending on strain. Don't wait too long - they really take off when you hit 12/12

Do you use any techniques like LST or topping?

Will LSTing really make the plant shorter, or will it just allow for more bud sites and the plant will grow to the same height?

Sorry for these basic questions.. I'm just trying to make sure everything is straight, I'm new to this and I hope for a first grow it goes alright.

I decided since I have some money I should buy a some planting pots and nutrients today. I picked up Miracle Grow Bloom Booster 15-30-15. I also bought 8" diameter planting pots. I checked at both Wal-Mart and Home Depot and neither had anything besides basic commercial brands.

For veg I was looking to get some nutes but I wasn't sure what. I saw some 30-10-10, it was called Miracle Grow Azaelea or something similar. Does anyone have some suggestions on veg nutes I could find at Wal-Mart or HD? I saw some 5-1-1 Alaska Fish Fertilizer too, would this be good for veg?

I'll update with some new pictures here in a day or two, one of the plants is growing noticeably faster than the others.

I've been using superthrive at waterings recently and I was wondering if this was ok for the plants this young?

Heya Green

Sorry I haven't stopped by sooner, Im just so used to people droppin links for their journals I figured you didn't have one when I didnt see a link. Kinda sad huh? haha. For the record, feel free to drop a link in any of my threads at any time, Im all about spreadin the CFL groove thang!

Anyhow, about your setup. I like it, very practical and creative for a stealth grow. I think you are on the right track and if you end up using miracle grow at least you are looking for the right things. I heard a lot of miracle grow products have a low pH, but some have been used with no problems. No personal experience myself.

I bought some of the Alaska fish fertilizer and let me tell you...that stuff smells like SHIT! haha. It smells like an oooooold bucket of rotting fish and feces. I haven't started adding it yet but Ive read that it works great for veg. I was told about 1/2 Tablespoon per gallon for veg.

On the Superthrive topic, Its supposed to be used WITH a fertilizer typically. However, it says to also use it alone to help revive plants or reduce stress when transplanting. I am currently having some issues and I have cut my water back, and also added Superthrive to it, we'll see how well it works. I added 1/8 teaspoon of superthrive (1/2 the recommended dosage) to a gallon of water.)

Hope this helps, and good luck with the grow, Im subscribed!! +rep for the setup btw!!

KB

Everything looks pretty good. I use a 30-10-10 for veg at half strength right now. If you are in the U.S. you should check out the fox farms nutes. I know a lot of people on RIU are using them. Good luck man.

Hey guys, I just wanted to let anyone who is interested in following this that I made a new thread in the cfl forum that has been updated a few times already. The link to the journal is: https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-growing/180578-first-ever-grow-cfl-two.html

Thanks for the input so far and I hope to see you guys over at the new thread