How are we looking here...

I can't help but to notice everyone else's plants look bushier then mine..

Right now I am JUST hitting week three ( the 20th will be week three )...

My grow area is a Rubbermaid 46 gallon chest. Right now I am only using a 18" 15watt floro kept approx 2 inches away from the plants at all times.

The seeds came from some very good regs that I came across and figured I would germinate..

What should I do for lighting in this box? I need to make sure that the lights don't get to hot and set fire or melt the plastic no? I was thinking of just getting a 32" FLORO fixture and mounting it to the top.

I plan on topping off the plant to let it grow more horizontal then vertical.

I have a 4" Fan in there now blowing to make some thick stems...

When should I start to fertilize I know it's coming soon. I have Miracle Grow All Purpose is that ok?

Suggestions / Critique is encouraged...

those are just babies,,,they will catch up...what kind of lights u running, what kind of nutes,,,may be time to repot before they get rootbound and stunted...nice start though
peace

invest in some pure blend pro its all organic, add in some kelp liquid karma and your off to a good start...if u have any questions along the way u can pm me if ud like?

Right now I am using an 18" 15 watt fluorescent light.. What should I upgrade to for my chest? will CFL get too hot?

Also.. What size pots should I replant into????

did u get im?

Dude, those plants are really really stretched. The best thing you can do is go out and get some CFL's, the cheap spirally kind of energy efficient lights and get at least six. This might help as well. You also probably want to get creative and find a way to bury those stems up to the first set of leaves. They're growing taller and less bushy than they should because they're not getting enough light.

GrizzSpitter said:

Dude, those plants are really really stretched. The best thing you can do is go out and get some CFL's, the cheap spirally kind of energy efficient lights and get at least six. This might help as well. You also probably want to get creative and find a way to bury those stems up to the first set of leaves. They're growing taller and less bushy than they should because they're not getting enough light.

Click to expand...

I had a feeling this was happening ... But I am worried the CFLs will get to hot in the rubbermaid no?

I have one CFL in my room right now I am trying it on a fixture to see how hot it gets over night...

The last thing I want to do is burn the house down you know?

Any recommendation on CFLs to purchase?

I just put a CFL very close to the plant for tonight until I can figure out some sort of solution.

I am still worried about the heat of the bulb being in a closed container....

yeah its definatly your lighting situation

Zekedogg said:

yeah its definatly your lighting situation

Click to expand...

What is the best way to light my situation???

Dimensions are 2.75' L x 1.5' H x 1.6' W
Material: Rubbermaid
Additional: 4" Fan

truthfully if i were u i wouldn't plan on using the rubermaid chest very long,the bigger ur plants get the more light there going to need therefore exserting more heat!!!Plastic or rubermaid containers are not idea places for grwin due to the melt and fires being startedby that type of material.I would build a grow box made out of wood just a lil bit bigger and line it with aluminum foil(dull side out).make some holes in it for ventalation (if ur intrested on makin this send me a Private Message and ill give u all the info. needed to make.afteru do that id plant them in biggr pots.it recomended that 1 cubic foot og soil is ideal for 1 plant.but its really up to u!!keep in mind the more room ur roots have to grow the more thicker strongerr and all around bigger the plant will get.def. burry those youngins up to there first "little leaves"to help out the strecthin prob. if have any more ques just PM me.hope this helps and good luck!

As of right now I put a CFL bulb right next to the plants and also have the other light going... so far the plants have not moved up anymore.. I also buried one of the stems as best as I could... It was hard because the stems are firm because I have been fanning for a long time!

Can I plant more then 1 plant in a small bucket???

You should only plant one plant per bucket. A large plant can produce enough root mass to use a five gallon container, and those cfls won't burn your plants or your box. They dont get hot enough. Just dont let them touch the sides of the container or the plants.

Did I really use the word plant five times in that short of a post?

yeah you did boober

as for the cfl heat questoin you should be able to get 2 cheap wired oulets, 2
y-fitting socket, and 4 32 watt cfls in there no prob get the daylight ones(6500k) ... maybe put in another 4 inch fan for exhaust air...you'll ok bout 50 bucks for all.. GL

dude. the reason your plants are strung out and not bushy it means that the plant is not getting enough light.

you need yo change to a higher wattage bulb. you wont have to worry about the heat melting the plastic. you have a fan so that helps too.

metal halide lights are good for growing. but when you start to bud or (flower) you need to put a high pressure sodium light on it 12/12
and you'll get some crucial buds.

+1 for lights!

Ok ... I will be adding more CFLs in the coming days... right now I have the 2 lights really close.. I will be getting some sockets / another fan tomorrow...

Thanks for the help everyone...

One other question

Is the 3000k spectrum ok or does it need to be 6500k what is the difference? 6500k is more of a noon light while 3000k would be morning?

All I know is I use to use 10k-20k for my fish tanks. To get that white / blue look.