Low humidity, high temperature, CFL grow,,,, First timer help please?

I've got a small closet grow in a box lined with aluminum foil on two sides and the top (aluminum foil is bad?)

I have three 26 watt ("100" watt) CFL 6500k Daylight bulbs (GE) and one computer fan sucking air, blowing it out a square hole on the other side of the plants.

My plants are in MG organic potting soil and in Jiffy pots. They were started in peat pellets and i ripped off the netting and the bottom half of the peat pellet to transplant them.

This is about their 3rd week for the decent sized ones, the others are week and a half.

How does this look? I have to water these every day, at least 2 or 3 times. The humity is 35% and the temp is a steady 99 degrees (WOW!). Would another fan PULLING air from inside out help? (one blowing, one sucking)


Any advice? The leaves look droopy on one sometimes after i water it, then the next morning the soil is bone dry as is the jiffy pot.

This is my first indoor grow.


Any opinions, criticism, advice, anything is appreciated.

Thanks!

How often do you water? Those jiffy pots will dry out FAST! Could be a over watering or under watering problem.

Get those temps down, 90 is WAAAAY to hot, they will die.

**update**

Ok I read it again, sounds like you are watering way too much. Back off a little and see what happens. Yes, that fan idea will help a lot.

So just simply switching pots will make them not dry out as fast? i have to water the damn things 3 times a day.

I have a gallon jug of water that i added a small amount (tablespoon?) of mircale grow all purpose to and thats what i use to water them.

I rotate them due to the light position every week at least. (Should do it more or get more lights hooked up i think)

How can i get the temps down? Just more fans and airflow? Since my room stays 72-76 degrees... (And inside my grow is 99!)

Should i try to get humidity higher ?

Probably a lack of water and too much. I pour on a lot and it soaks it all up, then it dries all out...

thanks!

Cuz those things suck IMO. I would put them in better pots. They are definitely to young to be adding nutes already. Hold off on that now. And when you do use nutes, I wouldn't recommend MG.

Yes, step up the lighting. Get more 6500k cfl's. Two or three for each plant is good. Also looks like you got some tin foil in there, get rid of that. It will causes hot spots and will burn the plants.

Get some fans in there and that will get some air circulating. Where are you growing these? In your closet? If so, try leaving the door open if it's closed.

GrnMan said:

Cuz those things suck IMO. I would put them in better pots. They are definitely to young to be adding nutes already. Hold off on that now. And when you do use nutes, I wouldn't recommend MG.

Yes, step up the lighting. Get more 6500k cfl's. Two or three for each plant is good. Also looks like you got some tin foil in there, get rid of that. It will causes hot spots and will burn the plants.

Get some fans in there and that will get some air circulating. Where are you growing these? In your closet? If so, try leaving the door open if it's closed.

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I agree on the peat pots sucking. I have a very very diluted solution of MG and it doesnt seem to affect them negatively.

I will definitely get more lights in there once i get more fans on it. It is a closet grow and the door always stays half open, and there are vents in the doors.

I say they suck because I used them before and didn't have any luck, like I said..that's just my opinion.

Well if you don't think the nutes is hurting them, stick with it..just be careful. It could become a problem.

Try cracking the door more to help with the temp. If you want to raise the humidity, get a humidifier..their like 20 bucks at Wal-Mart.

I've had two fans in there for a while now, one pushing one pulling, and I have three CFL's a couple inches above them, all 26 watt ("100 watt") 6500k daylight bulbs. I have them in 4" clay pots now still with the MG organic soil, and i have gotten the humidity up to 48% and the temp down to 81 degrees F.

My leaves are light green for the most part and are quite crispy. They look droopy or even curled. The crispy part scares me. Are they gonna make it?

Any more ideas? Maybe move the lights further away?? I have some 8 inches away from the lights with the same issues.

Thanks,
-Kyle

I am no soil grower but you are burning the crap out of your plants..... you got the temperatures down which is good, dont feed them anything!!!!!!! and when you do READ the dosage on the container and then use 25% of what they tell you...1 tablespoon per gallon sounds really high for any type of nutes....imho

bigd921 said:

I am no soil grower but you are burning the crap out of your plants..... you got the temperatures down which is good, dont feed them anything!!!!!!! and when you do READ the dosage on the container and then use 25% of what they tell you...1 tablespoon per gallon sounds really high for any type of nutes....imho

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I agree, I have learned that small plants dont need any nutes. MG has nutes in it for the first month or so. You need just water. you may want to consider doing a flush. Get better soil. Water with water only and you will be just fine.

grocery list
Moisture meter $10
Ph tester $10-100
Fox farm ocean forest dirt $30
Perlite chunky $20
if you have the means give this stuff a try and you will be just fine. good luck.

kyle1058 said:

I've had two fans in there for a while now, one pushing one pulling, and I have three CFL's a couple inches above them, all 26 watt ("100 watt") 6500k daylight bulbs. I have them in 4" clay pots now still with the MG organic soil, and i have gotten the humidity up to 48% and the temp down to 81 degrees F.

My leaves are light green for the most part and are quite crispy. They look droopy or even curled. The crispy part scares me. Are they gonna make it?

Any more ideas? Maybe move the lights further away?? I have some 8 inches away from the lights with the same issues.

Thanks,
-Kyle

Click to expand...

Quit drowning your plants. If it that hot turn off a light, get the temps down a little more. Don't worry about getting the humidity any higher, its rh, relative to the temp. Watering even once a day stops you plants from doing what you want them to do. You want the roots to grow looking for water, right? Why would they, they don't have to go anywhere to get water, you are going to give them another dose right at the top of the pot, and they will not grow looking for water. They are literally drowning, can't get enough oxygen. By the time they get ready to use it, you water them again, like pouring water in a drowning mans throat. If they have developed a big enough root system to need watering that often then you need to transplant them to a bigger pot. You got the temps down, now get the watering down. VV

My plants are doing much better now off of the nutes. Just straight water and they are greening back up. They were burnt all to shit on MG. My biggest plant doubled overnight!

These are in 4" Pots now, by the way.

Here is a picture of plant #1 on 5/5/08:



Here is a picture of plant #1 on 5/8/08:



Here is a picture of plant #1 on 5/9/08:



Here is another picture of plant #1 on 5/9/08:




You can kind of see how it curls and turns yellow then once i start just putting straight water and changing the light gradually to 18/6 (instead of 24/0) it is greening up good!

Other than a problem with one of my two fans (ordered 3 more just now), the grow appears to be happening. My outside grow appears to be much more steady, however.

Any more tips?




Outdoor:

they look better then my plants
3 weeks old now i fucked the whole growing up im trying to recover

darksys said:

they look better then my plants

3 weeks old now i fucked the whole growing up im trying to recover

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Wow. No light?

I have 6 27watt daylights and 2 23watt warm cfls on mine. proper intake and exhaust will keep temps down, and 8" is way to far away for cfls keep them within 3" as cfls dont get as hot as hid lighting... mine are 1.5" away but my temp fluxs. between 75f and 80f, check it out.

i keep mines in a cabinet with 2 100wtt cfls one 5" fan blowing in fresh air and 2 computer fans sucking air out the cabinet. and i just turn off and close the cabinet for 6 hours. and i dont use nutes just water every 2 days, you should do the same kyle just water

darksys said:

they look better then my plants

3 weeks old now i fucked the whole growing up im trying to recover

Click to expand...

Man, the Yoa Ming and Shaq's of RIU...