Ok here we go, a big update:
The 36 hours worked fantastically!!!
I cant tell you how excited i was to enter the grow room this morning after 36 hours of complete darkness. There was a ton of new growth on the plants- and even four with what i believe to be pre-flower development! I am stoked. Some of the plants leaves are droopy as i expected (no light or water tends to do that) and the pictures should reflect that as they are taken immediatley after their dark period.
Switching the MH bulb out was incredibly easy, and watching the new HPS bulb turn on for the first time made me light up almost as much as the room. I definitly expected the hps to put out more heat than it does, and i am thankful that it does not- the room temp is about the exact same as with the MH. The light is noticeably different, with a much more orangish/red to it- which i understand is the critical light spectrum for flowering.
Current Temp: 67 low at night and 76 with light
Current RH: 59% night and 44% with light
Light Height: 18" over top of tallest plant
Ph: I dont know... Do I need to get a meter? I dropped the nitrogen rich fish water now that their flowering and am now just using tap water with a mix of molasses and ultra low dose nute
I used 5 teaspoons of molasses in 2 gallons (I boiled the molasses down first in a smaller pot then mixed in with the rest of 2 gallons) and 1/2 a teaspoon of the bloom and grow from grocery store (expert gardner) I always forget the numbers on the bloom and grow specifically but they are in line with many of the more expensive products I have seen designed specifically for marijuana. For my first grow I am looking to avoid having to tamper with nutrients, that is definitely on the list for the next immediately following grow along with genetics. But for now- I am hoping this is cool. Is this a terribly bad idea, do I need 'wonder products'?
I rearranged and even went so far as to name the plants. I had too much fun with it and the ones with pre-flower development all got female names that started with H's, and the others got androgynous names. I also recorded their heights from end of main stem and a guess at what i belive to be their main strain; sativa / indica
Pics Begin in Same order as plant:
Sam: Sativa; 12"
Fran: Sativa 9.5"
Jan: Indica 7"
Bert: Indica 7"
Holly: Indica 7" (preflower)
Heidi: Sativa, maybe some indica? 7"
Heather: Sativa, some indica? 10.5"
Helga: Indica 7.5"
Pat: Indica 8.5"
Andrea: Indica, maybe some Sativa? 12"
Terry: Sativa, maybe some indica? 11"
Then I have some up close kiddy bud porn? If your in to that...
Followed by a group shot of the aspiring young bud stars
and then two shots of the outside of the operation
and finally a cool overhead shot i took
Well thats it, a ton of pics and a lot of writing, thanks to those that read it, and to anyone who even skimmed it has any advice or noticed something done wrong please call me on it- and tell me how to correct it.
Thanks all.