Ready for some advice (single plant grow)

Hi guys,

So here is what I've figured out so far from reading everyone's articles/set ups but there is some stuff I'm unclear on.

Seeds need to be germinated on a damp paper towel under something dark, kept warm and moist but not wet.


Seeds can be planted as soon as they “pop” but should be kept in a warm dark place until they sprout.


4 42 watt CFL lights are better then 1 300 florescent. I should have the light close to the plant, but not to close to burn it



A fan helps strengthen the stem if set on low to make the sprout quiver, ¼ turn of the pot every day


Now for my questions:


What is this tin foil looking stuff I see people put around their plants? I figure it acts like a reflector, where do you buy it? do I need it? Can I just use tin foil?



The plant I'm growing now (the "test" plant) grew up to thin and twiggy because I didn't have enough light for it, and the light was to far away, I see people with this short bushy baby plants and I'm confused on if I could put it under full strength lights (ie. 4 42 watt cfls) as a sprout or if I should slowly work up to it?


The space I'm going to be growing in is 2' wide X 2' deep and about 7 1/2' high. I currently have my lighting on a rack just above the plant, but should I block off the top of the room with foil covered cardboard so I don't loose light in the top?

42w cfls are hardly high strength lights seedlings will be fine under them, The "tin foil looking stuff" is called Mylar the problem with using regular tin foil is it creates to many hot spots and doesn't really reflect that much light you can get Mylar from hydro shops

yes in cfl's the smaller lights give more lumens(light) per watt, unlike HPS. you don't have to get mylar, my personal preference is flat whit paint less fuss easy to keep clean. it is good to put a reflector above lights but make sure to exhaust the heat outside with a fan

Webb- Thanks for the info! I don't know if we have any hydro shops around, so that could be why I hadn't heard of it before.

Zem, Would leaving the door cracked with just a small desk fan help this? (to be honest this is in my linen closet in my bathroom) I'm not worried about someone walking in and seeing it since just my husband and I are ever home. The closet is already painted a cream color so I guess that's good?
Would it be better to have several 23/24 watt CFL's rather then the 42 watt ones? I recently shelled out for some seeds, and want to make sure I've got everything ship-shape before they get here.

If you use the paper towel method I like to put the wet paper towels in a ziplock with a big air bubble in it then put somewhere warm or even on a heating pad on low. I keep mine pretty wet and burp them twice a day.

Depending on what medium your growing in you can literally just stick a seed in a rapid rooter plug, rockwool block or peat pellet and let it go then transplant once it's off and running, skipping the whole germ process if you want to.

When it comes to CFL's the more the better as long as your temps. are controllable.

A fan is mainly just used for air flow, it's debatable imo whether nor not they help strengthen the stems. Silica does help strengthen stems for sure though.

Don't use tin foil, it's a poor reflector and mostly just reflects heat. Mylar is best, panda film (white poly film) second, and plain flat white painted walls third. Or you can even use those cheapo survival blankets, they are mylar although very thin, still reflect better than tin foil.

I'd hit the sprouts with at least 4 CFL's then work up.
Yeah I'd make some sort of DIY reflector or just use one of the above mentioned reflective materials to bounce it back down. CFL's don't utilize a ton of reflection imo but it doesn't hurt! =D


^^^ Leaving the door cracked with a fan blowing in to circulate the air should work fine.


Good luck on your grow, peace. =)

Thanks brown and everyone else, Advice is very welcomed. Here's some +rep to learning and success in the future!