trying this out for the first time / CFL

just set this up the other day. I got the seeds out of some stuff a buddy grew a while back. I had a decent amount and didnt find too many seeds. I only ended up with 2 purple haze that looked good, then about 7 white widow seeds but they were small and pale green and I figured they were all crap.

put them all inbetween a few layers of wet paper towel in the windowsill during the way and right under a 120w(26w) 5000k cfl flood light. after a few days both the PH popped but no WW action. so I threw the PH into their own pots and gave the WW a couple more days and when nothing happened I just threw them into the pots at the perimeter to see if they might eventually make it. well the other day I decided to go digging and see what was going on with them. only found 2, one had actually rooted and the one that hadnt I just broke open to see what it was like in there and it was just some tiny dry thing inside.

the one thats in sprouted but laying in the dirt I think might die, or is just stressed. when watering once I accidentally washed the plant away and it ended up with the root pointing up in the air and I had to replant it again.

the one pot where you can barely see the little green spot at dirt level is the WW, other two are PH. lights are 1-5000k 26W CFL flood (1200 lumens) and 4 - 2700k 23W CFL spirlals (1600 lumens). I have a tower fan in the closet on low circulating air around, and a humidifer in the main room since its a dry climate around here, especially inside since I have gas heat. I put some of that self adhesive foam insulation on the ends of the closet doors and between the two and also put a black sheet over the window so you cant see the light at all from the street. anything you can think of that I have overlooked as far as security and/or growing let me know. Ive done nothing for smell yet but didnt want to invest until I need it since I might end up killing these things anyways.

I want to keep them as small as possible, is there a limit to how early I can kick them into flower? Ive read on here someone saying not until the stalk is as thick as your thumb but Ive seen plants done flowering that werent that big.20120210_101629.jpg20120210_122522.jpg
 
I didnt want to mess with them that much. they went to the paper towel to pop, then went into the dirt. the healthiest looking one is untouched besides the first transplant into dirt. The WW was only dug up because after so long I was sure they were crap, since they looked so much smaller and didnt have the marbled look like the PH seeds did. I saw it had a root so I got it its own pit and its been untouched since. the reason the one has been handled is I watered it with too large a stream and it rinsed the dirt away and left the seed upside down with the long root in the air and the leaves in the dirt so I repositioned it and havent touched it since but it isnt looking so good. what would 6500k be for? I got the daylight bulb figuring it would be best at first then read I should have more like 2-3k bulbs for flower. is the 6500 just better than the 5k for the veg time? it would be of no benefit during flowering, correct?
 

Ringsixty

Well-Known Member
I use 5000k when I want to stunt or retard the growth during Veg. It is a scheduling thing.
But, anyway you would be better off with 6500k for quicker growth.
Just go to Walmart and get some GE brand 6500k lights.:leaf:

Happy growing
 
so will it make it take longer before I can flower or does it mean it will just keep the plant shorter until I throw it into flower? if thats what you mean by stunting its growth then Ill stick with what I got, Im going for small plants over max yeild this time.
 

Ringsixty

Well-Known Member
so will it make it take longer before I can flower or does it mean it will just keep the plant shorter until I throw it into flower? if thats what you mean by stunting its growth then Ill stick with what I got, Im going for small plants over max yeild this time.
Since, small is what you want. You will be fine.
Take a look @ my journel...I have started an experiment making some Bonsai plants.
 
alright, once that first plant had a decent set of leaves its grown pretty damn quick, and then that white widow has been popping out at a decent rate as well while that one purple haze plant was just laying in the dirt still. I was pretty sure it was a goner. even this morning it was still in the dirt but the lights just kicked back on an hour or so ago (I have the dark period in the daytime since at night its coldest and I need the lights for what little warmth they do give off) and I checked on them all and it has actually lifted itself just over 1/8" from the dirt so I think its gonna make it. also read just now of some people running 12/12 from seed, so I am going to just wait until the smallest one is about the size of the largest one now and kick it into flower to get it over ASAP. I mainly did this just to get one grow from start to end to get some idea of it because after this I am moving to a state thats alot more "friendly" regarding this kind of thing and get a tent and a 600w HPS and ventilation, etc... and make myself a decent setup, just would rather really screw up cheap plants under cheap lights before I go trying for anything elaborate.

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alright, about a week in and they are doing good. they have just been getting real low strength miracle grow indoor plant food so far, and I have fox farms tiger bloom for later. on the close-up, what are those little growths above the lowest branches? I didnt think they could show sex this early, but Im not sure if that is just what it looks like when new leaves are forming as the lower branches grow?

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