Update on my windowsill + cfl project (first grow) [Easy Ryder]

Hello RIU,

I'm currently doing my very first grow. It's an auto-strain (easy ryder). Since I wasn't ready to pour too much money into this project right away, I decided to go a slightly alternative routine with respect to lighting.
I placed my girl in a south facing windowsill and hung a few cfls above her. They're 2x 23W.
So far I've been able to keep my initial cost down to roughly 100$. I'm willing to invest another 50$ in more light if it becomes impossible to cover her with what I have. It probably will - I think she has quite a lot of growing left to do.

After 4 weeks, this is what she looks like. Personally, I'm quite pleased with the results so far. I've trained her since she was a baby (I'll snap a picture underneath the leaves tomorrow). She's in 5 gallons of soil, for a size reference (the pot is 12 inches across). The purpose of the way I'm training her is to keep her as flat as possible for optimal coverage with the little light I have. It seems to be working fairly well so far.

Currently she's growing like.. well, a weed! She's at least tripled in size over the past week - and that's with 4 days of cloudy weather.

honestly i spend maybe like 90$ on my grows, rooms and all if you're creative, and a handy man you can do it cheaper without sacrificing product

Love it! I always wanted to grow a couple of those easy-ryders, Good luck bro! and I would love to see the way you trained it. Just string and tape?

sunni said:

honestly i spend maybe like 90$ on my grows, rooms and all if you're creative, and a handy man you can do it cheaper without sacrificing product

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I have nothing. I literally have -nothing- in the way of materials or tools laying around, which means that I would have to invest money in every little component. It all adds up. The electrical components (sockets, wires etc.) alone cost me more than the light bulbs. Add to that the fact that I live in a place where everything is expensive and I can guarantee you, I wouldn't have been able to build a room for under 100$.
Besides, I like giving her actual sunlight.

wonderous said:

Love it! I always wanted to grow a couple of those easy-ryders, Good luck bro! and I would love to see the way you trained it. Just string and tape?

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Yes, pretty much. I went out and got some soft cotton string, and I basically just tie it loosely at a node and tape the other end to the side of the pot. I trained the main stem in a circle. All the branches, I pull to the edge of the pot and then sideways around i (or wherever there's an open spot in the foliage). My camera is currently charging. I'll snap a picture soon.







I should probably note, before I get any comments about the absolute requirement of using 600w HPS's that I grow primarily because I find it a fascinating hobby. I enjoy the occasional joint, but I'm not a habitual smoker. 100$ worth of decent weed would easily last me well over a year, and I have no need or desire for bags full of the stuff, as I don't intend to sell. This is why I'm not going to pour piles of money into it.
edit: Don't take this last part the wrong way. I'm a little cranky when I wake up.

never go to a department store for your lighting , always go to a manufacturing store, every town has one i live in butt fuck no where and we have about 3. all my lighting socks, wires costed me contractors price, check out garage sales for wood scraps or whatever you need, never pay full price for anything

Am not sure if you took my comment in the wrong way I was defiantly siding on you/with you

sunni said:

never go to a department store for your lighting , always go to a manufacturing store, every town has one i live in butt fuck no where and we have about 3. all my lighting socks, wires costed me contractors price, check out garage sales for wood scraps or whatever you need, never pay full price for anything

Am not sure if you took my comment in the wrong way I was defiantly siding on you/with you

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Aha, yes I did misinterpret your post. Guess I'm in a defensive mood today Sorry about that.

"Never pay full price for anything" I love that philosophy! Sadly, I rarely have the patience to follow through with it. I guess you're right that I could have put something together with materials from garage sales, second-hand stores etc., but then I'd have a bunch of other problems: extra expense for a fan, I wouldn't be able to get away with my current lighting conditions.
In regards to lighting, that's a great approach. I don't know of any manufacturing stores, though. I must have looked through 20+ different stores and local websites when I was searching for bulbs, and in the end the cheapest I could find was the nearest DIY store. It ran me almost 50$ :/

Seren said:

Aha, yes I did misinterpret your post. Guess I'm in a defensive mood today Sorry about that.

"Never pay full price for anything" I love that philosophy! Sadly, I rarely have the patience to follow through with it. I guess you're right that I could have put something together with materials from garage sales, second-hand stores etc., but then I'd have a bunch of other problems: extra expense for a fan, I wouldn't be able to get away with my current lighting conditions.
In regards to lighting, that's a great approach. I don't know of any manufacturing stores, though. I must have looked through 20+ different stores and local websites when I was searching for bulbs, and in the end the cheapest I could find was the nearest DIY store. It ran me almost 50$ :/

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i think the half light half sun thing is a good idea , honestly,sorry if i came off and rubbed ya the wrong way i didnt mean too i sincerely meant to be siding with you,

sunni said:

i think the half light half sun thing is a good idea , honestly,sorry if i came off and rubbed ya the wrong way i didnt mean too i sincerely meant to be siding with you,

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Not at all. Just a little misunderstanding


I got some more pictures. It turned out to be very difficult to get a good shot of the main stem. This is the best I could do. It goes on a little longer and turns back around the sprouting point. I added black arrows to show it more clearly..

I also got an example of how I tie the branches down: .

And Finally a close up of her sexual bits (actually easier to see on the branch behind) and another full shot of her enjoying some morning sun.