1st CFL setup 84w

[CapitalP]

Hi everyone, i am new to these forums...this is one of my first posts.

To let you know a little about me: i have had a few small successful outdoor crops, but this will be my first indoor assist. i have been smoking for years and read much on growing, but haven't had the opporunity to give it all a try.

This will be a modest indoor setup that a friend is doing for fun, which i will be watching after from time to time. she liked the idea of a grow diary. Trying trying to keep things as simple and cheap as possible for this first grow. It will be inside a 25"x17"x26.5" box.


It will start with 2 42w cfl lights. It will be decided later, depending on how the flowering is going and how many females are in there, if more light needs to be added.


I will try to update this thread as often as there is something to update...and i appreciate all comments/suggestions.

Happy growing

P

 

[Mr_Puffanpass]

You will need more light, but looking good for know. Is it any known strain? Which day is it?

 

[justanotherbozo]

censorship sucks!

 

[Mr_Puffanpass]

By the color I would say 6400k

 

[justanotherbozo]

censorship sucks!

 

[Mr_Puffanpass]

unfortunately, advising someone based on a guess isn't really a good idea

Where did I advise him regarding color temperature?

 

[justanotherbozo]

Where did I advise him regarding color temperature?

you didn't, you took a guess at answering MY question to HIM.
i asked the question because, without knowing what spectrum the current bulbs are, it will be impossible to advise him on lights and what to add.

Guessing that they might be 6400K is a wasted post, except of course to get you closer to 50 posts. it helps you but does nothing for CapitalP, who, after all, is the author of this thread and the person i was attempting to help.

 

[qdavid]

I used weak CFLs my first grow. Pretty low yield, maybe .5 oz. But it was just yummy, Blueberry. Especially because it's summer, with the heat, and a small cab, I think your fine, Just tweak everyday and keep those plants up close to the light. Veg with cools, flower with warms. I did LST and Scrogged too. Have fun!

 

[CapitalP]

hi all, thx for the comments

The plants actually got rushed into the cab before it was ready, so the cab setup is changing constantly. After a day the plants couldnt take the heat anymore. So now an air intake and exhaust have been added. The exhaust will have much improvement before this is over . A diy scrubber maybe be added later as well.


I also transplanted them into larger pots. I was thinking of using these permanently, they are 6" across (except the largest plant is slightly larger pot).


Personally I wish we had taken more time to set it up prior to putting the plants in, because its a pretty shabby looking setup now. However, we shall see how things progress.


puffanpass- they are all from bagseed and the seeds cracked the soil on about the 6th of May and the newest pic above is from the 15th of June (last veg day). They were started outside and then brought in on the 2nd of June.

anotherbozo- it didn't say on the package but i would expect them to be cool white. i'm not sure where nearby i can find a different selection of lights. these were the only higher wattage cfl's they had.

qdavid- i bet that blueberry was tasty. bud always tastes better when they are the fruits of your own labor. Like i said before it is a modest setup and i would be very happy with a half o of nice bud. what type of setup did you use for that first grow?

Ill post some new pics next weekend.

P

 

[justanotherbozo]

censorship sucks!

 

[justanotherbozo]

censorship sucks!

 

[CapitalP]

thanks for the info bozo!...when i went to check them i accidentally knocked down the cage and nearly emptied all three pots (smooth move). but they all look fine, just a little bent and one lost leaf. I'll post some pics later.

Anyhow, here's what they read: FLE42HLX/2/XL/SW
So my best guess would be "Numbers around 41 represent colors generally like that of "cool white" fluorescent lamps."

it also had some other things on it but i figured they weren't what i was looking for:
Hg

I'm considering adding some 23w bulbs and splitting those sockets to include the two current bulbs and two additional 23w bulbs, possibly of a contrasting spectrum. Heat however has been an issue and the ventilation needs fixing before i can add more wattage.
C167

120VAC 60Hz 620mA

P

 

[Smoke68]

Bozo, good call on the olor rendering index... I'm not sure if that info is stickied, but I say it should be!
CapP, I am sorry to hear of the box tipping issue, but there is something to be said about a plant that is most well known as weed; it really takes ALOT of abuse to kill em'.
You had said that you installed intake and exhaust fans to help maintain the heat, so my question's are what type of fan(s) did you use, and how is it oriented in/on the box?

 

[justanotherbozo]

censorship sucks!

 

[CapitalP]

hey smoke68,

The fan in the back (refer to pics in my 2nd post) is an 80mm pc fan placed in front of two holes 3/4 in diameter. There is also a larger fan placed in the front for further circulation. On the front left there if another 3/4 hole for exhaust. It will probably be modified at some point, we've had some ideas already.

We were under the impression that the cool air coming into the cab was more important for cooling than the exhaust. This is why it was priority to put the intake fan in. Any thoughts?

By strange circumstance tonight it will be without intake flow and only the front fan anyways. We will see how they fare.

I rushed a couple sloppy pictures off tonight as well, I'll take more care next time and give you guys some better shots.

Here they are at Day 16 of 12/12








...The growth has slowed considerably it seems since bringing them indoors. They could be misleading however because of the trimming.

Keep on smokin
P

 

[Smoke68]

hey smoke68,
The fan in the back (refer to pics in my 2nd post) is an 80mm pc fan placed in front of two holes 3/4 in diameter. There is also a larger fan placed in the front for further circulation. On the front left there if another 3/4 hole for exhaust. It will probably be modified at some point, we've had some ideas already.
We were under the impression that the cool air coming into the cab was more important for cooling than the exhaust. This is why it was priority to put the intake fan in. Any thoughts?

I am sorry about the misleading text Capital. I am used to overkilling my box with negative pressure (usually enough to keep the door held hard closed)... The difference is the fan that I am using. Centrifugal fans is the answer. Centrifugal Fans use the same principle as a turbo charger on most cars and have the same "snail shell" look to them.
Centrifugal fans seem to be the most efficent at moving air, as well as quietly. I have found several of these fans meant for computers on ebay for around $15-25. While a flat fan, at the same wattage may hold more CFM than a centrifugal fan, it cannot build or maintain pressure, and as I have found, they are nowhere near the power, effeciency or cooling abilities.
Two examples I found that might make a great addition to your box:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Thermaltake-XB-...oryZ3673QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Datech-Blow...oryZ3673QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I hope this has helped some Capital!

 

[CapitalP]

thx for the info smoke68 i understand much better now. might consider upgrading to a centrifugal when we do a serious revamp of the cab.

checked them out today...the big one was too close to the bulbs and was gettin cooked a bit. However, when i removed all the plants for closer inspection:

The Big one (is that what it looks like?)



this 2nd smaller plant looks to have shown 100% male.

What do you guys think, do we have 2 males so far out of 3?
Btw the 3rd plant hasn't shown anything noticeable, i'll post a pic in a few more days.

 

[CapitalP]

upon a 2nd inspection 36 hours later...the one in the 2nd pic has been killed and the big one now looks to be a clear female. The shape of the flower was what threw me off, but you can see clear/white hairs in the little bud. The third plant has shown no signs.

 

[CapitalP]

I haven't updated in a while, been real busy. The two females left in the cab have been growing slowly since the last update. We have attributed this to heat issues (avg temps of 105).

I took some quick pics (badshots):

The big one (Day 36)


2nd Lady (Day 36)






You can see the small one is not much larger than it was 20 days ago.