Blacking out with a black garbage bag?

[Jon]

Hey guys I'm low on funds and low on weed.

I've got a lavender plant that's about 32 inches tall and FIM'd. I put it out on Mother's Day and didn't properly prepare so now it's flowering. So are some seeds that I started in late march. Yikes! I figure I may as well let the lavender finish.

So I'm thinking that I'm just going to give her some cheap synthetic flowering ferts and black her out at 7pm every night with a black plastic garbage bag. The sun comes out at around 5-6 but 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness is still good enough to flower.

Will I have any problems doing this? Will the girl get enough air? I can remove the bag at around 9pm every night.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Use a solid container like a garbage can if you can fit one over it, its lots easier to get all the light shut off and give your plant more breathing space while they are under.

12/12 will get you bud faster, I actually like to do 10/14 if I can be around to cover and uncover. I like to just provide the brightest light that occurs from mid-morning to late afternoon so they grow big bud, but block out the parts of the day where the sun is not shining brightly on them, this way the buds grow large, and finish quicker.

 

[Jon]

Garbage was my first thought but honest to god, with the wife not working and with two kids, finances are looking very grimm. Every little dollar counts. We have 1 SUV that we rely on and so don't even need to explain the gas situation.

Black garbage bags at this point is my only option short of carrying a 10 gallon grow bag back and forth from the outside to the closet. If it was a hard pot with handles, I'd do it with no problem. But this bag is tearing as it is.

Now I understand it's not as efficient as other options but will it do?

 

[zappa66]

you could use sticks to make a frame or tepee(sp) and then use a tarp or somthing. Thus giving the plant more air.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Wrap a garbage bag around your head, and see how much light you see through it, thne add more bags until it blocks out the light. Then you will need to make sure no light creeps in between the ground and the bags.

 

[guest3589]

Hi Jon,
I feel your pain these days cash is tight all over the USA. I also had to flower some plants out last year under similar conditions. I had to improvise a dark room and no cash to make it nice. I used a thick black trashbag and a cardboard box from the market. I found the plastic was so flimsy it needed structure to suport it and keep it from touching the plants.

I opened the box top and bottom so that it was a big rectangle open on both ends. I taped the plastic over the top. This should work for you on the cheap my friend. Also the cardboard blocked the light very well.

I concur with BC on this one, 12/12 is good to keep em tight. The strains I have want to stretch if they get to much more than 12/12 for too long.

 

[Jon]

Great idea expert setup, thank you very much! I'll be going around grocery store dumpsters tonight looking for the right box!

Backcountry, yesterday when I got home, I did just that. I put the bag over my head but determined there was too much light. For whatever reason, I NEVER thought about adding a few more bags until it's dark enough. Duh! haha!

I think i'll use the cardboard box in conjunction with some mylar I have laying around. That should be perfect and cost effective.

About the 14/10 vs. 12/12...unfortunately, because of work and commuting it is impossible for me to do 12/12. I work a couple of towns over from where I live and I take public transportation because the suv is a HOG! I imagine that the buds may be leafy but will be comparable to my spring crop because that's about the lighting schedule the girls received in April and May.

If I can find the right box, I'll document how this all goes. I know 12/12 is certainly the preferred photoperiod, but I'm going to have to make due. If 14/10 was good enough for my spring crop, it's gotta be good enough for my impromptu mid-summer crop.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Wow! You must work pretty long hours! There is no way for you to be home at 7am and 7pm, or 8am and 8pm?

 

[Jon]

Wow! You must work pretty long hours! There is no way for you to be home at 7am and 7pm, or 8am and 8pm?

I catch the bus at 6am to get to work by 8am and I leave at 5 and get home around 6:45.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

You mentioned the wife doesn't work, could she be of help perhaps, or is there a issue there?

 

[Jon]

She doesn't work because she was laid off. I still want her out there looking for another.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Well, good luck man!

 

[zappa66]

Wrap a garbage bag around your head...

not to go off topic but...

 

[Daemon]

^^Hahaha

Seriously though, I've used 2x2's for a simple frame around each plant and then I stapled/applied sticky velcro to the frame. The velcro was used on the top half of the frame so that it could easily be rolled down.

Now, for your situation I would utilize some type of scrap wood/strong sticks and plant them like this around the plant(bird's eye view):

o o
()
o o

The small circles being the sticks/wood/whatever and the little parenthesis being the plant. I'd then use the multiple trash bags/poly to make a good cover and find a way to seal it at the ground. Hell, even placing some heavy objects(logs or big rocks come to mind), you could easily seal all the light out.

Should work fine, just make sure they get uncovered every day!

 

[luciano28]

not to go off topic but...

haha yeah when I first read that the other night I cracked up.

 

[Jon]

Just a little update for anyone interested. This has been working great. I tried the teepee thing but I suck at constructing anything so it wouldn't stand on its own. I did the bags over the plant just temporarily until I noticed there were no ill effects. No bleaching, no drooping, plants got its time in the sun and looks healthy. Buds are forming well and look to be about 2-3 weeks from harvest. I may let it go a little longer and I plan on stopping the covering near the end of the first week of July.

I think it will finish on it's own.

I've been clipping at immature buds, speed drying, and medicating and it's been great!

Next year I'll use the same concept but with a big plastic garbage can.

May 10th - Put 1 to 2 foot tall clones outdoors after having them indoors at 24/0. They'll start flowering immediately.

May 30th- Start covering it. 12/12 will be best but 14/10 has obviously been working for me.

Early July - Uncover and let the natural photoperiods take over

Mid July - Harvest time!

 

[Joey Bliss]

Hey guys I'm low on funds and low on weed.

I've got a lavender plant that's about 32 inches tall and FIM'd. I put it out on Mother's Day and didn't properly prepare so now it's flowering. So are some seeds that I started in late march. Yikes! I figure I may as well let the lavender finish.

So I'm thinking that I'm just going to give her some cheap synthetic flowering ferts and black her out at 7pm every night with a black plastic garbage bag. The sun comes out at around 5-6 but 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness is still good enough to flower.

Will I have any problems doing this? Will the girl get enough air? I can remove the bag at around 9pm every night.

I have done this indoors and out when ran photos indoor thinking they were autos. Wow that was a few year ago cause I won’t waste soil on autos now. With that said after 27 day of 18/6 and not a sign of pre flowers I started cover em up with cardboard boxes with dark sheet over it. They started to flower in 3-4 days and I continued that for 60 days and had some really really good flower they were cream Carmel freebies so I said F it soaked In H2o2 2 days later 1” long tails on all 3 I put them I. 2 gallon sexing pots to just get 3 GG4 autos from Tony green tortoises beans I guess the seedbank sent the grey bears gg4 auto freebies and they gave me cream caramel photos. Well I was in rush and soaked a the cream carmels. They were like pure indicas and the 20 day veg kept them about 28” tall but each had over 35grams dry in 80 days so yes the box and garbage babe or blanket works but u have to set alarm so u do r mess up or u will herm em and seed em out

 

[Joey Bliss]

Hey guys I'm low on funds and low on weed.

I've got a lavender plant that's about 32 inches tall and FIM'd. I put it out on Mother's Day and didn't properly prepare so now it's flowering. So are some seeds that I started in late march. Yikes! I figure I may as well let the lavender finish.

So I'm thinking that I'm just going to give her some cheap synthetic flowering ferts and black her out at 7pm every night with a black plastic garbage bag. The sun comes out at around 5-6 but 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness is still good enough to flower.

Will I have any problems doing this? Will the girl get enough air? I can remove the bag at around 9pm every night.

Use a garbeag can with a dark tarp over it they will flower by early august

 

[Joey Bliss]

Use a solid container like a garbage can if you can fit one over it, its lots easier to get all the light shut off and give your plant more breathing space while they are under.

12/12 will get you bud faster, I actually like to do 10/14 if I can be around to cover and uncover. I like to just provide the brightest light that occurs from mid-morning to late afternoon so they grow big bud, but block out the parts of the day where the sun is not shining brightly on them, this way the buds grow large, and finish quicker.

I’m grow outdoors I NJ wettest hottest and most humid month is late august thru September so that fick me over big time. It took me 5 years to breed a variety that is mold and boytritus resistant and they usually are ready to harvest October 7-14 latest some pheno are ready lates September