Be gentle its my first time!Auto AK47

[GREENDREAMER]

Hi all,well here goes,
I germinated 10 ak47's & 4 ww & 3 himalayan gold 2 weeks ago,also some s silver haze but none germinated, they were cheap seeds! just as well really as i now have too many plants.
The hg have stretched a bit as i had them on a window sill for a few days as my new grow room was'nt ready. The rest are looking good.
I was hoping to sex the ak's before putting them in big pots but the tap-roots were starting to curl round the bottom of the pots,"note to self,bigger small pots next time!"
All the ak's sprouted within 2 days,1 is a bit of a runt,but i'm giving it a few more days to get its act together!

My grow room is an alcove in my bedroom,5ft deep+3ft wide+ 5ft high at one side slanting to 3ft high the other,its a bit difficult getting in & out as i'm quite tall,so i have to crawl in,my knees dont like it,think i'm goin to put some carpet down at the front,have put all the plants at the far end & left room at the opening for a oil,radiator & electrics,timers etc.
For now the opening has a sheet of b&w plastic & a lined curtain on top,seems to do the job,till i come up with somthing better.Have painted it flat white.
Got 1 250w cfl & 2 20w cfl's on the plants. ive also got a 150wcfl & a 250w red cfl i will add as the plants grow.
I know hd would have been better but that will have to wait till later or my next grow.
I havent got any extraction,but there is a good draught coming thru the floorboards & skirting,i'm 600ft above sea level on a hill & its nearly allways cool & windy! its too cold with 290w cfl's now hope the temp will be about right when i use the other bulbs. I'm not too bothered about the smell as i havent got any neighbours! "well 1/2 a mile away!" & can open a window in the summer "3 weeks a year" I might get a couple of cheap bathroom vents,but can only vent between the plasterboard & wall as the walls are 2ft thick granite! Will also get a small fan, but it will have to be quiet so i can sleep.
Got the plants on 20/4 till the autos have finished,will trim the others to keep them small if i need to,till i can go 12/12.
Am thinking of going 18/6 having seen others on here,but i dont save much on electric cos then i need the heater on??
The plants are in j.arthur bower's multi-purpose compost which is "nearly" organic,if the plants need food in a few weeks i will make them some comfry & compost tea, also got some bio-bloom. Getting some topmax seaweed too.
I'm keeping my expectations low,if i get 1/2 o a plant i will be happy, on my first grow,i guess i will need to become more efficient later as electric is so expensive. I havent smoked for a couple of years,but i used to only smoke abt 1/2 o a month
I like to think my thumbs are green,as i have grown lots of stuff over 30 years, but we shall see, "touching lots of wood"!!
Mmmm this has become a bit of an obsession the last month or so, i like my new hobby & i "hopefully" get a smoke at the end too!
Photos soon,i need new camera batterys & to learn how to upload them.
More soon------------

 

[420benny]

Welcome! I will drop by now and then to see what's shakin'. Good luck with it.

 

[KeepsTen]

Dang, that is short, even me, a short guy would have to crawl to get in there. Hope with a space so small, and no where to really vent, your heat dosent get too big.

I think you meant a draft from the floor? Thats pretty nice as itll cool on its own and from the bottom up. I would be a little concerened about the contaminates that might blow in from there as well though. Whats underneith ya thats is blowing cool air up?

 

[GREENDREAMER]

Hi, thanks for looking in.
420,i had a look at yr grow,looking good,hope mine don't get too big & are a bit faster!

K10-- errr i did mean "draught" =current of air
not "draft = document or forced to join the army!
Maybe its different in the u.s?
I don't get why you felt the need to pick me up on my spelling?!

Yeh the space is a bit awkward,but having seen how other folk manage with much smaller spaces i think i'll be ok,as long as i don't let plants get too tall.
The only stuff likely to be under the floor is 100 yr old dust or mummified mice!!!!!
I will sort a better system for venting,as i go on,i'm trying to keep things simple & cheap for now.

My babys are looking a bit sorry for themselves,just re-potted & temp was a bit low last night, hopefully they will pick up in a day or two!

Right,will attempt photos when they wake up later.

 

[KeepsTen]

Hah, I wasnt trying to pick on your spelling (and it must be different) I was just trying to make sure I understood correctly.

If its that dirty under there, I would seriously consider trying to block it somehow. Youre introducing a lot of contaminates and bugs to your plants, who will love the moist, warm spot youll create for your babies.

 

[GREENDREAMER]

No worries mate,i'm dyslexic so a bit sensitive abt my spelling.

You may be right about the bugs,but it will have to do for now!

Have taken a few pic's, now to try to upload them.

I wish i was better with computers!

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[420benny]

Thanks green, you will beat my harvest time. I think I had the world's slowest sativa.
I agree. You are asking for spider mites to join the party through the floor cracks. Nuke them!
Spelling isn't graded here. Rule # 6, stoners can't spell worth a crap!:rofl: eace:

 

[GREENDREAMER]

Here goes ive been at this for hours,
sorry abt the quality,rubbish camera/photographer!!

I think they give an idea of my setup.

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[cannabis037]

hey green, i'd like to stop by and watch if you dont mind. you're sprouts looks really healthy. i'd strongly recommend mylar (light reflective sheetings) for the walls, so no lights are wasted.

 

[420benny]

green, I can predict the future. In 3 weeks, it is going to be obvious that you have too many plants and not nearly enough light. We use the word draft to mean all the things you mentioned. Plus, we call beer on tap draft, as if you aren't confused enough by us Americans. I agree about the walls. Flat white paint will help a ton. Can you get more light and a fan in there before the plants stretch? I'd hate to see you waste some good beans.

 

[loudpipes929]

growing auto ak as well.
i'll be following your journal.

looks good so far. good luck!

 

[GREENDREAMER]

Hi, can037,yr welcome to watch!
I have mylar on the back of the curtain.

420, yeh i know yr right abt the number of plants, i got a bit carried away with my seeds, i couldent resist trying them all.
The ak's are not fem's so some of them will be chopped & should be finished in 8 weeks, also i will top the others "hard" if needed & try some cuttings.

The photos dont show it but the walls have 2 coats of flat white paint!

Now the plants have had a couple of days to recover after re-potting i will be adding a 150w blue cfl tomorrow, then in another week or so i will add my 250w red , total 650w!!! [actual wattage!!!]

Must buy a fan!

Thanks for lookin in,

Must go to bed!--------------

 

[GREENDREAMER]

Hi all,
Thanks for the encouragement Loudpipes,i had a look in at yr plants & set-up, very impressive!

Well i put my 150w cfl in today, as well as the 250w,so i'm up to 400w now,will have to try & fix the 150 more central later, the plants seem to have recovered from their re-pot & are having a growth spurt!
The temp is not a problem,i was a bit worried how high it would be with 400w, but if anything its still a bit cool, abt 20deg c.

Before any one jumps in i know the bulbs would be better horizontal with reflectors, but i'm saving for a 400 or 600w growlux system with a diamond reflector,so dont want to spend any more on the cfl's.
Well thats all for now,i'm off to be inspired by others grow journals & see if i can learn more!
G------------

 

[curiouscat420]

you can really only consider your largest light the amount of light your have.. so your largest is a 250W, so that is the light your putting out... the other lights will help your spectrum (space/area) but will not make it a higher wattage, there is no added light...

plants will be looking for the brightest spots...

 

[GREENDREAMER]

Hi cat, i'm a bit confused, dont more lights mean more lumens spread over the plants???

 

[KeepsTen]

What hes saying is, your plants will naturally be drawn to the strongest light source. The rest do not add to the MAX wattage, they are the same watt, they are simply adding to your TOTAL wattage.

 

[curiouscat420]

Hi cat, i'm a bit confused, dont more lights mean more lumens spread over the plants???

it will simply increase the spectrum

spec·trum (spěk'trəm) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. spec·tra (-tr&#601 or spec·trums
Physics The distribution of a characteristic of a physical system or phenomenon, especially:
The distribution of energy emitted by a radiant source, as by an incandescent body, arranged in order of wavelengths.
The distribution of atomic or subatomic particles in a system, as in a magnetically resolved molecular beam, arranged in order of masses.


from hXXp://www.dictionary.com


so, you see, it will increase the distrobution, so you can make your space a little bigger or your lights will be more effective... your lesser wattage lights can be used for good side lighting, using good reflectors will help too...

 

[schoolboy420]

lol yeah and unless im thinking of a different word closely spelled here draught is like lack of rain for a period of time.

oh and to grow efficiently with cfls you should have all the lights about an inch or two from the tips of the plant. deffinately no more than 4 inches. at half a foot each bulbs lose half their lumens. the cfls you have wood be better off on one or two plants.

and to contain the light a bit put something to block the light in that corner. box it off kinda and leave the top open, you would get more lumens for your plants.

good luck. ak47 is some damn good smoke.... i miss it.

 

[GREENDREAMER]

Hi,
Schoolboy, i dont really want to be in a war of semantics with you!
Buuuuuttt --- Drought= long spell of dry weather!
I have the bulbs as close as i can.
I agree with you,abt trying to box in the plants,but it is all ready a difficult space to work with.

Yeh the plants will be drawn to the strongest light,i move them around every few days.
Cat, Maybe i'm being dim,but are you saying that 1-20w cfl 1200 lumens is as powerful as 10-2ow cfl's =12,000 lumens?
Also the spectrum of the bulbs refer to its colour tempereture not its power/lumens! "i think!"

Right my brain is hurting now, all i want to do is grow a few plants!!
Am off to chop some firewood,then i will have a little chat with my babies & see what they think??!!
Will try to take some better photos.
G----------

 

[curiouscat420]

i am reading what i am writing and i am not getting my point across...

ok... simply put, having 4 100W bulbs does not mean you have 400W. it just means you have a larger area with 4 100W bulbs... you need to buy a single, high wattage lamp for your girls and all the rest should be considered side lighting or for corners that areent getting as much light...