Just Started Just Want Some Advice/critique

[Growdude]

I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT WORKS! thats why im on this forum in the firstplace!

It would have been best to know what works before you planted anything.

All is not lost, most of what you needed to know has been said to you in this thread and your sprouts will do fine if you change up your setup now.

I think the biggest problem now is your lack of light you need at least 3000 lumens per sq/ft, I say more.

If your gentle, sepeating them should not be too hard.

Pre nuted (20-20-20) dirt can be hot and burn young seedlings.

Then paint your grow closet flat white and provide fresh air intake and exhaust hot air out.

Let the soil dry out before watering in soil its easy to want to overwater, underwatering is easy and fast to recover from. but overwatering will starve the roots od O2 and premote rot.

And your on your way to some bud, dont think that its your first grow and you probably wont get any bud or you probably wont.

 

[erokusmaximus]

i found a 600 Watt MH HPS Grow Light Electronic Ballast Universal Reflector unit. Now i know u said 400 w for veg but would this work?

 

[Grower13]

ok, like i said im VERY NEW to this, the first time i grew, i grew one plant not thinking it wasnt gonna be smokable LOL it was a male and was worthless so now im finally trying to get my stuff together. Im working with a SMALL Place, like the size of a small closet for just coats, maybe 4x3x8. what would be the best light for just growing 4-6 plants in this tiny room? everyone just says READ READ READ but ive read tons of different things and everyone has different methods, I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT WORKS! thats why im on this forum in the firstplace! and as far as a know the soil has the 20-20-20 in it. like i said im new to growing anything at all...

my flower room is 2x4x8 I get 3 to 5 plants in easy......by no means tiny........... How do you know the soil is 20-20-20? sounds like MG soil....... could nute burn young plants.

 

[Growdude]

i found a 600 Watt MH HPS Grow Light Electronic Ballast Universal Reflector unit. Now i know u said 400 w for veg but would this work?

More is better as long as you can control the heat.

 

[erokusmaximus]

I only know its 20-20-20 soil mix because thats what my buddy gave me to start, i really dont know

 

[Grower13]

Carefull with the 600 watter or you'll cook your young plants........ do you have a fan to cool the light?

 

[erokusmaximus]

at the moment im just using CFLs, im in the process of building a grow tent and getting BETTER lights. i found this light that is switchable between MH and HPS. It says its 600w, but i could use a 400w MH with this ballist right? like i said im a newbie to the extreme, just trying to learn the most i can

 

[Grower13]

BTW........ there is no perfect recipe for growing mj....... there is some trial and error for every new grower........ this place helps cut down the time it takes to learn how to grow........ but how good your dank is dependent on how hard you study and work at learning what works for you. But I must warn you....... there is no shortcut to dank.

 

[ozzydiodude]

at the moment im just using CFLs, im in the process of building a grow tent and getting BETTER lights. i found this light that is switchable between MH and HPS. It says its 600w, but i could use a 400w MH with this ballist right? like i said im a newbie to the extreme, just trying to learn the most i can

No you can not use a 400 watt in a 600 watt ballist. The switchable just means you can use it for MH or HPS

 

[Grower13]

:holysheep: :yeahthat:

No you can not use a 400 watt in a 600 watt ballist. The switchable just means you can use it for MH or HPS

 

[Hushpuppy]

at the moment im just using CFLs, im in the process of building a grow tent and getting BETTER lights. i found this light that is switchable between MH and HPS. It says its 600w, but i could use a 400w MH with this ballist right? like i said im a newbie to the extreme, just trying to learn the most i can

Some ballasts will let yu use different wattage bulbs and switch between MH and HPS. I have digital ballasts that have several wattage settings and will automatically switch for MH and HPS.:hubba: Look closely at yer ballast and see if there is a wattage setting (mine has a switch on the side that has 600, 400, and 250). If yu don't have that switch then yu can only use the 600w bulbs. But that is not a problem, yu can still use 600wMH, yu just have to wait till the kids are a bit bigger and keep it 2-3feet above the plants. As they grow and reach for the light yu can bring it down to within 12-18inches (if yu have very good air movement).
for right now just get some more High lumen CFLs. Lowes has some that are really potent and will cary yu until yu get yer HIDs. Look for the bulbs that have 6400-7000K on them not the soft white(3000-5000K), as the soft white is more for flower than veg.
The reason everyone is bustin yu on the soil is because MJ is very nutrient sensitive. The soil yer in now could make them grow like madness or it could kill them b4 the end of the week. Yu should never use 20-20-20 (especially on seedling to young growth) unless yu are a very experienced grower. Right now they should be in unfertilized soil, but it is up to yu if yu want to change at this point. Right now yu are starting out way behind the 8-ball here and we don't want to see yu fail and give up b4 yer started good. So many people want to jump in head first and end up crashin-n-burnin because they don't realize just how envolved this hobby really is. It's sooo much more than puttin a few seeds in the dirt and watering them. The most important thing now? Read all yu can. I have 3 books on growing and have been here for a while and still feel like a noob some days. We are glad to help yu B successful and will help yu as much as we can. There's a lot to learn but yu will in time and practice. Green mojo to ya

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

at the moment im just using CFLs, im in the process of building a grow tent and getting BETTER lights. i found this light that is switchable between MH and HPS. It says its 600w, but i could use a 400w MH with this ballist right? like i said im a newbie to the extreme, just trying to learn the most i can

How much is it? The prices between lighting systems can vary drastically. As already mentioned, generally the wattage of the ballast and the bulb MUST match. Some newer electronic ballasts will use different wattages or have a switch to lower the wattage on the ballast (kind of like a dimmer switch which you cannot use on HIDs), but this is generally not the case.

A 12 sq ft grow space is not really a small space and will take some bucks to do right. In addition to adequate lighting, you MUST have good ventilation. You will need a good quality centrifuge type fan, a speed controller, and insulated ducting for exhaust. You will probably need a carbon filter. Intakes can be passive. You will need an oscillating fan to move the air around.

I would get your seedlings out of that hot soil and into a good soil mixture. There are stickies with good soil mixtures here. You are going to need nutrients. Many here use Fox Farms or General Hydroponics products.

 

[erokusmaximus]

Ok, so its been 10 days. I have moved all seedlings to a 1X1X2 box. I now have 3150 LUMENS running 24/7, and finally transplanted into seperate containers and i have a ventalation system now running 24/7 as the extra lights have created some heat, but it does not seem to be hurting the plants, just dries the soil alot quicker. (I KNOW NOT TO OVERWATER OR UNDER) how are we looking now? any more suggestions?

 

[ozzydiodude]

They all look to be standing tall and reaching for the light s I would say you did a good job at being gentle while you transplanted them. Just set back and watch them grow.

 

[erokusmaximus]

So is them stretching ok? i have the light 2 inches above the highest one, should i drop it a little lower?

 

[ozzydiodude]

When I grew with the CFLs I always keep the lights 2" to 4" away from my plants. The stretch is normal just top the soil off and when you transplant them the next time I would bury them to the first set of leaves.

 

[Grower13]

ya did good getting them into seperate containers........... they're not gonna be able to stay there long......... 10days 2weeks your gonna need to get them in bigger pots for sure........ means your gonna need more dirt to.

 

[Growdude]

What color temp are the cfl's your using?
Is that a standard incandescent lamp in the back?

 

[pistols street]

ALWAYS SERCHING 4 THE WHITE V's :hubba: Pistols Street

 

[erokusmaximus]

ok so today i noticed one of my transplants water leaves are turning yellow. any ideas? this is the only one which is wierd because its the same soil in all 5 cups