Noobies first grow, hopefully i can change my name soon

[Noob84]

so i finally started, i am finding that i really enjoy learning about all the cool growing techniques and so on. i have read a LOT! i feel like i have a pretty good start, if there is anything i have learned its that you might as well do things right if you are going to do them at all.

 

[Noob84]

there are some pics of my biggest plant and the top portion of my grow closet.

here are some specs:
-closet is 5 feet tall, 26 inches x 20 inches base.
-six sockets, 7 CFL's as of right now
-2 50 CFM fans, only one blowingright now
-3 2 gallon pots

planted on 12-1
popped through soil on 12-2
day 9 of veg.

11360 lumens, 2840 lumens/square foot (will get a few more doublers soon and add a couple more CFL's)
with 12 CFL's, i will have right around 20,000 lumens

 

[Noob84]

forgot to mention they are free bagseed, i am praying for results.

i dont really understand the whole 2 inches down watering technique. how dry is it supposed to be? when i feel like it is dry i have been wattering about a cup of water per plant (2gallon pot).

future plans:
-learn as i go
-250 watt hps for flowering

 

[Noob84]

i cant believe how much they grow! will post more pictures soon

 

[THE BROTHER'S GRUNT]

Whats going on noob84. Everything is looking good so far mang. Here is some GREEN MOJO for ya.

 

[Noob84]

thanks for the green mojo;

my girls are getting big, here they are on veg day 17, they have 4 different sets of leaves that are only fractions of an inch apart, thats good right? i have been leaving them about 1/2 inch away from the lights, my fan is keeping them plenty cool.

 

[THE BROTHER'S GRUNT]

thanks for the green mojo;

my girls are getting big, here they are on veg day 17, they have 4 different sets of leaves that are only fractions of an inch apart, thats good right? i have been leaving them about 1/2 inch away from the lights, my fan is keeping them plenty cool.

Your little girls are looking great. Yup the tighter the nodes the better. :aok:

 

[Noob84]

getting closer to flowering, i am going to have to use cfl's, i dont have the money this time of year to afford an hps, you know christmas time and everything. so here is my suggested setup:
6-23 watt 6500k lights @ 1600 lumens = 9600 total lumens
3-42 watt 2700k lights @ 2800 lumens = 8400 total lumens

total lumens = 18000
4.4 square feet, 4090 lumens/square foot

not quite 5000/foot, but close. how much production will i actually lose because of having cfls? will it be significant? the 250 watt HPS has only 1,000 more lumens total, so.....it doesnt seem to be any worse and i can put the lights WAY closer. suggestions?

 

[Noob84]

i just got a little humidity/thermometer and found that temps are running at 84 degrees with humidity at 54%. is this good?

 

[THE BROTHER'S GRUNT]

i just got a little humidity/thermometer and found that temps are running at 84 degrees with humidity at 54%. is this good?

84 degrees is ok but if ya can get it down to about 80 your plants would be better off.

 

[Elephant Man]

Looks like you are doing the research ond off to a good start.:cool2:
I do not check the soil surface when watering, I have much better results by slightly tilting the pot and checking the weight. You will have much better results, especially with seedlings. I would guess after a good watering, those small plants in big pots could probably go a week without water. MJ like to nearly dry out between waterings, not to the point of wilting or drought stress, but if you are checking the weight of the pots daily, you will know when they need water. Also, plants grow at different rates, do not get in a habit of a 'watering day', treat each plant like the individual that it is .

Your temp and humidity are fine, some strains are more heat resistant than others, but as a general rule, try to keeps temps at 85 or less, IMO 70-75 is optimal for seedlings.

Your light output is fine too, not optomized, but a good start for your first grow .

Tell us about your soil and what you intend to use for nutrients when the time comes.

Relax buddy, don't concern yourself with yield on your first grow...concentrate on keeping them happy and enjoy yourself...growing is as much about stress relief before harvest as it is after

 

[Noob84]

i just got back from the store and upped my light output to 14,580 lumens. so i am now at 3313 lumens/square foot.

 

[Noob84]

MJ like to nearly dry out between waterings, not to the point of wilting or drought stress, but if you are checking the weight of the pots daily, you will know when they need water. Also, plants grow at different rates, do not get in a habit of a 'watering day', treat each plant like the individual that it is .

thanks, i did not think of this which brings me to a question:
one of my plants is a lot bushier and has more leaves than the others and is forming what i think is a bud already on top. it also has little sacks right below the "bud" on top. the lights are 6500k and are on 18/6 so it shouldnt be flowering yet should it? i put up a picture but its off my phone again and sucks. there are also little "hairs" on top of the plant. is this normal or did i get an early bloomer?

edit: forgot to mention, they are only on day 20 of veg.

 

[kbkiller9]

Looks like a male to me mayn. Wait for the experts to take a look but what i have seen from my earlier grow, it looks like that plant is a male.

 

[Growdude]

If you got little sacks that look like seed pods then its male
better get it out of there before it pops.
Female should only look like white hairs.

 

[Noob84]

nooooooo....here are some more pics to be sure, i took it out of the closet until i get some more of your expert advice. my camera sucks, these are the best i could get.

 

[THE BROTHER'S GRUNT]

Looks like a male Noob84. Like they said if your only seeing sacks or pods then it's a male. Are you seeing any white hairs?

 

[Elephant Man]

Really crappy pic from my journal but notice this male looks just like yours.

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13455&d=1165499096

There are more pics over in my journal.

Sad to say, but not much use for these guys, and just like teens they are 'ready to blow' as soon as they are able. Best to chop him as soon as possible. If you think you might ever want to try and make some hash, you could store him in the freezer till then.

There are a few strains out there, I believe are called 'auto flowers' that can begin flowering without being triggered by light cycles. Don't know that much about them but just noticing that that does not look like preflowers in your pic. Looks like full blown male in full flowering to me.

Best of luck with the rest of them, shouldn't be long now and you will know for sure where the ladies are.

 

[Noob84]

oh well, threw him out. i hope the other ones are females, they are showing no signs of the pods like the male did, i know what to look for a little sooner now. i am leaving for christmas, had to put the lights a ways away, i hope they dont stretch too much. they look really healthy and are starting to grow a lot faster, i think it was about 1/3 an inch yesterday. the male seems to have little redish hairs on it and the other two have small white hairs coming out were the new stems are, they could be just new leaves/stems though also. i am new to all of this.

i am glad i posted pictures soon because in 2 days the male has grown big pods and they grew about 1/2 an inch away from the stem overnight and look to be about to burst at anytime.

here is a pic for the holidays, on eof my two remaining plants

 

[Noob84]

my plants grew an inch while i was away, the cabinet got up to 89 degrees max, i am thinking of ways to get that down a little. a few lower leaves are getting yellow, is this from it being too hot or are they just running out of light? the plants are not so bushy that they are blocking light but they are filling out okay. is it just because cfl's have diminishing returns as the plant gets further away? thanks everyone and i hope you had a merry christmas.