Hi, I'm new here so I'm sorry if I have done anything wrong in regard to posting etc. I just thought I'd let you guys know about my new setup with a plant I've started from bagseed. Any suggestions/comments are welcome/wanted/needed.

12" plastic flower pot with built in drainage dish

Miracle grow moisture control soil with Pearlite

1 42W soft white (wanted daylight but couldn't find it at my nearest walmart) CFL puts out 2700 lumens in 12" aluminum self ballasted lamp holder positioned about 2.5 inches directly above plant.

The plant is a fresh seedling about .5 inch tall just now growing first set of real leaves.

Some of my main questions are:

1. Is there a huge difference between the daylight and the soft light?

2. Should I use more lumens or is this ok for now seeing as the light is so close to the plant?

3. Whats the best light/dark for vegging? I was thinking 18/6 (I don't want too much stress, but want it to grow consistently)

4. I think the miracle grow soil may have came with little white mites in it. Will they harm the plant?

Thanks in advance for your info

1. Red spectrum is higher for soft, blue higher in daylight get a mix of bulbs
2. Get more light unless you don't want much bud
3. Not much improvement has been seen with 24hrs of light over 18 so save energy
4. The mix should be sterile unless it was stored poorly, opened, ect Be careful with that mix as it may already contain nutes and time release nutes make it hard to determine proper feeding amounts during growth
5. If there really are mites you can bake your soil in a low oven for a half hour or so to sterilize it.
good luck!

Sounds good but 1 x 42w wont be any good for bud

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yerp i agree with all others- and the soil is bad soil...

more light...
splurg for a cheap hps for flowering(69.99 on ebay), and get like 2-5 more cfls depending on your hopes...

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The Bagseed Girls: http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/74552-my-first-grow-journal.html#post85993

Update:

I added two more CFLs 2 x 26W daylight (6500K) which each put out 1600 lumens. I have them positioned on each side of the plant about 1.5 - 2 inches away from the plant. I still have the 42W soft white (2700 lumens) on the top too ( I had to move it up a little to get the other lights in there though). In total I have 5,900 lumens.

As far as the soil goes I wish I had done more research before I got this Miracle grow Moisture Control stuff... the only reason I chose to get it is because I had used it in the past and had success. But I'm really nervous cause of the mites i seen in it. (They look like little white fleas that jump up and down)!

I may get an HPS for flowering but for now I just want to use CFLs for vegging as it is a small grow (just one plant) and I don't want to skyrocket my electric bill.

it wont affect your bill... i 150 watt hps isnt shit... Its like the equivalent of bumping a stereo all day... or jaming on guitar for 3 hours... specially the 150 watt... My 400 watter leaves like a 15 dollar dent on the bill.... and that was on 24 straight for one week, 18/6 for one, and 12/12 for the last two... I started with FL's as well- then went out and got the MH/HPS set up...ultimately its worth it...

But what you have will work to veg with, and since its only one plant you better pray to her every day and hopes shes female... and as soon as you know she is, thats when you should make the hps transition...

And get ride of little white bouncing things!!! THATS FUCKED

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The Bagseed Girls: http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/74552-my-first-grow-journal.html#post85993