7 WhiteWidow Soil Growbox CFLs

thelittletruck · #1 09-11-2008, 04:04 PM

So, this is my second grow, and i've decided to build a growbox.
At the moment, I have 7 white widow sprouts, 10 days after germination. They were started in blue dixie cups and were transferred just today into larger 8" pots.
GERMINATION:
To germinate, all 7 seeds were placed in a moist paper towel and placed inside a plastic bag in one of the top cupboards in my kitchen where there is no light. All seeds had sprouted 1/2" w/in 2 days and were promptly placed in soil (plain miracle grow organic choice) in dixie cups.
SOIL:
My soil is Miracle Grow's Organic Choice soil
I mixed 3 parts soil w/ 1 part organic worm castings
Mixed into the soil is perlite / vermiculite (ran out of perlite and couldn't find any more)
At the bottom of the pots, I have about an inch of sphagnum moss + vermiculite.
The soil has a pH somewhere between 6 and 7 (can't tell on color chart exactly where)
WATER:
My tap water runs out at about pH 8, so I use rice vinegar to adjust my water to pH 6.
Today, each plant was given 1 quart of water.
LIGHTS:
They are currently growing under 7 26watt daylight cfls (6500K) and 4 23watt full spectrum cfls (3000k).
I have a good number of 26watt (2700K) cfls and I plant on acquiring a few more 40watt (2700k) cfls for flowering.
GROWBOX:
My box is a rubbermaid 50 gallon (40" X 20.5" X 20.7")
I have lined the inside and bottom of the lid w/ mylar to increase reflectivity.
The growbox sits out of the way in my closet, but might be moved to a different location (CLOSET HEATS UP @ night)
VENTILATION:
For ventilation, I have 1 cpu fan (don't know CFM) that is hooked up to exhaust from the top of the box.
There are 2 intakes at the bottom end of both sides (lengthwise).
I also managed to fit in a small fan that helps circulate air inside the box.
I live in a fairly hot location (been > 100 F outside during the day), but my apartment is kept cool (approx 70).
Temperatures in the growbox reach about 85 F when the apartment is cool.
GROWPLAN:
As of now, I plan on vegging for about 20 days, and then flowering till they are ready.
I must be finished by the end of the semester (mid december) because I am leaving.

Comments / Criticisms / High Remarks Welcome!
Hoping to get a solid crop this time (my last grow w/ 2 females got me 0.34 oz.)
I'll keep this sucker updated as best I can.

sublimed · #2 09-11-2008, 04:10 PM

aaaawesome manm +rep

thelittletruck · #3 09-13-2008, 06:19 PM

THX MAN

Today is day 12 of veg
Plants look great

Temps are getting high. On the thermometer it reads 93 F. I am looking into different methods of cooling my box down.
I am going to get another exhaust fan (found out my current fan is like 80 CFM) to help w/ airflow. And I've put some big jugs of water in the freezer to keep my temps down at night when i have to close the closet. But these are only temp fixes.
I'm going to head over to wal-mart and see what I can do with what they've got.
Any suggestions appreciated!

Also, as you can see on the last plant, some of the leaves have yellowed a bit. This only has happened to the oldest growth and i believe is due to improper pH (had been watering with ph 8 tap water). But new growth looks great.

thelittletruck · #4 09-18-2008, 02:00 PM

Today is day 17 of veg.

TEMPS HAVE BEEN GETTING HOT -> 90+ F
I believe this has stunted their growth a bit, but I moved my box out of my closet and have been keeping a close eye on temps. Last night, my box was outside and temps cooled down. You can tell new growth on the plants because it is bright green. It's good to see this morning, because they haven't grown much (TOO HOT) recently.

The soil is drying out. Going to water soon.

thelittletruck · #5 09-21-2008, 05:04 PM

day 20 of veg.

Each plant got 6 cups of pH 5 water yesterday night.
Now, a day later. They look like they've doubled in size.
Fuck yeah.

going to flower in a few days.

kief13 · #6 09-21-2008, 05:18 PM

looking good u plan to flower w cfl?

thelittletruck · #7 09-22-2008, 12:44 AM

yep.
i've got 8 42 watt 3000k cfls and a bunch of 23 watt 2700k cfls.
I also got 2 13 watt UVB bulbs that i'm gonna test on 1 or 2 plants to see if the uvb increases trichomes.

kief13 · #8 09-23-2008, 12:00 PM

oh thats great let me know your uvb results,i hear tho that it can only be on for like an hour or two tho.

thelittletruck · #9 09-28-2008, 04:26 PM

DAY 7 of FLOWER
Been 1 week of flowering.

Watered today
pH ~ 5.5
1/2 dose liquid nutes 10-15-10
1 quart each
then 1/2 quart each 1 hour later.

Added/re-configured light setup in the box. Check it out.
Plants are looking strong. A few leaves got a bit burnt from fallen lights while I was away. Nothing too serious though.

I put ice underneath the oscillating fan -> keeps temps around 84F.
It can get pretty hot in the box when the soil starts to dry out, and my ice machine doesn't make ice fast enough for me to use more than 1 bowl / day. So I've been freezing some big jugs of water overnight and putting them near the intakes during the day.

sublimed · #10 09-29-2008, 01:21 PM

whyy is no-one following this, it's absolutely awesome.