If you can get one 45W its better than 2x23W CFL, lightwise. The light will penetrate much further with a stronger light. Plus its one fixture less.

You can just surround your plant with lights, but that requiers thought - if you hug it with lights it will grow much to the sides as much as he does horizonticaly resulting in a wide plant that you can't get light into.
If you want to veg with side lightning you need a one big stalk plant, veg for a few days with side lightning and flip to flowering. thats how you will have only a few colas and not a bush type plant.

If you'll use more plants you will need more than 6x23W CFLs. a single plant would be easier to manipulate and would yield pretty much the same as, lets say, 5 lanky plants if grown properly.


Phisics say that if you blow air downward it will be hotter than air blown upward because hot air normaly rises up.
If you have high temps you should use the fan from below the plants. If its too cold you should use it from above, usualy below the lights to add their heat as well.


To adjust PH you need a test kit and adjusting kit. For testing you could use lacmos paper - they are fairly cheap.
I can't use anything but digital meters after getting used to them and they cost about 15 bucks a pop, but you mentioned ultra-tight budget so lets hang to lacmos paper.
You will also need a PH down solution sold pretty much everywhere for almost no money. You could use a ton of other things to lower the PH (adding acidity). Check the DIY section for more information.

I have no clue about miracle grow, they don't sell it around where i live. But 15/30/15 ferts should be fairly fine to the beginning of the flowering period.
The high P will be poison for small vegging plants and the high N won't do well with advanced flowering plants.

To start with you could use either Humus that is relatively cheap, or urine that is free usualy.
Don't start with a 15/30/15 fertilizer.



Good Luck

__________________
My Current Grow Journal | DIY Honey Oil Extractor | Cloning Tutorial | Repotting Tutorial

Dolomite lime shouldn't raise your ph above 7, so I doubt you'd throw off anything too bad if you just let the lime do its job. I don't have any experience with MG nutes and I'm kind of a newb when it comes to fertilizing (that's what I'm learning with my current project), so I couldn't tell you. If it's all you have I'd start with 1/4 dose or lighter and just see what happens. The n-p-k isn't ideal but it's better than nothing, just be careful not to burn your plant. I'm currently using schultz liquid fertilizer which many people here don't seem to like either, but I don't seem to be having any problems yet.

If it makes you feel any better, my last grow used the dreaded miracle grow soil and old water from my fish tank as fertilizer and my plants only showed water stress from my overattention. Luckily for me MJ is a hardy plant, and it still managed to thrive despite my 103942 mistakes.

__________________
"Well, you know what they say...a JPEG is worth 1,024 words" -www.toothpastefordinner.com

Heres the pic of the grow room now, Puttin in more lights made my temp. go up to about 87, i dont have access to an ac, and i lowered my fan, how can i lower temp more?


so more plants directly under the lights would have less of an effect from the lights because the other plant are soaking it up? I didnt know light worked that way. i figured it would just use the tons of unused lights that not even touching the original pot..lol

Attached Images

DSCF0603.jpg (54.7 KB, 15 views)

__________________
I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. ~Eartha Kitt

Hey Legend! Those 23 watters give off 1600 lumens each. And yes, they are at 6500 kelvin. Good bang for the buck. Still $6.97 for two (2) at Wally world.

I got 4 in a pack for $3.97 at home depot

__________________
I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. ~Eartha Kitt

Here are some updated pics of my grow, just a few days later... I started using mg all purpose a day after my last post and its resulting in significant growth....

do not think i see any preflowers, fingers still crossed its a fem.

started germinating 10 more bag seeds, thinking of running those 12/12 pretty early not sure yet.

Attached Images

	DSCF0607.jpg (97.3 KB, 9 views)
	DSCF0608.jpg (77.8 KB, 8 views)
	DSCF0610.jpg (110.6 KB, 9 views)
	DSCF0611.jpg (93.8 KB, 8 views)
	DSCF0612.jpg (90.2 KB, 10 views)
	DSCF0613.jpg (104.5 KB, 8 views)
	DSCF0615.jpg (71.9 KB, 9 views)
	DSCF0618.jpg (60.4 KB, 10 views)

__________________
I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. ~Eartha Kitt

First signs of sexing sprouted today!!!

ladies and gentlemen, i am the proud father of a beautiful baby girl.

see photos here:

http://www.rollitup.org/attachments/...e-dscf0625.jpg


http://www.rollitup.org/attachments/...e-dscf0624.jpg


http://www.rollitup.org/attachments/...e-dscf0623.jpg

__________________
I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. ~Eartha Kitt

Congrats,thats a sexy lil bitch,u might have the midas touch if ur first was a female,mine was too.
If ur on a mg budget u can pick up some 'Thrive' flower and fruit or sulphate of potash for just a few $,it will help u out.

I think ur biggest danger now will be choppin her too early coz trust me u'll want to.Resist and ull be rewarded.

__________________
John Hancock

So I used the miracle grow for one day and it burnt the shit out of my plants... I used 1/4 of the recommended dose... so it says 1 TBSP per gallon, i used 1/4 TBSP and it did this.....

NO ONE USE ALL PURPOSE MIRACLE GRO

Aside from that, once i saw the plants werent getting any worse, i started flowering on a 12/12 schedule... this is 3 days into it... No noticeable activity yet..seems to be growing faster already tho....


will be getting a 400w MH setup on my next grow, with fox farm nutes and sterilized water

Attached Images

DSCF0629.jpg (86.6 KB, 6 views)

__________________
I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. ~Eartha Kitt