Are my CFLs too close?

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone. This is my first ever grow, so I would rather ask a question than carry on regardless and risk it all going wrong. Basically I need my hand held and reassuring everything is ok!

A few details first.

Strain is Bulldog seeds Northern Lights (feminized photo).
Growing in B&Q verve compost with roughly 20% perlite.
Watered with plain tap water which is left to breathe 24 hours before use, watered when needed using finger/knuckle and also lifting pot tests (roughly every 48-56 hours on average). No nutes yet.
Under 2x 23w, 6500k, 1400 lumen each CFL bulbs, the bulbs are 1-1.5 inches away, with NO noticeable heat coming off the glass. They wouldn't warm your hand if you held them all day. Lights on 18/6 schedule. More CFLs added when needed (6 more will fit on the light mount) and I will swap to 23w, 2700k, 1540 lumen each CFLs when in flower.
Temps around 26-27C day and min of 19 at night (got a small heater as it is a garage grow, but it is hardly ever on as far as I can tell)
In a stealth cab that measures 28" wide by 15" deep x 32" high. She will spend her entire life in here. 2x 75 cfm pc fans as extraction, passive intakes.
In a 3.5 inch diameter pot since seed.
Pics taken half way through full day 12 since breaking surface (yesterday)
Aims - to get any sort of harvest without killing the plant, setting something on fire or getting arrested. Anything better than that is a bonus.

I intend to top/fim, LST and scrog to keep her low and make the best use of my limited space and bulbs.

I chose Northern Lights partly because it is a compact plant (also because of its medical properties, which is the reason for my grow) and I know my lights are really close, but my question is can they be too close? If moving them up an inch will mean I get a better plant long term I would rather be told now.

As you can see by the pics she is coming along ok, and seems to have changed very time I look at her. My only concern is the fact that she is VERY short so far when I look at other grows. I know this is meant to be a good thing (especially in a small grow area like mine) but I am just a bit concerned that her 4th true set of leaves are coming through and she is not even 2 inches high. It might be that she is just about to go on a growth spurt and I am worrying about nothing, but the leaves seem very close together vertically, and I am wary about it causing air movement problems. I do have a couple of pc fans blowing on the lights and canopy area and it seems to be working so far.

Also, when do you think I ought to move her into a larger pot? No roots showing at the bottom of the pot yet, but again I would rather ask than leave it too late.

thanks
INO

photo 1.JPG photo 2.JPG photo 3.JPG photo 4.JPG
 

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
Just edited and uploaded them again and they are coming in as thumbnails when I refreshed this page. Is that any better? Sorry for being an idiot.
 

sunni

Administrator
Staff member
She looks good to me if your putting your hand between your plant and your lights and it isn't burning you than its good I mean unless is far away but you state it isn't

Try not to over worry people kinda helicopter parent marijuana
Treat it as a regular plant
 

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
Thanks for putting my mind at rest Sunni. I am trying to chill and leave her to do her thing, but it is hard not to think I am about to balls something up through inexperience.
My problem is that I normally kill regular houseplants!
 

cheapgrower2014

Well-Known Member
Thanks for putting my mind at rest Sunni. I am trying to chill and leave her to do her thing, but it is hard not to think I am about to balls something up through inexperience.
My problem is that I normally kill regular houseplants!
hey i had small plants this grow as well that just weren't doing what i thought they should be doing and thought they were done for and weren't going to grow much more, here's some pics when they were at 2wks pineapplechunk2.JPG pineapplechunk3.JPG pineapplechunk5.JPG i vegged another 2wks and this is them at 3wks into flower with no fimming or topping or lst IMG_1890.JPG IMG_1891.JPG so don't let the small size fool you cause chances are it could end up the best plant you've ever had. and on the repotting wait till you see roots at the bottom then re-pot. also the day before i re-pot i get my new pot fill it up with the medium and water it to get the microbes working before the plant goes in. read somewhere it causes less stress than just putting the plant straight in. keep us updated on how your getting on
 

skunkwreck

Well-Known Member
When I grew with cfl's (23w) I kept them around a half inch above the canopy with a small fan blowing across the bulbs .
 

Roobarb

Well-Known Member
What's your relative humidity like. It's hugely important in veg. Best kept at 60-70%
You mention B&Q so I'm guessing your UK
 

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
Relative humidity varied from 40 - 70% depending on time of day and if she had been watered. I have put a small open container of water near to the bulbs to try and keep it towards the higher end and it seems to be doing the trick and it is keeping around 60 for the last week or so.
You can just about make out the hygrometer in this pic taken a few days agophoto 4 .jpg
 

newbuddy

Well-Known Member
hey i had small plants this grow as well that just weren't doing what i thought they should be doing and thought they were done for and weren't going to grow much more, here's some pics when they were at 2wks View attachment 3516946 View attachment 3516947 View attachment 3516948 i vegged another 2wks and this is them at 3wks into flower with no fimming or topping or lst View attachment 3516949 View attachment 3516950 so don't let the small size fool you cause chances are it could end up the best plant you've ever had. and on the repotting wait till you see roots at the bottom then re-pot. also the day before i re-pot i get my new pot fill it up with the medium and water it to get the microbes working before the plant goes in. read somewhere it causes less stress than just putting the plant straight in. keep us updated on how your getting on
Good GOD Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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