CFL Cabinet Grow. Royal Highness. First Grow Ever

It's not oregano

Well-Known Member
No problem at all @Mattock, advice is just that - advice. It is not a set rule and what works for one may not be practical for another.
Even if any advice I or anyone else gives isn't practical this grow, you or anyone else might alter stuff around in future grows and remember something mentioned which might help out then. If so then great, that's what forums are about.
 

Mattock

Active Member
Veg day 13:
IMG_1394.JPG IMG_1395.JPG IMG_1396.JPG
Soil wasn't dry, but i watered with some water ph'ed to 6.8 because I'll be gone for few days. And first time fed the babys, micro fed if You can say so... Added less than tbs of molasses and liquid biohumus (worm castings) to 1.5 liter of water (about 1/2 gallon) to speed up the process. Hope this will fasten the things up. :)
Have a good day!
 

thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
Looking good :)

Some advice:

While your little plants will like the added warmth and intensity of the lights being so close, you'll want to keep then around 8 inches away from the plants when they are more mature, between 6 and 10 is the CFL "sweet spot." Any closer and you risk light burn.

http://www.growweedeasy.com/how-far-grow-lights

CFL lights also produce a lot of heat relative to your space (depending on height too of course)... you should see how hot it gets in that box using all the lights you plan (maybe one day you can put the plants outside or something). Be sure to test temperature at different heights in your box.

As HazednConfused mentioned... those plants are going to be bigger then you think, even At 30 days. Especially with so much light. Of course your pot size will also be a factor. More over, from 30 days to flower your plant could well triple in size... if not more. I vegged mine under a lot less light, in 3 gal pots and those suckers were pretty huge (I mean for a small grow :)), and I swear they were stunted from the cold (50-60F, 10-16C).

So both the height and the rest of the space do matter a lot.

Another thing to consider is circulation. Not ventilation, but circulation. it is important (especially in humid conditions, which you will get in a hot box of plants) to keep fresh air moving through and around the plants, or risk problems with mold, rot and pests. Usually something strong enough to stir the plants.

As an aside, I went to an inexpensive 300W LED grow light myself... cost me $80US on amazon... been working great so far, we'll see if it stands the test of time. Point being, you might be able to find a good deal somehow (you can get 200W full spectrum LED floodlights online for ~$50US... a good value)
 

Mattock

Active Member
Looking good :)

Some advice:

While your little plants will like the added warmth and intensity of the lights being so close, you'll want to keep then around 8 inches away from the plants when they are more mature, between 6 and 10 is the CFL "sweet spot." Any closer and you risk light burn.

http://www.growweedeasy.com/how-far-grow-lights

CFL lights also produce a lot of heat relative to your space (depending on height too of course)... you should see how hot it gets in that box using all the lights you plan (maybe one day you can put the plants outside or something). Be sure to test temperature at different heights in your box.

As HazednConfused mentioned... those plants are going to be bigger then you think, even At 30 days. Especially with so much light. Of course your pot size will also be a factor. More over, from 30 days to flower your plant could well triple in size... if not more. I vegged mine under a lot less light, in 3 gal pots and those suckers were pretty huge (I mean for a small grow :)), and I swear they were stunted from the cold (50-60F, 10-16C).

So both the height and the rest of the space do matter a lot.

Another thing to consider is circulation. Not ventilation, but circulation. it is important (especially in humid conditions, which you will get in a hot box of plants) to keep fresh air moving through and around the plants, or risk problems with mold, rot and pests. Usually something strong enough to stir the plants.

As an aside, I went to an inexpensive 300W LED grow light myself... cost me $80US on amazon... been working great so far, we'll see if it stands the test of time. Point being, you might be able to find a good deal somehow (you can get 200W full spectrum LED floodlights online for ~$50US... a good value)
Thanks for fast reply! :)
About the light burn.. It's been like that for few days and all looks good for now. Before I left home I raised the lights an inch just in case baby girls will blew.
My cab height is about 1,80 metres (almost 6 feet!) and I've tested with all lights on on a hot day. Temps were about 34C.
Final pots will be 12 liters (4 gallons), for now they are in 1,5 l (0,5 gallon) pots. Planning to repot when plants fill them, then top them, wait a week or two while they recover and only then go to flower.
I think I won't have any problems with low temps for now. :D
About air circulation.. There's two 120mm pc fans 24/7 on for it. And it's allways breezy out there. :) Though the smaller plant didn't like it as much as bigger one. She's just simply less healthy overall, bad seed probably. Tap root didn't look as good as it should.
Yeah, myself was looking at leds, but as I said before I'll finish this grow with cfls and later on I'll move on 4 Cree CXBs.:)
Thanks for tips once again!:)
 

thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
I think I won't have any problems with low temps for now.
Not low, HIGH

That's way too high. ~26 is optimal.

Your 1.8 meters still need to account for: the light fixture and lights themselves. I estimate ~30-45cm, plus the sweet spot, ~20cm... 12 L pots are ~40cm... and your plants will get huge in them.

I think we just went from nearly 2 meters to about 1 for the actual plant size, from soil to tip tops.

See how fast it goes?
 

Mattock

Active Member
I know what You are saying, especially this strain is streachy, so I will scrog it. And about the temps.. It just doesn't seem right, I think that digital thermometer ment to stay in shadow, cause it surely don't feel like 34C in it. And autumn is coming so temps will drop and at the end of flowering I think I may need heater w/ thermostat.:)
And that one meter will be more than enough. ;)
 

thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
It just doesn't seem right, I think that digital thermometer ment to stay in shadow, cause it surely don't feel like 34C in it.
don't know what you meant here...? Thermometer measure air temp near them, shade or not your bulbshining on it isn't gonna make it hotter than ust te reg aitr temp. If it says 34, it's 34. It may feel less to you, when it's open... but unless you got a faulty thermometer or are using it in a very unusual way, you shoul dprobably go by what it says (just in case, try a cheap mercury thermometer and place it somewhere else in the box. But I have less lights in my box, (well more watts, but LED) and it's almost 34 in there, and my place is cold...

And autumn is coming so temps will drop and at the end of flowering
depending how much hey drop, getting a little cold at the end is fine, and some people even suggest it as having similar benefits as it does for other plants (mostly fruits, which intensify in sugar after cold temps)

And that one meter will be more than enough.
Ok, but I'm growing in a similar space ~1mx1.25mx1.25m) my stunted plants (6 weeks veg, 6 flower, topped once, LSTd, and like I said STUNTED) are taking up a lot more space than I expected... if they'd had more soil, better temps, more light (all of which you're giving) and nutes they would certainly be 2-3 times the size, if not bigger... just, keep an eye out is what I'm saying, burning your plants sucks, as does bleaching (too much light intensity blanches the buds and gives you white, useless flower)

But you seem like you're planning ahead so keep it going, you'll learn as you grow or sure :)
 

GreenLogician

Well-Known Member
What is your exhaust like?
Humidity dropping so much with lights on sounds like the air is hanging around in their for a while without getting sucked out.
 

GreenLogician

Well-Known Member
"In my 2nd world country 13-15w E27 led bulb will cost as much as 60-70w CFL"
--- You could get the ones off Ebay for $5 AU, is that too expensive?
I've just gotten several different kinds, and these two were quality, bright and cheap:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/28W-Full-Spectrum-E27-Led-Grow-Light-Growing-Lamp-Light-Bulb-For-Flower-Plant-BS-/311596997950?hash=item488ca0dd3e:g:kQYAAOSwJSJXGLcpIT
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dimmable-LED-COB-Spot-Light-Bulbs-18W-E27-E14-GU10-MR16-Natural-Cool-Warm-White-/252401684245?var=&hash=item3ac4500f15:m:mUU1liRWkr99TEoX1f3izEg

I put 7 in this epic E27 splitter (select "6 in 2")
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/371652089167?lpid=107&chn=ps
 

thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
"In my 2nd world country 13-15w E27 led bulb will cost as much as 60-70w CFL"
--- You could get the ones off Ebay for $5 AU, is that too expensive?
I've just gotten several different kinds, and these two were quality, bright and cheap:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/28W-Full-Spectrum-E27-Led-Grow-Light-Growing-Lamp-Light-Bulb-For-Flower-Plant-BS-/311596997950?hash=item488ca0dd3e:g:kQYAAOSwJSJXGLcpIT
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dimmable-LED-COB-Spot-Light-Bulbs-18W-E27-E14-GU10-MR16-Natural-Cool-Warm-White-/252401684245?var=&hash=item3ac4500f15:m:mUU1liRWkr99TEoX1f3izEg

I put 7 in this epic E27 splitter (select "6 in 2")
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/371652089167?lpid=107&chn=ps
holy poop I didn't even know they made splitters that... you know, split wow... i use the old Ys... that looks pretty awesome
 
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Mattock

Active Member
@thewanderingjack okay. I'll sure try mercury thermometer. :D
@GreenLogician whoah. Nice links You have posted over here. :D Before moving on to CXBs I'll sure gonna order some of these! :D They sure are not to expensive but it will take 30-40 days to get to me, so probably next grow. And my fiance won't let me buy anymore shit, because we are 'saving' for the wedding. lol I can't even preorder nba2k17 for my xbox..:D
And those splitters are epic for real... Could You show me what Your grow room with them and those leds look like, please?:)
Edit: ohh and for venting there is quiet version of simple bathroom ventilator which moves trough 125 cubic meters of air per hour, so that should be more than enough.:P
 
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thewanderingjack

Well-Known Member
Could You show me what Your grow room with them and those leds look like, please?
I second that :)

Edit: ohh and for venting there is quiet version of simple bathroom ventilator which moves trough 125 cubic meters of air per hour, so that should be more than enough.:P
Definitely good for exhaust, but also make sure to get a tiny fan in there or something for ventilation, strong enough to sort of make the plants shiver... moving the air around is very important... even with exhaust the humidity will be high in and around the canopy... something like two buds pressed together, or touching a wall, can create a moist spot that leads to mold and rot.
 

GreenLogician

Well-Known Member
My setup is a little more complicated than I described :)
I have that 7 way splitter plus a 4 way splitter, plugged into a 2 way splitter.
Space limitations mean two sockets on the larger splitter are going unused and just pointing up out of the way.
Total of 9 e27 in use. Some ~45w cfl on the right side.

 
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Mattock

Active Member
My setup is a little more complicated than I described :)
I have that 7 way splitter plus a 4 way splitter, plugged into a 2 way splitter.
Space limitations mean two sockets on the larger splitter are going unused and just pointing up out of the way.
Total of 9 e27 in use. Some ~45w cfl on the right side.

Noice! Just few more things. Have You completed whole grow with this setup? And why those two cfls? Why not go all led? Thanks. ;)
 

GreenLogician

Well-Known Member
This is my clone-mum room, so no it doesn't complete a whole grow. I use hps in my flower room.

"And why those two cfls? Why not go all led?"

--- I usually pride myself in having well thought out reasons for my actions. But I may have no good explanation in this case :P
I started off with cfls, then my leds started arriving and I started testing them out and swapping them in and out as evaluated as good or bad or broken.

A couple of models would die within a day or two, and leaving the reliable cfls in there let me know I couldn't come back to find my 24/0 mothers in darkness.
None of the bulbs from the two types I linked you have died, and those are the only two types still in there. But I still don't have as much experience reassuring me of their reliability, as with cfls.
It's pretty astronomically unlikely at this stage that all my led will die at once. So I suppose the cfl are still in there just because I am lazy and afraid of change :)
 
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