My first setup, Any thoughts?

Okay, heres a couple pics of the lights I set up today. I started the plants experimenting and they took off so I wanna see em thru to the end. I originally had them outside but as of this mornig I am FED UP with scratching my ankles and shins!! I HATE ticks, chiggers, etc.! So I went to walmart and bought some lights and fixtures and this is what I came up with. I took a 16"x48" piece of plywood and used 2, 4-2 socket outdoor fixtures and 8 cfls. the lights are 26 watt, 1750 lumen. I wrapped the plywood with the dull side of tinfoil and wired everything into an outdoor timer. Ive got three planters with multiple plants. Im sure I will be adding more lights just not sure what or when. Im saving chip bags and anythig else resembling mylar to cover the surrounding surfaces. The first pic is looking in the closet at the light. The other is looking up from under the light (plants eye view.) Suggestions welcome!

get those lights closer about 1 inch to two above the tops, very streched surround the lights around the plants close to the plants not so far away.

I would recommend raising the pots a little on boxes or something so you can get those plants within about 2 inches of the light. CFLS lose a lot of light the farther away and since they don't get too hot you should get them closer. I would also suggest getting some spider mite insecticide. Bringing plants indoors from an outdoor crop is usually ill advised because it can bring pests into the grow space. Make sure to frequently check for any bugs. A spider mite infestation can kill your crop within a couple days. It's good to be prepared just in case and fix the problem early on. Hope this helps!

Maybe also think about maybe topping or fim'ing the plants as they will bush out and not grow up so much and get more dense.

Awesome!! Great advice! I have the fixture on wire so the height is adjustable. I will lower it in the morning when the timer kicks on. As for pest problems, I sprayed them with insecticide about 2 weeks ago and have not seen any pests at all since then. About topping or fim'ing the plants, the oldest ones are about 14 weeks old and have started to flower and the younger ones are right on scheduele about 2-3 weeks behind the first. The small pot is about 6 weeks old and really wasnt supposed to be a plant. I threw a bunch of cull seeds in some old soil and said if they sprout, they sprout and a bunch did so I kept them. Keep the great advice coming i need all the help I can get!!! Ill keep posting on these but I waiting for the next grow to start a real journal. Im really digging this site and all the knowledge here!

haha.. very nice username duder cheers!!! so lets get to the point. ur plants are streched coz ur lights are too far from them...also u will need more cfls! btw, is that on the first pic what ppl call emergency blanket ?!?

do u have any kalua?!? Cheers!!!

Does that mean that theyre not going to be woth growing out? Ive grown atatached to them but Im not opposed to offing a few of em to start fresh. Especially if it means getting a better start on a better product. I have to say I didnt give a history on the plants. They were started indoors in April and moved outdoors permanently as soon as weather permitted. Theyve been outdoors all of thier lives untill tonight. I moved them in at dark.

EDIT: To answer your question about the reflective material, Its one of those reflective shields that you put on your dash to keep the sun out of your car. It is like mylar(maybe even made of it?) but its thick almost constructed like cardboard so it insulates too.

Btw, Shut The F**k Up Donnie!!! Lol!

hahaha....best movie ever man ....u eva heard of vietnaam?!?

LOL u eva heard of vietnaam...! LOL thats funny
um el-duderino your setup its looking good man but you might wanna upgrade the light to a higher wattage.
with better lumen intentisty

Okay, I moved the lights closer and went in to check them earlier and the leaves had brown spots and some of the tops were even curled up and wilted. I gave them a good watering and moved the lights back a little further. Is there anything else I should do to help the plants or will they come back on thier own?

El Duderino said:

Okay, I moved the lights closer and went in to check them earlier and the leaves had brown spots and some of the tops were even curled up and wilted. I gave them a good watering and moved the lights back a little further. Is there anything else I should do to help the plants or will they come back on thier own?

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do you have any fans blowing on them??? because its pretty hard to burn a plant with cfl.And to answer your other question yes they should come back.brown spots you say.. were the leaves dry and crispy ??or still soft..

I do have a fan blowing on them. I may need to look into some kind of ventilation? The air that is being blown on them is just recirculating and the whole closet is only about 6'x4'. The closet is in a room with its own window unit a/c. maybe another fan to blow cool air into the closet while the lights are on? As for the leaves, they were still healthy appearance/texture wise just had brown spots. They almost look like chemical burn? I havent sprayed them in a while with anything tho so I dont think thats it.

Thus is the one that took the most damage. Before and after.

El Duderino said:

I do have a fan blowing on them. I may need to look into some kind of ventilation? The air that is being blown on them is just recirculating and the whole closet is only about 6'x4'. The closet is in a room with its own window unit a/c. maybe another fan to blow cool air into the closet while the lights are on? As for the leaves, they were still healthy appearance/texture wise just had brown spots. They almost look like chemical burn? I havent sprayed them in a while with anything tho so I dont think thats it.

Thus is the one that took the most damage. Before and after.

Click to expand...

Pictures helped alot.Unless you spilled heavy amounts of nutrient water on those leaves id say over watering for sure.let it dry out for a few days and use less water

Do Not mist them with water if the lights are ON !! !! !!

and Shut the F*$k up Donny!!!

cheetah2007 said:

Do Not mist them with water if the lights are ON !! !! !!

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That too

Awesome guys!! Rep points to all who have helped so far! Cheetah, Ive been reading your journal. Nice grow man!!

thanks man!! now i just have to figure out who the hell peed on my fuckin rug !!