Brown Pistols but small patchy buds. HELP!!!

chrisurbs2008

Active Member
Okay, this is my first real grow and Im not too sure what week into flowering I am, but Im guessing around 6. Im growing hydro with CFLs, just last week I saw some pistols starting to turn reddish-brown, and in a week about 50% have turned the same.

This excites me, but the bud concentration on my plant seems to me to be considerably small. On the main cola the buds are spaced out and havent puffed up or wrapped around the entire stem. There are just buds every half inch or so going down about 8inches. and then spacing out after that.

My question is: Is this normal for the pistols to start turning this brown and the buds not gaining alot of mass?

Help would be appreciated thanks.
 

chrisurbs2008

Active Member
no camera, but pictures really arent needed...everything with the plant looks fine, besides some dying lower and bigger leaves that seem to be shrivelling up. the buds just arent wrapping around the stem and are staying small
 

tokinman

Well-Known Member
look at the trichomes.. if they are cloudy, you could harvest. if they are mainly clear, you have some time.. the hairs are just an indicator of when a plant is in its final stage of flowering.. i have seen plants with 50% brown hairs at 3-4 weeks flower but they were small.. the plant packs on most of the weight in the last 2-3 weeks of flowering if i remember correctly. i would say if you are at 5-6 weeks give em another 3 weeks at least.. check the trichomes though, they are the BEST indicator of when the plant is ready..
 

mcpurple

Well-Known Member
your plant is near done the buds are so small do to the fact its a cfl grow, also depends on strain
 

rreign

Active Member
I gotta disagree about the CFL comment. I don't think the CFL's by themselves are going to be an issue. I would think that the wattage would be, but not just them being CFL's. I would add a few more CFL's and give it some more time. What size area do you have them in? In general you need like no less than 1000 lumens per square foot. If you're in a closet that's like 50 - 60 square foot, then there's no way that just 3 50W's are going to be enough.
 

Punk

Well-Known Member
150w cfl placed about 3 inches above the top of the plant

actually its 3 evenly spaced lights at 50w a piece
You may be consuming 150 watts per hour, but it's not the same as having 1 light @ 150 watts. By the sounds of what you've described, I'd say you're right on track.

You won't be growing the stuff you see in high times using wimpy cfls.
 

chrisurbs2008

Active Member
its a small space about 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide and long. so thats only 12sq ft and 36ft cubed the plant is a little over 3 feet tall, but regardless shouldnt the bud always wrap around the main cola at least a little? even at the top where it receives most light it is failing to do so...
 

tokinman

Well-Known Member
chris, are your cfl's true 50 watts or are they EQUAL to 50 watts but burn only say 20 watts? for example you can get a true 150 watt outdoor cfl which says it is as bright as a 500 watt light. it is however a true 150 watt bulb.. if you have 3 equivalent to 50 watters you probably have closer to 60 true watts of light in there which would explain the crap size to this point..
 

chrisurbs2008

Active Member
i had a hps 4oow, it was too much for me, im fine with cfls im telling you guys that, yes the lights are def going to cause some decrease in mass, but to the point that it retards the buds growth, ive done grows before with cfl's and the same strain and things have been absolutely fine
 

High Time 420

Well-Known Member
3 50w CFL's on a 3ft tall plants is nowhere near enough light, CFL grower's keep plants trained to 2ft max because light from cfl's do not penertrate the canopy.
Your plant is only getting about 3500 lumens all together from 3 light sources which isnt enough by far, As for buds not filling out, all i can suggest is much more light on your next grow and maybe better seeds.

peace
 

SmokeyMcPopkinZ

Active Member
I gotta disagree about the CFL comment. I don't think the CFL's by themselves are going to be an issue. I would think that the wattage would be, but not just them being CFL's. I would add a few more CFL's and give it some more time. What size area do you have them in? In general you need like no less than 1000 lumens per square foot. If you're in a closet that's like 50 - 60 square foot, then there's no way that just 3 50W's are going to be enough.
I agree with this comment. There's really nothing you can do this grow. The next grow however you need to add more lights different spectrum's too like 1 warm, 1 cool, and 1 Full spectrum for example mix it up and it addds up. ya dig
btw for people that dont know this if you use to much nutrients during flowering the hairs will turn browner earlier and the bud growth will be stunted if its not corrected so its not always a good thing if they turn brown early. this is really only for soil growers tho ive never heard of this in a hydroponic setup. jus sayin
 

rreign

Active Member
I'm sorry, but Chris, just ignore McPurple's comments. Some people are too dense and set in their own ways to actually know what they're talking about, or the variations of a subject matter that they are commenting on. Like Smokey, High Time and myself are saying... There is a few variables that could be the cause, higher nutes during flowering without being corrected or noticed could cause slower bud production along with pistils essentially dying off. Too little of light/lumens can cause slow reproduction but may not be the cause of your pistils turning. Improper ventilation or lack there of could cause a slower growth in both veg and flowering without you really being able to tell the cause. My suggestion is what I am standing by. Get 3 more "true" 50W CFL's and give it another 3 weeks or so. I gaurentee this will work.
 
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