Spectrums? Help!

TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

Member
OK I'm growing in a small box, about 3.5' x 2' x 3'. I have four 42 W CFL bulbs on top and two small fluorescent strips on the side, I think they're 15 W each. My question is what is the best bulbs to use for veg and for flower? I think I have the daylight ones in right now and have been having shitty luck. I've done about five grows and two of them I got around a half ounce each from them. That's it. The other three grows turned to shit and died off. Not sure why please help me! I greatly appreciate all advice.
 

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TassieConvict

Active Member
Hey mate, ive been using 2x 6500k and 1x 2700k for veg (6500k dominant) and 2x 2700k and 1x 6500k for flower (2700k dominant). Im not far into flowering it so i cant really comment on how its going with the 2700k dominant light but for veg the 6500k dominant light was fantastic, with fresh growth noticeable daily. How far from your lights do you keep your plants? Mine are less wattage so you might run into heat issues but i keep mine between 1-2.5 inches away from my canopy and have had decent results, mine are 30w max though so check for heat before trying it.
 
DANfour20

DANfour20

Well-Known Member
TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz said:
I have them like 10 inches from my canopy, but they don't stretch at all or anything. Sometimes they grow great, sometimes they grow like shit ha ha
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Lower your lights, 2 to 8 inches is ideal proximity for CFLs. Or your losing light intensity = wasted energy. Seriously get them within 2 inches of your tops.
 
Jeanpaulsastre

Jeanpaulsastre

Member
TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz said:
I had them about 2 to 5 inches away from the tops now, but I've been getting some issues, I don't know if it's light burn or what? Any help is appreciated! Pictures attached
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for what I cna tell is not the light, unless you are watering with lights on, let the water sit out for 24-48h before watering, weight your pots to see if they need watering, start supplementing when the cotiledons turn yellow , be sure to follow the calendar,
 
DANfour20

DANfour20

Well-Known Member
If your not ph'ing your water. Chances are it's that. Incorrect pH will lock out certain nutrients available to your plant.

My pH out of tap is 7.2 but by the time I've added the nutrients the pH is 8 or more, then I add distilled white vinegar to lower the pH to 6.5.

Get a pH meter there like 5 pounds (7 dollars prob less) invaluable asset to any growers tool box.
 
TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

Member
DANfour20 said:
If your not ph'ing your water. Chances are it's that. Incorrect pH will lock out certain nutrients available to your plant.

My pH out of tap is 7.2 but by the time I've added the nutrients the pH is 8 or more, then I add distilled white vinegar to lower the pH to 6.5.

Get a pH meter there like 5 pounds (7 dollars prob less) invaluable asset to any growers tool box.
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I have a pH testing kit that is just like a roll of paper that you tear off a certain length and dip it in and compare it to the chart. It usually comes out 6.6 but I will pay more attention to it, and thanks for that white distilled vinegar tip! And I was using filtered tap water, that I switched to RO water, then I bought an air stone and pump and I just oxygenate my water for 24 hours before i use it.
 
TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

Member
Jeanpaulsastre said:
for what I cna tell is not the light, unless you are watering with lights on, let the water sit out for 24-48h before watering, weight your pots to see if they need watering, start supplementing when the cotiledons turn yellow , be sure to follow the calendar,
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Watering with lights on? I do do that yes. What calendar are you talking about. Is it bad to water with the lights on or something?
 
DANfour20

DANfour20

Well-Known Member
TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz said:
Watering with lights on? I do do that yes. What calendar are you talking about. Is it bad to water with the lights on or something?
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You can water when the lights are on just take care not to splash your leaves, water the base. Make sure to pH after adding your nutes. Or it could and probably will go up.
 
Jeanpaulsastre

Jeanpaulsastre

Member
DANfour20 said:
You can water when the lights are on just take care not to splash your leaves, water the base. Make sure to pH after adding your nutes. Or it could and probably will go up.
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Yes thats why, and anotherthing about some purified water, sometimes it contains bicarbonate calcium (like nestle pure life) and it can possibly block the absorption of other nutrients, I recently had a Fe defficiency because of that
 
TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

Member
DANfour20 said:
You can water when the lights are on just take care not to splash your leaves, water the base. Make sure to pH after adding your nutes. Or it could and probably will go up.
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For some reason, the directions that come with The new nutrients I got tell you tell you to NEVER add pH up I think it is, it could be pH down I'm not exactly sure what to tell you to never PH up or down after you mix the nutrients not sure why
 
DANfour20

DANfour20

Well-Known Member
Never seen nutes say this, it could say don't add pH up if the nute solution raises the pH of water and say don't add pH down if the nute solution lowers it.

Either way pH your water after adding your nutes. If it's above or below 6.5 your going to have to add either bicarb of soda to raise the pH or distilled white vinegar to lower it. Or just buy pH up and down and add that accordingly.
 
TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

TMTWiwannahavebluntz4dayz

Member
DANfour20 said:
What are the nutes? Pics??
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I think It's called Wild Thing, The garden supply store where I get all my stuff sold it to me. Apparently the guy that started the store came up with this amazing formula 20 some years ago, and they've been selling it like crazy since. I went in asking about some of the problems I was having with my plants and he gave me the three part system for free and told me to try it out and said I would for sure be happy with the results.
 
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