Stone Knitter's first CFL grow!

stoneknitter682

Active Member
So far my reflectors are warm, but nowhere near hot! So far they've passed the test! They are very simple and there is plenty of room for improvement, but right now it'll have to do. Besides, it's totally better then nothing!! haha!
 

stoneknitter682

Active Member
The short answer is that molassas also works as a carbohydrate for flowering. It tends to "fatten" the bud and enhance (sweeten) the taste. I believe it has Vitamin A, calcium and iron...as well as some B vitamins. (good source of potassium and magnesium too) I've seen "recommended dosages" of 1 tbsp per gallon at feeding time. I don't really measure, so I can't tell you how much I use. LOL, I tend to like overdo things myself, but I always catch it in time before any damage is done. For foliar feeding, I mix very smalll amounts of apple juice, moloassas and just a TINY amount of maple syrup.
Just peeked at your new pictures!!! Kudos to you......looking GREAT. I'm still amazed that you have that only under 8 26's. :clap:How clever to use that bristol board!!! Why didn't I think of that?
Very impressive, especially for your first grow. I can't wait to see what you harvest.
Thank you Babs!! I was wondering what I could do for potassium without having to run to the hydroponics store! About foliar spray, you're not concerned that you might clog the plants pores?
 

Joe Camel

Well-Known Member
Thank you Joe! What were the troubles that you got with your grow, if you don't mind my asking? Was it because of the CFL?[/quote]

This was my first plant in my life period. The CFls were fine.
at first i overwatered. but most importantly I over fed her.
the nutrient i used was 8-55-12 NPK I fed her once a week and salted up my soil causing my leaves to curl down. ( live and learn )
When I harvested I just cut off all the funky leaves and dried my bud. I got a little more than a half oz of good smoke. I learned a lot from this grow. I'm actually excited about growing more plants now, not just mj. I started my next grow and going beautify. I'm also growing basil and chamomile. They are suppose to be fantastic growing partners w/ mj.
 

caligro

Active Member
wow, i just sat here and read this whole grow from the start....this grow is going awesome haha i'm stoked for you. subscribed to see how it turns out...i wanna try a cfl grow in the next few weeks
 

stoneknitter682

Active Member
This was my first plant in my life period. The CFls were fine.
at first i overwatered. but most importantly I over fed her.
the nutrient i used was 8-55-12 NPK I fed her once a week and salted up my soil causing my leaves to curl down. ( live and learn )
When I harvested I just cut off all the funky leaves and dried my bud. I got a little more than a half oz of good smoke. I learned a lot from this grow. I'm actually excited about growing more plants now, not just mj. I started my next grow and going beautify. I'm also growing basil and chamomile. They are suppose to be fantastic growing partners w/ mj.
That is very interresting Joe, thank you! I've always wondered about companion planting for marijuana! And I loooove pesto! Maybe I'll grow an assorment of basil with a bit of chamomile with my next grow. I like that idea very much. And you're right: live and learn! I used to over water my veggies back when I used to garden but I haven't overwatered a plant in a long time now! It's a learning process for sure!

Radio 911, thank you for the info. I also suspect that I might not be able to harvest by the time I reach my birthday at the beginning of April! Blah!! But maybe I'll be able to smoke some by April 20? Haha! We shall see!
 

Babs34

Well-Known Member
Thank you Babs!! I was wondering what I could do for potassium without having to run to the hydroponics store! About foliar spray, you're not concerned that you might clog the plants pores?
You know what? I DID think about that and forgot to mention. Yeah, I would think it probably would clog up the pores. I also "flush" --if you will---with another round of just pure water foliar feeding sometime later. Like I said, this is my first time trying it...seems to be doing ok. When I did my little experiment with my tea infusion, it was directly fed to the soil....maybe 3 or 4 times in the 7th week of flowering. Then I flushed. It was really for the sole purpose of complementing the already existing aroma of the bud.:weed:
 

WrldWidRadio911

Well-Known Member
I use molasses once a month, 1 tbl spoon per gallon, I also use coconut fiber as a medium which is very airy,light, and almost impossible to drown roots.

Medium is about

70% Coco Coir Peat
30 % Miracle Grow Organic


Coir peat is the binding material that comes from the fibre fraction of the coconut husk. This coir dust is graded and a special grade is screened, washed and processed into products for the agricultural and horticultural industries. Coir peat acts as a multi-purpose soil conditioner and growing medium. Its texture is consistent and uniform and it is a completely homogenous material. Coco coir is composed of millions of capillary micro-sponges that absorb and hold up to nine times it's own weight in water. It has a natural pH of 5.7 to 6.5, plus an unusually high Cation Exchange Capacity and 27% of easily available water. All this ensures that coir peat will hold and release nutrients in solution over an extended period of time without rewatering.
Used as a growing medium or as a potting medium coco coir peat outperforms most of the popular brands of peat and sphagnum peats. This also has the added benefit of reducing the destruction of valuable peat bogs and wetland marshes worldwide where peat moss is currently mined for horticultural use.
It has been observed by the Hydroponic and Horticulture Industries that plants grown using coir develop larger roots, stems and blooms. This is because unlike ordinary soil, which is easily compacted, coco coir peat provides more air spaces and aeration for plant roots, giving rise to a greater oxygen uptake by the plant. Also, because it can retain moisture, up to nine times its own volume, while still maintaining excellent air filled porosity,the provision of vital nutrients to the roots and soil is greatly enhanced. Coco coir peat has a naturally high lignin content which encourages favorable micro-organisms around the root zone. Overall, this results in better plant growth and higher yeilds.
Due to it's fibrous and sponge-like structure coco coir peat is ideal for soil conditioning, whether to aid moisture retrention in sandy areas, or to help lighten heavy clay soils. It is by far the most effective and economical way to revitalise degraded soils without the risk of contamination. Having a slow degradation rate, it conditions the soil and promotes the development of an optimum pH level. Coco coir peat has been universally accepted as an excellent plant growth substrate as well as a soil additive.
Coco coir peat will last three times as long as Peat Moss and Sphagnum Moss. It is hydrophilic, meaning it will re-wet easily without the use of chemical wetting agents and it is capable of holding and releasing nutrients over a period.


http://www.hydroponics-gardening-inf....com/Coco.html
 

dontpanic

Well-Known Member
props. How is the heat with the makeshift reflectors? seems like a great idea thinking of doing it with my 1 plant i have goin just for fun :P keep it up girl! keep us posted as much as you can i love this grow.
 

stoneknitter682

Active Member
Here's some more pictures of the reflectors: you can see that I used string to keep the bristol board a good 2-3" away from the CFL. And I pointed the fan in a way that there is a bit of cooling circulation up-there. So the boards are warm, but not hot.


 

stoneknitter682

Active Member
The hair is changing really quickly now on Plant B while all of Plant A's hair are still all white! How long would you guys say I still have till the end of flowering for Plant B? This is their fourth week since I switched to 12/12.
 

joker152

Well-Known Member
damn reading this whole thing was was twenty five really stoned minutes well spent i cant believe how big those plants are on so few watts +rep
 

stoneknitter682

Active Member
Thank you Joker! :D

This morning I took some more pictures with the lights off just a little after the time when the lights turn on. I just love seeing those trichomes. Unfortunately, taking pictures in a dark closet ain't that easy. But anyway, here are the good ones out of the bunch.



 

Tronica

Well-Known Member
great journal. i'm gonna keep an eye on it.

ive got a bunch of 26w cfls to use for a micro sog as well and lots of people were telling me not to use 26s

i think i will tho. 10x 26 and 4x 42's total.

i have alot of LSTed plants in my journal if you want to take a little peak. i noticed you said you were worried about stems not recovering, but you don't have to, they will recover.

there is even a "pruning" technique called super cropping where they intentionally "rub" a stem in between 2 fingers until it becomes weak enough to fall over. the plant will repair itself even from this, and will make that branch grow eve more buds!

you can lst a plant almost in half and it will still be ok. matter of fact, the next day, it will already have "bent" itself to reach back for the light. really fine exmaples of that in the first pics of my small girls in my journal

good luck with this. looks amazing for such little lights.
 

stoneknitter682

Active Member
Thank you Tronica! :D

We saw the 42w bulbs at Home Depot but I was shocked when I saw the pricing for it! I mean, you pay more per Watt buying the 42w!! It seemed more cost efficient to buy more 26w because we get more watts for our money. And Watts adds up (if I remember my physics class correctly).

I just checked your grow Tronica!! And I really love your plants!!
 

Babs34

Well-Known Member
More dramatic and indecent exposure!!
Enjoy!!!

Plant B






Plant C

Plant C is looking YUMMY. The typical strain takes about 8 weeks Stone. Don't do what I do. I get desperate and start drooling over mine when those crystals start to form and go on a taste fest......not good. Sigh, I'm not patient, what can I say?
Give it another 4 weeks and let them really fill in. You won't regret it.
 
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