Pre Grow Jitters! Questions for PROS ONLY!

[migia]

6) I think i've read somewhere that I should pay attention to the lights labeled "Conversions" like this 23 watt flouresecnt tube = 100 watts!! Is that **? are my lights 23 watts or 100 watts? lol what should I go by.

You definitely want to go with the actual CFL wattage, not the equivalent.....

In this case the actual CFL wattage would be 23 watts. Ignore the 100 watt equivalent. Never pay attention to the equivalent wattage!!. Have fun.....

 

[Locked]

I wld worry less about watts and find out how many lumens you hve since that is what matters. When I said open up the plant it is an expression for when you use lst to open the plant up more to expose hidden bud sites.

Perfect example and I will edit this post with pics when I find them. First time I grew my Larry OG out it was pretty much a bean stalk with one big main cola and a bunch of sad side buds that clearly didn't reach their potential. When I grow that same exact LArry OG pheno now with the use of topping and lst techniques I get a "candelabra" of buds. I will go dig for the pics and post them up



The Pics: LArry OG first run no lst: Larry OG with topping and lst:.

 

[nvthis]

Nice Hammy!

Like I said, I've never done it... But if I was gonna.... I think I would look into auto-flowering beans and burn them sucka's 24/7 til they were done..... I could be WAY wrong on that,

 

[powerplanter]

Good example Hammy.

 

[dman1234]

I wld worry less about watts and find out how many lumens you hve since that is what matters. When I said open up the plant it is an expression for when you use lst to open the plant up more to expose hidden bud sites.

Perfect example and I will edit this post with pics when I find them. First time I grew my Larry OG out it was pretty much a bean stalk with one big main cola and a bunch of sad side buds that clearly didn't reach their potential. When I grow that same exact LArry OG pheno now with the use of topping and lst techniques I get a "candelabra" of buds. I will go dig for the pics and post them up



The Pics: LArry OG first run no lst: View attachment 184625 Larry OG with topping and lst:. View attachment 184624

I think i just learnt something about my Larry. LOL

HL the second pic, they are tied down?

 

[JefferyConner]

No, not nearly enough light. Equivalent (conversion) wattage means nothing for growing purposes--23 w tubes=23 w tubes. However, lighting needs are figured by lumens per sq ft (and spectrum is important too). You are going to need a minimum of 3000 lumens per sq ft for vegging and 5000 for flowering. How large is your space? Take your sq ft and multiply times 3000 or 5000 to figure lumens needed. You will be surprised how many CFLs it is going to take to supply adequate light. I also am not a big fan of side lighting, believing that the benefits are little if any.

You are also going to need ventilation.

Like I origially posted, This is more like a trial run. 3 plants is all i'll grow in the future. Right now i'm going with one plant. I could have sworn, from what i've read, i was ok on light but yall made me nervous. lol anyway i added up the lumen from the ligts i have now, and the one's i'll be adding later. It equaled over 7k. How can that "not nearly be enough" for one plant? Just when i thought i had the light thing figured out, I get confused agan. lol. Oh also, I didnt figure i would need a ventilation with one plant?? I just thought it would be ok to open my grow closet an air it out couple times a day. When im home i just leave the door open.

 

[Slowlyburn]

I grow with CFL's... I run 18 36watt bulbs and it's still not enough. I only grow 3 plants at 1 time... Trust the people on this forum. They will guide you in the right direction... I swear I learn something new on this forum every time I log on. Ventilation will not only give the plants more air to breathe and grow but it will get the smell of the plant out of the house. I thought I was ok with no vents and I have since learned that it is an absolute necessity to have... Good luck with the gro bud...

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Like I origially posted, This is more like a trial run. 3 plants is all i'll grow in the future. Right now i'm going with one plant. I could have sworn, from what i've read, i was ok on light but yall made me nervous. lol anyway i added up the lumen from the ligts i have now, and the one's i'll be adding later. It equaled over 7k. How can that "not nearly be enough" for one plant? Just when i thought i had the light thing figured out, I get confused agan. lol. Oh also, I didnt figure i would need a ventilation with one plant?? I just thought it would be ok to open my grow closet an air it out couple times a day. When im home i just leave the door open.

How many light are you running and what is their lumen output. A 23W bulb generally only emits around 1400 lumens--are you running 5 of them?

While you may be okay vegging 1 plant with 7000 lumens, you will need to keep your space around 18" x 18" to be adequately lit. This area needs to be walled off and have reflective materials on the walls. One plant will most likely end up taking up a space 2 x 2--4 sq ft. This will need 20,000 lumens (different spectrum) or about 3 times what you have now.

The number of plants has nothing at all to do with ventilation needs. Plants need a continual supply of fresh air all the time the lights are on for proper photosynthesis. This is accomplished by running an exhaust fan in your closet. This removes old CO2 depleted air and replenishes with fresh air. You should also have some kind of oscillating fan in your closet to move air around and help strengthen the stems of your plants. Creating negative pressure in your room also helps contain odors.

 

[Locked]

I think i just learnt something about my Larry. LOL

HL the second pic, they are tied down?

Second plant was topped two times and the branches were lst'd with pipe cleaners.

 

[dontknowmuch]

Just thought I would add that Hamster grows in 1 gallon, I repeat 1 gallon pots! I have a new grow in 1.5 gallon pots right now