OK , so my girls are 21 days now and seem to have stopped growing again … I transplanted them to 5 gal. about a week ago … They look healthy and green but I see some of your pics at 3 weeks and they are monsters !!! I know I dont have the tools you all have so im not expecting them to be as tall. But they are only 5 " … I had my CFL ( 5000 lumen ) , daylight bulbs about 4 - 5 " above the tops since they sprouted and today raised them to 7 - 7.5 " above because I read that with them closer , they think they are getting too much light and therefore dont want to grow taller … Indoor , MG ,time release formula @ 0.21 - 0.11 - 0.16 , 75 - 78 deg. PH is 5.5 - 6.2 The roots looked really healthy and werent bound when they went to the 5 gal. containers a week ago… Am I keeping the lights where they should be @ 7" ???
Too high - place 2 inches above. great looking seedling - transplant now - can move to 4 inches fro the center and the remaining bulbs can be used as side-lighting placed placed around plant - hang to middle of plant about 3-4 inches from branches. do you have reflectors for you “main” (center) plant. Can give you a place to get 500 watt self-ballest cfl’s that take only 100 watts, cost $40.oo (+/-), YOu can get great grows using cfl’s but is a bit more time consuming raising lights. (“1,000 bulbs.com”)
Check out my journal. CFLs can be placed about 3-4 inches above your plant the whole grow. Your growth stunt is probably caused because you’re raising it too high. You’re gonna probably need more than 1 CFL as well. I’ve got 6(26w 2700k) and during veg I have 6(26w 6500k). But for starters, lower that light back down to 3-4 inches and keep us posted. Try and get some more CFLS. Home Depot has 4 packs of them for 10 bucks. They are 26w(100w equivalent). They are doing me wonders and im going into week 2 of Flower.
older picture, but it’s too show how low they are.
have you ever use side lighting ?
Nope. Strictly above CFLs. I’d like to add more CFLs here’s in the future, but right now this seems to be working. I’ve also got 2 clones going on 2 6500k cfls. Lol
Welcome to ILGM forum. This is a great place to get advice to help you grow your best.
After transplanting to a big pot, the plant will grow roots but little on the top. Relax, when they get a good root system they will take off.
The CFL recommendations above are right on. I grow with CFL in my grow box some times and they do fine, just a little slower. If you keep the bulbs at 2-3 inches you should get pretty good growth in your plants. Remember to check them regularly and be ready to move the lights every morning sometimes.
Good luck on your grow.
No I havent , I am on a budget and trying to work with what I have … There is 2 florescent bulbs in the top as well as the CFL’s … Can I use mirrors for better reflection ???
Are you using a 5000k color temp? That bulb appears to be extremely small for that kind of output. Somewhere around the base that info is usually on the bulb. What is the power level in amount of watts? For cfl’s it usually somewhere between 7 and 23 watts.
I agree with @TxGrowman, you’re most likely seeing stall because roots are expanding after transplant. I don’t see any reason to need your bulb that high, but we can tell better when we know output for sure.
I also think you’ll do better by adding a couple more cfl’s and getting them horizontal with something to reflect light over the top of them. Not a mirror though, the reflection on them is too direct.
Im using the cfl 14w ( equivalent to 65w ) 5000 lumen daylight bulbs … I moved the lights back to about 2" above them …
You want to keep CFL’s close, within 3-4 inches. You can do the hand test with them, which is you put your hand in close to the plant and if the bulb is too hot on the back of your hand after 30-45 seconds move it back an inch. Start at 2"
CFL’s need to be close for them to maximize their light.
Also are you sure they are 5000 lumens. That seems to be a ridiculous amount of light for 14w. a single row F-series strip (20w 72diodes) is rated about 4000 lumens, and I cant see a 14w CFL outputting more than that. in fact I have some 23w and 45w CFL’s downstairs and the 45w only puts out 2500lumens so I am kind of questioning the lumen output. 900 lumens would sound more in the ballpark for each light.
I bet youre using a 14w 5000k (temperature) bulb
No mirrors they do nothing !!! Note you will grow OK - but to get better results (bigger yields, ect) consider different lighting (LED 300 watt goes for $80.00)
That’s what I was trying to say. Would be 350+ lumen per watt cfl.
It just said 5000k daylight bulbs … I was trying to find 6500 but like i said , This was the highest I found at HD
Im guessing I need to save up and get a y splitter so I can have 2 on each girl
60-Watt equivalent; brightness of 800 lumens
Actual Color Temperature - 5000K Daylight
60-Watt Equivalent E26 Spiral CFL Light Bulb
Daylight (4-Pack)
Ya, that is telling you about the light spectrum the bulb produces, not output. No biggie though.
So getting a splitter and having 2 on each girl 1600 lumens would be better for them ??
Using more than two would be ideal, like probably 6-8 of the 23 watt bulbs. But don’t discount getting them horizontal with a reflector over the top. That will help a lot too.
I have a reflector over four 23 watt CFLs for my mother plant. (I’m trying to keep it very small.) I made the reflector myself out of cardboard I painted with flat white paint. That helps a lot because CFLs radiate light in all directions. You can double their effective output with a good reflector, and it costs almost nothing. Saves electricity too, as opposed to running more bulbs.