Indoor Question on CFL lighting!

[dankitydank420]

mixed fro flowering would be great but try to keep the early vegging to 6500k. checked both links again , the description on 2nd link says 2700k but the spec says 6500k . very confusing

yes but arent daylight cfls generally for vegging?? so I'm guessing its actually 6500k

Initially I wanted to go 2/3 6500k 1/3 2700k for veg and then switch ratios for flower at 2/3 2700k 1/3 6500k but this may cost a lil too much... Would I be ok with maybe 5 and 5 for the entire grow or 6 and 4? if so which do I want more of? Actually getting 2 extra of each bulb is only another 30$.... so for veg ill do 6x 6500k 4x 2700k and for flower I'll switch it up 6x 2700k and 4x 6500k, sound gooD?

I'm going to be growing 4 Mi5 plants in 2 gallon smart pots ( 8" x 7") or should I go with 3 gallons (10"x8.5") in a 21.5 W 42.5 L 54H ( 26 cubic feet ) grow box does this sound okay? I'm thinking the 3 gallons may be a lil more cramped and that the plants may get too tall... the biggest they can get is about 2 1/2 feet and that may be pushing it.

p.s. if I plant in 2 gallon pots they shouldnt get bigger than 2 feet correct?

Also is 140 cfm of exhaust and 70 cfm of intake (3 x 120mm pc fans ) and 2 small oscillating fans enough ventilation for 26 cubic feet with this much light? I know CFLs dont put off a lot of heat but I'm gonna have about 600-700 watts worth.

 

[Red eyed c]

For autos I'd go with more flowering mate,your bud sites will develop in flowering,and autos really hit a growth spurt in flowering so you wanna hit them with plenty of flowering light..as for your pot size keeping yr plant short,it's not a gurantee it will,I'm doin a grow in a 3 litre pot of a different strain and it got well over a metre tall,so you wanna look for short strain if hight is an issue or tie yr plant down as it grows


Check out this other members micro grow using cfl http://www.autoflower.org/f5/micro-s-computer-cases-autos-photos-1660.html

 

[dankitydank420]

For autos I'd go with more flowering mate,your bud sites will develop in flowering,and autos really hit a growth spurt in flowering so you wanna hit them with plenty of flowering light..as for your pot size keeping yr plant short,it's not a gurantee it will,I'm doin a grow in a 3 litre pot of a different strain and it got well over a metre tall,so you wanna look for short strain if hight is an issue or tie yr plant down as it grows

Hmm I really wanted to grow mi5 cause of the high yields... I have 54" of height... figure -8" from the pots and -10" from the lights + 2" of space from the canopy = 20" so I have about 34" of height to deal with... I'm guessing mi5 in 2 gallon pots is not going to hit 3 feet? or should I go with something like blue himalaya diesel to be safe?

p.s. I apologize for all the questions it's just that there are so many differing opinions on the web and im trying to work all the kinks out... For nutes I plan to use Trio, Blackstrap Molasses and an Organic Root Stimulator... I'll be following an altered version of the ff feeding schedule (starting at 1/4 strength around day 12, gradually working up and reaching 3/4 max). I don't plan to mix any of the nutes together, when I start tiger bloom I'll alternate nutes with waterings, or is it okay to mix?. I plan to start my tea at at first signs of preflowers, once a week, starting at 1 tsp per gallon and working my way up to 1 tsp a week until I'm at 2 tbsp per gallon or is this too much? Also, I plan to start my root stimulator on day 7 is this okay? For soil I'll be using a mix of 2/3 OF 1/3 LW mixed with 1/4 perlite. My actual feeding schedule I plan to have it look something like this, please correct any miscalculations.

Day 7 start root stimulator (1/4 of recommended dose) and I'll do this once a week moving up 1/4 strength at a time until I'm at 3/4... I'll stop the root stimulator 1 week into flowering.
Day 12 start 1/4 strength big bloom 1/4 strength grow big alternating every other watering into week 3
week 3 1/2 strength big bloom 1/2 strength grow big alternating every other watering ( I'll always do my tea at he beginning of the week ) One question I have is can I mix my nutes in with my tea? (molasses)
week 4 1/2 strength big bloom 1/2 strength grow big alternating ( when I switch nutes will depend on when preflowers pop)
week 5 1/2 strength big bloom 1/2 strength Tiger Bloom... Now if I alternate and don't mix them together I can't really fit them both into the same week ( unless i feed one of the nutes EVERY watering or go on on off on on off) so should I mix 1/3 big bloom 1/3 tiger bloom and feed them together every other watering or???
so on and so forth I'll feed big bloom maybe 2-3 times total during flowering... Start my tea at flowering once a week starting at 1 tsp per gallon... after week 7 I'll flush with a solution and feed straight water and molasses until trichs tell me its chop time does this sound good or too much/too little? I understand I'll also have to watch for what the plants need, but as a general rule of thumb.

If anyone with experience has a prewritten schedule for autoflowering using similar nutes I would appreciate it!!!

 

[Red eyed c]

If you really wanna grow mi5 have a search around the indoor forums there's lots of grows there,it's a popular strain and I'm sure you would get an idea of the hight they grow to mate..your nutes sound good,iv never used teas though..I just started off feeding a quart strength and worked up to full like you suggest,just watch your girls mate and they will let you know if they want more feed..my rule is always underfeed as it's easier to sort out than if you over feeding

 

[AndyBotwin]

Also is 140 cfm of exhaust and 70 cfm of intake (3 x 120mm pc fans ) and 2 small oscillating fans enough ventilation for 26 cubic feet with this much light? I know CFLs dont put off a lot of heat but I'm gonna have about 600-700 watts worth.

Based on my experience with 250w of lighting and a 75CFM output fan, I'd say you're probably going to have temp issues. I wasn't that worried about it because I kept reading about how cool CFLs are, but I got a rude awakening. CFLs aren't hot compared to HPS, but they still put out plenty of heat when you run a lot of them. If I shut my fans off for any period of time, I can easily see temps in the box 20+ degrees higher than outside. And with them on, I'm barely keeping things in the mid to upper 80s. I'd recommend getting a real duct fan that can push more air, especially since you plan to run it through a pipe & carbon filters, which will cut down even more on the CFM. I've got a bathroom vent fan on order that I'll be installing soon when I attach my carbon filter.

 

[Muddy]

I've used nutes before and based on my experience I find them fairly mild. I germ my seedlings in Pro Mix BX with a little blood meal added. Pro Mix does contain small amounts of macro and micro elements but I find the seedlings use them up by about week 2, so that's when I start feeding. 1/4 strength Grow Big, increased to 1/2 strength by the 3rd feeding, then alternating between 1/2 and full strength through week 5 or 6, depending on the strain. I then start the flowering nutes at 1/2 strength, increasing to full strength by the 3rd or 4th feeding. I continue this through week 10, then flush for 2 weeks or until harvest.

I agree with Andy's assessment on the light/temps. I also think you are going to need a bigger fan.

 

[dankitydank420]

Based on my experience with 250w of lighting and a 75CFM output fan, I'd say you're probably going to have temp issues. I wasn't that worried about it because I kept reading about how cool CFLs are, but I got a rude awakening. CFLs aren't hot compared to HPS, but they still put out plenty of heat when you run a lot of them. If I shut my fans off for any period of time, I can easily see temps in the box 20+ degrees higher than outside. And with them on, I'm barely keeping things in the mid to upper 80s. I'd recommend getting a real duct fan that can push more air, especially since you plan to run it through a pipe & carbon filters, which will cut down even more on the CFM. I've got a bathroom vent fan on order that I'll be installing soon when I attach my carbon filter.

Thanks again for all the input guys. Budget is somewhat of an issue and I can't really spend more than 50$ on my exhaust fans.... I've seen many other people run a similar setup... But hey had 6 42 watt lights in a smaller space and used only 1 pc fan, and had passive intake and they pulled 5 ounces off of a 2 plant LST (non autoflowers) and the nugs were insane... Soo I think I'm just gonna give it a shot... I have a fairly good control over the temp in my room (central air) and can keep it around 70F... With the amount of cool air I'll have on and in the box I don't think it will reach over 80F, but then again I'm the noob here >.<.

This is what someone else had to say -

"So saying that I got a 65w cfl, 300w equivalent, and it doesn't put out to much heat. Once you get a few in a small space with no fresh air temps will spike really fast. But as long as you got a source of fresh air you won't have to worry."

I think I'll have to agree with him since it's the only statement that works well for my plan >.<

Most other people are saying as long as I hang them 3-6" away I'll be fine ( which is what I planned to do ).

From what I've been reading these pc fans are as strong as most 50$ exhaust fans? 70 cfm each and 2000 rpm per minute ( 2x for exhaust 1x for intake). The exhaust fans will be pulling air out directly across the lights... Could I perhaps put a 4th pc fan on the other side of the lights to blow air across them as well? would this help? because I'm assuming if I have active intake that I would need to cause negative air pressure? So this 4th fan across the exhaust fans blowing air into the box across the lights and out the fans on the other side... Would this help to keep them cooler?

How bad will 4 mi5 plants stink? I've tried searching the forums and still couldn't find much I get a bunch of random posts... If they don't stink too bad maybe I won't use filters... I just planned on lightly stuffing some 4" dryer vents with activated carbon and attaching them to the exhaust fans. But if it's really going to hurt the exhaust that bad, and mi5 isnt too stinky, I can probably go without. I mean I smoke weed in this room all the time will the plants smell much worse than that?

 

[AndyBotwin]

Thanks again for all the input guys. Budget is somewhat of an issue and I can't really spend more than 50$ on my exhaust fans....

For what it's worth, a friend of mine is running two of these in his tent, and they're very affordable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVUAXW

At 2.5 sone, they're louder than a similar CFM PC fan, but not by a whole lot. And they're better suited for use in a more humid environment. One thing I would recommend is to keep a fan or two on hand to use in the event of a failure. I have a cabinet that I can leave open in a worst case scenario, but with your setup that would be difficult. PC fans aren't the most robust things in the world, as you probably know.

As for the circulation fan, make sure you have one blowing across the area between the lights and the plants. That will help keep that zone cooler.

 

[dankitydank420]

For what it's worth, a friend of mine is running two of these in his tent, and they're very affordable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVUAXW

At 2.5 sone, they're louder than a similar CFM PC fan, but not by a whole lot. And they're better suited for use in a more humid environment. One thing I would recommend is to keep a fan or two on hand to use in the event of a failure. I have a cabinet that I can leave open in a worst case scenario, but with your setup that would be difficult. PC fans aren't the most robust things in the world, as you probably know.

As for the circulation fan, make sure you have one blowing across the area between the lights and the plants. That will help keep that zone cooler.

Ok thanks man I'll probably end up doing that instead of installing a 4th pc fan. Best I can do is try it out let it run for a day and test temps at 4-6 " away from the lights... But I don't think I'll have much of a problem. Thanks for your help everyone.

I mean the pc fans I'm using are 4.7" x 4.7" 10$ and 70 cfm each... so I could pay 30$ for 90 cfm (bathroom fan) or 30$ for 210 cfm is how I look at it. Or is it the type of fan that really matters?