First Time Growing... Need Some Tips.

Jack og said:

At this stage one bulb above it is fine, about 16-18” up top.
Once big enough then add the other 3, maintain that distance as it will dry the plant due to heat.
welcome to the farm and lots here will chime in as they all started somewhere small and on a budget.

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MichaelB0329 said:

I appreciate it! I'll go ahead and put one bulb at that height. About how far into growth would you recommend adding hte other 3? And also, is pH a major factor, or can I just use for example great value purified bottled water?

edit: The reason I had the bulbs so close is that I read CFL bulbs don't penetrate that far

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Jack og said:

Ph always matters but purified water is good.
Cfls don’t penetrate that deep if the plant was persay bigger etc. at seed any light is good enough

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MichaelB0329 said:

This is my first time growing and I'm going on vacation soon, so I decided to just go with one plant for now until I can take care of multiple. So its sort of an 'experiment' to see if I can grow properly. I'm looking for tips on what I can change about my setup and how I could rearrange things to get the absolute most out of what I have; I'm definitely on a budget. The strain is White Lightning and hopefully, it turns out to be a female.

I'm using x4 23w 5000k CFL's. The temperature stays at a constant 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit except at night when it drops to 60 and I aim my heater at my closet and it keeps the heat up.

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916Fisherman said:

What’s your plan for watering while on vacation? I’d also consider adding some perlite to your soil, 20-30% is ideal. It will help with drainage and keep the soil from compacting.

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Edinburgh said:

Your lights are to close, for sidelight i use full spectrum spot lights $30 at home depo, i screw them in clamp lights $10 home depo see pics, these spots are led not cfl, get an extension cord droplight take off the metal protecter and hang the light over your plant at about 2ft you can use your cfl for sidelight that will work as i did it to prove a point and it was a dwarf and an autoflower, all i guess i can say is good luck.

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MichaelB0329 said:

I was going to give it to a family friend for vacation if I can find someone and ok- I’m assuming they have that at Lowe’s, etc?

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MichaelB0329 said:

Just a little update on my baby! Seems to be growing all good so far! Thanks for the help everyone above ^

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GNick55 said:

wood chips are bad, as always soil needs air! wet/dry cycle!, more holes in bottom and sides, roots are growing first for plant to build on later..

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916Fisherman said:

I’m on a tight budget so foxfarm or ocean forest we’re out of the questions. My soil has wood chips as well, they hold moisture so you have to be careful of overwatering. But with a 20-30% or more perlite mix I’ve had zero issues thus far.

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Oldbay said:

I’m not suggesting that you are, but a common early stumbling block is “loving them too much” too much water, lights, nutes. If it’s a learning run, I would error on the side of less is more. If smell will be an issue for you, I would start to look around to see what you want to do about it. Carbon scrubbers/filters are the norm and you can make one yourself for pretty cheap. Think bigger and more slow airflow vs smaller. CPI fans can push through them just fine if you go that way

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