Away For A Week - The Best Way To Slow Down Growth?

[Eastwind]

I must go away for a week, leaving my grow closet on its own. First, my set-up information....this is my first grow. I'm 3 weeks into 13 plants of Northern Lights. Its a soil grow, with the room at RH56 & 73F. Holding steady at that with 3 fans on a timer schedule of 18/6. Lighting is CFLs at 345 true watts, 23,400L...a mix of 80% 6,500K and 20% 2,700K...overhead with reflectors and some as side fills. I have gravity-feed, self watering spikes for each pot to handle watering. Shown below is an overhead photo of the room and a close pic of some of the plants in their overflow tray. Since I'm new to growing, I thought I might raise the overhead CFL lights to keep plant growth from hitting them while I'm gone. I'm hoping for suggestions on how to slow done growth for the week I'm away. Maybe cut down on a few of the side fill lights also? They have been growing so fast, I don't want to kill them cause they grew into the lighting. I'm going to raise the trays ( higher than the water reservoirs I will leave) to slow the gravity feeds down. I have a few days to test the system. If there is anything else I can do please let me know....I don't want to waste these nice lookin' plants.

 

[GT21]

I must go away for a week, leaving my grow closet on its own. First, my set-up information....this is my first grow. I'm 3 weeks into 13 plants of Northern Lights. Its a soil grow, with the room at RH56 & 73F. Holding steady at that with 3 fans on a timer schedule of 18/6. Lighting is CFLs at 345 true watts, 23,400L...a mix of 80% 6,500K and 20% 2,700K...overhead with reflectors and some as side fills. I have gravity-feed, self watering spikes for each pot to handle watering. Shown below is an overhead photo of the room and a close pic of some of the plants in their overflow tray. Since I'm new to growing, I thought I might raise the overhead CFL lights to keep plant growth from hitting them while I'm gone. I'm hoping for suggestions on how to slow done growth for the week I'm away. Maybe cut down on a few of the side fill lights also? They have been growing so fast, I don't want to kill them cause they grew into the lighting. I'm going to raise the trays ( higher than the water reservoirs I will leave) to slow the gravity feeds down. I have a few days to test the system. If there is anything else I can do please let me know....I don't want to waste these nice lookin' plants.

Take out all the 2700k bulbs till you get home and right before you leave pinch the very tops of the plants.

 

[G gnome]

Decrease light intensity

 

[Coco nut]

Use 2 maybe 3 cfl bulbs for all plants...

 

[Seamaiden]

Also, lowering temps down into the 60s can seriously limit growth, especially at this stage.

 

[Eastwind]

A big thank you to GT21, G gnome, Coco nut, & Seamaiden for all of your suggestions. Cutting down on the bulbs, the K range, Fiming/Topping and room temps are things I will do to get me thru. I have this week to get it right, applying your ideas and getting my gravity feed right, so its not to little or to much....I have some Blumat drips, which are a little touchy, but I was surprised at how well a simple rope wick from a water supply worked. I re-set the pots height once and got the balance of water wicking right (give it a number of hrs to work and then go back and check it, higher for faster, lower the water to slow it down). Pushed the twine down into the soil with a screwdriver and once it stared wicking...it worked great ! Thanks for helping a beginner get on the right track.

 

[Nog]

To be honest your plants look so small and sucky that I doubt they will grow any in the week you are away.
If anything they will die.

 

[1diesel1]

To be honest your plants look so small and sucky that I doubt they will grow any in the week you are away.
If anything they will die.

What's your deal, give the guy a chance he's here to learn from peeps that know what there doing. Negativity really has no place here. That's just my opinion and opinions are just like ass holes and by the sounds of it you got a real big one.

 

[G gnome]

To be honest your plants look so small and sucky that I doubt they will grow any in the week you are away.
If anything they will die.

Damn dude!!!! Lil harsh huh?

Lets see some good plants then, hotshot!!! Hahahah

 

[Eastwind]

What's your deal, give the guy a chance he's here to learn from peeps that know what there doing. Negativity really has no place here. That's just my opinion and opinions are just like ass holes and by the sounds of it you got a real big one.

Hey 1diesel1, thanks for the positive support. I have found that a glass-half-full attitude keeps me moving forward in life...and the nay-sayer comments roll off my back. This was just my trial run and I've learned so much that either way it goes....I'll be doing it again. I have plenty of seeds so I'd be a real stick in the mud if I let a few dead plants put me off of my new found fun....anyway, after topping and LSTing, I have my drip line going right.....I know I'll be coming back to some bigger girls ! Cheers.

 

[GT21]

To be honest your plants look so small and sucky that I doubt they will grow any in the week you are away.
If anything they will die.

What a fuckin tool

Hey 1diesel1, thanks for the positive support. I have found that a glass-half-full attitude keeps me moving forward in life...and the nay-sayer comments roll off my back. This was just my trial run and I've learned so much that either way it goes....I'll be doing it again. I have plenty of seeds so I'd be a real stick in the mud if I let a few dead plants put me off of my new found fun....anyway, after topping and LSTing, I have my drip line going right.....I know I'll be coming back to some bigger girls ! Cheers.

Keep up the great attitude bud...YOU GOT THIS

 

[G gnome]

 

[Nog]

What's your deal, give the guy a chance he's here to learn from peeps that know what there doing. Negativity really has no place here. That's just my opinion and opinions are just like ass holes and by the sounds of it you got a real big one.

What do you want me to do? Lie to him?

Then he will think everything is alright and not address the issues affecting his plants.

His plants are small, yellowing and stunted.
There is something wrong there, but the pictures are not as clear to tell what the issue is.

Should we lie to him and say, hey great plants dude?

If he's here to learn then why bullshit to him?
Why not tell him what he's doing is not working and then give him advice on what to do?

I'm quite happy to give him advice.

 

[Nog]

Damn dude!!!! Lil harsh huh?

Lets see some good plants then, hotshot!!! Hahahah

I would point you towards the Mr Nice forum on this site, with my Black Widow grow, except seems they have deleted the Mr Nice forum. No more Mr Nice on this site for some reason.

You will just have to believe me, after all millions of people around the world believe in Jesus although then have never seen him.

 

[1diesel1]

Then he will think everything is alright and not address the issues affecting his plants.

His plants are small, yellowing and stunted.
There is something wrong there, but the pictures are not as clear to tell what the issue is.

Should we lie to him and say, hey great plants dude?

If he's here to learn then why bullshit to him?
Why not tell him what he's doing is not working and then give him advice on what to do?

I'm quite happy to give him advice.[/QUOTE]
Positive attitude, I always say. Keep the peace brother. I learned how to grow on my own no one for advice. I wish I had this site for advice when I started out. This is a good thing and being positive gives new growers a way to expand on grow knowledge. Negativety brings all of us down when I see a problem in a new growers post I like to point things out to help in there knowledge. Rather then degrade there grow with negative vibes. It helps no one.
Peace

 

[Eastwind]

Then he will think everything is alright and not address the issues affecting his plants.

His plants are small, yellowing and stunted.
There is something wrong there, but the pictures are not as clear to tell what the issue is.

Should we lie to him and say, hey great plants dude?

If he's here to learn then why bullshit to him?
Why not tell him what he's doing is not working and then give him advice on what to do?

I'm quite happy to give him advice.

Positive attitude, I always say. Keep the peace brother. I learned how to grow on my own no one for advice. I wish I had this site for advice when I started out. This is a good thing and being positive gives new growers a way to expand on grow knowledge. Negativety brings all of us down when I see a problem in a new growers post I like to point things out to help in there knowledge. Rather then degrade there grow with negative vibes. It helps no one.
Peace[/QUOTE]

First off...nice room 1diesel1...right now that style room is a bit out of my $ range. I know that compared to the many great rooms pictured on this site, my beginners, throw-together micro looks piss-ant. My plants, a mixture of 3 week to 1 1/2 week olds are still small...I am hoping the solo cups help keep them that way and I have larger containers to transplant to on my return...if they make it. One of my many mistakes was to go a little heavy on the nutes, so some lower leaves got yellow. I did a flush and the newer top leaves have come back nice and green. I have no problem accepting bad news...I am here to learn. I believe we grow thru the way we deal with our failures....that said, I still think I will return to some surviving plants that have grown....Thanks to all for the positive support.

 

[Eastwind]

8-18-16
Ok....I got back yesterday, so here is a little feedback on what worked and what just got me by. First off, every plant lived. Some did great, some only fair, and some had the lower leaves go yellow.
I used two drip systems. Two plants got a Blumate Jr style drip cones. One worked great and that plant is now my biggest, with great looking, big green leaves...the other was limp and in need of a drink because the soil around the Blumat cone was not packed tight enough, so the suction effect was broken. It may not have gotten any water for a few days. The good news is it perked right back up after a watering. 10 plants had twine wicking systems....split shot fishing sinker into the water jug, the other end pushed to the bottom of the soil in each cup. Some of these had almost dry water jugs and some were hardly used, so I think the fans being on cut the wicking action on some. They were to slow a feed, so they looked limp and small....but it got them thru the week alive. After a good watering, they all sprang back up. So the Blumats are a good way to go for a short trip away. Give them a test run for a few days ahead of time....thanks to everyone who pitched in to help me with info.....Seen below: Pic #1 my right side tray, with the Blumat jr plant in the foreground. Pic #2 tray on the left with smaller plants & some yellow bottom leaves. Pic #3 two transplanted from their solo cups.

 

[Nog]

Some serious overwatering going on, but the two that have been transplanted into bigger pots look ok.

One thing that is forgotten about a lot is plants need to be in a room with around the optimum temperature (26.5C) to make overwatering less of a possibility.

The warmer temperatures mean they transpire more from the leaves which means they draw water out of the soil.
But this slows right down in colder temperatures.

Starting off my last grow, I had to put an electric heater in the room with them for a couple of days to get the temperature up, as they were looking overwatered because I had to put them into big pots when they were still a bit small.

The problem with smaller lights is they don't always warm the room up enough and make the plants transpire water from the leaves, especially in winter, like say a 1K MH or HPS does.

Temperature is surprisingly important.

 

[Eastwind]

Some serious overwatering going on, but the two that have been transplanted into bigger pots look ok.

One thing that is forgotten about a lot is plants need to be in a room with around the optimum temperature (26.5C) to make overwatering less of a possibility.

The warmer temperatures mean they transpire more from the leaves which means they draw water out of the soil.
But this slows right down in colder temperatures.

Starting off my last grow, I had to put an electric heater in the room with them for a couple of days to get the temperature up, as they were looking overwatered because I had to put them into big pots when they were still a bit small.

The problem with smaller lights is they don't always warm the room up enough and make the plants transpire water from the leaves, especially in winter, like say a 1K MH or HPS does.

Temperature is surprisingly important.

Thanks for your input Nog. This is my first grow, so I do want to learn from all that goes right and from what I've done wrong. The room is usually 73-74F and 56RH. I was holding off transplanting till I returned, just hoping that most of the plants would survive my jury-rigged watering systems. I also waited to add additional overhead lighting. As you see it it had 345watts of CFLs, but I have a 210watt LED panel (5w per LED) to install this week as the new, adjustable height, overhead light...keeping the CFLs as side fill lighting. Its a 2x2x5h grow area that will end up with 4-5 plants if half are males. I appreciate your point on temps..as I'm in a Northeastern state...in a basement room. Right now its hot, but that will change. I am going to continue transplanting, topping and LST on these plants and see what happens. Here are a few pictures from todays work. #1 shows the grow area, new Mylar panel, moved the lights to get ready for the LED overhead. Pic 2 & 3 two plants after topping, LST & Transplanting.

 

[Eastwind]

A follow up on the plants. 10 are in the grow room and two are in the back yard, in the ground. Here are what they look like.