Tale of two Afghans (full-term fluorescent grow)

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L

Lynk

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Getting ready for another T5 bloom story. There seems to be a lack of diaries using full-term fluorescent lights. While I've read a few scattered accounts of folks using T5s for flowering, they are few and far between. On top of that, every story I've read is muddied by the seasoned grower who can't stand some opposition to his HID setup.

Here's a taste of realism for you - I don't care how you grow. This is my diary. I hesitate to even document this grow. Yet, I'll do my best to show you what the T5 HO does for me.

Just so you know, I'm terrible with plants. House plants usually die by my watch. A giant rhododendron in my back yard was darned near destroyed by spider mites a few years ago. Heck, I'm surprised that I still have a rose bush in my outdoor garden. Fast forward a bit, and suddenly I've found a soft side. I grew a tomato plant to five-feet tall last year. Now, I'm hooked.

On to the grow...

I obtained a couple of clones from the local dispensary on the first of December. Here they are, a week later. As you can see from the 2x2' T12, tin foil, and 875 lumen tubes, I hadn't a clue what lighting to use.

10 Dec 2011
grow01.jpg


12 Dec 2011
grow02.jpg


Halfway through the month, I decided to move straight into five gallon pots. The Sun Blaze 24 (4x2' T5 HO) came from the local hydro store. From 1,750 lumens @ 5000K to 8,000 lumens @ 6500K, the new lighting was a definite improvement!

16 Dec 2011
grow03.jpg


Onward and upward, they say... I had a few ideas about closet construction. Prior to this point, I had been planning to purchase a 4'x4' tent; however, the notion of a 2'x4' closet seemed more appealing. So, construction begins, and the plants have a new home.

20 Dec 2011
grow04.jpg


As you can see, I got the original two some friends. Plus, the 8x4' T5 HO assembly fit beautifully.

21 Dec 2011
grow05.jpg


Then, 10 days later, the pair of Afghans made it known that they wanted to be alone!

31 Dec 2011
grow06.jpg


Fair enough. I took care of the crowding problem.

2 Jan 2012
grow07.jpg


Trying to describe the intensity of this 8x4' T5 HO in such a small enclosure is rather difficult. The calculated luminance of the cabinet floor is ~53,000 lux, but that doesn't truly convey the relative brightness. So, I'll do it another way.

In the first of these photos, I focused on the plants, which are properly exposed. Next, I took a picture with focus on the top half of my cabinet. The second photo is properly exposed for a typical "bright" room (17.5' x 18.5' with four 100w-equivalent CFLs @ 2700K). Granted, the "bright" room has a total intensity of ~6400 lumens, versus 40,000 lumens in the box!

3 Jan 2012
grow08.jpg
grow09.jpg


Finally, after cutting a half-dozen starts from each, I began installing the bloom (2900K) bulbs. Today was "Day 0" of flowering. This picture shows four each, 6500K and 2900K tubes. I have six of the 2900K tubes in there now, and the plants are in the middle of their first long night.

3 Jan 2012
grow10.jpg


Now for the public opinion. Do you think I should bloom with a pair of 6500K tubes, or run a full set of 2900K, and why? I'm inclined to practice the latter.
 
L

Lynk

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Hmmm... I guess nobody cares! ... 'cept me, of course. I'm rather looking forward to the next few weeks. :animal0057:

End of flowering day 1:

grow11.jpg
 
G

GirlCarny

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Do you think I should bloom with a pair of 6500K tubes, or run a full set of 2900K, and why? I'm inclined to practice the latter.

Im sure I would have an opinion if I knew the difference between the two lights. They do look happy though.
 
convex

convex

1,193
48
Some of us are interested ;)

I know a number of people who would benefit with a setup such as yours and am looking forward to see how you do.

Personally, I would run a mix of both spectrums for the first week, maybe two depending on stretch then switch to full bloom spectrum.

Cheers
 
L

Lynk

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Im sure I would have an opinion if I knew the difference between the two lights. They do look happy though.

Thank you, GC! They've given me a few exercises, but nothing too terrible.

Some of us are interested ;)

I know a number of people who would benefit with a setup such as yours and am looking forward to see how you do.

Personally, I would run a mix of both spectrums for the first week, maybe two depending on stretch the switch to full bloom spectrum.

Cheers

Good. I figured there would be some interest. The plants are at 24" tall right now, whereas they'll run out of room at 48" tall. Thankfully there's one option for me, should I run short on room.

I'm glad you suggested the two-stage approach at changing the lights. So, I think I'll keep a pair of 6500K bulbs in there until the third week of the cycle. The thought had crossed my mind to introduce the 2900K bulbs as a pair per week; that'll be something I try later.

so how much wattage are you using on those flouro's?

The four-foot fixture holds eight T5 HO tubes, which are rated at 54W each. In total, I have a rated 432W of fluorescent light on this grow.
 
Donnybrook

Donnybrook

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Nice journal & Pic's Lynk ,

I've done a few T-8 Floro grows & they turned out fanfuckintastic . The buds may be smaller but the smell & taste will more than make up for it , Ya know the Non Overcooked taste . Good Luck & keep the journal goin ,,,
 
caregiverken

caregiverken

Fear Not!
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I am very interested also...I like floros. I like that set up you have!...
Im subbed..
 
Tobor the 8th Man

Tobor the 8th Man

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I have had a New Wave 4 bulb 2' x 2' HO T5 and a 2 bulb 1' x 2' HO T5 since New Wave first came out with them. I used to switch them all when flowering and used all 6500k for veg.

There was a guy on IC that had been using T5's longer than most people and he was always advising people to just use the 6500k all through flowering and the results were just as good or better. So I did it and the buds were a bit bigger, just as dense and had a about a 20% bigger yield.

The 2900k will make them flower a few days earlier but that isn't a real advantage because it was just a few days.

It would have been interesting if you had two 4x4 units in there and could run 2900k on 1 side and 6500k on the other.

I love my T5's. I have a box that they both fit in perfectly just like your light. The one compartment with the small one is used for mom's or seedlings and the bigger one is used for veg and flowering. Each 22" T5 HO tube is 24w so under 96w of T5 I had 4 plants that yielded an ounce each. One was .75 and one was 1.25 but all in all 4 plants yielded 112 grams. It was a respectable 1.16 grams per watt. The buds were small but dense. Lots of trichs and excellent flavor and potency.

I started using them exclusively for veg because of the unparalleled short internode spacing that IMHO T5's produce.

There are quite a few T5 rows on the net. There used to be more when they were the newest light on the block. I think T5's are awesome.
 
L

Lynk

Guest
... There was a guy on IC that had been using T5's longer than most people and he was always advising people to just use the 6500k all through flowering and the results were just as good or better. So I did it and the buds were a bit bigger, just as dense and had a about a 20% bigger yield. ...

Now that's something that I'm glad you shared, because I have been a bit disappointed at how few of the major lighting manufacturers actually publish spectral analysis of their tubes. To top it off, few of the temperature ratings on bulbs can be trusted.

All of the reading that I've done suggests that flowering requires intense light in the 630-660nm wavelength. Wien's displacement law suggests that the best radiator for that spectrum will carry a 4500K color rating! Hence, I am starting to feel the impression that "bloom tubes" are a product of marketing hype, based solely upon the color temperature of the most common flowering bulbs, high-pressure sodium HIDs.

This is my first grow. I received my recommendation letter in September. While I quit smoking cigarettes and generally don't drink alcohol, both coming as a direct result of my cannabis consumption, "donating" to a dispensary is just plain expensive! Once this grow has flowered, not only will I have enough medicine for the rest of the year, but I'll start experimenting with my growing technique.

Watch for the 4500K bloom. :sun
 
L

Lynk

Guest
Yowzer, wowzer... the "Ace" decided to reach for the sky! Here's a pic from half-way through "Day 3:"

Day 3 flowering (6 Jan 2012):

grow13.jpg
 
L

Lynk

Guest
Holy schnikees! The "Ace of Spades" is reaching for the sky. Two or three inches overnight, I'd guess. I'll just leave it with a picture from lights-on this morning.

Start of Day 4 flowering (7 Jan 2012):

grow14.jpg
 
L

Lynk

Guest
Thanks, Jeezer.

Day 7 flowering (10 Jan 2012):

grow17.jpg


BTW, my mom's following this grow; yesterday, she made a point about the lack of size reference in my photos. The hole spacing in this closet is one-and-a-half inches. In other words, that gal on the left is standing about 32 inches above her five-gallon pot.
 
Green81

Green81

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Looking very good Lynk, how about a little training for those girls, why don't you super-crop the main leaders and raise the pots a few inches? , this will then give more of an even spread of light to both of your girls.

peace

g81
 

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