Can i veg with 400w

[LuvBuds]

hi,

my 4x babies have sprouted and are ready to be put under some fluros. I was going to get some compact fluros and make a little veg box until they are older but im just thinking i may as well put them under my 400w as this is the light i will be using throughout there grow.

What u reckon boys?

[Luke Skywalker]

Yeah, go for it. These two pics should show you how you can veg under a 400w... and this is an older globe too... (gotta get a new one soon... )

 

First shot, the clone on d-day, being transferred from the cloning box to the growroom proper.

[Luke Skywalker]

And the same plant at the end of vegging, about 4 weeks or so...

 

Mind you these are clones, and you should be careful about overheating young plants, as well as underwatering... Keep temps under control and make sure you've got the lamp higher than normal, perhaps up to a foot or more away. As they harden off into their new environment they'll be able to handle more.

[Guest billy bonger]

We spray our clones with a spray bottle on mist to prevent them drying out,so it does'nt over water either. Edited December 15, 2003 by billy bonger

[LuvBuds]

I spray them too but u got to be carefull having water on the foliage will cause it to burn under heat as ive experienced. A lil water is ok. But water/nutes are best left to be absorbed through the roots.

[Luke Skywalker]

Too much foliar feeding/spraying can also cause leeching of nutrients from the leaves... They don't need it every day, this could and likely will cause more problems. Seedlings should be able to survive perfectly well without it. And spraying the plants can also help stem wilt to get a hold, as moisture on the stem is always a bad idea, particularly when young.... so be careful.

 

Foliar feeding is all well and good, but there is a point where it becomes a liability...

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

I read in a Duth MAster panphlet that for leaves to propery obsorb nutes, it has to be a very very low PH, as low as 3 I think from memory. But I'd double check that before anyone did it. It was certainly no higher than 4.

 

They said a trade off of ph burn and nutrient uptake was an evil that needed balance.

 

I tried it and it did seem to work, and of course there was ph burn. I washed the leaves of with a light spray of neutral water 20 minutes after I'd applied the nutes at a ph of 3 or 4.

 

But they were talking about the subject as they were selling some additive that apparently mixed with nutes, at a reasonible PH , prob. 6 or so, it helped convey the nutrient to the plants system.

 

Maybe a sales pitch? I dunno. I did do some research and it does seem as though the hydro growers of long ago worked with very low PHs. Foliar feeding was one of the reasons.

 

rob

[Chev]

I've experienced burning under lights due to foliar feeding, I do remember being told to actually feed them just before the lights are due to go out, I just stopped foliar feeding altogether. Didn't notice much diff at all growth wise.

Yeah, veg with the 400w for sure. It'll kick ass over your fluros, and you won't have the hassle of trying to move them later

[Tom]

but im just thinking i may as well put them under my 400w as this is the light i will be using throughout there grow.

What u reckon boys?

Keep the light about 3' - 4' above them until they harden up and get used to the light, I used to start seeds and clones under my old 430w Son-T-Agro with no problems.