drPepper

Hello ya'll

I'v been growing for 1yr. and I have yet to see any returns . My crop grows to 6ft every time.... But NO buds .
{Please note that I did change the time from 16/8(2mths) to 12/12}(8wks.)
But yet no buds.... just a Washington F**kin pinetree 8ft tall. Well that being said here's my system.

A. ICE, (Mostly Indica) seed from Mark Emery. I planted all 10 seeds and got 4 males and 6 females thru out the dudes keepted the girls.

B. Drip system,5 gal. buckett with 3 gal. insert and on top of that a 5'inch Baskett.My medium is Clay pellets. I use a air bubbler for better oxagean and a water pump on a countinuious drip.

C. N-P-K, From my locle hydro store ( please tell me what you use)

D. I use a 400wt. HPS system w/ a dome reflecter. The light bulb is $20.00 doller Sodium light from the Home Depot. It hangs out in a 4x4x8 closit that is painted white. ( I was told I need to get a Hortilux light bulb is that right? For a $100.00 dollers at my hydro shop. That would give me the right spectrum of light i'm looking for. Is that right? )

E. I monter my N-P-K with a Hanna digital meter that checks for ppm, Ec, pH
I keep my ppm @ 800 to 1600~Ec @ 1.9 to 2.0 but never over 3.0~pH @ 5.9 to 6.1( I use pool pH down. Is that okay?) Well thats it.


I think my current Sodium bulb is making my plants stretch.I think I'm not giving her the rite spectrum of light, thus making her stretch 4inches between nodes and thats why I have trees growing thru the roof.

Could the experts please validate this IDEA of mine and also give me some of there growing tipps on stain that prerduces high THC as well as big buds that are heavy.

Thanks ya'll

drPepper

C-Town

Not necessarily. Hortilux bulbs are great, but not NEEDED. A standard 400w HPS bulb- Phillips/Sylvania; Lumalux- Ceramalux should be sufficient.
How close do you have your light, from the plants?. With a 400, 18" would be a good distance.(Horizontal orientation)

General Hydroponics- Flora Series nutrients. Readily available at most hydro stores. There are different brands, but GH is the most common. I use an advanced mix, but you could follow the recipes from the bottle.

Your system, sounds good, so I'm not sure why you wouldn't see flowering after 8wks. Are there any light leaks, in the closet?. If they recieve too much light during the dark period, it could cause them to keep vegging.

drPepper

Thank you for taking the time to read my issue, yes I put my light 12 to 18inches away. There are no light comming thru the door nor the seelling; I'v
tried good seeds but know buds? Thx again Pepper

ps. I get really stringey buds If there such a thing after 8weeks. But then I ask myself and 8ft plant should give me at least 2onces not 5grams.... Right?

Please help with addvice or maybe a diffrent room. Oh ya not that it matters but I live in the desert and humidity stays in my closit about 30% and the temperture w/the 400wt. light is 69 to73 degrees(high) & 62 to 69degrees(low) at any givin time

hempimp

drPepper - Why not start a grow journal and get comprehensive day-by-day help on your grow op.?

A regular 400w HPS is a wonderful light to start with, and at this point you probably won't see much gain with the Hortilux bulb. I feel that if your plants are not flowering it may be because they have vegged for so long and are resisting flowering, or you have light leaks.

After how many days of growth did you sex them and kill the males?

-PIMP

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drPepper

Thx for getting back to me sir.

I induse via 12/12 photo pirod for about 1 to 3 weeks before I see changes in fetures of my plants. At that point I yank the males and toss them. Focosing on the ladies. "So my light bulb is fine" Thats great news. Kudos for saving me $100.00 dollers. Thx guys or galls.

hempimp

I can sex 95% of my plants under 24/0 lighting after about 20 days... it shouldnt be taking you 1 to 3 weeks(!) of 12/12 to induce sex. 1 to 3 days is more reasonable.

The mystery continues..

-PIMP

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smart_bomb

Hey dude - I think you've got a combo of low relative humidity and too long a veg period going on here. Try keeping your humidity at around 60% by using a cool mist humidifier and a cheap digital sensor (both avail at your local hardware store). Also check your PH - if your soil is too acidic or too base, it could hurt your chances. Aim for 6.3-6.6. You should only have to veg for 4 weeks with lights on 24/7 (or less depending on the strain, the amount of light, the fert and all that, how much space you have, etc.) Also, when you go to 12/12, switch your fert to Peter's African Violet or equivalent P-K-N to help induce blooming. Start w/ diluted solution and slowly work up amt. of fert. Stop fertilizing after 6 weeks & start flushing w/ lots of water to reduce harshness of smoke. Hempimp's right - you should see some indication of sex within a few days to a week max after altering the photoperiod. Also, make sure your seeds are good quality. If you keep having problems, switch seed banks.

Good luck!

Quasi

Maybe I'm not reading this right...did you say an 8' plant under a 400 watt hps? Light penetration for a 400 is something like 16 to 24 inches...so an 8' plant would be lacking the light to properly bud up.....???????

Hash_Brown

cut down your veg time, i would go for about a month and a half and then switch to 12/12 lighting. make sure there are no light leaks at all and dont open the door to the grow area while its their dark period, that will keep you from getting proper flowering happening if you mess up their dark time.

more than likely your growing out sativas, they take 10-12 weeks of flowering and the buds can be a little fluffy without good lighting. some sativa strains also struggle to grow indoors.

you should start a grow journal that should help to find out whats going on.

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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies." -- C.S. Lewis

drPepper

Say...I have dome refflector does that matter? With the hot spot at the end of light the plants look like they are streching for the light. Should I switch to a horizontal hood?