First Grow DR150

Hey everyone, i'm pretty new to this whole growing business but i've been reading up on things and planning for quite some time now. I was just waiting to move out on my own. Heres whats going on:

Secret Jardin DR 150
400w HPS/MH conversion bulbs
Heavy Duty Timer
Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice Grow/Bloom
Advanced Nutrients Overdrive Liquid Flower Enhancer
Organic FoxFarm Ocean Forest potting soil
2 Thermometer/Hydrometer (one halfway up and one on the ground, plant level)
4'' Inline fan pulling through the carbon filter and out
4'' In-Duct fan pulling air out top of the tent.
6'' In-Duct fan blowing are in from the bottom.
2 small high velocity 3 speed fans just to move air around inside.
Humidifier.
Strains: Pineapple Express and Hashplant Haze courtesy attitudeseeds

I started germinating seeds Wed 3-31 (soaking in water approx 18 hrs) then placed them in paper towel and in ziplocks. They broke the shell sometime between Friday and Saturday and were placed in the soil the same day. As you'll see in the pics for now they're all in the popular dixie cups, soon to be 3 gallon grow bags. 5 of the 7 have sprouted up out of the soil and the other 2 are just starting to pop up. When i get close i can see the green just pushing out of the soil.

Thus far though i'm faced with 2 problems.

1st is my temp range, it's all over the place but staying between 69-83 more often then not it's in between 74-78. My question is, is this constant varying range going to hurt my babies? I've checked everything the FAQ and Jorge Cervantes have to say about temps and their ranges but nothing negative or positive was said about a consistent temp change. Anyone with some insight into this, your input would be greatly appreciated.

2nd problem is my humidity. I've got my humidifier going round the clock but i can't for the life of me get my humidity about 40 for more than a short period of time. Another humidifier maybe? Or some other trick of the trade that I am unaware of? Once again, any and all help would be appreciated.

nice lukn setup love dem at tht stage gud luk wit ur grow

So i've made some necessary adjustments and seem to have things dialed in a little closer to where i need to be. I added a couple things of tupperware full of water hoping for some evaporation to increase the humidity and it paid off. I also bought a new thermo/hydrometer that records highs and lows, so i can keep track of the fluctuations a little better.

Second problem was the heat fluctuations. I put an AC in the room my tent is in. I directed the air from the ac down to the floor where my fan intaking air into the tent is and thats solving that problem. Also bought an air cooled reflector to help with my heat issues.

We're a week since germ and heres what i have. After reviewing Jorges Grow Bible it seems i may have light burned or heat burned a couple of my young ladies. So i raised the lamp a bit and swapped it out for the air cooled reflector just waiting to see what happens next...

..seems as if ur staying on it. that's the only option i have is to add containers of water...maybe mist the air with water couple times a day too?? look forward to watching....hope it goes well for you!! ah'eetden

Well heres the weekly update. I'm into week 3 since germination and not much has changed. I've pretty much dialed in my tent as best as possible right now. My temps range from 73-78F with lights and 64-70 lights out. Humidity bounces around a bit if i don't get to fill the humidifier on time, but i've been pretty good with it thus far. I've also been pretty good at letting the cups dry out before watering again so i avoid over watering. I've been watering once every 2-3 days although some of the plants drink faster then the others. There was one plant, one of the free seeds i got that i just germ'd just for the extra experience, didn't seem as if she'd make it. I'm pretty sure i burned her first real set of leaves so she's growing a little slower than the others but im glad i didn't kill her. Having an air cooled reflector is great, only thing is i ran out of ducting so i only have one side of it done so far. Definitely helps with keeping the temp down though, and it let's me get the light closer to the plants. I'm a little over 1' away right now and it seems to be great.

Pics:

remember how big the plants get when you put em into budding they gain like 30% height so make sure you got enough room for your girls to stretch keep up the good work and dont get too eager and chop early your really gonna regret it if you do i still cut a few buds early i get too eager but not too much also dont trim all your fan leaves they help alot

I've heard and read so many different things about height/growth rate when flowering as opposed to vegging and it brings me to this discussion. I have a solid 4'-4.5' of space from the floor up my plants can grow up before they get too close to the light. If i only allow them that much height then that will keep my light 12'' away from the top of them. My question is, how long should i veg them for? At what point do you guys think i should flip the lights? 45-55 days flower for pineapple express 55-65 days flower for purple widow

It all depends on the rate of growth. There is no hard and fast rule. In my experience the plants will at least double and up to triple in size(100-200%) after being switched to flower, though I have not grown the strains you mention.

Is it the strain that really affects the growth rate? Or is it lighting?

A multitude of things can affect the growth rate.
The genetics, light, environmental factors(mainly temp and air flow), your growing ability.

So I kinda slacked on the update last week, it was my birthday the 23rd and I just had an eventful weekend. I still checked my girls and snapped some pics though and i have a couple plants with problems. I checked my sources (grow bible and internet) and i think i just need to start feeding them. I wasn't able to diagnose the problem for sure but it looks like it could be a few diff things. What do you guys think?

thats a pretty good lookin set up u got goin there, but id say it is definitely time to start feeding those things dude..

EDIT: just out of curiosity, how long did it take them to sprout in the cups? and when do you plan on transplanting them?

Those pics were taken at 4 weeks from germ. I germ'd in paper towels, they took a few days to pop, then i put in the cups and they broke soil within a day or two. I'm going to be transplanting very soon actually.

I don't mean to double post, but didn't want to just edit my previous post. I just wanted to thank everyone who stops in and checks out my grow, and for offering help and advice. Thanks Wolfie, Akemi, Super_Blunt, GRRAYT and DaZd_an_c0nfuZd, thanks for stopping in.

I would be doing that ASAP. When you do they will have goodies in the new soil that will feed them. Overfert is the most common problem people have.
Do you test the PH?
That leaf looks like it could be an environmental issue. How is your exhaust and fresh air in?

yes dunt overfeed them ur muk will ave loadsa food in i speak from experiance overfeeding lol be careful wait till they a little bigger after transplanting they will recover , as for flowering i do 18 to 24 inches high not how long ive had them

I've got my air cooled hood pulling air out from the tent through the duct like it shows in the pic. Never got around to pulling air from outside the tent through the hood then back out again. Plus my carbon filter exhausting air out and then a 4'' and a 6'' inline duct fans pulling air inside the tent from down low. I did however happen to notice that my two higher powered fans are the ones pulling air out, creating negative pressure inside the tent. Standing outside the tent you can tell more air is being sucked out than is being pulled in.

Oh and i'll be transplanting tomorrow morning just before lights out. I've read that doing it before lights out is the best option so they can spend all night recovering.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

looking good.pot them asap. root bound it looks like. i dont feed my plants for 2 weeks then i put them on a weak grow feed. if you doing everything ok wich it looks like you are i can normaly put my plants into flowering after the 3rd week in veg and i am useing a grow tent to and i dont use a intake fan i just use passive intake wich does just fine for me. if after the 3rd week your plants are about 18" turn them on to flower if not leave for a few days. as soon as you repot them thay will shoot up.
as i said before ...dont over feed. its best to under feed than over feed...
good luck with the grow and keep going as you are you doing great...
happy growing.......

looking like some nice plants, but I concur time to transfer

Thanks Sith and kiddo.

I transplanted today pics: