# My first hydro grow



## budz4me (Apr 16, 2015)

Hey guys, its been a while since I have been on these forums, but I am back...and now own a ph and ppm meter (golf clap). I cannot believe I actually got a decent product without them.

Here is my setup:

12' x 12' room
2' x 4' x 6' Tent for veg (Apollo 400W MH/HPS cooltube)

The other side of the room is tarped off and painted flat white (Roughly 4' x 10' x 7'H)

In this section I have 2 Hydrofarm hoods each with a 600W bulb (HPS as this will be my flowering area)

Venting is done by a 6" blower that feeds to the flowering area with a huge charcoal filter and is controlled by a fan speed controller (adjusts frequency...not voltage....VERY IMPORTANT!!!)

The veg tent has the same but with a 4" blower.

This leaves me with a nice 4-5' area in the middle to walk in and I have a table and all sorts of cabinets to store my stuff in.

Odor control is mainly done by a whole home purifier....Top Tech Air Knight.....being an HVAC professional I have seen this little baby work wonders in the field....and my last run I put it in..and within 30 minutes you couldn't smell even cigarettes ( I never smoke those in the home...but I did to test it)

I have an ebb&flow set up in my veg tent.....then they will get moved to DGF's DIY DYC set-up once ready.

I plan on using Flora Nova 1 part series and superthrive.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 16, 2015)

Sounds great!  What you plan on growing?


----------



## WeedHopper (Apr 16, 2015)

Getter done.


----------



## budz4me (Apr 18, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Sounds great! What you plan on growing?


 

Right now I am growing my last 2 auto seeds left over from last years, Nirvanas NL and Bubblicious.

I have on order from attitude some lemon kush, white widow, and white grapefruit something or other. I figure by the time those come in I can get them in with the autos to veg, and just move them over when ready, that way I don't have to worry about moving the autos, or messing up the 20/4 light schedule.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 18, 2015)

I have not tried lemon kush, but think it sounds just delicious.  A lot of people will throw an auto or 2 in with their vegging plants to have _something_ to smoke while they are waiting for the flowering plants to finish.


----------



## zem (Apr 18, 2015)

this sounds like a nice setup  i find that placing a sink in the walking area of my growroom is a must. even have one in my greenhouse


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 18, 2015)

Yes, a sink is a really good idea, if at all possible.  My flowering room is off my master bathroom , so I use that.  I have a laundry sink outdoors, next to my potting table.  Considering putting one in my spare room where I will eventually end up growing.  Going to do a master bathroom remodel sometime soon.


----------



## budz4me (Apr 19, 2015)

I luckily have a large sink right next to my laundry room.....bout 15' from my room. Unfortunately I dont think I can put one in, without putting a pump underneath of it, there are no rough-ins in my basement.


----------



## zem (Apr 19, 2015)

why don't you make a drain that goes from your room 15' to the drain of the laundry sink?


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 19, 2015)

zem said:


> this sounds like a nice setup  i find that placing a sink in the walking area of my growroom is a must. even have one in my greenhouse





The Hemp Goddess said:


> Yes, a sink is a really good idea, if at all possible.  My flowering room is off my master bathroom , so I use that.  I have a laundry sink outdoors, next to my potting table.  Considering putting one in my spare room where I will eventually end up growing.  Going to do a master bathroom remodel sometime soon.





budz4me said:


> I luckily have a large sink right next to my laundry room.....bout 15' from my room. Unfortunately I dont think I can put one in, without putting a pump underneath of it, there are no rough-ins in my basement.



..............I envy every single one of you. 

I have two 55gal res setups. No sink, no water. Granted, I do run a hose up there.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 20, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> ..............I envy every single one of you.


 
LOL  and I envy anyone who can drop $1200 on LED lights without a bank loan...


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 20, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> LOL  and I envy anyone who can drop $1200 on LED lights without a bank loan...



...and just a few days ago, another $1050 on two Hydrofarm Grow Flow systems! 

 

I would have a sink, IF I had someone that could plumb it. But alas, I do not trust anyone around here in my area. 

Tis a shame a nifty, 60 something year old female plumber couldn't live around here. Tee hee!


----------



## zem (Apr 20, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> ...and just a few days ago, another $1050 on two Hydrofarm Grow Flow systems!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



oh come on, can't you plumb it yourself? make an external connection it's quite straight forward


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 20, 2015)

zem said:


> oh come on, can't you plumb it yourself? make an external connection it's quite straight forward



Hahhahahahaha, you have noooo idea (no offense being said when I say that!)  

My situation is... situational. :aok:


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 20, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> ...
> 
> Tis a shame a nifty, 60 something year old female plumber couldn't live around here. Tee hee!


 
Yeah it.  I would even do it for free, it is the trip charge that would kill you.  You rock em' DGF!


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 20, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Yeah it.  I would even do it for free, it is the trip charge that would kill you.  You rock em' DGF!



When you saw how much has to be done, you'd take that "free" part right out of there! hahahah  :aok: 

Much love THG.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 20, 2015)

zem said:


> oh come on, can't you plumb it yourself? make an external connection it's quite straight forward


 
LOL, if I have learned anything in my plumbing career it is never to think anything will be straightforward.  Sometimes the jobs that you are dreading the worst go the smoothest and something as simply as changing a faucet out can become a nightmare.


----------



## zem (Apr 20, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> LOL, if I have learned anything in my plumbing career it is never to think anything will be straightforward.  Sometimes the jobs that you are dreading the worst go the smoothest and something as simply as changing a faucet out can become a nightmare.



so that's why plumbers are never present on the appointed time...


----------



## WeedHopper (Apr 20, 2015)

THG,,no plummers crack right. Lol


----------



## budz4me (Apr 20, 2015)

yall are hilarious!

That 15' is straight line, to actually install a drain it would be like 30' equivalent length. The sink would have to be around my shoulders to get the pipe high enough to clear my furnace room area....the return duct backs against the wall, and I cannot go in front of it. That would make the sink I would install too high up to really be useful. 

I do have a pump that attaches to my drill that works well, and I plan on getting a 115v pump to just get it over to that sink.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 21, 2015)

Zem, actually, I am one who _is_ on time.  When I first moved to this little mountain town, it surprised people because everyone here is usually late.  I hate to wait for people and do not think other people should have to wait for me.  We do get into stuff we do not anticipate, but if I believe that I might be late for a subsequent appointment, I always tell the people.  I do do a huge amount of work for people who are not there, I either have a key to their home or they have one hidden I can access.

DGF, you would be surprised.  I re-plumbed an entire house for my best friend and charged nothing.  I am now doing a complete master bathroom remodel for a friend--he moved the bathroom from one side of the house to the other.  Free again.  I could go on and on.  I do not charge my good friends.  Sometimes people get sneaky though.  One of my friends just goes to the credit union and puts money in my account.  Another buys me gifts that I cannot afford.  Others help me with things I am doing around the house or haul things.  We are a small close-knit community and it is going to be hard to leave here.

Weedhopper, yeah no plumbers crack....when I tell people that, they seem kind of disappointed :rofl:

Budz, sorry to get off track here.  Fifteen feet is still quite close.  At least you have a sink in the vicinity of your garden, that will be fine.  I had a friend who grew in a basement and had no sinks down there at all.  What a pain!  Well we took care of that!


----------



## WeedHopper (Apr 21, 2015)

Im never disappointed whens a man keeps his crack hid. Just plain nasty. Yuk
As a painter i just wanna fill it with Caulk. Lol


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 21, 2015)

C-mon THG.. could use you over here! LOL. I wonder what the plane ticket would cost... PM me what state you live in again please, I can not remember. If I bought you round trip tickets, would you consider coming for an install? Sounds crazy right? I have nobody I can trust that plumbs, let alone attaining a new plumber type of friend!! 

Basically I need a connection from under my home (modular type of mobile thingie) and that will have to be run under ground for roughly 75 feet.. then put upstairs and big "work sink" added. Then drained, but that part heck I could work out. Don't have to plumb that to the septic (though it's right there) I could just get a pipe to go down and out into the ground. Good stuff  I could even go to the bottom... collect that, and spread it around. Hmm.. great idea! 

It's getting a pipe in the ground and done properly that is just out of my league.  
I imagine things either go below "frost line" or there's a special pipe that I use or something. 

Also sorry for slight thread jackings  :aok:


----------



## WeedHopper (Apr 21, 2015)

Put up a water tank and use Gravity.


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 21, 2015)

WeedHopper said:


> Put up a water tank and use Gravity.



Need it to not stick out like that


----------



## WeedHopper (Apr 21, 2015)

Sorry Bro,,but where im from lots of peeps have water tanks and or wells in the country.
Hell ive got neighbors in DALLAS with rain barrels all over the damn place.


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 21, 2015)

No worries WH. Around these parts, that's a bit of an "odd" site.


----------



## WeedHopper (Apr 21, 2015)

I live in the Metroplex. The lady across the street has 4 Rain Barrels, ,the guy nxt to her has an inground water tank.
Now,,me i would just run water from his house,,but I've worked in Construction all my life.


----------



## MR1 (Apr 21, 2015)

> As a painter i just wanna fill it with Caulk.



 I bet you do, maybe change your name to Crackhopper lol.


----------



## WeedHopper (Apr 21, 2015)

Nah,that sounds to much like a Crack Head. Lol
Plus im not much on Crack Hopping. :rofl:


----------



## budz4me (Apr 21, 2015)

DGF:

I notice you have two air lines going into each 18g tote, is that because you have 2 airstones, or am I missing something here.

If you do use 2 stones in each tote, would you think a 2" cylinder type would be good for 10g tote? I had to switch back to the 10g setup....saves me a lot of room in my tent. 

I have the active aqua 2" cylinder ones now, one in each 10g tote....bubbles are nice, but your thoughts kind sir?

I am pretty sure I have the same pump as you, based on the pic in the DIY thread. Active aqua 4 port, 15l/minute


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 22, 2015)

I like to put 2 air stones in every tote just to make sure that there is enough air or that the roots will still be getting oxygen if one of the stones clogs.  It doesn't take long for roots sitting in un-oxygenated water to turn brown and icky.


----------



## budz4me (Apr 22, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I like to put 2 air stones in every tote just to make sure that there is enough air or that the roots will still be getting oxygen if one of the stones clogs. It doesn't take long for roots sitting in un-oxygenated water to turn brown and icky.


 

Gotcha, how often should I be changing the rez out? I heard to top it off until your ready to flip the lights back, then change it out completely.  Is that ok for DWC? I was told by my local grow store guy with an ebb & flow you need to change it out every 7-10 days, is the difference due the oxygen being replenished by the air pump, where an ebb & flow doesn't do that?

FYI: I will get pics up, I am just waiting for my new tent, then once everything is 100% I will post.


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 22, 2015)

budz4me said:


> DGF:
> 
> I notice you have two air lines going into each 18g tote, is that because you have 2 airstones, or am I missing something here.
> 
> ...



2" is fine, but I much prefer 4".. and yes, I use 2 stones per bin. For the reasons THG stated. More aeration = happier roots. And yeah, I have that 4 port and I have the "super" (lol) 8 port model as well. 

Soon, for my 55gal drums, I'm going to use 4 stones in each one of those. 



budz4me said:


> Gotcha, how often should I be changing the rez out? I heard to top it off until your ready to flip the lights back, then change it out completely.  Is that ok for DWC? I was told by my local grow store guy with an ebb & flow you need to change it out every 7-10 days, is the difference due the oxygen being replenished by the air pump, where an ebb & flow doesn't do that?
> 
> FYI: I will get pics up, I am just waiting for my new tent, then once everything is 100% I will post.



Top off till lights go 12/12, but I change my 18 gals every 4 weeks. I use about 8 gal of solution in there. Gets the water right around the bottom of the mesh pot. As for your guy.. I have no idea what he's doing. I think PJ changes every 2 weeks. I'm going to be doing just that more than likely. I'll be keeping up on fresh nutes now that it'll be easier to change out. 18 gal DWC is great..... for 1 plant and a small op. Not for what I'm doing!


----------



## budz4me (Apr 24, 2015)

just got some "t" fittings and now have 1 2" and 1 4" stone in each tote, I already had the 2" ones, so I got 4 4" ones to pair with them....bubbles are insane.

TY guys for the help


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 25, 2015)

I change out my reses every 7-10 days, both DWC and ebb and flow. I like to inspect the roots of the plants and clean the res. If you are using a large res and do not actually change out buckets or totes, this may be hard. Plants do not uptake the different nutrients at the same rates, so you can get where your solution could be very high in something and low in something else, hence the entire bucket change. I know that some people never change their buckets out, but I find that simply topping up periodically did not work well for me.

I actually usually run 2 lines and 2 stones to each bucket/tote, so like a 6 port pump does 3 buckets/totes.


----------



## zem (Apr 25, 2015)

how often i change my res is dependent on plant health, sometimes i would go up to 4 weeks, other times, the plants seem to ask for more in lesser time, i find myself changing within a week, but i would guess that my average is 14-18 days


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 25, 2015)

When "the drift" is too fast in either direction, I believe it's time to change no?  Isn't that the rule of thumb? (I'm just sorting this out currently personally lol)


----------



## budz4me (Apr 26, 2015)

Looks like I am having a ca deficiency, tiny brown spots on leaves....I will post a pic when my wife gets home, for some reason my iphone wont cooperate.

PH:6.1 66*F
PPM: 570 (500 scale)  Feeding regimen calls for 800 ( I want to keep it lower than the chart says)

Although I am not sure if the chart is based on the 500 scale or the 700 scale....still very confused by that.

I do have cal/mag I can add...thoughts?


----------



## zem (Apr 26, 2015)

how big are they? ph in hydro is best at 5.5-5.8 range. 6.1 is high. pics definitely help at this stage


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 26, 2015)

> how big are they? ph in hydro is best at 5.5-5.8 range. 6.1 is high. pics definitely help at this stage



I PH my hydro from 5.8 - 6.3 and dip down.. usually if I notice my PH at 6.2 I will bump down to 5.8.. but I try not to go much lower. 5.7, sure, but no lower if I can help it. And no higher than 6.3 

*Random thought* 

In retrospect, you and I disagree very very often Zem, but we get along like peas and carrots! Very good, I like that. I like that I can disagree with someone so many times and still enjoy their convo. (this is a compliment lol)

Cheers Zem! :aok:


----------



## budz4me (Apr 26, 2015)

Pics 

View attachment IMG_19501.jpg


View attachment IMG_19511.jpg


----------



## zem (Apr 26, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> I PH my hydro from 5.8 - 6.3 and dip down.. usually if I notice my PH at 6.2 I will bump down to 5.8.. but I try not to go much lower. 5.7, sure, but no lower if I can help it. And no higher than 6.3
> 
> *Random thought*
> 
> ...



hmmm. well that's not a total disagreement there, I confess, that I sometimes get lazy and don't mind it drifting above 6 when everything is looking great. I am more careful when things seems not at their best. I normally go between 5.5 and 6. i decided on this range based on the PH chart that's in the stickies, this one>>>http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1908 

About the "disagreements", I am the one who enjoys them, I am the one who is always asking mods for more tolerance of those people who join mp with wild ways about how to grow, I always want them to be debated and not crushed. I believe in individual uniqueness, and that every single person has a thing to say, some thing better, something different, something positive to add, so these "disagreements" are nothing but regular debate from my part and I enjoy so much your action and company in here :aok: Cheers Doc


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 26, 2015)

Yep.. notice, once you get below 6.0, Phosphorus drops exceedingly for uptake value. 

All of the rest of the fields have a good "swing range", but Phosphorus.

(I attached a pic of the chart you are referring.. ugliest one of these I've seen lol!!!)








**edit**
I scrolled down, here's one of the pretty ones lol (But in the first, you can see a "taper off" to the width of the lines.. that's a more accurate idea of "uptake value" during said PH levels)


----------



## zem (Apr 26, 2015)

budz, it looks hungry to me... maybe you need to flush with fresh ferts, thats my 2 cents


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 26, 2015)

zem said:


> budz, it looks hungry to me... maybe you need to flush with fresh ferts, thats my 2 cents



100% agree.. that's a hungry girl, especially the first pic. :aok:


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 26, 2015)

zem said:


> About the "disagreements", I am the one who enjoys them, I am the one who is always asking mods for more tolerance of those people who join mp with wild ways about how to grow, I always want them to be debated and not crushed. I believe in individual uniqueness, and that every single person has a thing to say, some thing better, something different, something positive to add, so these "disagreements" are nothing but regular debate from my part and I enjoy so much your action and company in here :aok: Cheers Doc



"You must spread rep around before giving it to Zem again" 

:aok:


----------



## budz4me (Apr 26, 2015)

Ok thanks guys! I normally would have changed the rez tomorrow, I can just do it today then.

So, regarding the ppm's......I am using the 500 scale, the blue lab meter I have can do ec/500/700 scales.....any clue which one I should use? I mean I use the ec to make sure its in range, but why 2 diff ppm scales, and which one does the floranova 1 part chart go off of?


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 26, 2015)

Very odd.. I'm not sure there. I have a "Primo" brand PPM meter. It has an on and off button hah. And a Bluelab PH meter, that has PH / Temp. No experience with Bluelab EC meter.


----------



## zem (Apr 26, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> Yep.. notice, once you get below 6.0, Phosphorus drops exceedingly for uptake value.
> 
> All of the rest of the fields have a good "swing range", but Phosphorus.
> 
> ...



I dont worry a lot about phosphorous it is easily provided for the plant because it is required in less amounts. the fert labels are misleading and in fact, there is not 1 plant on earth that requires P as much as N or K. i usually attribute p deficiency to something else that locked it like cold temps


----------



## budz4me (Apr 26, 2015)

zem, what ppm meter do you have? Which scale do you use? 

Chart says 800ppm is what I need....but is that 500 or 700 scale?

I also assume that your looking for total ppm, not just what your adding.....IE....tap water here has a ppm of 180-200 after bubbling it for 24hours.  So then I want to add nutes till it gets to 800ppm total right?


----------



## zem (Apr 26, 2015)

budz thats the one i use http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/tds-meter-and-digital-thermometer i dont know which scale. total salinity affects the plant's uptake even if those elements in hard water are useless for the plant, so when aiming at a certain concentration, you count those. my tap water is in the 230-240 range andf it's fine. I don't know what to suggest in exact number of ppm for your plants, but with my water with a plant like yours, i'm fine with letting it reach 1000ppm total


----------



## budz4me (Apr 26, 2015)

zem said:


> budz thats the one i use http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/tds-meter-and-digital-thermometer i dont know which scale. total salinity affects the plant's uptake even if those elements in hard water are useless for the plant, so when aiming at a certain concentration, you count those. my tap water is in the 230-240 range andf it's fine. I don't know what to suggest in exact number of ppm for your plants, but with my water with a plant like yours, i'm fine with letting it reach 1000ppm total



Thank you!!

I just cleaned and filled the rez....850ppm total 5.7 PH 67*

EDIT: Reason for 5.7 ph to start, I have found that the ph goes up after a day or 2


----------



## next (Apr 27, 2015)

Hey budz,

Goodluck on your water journey, just stoppin in to say hello. 

Plant looks like she's ready to go. Cheers


----------



## P Jammers (Apr 27, 2015)

budz4me said:


> zem, what ppm meter do you have? Which scale do you use?
> 
> Chart says 800ppm is what I need....but is that 500 or 700 scale?
> 
> I also assume that your looking for total ppm, not just what your adding.....IE....tap water here has a ppm of 180-200 after bubbling it for 24hours.  So then I want to add nutes till it gets to 800ppm total right?


Set it to 700 which is what is most common in the US which will match up with companies like General Hydroponics and the like.

[FONT=&quot]The ppm 700 scale is based on measuring the KCl or potassium chloride content of a solution. The ppm 500 is based on measuring the NaCl or sodium chloride content of a solution and is also referred to as TDS - total dissolved solids. Individual nutrient ions have different electrical effects! The true ppm of a solution can only be determined by a chemical analysis. ppm cannot be accurately measured by a CF or EC meter.[/FONT]


----------



## zem (Apr 27, 2015)

P Jammers said:


> Set it to 700 which is what is most common in the US which will match up with companies like General Hydroponics and the like.
> 
> [FONT=&quot]The ppm 700 scale is based on measuring the KCl or potassium chloride content of a solution. The ppm 500 is based on measuring the NaCl or sodium chloride content of a solution and is also referred to as TDS - total dissolved solids. Individual nutrient ions have different electrical effects! The true ppm of a solution can only be determined by a chemical analysis. ppm cannot be accurately measured by a CF or EC meter.[/FONT]



ah then mine is 500 scale because it is calibrated with NaCl and it is a TDS meter. how does my reading differ from 700 scale? if mine reads 1000 what would the 700 read? good info as always PJ


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 27, 2015)

Nice PJ.. Knowledge tastes good this morning :aok:


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 27, 2015)

budz4me said:


> Thank you!!
> 
> I just cleaned and filled the rez....850ppm total 5.7 PH 67*
> 
> EDIT: Reason for 5.7 ph to start, I have found that the ph goes up after a day or 2


 
I think most people have their pH drift up rather than down.  However, you might want to start it even a bit lower.  I like to start about 5.5 and then let it drift up. Mn is not even available to the plant at all at 5.7.


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 27, 2015)

They do drift up if "the drift" is being done properly. If you start drifting down (fast over 24 hours) then the plant is not eating, most likely things are working on locking out and your food is too high and needs to be lowered. If it drifts up too fast, then your plant is hungry and you need to bring your PPM's up.  

Drifting up is good.. drifting down, not so good.  5.7 should be a good start point if your PPM's are on point and your plant is eating :aok:

*disclaimer* 
This is all my humble opinion


----------



## budz4me (Apr 27, 2015)

P Jammers said:


> Set it to 700 which is what is most common in the US which will match up with companies like General Hydroponics and the like.
> 
> [FONT=&quot]The ppm 700 scale is based on measuring the KCl or potassium chloride content of a solution. The ppm 500 is based on measuring the NaCl or sodium chloride content of a solution and is also referred to as TDS - total dissolved solids. Individual nutrient ions have different electrical effects! The true ppm of a solution can only be determined by a chemical analysis. ppm cannot be accurately measured by a CF or EC meter.[/FONT]





Dr. Green Fang said:


> Nice PJ.. Knowledge tastes good this morning :aok:




Yes great info!!!! Thank you gentleman


----------



## budz4me (Apr 27, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I think most people have their pH drift up rather than down.  However, you might want to start it even a bit lower.  I like to start about 5.5 and then let it drift up. Mn is not even available to the plant at all at 5.7.





Dr. Green Fang said:


> They do drift up if "the drift" is being done properly. If you start drifting down (fast over 24 hours) then the plant is not eating, most likely things are working on locking out and your food is too high and needs to be lowered. If it drifts up too fast, then your plant is hungry and you need to bring your PPM's up.
> 
> Drifting up is good.. drifting down, not so good.  5.7 should be a good start point if your PPM's are on point and your plant is eating :aok:
> 
> ...




10-4 guys!! thanks so much, I will be posting pics again tonight, things have exploded overnight with the rez change.


----------



## budz4me (Apr 27, 2015)

zem said:


> ah then mine is 500 scale because it is calibrated with NaCl and it is a TDS meter. how does my reading differ from 700 scale? if mine reads 1000 what would the 700 read? good info as always PJ




Just found this pic: 

View attachment 20150427_164647.jpg


----------



## budz4me (Apr 27, 2015)

Beans just came in! Thoughts on which to try first?

I was thinking 2 Afgooey/2 Bubba Kush (4 is most I can run)

I also have :

Lemon Diesel (reg) x 2
Super skunk (fem) x 2


----------



## budz4me (Apr 28, 2015)

Wow, changed the rez sunday PH to 5.7

Today PH is at 6.4!!!! I guess that is a sign the plants have the munchies???

Yesterday PH was at 5.9


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (Apr 28, 2015)

Yep.. they are eatin' like crazy it sounds like!


----------



## budz4me (Apr 28, 2015)

Got ya, so at this point I should just maintain ppm's at the original level I filled rez with, then readjust ph as needed?

What if the ppm has not changed? just PH as needed? or is that not possible given the nutrients are being eaten

Why else would the PH climb?


----------



## budz4me (Apr 30, 2015)

New tent yay!!!! 4x4x80"

Girls have exploded, couple brown spots....more than likely Mn deficiency I have a hard time keeping the PH below 5.7 (as THG pointed out to me, its not not available to the plants above that range)

how can i fix the sideways photos? I cant remember 

View attachment 20150430_173801.jpg


View attachment 20150430_173729.jpg


View attachment 20150430_173719.jpg


----------



## budz4me (Apr 30, 2015)

PH is at 5.7 now and 810 PPM, was 5.9 and 850 yesterday. (I added a bit of ph down) no nutes


----------



## budz4me (May 2, 2015)

Ph sitting at 5.6 now, 790 PPM.  Girls are looking very short and stocky...the way i need them to be in my smaller tent (5' H)

Got my afgooey and bubba kush in rockwool as we speak, ph'd to 5.5.

Gonna move those two into the big tent and take clones from each of them, I got like 13 seeds, but I am trying to not use them if I dont have to.

FYI, making a bubble cloner from stuff you can get from wally world is freaking easy.....thats my project this weekend....got all the mats I need.....cost me 37$ The air pump was the most costly item, just using a cheap aquarium pump with some nice airstones


----------



## budz4me (May 2, 2015)

Stupid question alert:

So with this bubble cloner I am using 2" net pots, when I transfer them to veg...can I just put the 2" pot inside of my 8" pots and fill with pebbles around it?

 Id hate to think what would happen if I try to get the roots out of the pebbles

Or should I use plugs instead? then put the plugs in the 8" pots then fill with pebbles.

Its just easier to make the cloner for mesh pots and not mess with plugs,etc


----------



## zem (May 2, 2015)

you can simply put the 2" netpot in the 8" net pot


----------



## budz4me (May 2, 2015)

zem said:


> you can simply put the 2" netpot in the 8" net pot



awesome, ty


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 2, 2015)

I often put smaller net pots into larger ones.


----------



## budz4me (May 2, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I often put smaller net pots into larger ones.



thank you, for some reason this was something that I was racking my brain for a few days. I have a tendency to over complicate things....comes from running years of service calls.

As always you guys chip in when help is needed!


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 3, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I often put smaller net pots into larger ones.





budz4me said:


> thank you, for some reason this was something that I was racking my brain for a few days. I have a tendency to over complicate things....comes from running years of service calls.
> 
> As always you guys chip in when help is needed!




Bwahahhaah, glad this was said! I too have been confused about this. lol


----------



## budz4me (May 3, 2015)

New 1000W lights just arrived!!

You know its a shame, I had over 4k watts worth of lights and ballasts my brother gave me, I thought I was covered and tested all the bulbs, etc....

Then I went to use them and the damn ballasts kept shutting off every 15 minutes, probably over heated for one reason or another....always spending money one way or another on this stuff, but its well worth it!


----------



## blowinthatloud (May 3, 2015)

lookin like a really good start Budz! BtL


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 4, 2015)

budz4me said:


> ...I have a tendency to over complicate things....comes from running years of service calls.


 
I chuckled at this.  Years of service calls have made me just the opposite.  I look for the obvious most likely cause first and more often than not, the easiest most obvious solution is the correct one.  You just get in trouble over-complicating things.  Occam's razor generally applies.  It has been interpreted in different ways, but basically....  

"*If you have two theories that both explain the observed facts, then you should use the simplest until more evidence comes along*"
"*The simplest explanation for some phenomenon is more likely to be accurate than more complicated explanations.*"
"*If you have two equally likely solutions to a problem, choose the simplest.*"
"*The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct.*"
. . .or in the only form that takes its own advice. . .
"*Keep things simple!*"

                                             Updated 1997 by Sugihara Hiroshi.
                                             Original by Phil Gibbs 1996


----------



## budz4me (May 4, 2015)

BTL: HEy bud, thanks for peeking in here, I will get pics up soon....problem is I cant use my phone as its a work phone, and well, the last thing I need is them to know what I am doing.

THG: Well put indeed.  I have been doing HVAC for almost 17 years now, I dont over complicate things at work anymore.....but I think being in such a technical trade causes me to over analyze everything and anything that I am not 100% sure on. AFter 17 years, there is little that troubles me in the field anymore(don't mean to sound arrogant...im sure you understand)




Totally separate topic here.....thoughts on adding a mycrohyzine (S??) supplement to my rez? Orca makes a liquid one for hydro....but its damned expensive $40 for 16 oz

I am using superthrive and floranova 1-part nutes currently


----------



## budz4me (May 4, 2015)

uhm.......what the hell is that in my rez? I am using floranova 1 part and superthrive.....I did bump the ppm ups alot...but is that algae? 

View attachment IMG_19791.jpg


View attachment IMG_19771.jpg


View attachment IMG_19781.jpg


----------



## budz4me (May 4, 2015)

PH was 5.5 to start 1200 ppm, today it was 6.6ph and 1200 ppm


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 4, 2015)

Wow, crazy! I don't even know what to think here..


----------



## budz4me (May 4, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> Wow, crazy! I don't even know what to think here..



thank god they are left over autos, or I would be cursing like a sailor lmao!

I am at a loss.....I am going to try to transplant them into my(your DFG) DWC setup and see what happens.....I will just cut the lid tops to fit the square mesh pot......

I think the main issue is this ebb&flow system is a piece of crap and now that the ppm is higher, the light penetration is causing this. For god sakes I had to put a black trash bag over the flood tray just to keep light out....I will never buy from the local grow store again as I feel I was seriously mislead....which is a shame, apparently growing a local business with local money is not high on their list of priorities.


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 4, 2015)

> I think the main issue is this ebb&flow system is a piece of crap



Ahh, well then.. problem solved :rofl:

:aok:


----------



## budz4me (May 4, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> Ahh, well then.. problem solved :rofl:
> 
> :aok:



you never fail to give me a good laugh brother!!!


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 4, 2015)

Hah, cheers man!  

I giggled when I read that. I literally laughed out loud when I read what I quoted! hahah


----------



## zem (May 5, 2015)

haha thats funny. in ebb and flow you either need a lid or fill it all with growrocks. i also use a method of getting growbsgs stapled and laid on their sides make a hole on the one side and drain holes on the other. this way they are separate but cover a wide area. i can easily cover my tray with 4 bags. if i am transplanting all the plants in one time to the tray and will never move them until harvest i always choose filling the entire tray with rocks which is the best way imo. i would not ditch a flood and drain system just because it has no lid. i actually would not pay for a lid becausebit doesnt make sense in a way , if you want to pay for a lid its better to put your money on more growrocks to fill it entirely


----------



## budz4me (May 5, 2015)

Good points zem. 

You know, I was thinking today however, I have had many fish tanks and the like in the past.....algae has never formed that fast!!! Is it possible it is not algae, it is hard to tell due to the dark color of the solution, I redid my math and realized I put in double the superthrive I was supposed to....thoughts?

Maybe by having too many vitamins and such expedited the process.

Also, should I put an airstone in the rez? I have 2 pumps and plenty of stones to go around.

On a side note, the PH raising so fast and so much (over one point 5.5-6.6 overnight) would tell me it is most likely algae...everytime with the fish tanks it was the same, when algae grows the PH goes up.


----------



## zem (May 5, 2015)

algae need to be stopped imo. if you are desperate and need a quick fix ill throw the cardboard quick fix here again. yes you can simply cut cardboard squares and lay them between existing pots. clean the algae first and never remove or worry until harvest then you would just get more rocks. rocks are the number one investment on my list. i buy PLENTY  and go cheap diy on most things. i flood in diy trays using polyethylene black sheets for ponds those dont grow enough algae to cause any trouble even when exposed 100% with no plants.


----------



## zem (May 5, 2015)

i have to multipost from my phone laptop dead   im out for days on this cell it sucks... anyway, i find airstones to be useless in flood and drain. i find h2o2 indispensable. if you can circulate your water a little bit thats enough. h2o2 serves great in eliminating algae and descaling the roots to feed better and lots of good things too  i dont know superthrive but i would hate to use anything that makes my res dark. using double of anything is most probably going to cause trouble. check the ppm


----------



## zem (May 5, 2015)

i meant eliminating larvae... not algae... larvae cant even describe my frustration with an emotion from the smiley list lol


----------



## budz4me (May 5, 2015)

I got you on covering the flood tray 100%

Will standard peroxide work....like from the cvs/pharmacy? How much?

Superthrive is basically a multivitamin for a plant...I dont think it changes the ppm though, there are no solids, just vitamins. PPM is at 1215 right now PH at 5.7
rez temps 68* air temps 72*


----------



## zem (May 5, 2015)

vitamins hmmm.. i dunno. i thought that if youre in hydro synthetic nutes you dont need anything else. is it organic? it might not be compatible with h2o2 if it had microbes. h2o2 food grade not pharma grade. you buy it from chemical suppliers in 35% or more. 35 is quite corrosive so be careful. container comes with pressure release valve. any other container you put in diluted 1/2 or 1/4 you need to make the lid in a way that releases pressure. i just drill a neat hole and cover it with a lose tape. its not explosive lol just releases gases slowly and builds pressure and might break a bottle like in a freezer and can pop the lid like champaign when you open.


----------



## budz4me (May 5, 2015)

yeah IM in flora nova 1 part by general hydroponics.

Look up superthrive, I have used it for years in my veggie gardens, works wonders....now keep in mind those are all outdoor gardens in soil.

I will look into the peroxide you are talking about, the one I have for medicinal purposes is very low %


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 5, 2015)

> Also, should I put an airstone in the rez?



I insist on using air stones. Some people say you don't need to...those people are few, but I believe in more oxygenation / aeration. :aok:


----------



## zem (May 5, 2015)

when you flood let the water rise above the overflow for minutes thats ime more than sufficient. idk... i had more problems using when airstones and the thing that did the trick was h2o2... jeez it seems to be happening again me and doc disagreeing. only now i am outgunned severely typing from this stupid phone


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 5, 2015)

LOL.. outgunned!! hahah  

We've already had this convo zem. We agree to disagree on this one. But hey, I'm the one that's right, so it's ok. 

:rofl: 

:aok:


----------



## zem (May 5, 2015)

hahaha yeah you are right i know i just happen to be running 5 different reservoirs with 3000liters and 5 different crops MY wrong way lol


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 5, 2015)

I have more res's and liters and crops than you.. neener neener!  hahaha


----------



## zem (May 5, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> I have more res's and liters and crops in my lifetime than you have in one grow  hahaha



i agree


----------



## budz4me (May 7, 2015)

so i have a 2 new sprouts that need to go into my bubbler setup.

I plan on using 3" pots then putting those pots into my 6" ones as a permanent home.

Question is : How far down in the pot should the rockwool go (should I put some hydroton underneath it or not?) 

#2 how close should the water level be to the bottom of said pots.


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 7, 2015)

lol zem, I just caught that :rofl:


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 7, 2015)

1) Put a bit of hydroton to build it up to the level you need it. The rockwool is kind of irrelevant, it all has to do with how much of the stem you want to bury, you know? :AOK: 

2) The water should just come to the bottom of the mesh pot (barely touch it, or not even at all), and there should be a LOT of bubbling!


----------



## zem (May 7, 2015)

the rockwool must be covered with rocks not necessarily deep to the bottom. it makes no difference as long as water is getting to the roots. the hanging netpot is more tricky you need to have the lid and the water as perfectly leveled out as possible so that when you start off the water is just touching the bottom like 1/10" and bubbling until some roots emerge into the whater. then you lower the water gradually creating a space of air and mist. keep the roots half submerged and lower the level as you go. later you must have explosive root growth i have never seen except with dwc. the roots became so thick like a smsll carrot lol.


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 7, 2015)

Well said zem :aok: Yeah, DWC creates ridiculous root masses.. it's kind of fun really


----------



## zem (May 7, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> 1) Put a bit of hydroton to build it up to the level you need it. The rockwool is kind of irrelevant, it all has to do with how much of the stem you want to bury, you know? :AOK:
> 
> 2) The water should just come to the bottom of the mesh pot (barely touch it, or not even at all), and there should be a LOT of bubbling!


i must be smoking some potent stuff imagining crazy thingsnlike me and DGG saying almost the same opinion lol


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 7, 2015)

hah :aok:


----------



## budz4me (May 7, 2015)

man you guys are awesome, thanks so much for the help!!!


----------



## budz4me (May 8, 2015)

Update pics.


----------



## budz4me (May 8, 2015)

Guess it would help if I clicked the upload button first

Toinight I am putting a black foam around the area where the pots sit, as you can see I botched on of the cutouts. 

View attachment IMG_19861.jpg


View attachment IMG_19851.jpg


View attachment IMG_19841.jpg


----------



## zem (May 8, 2015)

hmm this seems right :aok: after you lightproof the pots dont see any setup problems


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 8, 2015)

Prepare for explosive growth! (hopefully! hah)  :aok:


----------



## budz4me (May 8, 2015)

You guys use a preventative dose of peroxide?

If so how much per gallon?


----------



## Dr. Green Fang (May 8, 2015)

I use H202... but I haven't had to use any in a long time, so it just sits on my shelf. I believe it kills beneficials, PJ mentioned. I think? I dunno... I just am trying to grow green stuff.


----------



## zem (May 8, 2015)

in your system if you change your res regularly there is no need to it.


----------



## Grower13 (May 8, 2015)

looking good budz

:48:


----------



## WeedHopper (May 8, 2015)

Keep the light and heat out of your Rez,,and ya wont need H202.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 9, 2015)

Any reason your light is so high?  I am thinking that you can get that a whole lot closer.

Also, are those white pots net pots?  Can we get a shot of the white pots out of the tote?  I think that I would be for putting some tape on the top of the tote where the white pot does not entirely fill the cut out space--you can see it in the last pic there.  That will let light through and encourage algae grown, but is easily fixed with some opaque tape.

Your plants are looking good!  I do love my hydro.


----------



## budz4me (May 9, 2015)

Thanks for the replies everyone.

THG: Those white pots are the one from the ebb and flow setup, they are not mesh pots like I am using for my new girls. I have already taped around both pot openings. If these were not autos I would try to transplant them into mesh pots.

I do keep the light lower....I just had it raised so I could work in there and not hit my forehead lol.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Active-Aqua-Square-White-Tall/dp/B005DPDJBY/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1431197552&sr=8-25&keywords=hydrofarm+pots[/ame]

these are the pots you are seeing in the pics. Hind sight being 20/20 I should have just grown the autos in dirt and called it a day.


----------



## Kraven (May 9, 2015)

Dr. Green Fang said:


> Well said zem :aok: Yeah, DWC creates ridiculous root masses.. it's kind of fun really




Roots from my last DWC grow.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


----------



## budz4me (May 10, 2015)

my wife makes a mean pasta sauce that would go great with that!!! Good lord.

I am sticking with hydro for sure, But i think the few autos i have remaining I will throw in dirt instead and put them in my veg tent.


----------



## zem (May 10, 2015)

well you can get coco soilless mix and use the same hydro ferts. that would be way easier


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 10, 2015)

LOL--whether coco is easier is in the eye of the grower.  I find coco very hard to work with and love my hydro.


----------



## Bongofury (May 10, 2015)

Nice roots. WOW


----------



## zem (May 11, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> LOL--whether coco is easier is in the eye of the grower.  I find coco very hard to work with and love my hydro.



lol yeah i find coco hard too but if you just want to slow grow a plant vegging under a fluro it becomes easier than having to get soil and soil ferts then transferbto hydro. i tried having moms in soil and flower in hydro thinking that it was easier when it was really not.


----------



## budz4me (May 11, 2015)

anyone have trouble with northern lights? I mean this is the 4th nirvana NL auto I have grown, and they all have been spindly and sick looking.

Ive tried upping nutes and dropping nutes.  example.....ill send pics in a minute....but It will be very obvious which is the NL. The other is nirvanas bubblicious auto which I have gotten very good results from.

I think it may just be a bad strain? 

Right now NL at 1580 ppm (700 scale) 5.6PH
bubblicious at 1280ppm (700 scale) 5.7 PH

both rez's at 70*F room temp at 71*


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 11, 2015)

NL is generally a pretty good producer.  I am guessing that it is not he NL, but the ruderalis and the NL together--maybe just does not do as well as an auto.  Your other post said that you run a 400 MH--do you run MH all the way through?  I would change to HPS after a few weeks.


----------



## budz4me (May 11, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> NL is generally a pretty good producer.  I am guessing that it is not he NL, but the ruderalis and the NL together--maybe just does not do as well as an auto.  Your other post said that you run a 400 MH--do you run MH all the way through?  I would change to HPS after a few weeks.




I switch to HPS once they gets about 2'-3' from my height limit. Which usually only takes 4-5 weeks. 

Weird thing is though, I grow them side by side....so Im not sure light is the issue.


----------



## budz4me (May 11, 2015)

pics 

View attachment 20150511_190428.jpg


View attachment 20150511_190434.jpg


View attachment 20150511_190510.jpg


----------



## zem (May 11, 2015)

hmm... :48:


----------



## zem (May 11, 2015)

i would say change out the res put it at 900 ppm. 1580 is wsy too high especially you have no hps yet


----------



## next (May 11, 2015)

Hey there budz,

I've been reading through your thread looks like your off to a good start. The ph drift does seem a bit odd, its going up way too quick, and there isn't much change in your ppms.

How long do you let your nutes sit for before you add them to your res? - Sometimes it takes awhile for everything to stabilize.

What type of water are you using? There could be some buffers in your water that are raising your ph. I believe city people like higher ph running through their water pipes, so they add some goodies to it to keep it in the 7-8's. Can't remember off the top of my head.. why they do it, and names of the stuff they add.

Most autoflowers like 1/2 the nutes compared to regular MJ strains. If your having problems I would suggest trying the less is more technique and see if that helps.


----------



## budz4me (May 12, 2015)

zem said:


> i would say change out the res put it at 900 ppm. 1580 is wsy too high especially you have no hps yet



I did just that and it is looking much better...ill post pics tomorrow. I think it is a very hungry plant and goes through the o2 and nutes quicker maybe?



next said:


> Hey there budz,
> 
> I've been reading through your thread looks like your off to a good start. The ph drift does seem a bit odd, its going up way too quick, and there isn't much change in your ppms.
> 
> ...



I mix the rez up as a whole, 10 gallons of water, nute until ppm's are where I need them. Then PH as needed. Should I not do it that way? Seems the simplest way.

I use city tap water that I have in 5g buckets with an airstone in each. I usually let them sit for 2-3 days before using them. PH out of tap is 7.3-7.8 usually.

I tried nute levels all the way from 1/4-full strength....the bubblicious responds as you would think it would...the NL doesnt seem to care lol. That is why it had more ppm than my other rez.


----------



## next (May 12, 2015)

budz4me said:


> I mix the rez up as a whole, 10 gallons of water, nute until ppm's are where I need them. Then PH as needed. Should I not do it that way? Seems the simplest way.



Hey budz,

That is the easiest, and for sure correct way to mix up your nutes. I was suggesting that after you had your nutes added, and ph'd to where you wanted it, to then let it sit for 24hours and then check the ph. See if the ph is rising on its own (what I was referring to as stabilizing)

"PH was 5.5 to start 1200 ppm, today it was 6.6ph and 1200 ppm "

It's possible that your nutes are still reacting to the buffers in your tap water, over a few hour time period, which is causing the ph to drift for a short period of time. So mix it up, ph it, let it chill for a bit, check it again and see whats up. Unless it was from too much superthrive


----------



## budz4me (May 13, 2015)

next said:


> Hey budz,
> 
> That is the easiest, and for sure correct way to mix up your nutes. I was suggesting that after you had your nutes added, and ph'd to where you wanted it, to then let it sit for 24hours and then check the ph. See if the ph is rising on its own (what I was referring to as stabilizing)
> 
> ...




Ahhh, I got you, makes total sense now.  I really need to get that 120v water pump...transfering 10g of water sucks by hand.....the drill pump is too slow to deal with.

Yeah I did add way too much superthrive a few weeks ago....I have dialed that back immensely. I am using for 10g of water 5ml (bottle calls for 1/4tsp per gallon....so I am way under what they recommend.)


----------



## next (May 13, 2015)

budz4me said:


> Ahhh, I got you, makes total sense now.  I really need to get that 120v water pump...transfering 10g of water sucks by hand.....the drill pump is too slow to deal with.
> 
> Yeah I did add way too much superthrive a few weeks ago....I have dialed that back immensely. I am using for 10g of water 5ml (bottle calls for 1/4tsp per gallon....so I am way under what they recommend.)




I was complainig about watering my plants.. and I went the simple route. I just raise the 5gal buckets, and siphon the water out. Gravity pumps her out quite quickly.


----------



## budz4me (May 13, 2015)

next said:


> I was complainig about watering my plants.. and I went the simple route. I just raise the 5gal buckets, and siphon the water out. Gravity pumps her out quite quickly.



Sure 5g =42lb most come with a handle 

10g = 83lb, with a very inconvenient way to lift them sucks lol.

I may later on switch to 5g buckets instead of these large totes....only reason being convenience.


----------



## next (May 13, 2015)

I hear ya buddy.. I used 1 large tote for awhile as well, and yes 10gal or 40liters is not fun to move around. 

Its kinda fun using multiple buckets, you can see how accurate you measured by how close the ppm's are in each bucket. I switched to 5gal buckets and i'm liking it.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 14, 2015)

Actually, those plants are about the same size--one is just stretched and the other is not.  Count how many branch sets each plant has--I am betting that it is the same.  Stretch is not growth.  Growth is adding branches (ie bud sites).  Stretching is....well...stretching, unproductive "growth".  And you cannot expect different strains to grow the same.  This is one of the reasons that a lot of new growers only grow 1 strain while they are learning.  I do not think, from the pics, that one plant is running away from the other.  In other words, I think this is a non-issue.


----------



## budz4me (May 14, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Actually, those plants are about the same size--one is just stretched and the other is not.  Count how many branch sets each plant has--I am betting that it is the same.  Stretch is not growth.  Growth is adding branches (ie bud sites).  Stretching is....well...stretching, unproductive "growth".  And you cannot expect different strains to grow the same.  This is one of the reasons that a lot of new growers only grow 1 strain while they are learning.  I do not think, from the pics, that one plant is running away from the other.  In other words, I think this is a non-issue.



I hear ya, I cant wait until my reg seeds are ready for vegging...growing lemon kush fems on deck. I will be sticking to that strain only until I get the hang of things...like I said...I just wanted to grow these last autos I had to get rid of them.


----------



## budz4me (May 14, 2015)

I am having issues with my seedlings. Grown in rockwool. I soaked them in 5.5ph water 30 minutes, drip dried.

THey are stretching bad, I never had this issue with straight to soil....they are stretching to the point where they may fall over.

I have them in 3" netpots and lined the bottom with hydroton...but they are far too skinny and weak. 

Should I just put the rockwool in and then fill? Leaving the wool to sit at the bottom of the pot? To allow for more support on the little stem. I do have fans running and all that...


----------



## budz4me (May 15, 2015)

Over in my veg tent I swapped in the HPS since the autos are flowering now.

Still unsure what to do with the seedlings, lost one already.

I think the rockwool in the bubblecloner isnt working, the rockwool seems to always be saturated by all the bubbles


----------



## budz4me (May 17, 2015)

budz4me said:


> I am having issues with my seedlings. Grown in rockwool. I soaked them in 5.5ph water 30 minutes, drip dried.
> 
> THey are stretching bad, I never had this issue with straight to soil....they are stretching to the point where they may fall over.
> 
> ...





budz4me said:


> Over in my veg tent I swapped in the HPS since the autos are flowering now.
> 
> Still unsure what to do with the seedlings, lost one already.
> 
> I think the rockwool in the bubblecloner isnt working, the rockwool seems to always be saturated by all the bubbles



Any thoughts? I have pulled them out of the cloner and are now in a starter tray with a heat mat. Tryng to see if I overwatered them in the cloner.


----------



## zem (May 17, 2015)

yeah rockwool is not good in a bubbler. its either or. in a bubbler you only need the clone suspended in moist air. or you can skip the cloner and water rockwool regularly. i do that with oasis cubes. in my bubbler i used that styro thats in kids floaters to hold the clones up


----------



## next (May 17, 2015)

Hey Buds

I usually take mine off the heat mat as soon as they pop. I think heat mats are a necessary evil, they work, but they can also roast your plants. I've had 1 or 2 dry out over night, I think they were sitting on a hot spot.

I'm not sure if the rockwool in the bubble cloner is causing them to stretch, but im with zem on that one. It's either, or, but not both. Usually stretching is directly related to light, but if your sure you have that under control it must be from overwatering, due to the rockwool in the bubbles.

Goodluck man, you can always bury them up to their first set of leaves when you transplant them.


----------



## budz4me (May 19, 2015)

zem said:


> yeah rockwool is not good in a bubbler. its either or. in a bubbler you only need the clone suspended in moist air. or you can skip the cloner and water rockwool regularly. i do that with oasis cubes. in my bubbler i used that styro thats in kids floaters to hold the clones up



Right the noodle things for a pool, got ya. What about rapid rooters? Highbrix uses them and looks like it is working for him. Thoughts on rapid rooters for hydro?

I will be doing my clones with like you said noodles cut up or some sort of foam to suspend them in air. I just need to get a few seeds to pop first LMAO!

Fumy thing is, the ones I am growing now were auto seeds, and I used the EXACT same method that is killing these fem's.



next said:


> Hey Buds
> 
> I usually take mine off the heat mat as soon as they pop. I think heat mats are a necessary evil, they work, but they can also roast your plants. I've had 1 or 2 dry out over night, I think they were sitting on a hot spot.
> 
> ...



Thanks for input buddy. 

Overwatering I think is most of it.....Its so weird because I have NEVER (was 100% until this happened) had these issues with just burying a seed in soil and giving it some water...

also I didnt know that about heat mats.....I have had them on the whole time (76* or so) The dome does get pretty moist with condensation.


----------



## Kraven (May 19, 2015)

Yikes, its easy to cook seedlings, the mat is good till you see a sprout then it needs to come off the mat.


----------



## budz4me (May 19, 2015)

:holysheep:


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 19, 2015)

I never put whatever I have started the seeds in (rapid rooters or rock wool) into the hydro unit until I have really good root growth out the bottom of the cubes.  And then, I put the cubes on the bottom of the net pot and fill around them with the hydrotron.  Your stretch is not being caused by your medium.  But other problems could be. I don't use rockwool because I find it a lot harder to keep them the proper amount of wet--they always seem to retain too much water.  I also do not use a heat mat.  It is very very easy to overheat the seeds using a mat.  And regardless of whether you think you are doing the exact same thing from one grow to the next, you are not.  Just changes in outside temps can affect things.


----------



## budz4me (May 20, 2015)

Well said THG.

I did get some rapid rooters, they are pretty cheap so I grabbed some.

Rockwool does not seem to jive with me, ive had better results from jiffy pellets lmao.

Heat mat I use all the time for my veggies, this is the last time I use it for MJ.


----------



## budz4me (May 22, 2015)

This is the newest side by side.....the bubbleicious is doing wonders above grade...but below it you will see hardly any roots popping out.

the other set of roots is the lethargic northern lights. Much better root growth, much less plant growth.  I would not complain but the NL plant (Nirvanas auto version) this is my 5th one I have grown, all of them were very poor, whereas the bubble has rocked and produced more than I expected. 

View attachment 20150521_175013.jpg


----------



## budz4me (May 22, 2015)

other pics 

View attachment 20150521_175040.jpg


View attachment 20150521_175105.jpg


----------



## zem (May 22, 2015)

hey budz what type of netpot is that? it looks like it needs more holes and maybe less height. there should be a separation humid zone between the bottom of the netpot and the solution


----------



## budz4me (May 22, 2015)

they are the pots one would use with ebb&flow.

I just left them in the same pot once I realized that ebb&flow system was not going to work.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Active-Aqua-Square-White-Tall/dp/B005DPDJBY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432338844&sr=8-1&keywords=hydrofarm+white+pots[/ame]


----------



## budz4me (May 26, 2015)

day 3 for seed in rapid rooter.....nice white roots popping out.

Thoughts on having a mother in dirt, then cloning into hydro.....I just dont think I can handle keeping a mother in hydro and all my plants.

I really wanna get this new baby under some t5 and let it veg and take clones. I figure a 3g-5g bucket with some pro-mix I have left over should keep it for a while, I do have worm castings to mix in for her. 

Sorry for no pics, its a pita for me because my work phone is a no go as I would hope you would agree....so the only personal phone we own is hers.(wifey)


----------



## budz4me (May 28, 2015)

rez temps starting to creep around 72-73*F

I have been rotating frozen 16oz bottles of water, seems to be doing a good job of keeping it around 68-70*

I just put 2 bottles in the am before going to work, then replace them with the 2 in the freezer when I get home, and the cycle continues....hopefully it works when the 1k HPS is fired in the other tent, may have to add more bottles to my cycle.


----------



## budz4me (May 28, 2015)

also, I think the northern lights plant may not be an auto.

The other plant has been flowering for 3 weeks. The northern light just has pre-flowers. And from the pics I am going to post soon you can see it has doubled in size with no buds.

The NL auto I grew before would have already had buds...the bubblicious has one huge cola forming in the middle (like most autos one huge cola..and some scrappy ones here and there)

The NL looks like a mother plant....nothing but growth.

Still running 20/4 with HPS


----------



## budz4me (May 28, 2015)

Notice no bud sites at all on the NL plant....even though it doubled in size...it hasn't done the stretch associated with the first few weeks of flower. 

View attachment IMG_20331.jpg


View attachment IMG_20341.jpg


View attachment IMG_20351.jpg


View attachment IMG_20361.jpg


View attachment IMG_20371.jpg


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 28, 2015)

zem said:


> hey budz what type of netpot is that? it looks like it needs more holes and maybe less height. there should be a separation humid zone between the bottom of the netpot and the solution


 
I'm with Zem--I just don't think that pot has enough holes to let enough roots grow through.  That is just like the type of pot I use for soil grows.


----------



## budz4me (May 30, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I'm with Zem--I just don't think that pot has enough holes to let enough roots grow through.  That is just like the type of pot I use for soil grows.



Yeah, I know...these were the plants/pots I started in the hydrofarm ebb&flow unit remember?  I didnt want to try to transplant them into a mesh pot due to the fear of killing them.

I will not be using those for this again.

Please could someone('s) look at post #157 & #158  and please give me some advice...I am really convinced I had seeds mixed up and that it is not an auto....it should have some bud development by now, not just showing sex and getting bigger and bushier.


----------



## budz4me (Jun 3, 2015)

ok just lost the 4th seed.

Still not sure what to do with the above mentioned mother/auto.

great


----------



## budz4me (Jun 7, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Sometimes autos simply do not auto--flower under a 20 hour light regime.  Sometimes, they need the hours cut to 12/12 to flower.  Just the fact that you could take cuts and get them to root and flower suggests to me that your auto really isn't.  There is no way that having the plant in hydro caused it to not flower properly.  I guess that it simply does not have enough ruderalis in it to actually be an autoflowering plant.




Found this in another thread.....maybe the answer I was looking for.


----------



## budz4me (Jun 10, 2015)

ok guys, I really need help on this.......


I just had 4 seeds die.  I just had 4 other seeds pop....I only have 2 left!!! These 4 must survive!!!

The new seedlings are in rapid rooters....all but one has lost its helmet. All 4 have a massive taproot hanging out the bottom of the plug.

Are they ready for my bubble cloner yet?  Sending pics asap.


----------



## budz4me (Jun 10, 2015)

pics 

View attachment 20150610_161913.jpg


View attachment 20150610_161933.jpg


View attachment 20150610_162011.jpg


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 10, 2015)

Why are you putting them in a bubble cloner?  That is not really an enormous tap root.  You will get roots growing all around the cube.  I do not like to put them into the hydro unit until I see good root development all around the cube and they have a couple of leaf sets.  Let it get a little size to it.  Do not feed it yet.  

Are you going to put the NL that is not autoing under 12/12 to see if it flowers?


----------



## budz4me (Jun 11, 2015)

I was thinking the cloner would make it easier for me to make sure they get good light and the proper amount of H20.

I guess you think I should just wait until they have a good root system like you said, then just put in my 5g DWC buckets and be done with it?  Oh, and I wouldnt dream of feeding them anytime soon.  I wait till the girls tell me when they are hungry, then I start my nute program.


I am changing the rez today then it is going into 12/12. How many days you think it will take to show its true colors, under 12/12?


----------



## budz4me (Jun 12, 2015)

Sad to say but, I am going back to soil for a little while.

I need to get a few girls (heck ill take one) to clone from, and seeing as I was 100% in soil, and I am now 0/4 in rooters/rockwool, I need to get back to what works for me.

Once I can take clones reliably I will see about putting them into the DWC setup, but until then I need to have success first.

I have 3 seeds in promix bx at the moment. 2 lemon diesel regulars and one afgooey fem


----------



## next (Jun 12, 2015)

Goodluck to ya, nothing wrong to going back to what works.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 12, 2015)

Do what you feel most comfortable with.  That is the most important thing.


----------



## zem (Jun 14, 2015)

how many days from cutting the clones? they would take 15-30 days normally, be patient


----------



## budz4me (Jun 14, 2015)

I took some cuttings from the NL plant, waited a few days, then put her in 12/12. 

The clones have not rooted yet (6 days now), may not even root or be successful, as I am still not 100% if it is an auto or not.


----------



## zem (Jun 14, 2015)

they would never root in 6 days, i would not begin looking for roots before 10-12 days


----------



## budz4me (Jun 15, 2015)

zem said:


> they would never root in 6 days, i would not begin looking for roots before 10-12 days



got ya, I have never cloned before. 15-30 days huh? Well that sucks lmao.


----------



## gottaloveplasma (Jun 15, 2015)

Looks like fun filled dissapointment.  Last year I tried 10 5 gallon outdoor plants with friend and we got 24 oz. But it was so clean the flower looked the same minus color after smoking it in pipe as it did before all white.  Verry clean and tasty.
Don't give up. You will get it.


----------



## budz4me (Jun 16, 2015)

Just some photos of the bubblicious 

View attachment IMG_20701.jpg


View attachment IMG_20711.jpg


----------



## yarddog (Jun 17, 2015)

Just ordered seeds for bubblicious over the weekend. Your grow is looking great


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 17, 2015)

Your Bubblicious looks wonderful!


----------



## budz4me (Jun 17, 2015)

gantt said:


> Just ordered seeds for bubblicious over the weekend. Your grow is looking great





The Hemp Goddess said:


> Your Bubblicious looks wonderful!



Thanks guys!! 

That plant is basically 1 huge cola in the middle, and 4 other smaller ones around it...almost looks like a planet with 4 moons orbiting.

The NL finally started to put on weight.....thank god....she is bushier than my boxwoods in my lawn! She is in 12/12 under 1000W hps......guess it wasnt an auto after all.


----------



## budz4me (Jun 20, 2015)

Just got my T5 today. Got work to do!!! 

I will post pics once done.

I went with the hydrofarm 4' 6 bulb setup. Rated at 30k lumens, switch to dim it down to run only 3 bulbs. 

Should be a cost efficient move, replacing the 400W MH with these. Now I can put my vent fan on a timer because of the heat output difference, along with running at 80W less than the MH.


----------



## McDoobie (Jun 20, 2015)

From what I have read, you dont want the vent fan on a timer. it should be running all the time to vent not only heat, but the gases released by the plant and to draw fresh air over the leaves. I use a passive intake from my basement and vent it outside next to the drier vent. I can feel the pull from the cat flap in the door into the basement as exhaust runs.


----------



## budz4me (Jun 20, 2015)

McDoobie said:


> From what I have read, you dont want the vent fan on a timer. it should be running all the time to vent not only heat, but the gases released by the plant and to draw fresh air over the leaves. I use a passive intake from my basement and vent it outside next to the drier vent. I can feel the pull from the cat flap in the door into the basement as exhaust runs.



The only reason I need that fan is to cool the cooltube. I have a duct tied into the return of my HVAC system that pulls in the tent air at a high rate. From there it is UV sterilized, filtered and then it goes through an airknight. The house does not stink, I dont even need a charcoal filter in the tents.

Under other applications you are spot on, my 2x4x5 veg tent will have the T5 with a totally passive intake setup...which still manages to suck the sides of the tent in. 

My flower tent 4x4x7.5 is running a 1000W HPS, 12/12. So I plan on running the vent fan 12 hours 15m a day (leave it on 15 minutes after the light turns off to ensure it is cooled). With the duct pulling air from the tent into my HVAC system I should be ok with air movement....not to mention all the little fans I have running in the tent.


Oh, my apologies....I got to blabbering. Thank you for your input as always, I dont mean to come off like a you know what....text just sometimes cant translate emotion. Green Mojo to you!


----------



## McDoobie (Jun 20, 2015)

I didnt even think of that...I can totally pull that same thing off and eliminate the extra outside vent. Thanks for the idea, lol.


----------



## budz4me (Jun 20, 2015)

McDoobie said:


> I didnt even think of that...I can totally pull that same thing off and eliminate the extra outside vent. Thanks for the idea, lol.



Just keep in mind that doing it the way I did it, will raise other issues. I do HVAC for a living, so I made all the needed changes to accommodate the grow tents.  

PM me if you have questions.


----------



## McDoobie (Jun 20, 2015)

I also do reefer work, but not in HVAC. I work in the bio medical field as a tech...more blast freezers. Thanks


----------



## budz4me (Jun 20, 2015)

McDoobie said:


> I also do reefer work, but not in HVAC. I work in the bio medical field as a tech...more blast freezers. Thanks


----------



## Dr. Robertsozki (Jun 27, 2015)

budz4me said:


> Just some photos of the bubblicious



big buds on yuro first run   congrats


----------



## budz4me (Jul 18, 2015)

Been a while since I last posted, not much to report during the last 2-3 weeks.

About to chop the bubblegum down tonight.....northern lights still has 1-2 weeks left.

I will take pics tonight and post.


----------



## budz4me (Jul 18, 2015)

Dr. Robertsozki said:


> big buds on yuro first run   congrats




thank you!


----------



## budz4me (Jul 23, 2015)

might have a big issue here..

I just checked the trichs, most are 50/50 cloudy/clear.  Very few are turning amber.

That is not the issue.......I noticed that inside the main cola, there looks to be cobwebs inside it....not like a spider mite issue, like a moldy web...

what to do? Chop now and hope to save it?

I am also posting this in the sick plants section


----------



## zem (Jul 23, 2015)

sounds like mold, jeez i hate it, there is nothing more you can do but chop the infected bud and remove all the moldy bud and throw it in the garbage, thats it. i use a dehumidifier in the last few weeks of flowering just to prevent that from happening


----------



## budz4me (Jul 23, 2015)

ugh, thats gonna be half the main cola.

should i chop it too? or let it keep growing. I wouldnt want to let it spread any further


----------



## next (Jul 23, 2015)

gotta chop it off man, and get some more air flow if u can


----------



## zem (Jul 24, 2015)

budz the thing that sucks with mold is that it hits the big dense buds first. infected bud is as good as garbage. Even with good airflow, with a high rh, mold will build up inside the dense buds. on the bright side, you now managed to grow dense bud. In the climate that i live in, a dehumidifier is indispensable


----------



## budz4me (Jul 26, 2015)

Thanks guys for the input.

I chopped it last night, I cut out all the areas affected by the mold. I lost a total of about a half of a red dixie cup worth...not nearly as much as I thought at first.

The rest looks wonderful, and yes very very dense....this is my 9th grow overall, and I have never had buds this dense.

It was my fault, I forgot to plug the dehumidifier back on ( I was working in my grow room and the heat was too much, I was sweating badly so I unplugged it so it would stop blowing hot *** air and forgot to plug it back in.)

RH% got up to 66% and it normally hovers around 40%


----------



## zem (Jul 26, 2015)

yeah i must have been hit like 3-4x by it before i learned my lesson to always turn it on at the final phase of flowering. it is good news that you noticed it before it destroyed more bud :aok: i hope that you learn you lesson faster than i did


----------



## stonegroove (Aug 6, 2015)

I run my ventilation and my tower fans 24 7 in order to prevent mold, it's always worked for me


----------

