# First Grow - Sensi Seeds Limited Edition Shiva Skunk?



## BugsBunny (Jan 20, 2012)

For my first grow of any kind, I ordered hxxp://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.u...d-edition-shiva-skunk-feminized/prod_793.htmlSensi Seeds Limited Edition Shiva Skunk  from the Attitude Seedbank.

I'll be growing these plants indoors, in a BC Northern Lights Producer, which has about 3 feet of overall growing height.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this strain?  The description said it is very easy to grow.


----------



## powerplanter (Jan 21, 2012)

I've never grown it myself.  Sounds good though.  Let me know how you like the Producer.  Just wondering how well they work..?  And if you don't mind, how much did it cost and what extra's did you get?


----------



## BugsBunny (Jan 21, 2012)

powerplanter said:
			
		

> I've never grown it myself.  Sounds good though.  Let me know how you like the Producer.  Just wondering how well they work..?  And if you don't mind, how much did it cost and what extra's did you get?



I did a lot of research on the Producer before I bought it.  Almost all reviews were positive.  The good people at BC Northern Lights answered countless questions from me over a 4-week period.  I asked for the manufacturer of their bulbs, internal ballasts, pumps, etc.  They answered all my questions completely.  I had practically a complete design drawing before I bought the machine.

And when I found out that the US Dept. of Agriculture ordered a bunch of them, I ordered mine as well.

I ordered during a "free shipping" sales event, so I saved about $120 (USD).  The package I ordered was "The Bloombox Royale Combo", which includes the Producer, a dryer, and an upgraded nutrient kit (a full year's supply of their highest grade nutrients).  And this included 3 years of free phone support, 365 days per year.

From their website hXXp://www.bcnorthernlights.com/hydroponics-combos/the-bloombox-royale)

*The Bloombox Royale Combo Offers:*

GroSmart&#8482; Technology. The most user-friendly model on the  market; programmed to control lighting, watering, carbon dioxide and  exhaust.
Medical grade finish to resist mold and mildew while reflecting the full light spectrum.
Accessory pack including digital PH and TDS pens,  electrode storage solution, measuring syringe, pruning scissors, cloning  scalpel and digital thermometer
Power-safe technology, drawing less power per unit than most household appliances
Phone and email support 365 days a year

I like mine so far.  The price was very steep: about $5200 (USD) shipped to my door.  That's a lot of money, but caused me no undue strain.  I'm in a stage of life in which I can afford to splurge a bit.

The machine is stealth, quiet, and was designed by certified electrical engineers.  So I'm not worried about my house burning down while I'm at work.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 21, 2012)

Boy it will be something to see this work.  For that kind of money, I would come to your house and be your personal gardener.  The unit itself is so short (you said 3' growing space?) that you are going to be handicapped by the height.  Unfortunately, Shiva Skunk is listed as an indica/sativa cross that grows tall.  It is hard to see that strain working in a grow box that only affords 3' growing height (is this _actual_ growing height?  3' looks like the total height).  I couldn't find the size of the unit on the link you provided and it is hard to tell from the description what came with this.  It says 2 400W HPS *bulbs*--does it have a ballast and reflector.  It also says 2 125W (actual wattage) CFL *bulbs*--what about sockets and reflectors?  One T5 bulb set-up--what is that?  Can you tell us more about the unit?  It is hard for me to see anything that justifies a $5200 price tag.  Is there a reason that you picked this particular unit other than the USDA thing?

I recommend ordering some different seeds.  Look for a pure indica that will stay short.


----------



## BugsBunny (Jan 21, 2012)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> Boy it will be something to see this work.  For that kind of money, I would come to your house and be your personal gardener.  The unit itself is so short (you said 3' growing space?) that you are going to be handicapped by the height.  Unfortunately, Shiva Skunk is listed as an indica/sativa cross that grows tall.  It is hard to see that strain working in a grow box that only affords 3' growing height (is this _actual_ growing height?  3' looks like the total height).  I couldn't find the size of the unit on the link you provided and it is hard to tell from the description what came with this.  It says 2 400W HPS *bulbs*--does it have a ballast and reflector.  It also says 2 125W (actual wattage) CFL *bulbs*--what about sockets and reflectors?  One T5 bulb set-up--what is that?  Can you tell us more about the unit?  It is hard for me to see anything that justifies a $5200 price tag.  Is there a reason that you picked this particular unit other than the USDA thing?
> 
> I recommend ordering some different seeds.  Look for a pure indica that will stay short.



Fortunately, most Northern Lights strains can be flowered beginning at 8-10 inches in height (some shorter) and are very good candidates for "Screen of Green" type grows.  The plants can be trained to grow horizontally as they approach the lights.

I've read of White Widow grows in the Producer that went well, as long as "Screen of Green" methods were employed.  As I'm sure you know, White Widow plants grow very tall.

The unit has a 125-watt CFL bulb for seed-popping and propogation.  It has 2 400-watt MH bulbs for vegetation, and 2 400-watt HPS bulbs for flowering.  Additionally, if has two T5 HO bulbs at the bottom (shining "upward") to supplement flowering.

The 2 MH/HPS ballasts are manufactured by "Quantum", which is a good ballast as far as I've read.

Yes, it has all the sockets necessary to use the described bulbs.  And it has a nice reflector.  And the entire inside is powder-coated steel (flat white) for good reflectivity.

The unit also has several ventilation fans, and an odor-control system (filters).  Oh, and a Carbon Dioxide supplement system.

And all circuits were designed by professional Electrical Engineers (i.e. no worries about house fires from bad wiring or overloaded circuits).

The unit also came with an electronic dryer unit.  And with high-quality trimming scissors, scalpel, rockwool cubes (small and big - a year's supply), PH and TDS pens, and a year's supply of very expensive nutrients.  And 3-year's 365-day 24-hour phone support for machine operation and growing questions.

As for the 3 feet of total growing height, studies show that MH/HPS lights can't penetrate more than 3 feet through the canopy of marijuana plants anyway.  So any more height is pretty much wasted space.

The $5200 price tag didn't really bother me, since I've been wise with money most of my life (until now!!!).  And I'm a TERRIBLE "Do-It-Yourself'er" (I'm a Software Engineer, i.e. useless for anything practical around the house).

Plus, when I move to a new house (within a year if all goes as planned), all I do is roll my Producer into the moving van (it has wheels), drive it to a new location, roll it out, plug it up, and I'm ready to grow again.  I could even do this mid-grow.  Thus I save the expense and effort of disassembling one grow room, and building another.

Maybe I'll find that I made a mistake.  I don't know.  Time will tell.  Wish me luck.


----------



## powerplanter (Jan 21, 2012)

I've been looking at those for some time.  I don't have that kind of cash (yet) but they look like a real nice set-up.  I have been looking through the threads to see if any one here at MP had tried one.  The height limitation is the only thing I see wrong with it.  Time will tell.    I'm curios to see how it does.  :icon_smile:  Take care man.  Oh yea, hold this,  :48:   and be safe.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 21, 2012)

I can certainly see the advantages of a totally self contained unit.  I doubt that you will be sorry that you bought it--I am sure that it will be a great little unit and it has a lot of neat features.  

Do you have 3 _actual_ feet of growing space after you take away the height of the light and containers?  A scrog is certainly doable if you have 3 actual feet of growing space.  I did a nice scrog in a space with 4' total height.    

What are the actual dimensions of your vegging and flowering spaces?


----------



## BugsBunny (Jan 21, 2012)

I just measured, and the actual internal dimensions are 54" wide x 26" deep x 36" tall (actual height above the top of the growing pots, to the bottom of the lights above).  The hydroponics system has 18 growing sites, but I will only use about 7 sites per grow for a "Screen of Green" technique.  Assuming I can execute the "Screen of Green" technique adequately, I think I should be able to get some decent grows.

Vegging and flowering are done in this single chamber.  When switching from vegging to flowering, I must change bulbs (MH to HPS), and flip the switch from "18-6" to "12-12".  That's it.

Honestly, almost any grow will yield better stuff than I've been buying.  Complete seed-filled crap.

Good growing to you,

BugsBunny


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 22, 2012)

I would be running veg lights 24/7.  Running your lights at 18/6 will encourage stretch--something you want to keep at a minimum.  You have almost 10 sq ft there--they are stretching that 400W to its full limit.  I personally think that 7 plants are too many if you are planning a scrog in a 10 sq ft space--I'd probably go with 4.


----------



## Lemon Jack (Jan 22, 2012)

:yeahthat:  great advice right there.


----------



## BugsBunny (Jan 22, 2012)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> I would be running veg lights 24/7.  Running your lights at 18/6 will encourage stretch--something you want to keep at a minimum.  You have almost 10 sq ft there--they are stretching that 400W to its full limit.  I personally think that 7 plants are too many if you are planning a scrog in a 10 sq ft space--I'd probably go with 4.



There are 2 400-watt bulbs in there, spaced about 18-inches apart.  800 watts total.  Lack of lighting will not be a problem.

But you're right about the number of plants.  I'll probably go with only 5 for a Scrog grow.  And cull the smallest one if necessary.

BTW, I took your advice regarding the Shiva Skunk.  I ordered some shorter-growing Northern Lights and some AK-48 seeds from Nirvana.

Do you think I could grow 3 Northern Lights and 2 AK-48 in there at the same time?


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 22, 2012)

Cool--plenty of light!  I think you will like both those strains and you should be fine running 3 NL and 2 AK-48 in there.  I believe that they have a similar plant structure.  Did you order fem seeds?  If not and you will have to sex these, you may want to do more of a Sea of Green the first time out, basically for clones.  It is better to use clones rather than unsexed plants when doing a scrog because it can be hard to cull the males out.


----------



## BugsBunny (Jan 22, 2012)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> Cool--plenty of light!  I think you will like both those strains and you should be fine running 3 NL and 2 AK-48 in there.  I believe that they have a similar plant structure.  Did you order fem seeds?  If not and you will have to sex these, you may want to do more of a Sea of Green the first time out, basically for clones.  It is better to use clones rather than unsexed plants when doing a scrog because it can be hard to cull the males out.



Thanks.

For this first grow, I went with feminized seeds.  Very excited.

I plan to start a grow journal once I get started.


----------

