Diary PCBuds mini-grow

PCBuds · Feb 26, 2023

ReikoX · Feb 27, 2023

Holy cow that's chunky!

PCBuds · Feb 27, 2023

ReikoX said:
Holy cow that's chunky!

So what do you think about all the rusty edges on all my leaves?

Was it just magnesium lockout?

Oops, I meant potassium, magnesium, zinc, and maybe boron deficiency,..
My PH was quite low.

PCBuds · Feb 27, 2023

Alitolla said:
if you were able to oxygenate that water with a tube attached to a small aquarium pump your plant would explode...

I don't want to bother with that for the window plant. It's just an ornament for the kitchen.
I do have a bubbler going in the closet.

Alitolla said:
great job..

Thanks.
I always seem to grow better plants when I use lots of LITFA.
The more I ignore a plant the better off it is.
I just keep them watered all the time.
That's why I like the reservoir. I can see the water level and I never let it run dry, and I keep the PH at about 5.8

Alitolla said:
all the lollipopping do you keep it?

Yeah, I just blend it all in with the rest of the buds at the end.

I don't bother removing the larf on the closet plant either. I've got so much light beaming in there and lights mounted right down to the bottom of the plant, that the whole plant sees plenty of light.

I did remove a couple of lower branches early on to give me some room to get in there to water it and to help with air flow.

ReikoX · Feb 27, 2023

PCBuds said:
So what do you think about all the rusty edges on all my leaves?

Was it just magnesium lockout?

At this phase I wouldn't sweat the issue. But my crystal ball says it's calcium deficiency. :tiphat:

PCBuds · Feb 27, 2023

ReikoX said:
At this phase I wouldn't sweat the issue. But my crystal ball says it's calcium deficiency.

Yeah, I figured that it was a sign of what happened in the past.

I was so used to the PH rising that I was feeding the plants at about PH 4.6 after they started flowering just to keep the PH from climbing up over 7.0

It wasn't until a few days ago that I checked the PH in the closet, and it was down to about 5.6 so I had to flush the plant with about 6 liters of tap water (PH ~8.0) to bring it up to 6.0

I'm going to feed it at about 6.1 for a while figuring that there was a lot of nutes that had been locked out and a higher PH will help her access those nutes.

If I did have calcium deficiency, it was probably caused by lockout from back when the plant was creeping up to PH 7.0

The PH seemed to stop climbing up so wildly after I defoliated the plant.
I guess that can make sense if her nutrient requirements changed without all the big fan leaves?
Apparently it's the phosphorus uptake that makes PH climb. (Or was it potassium?)
Perhaps she's not taking up as much without all those fan leaves?

She's still drinking 4 liters a day at a PPM of 1200 (measured on the 0.5 scale) so I figure most of the nutes are going towards making buds and resin. And sap as well which I figured out with my last plant thanks to your help.

Ca++ · Mar 1, 2023

Hey buds. Hows you doin.
You had drilled the clip fan rear cover for oiling hadn't you?
I have a new suspicion regarding their aging. These bearing types are prone to dirt ingress, and from a design point, are not suited to the job. In our fans, I note they do fail as the fan is getting a bit grubby. Always the back one, which isn't even covered over. The front one, out of the air flow, I have never seen fail. I have puzzled over why the back one turns it's oil into tar.
I'm suggesting a good oil from new as usual, but then it might be an idea to put a sticker over the bearing, so it's not as exposed as it is from factory. I have not noticed any real dirt in the area, but another project has affirmed the idea of BB runs being much better. Also.. the maglev fans I use, don't like being 'sticker up' as they can loose oil from their open bearing. Also poorly suited to air so thick you can smell it.

Just something to think about, that others might like to hear about to

PCBuds · Mar 1, 2023

Ca++ said:
You had drilled the clip fan rear cover for oiling hadn't you?

No, I never did drill a hole.

I have to take my fans apart to clean and oil them once or twice a year.
It's kind of a PITA.

My power supplies need to come apart for a cleaning regularly too.
They have computer type fans though, and I don't think I can oil them? They appear to have sealed bearings and they don't seem to come apart?

Ca++ said:
These bearing types are prone to dirt ingress,.. Always the back one, which isn't even covered over,.. I have puzzled over why the back one turns it's oil into tar.

I noticed that too.
I think it's because the fan pushes the air forward which pushes the armature backwards. That puts most of the pressure on the back bearing, increasing the friction, heat and wear on that bearing.
It helps to have the fan blowing down, that way gravity helps a little to keep the pressure off the back bearing.

Ca++ said:
Just something to think about, that others might like to hear about to

I'm lucky in that a fan failure isn't much of a problem for me. All my fans are just circulation fans, so I won't have any overheating problems if a fan stops turning.
What does concern me is that the clip on fans don't have a thermal fuse inside, and I don't know what will happen if they stop turning?
I jammed the blade and checked the power consumption, and it was only 12 Watts, so the fan may be able to passively radiate 12 Watts of heat without melting or starting on fire?

The voltage supply fans would be a problem in that my voltage supplies would overheat without the fan and that might kill them?
They're supposed to have thermal protection but the power supplies might very well be garbage if they overheat.
As long as they don't start on fire from some sort of failure, then I don't really care much.
The power supplies have been going strong for years now and have been working fine.
I only turn them up to about half power which helps to extend their lifespan.

Ca++ · Mar 1, 2023

I think at half power, your psu's won't rocket up in temperature if the fans fail. So are unlikely to overshoot the thermal protection threshold. Though fans of that type rarely just stop, anyway. There is nearly always a lot of noise first.

I have seen a larger fan melt it's back cover. Perhaps a 12 or 16" I don't quite remember. It's not a size I use, but was shown to me. To date, I have not heard of one making a fire. When choosing fan motors, locked rotor current is a common spec. They are expected to not catch fire.

PCBuds · Mar 2, 2023

Ca++ said:
I think at half power, your psu's won't rocket up in temperature if the fans fail.

Yeah, but the LED strips can shoot out of control.
It's a constant problem.

Ca++ said:
So are unlikely to overshoot the thermal protection threshold.

My fans have no thermal protection.

Ca++ said:
Though fans of that type rarely just stop, anyway. There is nearly always a lot of noise first.

There is usually A LOT of dust clogging it up.
It stalls the fan and sucks the oil out of the felt.

PCBuds · Mar 2, 2023

Test currents written on the power supplies.
The maximum current is twice the test current.

PCBuds · Mar 4, 2023

I'm going to keep my two bottom branches when I chop my plant.

That Larf looks pretty good to me.
It should help keep my planter alive until next fall,..

PCBuds · Mar 8, 2023

PCBuds · Mar 8, 2023

Frosty Nuggets · Mar 8, 2023

Mate, that's a chunky plant.

Alitolla · Mar 9, 2023

What a monster..dude

in italian style

PCBuds · Mar 10, 2023

Frosty Nuggets said:
Mate, that's a chunky plant.

Thanks Frosty

PCBuds · Mar 10, 2023

Alitolla said:
What a monster..dudein italian style

Thanks Alitolla

I'm going to cut it in a day or two.
I've been feeding her just straight RO water for the past couple of days, not so much to flush the plant, but to flush the media to get it ready for the next plant.
The runoff was reading almost 3000 PPM.

She'll be 12 weeks old on Sunday.