RG's Grow

[TheOneWill]

How many weeks is that LUI?

 

[Guest]

I'm in my 3rd week of veg with the LUI. I'm not really counting veg days with these plants because they are about a week behind because of my early problems.

 

[Fat Tone]

Glad they are looking healthier for you. They are coming along nice now.

 

[TheOneWill]

Yeah I might get me some LUI seeds.

 

[Guest]

I think you'll really like the LUI. Bonsaigrower had me hooked on his sweeet grow.

Here's a quick update. You can really see the Thai Lights have more Sativa while the LUI's have more Indica.



I switched to Sensi Grow mixed to the 800 ppm on the bottle lable and gave them a water. The stems are getting slightly red which indicates Mg def starting so they can make use of the full spectrum fertilizer now. My water cycle is down to 2 days now so repotting will be soon.

 

[sogdog]

I've read your other threads and have constructed my own rubbermaid based on yours.I'll be watching this one.Very nice cab!

 

[Guest]

Hey sogdog, nice ta see ya. Pull up a chair by the fireplace.

I figured the plants were looking ready for some more light so I swapped out the 26W lamps for 42W so I'm running about 60w/sqft now.



The water cycle is 2 days now so the plants are almost rootbound so they got repotted into 6" pots today.



Here's the Thai-Lights looking really good.



The LUI is growing much thicker and squatter than the TL. It has a noticable fragrance too. This one is going to be a stinker!!!



Here's a tip for anyone repotting. I mix my soil in a kitchen catcher garbage bag out in the garage. You can tie off the top of the bag and really mix the soil well without making a dusty mess. Then I dump a couple of cups of water into the bag in the house and the soil can be handled dust free. It's easy to handle the premoistened soil too!

 

[RudieJ]

Those plants are turning into straight up beasts. You go duct-tape-worshipping-Canadian-public-television-show host.

 

[Military]

plants look great RG But was really posting for this

I found this video, PERFECT!@! a Must WATCH!

http://www.muchosucko.com/show/awd_4_wheel_steering-40335

 

[WheelsOG]

Nice thread RG.

Thanks for putting these threads up. You are an inspiration for many of us noobie growers

 

[Guest]

Hey Red i was hoping you could help me out with a few questions.


I'm thinking about using a cab that is 31x12x12 so it's the same dimensions as your cab expect a lot less height.
i'm wanting to go with a 150 hps for lighting and the 705 can filter for smell.
will i be able to keep the cab cool enough with just having passive intakes and a computer fan that either pushes or pulls through the can filter?
I'm not sure if i should pull air through the can filter and out the back or just push air out of it?

Basically i'm hoping that i can use a computer fan and either pull or push through the 705 filter and this will be enough to cool and eliminate the smell from the cab.
I've found some 120 mm computer fans that can push 110 cfm but i'm not sure if that's strong enough?

thanks in advance for any help/advice

 

[Guest]

LOL Rudie, gotta luv the duct tape - eh! How's the seedling coming along?

Military - LOL that's a pretty funny episode. Amazing what you can do with some old cars and some duct tape. Hahahaha

Thanks for dropping by Wheels.

Hi Blaze309, I'd be happy to help you out. That's a pretty tiny cab to be sticking a 150W HPS in. I'm running 40x12x24 with 2sqft of grow space @ 75w/sqft. You'd be running 150 W/sqft, all you need is 50 W/sqft for flowering so your cab is more suited for a 70W HPS. That would cut your ventilation needs down by 1/2 and there's no need for that much light either.

I prefer a cooltube/lightbox design that is separately cooled. A small fan can be used for the lights and you know that it gets unrestricted air flow and all the heat is pumped out of the box at the lights. The scrubber can be much smaller because all it does is exchange the air in the cabinet.

The problem with a single stage scrubber/cooling system is that the fans are blocked and only pass a fraction of the rated air flow. Check out mtnjohn's cab. He uses 2 x 120mm computer fans that are stacked with a CAN filter for his 150 HPS. It's better to suck than to blow for air leak control but your cab is too small for an internal filter so it has to blow. Just do a good job and it won't suck. hahahaha



Here's a quick update. I'm just over 1 month in with the plants with the little TL in it's second week of veg. I'm a bit behind schedule because of the earlier problems. I'd like to start training them soon but am holding off until I repot into a larger pot.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the response red.
I ended up just getting the exact same cab you have so now i have a bit more space.
Hopefully i can seperate the light chamber like you did all i've gotta do is find somewhere to get a sheet of glass.
Also are you using the can 705 filter? I swear i saw in one of your threads that you were using one so i was wondering how it works for this size cab and if it's enough to eliminate the smell. I may of just been high tho and it was someone else using the 705

thanks again

 

[Guest]

Hey Blaze - I've seen picture frames with glass for sale at Walmart. I made my glass shield from a glass sliding door from a cabinet and cut it to fit with a $5 cutter. I'm not running a Can filter, just a simple one of my own design that I made for the tubs and still use with the HPS cab.



I repotted my little TL tonight into a 6" pot. The bigger plants are doing really good and are really taking off. They really like the higher light intensity with the 42W CFL's, even the little seedling. If you get the ventilation working right, the plants can take a ton of light. I have them all propped up nice and close the the glass so they can soak up the light.

Here's my filter design that is pretty easy to build.

Carbon Air Filter

My air filter uses two Sterilite containers. The small one must fit inside the large one.

The bottom is cut out of the small tub, I left a small rib in the center to support the screening.
Glue the window screen in place with the epoxy.

The lid of the large box is cut so that the small box with fit into it.

Intake holes are cut into the large box and the dryer adapters are fitted onto it. You can just duct tape it to the side if you don't have the adapters. This is probably the first time that duct tape is actually used for it's intended purpose. The flap is removed from the dryer adapter and I use a hack saw to trim off the pipe on one side.

A computer fan and a dryer hose adapter is fitted onto the lid of the small box.

When the filter is all assembled, I take silicone caulking and seal up crack where the small box goes into the large box lid.

My setup uses 1/2 lb of activated charcoal for a filter depth of 1" that I buy at the pet store. The 1" layer is good for the whole grow.

 

[Guest]

Here's an update fella's. Plants are nice and healthy. The Thai-Lights seeem to be Mg pigs cause they are showing red stems. The LUI has it slightly.

On the last repot I tossed in about 1 tbsp/gallon dolomite lime and it seemed to help a bit. I was hoping the Sensi Grow was fully formulated but maybe these guys can take a stronger mix on the next watering.

I've gave them a foliar feeding by spraying them with Epsom Salts mixed 1/4 tsp/gallon in a Windex bottle yesterday and then again today. I might mix in some Epsom at 1 tsp/gallon in the next watering.

Epsom Salts are a quick acting nute so it can be used to fix Mg deficiencies in the short term. It's MgSO3, magnesium sulfate which leaves a sulfate salt residue in the soil which builds up and pulls the pH down if used too much. I prefer to add Dolomite Lime which leaves no salt residue and buffers the pH. It's a slow acting mineral, not a salt and will last the life of the grow, you just have to add it to your soil mix.

 

[SlowCalaToker]

Hey Red, checkin in to see how things are going for you. The babies are lookin pretty good! Thanks for the info on the dolomite. I've got two clones rooting in a aero-box right now and am getting ready to start a SoG in my cab at the end of the month when my first two plants that I scrogged are finished. I will be getting some dolomite to add to the worm castings, pearlite, and soil I'm mixing up this weekend for the clones once they root out.

Couldn't be doin this without your willingness to share your "how to" here, Red. Thanks again!

 

[drifter421]

i'm deciding weather to use cfl's or hids and it's good to see people using cfl's with good results. thanks for the info on your grow.

 

[Guest]

Hey SlowCalaToker - good to hear from you again. Dolomite Lime is a must have for organic growing.

Hey Drifter - I really had good luck with CFL's and would recommend anyone to try using them. My cab design has a light bar for CFL's and the 150HPS so I can run all CFL's for veg and will be running 2 x 42W CFL's and the 150HPS together for flowering. Stay tuned.....

 

[Guest]

I was waiting for the plants to need watering before repotting into 8" pots and putting on the screen. I topped my plants the other day to get it ready for scrogging. I prefer topping to LST because it makes a nice symmetrical plant and kills the main growth shoot so all the cola's are all the same size.

The screen is made from a single coathanger spread out square with legs made from coathangers. It takes 3 to make up a screen. I duct tape it onto the pot securely so the plant can be lifted up by the screen. This was handy when scrogging in the rubbermaid tubs. I got the plastic coated wire at Home Depot. It was really cheap around $5 for 100 feet.



My growbox is pretty tight now with the 8" pots but there was still room to squeeze in the little TL. Actually I have room for 3 x 8" pots without screens and 2 x 10" pots.

Anyway I thought I'd find my SCROG tutorial from the old Rubbermaid days to jog my old memory...

Hi guys, seeing how it's been pretty quiet in the Lodge, I might as well show ya some more good stuff!

If you're gonna grow in tight spaces, ya better learn to keep the plant under control. MJ grows like a weed if ya give her lots of light and nutes. If ya fill your box early, then you're in for some fun.

SCROG (screen of green) is the best method to control both plant height and to maximize yeild. MJ, will develop growth shoots and branch out to fill all available light. If you bend the plant over (LST) it will make to make more shoots. Cutting the growth tip (FIM) also makes two growth tips. It will also grow more shoots if held against a screen.

I FIM the top of the plant when it has grown 5 - 6 nodes. I prefer FIM to LST because the plant grows evenly. It's your choice.

I put the screen on in late veg and fill the screen to 80%. Tuck all the fan leaves and growth shoots under the screen.

When the screen is 80% full, it goes under 12/12 lighting. The plant growth will take off during early flowering. Tuck and tie everything under the screen until the growth stops. The plant will develop buds and all growth will go to them.

Here is a grow that I did using 8" with screens made from coathangers. I got some plastic coated wire at Home Depot. The screens are about 8" above the pot.




Here is a grow with a reveg of the smaller plant in the above series. I made up a nice screen using PVC pipe. The screen can be lowered from 8" to 6" to get some more space for the buds.

I did a good job tucking and tying and got lots and lots of buds. Too many actually. I found out later that 8 buds per sqft is optimum.

 

[yeknomssa]

as always, Red, great advise. i've been meaning to ask you for a while, how well does dropping the screen 2" at flower work for you? i was thinking about incorporating that technique into my next grow that i'm gearing up for and was just curious as to how worth it it is lol