150w HPS Club and Resource Guide......

[Sobekobe]

Reporting in with my new 150w HPS

This Auto White Russian was under CFLs for most of her life, but HPS is definitely changing things for the better...

 

[Inverted]

Can I join?

Can I join?

I too am an OG refugee, but have been lurking here for a couple years. Now is the time to post I suppose!

I have 3 of Nirvana's Chrystal, and 2 unknown Haze plants in a 2'x2'x3.5' box that I built a month ago. Things are coming together and I have 3 more strains germinated and ready to hit my Veg box, which is just a little smaller.

I'm going to tie the Haze females down because they have one hell of a stretch in them, and I didn't get my scrog initiated before flowering this time so it's gonna be a little jungle before long...

What do you guys think? I know it's kinda "rigged" but I think it's not too bad. I also have 200w of 2700k CFL's on a setup that I can throw in there, but i'm making sure my temps are within range before adding them. They were warmer than the HPS when I vegged under them.

BTW the Haze were vegged from seed for 27 days, and the Chrystal for 24. They are now on day 16 of flowering and moving right along if I might say so.

 

[Pipedream]

Inverted - Welcome aboard and enjoy the ride. The plants seem to like whatever you're doing, so make any changes slowly. Your "box" brings back memories. My very first grow-space also had walls and no top, and looked similar. I remember the entire room glowing orange from all of the light that poured out of it. Can I assume that this is in a basement that stays totally dark during the lights-off period?

 

[Inverted]

Your assumptions are correct. I'm not new to this by any means, but indoor is new to me. I've been an avid Outdoor gardener for about a decade, and decided to flower my first crop indoors. My 12/12 cycle pretty much coincides with the daily sun up and down cycle and the windows are blacked out so yes, it is light sealed. Is that alright to vent it that way, I mean that fan is probably replacing the air in the box at least 10x a minute and I know only once per minute is sufficient.

Thank you for the warm welcome! I envy what you guys do over here with small spaces and wattages, which has always gotten me interested in what is possible. Glad to be a part of the team! I <3 my Sun System 150!

Smoke one with me!

 

[mordan]

Day 47 from Bagseed

So here she is....my little girl mostly grown up. This was my first indoor grow, 150hps horizontal in a cab with a footprint a little over 3 sq feet. I had 4 plants veggin for 30 days and flipped to 12/12, 3 of the plants grew balls and got the chop.

So 47 days in and this is what she looks like. I have been giving her molasses for one week now (two waterings) and I am curious what the 150 community thinks how long she has to go. She only grew about an inch when put into flower and is still only about 12 inches tall. So Im not setting any yield records here, but I loved every second of it!

Thanks for the knowledge

 

[grumblez]

You are almost done. Another week perhaps? I waited for the hairs to go 50-75% amber then WHACK.

 

[Sobekobe]

That looks awesome!

 

[KolorBlind]

Mordan - Looks great man! Some of the better bag seed Ive seen for sure! I agree with the estimate of 1 week. I dont see the buds growing much bigger, but they should get a bit darker and more resinous.




I had a general 150w question...

I have a gutted mini fridge that Ive used for a couple harvests now. I recently purchased my first home so the first thing I am doing is converting half of a walkin closet into a perpetual setup, and starting my Apollo11 ladies which are germinating as I type.

I would like to get the best female, take a cut from her and pollinate that cut with the best looking male for some seed stock as I am using my LAST 16 seeds. Which means that my male will be approx 4 to 5 weeks old when my cutting is taken. I will place a male & female in the gutted mini fridge in a separate room to let nature do its thang. So my question(s) are:

If left on 12/12, will my male plant still be throwing out enough pollen by the time my cutting is ready to accept it?

Will a 150w HPS be too much for my little clone? I plan to throw her in there as soon as shes sufficiently rooted on 12/12 with the male, but probably 10 inches or so from the light.


Thanks guys!
KB

 

[grumblez]

Kolorblind,

You might want to try to capture some pollen in an opaque container and keep it in a cool dry place. You can then use any number of methods to get your girl preggers. I would try using a paintbrush and a plastic bag to isolate the target budsites.

By collecting the pollen when it comes you do not have to worry about timing, only application.

My gut feeling is that if you give that bastard a shake anywhere near two weeks into flowering for the girls and you would have yourself a population boom. So hopefully you have no issues. Pollen is usually pretty effective if anywhere near the target at the right time...from what I have read. lol.

150 works fine with clones, just make sure you have the heat taken care of and start with a more conservative placement of the lamp until you feel the specimen is hardy enough to be tested.

 

[KolorBlind]

Grumblez - Thanks a ton man, great info there. I suppose either way you look at it I should give pollen collecting a shot, but I was just made aware of one simple yet awe inspiring fact......males are freakin CLONEABLE!!

I dont know how I didnt think of it before, but I think all I will do is just find my healthiest boy & girl, take cuttings and put them together in the "Sex Box" Hell maybe even a couple girls for that matter, get a little variety in there

And yeah youre right about the distance on the HPS, maybe I should start at around 20" if I can, then move closer as needed. After all, Im not exactly going for yield here, just wanna get some good beans!

Thanks again! +rep!!!
KB

 

[grumblez]

Drying and Curing Follow-up

Drying and Curing Follow-up

Hey all, maybe I will do a bigger write-up (and maybe not) on this, but I wanted to share the results of the Bulenath Lei versus Pipedream Brown Paper Bag drying methods.

I found both to be fun and effective ways to process the plant overall and believe trying both styles out was a valuable experience. I will most likely do both again.

Notable Bits - Bulenath's Lei Method (BLM)

View image in gallery​

Bulenath's Method

Speed
First, the Lei Method is quick. I could smoke the herbs and not gag 2 days after stringing them in a dark wardrobe with a fan blowing up at the payload. This was nice considering I just finished the LAST BAG I WILL EVER BUY the night before I took her down.

Adulteration (for my man Tiger)
The stringing process left me with VERY sticky hands and I felt it was potentially to the smoke's detriment to have a clown like me smoosh the buds as I tried not to hit an artery (mine) with the needle. Once strung up the buds were not in harm's way at all.

Taste
I found that with this method the herb still has that strong "Gamey" aroma in the jars. Kinda like the smell of fresh plant (blood) being cut. It has only been a few days curing, so I believe it will subside.

Smoke
This stuff smokes fine. No harshness, no chem taste from nutes...we are all set.

Notable Bits - Pipedream's Brown Paper Bag Method (PBPB)

View image in gallery​

Pipedreams's Method

Speed
Prep time itself is very quick for this way of prepping your bounty. Hack, snip and trim your pieces and pop them in the handy paper bag you have been saving for a rainy day. The DRYING time is slower than with the Lei method. Think about it....your nugs are in a bag with no fan on them. Duh. It took 2 days longer for the buds to be smoke worthy.

Adulteration (for my man Tiger)
Shaking the bag a couple of times a day certainly has a loss of heads associated with it. How much? I do not think much, but for the purists out there it may be an issue. I would think about ventilating the bag as per Pipedream himself if I thought mold would be a threat due to relative humidity levels. Note that if you do not shake the bag enough your buds will flatten.

Taste
These buds mellowed in smell quicker than the Lei method. Not sure why. Physics/chemistry buffs please chime in.

Smoke
This stuff smokes fine. No harshness, no chem taste from nutes...very good.


Here is a side by side of the two methods:

View image in gallery​

All in all, both worked. Both buds shown were symmetrical bud sites from the same plant. You will note from my somewhat fuzzy picture above that the BLM leaves you looking a little more "Captain Caveman" than with the PBPB method. The PBPB makes the bud look a little more commercial.

I chopped a lesser specimen of the same phenotype down a day ago and tossed her into the bag. If the cola were large enough for me to worry about mold/drying too slow I would string her up in a heartbeat...plus with major bud sites the material is easier to string than with smaller ones.....I ramble....(STONER).

A++ to both PD and Bulenath for their methods!

Not a bad run for some bagseed. If anyone has any genetics to recommend please do...I am looking to pick some strains up.

My sativa pheno will be done in a week or so and I will be reporting in for duty. rofl. Be good folks! Be kind in the holidays!

 

[catman]

Good experiment grumblez. Thanks for sharing.

I once showed my homegrown buds to a friend who smokes on the daily, but doesn't grow his own and he asked why my bud looked so different. I put some of mine in a plastic bag and rolled it around and presto, "dense" street bud.

 

[mordan]

Grumblez, Sobekobe and Kolorblind, thanks for the help and positive input. I love this site it has been a great source....

Also I am with you grumblez....I am ready fro genetics, so any input for a newbie would be nice. I have looked at every strain from nirvana and just cant decide. I would be looking for a strain that has not so much of a couch lock affect, also my 150 cab is only 23" tall.

Thanks for the knowledge

 

[vintner]

Grumblez: Thanks for that great comparison write up I use a combo of both those methods. IMHO, this is the best time of the year to harvest. I like a long, slow drying period. Ya gotta check your buds frequently though!
You should give water curing a try some time. This past summer I walked around several outdoor functions (fair, concert...) smokin water cured blunts and no one was the wiser LOL
Stay safe n stoned!

 

[grumblez]

Thanks Vinter....Tri-State board is slow...I picked up some beans.

Satori x White Rhino (Skunk420)
Breeder Mix (15 beans)
SSSDH

Lets hope they come through ok...

 

[vintner]

It waxes and wanes. Congrats on the new gear! That SSSDH is the bomb!

 

[KolorBlind]

Grumblez, Sobekobe and Kolorblind, thanks for the help and positive input. I love this site it has been a great source....

Also I am with you grumblez....I am ready fro genetics, so any input for a newbie would be nice. I have looked at every strain from nirvana and just cant decide. I would be looking for a strain that has not so much of a couch lock affect, also my 150 cab is only 23" tall.

Thanks for the knowledge

If you have the cash and want to make sure you are not disappointed, I will recommend 2 strains for you. Apollo11 and Norther Lights.

Both are Sativa heavy and will give you an intense head high without the couch lock. The Apollo11 I last harvested ended up at 26" with ZERO training, plus they say ScrOG is best for A11, so 23" would be fine. Northern Lights is one that I have never personally grown but sampled many times from other growers. If I could get my hands on some beans its probably all I would grow for a long time.

In fact, check out all of the Spice Bros strains you can, a lot of them are sativa crosses bred specifically for indoor growing which means you can keep them small if need be.

Good luck and let us now what you decide!
KB

 

[southpaw]

Catman, how do you have you computer fan rigged up to blow from underneath? I am going vertical next time around, but I also happen to be a DIY retard, and all I can conceive at the moment is tipping over my oscillating fan, which takes up way to much space. It was cool though, my hand was only faintly warm 2 inches from the bulb. This should be a major improvement, assuming I manage not to burn the closet down.

 

[sito007]

WAUP 150w club just wanted to drop one on ya.
At almost week 10 and 2 Togo. The buds are forming late because of moving them out a scrog cycle that went wrong . I had 6 plants in a 4x4 chamber with the 150w hps but these sativas grow to tall lol and all got their tops burned while i went out of town for a couple days after cutting the chicken wire and half dead and the other half shocked and stress , hope i get to harvest at least 50 grams dry lol
They are now at johnny boy's cabin he got the 150w hps on a light track system

 

[Shred42O]

dam 4x4 and only a 150 i would think about upgrading with that much space your missing out on alot of potential