Banjo's 250w NGB Style Hashberry Automated Drip Air-Pot Grow

[banjobrain]

Lol. This whole Dyna-Grow thing is funny. A few months ago I decided I was going to try to run two ferts during bloom, one for each watering for my twice daily waterings for a test. I picked DG-B becuase of the complete profile[micronutrients] and concentration. Then last week someone makes that post about Dyna and it's all the rage right now but no one is actually using it.

My only problem with Dyna is the lower then usual Ca/Mg levels of 2% + 0.5%. It wasn't made with MJ in mind as some brands are.

FNB has 4% + 1.5%

It would be wise to have some Cal/Mag on hand, but then that kind of defeats the purpose of having a one bottle nute.

Yes sir, it is all the rage, right now! But like I said, the GH seems to be working well, and I'm not even using it full strength. Like the old saying goes, if it ain't broke...

I mixed in a considerable amount of mushroom compost into my soil, so there isn't much need to fertilize heavily. The plants have had a pretty adequate amount of food thus far.

I'm pretty sold on Espoma products, I've used them for years in the past, so next grow, I might use them even more and not worry too much about additional nutes. Even though the soil seems to be pretty forgiving, I have experienced some burn, trying to maximize growth.

However, I can see that one of my White Widow x Big Bud plants is feeding pretty heavy right now and needs a little additional love.

This has been a big experiment and I've learned a lot so far. Hopefully the plants continue to grow and thrive and I'll be rewarded with a successful harvest!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[banjobrain]

Day 21 of flower (maybe)

Day 21 of flower (maybe)

• 03/28/10 - Made the switch to 12/12 schedule with an HPS bulb
• 04/04/10 - Plants first started to show sex (visible to the newbie), culled males

So, depending at how you look at it, the plants have been in flower for 2 weeks or 3 weeks. I would love if someone could clarify this for me.

• Are my plants "in flower" from the time they are flipped, or from the time they actually show sex?

I'm going to take a stab at this one and say that they were in flower from the time that they were flipped, which would put them at Day 21 of flower right now. My reasoning is that...they probably were showing sex at the time that I flipped them, it's just that my untrained newbie eyes were uncertain and didn't want to take any chances pulling out a healthy female from the bunch.

At any rate, I am at Day "X" of flower (to be determined with your assistance). The four plants are looking very good right now, and like mellow yellow wrote, I really am enjoying watching these girls bud up. What fun!

Upon arriving home after a week of travel on Friday, the plants had stretched even more! Inside, the cab was running at a solid 80 degrees and the plants had continued to grow and develop prolifically.

Some of the fan leaves were 2-3" inches from my 250w lamp and a couple of them burned. Not a big deal, I just pulled out the plants (as seen to the left) and trimmed off the damaged leaves...I was quite surprised that they could get that close and not experience even more burn. This is a good sign.

Upon further inspection of the flowers, here's what I saw. It looks like things are coming together nicely!

HD1 WW x BB 1 WW x BB 2

Overall, things are looking good, but I have noticed some other things that I will have to consider. Besides the fact that I am already aware of the fact that I don't need to veg my plants quite as long next time around, I am noticing that the increased bushiness of the plant is creating a bit of a "microclimate" inside the canopy and my little fan needs some help circulating air inside the cab.

It's nice and warm up top, but it is cool inside the canopy and there's a bit of condensation forming. Not the end of the world, but from what I've read thus far, this may be something to be concerned about because it could potentially lead to some mold forming on some of the interior buds. So, I'll get a couple more fans and start moving some air!

I decided to go upstairs into the attic and see if the carbon scrubber was doing its job, also. I'll be damned, it certainly is! I can't smell a thing up there! Just warm air wafting out of the scrubber. It's wonderful! The room smells more than anything else, and it's really only when the door to the cab is open.

I will need to realign my lamp as well. Currently, there are too many bends in the ducting that leads to the fan. To improve efficiency, I may move my lamp to an angle across the cab, and then have less ducting bends.

Perhaps a design flaw in my cab, but it is only one of many. I plan on making many different improvements to the cab and potentially rebuilding it. We'll see what happens.

Finally, up until now, I have been taking my plants out every week to give them a soak in the bathtub. Currently, they are sitting inside of a rubbermaid style tub on the sliding shelf of my cab. This allows me to mix up 3 gallons of nute solution, and let the plants soak for 4-5 hours. They get a good drink and a heavy feeding and then are simply left to be watered by the drip emitters for the remainder of the week.

This way, I am not moving them around at all. I fill up the rubbermaid container, let them soak in the goodness and siphon any remaining nute solution out into another container. Anything that remains in the rubbermaid solution simply evaporates within an hour or so.

Is it the best thing to do? Perhaps not...but I'm not quite sure of the best way to utilize these Air-Pots in regards to watering. For me, this seems to work well, but would be interested in getting some feedback about this.



For now, that's all I've got, stay tuned for the next round of pics!

 

[banjobrain]

Damn. Not much to report. I'm very tired right now so I'll keep it brief. Looks like it's just me here, anyways, so what the hell...right?

Temps are running very high right now in the mid-high 90s.

Not good.

Plants looking ok and the room feels warm, but not that warm - so I don't know what's going on.

Hopefully they can maintain another 25-30 days till harvest!

Pics added later:

Here are some pics from the 05/02/10:

 

[eastbaybeast]

Yo banjo,

Good looking grow despite the hot temps LOL.

I think you should consider using that other exhaust flange on your grow hood. They put two on it for a reason.

Think about the improved CFM you would get from an open ventilation system as well as improved cooling.

Just an idea.

Peace.

 

[banjobrain]

Day 38 of flower

Day 38 of flower

After many people's advice at this thread here, I was able to get my temps back down to a more manageable level. Now I'm running steady at 82-85 degrees.

Been busy, but wanted to keep up with some photos, but that's all I've got for now. I'm tired! Enjoy!

 

[mellow yellow]

Looking good those buds starting to fatten up happy days

 

[banjobrain]

Looking good those buds starting to fatten up happy days

Thanks for following along, mellow yellow!

Things are looking good in there and I'm feeling better about the temps. Tomorrow, I'll be getting an extra AC unit for the apartment. Hopefully that will keep the temps even further under control.

After that, it's just more of the same... Just wondering if I should start flushing plants as I'm about 3 weeks out from harvest. Maybe use a little molasses? I don't know. I'll have to do some additional research and see what I can do to finish strong!

 

[eastbaybeast]

Last two weeks go ahead and flush with just water and molasses. However, I use molasses almost all the way through the grow. It feeds the bacteria in your soil.

Peace

 

[MushWeed]

Looking good BB.
You'll get a good return on investment for the few hours you're putting into your low maintenance garden.
Thanks for finding time to keep updating.

Reminds me of when I was growing in an apartment years ago. There was an apartment across the hall and a commercial airline pilot lived there that I hardly ever saw. He would be gone for a week or two at a time, then come home for the weekend and go back out again. One winter there was a bad storm and it blew off part of the roof over his apartment. The emergency crew went in to repair it and found a big automated grow. He came home a week later and they were waiting for him. I told the boys in blue "I had no idea people like that lived here!"

I'll stick around to pass the bowl of this stuff with ya.

 

[banjobrain]

Looking good those buds starting to fatten up happy days

Thanks, mellow! I appreciate ya stickin around during my first grow!

Last two weeks go ahead and flush with just water and molasses. However, I use molasses almost all the way through the grow. It feeds the bacteria in your soil.

Good to hear, eastbay. Been thinking about this. I'll probably run some molasses and water through there tonight at 1tbsp/gal.

Peace

Looking good BB.
You'll get a good return on investment for the few hours you're putting into your low maintenance garden.
Thanks for finding time to keep updating.

Reminds me of when I was growing in an apartment years ago. There was an apartment across the hall and a commercial airline pilot lived there that I hardly ever saw. He would be gone for a week or two at a time, then come home for the weekend and go back out again. One winter there was a bad storm and it blew off part of the roof over his apartment. The emergency crew went in to repair it and found a big automated grow. He came home a week later and they were waiting for him. I told the boys in blue "I had no idea people like that lived here!"

I'll stick around to pass the bowl of this stuff with ya.

Thanks, MushWeed. I do hope for a good return on investment. Honestly, anything would be a good return on investment. I'm just having fun.

Hopefully the roof stays on my apartment...lol

 

[banjobrain]

Day 48 of flower

Day 48 of flower

Hey all, it's been a while since checkin' in...

Things are looking ok in the cab after leaving it unattended for a week. I have been gone since last Sunday, when I watered the plants last. I wanted to water them heavier but didn't have the time (poor excuse, but long story).

After a week of travel and not seeing anything until last night, I was a little surprised when I opened up my cab! This is what I saw!


The fan leaves have really yellowed up and died off. I initially freaked out and began inspecting closer...


Ok...here's another look.


Well, after seeing this I totally freaked out and took another few photos in a rush - because this seems unusual...and I MUST post something here on IC to see if they were alright. Here are the rushed and blurry photos...


So...in my frenzy, I decided to make an "emergency" thread here to get some response to my "situation."

I received many good answers and realized that with these strains, yellowing near the end of flower is to be expected. Perhaps not that much, but the plants were stressing because they got a touch too dry.

Oh well, it looks like I'll have to baby them along over the next few weeks. Hopefully things will be in order for me to harvest them by June 1. I will be heading on vacation and don't want to let this run on throughout vacation. Ya know?

Now I need to think about trying to re-veg these girls, because I'd really like to try and make that happen. If anyone has any advice or links about harvesting and re-vegging, please pass them on!

Thanks ya'll

 

[banjobrain]

It's all good!

It's all good!

Disaster averted. As the plants are sitting in Air-pots...watering can be a chore. As the plants continued to grow, the number of drip emitters is not sufficient. They need additional water 1-2 x week. It would be too much of a pain in the ass now to move them or rearrange the drip emitters.

So, I keep the pots in a rubbermaid tub inside the cab. Once a week, I give the plants a good water bath. Last week's bath was short, hence the dry plants.

I gave them a good soak, they soaked up water during their entire dark period last "night." After perking up, I went to work on them, gently snipping the leaves that were dead. The only leaves taken were those that were clearly dead and/or shriveled. This is what they all looked like after a soak and a good trim! Nice!



It's all good in there! Everything perked up nicely. The small amount of dead was cleaned up. Buds are really starting to define the cabinet now. Maybe even more because I am like a kite right now. Either way, I just really like the looks of this, now....Here's a close up, better shot of the buds. Hashberry is in the front of the cab...White Widow x Big Bud is heading up the rear of the cab.



And here are a couple bud shots of the Hashberry girls...



And here are a couple bud shots of the White Widow x Big Bud girls...



Temperatures are better dialed in, although it's still running a little warm in the apt. Gave them a final flush after the good soak with a little Molasses water. 1 TBSP / gallon, more or less. I flushed them well and then drained the excess out of the tub.

Closed the door, add water to the reservoir and off on another road trip until Friday!

Thanks for checking in!

 

[eastbaybeast]

banjo, dude looks like your plants have made it through the storm and have arrived on the other side stronger than ever!

I always tell myself it's not what the fan leaves look like, it's what the bud is/will look like that matters and dude you have nice looking buds and that's all that matters.

Let's get some macros on those buds. How's the smell?


Peace

 

[mellow yellow]

Wow they have fatten up Happy days!!!

Like the what you are doing with the air pots gonna look into them, hope you get done in time - you have some lovely ladies there - happy days lol.

You gonna scope them before you chop?

Like your posts looking forward to the bud reviews!!

 

[banjobrain]

Day 53 of flower - almost ready!

Day 53 of flower - almost ready!

Just a real quick update now with photos...I came home to some items ordered for the upcoming harvest today and then quickly ran into my secret laundry room, it was back up to running a little warm... Decided to check out the progress of the group...Ok, what are we looking at? You can see the one fan in the back pointing down, I think this may have contributed to some warmer temps with the air not circulating properly. I don't know... There's also a group shot. Everything is looking nice and chubby!


The Hashberry plants are getting nice and fat right now...check out the pics of the trichs below! She's almost there, maybe another day or two. I snipped off two colas tonight as I want to keep some lighter and "heady" buds around. They are trimmed and currently drying. Also, I don't really know what the hell I'm doing, so I figured I could compare the harvest times.


Here are a few photos of the White Widow x Big Bud plants. I have more photos of these plants. They seem to be more photogenic, but I am really more excited about the Hashberry. The trichs on these girls are still pretty clear. They'll have to wait a little while longer. However, I also plan on chopping some for different high and letting the rest wait.



Yep, they're still a little clear and need a few more days...



See what I mean about the White Widow x Big Bud being more photogenic? These are pretty girls!



Well, that's all I have to report for now. Stay tuned for more updates and the upcoming chop!

 

[banjobrain]

banjo, dude looks like your plants have made it through the storm and have arrived on the other side stronger than ever!

I always tell myself it's not what the fan leaves look like, it's what the bud is/will look like that matters and dude you have nice looking buds and that's all that matters.

Let's get some macros on those buds. How's the smell?


Peace

Things are looking good, eastbay! I appreciate ya hanging in there with me! Hope you enjoy the new pics. It's the best I can do with the equipment that I have. Things aren't too stinky in there, but the Hashberry has a light citrus aroma when rubbed. We'll see how that progresses in there over the next couple of days.

Wow they have fatten up Happy days!!!

Like the what you are doing with the air pots gonna look into them, hope you get done in time - you have some lovely ladies there - happy days lol.

You gonna scope them before you chop?

Like your posts looking forward to the bud reviews!!

Yeah buddy, these Air-pots worked well. I would recommend keeping them in a tub for watering and then you're easily able to siphon off any remaining water. Thanks for hanging in here for my grow!

Like eastbay, I hope you dig the pics!

Thanks ya'll!

 

[banjobrain]

Day 54 of flower

Day 54 of flower

Think I might harvest tonight...but

I'm a little confused about trichomes. I'm viewing them under a 60-100x microscope and some are crystal clear, some are a dark amber.


I was expecting the trichs to be a bit more cloudy with some amber...I'm seeing mostly clear with a few dark ambers. Although 36 hours ago there were more clears than amber. At any rate...

I harvested a bit of the Hashberry on 05/20 after testing and have been testing it thoroughly today. So far it is a nice and heady effect and pleasantly buzzed with the body feeling. I'll fully harvest the remaining plant tonight and wait the other one out for a couple of days.

By the time I harvest the second Hashberry, I imagine I will harvest my first White Widow x Big Bud girl. Later on in the week, I'll probably be harvesting the last of the WW x BB. What I'm ultimately hoping for is 2 strains and 4 slightly different effects.

After harvest tonight, the plant will go under CFL's in an attempt to reharvest. We'll see how that turns out. I'd like to try turning one into a bonsai mom.

Stay tuned for more pics of the first true harvest tonight!

 

[mellow yellow]

Nice work, they are looking great, no expert with the scope only started using one on my last grow chopped a lot earlier than usual as i think i got carried away, next time i am going for mostly couldy but its hard to wait when your so close
Good luck with the reharvest!

 

[banjobrain]

Nice work, they are looking great, no expert with the scope only started using one on my last grow chopped a lot earlier than usual as i think i got carried away, next time i am going for mostly couldy but its hard to wait when your so close
Good luck with the reharvest!

Thanks bro! Yeah...the pics above of trichs are from three days ago. Chopped the one hashberry, I'll have some of her for the day time highs. I am patiently waiting to chop the others, though I may cut my first WW x Big Bud now.

We'll see. Thanks for checking in and I'll keep posted with the reveg progress!

 

[banjobrain]

Day 55 of flower - time to chop?

Day 55 of flower - time to chop?

Hi all,

Last night I chopped one of the two Hashberry girls. Below are a few close up trich photos:




And finally, here is the end result from one plant! Nice!



Close up of the previous photo. Time for dinner!



Finally, cut and time for reveg. This was just for a photo op. Soon, all the plants will be under CFLs for reveg.



Stay tuned for a potential White Widow x Big Bud harvest! I may be taking one of the two girls down tonight!