The growing large plants, outdoors, thread...

[Guest423]

Good luck this year bro. You are on a winning program. Lots of bubba crosses!

Thanks man I appriciate it. By the way your pic looks sick, thats gonna be a bomb spot. Yup, Bubba is a special girl to me, crosses, S1's, pure, she'll always be with me!

TOM- Your plants look killer, off to a really nice start look at all them shoots ready to explode with the nice weather still ahead. Who ever says growin plants was easy is a big liar! Alot of backbreakin work goes into it but its so worth every last bead of sweat. I like hard work though keeps ya in shape!

Good luck to everyone!

 

[nomaad]

LOL. Butte, I have a computer in my indoor veg site, one right inside when you walk in from the garden and an android device in my pocket. Its all stream of consciousness.

 

[fisher15]

The growing large plants, outdoors, thread...

TJO- the biologic systems extract bag is solid, butte could probably tell you the real differences between this 'extract' and AACT. Need to get me a scope.

You really should look into a little Honda generator, though. Will make your life so much easier. I run one of B's brewers off an eu2000. Will take maybe 4 gallons of unleaded to run the pump for 36 hours. Look into it.

 

[Tom Hill]

Butte, that was hilarious, they all logged off for a few after you said it too. You even guilted me into doing a little quick work in the greenhouse, thanks for that

Brownsville, welcome to the forum. Your 12-15psi gravity flow system is approximately what I work with too. Need more details as to whether or not 1inch then t's to X plants will work. How many total, what kind of emitters ect. If you are using drip emitters that are rated in gal per hr then you will not need anything at all, certainly not any pressure regulator. If you are running sprinklers then you might just install gate valves off the t's in the lower sections, then turn those down a bit until they are spraying in approx equal amounts to the upper sections.

Feb2006er, I am running 6 23wt cfl's in the 12x20 hoopties, spaced evenly. No sign of problems.

MediNice, I usually run both h20 and food through the same lines, though I have used dedicated food lines in the past too. I am not familiar with the food you're running but you may have to use a filter in the line. MUCH better to rinse a filter a couple times than go through the nightmare of unclogging each emitter individually, I've been there. Took me some time to find a disc-type (poker chip) filter that didn't clog 6 times per feeding as well as one that could hook up to the 2inch line without slowing flow. Finally found one at Sparetime, it's a $200-$300 animal, much larger than the regular disc filters.

Nomaad, yeah, they're charging. I went from those 3.5inchers to 5gallons to the ground. I fear the large plants in 10 gallons will surely shock for a couple weeks, too much matter up top, not enough below, cloning wax might help. Like in the fruit tree industry, much better to plug a small bare root tree w/nothing up top than a 2yr old in a pot. I think you're all about to have a lesson in the Doppler effect handed to you as I zoom right on by, tehee.

 

[localhero]

Tom, those look fantastic

I have a question for you:

I trainwrecked myself vegging. then to grab more space i converted a grow room into a veg room. the hps lights badly badly rootbound those ladies in their 2 gal pots. I thought the stress on the ladies had something to with spraying a bleach solution on the walls prepping the room for conversion, or else would have transplanted right away. when i put them outside i broke up the root mass and sprayed the root zone with a vit b mix. anything else i can do to get them back to normal? I mean man they look like bonsai's with smaller leaves, and very woody. heres some pics:

 

[Brownsville]

Brownsville, welcome to the forum. Your 12-15psi gravity flow system is approximately what I work with too. Need more details as to whether or not 1inch then t's to X plants will work. How many total, what kind of emitters ect. If you are using drip emitters that are rated in gal per hr then you will not need anything at all, certainly not any pressure regulator. If you are running sprinklers then you might just install gate valves off the t's in the lower sections, then turn those down a bit until they are spraying in approx equal amounts to the upper sections.

K so i was going to run the 1 inch straight down the hill to where i was going to have a hookup for the greenhouse with a 25' by 6' bed and a hose hookup, then down to the lowest garden right under the greenhouse. The lowest garden is going to have probably 24 plants and has probably a 10 height difference in the garden so i was thinking we might need controlled flow emitters to keep the whole garden on the same pressure. There are 2 gardens up above the greenhouse, the topmost one containing around 6 plants and the one below it containing ten plants. I was going to run 1" off the main line right across the top of both of these gardens. Each line would have a timer so we can coordinate watering times to be seperate for max pressure and im thinking that since they will be seperate its not a big deal if the pressure is different in the different gardens as long as they all have enough to run the mini sprinklers off of 1/4 inch off of 1/2 inch coming off the 1" top lines. 4 sprayers per plant maybe more? About 6' across 18" deep on the top gardens a little bit smaller on the lower garden. Probably alot smaller on the lower garden actually thats another guys deal. Sorry this is all a lil jumbled im trying to get all the details out. The top garden is only about a 10-15 foot drop from the tank. Also just like the bottom garden but not quite as intense, each garden does have a height different between plants soo maybe controlled pressure emitters all around?


Also last year this guy i was workin for grew 8+ pounder plants in piles covered with alfalfa and then a watering trough cleared around the plant at the top of the pile.. i grew some 4 pounders of different strains in the same fashion. Is there any advantage to using containers?

phew.. i hope somebody's able to visualize that. Ill try to come up with slightly clearer responses in the future

Thanks everybody

 

[theJointedOne]

TJO- the biologic systems extract bag is solid, butte could probably tell you the real differences between this 'extract' and AACT. Need to get me a scope.

You really should look into a little Honda generator, though. Will make your life so much easier. I run one of B's brewers off an eu2000. Will take maybe 4 gallons of unleaded to run the pump for 36 hours. Look into it.

thanks fisher

i have a 3k gene but i doubt the neighbor wants me running that thing all night? can the aeration take a break at night or will it become stagnate?

I don't mind running a gene a few hours a day, but all day is bad noise pollution imo

im gonna check out the biologic system, thanks for that.

 

[localhero]

TJO yes you have to run air constantly or it will die and smell like ammonia. those giant brewers are pretty awesome though, and they filter out the sediment too. you know ive been toying with the idea of a brewer without bubbles, using a small heavy duty water pump. feed a line from say a 55 gal barrel to the pump then pump that water to the top of the barrel making a waterfall effect. waterfalls make much better dissolved oxygen than any bubbler system. you wouldnt get a dead zone at the bottom because that would be circultaing back to the top through the pump.

issues:

will the pump kill benificial bacteria?

 

[fisher15]

The growing large plants, outdoors, thread...

TJO- your neighbor doesn't want to hear your 3kw run all night, I'm sure. But he won't hear a little Honda. In a straw box the $900 eu2000 is near silent.

 

[fisher15]

The growing large plants, outdoors, thread...

 

[Tom Hill]

Localhero,

I'd be willing to bet that there were many more environmental differences in the homes of those two plants both pre, and post transplant besides MH vs HPS. The plant on the right grew in a more humid environment with less intense lighting it looks to me. Then what are the differences in their current environments? There may be more going on not sure, but this is basically what I was speaking of in my previous reply to Nomaad. The plant on the left is having too much asked of it right now, and will take some time to adjust. If I was to try anything, it might be to increase the humidity of its current environment (I'm speaking of the air, not soil, overwatering will make it worse), and perhaps lessen lighting intensity. Got any scrap shade cloth lying around? If it's in a greenhouse, might try to wet the floor down some. I wouldn't stress out too much over it or try anything too drastic though, it will turn around, roots will grab hold, and the plant will once again be in balance. I'll post up some similar examples over the next few days so that you will have some company Respect for having the balls to post those pics amigo, got a feeling pics will be fairly scarce over the next couple weeks as many folks (including me at some locals I fear) will be dealing with this same exact shit. For future reference, I very much doubt that breaking roots up (pretty much always a bad call imo), or adding B1 did anything but exasperate the problem. -T

 

[ROOTWISE]

Alas, I am in the boat Tom speaks of in a number of planters. Some have hit the ground running, but my larger ladies are certainly bumming....

This year's first lesson is hitting home....NEXT!!!!

The coming two days have a forecast of mostly cloudy, should help...

Tom- your gardens are looking outstanding, worthy of MUCH gloating..... very happy your early planting worked out for you in those locales....

and yes, you can say "I told you so" about the transplanting now!!

 

[nomaad]

You may very well be right Tom... but I have another little trick inspired by the fruit tree industry to try...

Has anybody ever transplanted a small smart pot into a big one? I have found some serious fat roots sprouting out the bottom of some of my smartpots when they have been sitting on top of gravel... I think that this is why the Clueberries shocked, because they had all started rooting thru their pots and into the gravel...

Tomorrow I am going to run a tester... ten gallon smartpot into a 200... no removal from the ten. Any thoughts?

 

[humboldtlocal]

Hey Tom, your Blue Dreams look dreamy. They are rocking. I was gifted one by brother Nomaad and will be plugging it in tomorrow. Hope it can catch up.
Thanks again Nomaad. I am curious how your smart pot into another will do. I don't think the added benefit of not beating up the root ball will be worth the fight the roots will have to get through the fabric but there is plenty I don't know. I hope it woks out for ya. I will be removing mine before transplanting but you have quite a few more than me to play with.

 

[Ganja D]

I wouldn't do it Nomad. Sounds like it would just constrict and slow root growth if I understand you.
I've always found the key to avoid shock is a simple as really trying to establish healthy roots to begin with. Some strains roots just never get as thick,healthy and fast growing as others. I also like to use beneficial fungi,bacteria,and other microbes to colonize the roots. I've found that these can help the plant establish a stronger immune system. Plants don't need to use the normal energy for protection and can put it right into growth. In side by side roots are really a lot thicker and whiter and thickness and sturdiness of plant structure is better as well.
I suppose a good tea could contribute all the same things. Really makes a difference to baby your roots from a young age. Just my thoughts.

 

[planty]

You'll get more roots by ripping the bottom off and exposing all those root ends. They will branch out below..and above. That is what I will be doing after getting that advice from my buddy...

One thing I found to help them just take off and transplant instead of freak out is just use pounds and pounds of mycoapply soluble when I water them in...

My plants are throwing roots into the landscape fabric of the g pad floor and i pick them up some times and move them and they don't mind for what it is worth

 

[nomaad]

No plans to do this en masse... I'm transplanting as normal... but at least one plant is going in like this...

Planty: been seriously considering cutting the side seam on the small smarties for transplant instead of trying to shimmie them out of there which seems a bit stressful to me... especially if the rootmass isn't fully filling out the pot. Cutting the bottom off of the one i transplant in the smart pot seems like something to try.

I hope to prove you all wrong with the tester, but I'm not about to try this on the whole crop...

 

[Tom Hill]

Brownsville,

That is a bit difficult for me to picture but here are some thoughts. If you are splitting it up with timers then you're right, flow rate due to varying pressure will not matter so much. Please check the minimum pressure requirements for these timers though, this may be an issue. I've used various models of battery operated gardena brand timers in the past with pretty good results. However, nothing can compete with the farmer who has the discipline to wait till tomorrow to water when need be (or hit em a day early) to keep the saturation level hovering around perfect. I've used 6 spectrum fan spray 360's per 6ft container in the past with similar pressure, 8 would have been better. This is very much test to be sure territory guys. In hindsight, many many times I have gone with what I carefully planned and purchased and looked so good on paper etc. Then my ego was too damn stubborn to admit faults after set-up and fix them - this is always a big mistake.

The only advantage of containers I can think of is if the sides breath. IE, a 6 ft diameter breathing container 18inches deep, may perform similar to a 9ft bed, or close, due to the increased oxygen along the sides. Personally I'm trying to move away from containers, and going mostly back to holes on a new garden I'll post up in a few days when it's plugged.

Rootwise hehee, thanks bro. We will all get our asses kicked each and every season, this is how it goes and always has. I'll say this, it takes one to know one and this crew in this thread here lives and breathes this stuff on a daily. We slam heads together long enough and we'll surely figure it out, maybe

Nomaad, it's worth a try man, a test drive anyway. Honestly, the way I see it your damned if you do and damned if you don't. If roots are growing into that stuff it will shock coming out of it. My thoughts? Go back to plastic next time and slip right on out of em.

HL, GD, Planty, all.. Always a pleasure to see you. -Tom

 

[planty]

No plans to do this en masse... I'm transplanting as normal... but at least one plant is going in like this...

Planty: been seriously considering cutting the side seam on the small smarties for transplant instead of trying to shimmie them out of there which seems a bit stressful to me... especially if the rootmass isn't fully filling out the pot. Cutting the bottom off of the one i transplant in the smart pot seems like something to try.

I hope to prove you all wrong with the tester, but I'm not about to try this on the whole crop...

Cutting the pot off is how I did it last year, worked great. Peeling the smart pot fabric back gently exposed soo many root ends..same on the bottom. Folding the pot down and trying to finagle the potting soil and root ball out of it is a disaster IMHO...

Tom I hooked up my 1.5" regulator today, 72 GPM flow.. 4 sprayers (3.5 ft diameter 15GPH) in a 6 ft diameter pot worked perfectly just how ya told me they would...I'm doin perfect donuts over here...Also my sissy fittings didn't blow because my regulator did its job and kept the system PSI under 45

I wanted to note something for every one thinking about setting up an irrigation system...I've read all of you describe one long header snaking through your patch and many more sub headers(to go along the row and individuals themselves) How come none of you want to use a manifold? You can go on DripWorks.com and put in all the pertinent information and the program will put together the parts list for you and you just hook one hose for each zone to the manifold then put a T in for every individual you want to bring water to and an elbow to bring the poly across the top of the bed. You can see pics of what I described below.

 

[Tom Hill]

Hi Planty,

Are they all hooked up? Irrigation to the whole garden? Are those 1/2inch lines (6) leaving to the garden? And the pipe after leaving that filter servicing them is 1/2 inches (probably 3/8 id in spots @ connections)? No way you can get 73gpm through that or the filter - it would blow the works I think - that's 3600gph through a 3/8inch pvc system @ 15gph x 240. If they are all hooked-up, and all 240 sprayers are all lit up, congratulations you're blowing my mind (and defying laws of physics maybe) if all are throwing a 3.5ft dia! Otherwise, let us know how it goes when they are all (240) hooked-up me thinks. Oh, don't worry, those fitty's will blow, give them some time bro JK, I hope they don't but I do worry about them. -T