Size does matter!

[Natagonnaworrie]

Jro nailed it on Vert grows... a bunch of hassle for a bunch of fluff!

don't tell me that!! i am running my first vert test and its looking a little bit fluffy..

i guess only will tell.

I'm giving a plug 'n grow co2/temp/rh controller a test in a couple systems too. I like it so far, combined with a few other tweaks.... but it does go through about $50 of bottled co2 / mo. running a single 1k, bigger systems are running natural gas generators...

yeah but standard cycle plants (assume 8 weeks) = $100. What are the benefits?

I am filling a 20lb tank for $20 every week but even at $160 every 2 months its worth it. The initial investment is high though, with proper controller and all.

 

[Daffy]

Vert Grow's don't grow fluffy bud, bad grower's do.

 

[Daffy]

Your grow looks like its going to be massive, just keep the lights close like you have been.

 

[Dorje113]

yeah but standard cycle plants (assume 8 weeks) = $100. What are the benefits?

I am filling a 20lb tank for $20 every week but even at $160 every 2 months its worth it. The initial investment is high though, with proper controller and all.

benefits of natural gas co2 generator? It is efficient and can be plumbed into the house's gas supply. Trying to keep the ppms up with a bottle costs a ton of $ in a larger system.

 

[Dorje113]

Snowcap in 20 gal smart pots 3 weeks in

 

[killerweed31]

amazing man!!

 

[Natagonnaworrie]

Your grow looks like its going to be massive, just keep the lights close like you have been.

Daffy, was this directed at me? If so, would you think i could benefit from say 5 or 7 gallon smart pots vs. the 4 gal reg pots i have now? I don't veg for more than 3 weeks from clone. Not sure if i would be wasting money on unused soil.

i am debating switching to larger pots (smart pots maybe) and switching to coco. but then i would have to learn to build a drip system.. can't be too hard tho.

if anyone else has any tips for me my thread is in my sig. the most recent one is the one that says (flower). I am praying for a good yield cuz and i cant stand larffy buds.

 

[ThePieEyedPiper]

I was using aircooling for years, then removed the lenses and cranked up the 25K btu AC, and co2 monitor , vegged for min 1month clones, using rails for better coverage. Seeing huge results from these techniques.

 

[str8clandestine]

size does matter, indeed, but so does what medium you are using, how much light they are receiving, the genetics, nutes, dosage of nutes, and temperature. 3 gallon smart pots in the way to play it safe though, if you use coco you could go down to even 1 gallon, if you are doing perpetual sog for personal use.

 

[Daffy]

I'm using 3 Gals right now. They rock. Next run though its a 55 gal.

 

[the gnome]

 

[Daffy]

Yes everyone can benefit from a larger pot. Think about Jorge Cervantes and all the outdoor ops that he shows, what is the pot size their. Most are 1 m3 so about 250 gals. Thinks about hydroponics, there pot is a virtual one made up of plant usable compounds, barely any limitation to the roots and uptake 'sans other factors'.

 

[datura_kid]

i havent had time to read but the first page...it all depends on your setup and method...for example - whats the benefit of big pots and long veg if you let them go big and tall and your using 400's that cant penetrape deep enough...

i, as most people i believe, am limited with horizontal space, but am free to use alot of vertical, so i was thinking of same diameter pots next time, only higher/deeper/taller, so i can double or triple rootmass and still keeping same number of babies on a given area...

 

[overmyhead]

Here is a 4-600 set up that puts out 2.5-3lbs every 2 weeks depending on strain....

Man, every time I think I've found a method I want to use I see something simpler. Can't see the pics for this post? Can you break down (per light) this set up for us?

I finally have my first set of indica dominant plants (5 x blackberry kush and 3 unnamed) they are now about 15" tall in 3 gal smart pots under t-5's. THe plan was to put them in 5 gal smart pots, move them under two 600's w/air cooled super sun 2's, prune and flower. There are also 8 lgm 5 led bars in there for supplemental. My question is, would I be better off sacrificing them as mothers and doing some of these beds? I really don't want to buy any hydroton right now, maybe some but I already have tons of pearlite, both standard and coarse. What would be y best investment of time? Thanks!

Edit: this is all in a tent so getting huge beds in and out would be an issue. I do have some masonry tubs from the depot they're 34" long, 22" w and 8" deep. I've used them to catch run off before, using them for a dcontainer does anyone think that they could be bad for the plants?

Edit #2 - all the sudden I can see the pics - my bad! Can you tell us more about the watering system? Also, do you think that the plastic that the masonry tubs are made out of can be toxic to the plants or when smoked? They're the perfect size to section up my tent and will fit in my little veg tent too. Finally, is there anything that should NOT be used in the perlite (liquid karma, greenfuse stimulants, superthrive, bloombastic are the main supplements I've got. Thanks again I'm going crazy trying to figure out how to do this in my space!

 

[overmyhead]

Just to get this straight, how are the cuttings watered? Are there drains in the cups? So that is 1.1 ec with a fresh cutting (no roots)? Never done anything in straight perslite before so this is wild to me.

oh boy... better get a coffee for this one! haha
lets see.. first, every strain and every system are different and require different maintenance. the old pics from the beginning of this thread are from what we used to call the test room.. that is where we dialed in new strains and techniques etc...
there is no set times to strip a plant, that particular strain and system required the 21/45 day stripping, that is what worked best for those.
Now in beds, (which have always been my choice of growing) the timing will be dictated by plant count, lumens, medium and most importantly strain.
With the above mentioned strain, the early strip is needed to help control stretch and encourage proper growth of the strain. which that one is a 50/50 sativa/indica. however there are other factors involved. the tight spacing ( 6" ) and perlite, which make them stretch more than they normally would in say soil. When using perlite we found that vermiculite was a waste of time and materials. if you keep the plant at a reasonable height and strong stem the plant will be fine in perlite. it is important to keep the medium moist. letting them dry out is when you run into problems such as falling over ect...

Again veg time depends on your system. there is no correct answer there. however i have found for best results in my system some veg time gives better over all structure and health. you must spend the time to dial your system in. careful planning and attention to whats going on in your grow will ultimately give you total control. there is just not enough time to try and explain all my experiences with this system. all i can do is try and guide you in the right direction and hope you can figure it out from there.

As far as rooting medium is concerned. you can transplant just about anything into perlite with great success... we have used just about everything too! lol
For an example, in the system above... he uses 16oz beer cups of perlite to root and veg.
the cuts are prepared and directly inserted into the perlite with an immediate feed of 1.0 -1.2 ec and a ph of 5.8. no rooting compound is needed. they root in 7 days and veg for 7 days for a total of 14 days from cutting to flowering. they are vegged under t5's or t8's with as much light as possible, this promotes a bushy plant and keeps them at 6-7" maximum height for transplant. this is perfectly balanced for a 2 week perpetual grow with 4- 1k's. every 2 weeks a table goes in and a table comes out. following me here? lol
those tables are 4' x 5' and 7" deep. they are on an automated top feed system designed by me. each table uses a 50 gallon res and feeds once every 24hrs to exchange roughly 40 gallons in a few minutes.
We realy like the GH flora nova series. extremely great results. we also use big bud and kool bloom ( liquid ) as additives for flowering. not much, just enough to give the strain what it needs. with this perlite system and flora nova series no ph adjusting is needed as long as you properly maintain your res. You must dump and fill your res every 10 days with this system for best results. trust me... huge benefits from fresh res's.

I have found that Co2 is not needed. i have used it in totally sealed rooms whichis a must. however if you provide good air exchange and air flow in your roomCo2 is NOT needed.
If i were to get back into growing again.. my choice would be automated beds with hydroton. that is my preferred method and had best results with it... but thats another story.........

your very welcome bro.. hope this helps you!
Peace, J

 

[Dorje113]

I'm watering every other day in the 20 gal smart pots now that they stopped stretching and are flowering heavily.

Next time I think they will need bigger pots, I only want to water every 3rd day...

 

[billboOG]

5 gallon pots are all that are nessary for a one season grow. Huge yeilding plants come for having al your ducks in a row and knowing the strain not bigger pots. Take a look at my swt form steave....5 gallon pots.....bigger just waste space IMO

billbo

 

[chef]

Nice lookin strain Too big of colas for me, I'd be noidin' out about mold inside those monsters. I know SWT's Mama SPG is prone.

Medium & strain plays a role too, yet to find one that won't use up a 7 with soil, most vigorous hybrids stuff my 10's. That's a pretty quick cycle too, 90-100 start to finish, avg 70 in their big pots.
Coco seems to run in somewhat smaller, about where you're at 5-7. Jro showed what Perlite can do I run real hot soil w/heavy perlite, kinda in the middle.

Stick one 10 in the middle of those 5's next run & see? An improvement is pretty much the rule, with a few exceptions.

Dorje is gonna get Krusty trees

 

[Jdizzel]

here are some pics from when i came out of 3 gal plastic grow bags into my 5 gal smart pots, I am so glad i changed into 5 gal, just look at this shit after just 3 weeks in this. i, i could only imagine if i had left them in there any longer that would be a tangled mess and stress them way out!! SO for ME , BIGGER IS BETTER!!!

 

[billboOG]

chef

big colas are the shit as long as room conditions are optimal mold is no worry....its in the drying stage mold might show but the answerr to that is to breake down the monsters into useable nugs