250w hps, Lemon Skunk & Frends

[alecto]

Ok I think my problem is overwatering

I tend to agree with you...
it surely looks like it...
I'm kind of an expert in overwatering....or underwatering as direct consequence of my fear of overwatering....
I'm so ashamed of my expertise...believe me
but still I'm a total newbie...and as I said to my friends...don't listen to any of my advices on watering...so you've been warned too
also lower your ph would be a good idea...hope you bought that ph-...I have a little experience in that area too...damn so ashamed again

but as you said...live and learn...I could not agree more

 

[prowler]

Lift the Pot!

 

[komeropoika]

Yea, I bought that ph-.. Didn't give water yet, maybe tonight or tomorrow.


Yes, I did lift the pot, just didn't believe it...

 

[alecto]

Yes, I did lift the pot, just didn't believe it...

funny did so too...now before watering i lift the pots a lot of times until I believe it...I'm hard to convince....or...i'm too strong and can't get the difference in weight...not sure

but seriously I begin to have a grasp on watering...I repeat begin...and the weight is the better indication for me right now...
finger in the soil wasn't for me...made mistakes with it

at the time I asked a friend, beginner too, how he did it...he answered "I don't know....I just water them when they're thirsty..."
==> that was my face to respond to that word of truth...and it still is when I see his plants

 

[Herbal extasy]

Komeropoika. I've never ever had used ph- with soil. You know, that neutral 7 is fine with soil? Major soil brands have been already balanced to 7 with added calmag. I do not see point using ph- into soil, because calmag in it eventually buffers ph to 7. You can make things worse overdoing ph-, resulting excess phosporous.
First, stop overwatering your plants. You can even wait until their leaves are drooping and then water them. They can even take a week, before they droop. It is matter of size of plant and pot.

Check my soilgrow from link in sig. I am not saying being any guru, but I have found out, that when I don't overlove my plants, they thrive. It is bitch to wait doing things, but that is part of this game.

 

[komeropoika]

Thank you guys for help. I'll try not to overcare my plants... Have to think someting else to do

Have to get rid of that "finger in the soil" method.

ps. checked my tapwaters ph again with new ph test, it showed 8.5

 

[komeropoika]

Argh, got my wife pissed of , and she wont let me keep window open. cab temperature rise to 30C / 86F.. And thats the temp when my table fan is blowing to plants.

Any nice silent ideas to lower my temps to 25-27 / 77-80?

My fan is 160cbm/h. And I have 2x 100mm intake holes at the bottom of the cab.

 

[Herbal extasy]

Yes. Tap water PH in Finland is commonly 8.5. Until I went with hydro, there was no need to know that.

Sorry for temps. They could be bitch in Micro grows.

 

[komeropoika]

Groupshot! i've been like this
i really got to relax and just let them do their thing.

 

[prowler]

is so damn addictive!

 

[komeropoika]

Hey, i've been tidying up my cab, and now it's petty much lightproof, no leaks. but now when I shut the doors, air really sucks them tightly. that's no good? not enough air intakes?

 

[prowler]

Underpressure is always good! Keeps air flowing thru properly and ensures that all that smelly air is going through active carbon.



If your temps are in order and there isn't any dead spots in your circulation it most definitely in good shape! Happy growing mate.

Edit: And you asked what is the best way to reduce heat in your cab. Most effective way is to blow the air away between your canopy and tube. When air isn't moving properly between canopy and light it heats the air pretty warm. I never ever blow air towards plants (exception makes a rule). I rather blow air towards tube/lamp.

 

[komeropoika]

Underpressure is always good! Keeps air flowing thru properly and ensures that all that smelly air is going through active carbon.



If your temps are in order and there isn't any dead spots in your circulation it most definitely in good shape! Happy growing mate.

well, temps are not good, ever. but thats because my fan is 160cfm?
what i've been looking people use 250-350cfm to keep their cabs cool so they can keep the bulb few inch away from canopy.

what do you mean with "dead spots"?

 

[prowler]

Dead spots = air isn't moving. Place your hand over the canopy. If the air is radically warmer there you should mix that air = blow it away so that colder air replaces it. That makes air move through your cab mixed. Otherwise your blower will suck colder air out and warmer air floats under your light and reflector in a dead spot and creates heat.

Edit: And you were talking about passive intakes. Rule of a thumb is that you should always have inlets at least 2 x the size you exhaust your air. So 125mm blower would mean 250mm intake. And you are going to do just fine with that 160cfm blower!

 

[komeropoika]

I have a table fan there to move air from the plants. not much help but something.. I should buy better fan, that is too big/noisy/clumsy? for this cab.

edit: my blower is 100mm, and i have 2 x 100mm holes at the bottom of the cab and the flower rooms shelf.

 

[prowler]

Try this:



- Mad photoshop skillz!

 

[komeropoika]

Just tried that, my temps rised to 34C / 95F..

I'm so tired with this temperature thing.. ambient temp in the room is 23C / 73F

ps. i have a computer fan at the flower rooms vent thing to bring air from the veg chamber to flower side. just 1 at the moment


really want that bulb 5-8 inches from the canopy when I go to flower.

 

[komeropoika]

thank you prowler for trying to help me.

 

[Norrsken]

The tempteratur is a big problem. And a hard one to deal with.. You should rly talk to some of the good pc growers. When you grow in such a smal place, temps gonna be a big one. Well i´m growing in a pc case atm. And the Temp is a hard one to get good. my tip is to createa kinda of "drag". You get Good intake fans that blows cold air in. I put my pc case near a window thats almost always open. That makes the air a little colder than the mid temp in the room. Something to think of...

Second, use good exhoust fans and as many as posible, place these high up in the growing space.. The heat will go up.

Place intake as low as posible (the temp is always cooler on the floor) and on one side of the grow area.
Place Exhoust as High as posible (Like I said, heat goes up). And on the Other side of the grow area..

Now you will have a nice air circulation + maxium cooling.

Another thing I don´t know if you know is that the Direkt Light temp is allowed to be
much higher than the actual air temperatur. If you put a termometer in Direkt Light and near the lights and its 34Degress. Thats totally cool man!

 

[komeropoika]

Another thing I don´t know if you know is that the Direkt Light temp is allowed to be
much higher than the actual air temperatur. If you put a termometer in Direkt Light and near the lights and its 34Degress. Thats totally cool man!

Where I should measure the temperature to get the "right" walue?
exactly under hid on top of the pots, it shows 33-35C about 30cm way from the cooltube.