Mc__Nugget
Member
Hello IC Mag!
Its been awhile, and I've been busy.
I have always wanted to do some kind of a legit grow journal - so here it goes...
Come On In!
16 of em' here, just moved in.
little girls
keeping the weather balmy...
keepin the girls happy!
All of these pics were taken about 3 weeks ago, the girls are 2 weeks into flowering at this point, leaving these pictures pretty out of date, lets just say they are bigger. I will snap some more pics soon as i get a chance.
So by now
I am guessing that some of you have a few questions about just what is going on here, so I will try to be as thorough as possible with the descriptions.
Strains (4)
What you see is a 4'x4' Tray, on top of which are (16) 1.5 gallon pots filled with Botanicare coco-coir medium (the kind that comes in the 5kg bales). Each of the 16 plant sites is served by (2) 1gph drippers, which connect to a feeder line, which is connected to a 600 gph Eco pump in the reservoir beneath the tray. This pump comes on 4 times a day, every 3 hours when the lights are on, and feeds the plants for 8 minutes before shutting off. Runoff from the system drains to waste (no recirculation of nutrients), and the 75 gallon reservoir can go for 8 days between checks/refills. I am running the modified lucas formula (6m, 9b) pH @ 5.5 with tap water. I also supplement .5g /gal epsom salts, and 4ml /gal Silica additive (forget the brand).
I keep a very small eco pump running in the res to constantly circulate the solution, i do no aerate the solution at all (messes with the pH). I do however, aerate my water for 24 hours at every refill, just to get rid of the chlorine before adding nutes. In addition to their regular feedings, the girls also will get the occasional (every 2 weeks) High P Guano, worm casting and phish emulsion tea early in flowering, as well as 2 shots of Kool Bloom powder later on. These I do by hand.
Unrelated to nutrients - I like to do 2-3 fan leaf prunings in late growth and early flowering, along with topping the plants, this helps to create a scrog like effect, without all the messy ropes and screens.
So now you know what they are eating and how much, now lets talk light.
For lighting there (4) 600 watt hps' in 6" cool tubes, these are coupled together and cooled by an 8" max fan (thing rips), which pushes outside air through the lights and back out of the room. The lights are powered by magnetic ballasts which are hooked up to a 30 amp relay box I made myself for 20 bucks. ( eff powerboxes)
The grow room itself is completely sealed - no air goes in or out.
Since most of the heat generated by the lights is already ducted out, a small air conditioner is able to handle the cooling and dehumidifying load pretty handily. Humidity is never too much of a problem, and I like to keep my temperatures around 82, which might seem a little high, but I am also supplementing Co2 at 1750 ppm which more than makes up for the slightly increased temp. I just got a sentinel fuzzy logic Co2 ppm controller, and I am loving the way the thing works.
This is my first go with this exact setup (more light), and i gotta say that I might be pushing my luck with the light to space ratio on this one. I have hit 2# plus off of a 4x4 tray before, but that was with 2 600s, not 4. Frankly I just don't know where any more bud can grow, but what the hell, we will see!
I'll post up some updated pics in the next couple days.
Peace - McNuggs
Its been awhile, and I've been busy.
I have always wanted to do some kind of a legit grow journal - so here it goes...
Come On In!
16 of em' here, just moved in.
little girls
keeping the weather balmy...
keepin the girls happy!
All of these pics were taken about 3 weeks ago, the girls are 2 weeks into flowering at this point, leaving these pictures pretty out of date, lets just say they are bigger. I will snap some more pics soon as i get a chance.
So by now
I am guessing that some of you have a few questions about just what is going on here, so I will try to be as thorough as possible with the descriptions.
Strains (4)
- White Hawain (Maui X Widow)
- Blue Skunk (DJS Blueberry X Skunk Plant)
- Strawberry Cough
- Durban Poison
What you see is a 4'x4' Tray, on top of which are (16) 1.5 gallon pots filled with Botanicare coco-coir medium (the kind that comes in the 5kg bales). Each of the 16 plant sites is served by (2) 1gph drippers, which connect to a feeder line, which is connected to a 600 gph Eco pump in the reservoir beneath the tray. This pump comes on 4 times a day, every 3 hours when the lights are on, and feeds the plants for 8 minutes before shutting off. Runoff from the system drains to waste (no recirculation of nutrients), and the 75 gallon reservoir can go for 8 days between checks/refills. I am running the modified lucas formula (6m, 9b) pH @ 5.5 with tap water. I also supplement .5g /gal epsom salts, and 4ml /gal Silica additive (forget the brand).
I keep a very small eco pump running in the res to constantly circulate the solution, i do no aerate the solution at all (messes with the pH). I do however, aerate my water for 24 hours at every refill, just to get rid of the chlorine before adding nutes. In addition to their regular feedings, the girls also will get the occasional (every 2 weeks) High P Guano, worm casting and phish emulsion tea early in flowering, as well as 2 shots of Kool Bloom powder later on. These I do by hand.
Unrelated to nutrients - I like to do 2-3 fan leaf prunings in late growth and early flowering, along with topping the plants, this helps to create a scrog like effect, without all the messy ropes and screens.
So now you know what they are eating and how much, now lets talk light.
For lighting there (4) 600 watt hps' in 6" cool tubes, these are coupled together and cooled by an 8" max fan (thing rips), which pushes outside air through the lights and back out of the room. The lights are powered by magnetic ballasts which are hooked up to a 30 amp relay box I made myself for 20 bucks. ( eff powerboxes)
The grow room itself is completely sealed - no air goes in or out.
Since most of the heat generated by the lights is already ducted out, a small air conditioner is able to handle the cooling and dehumidifying load pretty handily. Humidity is never too much of a problem, and I like to keep my temperatures around 82, which might seem a little high, but I am also supplementing Co2 at 1750 ppm which more than makes up for the slightly increased temp. I just got a sentinel fuzzy logic Co2 ppm controller, and I am loving the way the thing works.
This is my first go with this exact setup (more light), and i gotta say that I might be pushing my luck with the light to space ratio on this one. I have hit 2# plus off of a 4x4 tray before, but that was with 2 600s, not 4. Frankly I just don't know where any more bud can grow, but what the hell, we will see!
I'll post up some updated pics in the next couple days.
Peace - McNuggs