My first go @ indoor - what I'm using & battle w/ pH!

[Sinse_Farmer]

Hi everybody!

So I placed my babies in their permanent home a little over a week ago - their home is a 6-plant aeroponic setup. 12 ez-clone sprayers, 3/4" & 1/2" pvc, 396 gal pump, 18-gal reservoir - (my unit is exact replica of what Stink Buddy's article in High Times magazine demonstrates 'The Stinkbud Jr.' i think at least is what the system is called).

04/18/2011 - Filled reservoir with 10-gallons of distilled water from the market; added approx. 20 mL of Rapid Start Rooting Enhancer from General Hydroponics. (23:15 hours)

04/19/2011 - no notes / no action

04/20/2011 -
15:20 added 75 mL of Pure Blend Pro Grow (Botanicare)
50 mL of Cal-Mag Plus (Botanicare)
25 mL of Liquid Karma (Botanicare) in 1.5 gal H20
20:00 checked TDS (478 ppm. & 486 ppm.) two times.
20:15 checked pH - approx 5.0, using drop method, after adding drops the solution turned orange - which is 5.0 according to the bottle.

04/21/2011 - no notes / no action (did add two (2) x 34" T5 fluorescent tubes, 120-v, 21 watts [each], 3,500K [each], and approx. 2,200 lumens [each]) (21:30 hours)



will continue...

 

[Sinse_Farmer]

continued. (These were started from seedlings on 4/15)

continued. (These were started from seedlings on 4/15)

4/22/2011 -
16:30 checked TDS - 475 ppm.; checked pH - orange again, so 5.0 < pH < 6.0
19:30 added:
75 mL Pure Blend Pro Grow
50 mL Cal-Mag Plus
30 mL Liquid Karma

4/23/2011
00:20 *ALERT* checked the TDS 852 ppm., 819 ppm., 816 ppm..
checked the pH! Now got a deep red which is ph is at 4.0 or below.
16:30 added a 41 SunBlaze, HO T5, 6,500K, 5000 lumens, 54 watts. (AWESOME buy - to hold me over a few more days until I get them under the 400w MH, waiting for grow tent to be available)
17:00 added approx. 30 mL of "pH UP"
17:30 checked pH - approx 6.0; checked TDS - 888 ppm..

will continue...

 

[Eatatjoes]

I'm not trying to bring you down but running aero on your first indoor run is ballsy to say the least, lots can go wrong and the learning curve is huge. You might want to have some soil ready for a quick transplant if things go wrong.
Liquid Karma can be finicky in hydro, you might want to get your system dialed in before adding it. It's probably why your ph is out of wack.
Good luck man, there is lots of info in the indoor growing section or try using the search function for other aero threads.

 

[Hammerhead]

get a better PH meter. Those color indicators are bunk imo

 

[Sinse_Farmer]

get a better PH meter. Those color indicators are bunk imo

I'm with ya on that - will probably upgrade in 1-2 weeks. Right now the pH is mellowed out @ 6.0/6.5 so, much better than where we were for a few hours the other day (4.0 or below!)!

Looking @ the Oakton pH Tester Ecotestr, roughtly $60, seems like the best option for that price, hands down.

I'm not trying to bring you down but running aero on your first indoor run is ballsy to say the least, lots can go wrong and the learning curve is huge. You might want to have some soil ready for a quick transplant if things go wrong.
Liquid Karma can be finicky in hydro, you might want to get your system dialed in before adding it. It's probably why your ph is out of wack.
Good luck man, there is lots of info in the indoor growing section or try using the search function for other aero threads.

Not bringing me down at all bro! I've been lucky enough to have a few successful harvests, and the one I put some real TLC into fruited better than I could have asked for! That was outdoors, but I've been reading everything I can get my hands on and before being active at OG for a few years I was a lurker there for a while!

This set up, at least according to what the guy who designed and wrote the article, is supposed to be fool proof and easy way to harvesting a pound w/ 6 females on the first run - so that is what I'm shooting for!

SinSe

 

[Eatatjoes]

Best of luck to ya brotha, I've seen the setup on another site, looks really cool.

 

[Sinse_Farmer]

Stinkbud Jr. system by "Stink Buddy"

Stinkbud Jr. system by "Stink Buddy"

Best of luck to ya brotha, I've seen the setup on another site, looks really cool.

It's awesome & was a blast to build! I've received a few compliments from friends and whatnot on it looking pretty professional Which is about as neat as blowing bubbles!



-SinSe

 

[Sinse_Farmer]

Continuing the log! Please post any questions, comments, or even flame if you want!

Continuing the log! Please post any questions, comments, or even flame if you want!

Good Evening Everybody!

Been so long since I've been on a forum like this, gosh I remember how much I missed it and not to mention how much fun a little gardening is! (to anyone that has yet to bite the bullet and start their stuff - DO IT, it is so so rewarding and fun - ahhh, the joy of growing world class flowers - AWESOME!)


4/24/2011 -

21:15 Checked the TDS. TDS = 916 ppm.. I'm assuming this should stay fairly steady unless something is added to the reservoir. Obviously adding H20 bringing it down slightly, and adding any type of nute or pH adjuster - bringing it up.

Also did the pH test. Again using just the indicator drops from GH. Following the directions, i.e.: "half vial," "3-5 drops,..." everytime, to have some formality to the test (since one can only get so exact w/ drops vs electronic meter!) - pH = 6.5 (approx., yellow w/ a tint of that greenish color).

4/25/2011 - no notes / no action

4/26/2011 -

19:15 Checked the TDS. TDS = 912 ppm.. Good to see close to what I expected. In the guide I started my grow off using, it says at this point I should be at around 1,200 ppm.. I am lower #1 because I have a few gallons less in my reservoir and #2 I have also used LESS of the Botanicare than in my "recommendation," according to what Stink Buddy said, however the amounts I put in are pretty much what it said to put in on the bottle(s).

Checked the pH. Perfect, got a nice light yellow/yellow, which matches up exactly with 6.0. Again, I know it's not an electronic meter, but watching the trend and after adding the 30 mL of pH UP a few days ago, I think I got lucky bringing it from 4.0 & below to roughly 6.0 - (especially since I was expecting closer to 5 than 6 according to the directions on the botte of pH UP!). God, I know I ramble, sorry guys & big thank you to everyone who is still reading/reading this!! pH = 6.0.



Thank you to everyone checking out my thread! It's really neat to log in and see that your stuff is being checked out! I have a few pics spanning the last week and a half, I will make a point to put them up since my initial thread was removed But, I will definitly put a few up here so ya'll can see what it's looking like.

-SinSe

 

[toohighmf]

WHAT?????

WHAT?????

get a better PH meter. Those color indicators are bunk imo

Usually you are spot on. however drops are as accurate as they need be. what happens when your meter's batteries are low or you bang it against the res and knock the calibration off .5+-.5? I have a meter and I always double check with drops.

I had 2 grows I partnered up with and the guy with the meter would tell me the PH was 5.5. I go the next day to maintain and PH is 4.4. I would ask what the PH was when the next day after I had brought it up to 5.2.

I take my meter over to my other partner who I gave drops to, thinking he was too dumb to properly mix a res and use a meter. he had a truncheon with the hotter conversion outlined with a sharpie.
Everytime I told him orangy gold. my meter would read 5.3-5.7.

one was 4 lights and the other was 8. guess who had 4 and who had 8? guess who yielded serious dank and guess who stress hermied a room. I'm using drops right now and I must say I'll never trust a pen again after that fiasco. 12lights... just shy of 6. and the tard w drops pulled a tad under 4, and the the guy I trusted with the meter and fancy shit pulled just over 3 from 8....

lesson learned.

 

[Sinse_Farmer]

April 24th, 2011

April 24th, 2011

Hi everyone,

some pictures I snapped on 04/24/2011

again, Space Jill, aka Space Queen F2, from seed:



I know, boring, but once they get a little more green on them, they should start growing a little faster!

-SinSe

 

[Sinse_Farmer]

April 28th, 2011

April 28th, 2011

some shots from today, finally we can see that the 2nd set of true leaves, not the cotyledons, are indeed three fingered, cause for a couple days it looked like they were going to be a single finger blade!

04/28/2011

Please feel free to leave any comments,
Space Jill @ about 2 weeks from seed:



I took a couple shots of the roots also, one of them really reminds me of the bones in a fish, lol:



Thanks for checking out my thread, I promise this will start to get better once my Grow Lab gets here...!

04/27/11 - (no action, no activity, no notes)

04/28/11 - (no action, no notes, enjoy the pics)



-Sinse

 

[Eatatjoes]

Nice healthy looking plants you have there.

 

[Sinse_Farmer]

Nice healthy looking plants you have there.

Thanks brotha! Now if only there was some way to get them to advance 30 days, w/o it being the end of May...

-SinSe

 

[Eatatjoes]

I hear ya, after all the planning, setup and getting the plants going, sitting and waiting for them to get into real grow mode is torture. Not to mention waiting for harvest time

 

[toohighmf]

I'm not trying to bring you down but running aero on your first indoor run is ballsy to say the least, lots can go wrong and the learning curve is huge. You might want to have some soil ready for a quick transplant if things go wrong.
Liquid Karma can be finicky in hydro, you might want to get your system dialed in before adding it. It's probably why your ph is out of wack.
Good luck man, there is lots of info in the indoor growing section or try using the search function for other aero threads.

I doubt liquid karma is dropping PH a full point unless you dump a gallon in per res. I would think you would have a problem with the PH rising from the o2 in aero. However, to help solve this caper, do without LK for a week and see if the problem persists. 800+ ppm of PBP is like 14-1500 as a meter only reads the dissolved mineral solids. bring down to 600ppm and PH at orangy yellow. even gold should do you fine. its definitely not calmag.

 

[snoopytime]

Probly wana get some good sterilizer too man, when its gettin hot out like now. Dm Zone or Hydro-Fungicide from groovyhydro.com , I like the hydrofungicide better since it kills slime too. But Zone is kool too, expecially if you UV-RO the water first. Bennies sukk in aero they clog the shit outta everything. Good luck!

 

[Taxman]

what happens when your meter's batteries are low or you bang it against the res and knock the calibration off .5+-.5?

Nice setup Sinse! I tried and failed miserably at aeroponics myself a few years ago, but mine was a MacGyver'd DIY using Rubbermaid totes -- not a slick PVC unit. I will follow this for sure.

Regarding pH pens, my first one was bought at the hydro store (mistake) and it was $110. It lasted a little over a year and claimed to be waterproof which wasn't true. The replacement electrode was a little over $50, so I looked elsewhere...

My 2nd one (that I'm using now), I bought off eBay for $30 or something. It's a Hanna and it's accurate to two decimal places, whereas my first Milwaukee was only good for one. I've almost dropped it in the water quite a few times though.

Here's a real cheap pH meter you can get from DealExtreme -- they have free shipping so I'm going to order a couple of them just in case.

Since hydro is so sensitive to pH I want to have backups. I've watered for two weeks just guessing, waiting for my Hanna pen to be shipped. It was stressful!

Also get the #4 and #7 calibration solution and you'll be good to go. It's usually cheap, even at the hydro store.

 

[Sinse_Farmer]

I hear ya, after all the planning, setup and getting the plants going, sitting and waiting for them to get into real grow mode is torture. Not to mention waiting for harvest time

Instantly started hearing that Tom Petty joint, "...the waiting is the hardest part..." *La La Laa*

I doubt liquid karma is dropping PH a full point unless you dump a gallon in per res. I would think you would have a problem with the PH rising from the o2 in aero. However, to help solve this caper, do without LK for a week and see if the problem persists. 800+ ppm of PBP is like 14-1500 as a meter only reads the dissolved mineral solids. bring down to 600ppm and PH at orangy yellow. even gold should do you fine. its definitely not calmag.

I only added about 55 mL of the Liquid Karma (Botanicare), over a 2 to 3 day period i think... & yeah I don't think that specificly caused it - although something had to have, lol. Maybe just a combination of all the nutes together w/ the distilled water.


Some things that I'm assuming, until told otherwise or learn through trail and error:

• Anything I add to the reservoir, nutrients, pH adjuster, supplements, etc., will raise the ppm. reading.
• Adding water, distilled preferabley, will bring the ppm. reading down.
• Since last time I checked I was at between 900-950, I'm going to continue adding the nutes, when the ppm. gets to roughtly 1500-1700, I will start over with a "clean" reservoir of distilled water (12gal or so), with light nutes and do the process over again?! Is that right how to do it?
• The plants need a consistent supply of nutes b/c since they're soil-less they really desire more than just plain H20.

Some other questions...

You should start over w/ "fresh" water every few weeks, right?
I'm assuming the nutrients get "used up" by the plants, like how the water gets de-mineralfied and de-nutrientized over time as the fish "breathe" it and poop in it..., so even though the ppm. is high and stuff was put in the reservoir the nutes need to be added consistently, correct?

-SinSe

Probably a lot of this info is on here 10x over, I'm going to stick to what I have in mind to do and I think everything will be fine

 

[toohighmf]

Just remember what assuming does...

 

[toohighmf]

Nice setup Sinse! I tried and failed miserably at aeroponics myself a few years ago, but mine was a MacGyver'd DIY using Rubbermaid totes -- not a slick PVC unit. I will follow this for sure.

Regarding pH pens, my first one was bought at the hydro store (mistake) and it was $110. It lasted a little over a year and claimed to be waterproof which wasn't true. The replacement electrode was a little over $50, so I looked elsewhere...

My 2nd one (that I'm using now), I bought off eBay for $30 or something. It's a Hanna and it's accurate to two decimal places, whereas my first Milwaukee was only good for one. I've almost dropped it in the water quite a few times though.

Here's a real cheap pH meter you can get from DealExtreme -- they have free shipping so I'm going to order a couple of them just in case.

Since hydro is so sensitive to pH I want to have backups. I've watered for two weeks just guessing, waiting for my Hanna pen to be shipped. It was stressful!

Also get the #4 and #7 calibration solution and you'll be good to go. It's usually cheap, even at the hydro store.

NO METER IS WATERPROOF except a truncheon stick to a point but once the oxidizers in micro and h2o2 begin to corrode the battery terminals.... and youll never need reference solution or funky batteries ever again.

sensi:

you are going way hard on PBP. you need to change your res 1x a week-10 days depending on the size of res. instead of going hotter on ferts, go lower. organics or simi organics dont read on a meter. only the dissolved solids will read. irganic means less. not more
of they look hungry, up the dose a little. but I wouldn't take those over 1000 total PPM throughout its life.