120w CFL Server SOG

[Bud-Monster]

Hello IC'rs

Very cool to be here and hopefully give something back even if its only that someone learns from my mistakes.

Firstly, my aim here is not to acheive the best GPW on Icmag or have the prettiest plants. The aim as always is continued self sufficiency.

Ideally answering the question: How can I grow all the weed i need and keep it as small and stealthy as possible.

The thought process for the design of this grow:

Weekly consumption 5g

5grams (weekly consumption) x 10weeks (flowering) = 50 gram

So the target is 50 grams per harvest. But more would be great

The solution - a 10 pot sog in a server case with 120w of warm white CFL lighting delivering around 100 w/psqft.

The aim - 5g+ per pot, staggered/perpetual.

Pics:

 

[Bud-Monster]

Bulbs:

Bulbs:

I went with CFL for cost, stealth and efficiency. (That and the fact I couldn't afford/justify the cost of LED, although they definately look like the future of micro.)

We dont get the 42w in supermarkets or diy stores here in the UK (if anyone knows any shop that sells them please share) so I went with 4 x 30w as the 30w are easily available and not too pricey at £3-4.

 

[Bud-Monster]

1900 lumens per bulb!!

1900 lumens per bulb!!

Box:

 

[Fattie]

looking pretty sweet bro, have you pulled any plants out?

How long until the next one is finished? I'm hoping you can get 5 grams per.

 

[HighDesertJoe]

They have Costco in the UK? that's where I get mine.
Good Luck ur grow looks good.

 

[Bud-Monster]

Hi Fattie

This is the first run in the case so we will be adding and tweaking as we go. First round of plants, so nothing out yet.

I'm guessing about 2 months until I get the first few out.

When the system is dialled I am really hoping/aiming for 7g-9g per pot with the right strain, right soild mix, right watering, right nutrient solutions.

First round, I'd be satisfied with an average of 4g+ per pot, that would be 1.5oz first run.

Thanks for stopping by

 

[Bud-Monster]

Hey HDJ

Thanks for the suggestion, we do have Costco in the uk. I will take a look and see how practical they are for this grow.

Cheers

 

[blynx]

Setup looks good.

Are you going to train/lst/top the plants?

Have you thought about fewer/larger containers? Gives you a little more room to train plants.

What strains? From seed? Clones? Future runs going to be from seed? clone?

What are you using for soil? and what is the white stuff at the bottom of each container?

 

[Bud-Monster]

Hey Blynx,

Are you going to train/lst/top the plants?

I'm aiming to dial the strain so no training is needed and they can grow unimpeded. Flip them young and let them grow. Also I've found this strain doesnt top/train well, it yeilds better when flipped early as a single spike (in same time frame with minimum veg).

Have you thought about fewer/larger containers? Gives you a little more room to train plants.

No, I haven't considered it for this grow. I've actually considered putting more plants in there, I could fit as many as 30 small cuts in 500ml cut down bottles - if each got 3g that would be 90g.

I want plants to go through the case quickly with zero veg - no training one spike.

What strains? From seed? Clones? Future runs going to be from seed? clone?

All except one (Durban Poison DP) are Dutch Passion Oasis (NL) all are from seed from the bud that came from the original pack, they throw one or two nanas and thats it, giving about half a dozen seeds or less per plant, not something I'd breed with but handy for this application/situation.

From Seed? Yes

I will be running mainly seeds for the time being, I'm interested to see if it would be viable as a one cab grow. I do infact have another pc case rigged but I like to experiment and think it would be fantastic if everything could be done start to finish inside this tiny metal cab.

Soil?

Currently using a mix of black gold and potting compost, the white stuff at the bottom is polystyrene. The soil is not correct for the grow, it lacks perlite, it has some in there from the black gold, but not nearly enough.

Ive got a 10 litre bag of perlite waiting for the next rounds, ill experiment with 1/3 and 1/2 perlite to soil mix.

I also overwatered which is too easy in a "normal" soil mix in these tiny containers (needs more perlite). To standardise I started with 2 party cups of solution - that was too much.
I now water each pot with 1 party cup and they dry much quicker but still have a small amount of run off.

By the way, I've read ALL of your grow logs mate. Sterling work!

 

[Bud-Monster]

Have you thought about fewer/larger containers? Gives you a little more room to train plants.

There appear to be two schools of thought on this when it comes to micro growing:

1. Veg+train, fewer plants, larger pots
2. ZeroVeg, more plants, smaller pots

For yield in small spaces with CFL's I opt for the 2nd, also this gives me 10 pots for 10 weeks. Further down the line I'm looking to pull 1 pot a week or 2 pots every 2 weeks.

The plants in the pic are exactly one calendar month of 12/12, flowering was delayed as they were flipped so young from seed. From Clone I would expect them to be a 7-14 days ahead of where they are now.

Just watered the girls yesterday with 1 cup of Solution each (1ml of MaxiCrop to 1ltr).

It took almost 2 weeks for them to dry out from the last watering which was 2 cups per pot of 1ml Maxi + 2ml Titchmarsh to 1ltr. The Titchmarsh is molasses mainly and this seemed to burn them, badly in some cases even though I used less than half recommended dose.

Lesson learnt.

As a result I am investing in a nutrient syringe and going MaxiCrop only for the next 2 waterings, then I'll add some mild ferts which I can measure precisely.

The overwater/fert really stunted their growth but since I let them dry out and watered them correctly they are now growing again and the small buds have lots of tiny leaves waiting to shoot out.

Also I forgot to mention that the soil mix has been amended with Miracle Grow - Bloom Booster and Root Booster (very small amounts).

Does anyone here know of a good organic high P fert you can get in the UK, in liquid or powder form ? I don't do Hydro shops so something off the shelf ideally. I've come across Tiger Bloom but unfortunately its not a mainstream product so its off the list, but looking for something similar I can buy in a DIY/supermarket/garden centre.

Thanks for watching

 

[blynx]

Have you thought about fewer/larger containers? Gives you a little more room to train plants.

There appear to be two schools of thought on this when it comes to micro growing:

1. Veg+train, fewer plants, larger pots
2. ZeroVeg, more plants, smaller pots

For yield in small spaces with CFL's I opt for the 2nd, also this gives me 10 pots for 10 weeks. Further down the line I'm looking to pull 1 pot a week or 2 pots every 2 weeks.

The plants in the pic are exactly one calendar month of 12/12, flowering was delayed as they were flipped so young from seed. From Clone I would expect them to be a 7-14 days ahead of where they are now.

Just watered the girls yesterday with 1 cup of Solution each (1ml of MaxiCrop to 1ltr).

It took almost 2 weeks for them to dry out from the last watering which was 2 cups per pot of 1ml Maxi + 2ml Titchmarsh to 1ltr. The Titchmarsh is molasses mainly and this seemed to burn them, badly in some cases even though I used less than half recommended dose.

Lesson learnt.

As a result I am investing in a nutrient syringe and going MaxiCrop only for the next 2 waterings, then I'll add some mild ferts which I can measure precisely.

The overwater/fert really stunted their growth but since I let them dry out and watered them correctly they are now growing again and the small buds have lots of tiny leaves waiting to shoot out.

Also I forgot to mention that the soil mix has been amended with Miracle Grow - Bloom Booster and Root Booster (very small amounts).

Does anyone here know of a good organic high P fert you can get in the UK, in liquid or powder form ? I don't do Hydro shops so something off the shelf ideally. I've come across Tiger Bloom but unfortunately its not a mainstream product so its off the list, but looking for something similar I can buy in a DIY/supermarket/garden centre.

Thanks for watching

IMO, if your strains are prone to stretching, Maxicrop will only encourage this.

I would drop the maxicrop for feeding, the internode distance should shorten, which will result in more bud sites on your plants.

I use Maxicrop, but only for moistening the soil I'm starting seeds in, and when I transplant to larger containers (the initial watering for both contain only water and Maxicrop).

 

[Bud-Monster]

Hi Blynx

Ive been using Maxi for around 15yrs and it is a product I would highly recommend to all growers. The stretch effect is not something I've noticed, having said that all grows have their subtle differences, temp, RH, light intensity etc which interact with your regime in different ways.

I use Maxi at pretty much every watering at low doses (1ml - 2ml per ltr) and the plants and soil love it.

Also stretching is something I am trying to actively encourage, this is why I have lowered the plants now to the max distance from the light as I'm concerned they haven't stretched enough to properly fill the space.

Also I respectfully disagree that less stretch = more bud sites. I beleive you would get the same or more bud sites from stretched plant, just configured differently.

With this grow I am actually looking for more stretch as I want each clone to finish around 1.5" from the lights. This time it looks like some will finish 4-6 inches from the light.

When i start getting close to my target weights I will do some side by sides with and without Maxi, but all my experience to date tells me that without maxi I will yeild less. Others milage may vary.

Having said that, I will certainly bear what you have said in mind particularly when growing more sativa leaning hybrids with more pronounced stretch - side by sides with a SSH or Kali would be very interesting indeed.

In such a small space with stretchy sativa based strains, anything that can mitigate overstretch is going to be helpful to avoid growing rope.

BTW, I love those side by side weekly pics in your threads, they are exactly what I like seeing, I'm going to try and do weekly side by sides as we go along.

Also I wanted to ask you, have you found any strains that work particularly well with CFL's - any standout strains that perform better ? I was going to get the Pure from TFD at some point as it has the stretch im looking for and the yeild and high, but sadly TFD have apparently been bought by the SSB and the Pure may no longer in fact be pure!

It looks to me like a fast sativa (hence the Durban) or a well balanced f1 hybrid would be the best bet for what Im trying to acheive, ideally I want something that stretches, stops then flowers AND then continues grow & flower towards the light (runs) as she goes, rather than a stretch, stop, flower - with not much vertical growth.

Thanks for your input Blynx, I really respect you as a micro grower and will continue to drool over your cabs

 

[xmobotx]

yeild is typically more light based (GPW) than plant count based (x-amount/plant) i believe you would find the same or greater yield w/ a single container sized to fit the bottom of your cab and a max of prob ~ 6 plants (even 2 - 3)

same strategies:

stretches, stops then flowers AND then continues grow & flower towards the light (runs) as she goes, rather than a stretch, stop, flower - with not much vertical growth.

In a living soil context (no-till, living mulch) as your container matures, your yields will also improve. Maybe use your container initially to grow a small edible herb window garden while this grow finishes.

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

I don't know how you're going to flower those in there without topping or training.
They've damn near hit the top, and by the looks of things, you've got 6 weeks to go.

If it were me, I'd be growing in 5" square pots until they're sexed and then putting 1-2 fems in a soil bed like xmobotx said. LST or scrog.

I see some head banging coming with your current setup.

 

[t_ksson]

Hey we share the same goal with our pc's =) 50g's
Same amount of wattage too. lol
Only different techniques. This is really interesting, never really considered sog
arent you concerned the pots will be too small? I hope u reach u'r goal mate
I think i will fail to reach my goal this grow but then again, thats the best way to learn and improve for next round.

 

[Bud-Monster]

hi guys,

xmob "yeild is typically more light based (GPW) than plant count based (x-amount/plant) i believe you would find the same or greater yield w/ a single container sized to fit the bottom of your cab and a max of prob ~ 6 plants (even 2 - 3) "

I can't say i agree with the above, in micros this small I beleive plant numbers really make the yield, especially with zero veg. Perpetual also has accepted yeild advantages.

I am acutely aware of the various permutations I could of employed here but have specifically chosen this style of growing to see what it can potentially yeild - look at it as an experiment if you like.

Just for you xmob and Sgt. I will post up some pics of my 150w cab in a couple of weeks, I usually run it as 2 beds wall to wall, the girls in there are often lst'd/fimm'd/scrog'd and sometimes sog'd. Sometimes grown bush style sometimes just lollipopped. This run (in time for xmas) I will chuck some Western Winds x Lady Luck and possibly some NLX x FruitBowl and some Straight Kalis through, and just one or 2 nl's. I might even riase the roof on the 150 grow and dump one of my old 600s in there as i want this next run to keep me in bud while i get this little case dialled. Just a shame the cool-tube won't fit in that cab.

Training with those sativa girls is a must (withe exception of the NLX hyrbid which works well as a one stick).

I appreciate your help guys and hope I havent come over as abbrassive, I just want to make the point clear that I am very aware and have practiced the techniques you advocate literally hundreds of times, however I have chosen a different road for this particular grow.

Big influences on this grow were Thundurkel and Dr Bud who have clearly demonstrated the yeild potential of this kind of system when dialled. SOG also appeals to me the most for this size of grow as I get fresh bud weekly and potentially variety.

Growing I am not new to (15yrs+) - I am new to micro sog and home made organic soil mixes though - basically I like to constantly experiment and try new things.. most times they work, sometimes they fail, either way thats how I get my excitement and interest.

Hi Sgt. - I doubt they will hit the top, I have a spare inch at the bottom and can raise the lights a further 2. This NL (DP Fem)won't stretch alot more from here on in, just flower without a great deal of vertical growth. If they do, which I feel unlikely i will simply bend the top at a right angle.

The best scrog ive seen in a pc case so far is about 2 oz. I am confident that can be bested by a dialled SOG, I guess we will see after a few runs whether this holds true or not.

t_ksson - your growing a scrog in a pc case too!! It will be very interesting to see how we both progress, especially given you are going the SCROG route.

Thanks everyone for stopping by - just popping out to get some Lime and Fish, Blood and Bone (from the 99p shop - bargain!!), building the new soil mix for the 150 box and the next round of pots in the server. Will post up pics and the recipe I am following over the weekend.

Its Friday woooooo!!!

 

[xmobotx]

especially with zero veg

yeah no doubt - i think dr buds method is pretty cool too - thought an organic version might be pretty interesting

 

[dcloud]

subbed i will be doing a perpetual sog when i start my grow up again. I'm going with the hempy method though, a few soil and also trying a lil coco also to see the yield differences. I'm doing more of a trial and error to see which way I will be growing. I'm also trying to diffrent size containers; small containers similar to yours and 2liters with 2 plants each and a few with only one. So yeah I'm doing a lot of experimenting next grow. Sorry if im babbling too much. im medicated. but will soon enough have something to give back to the micro community.

 

[TexMex McDirt]

Nice setup man. Hope you get it dialed in and keep yourself in the green. I just finished building out a new dual cab setup, going to run a perp micro SOG too. So Cheers mate. One day I'll get around to new thread about it. Good luck, have fun, stay safe, happy farming.

 

[Bud-Monster]

Hi everybody,

xmob - yeah organic all the way !

dcloud - experimenting is what its all about, cant wait to see your grow on the boards.

TexMex - good luck with your cabs, perpetual sog is such a fun way to grow. Do you know which strains your going to be running yet ?