The Official Hempy Bucket Thread

[Hydro-Soil]

So, I switched from half-strength Lucas to full strength in preparation for the flip.
Immediately my new growth went from dark green to very light green.

At half-strength your plants were dark green. This is an indication of too much nutrient for the amount of light.

You doubled the strength without increasing the light on already over-fed plants. The leaves are lightening because they're about to yellow, crisp, turn brown and fall off. They're frying....

Keep it at the half strength or even a bit less, especially before flowering... anything to keep from going dark green at any time. Always better to under-feed a bit than any amount of overfeeding.

Stay Safe!

 

[grassott's dad]

Hi,
I just decide my mini hempys were rooted enough to start flowering. So, I switched from half-strength Lucas to full strength in preparation for the flip.
Immediately my new growth went from dark green to very light green.
I checked my math and the formula strength is correct. PH is 5.8-5.9 at full strength, I never bothered to check it at half strength. I'm using 80% perlite 20% coco.
Any hints?

Explain your set up. Lights, RH, temps.

Sometimes, new growth starts lime green but turn out a lush green after a few days, strain dependent. As mentioned, the best way is to learn from your plants. Only experience will make this clearer to you.

Tip. Sometimes when my leaves are looking "offish", I spray with bubble water (in veg and before flowers start to develop after 12/12. Gives them extra CO2. Also, epsom salts (about half a teaspoon per gallon) when normal feeding helps.

 

[Capt.Ahab]

Im having trouble finding a good amount of perlite and vermiculite from a secure local source so I am thinking that I may be able to make the supplies I have here go further.
I have some perlite and vermiculite here but I also have a bale of Promix BX sitting in the back yard.

Can the reservoir be filled with gravel or similar inert medium with the Perlite/vermiculite mixture on top?
I have some rectangular 2 1/2 gallon plastic trash bins I'm planning on using and they look as thought they will be top heavy. The top is wider than the bottom. Im thinking a heavy material in the reservoir will help with stability.

Is a course mix of Perlite and Promix an acceptable medium?

If I was to use Promix and perlite as a medium above the reservoir, should I also include some vermiculite to the Promix/Perlite mixture?

 

[grassott's dad]

Im having trouble finding a good amount of perlite and vermiculite from a secure local source so I am thinking that I may be able to make the supplies I have here go further.
I have some perlite and vermiculite here but I also have a bale of Promix BX sitting in the back yard.

Can the reservoir be filled with gravel or similar inert medium with the Perlite/vermiculite mixture on top?
I have some rectangular 2 1/2 gallon plastic trash bins I'm planning on using and they look as thought they will be top heavy. The top is wider than the bottom. Im thinking a heavy material in the reservoir will help with stability.

Is a course mix of Perlite and Promix an acceptable medium?

If I was to use Promix and perlite as a medium above the reservoir, should I also include some vermiculite to the Promix/Perlite mixture?

OK. I don't know what promix is but if it contains soil I'd be a bit iffy about it. You want neutral pH'd medium IMO.

Gravel in the rez area is great, as long as it's not the type of gravel with sharp edges. It might be a bit heavy when wanting to move the plants but other than that it's cool I think.

As for getting hold of perl/verm or clay pebbles (and coco), ebay is your friend. Many hydro stores put their stuff on the bay these days and they understand about "discreet packaging".

 

[Capt.Ahab]

Thanks for the reply, grassott's dad.
Just went outside and looked at the Promix BX label. It is mostly sphagnum peat moss with perlite , some vermiculite and lime added as a ph buffer. It is also inoculated with myco. cultures. I guess that makes it a soil-less mix.
Ive never used Promix's BX product so Im not sure how much vermiculite is in there but it doesnt seem to be very much.

Ebay isnt an option for me when buying grow related stuff. Too much of a security risk with the UPS or FedEx drivers who deliver here. On top of that the shipping of anything large and/or heavy to where I live is ridiculously prohibitive.
It takes a 3 1/2 hour trip to get to a store where I feel comfortable buying grow supplies. They probably know what Im up to despite my misinformation, but I dont give a damn because they are so far away , have no idea who I am ,I pay cash and I always use a someone else's vehicle.

 

[grassott's dad]

@ Capt. No worries mate. I've never used promix so I can't really comment there. Regarding ebay or any other online shopping row related, I fully understand where you're coming from there. I use a delivery address away from my grow. A mate who I can trust. Then I go collect my grow stuff from his house. Gotta be safe these days.

Peace

 

[Capt.Ahab]

Looks like it may be time for a test run . I dont really care for the idea of experimentation with my grows, I like to stick to proven methods.
Im going to try a couple different medium mixtures and see what happens unless someone here has some experienced input that says I should or shouldn't use the Promix.

 

[dansbuds]

Captian , i've used promix in hempys & it stays to wet . if you can't find vermiculite ... try straight coco . i find it works better than the perilite vermiculite mix . & so did Hempy

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=147954

 

[someotherguy]

Capt. Ahab, vermiculite is used somehow in the plumbing industry and is also used as a base for inground and above ground pools so you may be able to buy it locally and in bulk and for small money too.

...i'd start with stores that sell pools and spas as well as plumbing supply houses.

Peace, SOG

 

[Capt.Ahab]

That was one of my concerns in regard to the Promix. It does hold a lot of water. I was thinking that I could use it to stretch out my perlite supply and make a very course mix with perlite/promix that would drain more rapidly.
Maybe Im over analyzing all this. This is my first time away from organic soil.


Thanks, someotherguy.
I also have some of the Napa oil dry that I planned on using. Im just trying to find a good workable mix that utilizes the supplies I have on hand.

 

[dansbuds]

regular hempys with perilite & vermiculite

these are coco hempys ... chunky perilite to the runoff hole & canna coco to the top

I love the coco hempys they perform better than the original mix

 

[dansbuds]

Homedopt has small bags of vermic , i still use them in my cloner .
could only find a link to the medium grade but i know they have the fine grade too .
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202187625/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=vermiculite&storeId=10051

 

[stonedar]

personally, I'd just use the promix as Premier and God intended. in regular pots with drainage holes. then keep looking for perlite/vermiculite locally, or better yet coco/perlite. get a phone book see if there is a Southern States nearby, look up local garden centers, feed stores, lawn care supply stores. they should all carry perlite.

you could conceivably break your mail order rule and order some coco. the compressed bales should be stealthy enough to satisfy any paranoid. it's reuse-able, too.

 

[someotherguy]

I'm with dansbuds on this as I truely love my straight coco hempys, the only change I made is that i'm now using hydroton in the res rather than perlite, partly 'cause I already had it but mostly for the extra weight at the bottom, coco drys up really light and perlite is very light as well so my plants get VERY top-heavy.

...anyway i'm sure you could use gravel or lava-rock or glass beads, either would give you some added stability for your plants.

Peace, SOG

 

[Spanishwilly]

At half-strength your plants were dark green. This is an indication of too much nutrient for the amount of light.

You doubled the strength without increasing the light on already over-fed plants. The leaves are lightening because they're about to yellow, crisp, turn brown and fall off. They're frying....

Keep it at the half strength or even a bit less, especially before flowering... anything to keep from going dark green at any time. Always better to under-feed a bit than any amount of overfeeding.

Stay Safe!

Thanks, that's more sort of what I expected to hear. I've already done just what you've said. Thank you very much.

 

[someotherguy]

Homedopt has small bags of vermic , i still use them in my cloner .
could only find a link to the medium grade but i know they have the fine grade too .
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202187625/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=vermiculite&storeId=10051

...do you use the ice-tube-tray cloners filled with vermiculte?

SOG

 

[grassott's dad]

personally, I'd just use the promix as Premier and God intended. in regular pots with drainage holes. then keep looking for perlite/vermiculite locally, or better yet coco/perlite. get a phone book see if there is a Southern States nearby, look up local garden centers, feed stores, lawn care supply stores. they should all carry perlite.

you could conceivably break your mail order rule and order some coco. the compressed bales should be stealthy enough to satisfy any paranoid. it's reuse-able, too.

I like this guy. He always comes into the thread and states sense. Stonedar, you rock mate. Keep giving the good advice. ICMag needs more peeps like you. Regarding the compressed bales of coco, do you need to rinse it first before use, and is it reuseable?

I get great results with the original Hempy mix, but when I run outta medium I'll have to give that God darn coco a try coz Hempy loves the stuff lol.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

So- I've doubled the dose of nutrient that was keeping my growth dark green and my growth has turned much lighter.
Now to you, it's obvious that having doubled the amount of nitrogen I'm giving my plants that I cannot read my plants and I should give them more N.
Despite the abrasive nature of your reply (group me in with the rest of the 99% of people you've spoken to) I'll try what you suggest. Sounds counter-intuitive though.
Thanks for the friendly help.

im just going on what you told me. you said you were feeding half strength then you went full strength then you flipped to 12/12 and they started to yellow. this indicates to me a nitrogen def, flowering triggers stretch and rooting which use up a lot of nitrogen and magnesium. but hey it's your plant. i predict if you lower the nutes like i saw suggested your plants will yellow even faster. lets see what happens and i hope i was wrong.

 

[Wacky Tobacky]

i use Coco Hempy Buckets with chucky perlite at the bottom. Also using this with the KISS Method. easiest grow ever.

Some pics:

 

[dansbuds]

Quote:
Originally Posted by dansbuds View Post
Homedopt has small bags of vermic , i still use them in my cloner .
could only find a link to the medium grade but i know they have the fine grade too .
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...&storeId=10051
...do you use the ice-tube-tray cloners filled with vermiculte?

SOG

yes I do