1800 watts, coco, blumats, H&G

[m3th0ds909]

HELLLLOOOOO ICMAG and friends....

its been a while since i posted a grow (probly cause i havent grown much lately) and recently i just started 3 light grow which is the biggest ive ever done, still micro i know but I figured i would need the help of you pros here on icmag so i can avoid some annoying problems cause we all know there are tons that you can run into especially for your first run on a new setup. ANYWAY, to those who will join me on my micro op adventure i thank you in advance for any input and i will take into consideration any advice thrown my way so PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I AM FUCKING UP! remember this is technically my first "real" grow so keep that in mind if you notice something that i am doing is VERY noobish.

Why am I doing this setup?

So i do not live where this grow is nor do i want to go there everyday (contrary to my friends advice i know) but i figure every other day wont hurt. Also because i am running coco i do not want to sit there and handwater everyday/twice a day... i just want a simple autowatering system and blumats seem to be an optimal choice. I have never used an auto-watering system however my last grow was done in coco so i definately see the luxuries of having one considering moisture content with coco is key for optimal growth. So in short i am doing this setup like this because: I love coco, have seen the healthiest plants grown in it, blumats cause of the simplicity of the system, house and garden... well cause i already have the nutes, and 3x600w to see how they perform versus 2x 1ks over the same area.

*i also want to thank my main influences on this website that motivated me to start this: Thunderkel, Rives, Sunnydog, Lazyman, DesertHydro, macgyver420, drfever, and many others cant think off the top of my head right now...

THE SETUP:

-5'D x 10'W x 6.5'H grow tent

-3x 600w aircooled hoods in a straight line length wise

-6" inline blower to cool the 3 lights (ducting line to cool lights is seperate from exhaust)

-8" inline blower + 8" carbon filter for exhuast

-Both exhaust ducting and cooling ducting for lights are vented into attic

-32x 3 gal fabric pots (4 rows of 8)

- 4'x8' 120 gal active aqua flood table for the pots to sit in just incase a runaway dripper

-55 gal drum for ressie

-Full House and Garden line (COCOS A+B and all additives) + floranectar for sweetener and crystal burst for resin production and hygrozyme are the only outside additives

-All plants are OG (not sure on specific genetics)

-havent gotten them yet but thinking of getting the blumat XL deck and patio kit. i plan on hooking up the blumats first day of flower (~2 weeks)

CONCERNS/QUESTIONS (HELP!)


So my concerns are mostly about the blumats. i have read a good amount of sunnydog's thread and have read posts regarding these questions but have yet to see clear answers at least that would pertain to my set up. SO PLEASE IF YOU USE BLUMATS PLEASE READ MY QUESTIONS I NEED YOUR HELP!! the table that the plants are on sits on the floor of my tent which puts the drippers at about 8"-12" (estimate) off the ground. So my first question is:

-with 32 drippers and a 55g ressie how high off the ground should my res be?

-Also, i have seen people set up there system where the end of the line goes back to res as opposed to just being closed off after the last dripper. what are the benefits of this?

-I have heard that the 8mm supply line is a bitch to work with especially in small setups and i know people use alternatives. would you recommend these alternatives or just buy elbows and deal with the black line?

-Aerating the res. Apparently bubbles in the line are disastrous. I do not have the luxury of using R/O water this run at least so i need to have my res aerated with air stones. my logic tells me as long as the air stones are above the thru-hull tank connector. what are your guys thoughts on this?

-Which kit to get? for 32 plants in 3g pots what kit would you guys recommend the XL? or just buy individual drippers, fittings, and hoses?

so ive been smoking while writing this so I am out of questions for now lol

Please, if you use blumats i would be greatful if you could post a diagram on how your system is set up

Im sure a lot of you are thinking i am in way over my head if i am asking this many questions.... your probly right! so please help! lol

anyway thankyou to all who have stopped by and took the time to read my setup. The girls right now are in 20oz cups day 12 of veg looking great. will be potting them in there 3 gallon fabric pots tomorrow and in about a week hopefully i will have some pics up!

 

[m3th0ds909]

soooo i was high and bored and i wanted to test my paint skills lol....

 

[medicalmj]

I was gonna do the blumat thing but it just seemed cheaper and better for me to do a top feed dtw. I had a reservoir and pumps so all I needed was a digi timer ($15) and some tubing and couple other auxillaries. If you go this route, and I highly recommend you do, you will have the key components to change, expand or tweak your system and for less than the cost as the blumats considering you're already buying almost everything you need. The first key component is a tray, which you are already planning. I'd personally go with 3 trays, one for each light, instead of one large, but I don't know what your other variables are so take it with a grain of salt. Next, you're also getting a 55 gal res, which I use as well. So


Here's what you'll need to add:

Digital 8 setting timer available everywhere for $15 or less.
400-600 gal/hr pump available for $25-$40
Add a gate or ball valve to regulate flow, if necessary
And all the hose and emmitters you were going to buy.
Drain fittings and hose to drain.

 

[FlowerFarmer]

I have a lot of experience with blumats. I've left for ~10 days without missing a beat. They've worked pretty much flawlessly for me.

I'd purchase just the blumat carrots, 3/32 tees (or straight connectors) from Kent Systems, and lots of 3mm blumat dripper hose to give you freedom of movement. Forget the 8mm crap in the kits..its a pain to work with in expanded setups. All you need is the carrots, blumat 3mm line, and 3/32 barbs (from KentSystems).. you can use regular spec stuff for your "distribution" lines.

I'd suggest going the elevated secondary reservoir route so that your upper res maintains constant pressure. This is as simple as mounting a smaller bucket or rubbermaid somewhere high (go as high as possible in your room). Then use a reliable pump with enough "head/lift" to pump water from a larger reservoir on the floor to your elevated res...have it fill up and overflow (using a larger diameter tubing) back to your lower res.

Come off of your elevated res using 1/2" or 3/4" bulkhead and tubing.. Make a "loop field" down to your plants and stab in your 3/32 tees to feed each blumat from.

No airstones, etc are needed. The overflow effect from your upper res spilling back to your lower res is enough to add plenty of dissolved oxygen.

Throw some valves in where you need them to turn off different trays/light areas.. as well as one near the end of your loop field to bleed out air, etc when initially setting them up and to drain your lines when you're done.

Stick to a clean base nute with no additives (or at least very few and only clean ones). Drip clean is useful when ran at 1ml/gal for preventing salt build-up as blumats never have "run-off". Feed weak across the board and all should be well.


*One blumat per 3 gal pot is fine. I'd ditch the sugar and crystal burst.. or at least hand water it in as opposed to running it through the tiny line.
*In atami coco I'd drench to run-of.. dial to cling + 1 arrow or so.. and walk away. Do not fiddle with them at all for a several days.. Never had any of the common issues I hear of around here myself using this method...

Gotta run.. just my 2c.. hope that helps.

 

[stoned40yrs]

I have a lot of experience with blumats. I've left for ~10 days without missing a beat. They've worked pretty much flawlessly for me.

I'd purchase just the blumat carrots, 3/32 tees (or straight connectors) from Kent Systems, and lots of 3mm blumat dripper hose to give you freedom of movement. Forget the 8mm crap in the kits..its a pain to work with in expanded setups. All you need is the carrots, blumat 3mm line, and 3/32 barbs (from KentSystems).. you can use regular spec stuff for your "distribution" lines.

I'd suggest going the elevated secondary reservoir route so that your upper res maintains constant pressure. This is as simple as mounting a smaller bucket or rubbermaid somewhere high (go as high as possible in your room). Then use a reliable pump with enough "head/lift" to pump water from a larger reservoir on the floor to your elevated res...have it fill up and overflow (using a larger diameter tubing) back to your lower res.

Come off of your elevated res using 1/2" or 3/4" bulkhead and tubing.. Make a "loop field" down to your plants and stab in your 3/32 tees to feed each blumat from.

No airstones, etc are needed. The overflow effect from your upper res spilling back to your lower res is enough to add plenty of dissolved oxygen.

Throw some valves in where you need them to turn off different trays/light areas.. as well as one near the end of your loop field to bleed out air, etc when initially setting them up and to drain your lines when you're done.

Stick to a clean base nute with no additives (or at least very few and only clean ones). Drip clean is useful when ran at 1ml/gal for preventing salt build-up as blumats never have "run-off". Feed weak across the board and all should be well.


*One blumat per 3 gal pot is fine. I'd ditch the sugar and crystal burst.. or at least hand water it in as opposed to running it through the tiny line.
*In atami coco I'd drench to run-of.. dial to cling + 1 arrow or so.. and walk away. Do not fiddle with them at all for a several days.. Never had any of the common issues I hear of around here myself using this method...

Gotta run.. just my 2c.. hope that helps.

Nice writeup. Blumat makes 3mm barbs also. Drip clean recommends .4 ml/gal now. Do you think that's enough or bump to 1ml/gal?

 

[FlowerFarmer]

.4/gal might be enough to keep lines clean, etc, but it has always been promoted around here at a full 1mL/gal to prevent salt accumulation in the media due to running with little to no run-off.

In any sense feed rather weak (1.0 - 1.2 EC or so) across the board and all should be well. I've ran for years w/o drip clean.