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Starke's Story: An LED Tale

starke

Well-known member
This is going to be a slow and odd beginning to a grow diary and for that I apologize. I want to document this grow in real time. Unfortunately that means the grow will begin with a two week break after this initial post since I will be out of town until 6/25.

The Plan: Five Hawaiian Snow clones in original Hempy Buckets in a 5x5x8 tent. URSA Optilux LED full spectrum for light. Maxibloom KISS only for nutes. Should be a cake walk, right?

Anyway, these nine clones were cut on 5/24 and placed in my Rubbermaid TikiTorch Wick Cloner in pure perlite. All nine rooted well and were transplanted into Solo Hempy Cups today. The misses will keep them fed and under these off the shelf LEDs until I return. The five healthiest will then be selected, re-potted in two or three gallon Hempy Buckets and into the tent under the URSA LED for topping and training.

So say Hi to the girls. Next update on or around 6/25.
 
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starke

Well-known member
Progress Report

Progress Report

Managed to cut the out of town trip from 14 days to 10 so here is a pic of the girls as of today. Not bad progress from 10 days ago. The misses nailed the feed schedule. Hempy cups are working like a champ. Picked up some three gallon buckets from the dollar store today and will begin setting them up tomorrow.

Peace.
 
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saitama

Active member
My fellow optilux grower! I am pulling up a bean bag and a portable grill for this one. Best of luck! I'm sure you'll crush it.

And now I have to wait 5 more days....
 

starke

Well-known member
As stated in the first post, this will be a grow done in Hempy Buckets. This grow is my first attempt at using this method. For anyone tuning in who is not familiar with the method and mediums, check out this thread if you are contemplating trying it or want to know the ins and outs of how it works:

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=98419

For the sake of having something to update and some pics to post, here is a down and dirty short version of my setup:

Find a bucket or other container between one and five gallons. (Mine are three gallon el cheapos from the dollar store.) Poke about a one half inch diameter hole in the side about two inches up from the bottom.
 

starke

Well-known member
Per post pic limit required me to break up this post.

Fill the bottom of the bucket up to the level of the hole with pure perlite. (I rinsed mine first to get rid of some of the dust.)

Make a mixture of about 75% perlite and 25% vermiculite by volume. Mix well and fill the buckets the rest of the way with this mixture. Insert plant and rock and roll.
 

starke

Well-known member
Packerfan: According to the Hempy thread this was the original mixture. I guess most folks have transitioned to coco in some fashion, including Hempy himself. I'm still so new at the game I'm afraid to mess with coco. Just another nute, ph, watering schedule learning curve I don't feel like dealing with. After reading the Hempy thread from beginning to end, the original method sounded the most KISS to me. Maybe one day I'll find the courage to tackle coco. I know the results are second to none with coco. It's just the issues with coco that I keep reading about here that make me hesitant to try.
 

starke

Well-known member
Picked out the five best looking ladies this morning and transplanted them into their Hempy Buckets. Fed a half strength dose of Maxibloom and into the tent they went. Shortest girl is eight inches, tallest is ten. Currently have the Optilux 36 inches above them but still going to have to keep an eye out for light stress as they are new to this light intensity and the Optilux is one powerful LED. Going to give them a day or two to adjust and then top. Peace.
 

paper thorn

Active member
Veteran
Howdy Starke, it's good to see a hempy grow. I ran them years ago and loved them.
I used the original mix like you. the only way to run hempys in my opinion.

I use coco now and love it. I thought about using a hempy bucket with coco, but it's really about the same as just using a pot. i like the drainage of a regular pot, though with a fast growing plant it's probably going to suck up the res in a hempy bucket.

i like that you put straight perlite in the bottom.

i also like LEDs. I have a 205 watt hydrogrow LED that i use in veg nowadays over my moms, they get huge too fast.

i'll be watching, good luck
 

starke

Well-known member
Thanks for the encouragement paper thorn. I'm excited to see what the Hempys can do. Strictly a soil grower until now so I'm still getting used to the idea. Love my LEDs too.
 

starke

Well-known member
Time for a weekly update. The ladies completed their first week of veg without any issues and are looking happy at the moment. They were topped on the 27th and fed again at half strength. Yesterday, 6/30, they received their first full strength (1 tsp per gallon) feeding.

One Week Ago:



Today:



Peace.
 
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starke

Well-known member
Today marks the end of two weeks in the tent and two weeks since transplant into the Hempy Buckets.

In reading the Hempy thread I saw many mentions of the increase in growth that occurs when the roots initially reach the reservoir in the bottom of the bucket. This past week I witnessed this phenomenon first hand and must say I’m impressed. The girls have not doubled in size from a week ago, but I bet they have grown by a third anyway. Unlike any growth I have ever experienced in soil.

I am debating about topping them again but with the branching going on, I may not need to.

I’m not used to my plants being this dark green using Maxibloom at 7 grams per gallon. In soil they were not this green and at times I felt they needed more N. Think I’m going to back the feed down a bit the next couple of feedings and see what happens. No burnt tips yet but I don’t want any.

I am also debating whether to build a scrog or just LST then Supercrop as needed. I’m thinking that at this growth rate I will be flipping in about two weeks.

One week ago:



Today:

 
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saitama

Active member
Looking good!

It looks like you may be experiencing similar issues to mine with regard to the hot spot in the middle of the light.
 

starke

Well-known member
Looking good!

It looks like you may be experiencing similar issues to mine with regard to the hot spot in the middle of the light.

Thanks for checking in. It's hard for me to tell regarding the hot spot. I'm unsure if the lighter green on top I am seeing is due to new growth or light bleaching. I have not moved the light from it's original 36" height above the plants on day one. Given their growth, the gap is probably down to 28" - 30" though I have not put a tape on it. Will start paying closer attention. Thanks.
 
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saitama

Active member
Thanks for checking in. It's hard for me to tell regarding the hot spot. I'm unsure if the lighter green on top I am seeing is due to new growth or light bleaching. I have not moved the light from it's original 36" height above the plants on day one. Given their growth, the gap is probably down to 28" - 30" though I have not put a tape on it. Will start paying closer attention. Thanks.

Try switching your camera to pro/manual mode and switching the white balance to 4500K or taking the plants out of the tent and take a picture. I'm pretty sure it's bleaching :(
 

starke

Well-known member
Try switching your camera to pro/manual mode and switching the white balance to 4500K or taking the plants out of the tent and take a picture. I'm pretty sure it's bleaching :(

Thanks for the advice.

I'll be pulling the plants out in the morning for some LST so I'll do a close inspection and get some pics in natural daylight.
 

saitama

Active member
Thanks for the advice.

I'll be pulling the plants out in the morning for some LST so I'll do a close inspection and get some pics in natural daylight.

I hope it is fast growth! But if not, its really helpful to know what to look for. Good luck!!

edit: looked at your pics again. If you look at where the yellowing is, it's toward the center of the tent. I could definitely be wrong and hope I am.
 
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