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PPK vert 4 plant 5 light grow show and DIY, 3400w, CO2

Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
first and foremost i wanna give big thanks to all the guys who helped me get here. its a lot of hard work and money spent to get here but im ready to work. ive spent a lot of time reading up on DHF's advice, D9's DIY's and PPK knowledge and all the other people who have blazed the ppk trail before me.

ive had a hell of a time locating turface or the like, but i have finally found out that all the auto stores have it as well as the diotomacious earth version. i plan on getting the DE version called floor dry #8822 from napa auto parts. i will pick that up tomorrow.

i couldnt find the same top tubs used as D9 and FF so i improvised with some 17 gal laundry tubs that i am gonna cut down to size. im trying to copy everything to a T but its proving hard.

this is a really simple build for anyone who is contemplating doing one. most towns that dont suck will have everything locally without stepping foot into a hydro shop you just have to know where to look. its not really a cheap build but then again most people running ppk's are running big trees with lots 'o watts and arent too concerned about a $300 system build. i had my pump already so that saved me big time. i think im at about 200 in right now and still need to buy my media which is about 40. after thinking about it i could have saved 20 bucks by making my own hose manifolds with a few plastic t's and 90's from the irrigation section but it wouldnt have nifty shut valves lol

i got my buckets for free and even though they are white i will simply lightproof them and save some more money lol. we shall call this a thrift store hydro build haha. my top tubs are 6$ at the evil empire, but for 6$ i just had to. i plant on cutting them down to size when i know how far the media will fill.

the tailpieces were about 2$ each. i got 6" size x 12
these are with all the plastic sink parts at the home stores. i got 4 plastic female garden hose adapters to attach to my hose after i cut it up so it can connect to my manifold. my res will be a tuff box with a float valve hooked up to a big brute can. should last me at least a few days at a time when they get big.

hose is the same as D9's, i got a 75 ft never kink and it was about 40. gonna cut it all to hell and run my lines.

i had some cages i used for my vert scrog grow so im gonna reuse them as plant cages for my trees. they are 30" across and should be about perfect for my mini trees.

strain on the trees is CSG's chemmy jones. i grew her out from seed a while back and had 1 keeper and this will be my third round with her. she is a BIG stretcher but very open structure and should be perfect for the vert tree style but we'll see if she pulls through haha. clones just rooted within the last day or two but they should take off once they hit the ppk with the 1k and co2.

feel free to give advice, tips etc as this is my first ppk grow and only my second vert attempt. ive done a lot of reading in the vert forums and got a copy of DHF's 10 commandments. im at 46 watts per sq foot(just under the goal of 50) but im not gonna fret over 4 watts right now until i can beef up my electrical panel.

some things i forgot.... im running jacks and calnit at about 1.6-1.8 ec. the blue dreams need a bit lower ec. picky bitches. i also add in some kelp additives and whatnot i have leftover from past grows. i try and keep it kiss for the most part. they are going into a 9.5x9.5 tent which is in a 20x30 room. i run a burner in the room and pull enriched air through the tent. im sure im forgetting shit

thats all for tonight.
 

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Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
im dropping the kelp additives after this res. causes too much fluctuation having organic stuff in there. jacks is stable and doesnt fluctuate on a DTW setup but with the kelp it has risen almost all the way to 7. took a ton of ph down to chase it back to 5.5
 
i like the idea of ppk but it seems like they are tall, having to stack a tub on top of a bucket. How long are people vegging in these? Be careful not to over veg.
 

Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
the tubs will be cut down almost in half. they are still a bit tall for my liking but since i will be growing vert as well as vegging vert the stretch is up and out so hopefully with some good supercropping technique and training in the cages i will win the battle. she is a stretcher for sure but i think i know her well enough.....i hope

here are day 1 shots on the flip after the ravaging of the leaf matter followed by about week 8 out of 9. big difference
 

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Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
Right on DH!!

Glad I found this.

good choice on the tubs, just be careful not to snap them when you cut them down to size. Sometimes I spin the holesaw backwards and melt my way through the buckets.. It gives you a much cleaner edge.

As for the kelp and most additives, I have had the best luck sticking with jacks and keeping hygrozyme, sm90, etc out. Sm90 is great stuff, but you shouldnt need it in this system. I do add magsulfate aka epsom salts sometimes. If you want to add some stuff like kelp, or ewc, I would make a tea and apply it as a foliar.

A local landscape company might some pumice stone, you might want to call around. $40 gets you a yard around these parts.

thanks. i completely forgot that i could leave it out of the res and still get the benefits through a foliar spary. im not real big on spraying but i guess i should start if its gonna help. do you need to ph foliar sprays?

i saw a tea brewer and i have a bunch of uniseals and i think i could make one pretty easily. that would be cool.

im gonna use my dremel with a cutoff wheel made for plastic and it eats right through stuff like this really nicely. gonna run a line of masking tape and try my hardest to follow the line lol.

my calcined DE is only 6.13 a bag which is 6 gallons. gonna shoot for about 8 gal of media in each tub.
 

Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
thanks guys! this is what i love about the vert forums. everyone's encouraging and helps each other out. im going to pick up my media right now. here's a pic for anyone having as much trouble as i was finding something suitable. i cant wait to blast some watts at this CJ cut and see what she's capable of.

here are my rockwool flock girls. they are gonna get flowered as soon as i set up their tent tonight. gonna put 8 in 3 gal air pots under a 1k. the rest are for another patient. there are 10 ak, 4 blue dream(3 cuts and one from seed) 3 c99, 2 tsi fly. my little 1k tent is gonna BLOW UP. cant decide if im gonna run vert or horizontal. i think my blue dream are too bushy to run vert with the others lol. ive been supercropping the living hell out of them
 

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Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
thanks again. it looks like i will be cutting down to 4 bags instead of 6 then. they also have calcined clay from the auto parts stores as well. do you think that its better?

i forget that since you are feeding hourly that there is really no need for a ton of media
 

Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
so i picked up my floor dry right now and i like the looks of it. small particles like the turface just looks a bit more white like the MVP turface. gonna rinse the shit out of it and see where im at volume wise in the tubs so i know where to cut them down to. i think i am gonna get some of the electrical fittings that are available locally and see if they are water tight as well. it says they are so we will see lol. gonna steal D9's idea of cardboard underneath it so you can see if it leaks.
 

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Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
ok, washed 1 bag of floor dry to see how much it filled the tub. cut them all to size. installed and aquarium siliconed the fittings in place. now i just need to measure my hose length and cut them to size and hook everything up......TOMORROW lol. im tired and have to clean up my mess before she who must not be named sees it.

there were many fails today. my dremel caught fire, i used the wrong silicone and had to clean it off and go get the right kind and i made a wonderful mess in my dining area but i almost completed the build. i need it up and running in one week before i leave to san francisco for a few days. wish me luck. i really dont wanna come back to a disaster lol.
 

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D

DHF

Always heard if yas can`t get here on time , just get here when yas can.....

I`ll be over here on my bucket waitin and watchin.....

Good luck and....get backta work....lol.....

Peace...DHF.....:ying:.......
 

Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
it's good to have you on board DHF. i got off work early and i gotta bust some ass around here so i can get all set up before i leave out of town.
 

Desert Hydro

Active member
Veteran
i just ordered a spare pump and a sentinel short cycle analog timer. all my media is washed. gonna take everything over and set up pretty soon. i want it functional by tonight. i will probably run about 30 gal of water through it continuously to further rinse it out.

im 10 minutes into a leak check and all is well. i think we have a green light to start the build!

my only question is do i veg vertically or hang a reflector over them until they are to size?
 

SRGB

Member

Desert Hydro:

my only question is do i veg vertically or hang a reflector over them until they are to size?


Hi, Desert Hydro.

An option might be to try all 3.4, 24/0, until it would not be possible to view the wall behind each, they contacted each other laterally, they were shoulder height, they reached 16 cubic feet of mass, or whichever of the above occured first.

Best,
/SRGB/
 

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