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The Compound...

DunHav`nFun

Well-known member
^^^ you did/accomplished all that as a one man show ??
When I started growin outside in the mid 70`s , I was smart enough to use the extra cash to buy property cheap , and then every yr after I`d buy another piece of equipment to excavate and build my house...….As a teenager I was taught carpentry and framed houses every summer for several yrs ,
so it was a natural progression to move toward a small construction and remodeling co. to pay taxes and hide income , so I did....and….

For 12 yrs I cropped my ass off with a nuthin ass partner I loved dearly and overlooked his bullshit for many yrs , but that`s another story.....In those 12 yrs I learned as much about every aspect of home construction as I did with growin dope , so when the military started developing what they called "phosflourescent imaging" to be able to spot coca and pot fields in Colombia for Reagan`s "War on Drugs" , I was lucky enough to have a cousin stationed at said base that was picked for the project.....

He came straight to me on his first furlough and told me they`d be testin the shit exactly where I`d been growin and the whole lower 1/3 of the state the following spring , so I planned my last harvest and moved toward building shit …..the following yr , every redneck country boy hippie that had anything planted in the woods got a visit from repelling paratroopers and assault rifles all the way down to an old man that had 1 plant behind his barn under some damn oak trees , so IOW.....the technology worked but was so expensive it died with the Reagan era.....but...

My dumbass EX-partner decided he was smarter than the chopper tech and went balls out that yr anyways since we were on private razor ribboned paper company land with him being the caretaker for all those yrs we grew and prospered , but just wouldn`t listen to logic , on top of havin a damn monkey on his back from likin Peruvian marchin powder too much with a habit he hadta maintain , so what happens ?.....Paratroopers drop in take 100`s of big ass plants almost done , and dumbass went to jail …….

Gets out on bond and immediately starts wheelin and dealin in that shit , gets set up by LEO and gets double whammied with all manners of prison time looming over his sorry ass head , and what does he do ?......Rolls on me and claimed I was the mastermind behind all his ignorant charades , that he worked for me.....so yeah.....Star Crash.....that`s why I became a 1 man army , cuz I could trust me...….bottom line.....

Cost me an unborn child in lawyer fees but ultimately dumbass went to prison and I was never charged or indicted.....now....with that put away , we`re now at the point where I`m dyin to start growin indoors cuz outside was certainly a no go , so I started experimenting with waysta make it happen with very limited info available at the time , so it was buncha fluorescents and plant grow bulbs just to see wtf if I could even grow buds inside , but I did.....granted , it was pitiful for todays standards but hey.....I was hooked , and the internet was coming along so I dove in and we fast forward to today …..and....

Star Crash.....Every setup I ran had redundancy built in since I never grew where I lived , so there were double pumps and timers everywhere a failure could occur without me being onsite and comin back to piles of mush....also had high temp shutoffs to kill lights in case ac`s took a shit in deep summer.....only thing not employed was standby generators cuz power outages and acts of God never were a problem.....anyways....once dialed ….

I only went to each location once a week and only stayed max couple hrs when I did go cuz I had all the other places to upkeep.....and yeah SC..... it was rough and took up a lotta my time while dialin , but I was building somethin for my son to have when I`m gone , so I fought it and made it a job.....

The biggest part is scheduling each task to be done when you`re there to make sure all bells and whistles are at optimum working condition , all timers are right , all pumps are hoonin , and then every plant maintenance task necessary for pruning , shaping and cuts taken , then everything`s checked off on the dry erase board till next visit....gotta work it like a job , and hey....in the early yrs I babysat plants till I was blue in the face , but once I got sick of it , I hadta figure shit out for more me time.....so I did and it worked.....so.....

Swap....I don`t suggest you dive off down the rabbit hole just yet on the racks , that`s not why I came here.....I think you needta work your plan and let`s gravitate toward implementing a new setup as we go.....first off.....you need product , and dialin new shit ain`t the wayta get it , so get some plants goin , get some harveys happening for the bills and such and then let`s set up a designated area for plants up the wall and howta get to all of em throughout the grow till end of cycle....that`s half the battle....

My rooms were 8 x 8 with 1' angled shelves covered in pondliner and angled corners that held wall fans and intakes , plus 1 corner was the lil cubbyhole access in and out …...reflectix on everything that wasn`t green including the ceilings , with #5 smartpots as full as possible with 1/3 coco stringy fibers , 1/3 coco chunks , and 1/3 chunky perlite fed once a day hence the bigass 5 gal sp`s , but it was again redundancy built in cuz I didn`t go to the locations except on the weekends, and with DTW , that was the easiest shit I EVER dialed but neither here nor there.....

Plumbing was a bit tedious since yas gotta dial "head pressure" on the bigass pond pumps I used , plus a bypass back to rez to accommodate all the 5200 gph pressure those bitches put out , and then ball valves to control flow up to each different level so equal flow and pressure to each plantsite was guaranteed with open ended 1/4" driptubing hooked to basket sprayer stakes long before dripclean ever came on the market.....and....

On top of it all , the most important part of the puzzle......the loopfield manifold to pressurize all at once during feed sequence to insure pressure and flow stay constant to each level and each plantsite once equilibrium is achieved...….aight.....thanks for allowing my long drawn out bullshit Bro....it`s actually therapeutic to this old ass to get it out and let it go......anyways.....and again.....Swap....

Thanks for your time and we`ll getchas there ….but slowly.....already had 1 disaster case back in the day with a member not here anymore cuz he liked doin things his way instead of tried and true proven procedures , and then got snakes in his head that I was a fraud but I digress.....not goin thru that again so please understand.....

Peace.....DHF.....:ying: …..
 
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swapmeet

Active member
Fair enough Freds, I appreciate you. I will continue on with my fast hydro donuts and save one of the rooms, which was going to be my experiment room anyway, to experiment with this coco racks thing. It is going to be a slow progression anyhow, and I am in no rush. I am not in some crunch for money or anxious to get paid, or anything like that. Step one has always been to find the keeper moms, and get these donuts dialed along the way...slowly building from one donut of the rooted, lightly vegged young mothers, up to multiple monocropped donuts. I still have a lot to learn about coco... So I will take your advice.

My proximity to the compound is under 100 yards, and I will be there often. It is really a private location and no one will notice me going in and out of there when I do. I am considering setting up cctv cameras in each room, to go along with the outdoor setup I am getting so I can look in on them without being there.

My idea is to monocrop each donut once I find my keeper moms, but I cannot monocrop everything because people demand choices these days. The idea is to bring in a few strains that are high quality, hard hitting, and heavy yielding... Then keep the moms that have the most desired attributes as far as growing shape, vigor, yield, smell...etc. So the names I am adding to the mother show are some of the usual suspects, Chem D, AK47, GDP, Sour Diesel, Big Blue Cheese... and a couple others, including Cotton Candy Kush... All of these won't be introduced at once...but slowly worked in to the mother stable of clone donors...It is going to take some runs under my belt to get things going well... but there will likely be some nice harvies along the way...so get ready for an evolutionary journey lol.

Thanks,

Swap
 

swapmeet

Active member
PS, you can feel free to post any marathon post or story, experience, excetera here. No apology necessary. This is a place of learning. The only thing that rivals knowledge, is experience, both of which you have a ton of. I value everything you have to say whether I like it or not. I am just trying to get better and more efficient as a grower, and I have messed up enough to know whose fault it is when it happens. If I fuck up a grow or run, I will never blame someone else I will own it, study it, learn from it, and move forward, stronger.
I am not depending on this grow for my livelyhood or anything like that,. So I can afford to make a mistake here and there... I am pretty confident that we can dial these systems in fairly efficiently.

Thanks again,

Swap
 

DunHav`nFun

Well-known member
Wow.....Server just ate my post so I`ll not have a long drawn out 1 this time cuz it`s rainin and getting colder down here and I gotta check crab traps and clean out any uneaten pigs feet.....yum yum.....

Was apologetic on the life lesson since it`s not pertinent to your grow , or is it....partners never work....remember that.....anyways.....As long as you know that dialage takes time , we`re all good....

Let`s move forward and adapt as needed.....

Peace....DHF.....:ying: …...
 

swapmeet

Active member
Wow.....Server just ate my post so I`ll not have a long drawn out 1 this time cuz it`s rainin and getting colder down here and I gotta check crab traps and clean out any uneaten pigs feet.....yum yum.....

Was apologetic on the life lesson since it`s not pertinent to your grow , or is it....partners never work....remember that.....anyways.....As long as you know that dialage takes time , we`re all good....

Let`s move forward and adapt as needed.....

Peace....DHF.....:ying: …...

Then we're all good. Onward it is... Let s find some moms and make some donuts :watchplant:
 

swapmeet

Active member
Clones

Clones

Freds, when you were running those flip rooms, you must have been taking tons of cuts... did you use aero cloners, or clone straight into coco?

The reason I would consider going straight to DTW coco and changing my current plan is because though I have almost two decades of runs under this belt, I have never run an under current system, donut, vert setup, or any of that...so regardless of the medium and setup I go with, it will be all new to me.

So I could either learn and dial one system from scratch (donuts), and experiment with the other in the process (Coco racks), and then decide to completely convert everything over to the experimental system later and start learning and dialing that system in from there....

Or I can start with learning your proven system from the master to begin with, and learn and dial it in over a few runs, using 2020 to get all dialed in and babyshitted.

Either way there will be a lot of mistakes and learning curve going on... but in one way, that process goes on twice... It is like learning the wrong way first....then going back and learning the right way after you finally got dialed in in the wrong way... and don't get me wrong, I know there are many ways to skin a mule, and both of these methods have plenty of success behind them.

When I talk about the right and wrong way, technically both ways are the right way, but I am looking for the most efficient way... which takes into account, time demand, effort demand, simplicity, automation-ability, yield, and quality, along with recurring cost management and space demands. There is only one of these ways that is the best... it seems like it is going to be the coco racks like you say. So if that is going to be where I end up, why should I go through the time, cost, and trouble of learning and dialing a different system first? This is what I meant by it being the best time to change the plan...before I build, learn, and dial in a different system that I have no experience with.

I know there is going to be a learning curve with both systems, and mistakes to be made, and some plants will probably die.... I have no pressure on me to produce... I can take my time, make my mistakes, and dial it in right....with runs under my belt. I'll see what I can learn from the other guy's mistakes (I read it immediately after you posted it ;) ), and let's start with the right way the first time and spend a few runs dialing it in...What do you say?

Swap
 

swapmeet

Active member
Never mind about the clone question Freds, I saw your clear coco cups under the t5s answer in another thread...lol

Swap
 

DunHav`nFun

Well-known member
Ok Bro.....I`ll help all I can , and the only way I know howta start is with the bare bones of clones and preveg…..and yeah.....I gravitated toward clear cups in coco from perlite/vermiculite mix so I could see the fastest rooting cuts to pop em into preveg as fast as possible so as to find picks of the litter that grew and stacked nodes similar cuz trust me....no 2 cuts root the same.....that said.....

I got turned onto a DIY clone preveg cab by a bro in NorCal runnin increased numbers as well , and it`s pretty cool cuz you can preveg on the bottom level with T-5`s , and let the natural heat convection from the fixture elevate temps above for the cuts rooting.....gotta pull air extraction out the top with passive intakes in the door with all shelves set back so air could flow constantly bottom to top , but ……

What we need ta do for you is mom plants if you have the room for now so you can get used to takin at least twice as many needed to find picks of the litter , as to where I took up to 3 times when plants were hoonin and really stacking nodes and putting out foliage right before pruning and shaping getting ready to pull the trigger and flip 12/12.....so....

Since you`ve read my shit then you know I`ve preached once cuts root and start blastin off , the T-5`s go right down on top of their ass just like seedlings to shorten internode elongation and stack nodes to build lower laterals that`re perfect for takin cuts from when the last pruning and shaping session happens before flippen em since the lowest limbs have the most inherent rooting hormones and do better/faster cuz cuts are usually larger/longer from the bottom limbs compared to new shoots and upper growth with less nodes and stem to work with and root....aight.....

Happy Friday.....brought a buncha crabs in before this cold snap yesterday plus got some redfish and speckled trout to go with some big ass shrimp for the grill tonite cuz # 1 son`s comin down with his new GF for a birthday beach dinner.....aaaaah young love....lol.....regardless....school`s in session …..

Let`s move things in the right direction.....

Peace....DHF.....:ying: …...
 

swapmeet

Active member
Ok Bro.....I`ll help all I can , and the only way I know howta start is with the bare bones of clones and preveg…..and yeah.....I gravitated toward clear cups in coco from perlite/vermiculite mix so I could see the fastest rooting cuts to pop em into preveg as fast as possible so as to find picks of the litter that grew and stacked nodes similar cuz trust me....no 2 cuts root the same.....that said.....

I got turned onto a DIY clone preveg cab by a bro in NorCal runnin increased numbers as well , and it`s pretty cool cuz you can preveg on the bottom level with T-5`s , and let the natural heat convection from the fixture elevate temps above for the cuts rooting.....gotta pull air extraction out the top with passive intakes in the door with all shelves set back so air could flow constantly bottom to top , but ……

What we need ta do for you is mom plants if you have the room for now so you can get used to takin at least twice as many needed to find picks of the litter , as to where I took up to 3 times when plants were hoonin and really stacking nodes and putting out foliage right before pruning and shaping getting ready to pull the trigger and flip 12/12.....so....

Since you`ve read my shit then you know I`ve preached once cuts root and start blastin off , the T-5`s go right down on top of their ass just like seedlings to shorten internode elongation and stack nodes to build lower laterals that`re perfect for takin cuts from when the last pruning and shaping session happens before flippen em since the lowest limbs have the most inherent rooting hormones and do better/faster cuz cuts are usually larger/longer from the bottom limbs compared to new shoots and upper growth with less nodes and stem to work with and root....aight.....

Happy Friday.....brought a buncha crabs in before this cold snap yesterday plus got some redfish and speckled trout to go with some big ass shrimp for the grill tonite cuz # 1 son`s comin down with his new GF for a birthday beach dinner.....aaaaah young love....lol.....regardless....school`s in session …..

Let`s move things in the right direction.....

Peace....DHF.....:ying: …...

Right on Freds, thank you....let's dial this thing in. I didn't just start reading your shit lately.... I have been reading it for years...

So not only do you take clones from mother plants, but when you shape/prune your clones during veg, you turn the sucker branches into clones as well...

I currently have the 9 bulb t5 fixture over the young mothers in order to promote branching. I just had to move it up a bit because there was some bleaching at the top of all of them....but as you said, the internodes are tight as shit.

I also pulled the trigger on some more beans to start some more new mothers. I know your strain of choice was Chem D, so I got that... AK47 was out of stock... I replaced it with super skunk to go with the cotton candy kush, GDP, Sour D, Big Blue Cheese, G13 haze, and Blueberry Widow. I will find moms that are ready to throw out little 1 oz Christmas trees for the production racks. I will also have other plants for headstash and whatnot.... production racks will be monocropped....

I am thinking 4 shelves of 4 plants in 4'x4' square with rounded corners...
1-2g bags with those dripper baskets in each one.

If I use prefabbed racks, I can customize from there... also, if we can build in those demensions, or close to them, then my layout for the grow stays pretty much the same.

I will slowly put the flower room together as the moms get more mature... so no rush...we have got some time to set it up right, and dial it from there.

Swap
 

star crash

We Will Get By ... We Will Survive
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Ok Bro.....I`ll help all I can , and the only way I know howta start is with the bare bones of clones and preveg…..and yeah.....I gravitated toward clear cups in coco from perlite/vermiculite mix so I could see the fastest rooting cuts to pop em into preveg as fast as possible so as to find picks of the litter that grew and stacked nodes similar cuz trust me....no 2 cuts root the same.....that said.....

I got turned onto a DIY clone preveg cab by a bro in NorCal runnin increased numbers as well , and it`s pretty cool cuz you can preveg on the bottom level with T-5`s , and let the natural heat convection from the fixture elevate temps above for the cuts rooting.....gotta pull air extraction out the top with passive intakes in the door with all shelves set back so air could flow constantly bottom to top , but ……

What we need ta do for you is mom plants if you have the room for now so you can get used to takin at least twice as many needed to find picks of the litter , as to where I took up to 3 times when plants were hoonin and really stacking nodes and putting out foliage right before pruning and shaping getting ready to pull the trigger and flip 12/12.....so....

Since you`ve read my shit then you know I`ve preached once cuts root and start blastin off , the T-5`s go right down on top of their ass just like seedlings to shorten internode elongation and stack nodes to build lower laterals that`re perfect for takin cuts from when the last pruning and shaping session happens before flippen em since the lowest limbs have the most inherent rooting hormones and do better/faster cuz cuts are usually larger/longer from the bottom limbs compared to new shoots and upper growth with less nodes and stem to work with and root....aight.....

Happy Friday.....brought a buncha crabs in before this cold snap yesterday plus got some redfish and speckled trout to go with some big ass shrimp for the grill tonite cuz # 1 son`s comin down with his new GF for a birthday beach dinner.....aaaaah young love....lol.....regardless....school`s in session …..

Let`s move things in the right direction.....

Peace....DHF.....:ying: …...


:)
 

DunHav`nFun

Well-known member
Just woke up out of a food coma......OMFG.....Cajun cole slaw , jalapeno `s and mushrooms stuffed with crab wrapped in bacon , U-12 shrimp wrapped in bacon , blackened redfish and speckled trout , jalapeno and creamed corn hushpuppies , with Key Lime Cheese cake for dessert that the `ol lady made...…now.....

Once I made a major move to coco , I gradually phased out mom plants cuz runnin increased plant numbers avails the ability to only take 2 maybe 3 cuts from the lower branches of each pick of the litter pre vegling about to go into the bloom rooms , so it was easy to clean the bottoms out while pickin the best cuts to stick and root , before flippin em….and yeah.....

There`s a fine line between havin the lights down on top of their asses and then light bleaching or heat scorching is right there.....but....there`s safety in numbers and only the strong survive , so that`s why takin way more than you need comes into play , so trust me and keep stacking nodes and building laterals....I assure you when plants that`ve had horizontal light directly above blastin their asses , and then once properly shaped and pruned get put into the bloom rooms and experience bare bulb HID lighting blastin sideways at em . you can watch em stretch toward the lights and build budsites immediately.......aight.....more in the morning …..gotta go get the dawg in and hit the sack again....

Peace.....DHF.....:ying: …...
 

swapmeet

Active member
Just woke up out of a food coma......OMFG.....Cajun cole slaw , jalapeno `s and mushrooms stuffed with crab wrapped in bacon , U-12 shrimp wrapped in bacon , blackened redfish and speckled trout , jalapeno and creamed corn hushpuppies , with Key Lime Cheese cake for dessert that the `ol lady made...…now.....

Once I made a major move to coco , I gradually phased out mom plants cuz runnin increased plant numbers avails the ability to only take 2 maybe 3 cuts from the lower branches of each pick of the litter pre vegling about to go into the bloom rooms , so it was easy to clean the bottoms out while pickin the best cuts to stick and root , before flippin em….and yeah.....

There`s a fine line between havin the lights down on top of their asses and then light bleaching or heat scorching is right there.....but....there`s safety in numbers and only the strong survive , so that`s why takin way more than you need comes into play , so trust me and keep stacking nodes and building laterals....I assure you when plants that`ve had horizontal light directly above blastin their asses , and then once properly shaped and pruned get put into the bloom rooms and experience bare bulb HID lighting blastin sideways at em . you can watch em stretch toward the lights and build budsites immediately.......aight.....more in the morning …..gotta go get the dawg in and hit the sack again....

Peace.....DHF.....:ying: …...

Right on brother... I just made up some fresh shrimp with shrimp that I don't even think I can call shrimp...they should be callin lobsters shrimp...these things are huge... living by the sea has its perks... maybe I will post up a picture of these giants..I had to take a couple...

A question Freds, I am thinking about going with those basket stakes you've talked about in the past... Do you still feel good about recommending those?

Thanks,

Swap
 

swapmeet

Active member
Does anyone know why I cannot upload anymore pictures to my album? I even started a second one and still no go...Do I have to delete old pictures from my album to make room for more, and if I do that, will I be able to see the pictures I posted earlier on? What is the solution here?
 

swapmeet

Active member
More pictures from this morning

More pictures from this morning

I could not upload all of the pictures of the young mothers...but here they are after a fresh feeding at 378ppm and 6.1 ph:







 

DunHav`nFun

Well-known member
Right on brother... I just made up some fresh shrimp with shrimp that I don't even think I can call shrimp...they should be callin lobsters shrimp...these things are huge... living by the sea has its perks... maybe I will post up a picture of these giants..I had to take a couple...

A question Freds, I am thinking about going with those basket stakes you've talked about in the past... Do you still feel good about recommending those?

Thanks,

Swap
Damn.....you up too huh.....1/4" open ended drip tubing hooked to basket sprayer stakes is bullet proof even without dripclean…..but......depending on what size containers you decide on plus the size feed pump determines what size stream comes out of each drip tube to the basket that sprays 360 degrees , and mine did well with #5 smqrtpots cuz they were wide ,but you don`t want any juice getting near the mainstem or shit goes downhill fast if it stays wet.....aight…..

Goin ta bed....

Peace....DHF.....:ying: …….
 

swapmeet

Active member
Damn.....you up too huh.....1/4" open ended drip tubing hooked to basket sprayer stakes is bullet proof even without dripclean…..but......depending on what size containers you decide on plus the size feed pump determines what size stream comes out of each drip tube to the basket that sprays 360 degrees , and mine did well with #5 smqrtpots cuz they were wide ,but you don`t want any juice getting near the mainstem or shit goes downhill fast if it stays wet.....aight…..

Goin ta bed....

Peace....DHF.....:ying: …….

I was considering going with 1.5-2g square plastic pots with holes drilled all over the bottom and the sides for aeration purposes on racks that are fitting in a 4'x4' area with 4 or 5 plants per shelf, 4 shelves high. So 16-20 plants per side x 4 sides.

My feed pump is 500gph and I can use 2 if need be...

The part I am trying to wrap my head around is getting the coco completely wet if the pots are tilted a bit towards the light. Perhaps I keep the the pots straight up and bend the plants forward in veg...vegging in a vertical rack set up as well... I could put a drip stake in each opposing corners of the square pot and run it at low enough pressure so that the spray does not quite make it to the stem... Or stick it deep enough in so that it can't hit the stem... I yield to your experience....

Swap
 

swapmeet

Active member
I meant two opposing corners, not each opposing corner....2 stakes per pot at low pressure...I am not allowed to edit my posts yet or pm lol...

Swap
 

Ichabod Crane

Well-known member
Veteran
I would not use the plastic pots unless they are hempy buckets. The bags are better. This is because fungus gnats love to go in the holes on the side of the buckets. But on the bags there are no side holes. It is easier to kill them off if they are just at the surface.
 

Ichabod Crane

Well-known member
Veteran
Another thing to do is shape the surface of the top of your pot. It should be higher around the out side of the pot and around the stem. Then have a ditch that rings around the pot between the two higher areas. This will keep your watering from getting to much by the main stem and also stop the watering from running over the sides and down the side of your pots and being wasted.

You can shape your media surface in your pots when they are tilted towards the light also.
 

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