[Anti]

Today's revision might just be the ticket.

Slightly wider (2ft 8in vs 2ft 6in) and slightly shorter (6ft 4in vs 6ft 6in) with 92 total plants. (So I could have 6 moms to clone from and still be at 99 plants except for 2 weeks every 8 week cycle when I'd have 100 or so clones in addition.

Each plant is in a square 4" space. the planter is only 2.5" so there is a bit more horizontal space per plant than in the first design.

I also added the shelf for the plants to sit on. (Now the cutout only stabilizes each plant and keeps it from toppling over.)

As always, your thoughts and/or criticisms are appreciated.





The last pic is a bulb's-eye-view perspective, just for fun.

The backs of the plants in the corners are (at maximum) 2 feet, 4 inches away from the center of the bulb.


So my questions at this point are:

How high does the "roof" need to be?

I intend to extract from the "roof" and have the carbon filter and extraction fan be external to the room.

If the "roof" were right above projected plant tops, the whole interior space would have a volume of 36.66 feet cubed.

If I add height that number will go up quite a bit.

Thoughts?

[TruthOrLie]

I wonder if your root zones would get high temps because of such small containers?

[Crusader Rabbit]

Originally Posted by TruthOrLie

I wonder if your root zones would get high temps because of such small containers?

His present design does have panels protecting the pots from direct light. My concern is keeping up with the hand watering if these plants take off. Not much volume in those treepots.

[Anti]

In current cab, with temps in the mid to high 80s, by the end of the cycle I only water once every other day. At the beginning of the cycle you can go 3-5 days between watering.

Submersion watering is about the most thorough watering method I can imagine.

(You dunk the entire tree-pot UNDER WATER until it stops bubbling. Then you pull it out, allow it to drain, and put it back in its spot.)

[Maj.Cottonmouth]

Originally Posted by Anti

In current cab, with temps in the mid to high 80s, by the end of the cycle I only water once every other day. At the beginning of the cycle you can go 3-5 days between watering.

Submersion watering is about the most thorough watering method I can imagine.

(You dunk the entire tree-pot UNDER WATER until it stops bubbling. Then you pull it out, allow it to drain, and put it back in its spot.)

Well if you are building this from scratch have you considered using buckets as the rack? I am thinking some rubbermaid type rectangular tubs with a lip inside and use steel rods for the containers to rest on. Put valves on them and you could fill the tub and then drain it into a bucket or whatever. Just a stoned thought. Mmmmm C99.

[Crusader Rabbit]

I'm growing small plants in a 6" x 5" room on a 6" x 3" table using three 2" x 3" mortar tubs for an ebb and flow system. My job requires me to be away, so I need non-manual watering. I 'm considering an identical pot arrangement to Anti's here using two rectangular doughnut shaped Ebb&flow trays. Plastic rain gutters I've looked at are a bit too narrow. Considering building each tray, screwed & glued out of real wood with a rubbery trailer roof coating to waterproof. Each tray is a level in the colosseum.

So two different sized trays shaped like a rectangular doughnut. Some supporting framework underneath. Rests on my table. Each tray would be fed by its own pump and have its own drain to reservoir. If you have room build a third, maybe a fourth tray if you can have it taller and wider. It could be on a floor if I just wanted to fill the tray with a hand held hose.

Well Rabbit....I was waiting for the final design to suggest automated feed , and there`s none better/easier than the ebb and flow setup where the containers/tree pots sit in juice and wick the difference up above flood level , then pump cuts off and gravity drains everything not kept in treepots back to rez FTW IME......

I can tell yas this Anti.....I`m worried about your thoughts on each plant only needing fed like you`ve been doin in the past , since smaller containers with coco do considerably better with regular timed feeds while allowed to dry out between feed cycles.......but.....

CFL`s even with temps in the 80`s are totally different from HID lighting , even with minimal 400`s , and then CMH`s produce more heat than HPS`s , so it`s definitely something to consider as far as automating your feed with 92 plantlets.......

I`m waiting ta see how they do with 4" spacing with 2-400`s....Talked to a Growbro yesterday I helped last yr with Heath`s design and increased plant numbers , and he upped his wattage to 75 per for the budsicles with "amazing" results according to him , and he`s old head like me , so there`s no bullshit conjecture/hearsay involved , only dialage........

IMO , if yas automated the feed , and put 3-400`s @ 19" , or 2-600`s in place of your 400`s on center , the results could possibly rival Heath`s results once monocropped and dialed environmentally.......but..... more heat to extract.....

If extraction`s not gonna be directly above the lights , then how will you control heat gain ......

If the 92 plant setup with mom`s help yer head with the 99 plant rules , then that`s the perfect setup ......Gotta be ableta sleep at night with increased plant numbers and smaller plants.....

I`d loveta see yas pull 3 lbs off 2-400`s...or 4 lbs off 2-600`s like Heath...but.....92-1 oz budsicles is 1/4 lb short of 6 lbs......AK-47 FTW dialed with automated feed and controlled environment...........

Now get ta work damnit...LOL....

Good luck Bro.....DHF............

[Crusader Rabbit]

Well I logged on to apologize to Anti for sending this off on a pipe dream, but instead...

The above idea would be so much simpler to construct as two stadiums, then place a single short Marlo style plant/scrog at each end. At least for me. I'm limited by ceiling height if growing on a table.

Anti's submersion technique seems to be working for him, but I can't depend on always being there to water on time. The treepots I have (3" square bottoms) will just wedge snugly into a quart yogurt container. For Anti's present set-up, if you found a container just big enough to hold the treepots, then every plant could sit in it's own bottom pot/saucer. That might give you another day between waterings. I think you'd need to glue? each one to the colosseum horiz shelf or else it would cascade into disarray. I need to take a treepot to the building supply stores and see how it really sits in a plastic rain gutter.

If a person had pots which were stable (unlike treepots) then the plants could possibly be rearranged in the trays according to the size of the plants. If you needed more room just remove a plant. You could also do a perpetual and have different rows of growth stages. Have close packed spaces in the first row for the first month... then harvest the top/back row... and move everyone else up a shelf... and place your new clones in the front row. The upper rows could have older/taller plants. Upper rows of a colosseum have more space for plants, so they can spread out some too

[Crusader Rabbit]

Originally Posted by DHF

and then CMH`s produce more heat than HPS`s

I thought CMH's ran cooler? Anyway, I've been using CMH's 400w, and I've encountered problems from UV exposure while working on plants, even with dark glasses and wearing a hat. I'm considering stronger filtering glasses, and I sometimes get a "sunburn", though I try to avoid sun exposure so my skin is probably more sensitive. I think that with several vertical bare CMH's blazing away in front of me at eye level I'd have problems. I'll either turn them off to work or use HPS.

Way back when bare bulbs were bein hung , the first rule of thumb was "welders glasses" to prevent eye damage from the 1kw`s.......

*5`s were the choice in either goggles or safety glass styles.......

Ya`ll be careful with your vision , no shit....as far as metal halide bulbs running cooler , I`ve never seen it......bigger bulbs/more gas/more heat IME......per wattage....

Peace....DHF...........