DJS Blueberry shallow water culture at 1600wattage and going higher!

Hello IC,
Been going to do another thread for a long time.... well here it is!

The scenario goes like this... Started some DJS Blueberry and some Dutch Passion Blueberry to see the difference. Killed the DP after comparing. Kept the best DJS Blueberry for a mom. She is in a room by herself. I took clones and cut her back a few times due to space constraints. I kept one of the daughters in my clone/veg room and am flowering both Mom and all the rest of the daughters.

I like to do shallow water culture (SWC) because of the tremendous amount of bubbles I can generate. I use 6-8in high Sterilight under bed containers from W-mart. First I paint them black and then flat white... makes them
completely light proof. When I paint I place a strip of tape up one corner so that I can mark each gallon that goes into the reservoir. I then drill the holes out for 4in baskets. The clones go into the 4in baskets once roots show. Rapid Rooters have given me 100% strike rate. Hydroton gives support. I use fish tank bubblers (largest W-Mart has) at a rate of 12 per reservoir so like 1 in. apart covering the bottom. I use the dual diaphragm Gen Hydro 4 port air pumps. Extremely quiet and tremendous output.

I use General Hydro 3 part floral series with the Lucas formula at an EC of 1200-1500. I also use Hydroguard, Ca+MG--the Blueberries are Cal-Mag whores, TopMax for the 30% humic acid. The Blueberries are very touchy about nutes and heat. Have to really keep on them.

In one room I am flowering the original mother that is now so large she covers a 4x4 ft space. I presently have a 600w HPS in a cool tube and am about to add another 400w MH. The mother is 2 wks into flower after a two day dark period. She is starting to show little white bonnets of hairs. Just getting interesting!

In a second room, I have 10 clones in the same type reservoir under a 1000w HPS. They have 1 week veg and 3 days 12/12 after a 2 day darkness. They are alternating nodes and increasing hairs but no bonnets yet.

For both rooms I have pics early on and present. I wanted to wait until they were in the flowering stage to start the thread so it would be more exciting. I keep the temps in the mid-seventies with lights on and mid-sixties in the dark. RH is kept ~50-60%.

The reservoirs require daily toping off. I use variable amounts of nutrient to distilled water ratios to maintain EC early on at 1250 and later at 1450 to 1500. I will be adding Advanced Nutrients--Overdrive in the last few weeks to increase the essential oils and resulting smells.

Well here are the pics with brief explanations:

Starting off with mom...
Here she is on 2/11/2008--


Mom is in front with 2 DP Blueberries in the background. God rest their souls--


Mom right after clones were taken on 3/25/08--


Clones placed into Rapid Rooters on 3/25/08--


Root porn on mom and the now emerging clone roots on 4/3/08--

mom


clones


Clones placed into new home with overall then a close up on 4/12/2008--



Clones with pop can to show reservoir size, overall, and closeup on 4/19/08 one week veg and 3 days 12/12--




Mom with room over all look and closeup of new bud bonnets on 4/19/08--



Only change water at onset of flower (increase my Bloom ratio) and 2 weeks prior to harvest (plain distilled water)
Looking for comments, input, or questions....

Hope you like it and stay to enjoy the show.

Peace

=)

=)

=) I also only Change my water into Flower and for flush i dont see any problem with doing it this way

^^^^ same water for almost 4 weeks ~


Edit: Grow looks Awesome but as far as air go's i have one fair sized air pump doing 100 gallons worth of water with no prob~ in DWC

Hello Green Force....

Hello Green Force....

Thanks for stopping by.

Yeah, the mother plant spent her entire life in the same water... about 10 weeks total, until I switched her to 12/12. With the shallow water culture, replacement of reservoir needs to be done pretty much daily to every other day. Kind of a pain but I like tinkering and it gives me lots of chances to change the EC and pH.

Will be following your grow. Looks great. Can't wait to see the ladies in bloom. I may try some Strawberry Diesel soon. I had some SD IBL and they were superb plants.

Peace

wow nice mother...Let there be DANK!

Nice Sacred, looking good.

I highly recommend trimming 3/4 of that BB mom, from the bottom up. Trust me, all that shit is going to be whisp that will take you years to trim. Your yields wont increase or decrease, you'll just end up with some huge nugs, instead of some medium sized nugs and a million little popcorn nugs.

Hello IC....

Hello IC....

Thanks for stopping by Stalldaworld and Mr. Celsius.

You are definitely right Mr. Celsius, I have already started trimming from the bottom. All those little branches that will not be making it into the canopy. Please remember that the intention of this plant was to be a mother. Since, I have other clones from her ... thought it would be a dignified end for her overgrown ass.

I will be adding another 400w to the room she is in. I am trimming each day at the popcorn branches at the bottom. Don't want to slow her down so am doing it a bit at a time. My intention with her is not to get maximal production, but will optimize the situation. Appreciate the input.... as always accurate and straight spoken.

Now the clones in the other room will be something else. It is 32 in x 60 in. I have produced over 18oz in 2 months there but again is not my intention now. I am a legal patient now and am concerned more with the quality and process than the end result. I expect at least 1 lb from it, and have done better in the past. The DJS version of BB is much more responsive to the 2 days of dark than the DP. I would not have expected to be at the bonnet stage with DP and therefore had more time to trim back. But, that will be ok. Just want to trim them slowly. Thanks for the input Mr. Celsius.

Peace

Looks great - I love the Shallow approach and have eyed that same tub at Walmart many a time. Think I will give that a try instead of the typical 14 to 18 gallon ones I regulary use.

Good to see you got a new thread up SB! Plants look good. I have one of those containers but I never put it to use. Got wheels on it and everything lol. I thought it might be a good veg starter but plans changed so its collecting dust now. How hard is it to keep on top of ppm and ph with a relatively small volume of water? Later in flower those babies are going to be sucking it down fast. How do you keep on top of it?

Hello everyone...

Hello everyone...

Here is an update..... but first.

Lighterfuel--Thanks for stopping by. Yeah, have used those containers a lot. They are way more suited to less plants of smaller sizes but they work with more if you keep on them. Easy to store, too. I put a layer of that bubble insulation over the top and just cut holes into the pre-made holes in the plastic for the amount I am using.

Hey whats up IGT-- Thanks for stopping by... I drop by your thread a lot but mostly lurk due to I would be saying the same thing all the time..."Damn looking good!" It is a bit involved keeping the pH and EC steady while keeping the water level up. The containers only hold 12 gal max. I usually just go by what I start with (pH, EC, and amount of water needed). I then just mix it a little hotter if the EC is low or a little less nutes when they are high. Usually the EC drops and the pH goes up. So I shoot for EC of 1400-1500 and a pH of 5.7. As it drifts up to around 6.3 over the course of a day or two, the plants take what they want at the proper pH they like. Am finding the DJS BB likes a pH of around 6 mostly. Quite a bit different than AK-47 which like it lower and is not as nearly as touchy. As you know, you just get a feel for it. I just keep the ratios of nutes the same but mix them hotter or cooler depending on what I am starting at. Actually I think the drift helps as long as it is controlled. You are definitely right, by the time they are at the end of flower.... have to top off daily.

Well here are the updates:

Mother is slowing stretch and starting to really put out hairs...
Close up of puddlings-


Overall mothers room shot--


I haven't had time to get another light in there but it will be soon. You can't really tell but I have been trimming lots of the small inner branches.

Now for the clones... They are looking nice and very little stretch under the 1000w HPS--
Overall room shot


Close up of the clones..... put on 3 nodes and about 6in since last pics--

very nice ill be watching

Hello Gottt it.... thanks for stopping by.....

Hello Gottt it.... thanks for stopping by.....

It is a humble grow compared to yourself.... but it is my couple of pieces of paradise. I do the best I can with what I have. I truly understand your lack of sleep. My poor soul is not up to such worries these days. Mine is with a stamp of approval of Uncle SAM, though it gulls me so. I love the craft and can not give her up.

I still remember the days when we were all brothers by our common interest in the craft. Not the loud mouthed, crap as you have been dealing with on your thread. Whether for money or just communion due to our common love, we always held each other with the highest regard and respect.

As a master of the Craft that you obviously are, don't let the trolls pull you down. Uphold our common bond. We are the enemy of the state not each other despite the raffle that sometimes attempt to subvert our goals.

Sorry if to mushy but as you say...... we are the "Modern Stoners" and will thus set the path for those who follow.

Peace

lookin good Sacred, i hope you saved a daughter from that mother. Id hate to have a nice strain and just flower her only to wanna grow it out again some time next year. Keep it up tho

Hello everyone.....

Hello everyone.....

Asher--yep sure did, kept two young ladies just in case something happened to one. I am going to use the recipe REZDOG posted to make a batch of female seeds. Was a bit of work to get the right ingredients but have them and will make a fairly large batch so I don't have to keep a mom. Put some in the freezer and they should stay good for many years.

I will try to get an update out soon.

Peace

SacredBreh said:

Asher--yep sure did, kept two young ladies just in case something happened to one. I am going to use the recipe REZDOG posted to make a batch of female seeds. Was a bit of work to get the right ingredients but have them and will make a fairly large batch so I don't have to keep a mom. Put some in the freezer and they should stay good for many years.

I will try to get an update out soon.

Peace

Click to expand...

sounds good, i suck with beans but i'll give some of them fem ones a try when they come out lol

Finally an update.......

Finally an update.......

Hello everyone,
Sorry in taking so long... you know it is that time of year. Always have to keep in tune with Mother Nature.... :0)

Well things are starting to look up. I already took some more pics besides these because they are changing fast now. Lets start with the babes....

The clones are really starting into flowering here is a top--


A shot of the over all room.... 10 plants and 1OOOw HPS--


Some root porn from the SWC of the clones, can you say, "drink up"--


One last closeup of a clone top flowering these are a little past two weeks into 12/12--



I have been cutting out a lot of the popcorn branches on the mom and will be adding another 400w MH to the 600w HPS in the next couple of days. I just took some pics with the lights off for the next update. Definitely a big difference in the last 3 days, and the pics with the flash look a lot better than that orange of the HPS.

Here is dear old Mom-- really starting to get with it--\
Room shot:


Close up of Mom's budding 22 days into 12/12--




Asher--definitely kept a couple for the next batch. Will include them in the next update also.


Peace

That's a whole lotta blueberry! Can you smell it yet?

Any chance of mailin me some clones =D

Enjoy man!!

SHould be some good shiz.. I hope you get your goal, prob more....

Enjoy man! Keep up the good work buddy!~

Hey whats up everyone......

Hey whats up everyone......

Gorilla-- when I open up the doors.... damn if flood the place. The DP Blueberry had a smell I did not like. Sort of an over ripe fruit smell but these are clean and crisp but of course immature. It is my first time with the DJ Short but I am loving the looks of the clones.

Green Force-- PM me.... Always looking for friends of the Craft.

BigT-- never really have a goal. Spend most of my days and some nights just dreaming of different set ups, configurations, H-vac issues, supply issues, etc. Only let the ladies do their thing. They shape the rest.

Here is an update with the lights off. ....

Peace

"Spend most of my days and some nights just dreaming of different set ups, configurations, H-vac issues, supply issues, etc. Only let the ladies do their thing. They shape the rest."......

...............So true.
Very nice set up, youv'e got it dialed in!

Just wondering how you keep the tubs cool or if that is even a problem for you?

caljim