First grow: WaterFarm 600W MH/HPS, HomeBox XL, CoolShade, 25 gallon res. [PICS]

[fred_light]

SumDumGuy: Thanks man. Mentally, I _have_ been growing for years I just did not have the space to do it where I used to live.

thunderpob: I will. I have more PICS of the process in my gallery.

Update: Today I had my first "accident". I think everything will be fine, but that's just luck. When I got home from work I went in to check on my girl. At first I noticed that it was colder than usual. Then, when I opened the hut it was pitch dark! My 600W MH bulb was broken! A piece of glass in the centerpiece had broken off (exploded?) and there was glass parts inside the bulb. It would not "start". I changed to the 600W HPS to get some light going, and looked in the logs that it had been dark for 2h. That was just luck, it could have been 16 hours, and not only 2. I am guessing that 2h dark is no problem, since she has been up to 3-4h in dark at times during this veg (she was gently introduced to 24h light in "stages". The clones however could be effected by it. Time will show.
I am pretty confident that she will not be to stressed with the 2h dark thing, and turn hermie on me. I am guessing that the HPS will be okay instead of the MH, even if she will not grow as tight.
The ballast is a brand new digital Lumatek purple 600W ballast.

I wanna ask if I should switch back to MH if I get a new bulb, or just keep her going with HPS until I have the clones I need?

Either way, I was lucky, and she looks even better than yesterday! She was a bit dry last evening when I took the pics. Now she has perked up and looks happier than ever.

Puhhh. Goes to show that you can plan a good run, but when the day is over there loads of shit can hit the fan (experience with growing and equipment will minimize this risk). I guess a good plan would be to install a 125W CLF as a backup if the grow is really important. I will now modify my computer program to notify me if temps drop below a certain degree, cause that would be the case if the bulb blows.

 

[thunderpob]

Same happened to me a few grows ago (power cut though) didn't have any affect as far as i could tell, Mind you, that was with from seed plants and not clones.

Fingers crossed for ya man.

 

[fred_light]

Thought I'd bump myself up some

Time for update.

The 21st (5 days ago) my MH blew up. I switched to HPS. And I watered her without nutes. Since the watering before I had added nutes. She was pretty dry.
Then somehow shit hit the fan

The HPS was warmer than the MH, so I got a rise in temp. Up 3 degrees to 28 degrees C. (82 F.). RH is fine between 40-60%.

This is a PIC of her then:

Somehow my plant reacted bad to one of these things or a combination.
I saw it the day after. She looked "dry". The new shit seemed to be curling inwards like crouching. The leafes seemd "dry" to the touch and the top shots growing where curling in a spiral.

I have a pic from what that looks like now today. It was even worse 2 days ago.

She had been feed water (the day before) so I thought she be fine the day after. But things only got worse. I have no pics of it. Camera was away

Anyway the 24th. 3 days after MH blow and "dry" plant. She looked like she was in need of some change of some sort. The leafes where also turning brown spots. Could be a def.

Picture of it today:

So I did stuff to get the heat down to 25 degrees C. (77 F.). I let her stay a couple of hours away from direct ray from HPS. I rearranged the fan to blow cold air on her. And humidity from humidifier when that was on. I also watered her even if she had only drank 50% of the water in the pot. I also did this because fear of a deficiency, so 1l (1/4 Gal.) water was added 2 ml 3 part GH (all 3). And I gave her 700 ml of that liter. Soaking her real good, and let 10% run through. It was actually a good bump in feeding from 0.5 ml/liter last time. But at this time the plant is a good sized girl.

I think that fixed it. Today she is looking a lot better. Steadily over the days since.
I know I was taking a risk feeding her such a bump. But I did not feel a lockout was going on. I went with my overall gutfeeling/plantfinger on it, and risked my plant on it (a grower must face that situation sooner or later. The sooner the better? ).
She has stunned for sure. Little or no growth between the 21st and 24th. Slowly picking up now.

Time for PIC

Anyone wanna guess what the happened?

Clone update:

They are getting along real good. Watered first time after clone process yesterday. 21st -> 25th untouched apart from lifting lid 2 times a "day" at various times and length (20 sec. to 15 min.). Pics in gallery. Gonna post more info later.

 

[fred_light]

Also posting pics of my homemade clone-bubbler tomorrow
Got a hold of 48 neopren ez-clone thingys and a rubermade. 2 ceramic stones and a dual outlet airpump. Drilled 4 holes in lid. Exciting. Can now compare cloning in jiffy's and bubbler. Probably different stages in plant life this round though.

 

[fred_light]

Promised an update with some pics.

I got around ordering a pack of Ez-clone neopren holders. You can buy them separately in packs of 34. Bought a rubbermaid 15l container (3.5 gal.) that's very light resistant. I held it up against the light in the store and could not see anything through it. The others would shine like hell, but the dark one was really dark. No hit of light.

Drilled 4 holes in the lid that are a little bit smaller than the neopren plug. Actually a tight fit.

Also got 2 ceramic 10cm (4 inch) airstones. And a dual outlet air pump. 2 x 2 liters (1/2 gal.) air per minute.

Drilled 2 small holes in the side for the airhose. Waiting for parts to fasten the airhose a bit better.

I believe this is the preferred cloning setup for some people. Since you can transplant directly into a DWC or a hydroton system like the Waterfarm. No shock to plant. Also a good way to feed her some nutes from start.

Pics:

I am gonna get to try it out soon

I currently have 3 clones in Jiffy pots. To learn how to cut and plant clones. And see how it went. Read earlier post if you wanna take a look at cut and planting the clone.

So far it has been good. They are alive after 6 days and look "healthy" still.
I open the lid on the clonebox 2 times a day. Not at same time and for different length in period (2 min - 20 min.) to give them air. After 4 days the leaves where hanging a bit and I gave them some more water.

Pic of hanging leaves.

2 days after I watered them they have perked up a lot. The way I watered them was that I dipped them in pure water and let them suck up from the bottom 1/4 of the jiffy. Making sure they got some water but did not overwater/soak them completely. I wanted to give the roots a "water is downwards, lets go there..." feeling, and not a flush. The water gets all the way to the top, but gravity will keep most water in bottom for the roots to stretch after.

Pics:

No roots yet (6 days).

The "mother" is looking better, and I now see 9 tagged leaves all around Watering her with some light nutes tomorrow. After I gave her nutes last time the roots have gone nuts on her. They are bright white and real heairy and peaking out everywhere. They seem to want to break out on the top of the soil also Lots of white there. But in the holes in the bottom as well.

 

[SumDumGuy]

Great work on the bubble cloner. It'll work wonders!!!

 

[SumDumGuy]

Fred hang in there and 2 hours of dark will not affect a thing. Btw. I only grow with HPS. It really helps with the final weight. Keep it going and remember that she will adjust. These plants have been around for millions of years and a slight temp increase will be okay bro. Never forget this and you'll always be a step ahead. Can't wait to see 'em go hydro too ;-)

PS. the spotting looks like a pH imbalance. Make sure your next feed is fully calibrated to 6.8 bro.

I always prepare like 2 gallons of calibrated feed in a larger bucket and place my plant with pot in bucket and allow her to take everything up from the bottom. Along with this I keep checking the pH of the water in the bucket to see if it changes due to the leakage from the pot. As long as pH stays the same I know that the plant is perfectly ok. A bit of work but it works for me ;-)

 

[kp^]

Well done from start to finish! Any tips for someone in the process of designing a sealed room? Love the idea for the smart switch.. I'm a geek myself, and wanted to do something very similar. Ideas are flowing.... got the 3d application open, and even the pencil and paper.

I like to see people build new rooms, and then put it to good use. You've got some nice ladies under way! Great setup! I've got my chair, and bong rdy!

Cool little bubble cloner! I'll prolly make one almost exactly like when I'm ready for clones!

 

[fred_light]

Great work on the bubble cloner. It'll work wonders!!!

Thanks. I hope so. It looks like a good way to clone for sure.

Fred hang in there and 2 hours of dark will not affect a thing. Btw. I only grow with HPS. It really helps with the final weight. Keep it going and remember that she will adjust. These plants have been around for millions of years and a slight temp increase will be okay bro. Never forget this and you'll always be a step ahead. Can't wait to see 'em go hydro too ;-)

PS. the spotting looks like a pH imbalance. Make sure your next feed is fully calibrated to 6.8 bro.

I always prepare like 2 gallons of calibrated feed in a larger bucket and place my plant with pot in bucket and allow her to take everything up from the bottom. Along with this I keep checking the pH of the water in the bucket to see if it changes due to the leakage from the pot. As long as pH stays the same I know that the plant is perfectly ok. A bit of work but it works for me ;-)

Thanks for the input SumDumGuy, I really appreciate it. You may very much be right. I have not pH adjusted the food for her. Gonna do that today! Thanks for a good tip on how to do it. For 1 plant nothing is to much work. I guess my whole grow proves that So I am gonna wip out a bucket and do it the way you described with pH adjusting ++.

Gonna be gone for the weekend. When I get back I am sure she will have gone crazy with that nice food

 

[fred_light]

Well done from start to finish! Any tips for someone in the process of designing a sealed room? Love the idea for the smart switch.. I'm a geek myself, and wanted to do something very similar. Ideas are flowing.... got the 3d application open, and even the pencil and paper.

I like to see people build new rooms, and then put it to good use. You've got some nice ladies under way! Great setup! I've got my chair, and bong rdy!

Cool little bubble cloner! I'll prolly make one almost exactly like when I'm ready for clones!

Thank you kp.

The only tip I have is that with a sealed room, you will probably have to try different configurations to find your way. What I mean with that is that I know my setup now is fine for the winter months, but will not work during summer. So adjusting the setup for different months/periods is probably something you have to consider, so make the room as versatile as possible? Then again I guess that goes for every grow and setup out there, unless you really get a rig that will stay the same whatever happens outside the room. I guess that is easier with a sealed room, but maybe less expensive (but not by much).

From the bat, my grow does not have this dialed in, and I see the need to adjust.

You will get back what you invest in planing. Or to put it this way: It can be expensive to not plan at all before you start. And you are also more likely to fail I guess. You can plan to much as well of course, since when you start certain things you think you knew are not correct, and planing to much will make you less versatile. Like most things in life. Follow the middle path

Updates will follow, and it's good to know you'll be hangin and puffin

Making the cloner was done in only 30 min. when I got my arse out of _my_ chair and let the bong cool down. Looking forward to try it myself

 

[JamieShoes]

tagging along for this one - waterfarms intrigue me

as per the good lady wife - whatever you do, DON'T show her NBGs' 450 gram monster scrog - or even one plant might seem like a lot

 

[fred_light]

tagging along for this one - waterfarms intrigue me

as per the good lady wife - whatever you do, DON'T show her NBGs' 450 gram monster scrog - or even one plant might seem like a lot

Lol, I know. He has a monster in his closet

 

[JamieShoes]

I wonder if he has kids... "Daddy... theres a big green monster in my closet"

LMFAO

 

[kp^]

fred_light,
Thanks for info dude! It's apprecated!! I'm def trying to make my room as versatile as possible. One advantage as it will be in a garage, so its cooler. etc. I will be making a thread in the next few days to get more input/ideas from the community. I've put atleast 3months into R&D for this grow. I want to be able to build this, and then 6months-1yr from now it will still be rock solid. Yes, minor tweaks are always needed.. Every grower has a little Mcguyver in them, and will make adjustments when needed!!! Trying to dial in everything I can research, and figure out... when Im stump....then I'll seek help.

I def agree with you when it comes to spend the time and energy for planning the grow. I'm very analytical, so I'm getting all the details worked out. From framing, to electricty, venting.. etc You know what Im taking about

Peace out, and happy growing!!

 

[loco81]

nice job man. i wished i had the resources to setup a room like that. i will eventually and then i am gonna be back trying to decipher all of your computer codes! When that time comes i hope you are willing to shed a few pointers!

 

[fred_light]

fred_light,
Every grower has a little Mcguyver in them, and will make adjustments when needed!!! Trying to dial in everything I can research, and figure out... when Im stump....then I'll seek help.

I def agree with you when it comes to spend the time and energy for planning the grow. I'm very analytical, so I'm getting all the details worked out. From framing, to electricty, venting.. etc You know what Im taking about

Peace out, and happy growing!!

We have a lot in common then Looking forward to your grow/setup. I'll keep my eyes open for it.

 

[fred_light]

nice job man. i wished i had the resources to setup a room like that. i will eventually and then i am gonna be back trying to decipher all of your computer codes! When that time comes i hope you are willing to shed a few pointers!

Hehe, do that. I'll help you out as much as I can.

 

[fred_light]

Time for an update...

I came back from a trip yesterday, and was eager to check out what had happened in the 3 days I was gone.

The motherplant had grown some and was a bit dry, drinking over 1,4 liter water in 3 days (1/3 gallon). She is looking a lot better than a week ago. But she has marks of the stress/pH problem I had some time back. She is almost completely recovered now.

The big shock was the clones

When I left they had been in the dome 1 week and the leaves where perking. I watered them first time at day 4 in the dome (explained in a post above), and after that the leaves went from droppy to perky. At day 7 I watered again, this time with some really low level nutes. When I came back at day 10, this is what I saw:

The one on the left in the picture below is the one I kept.

Picture of the left ones roots (porn?)

Pic of the one to the right.

Potted the left one.

The middle and right one went into the bin. That hurt, but I knew I was gonna have to throw 2 of them. This all was a test-run of cloning, and I think I can say I hit 100% from the 3 clones I took

The only reason I am keeping one is that I am wondering if I should make that one the motherplant. The motherplant I have today is a re-vegged clone, and she has trich's on her fan-leaves (all new leaves as well). I read somewhere that re-vegged clones are not as good as clones from a vegging plant. If I take a clone from a clone from a re-vegged clone, would that be different?

Anyone wanna shed some light on that topic?

Anyway, I am happy to know I can clone!

 

[SumDumGuy]

OMG you freaking did it !!!!
Congratulations bro - hell yeah and you plant exploded!!!!

 

[SumDumGuy]

I've been taking pics daily but haven't been around because I'm really nervous man. First time cloning and I don't know what to expect. And this scrog is hard as fuck. Nonetheless I'm grabbing some of your good vibes... I'll return some later ;-)