On my way: 6kw Lavender/Afgooey/Romulan

[20kw dreams]

Here we go! Welcome and thank anybody for swinging by please post it up and feel free to ask questions. I go through runs where I might be on the computer all the time, and then other times when I may not be on for a week or so

The room itself is set up so I have 4 lights on one side, then 2 on the other, with a poly room built where the other 2 lights would be. TheThis is where I have a little work table, my nutes, and a cloning area which fits 8 propogation trays or 72 of the pots I'm using.

I've got a 20# CO2 tank Running 1500ppm. Temps are 85-92 depending on where you are in the room, humidity 45-60.

So, these are Lavs on the left of the aisle under 4kw. The 4 lights have 8" ducts, and are hooked up to an 8" high output Vortex, which is on a speed control set to about as low as it can go. This fan vents from the room to outside, to keep it cool. I figured there is no difference between running my fan very low and venting the room in cycles like many people do with CO2. I had an AC, but decided this was not the proper venue for an AC to be running all night. 1 2 of the lights I pruned pretty heavy, one I let go completely, and another was the runt light, which although I didn't prune it, I didn't really need to, although it is filled in nicely. I have 36 lavs per 4' x 4' table and 4 tables, one under each kw. Tables are fed with straight 1/4" lines about once a day. All 4 of these tables are on 1 - 70 gal rez, which I should go through in about 2 tp 3 days at peak growth.

The Afgooey's/Roms are on the right of the aisle. These lights have 6" ducts and are ducted to the outside on both ends so there is no air exchange from these lights. There are 45 per table over here, as the clones were not as big as the Lavs. They are mostly Afgooey's, with the 20 Roms in the far back corner.

I'm running all kinds of additives this time around, due to picking up the Eel river triplets: Bushmaster, Gravity, and Purple Maxx "Snow Storm". I've been using BM for a while, and have heard alot of good things about the Gravity and PM so I figured why the hell not!

I am using Canna Coco Base nutrient and PK 13/14, with the line of Botanicare suppliments Liquid Karma, Sweet, and Hydrogaurd, as well as Hygrozyme. I also have some Potassium Silicate and Cal-mag, but I will on;y be using those 2 in small amounts. I actually don't really use the Hydrogaurd either, but I'll throw it in occasionally because I had it sitting around. On top of this I'll be using the BM, Gravity, and PM. It seems like alot of additives, and it is, but I have added them over the course of the last 2 years for specific reason, and have seen improvements because of them. I'll go over all that shit later if anyone gives a shit.

I'll post an actual schedule of my nutrient regime later. I grew fond of the Botanicare line over the last few years, but I bumped into some problems with PBP at the beginning of this grow. I switched to Canna and the problem was gone in 24 hours. I might try switching back toward the end of harvest, but we'll see. I may also just switch to Canna's complete line.

Anyways, I gotta get off this and get to bed.

Please, feel free to post any questions you might have about anything. I am more than down to hold totally off topic conversations.

I do however prefer if people DO NOT PM ME unless it is really a private issue. Alot of times people will have issues or want advice on something, and it is to the benefit of the entire communty here on ICMag if those conversations are held where they can be used as a reference for later use.

All right, peace out, and enjoy the pics.

One day, I might even get in there and turn off the lights for some good pics.

 

[gaiusmarius]

wow man, i DIG dat shit man!

awesome tidy looking setup 20kw dreams, at the rate you are going your dreams will soon become reality. i love the grey table tops you have in there, exactly the same ones i use. it's cool the way you have separate tables with separate tanks, makes for easy multi strain nutrient management, or even semi perpetual type growing if you wanted to.

i really look forward to watching those plants do their thing. please do give as many details about the botanicare supplements you used in flowering as possible. you know how it is, it's all in the details. the more details that you take care of the better things will grow. so lets hear it for the details, lol.

peace
gm

 

[filimagno]

really interesting indeed...details details details eehehehe

 

[ColaforniaKid]

WOW :jawdrop:



I have a general question on trimming? Those plants look super helathy & green yet not to bushy, is it the strain, is it trimming, maybe a combo of both? I have a much much smaller setup 4x8 tray w/ approx 30 plants ( my gallery ). I would be gratefull to get some 411 from ya - thanks in advance & again super impressed - keep up the good work bro

 

[NiteTiger]

Nice to see ya back 20kw dreams.

I'm tagging along for this one, that's for sure! looks nice and tight, like your other setups.

 

[20kw dreams]

Gaius - Actually that is my RO storage in those tubs. They are just linked together with a hose coming out of one. I have 2 RO units, but the water is still a trickle, so I need to have a bunch of storage. Otherwise, I have to wait all night for them to fill up, make sure I remember to turn them off, turn the water off during the dark cycle, etc. It's a big pain in the ass.

I'll get my nutrient schedule up in a while. That's gonna be a long ass post, so I gotta wait till my wifes asleep (she hates it when I zone out on the comp while the kids are driving her crazy..lol)

filimango - in due time my friend, stick around

ColaforniaKid - Wazup bro

Nite Tiger - Hey bud, hows it goin? What are you up to these days? Oh, maybe I should follow the links! I'll swing by. Stick around 4 sure. I'll be using all kinds of crazy additives this time around. I am really curious about the Gravity and Purple Maxx. They are the talk of a MJ growing town right now, so it's time to see if these boosters are worth thier high ass prices.

 

[gdawg]

great lookin setup there 20k! thats some nice electrical work too!

 

[20kw dreams]

Thanx gdawg. Let's just hope an inspector don't swing by. Those raw ballasts sitting in the attic might not be to code..lol...

Hey! CAN I GET A VOTE?

I was in there doing some work (cleaning up all the water I spilled) and I noticed my CO2 tank had just emptied itself out. So, long story short, I ran through my CO2 tank in 6 days. Now, with 42 days left, I'll have to make 7 more trips to the hydro store, and spend another $150.

So the question is: Is that worth it?

 

[mpro]

Hello 20kw

Nice to see you rockin' again. The whole setup looks very nice. Heck of a site, those two tables.

Lavender is such a great smell. Does this strain have any characteristics of the lavender bush's smell?

 

[20kw dreams]

What's up mpro - what is the lavender bush? Thie smell and structure reminds me of the soma diesel so far. So did Purple Erkle though, so I think the 2 have similar lineage.

So, I dug up an old post of my PBP nutrient schedule. I just went through and changed a few things to reflect my current regime, but it may be patchy, cause it's late and I really just wanted to go up, and I'll go through it later. It's pretty comprehensive though. I'm not going to quote it because I don't really like the italic smaller font on the quotes

Botanicare is the shit. I love the stuff. My ph is always perfect. In fact, it takes 10 days for the ph to start getting whack, which I see as a sign of nutrient imbalance.

About half of the "additives" I use are actually nutrients. Cal-Mag and Canna PK 13/14 are straight up fertilizers, and not really additives, as they contain nothing but nutrients. LK is a mostly additive additive, but I think it has some N in it or something, which you should just at least take note of. I'm actually using Floralicious this run, cause I had it sitting around and wanted to get rid of it. While Floralicious is basically GH's version of the all around seaweed extract additive, comparible to LK, it does have a 1:1:1, which makes it a fert as well as an additive. Anyways, I think that is important to notice for newcomers. If you read my ppm's, they are at like 400-500 ppm after adding the additives, when I only run at like 800ppm's, but that is mainly because of all the ferts in the additives.

These are all the additives and/or, and why I use them. Some of them are necessities for healthy plants, and others just...helpful If you are starting out growing, I would suggest trying to keep your nutrients and additives to a minimum. This will make it easier to identify problems.

Hydrogaurd(Helpful for root rotvprevention): I started using enzyme products cause I used to get root rot bad. I would recommend Cannazyme if you expect a hefty battle w/ root rot, as Hydrogaurd is a lightweight in this category, and more a preventative. My rot was so prevalent, I got a water chiller. I did however not use Hydrogaurd this run, and although I don't have root rot or unhealthy roots by any means, my roots are not staying as sparkling white as they did when I use Hydrogaurd, so I will always use it from this run on, unless the SM-90 ends up giving my roots that brilliance. I use Hygrozyme ow, but will probably switch to Cannazyme. My retailer didn't carry Canna products, which is why I used the Hygro. It's all pretty much the same shit.

Really, the enzymes and the Bacillis(hydrogaurd, other beneficials) do not do the same thing at all, it's just that they both help your roots byt doing those different things

Canna PK 13/14(not necessary): GOD DAMN! THIS SHIT WORKS!! I have never had trichomes on the fan leaves by the end of the 3rd week into flower until I started using this shit. The buds really do get frosty as fuck, and pack on the wieght. I use Bramsky's(I think) formula of 1ml/ltr from weeks 3-6, instead of the bottles recommended dose of 1.5ml/ltr. He went through like 5 runs testing out different dosages over different periods, and found that to be the most effective. Actually, I start the first week of using it at .75 ml, and maybe the last week too. It is really easy to burn w/ this stuff, so watch closely for burns. If you are burning them, back the PK off to .5ml/liter. Use it though, or something similar at least. I have thought about using Hydroplex, but this shit works so well, I'm afraid to leave it

Cal-Mag(necessary if using R.O. water) - Because the PBP line is meant for tap water. If your tap is real bad, like over 300ppm, you should use RO water and Cal-Mag.

LK, Floralicious(not necessary) - I think most people agree, including myself, that some kind of one of these seaweed based additives is a must for maximum growth. I view most of them the same really. Not using these seems to make growing easier is what it does. After using this shit so much, when I stop for a short time (usually because) ran out, you can see a slowing down, and more reaction to stressful situations, like a fan blowing on the leaves, heat stress, reaction to low and high nutrient & ph probs, ect. I have tried using different ones, and haven't seen a difference between them much, although honestly I think florallicious does a bit more for the quality of the finished product then LK. I think that's because LK is a general additive, and the floralicious line is grow and bloom. Any kelp additive is definately a must, wether it be those 2 or whatever else is out there.

Sweet - This shit is Botanicares answer to a carbohydrate feed. This would be similar to molasses or what not. It works at the rootzone more then anything I believe, to kick the microbes in into gear by feeding them with these sugars. Anyways, however it works, it undeniably adds an extremely complex dimension to the aroma, flavor, and to a slightly lesser extent increased my resin production. It also feeds the soil life, which has many other added benefits, such as keeping your rots healthy, extending the root system, and breaking downlarger organic molecules for use by the plants.

Potassium silicate - This shit would be a must have as well, and is in most systems, but undfortunately not in coco. This additive makes your plants more disease and heat resistant. It's biggest claim to fame though, is what it does to your stems. They will be 2-3 x as thick as they were before using it. This can only mean faster water and nutrient transport, as well as more support. SiK4 is 0-0-3.8. It would be preferable to not add more straight K to coco if you could help it. Botanicare actually makes a Silicone additive called "Silica Blast" which is sodium silicate and potassium silicate, so should have less K. I have however not used it or even read a bottle, but will grabbing a bottle soon. I would suggest using SiK4 as a foliar if using coco for now. I threw some in tonight at 2ml/gal. I will be able to spot the results no prob, as I have seen what it does to a plants stems after about a week.

SM-90 (not necessary) - A surfacent. This stuff helps to keep the roots, rez, and misters clean. sortIt does work as far as that goes. This is my first run using it, and I started using it just a couple of weeks ago. Pretty handy stuff. It is also suppose to be useful against critters of all sorts too, including mites, which are bad in my area, and destroyed my last crop.

note: I stopped using this shit because I found out it has a pretty nasty chemi in it, which works against beneficials.

Here's my routine: First, I add the additives. Like I mentioned before^, this will be about half of the PPM's. Then I add the Base nute(Canna) to reach the desired PPM. 300-350 early veg(6-8"), 500-600 bigger veg(10-12"), 750-850 flower. I adjust the nute level so that it stays the same, or goes slightly down every day. That is to say: If my PPM is say 800, and the next day it is 830, then I know it is too high, and I need to bring it down to say 750. At 750, it might be say 744 the next day, so I will leave it, and just keep check it daily. If it goes down too low, I will raise it back up. It is perfect if the ppm's stay close to the same every day, which rarely happens, as the plant goes through different processes and uses different amounts of nutrients.

I change my rez once a week. I drain it about 80%, and refill it w/ RO water. I let that run overnight, and into the next day for a good flush. The afternoon or so the next day, I throw in the additives and Base nutes, and start the week all over.

Take note: My gallon of Cal-Mag is a little more then 3 x the strength in PPM's it says on the bottle. A rep at Botanicare told me I should go by the PPM's, and not the bottle. for me 1.5ml = approximately what the bottle says for 5ml. Everyone here should check that if they are having problems, because it was giving me serious problems before I called them up on it.

I have divided my flowering into 4 stages: Transition, Flowering, Finish, and flush. Basically, I run regular veg formula for transition, start the PK booster in the flowering, stop the PK and start the PBP"soil" bloom in finish to clean out some of the chemical residues, and run at 1/4 strength for a couple days to flush.

And finally, Here's my schedule, assuming an 8 week strain.

Veg:

Liquid Karma - 10ml/gal
Hygrozyme
Sweet - 10ml/gal
Cal-Mag - 1.5ml/gal
Canna A&B - Add to desired PPM

Transitional (week 1 & 2 of 12/12)
Basically, everything is the same.

Flowering (weeks 3 - 6)
Start Canna PK 13/14 @ .75-1ml/liter
Hygrozyme - 10ml/gal
Liquid Karma - 15ml/gal
Cal-Mag - 1.5ml/gal
Bump the PK to 5ml/gal
Sweet - 10ml/gal

Finish (weeks 7 & 8)
Stop Canna PK 13/14
Stop Cal-Mag
Hygrozyme - 10ml/gal
Liquid Karma - 15ml/gal
Sweet - 10ml/gal

Switch from Canna to PBP Bloom "Soil" - Top to desired ppm

Flush(last couple days)
Sweet - 5ml
Liquid Karma - 10ml
PBP soil - very weak, maybe 400ppm
You may want to use an organic flushing agent.

I also mess w/ the lighting at the end of flower if I want a strain to "finish on time", and it appears as if it will not on it's own. This just means I cut the lights back to 8 or 10 hours, dependant on how much of a push they need, to hurry the gals up a bit. This is the method that makes sense to me, compared to the 48 hours dark thing. That's just me though, and is only intended to help them by a few days, or a week. I definately would never try to push a sative by 3 weeks or something. If you do, you'll most likely just end up w/ scragly premature herbs.


Well, there it is, anyways.

 

[20kw dreams]

Oh, I didn't even get to the emerald triangle series.

Those are different though, as they are not just additives, but expensive horomones which do crazy shit, or at least Bushmaster, and I hope the Gravity and Purple Maxx are as well.

I will get to them later anyways.

 

[Guest]

great setup 20, can't wait to see some macros stay safe man

 

[somoz]

nice to see ya back in the swing of things 20k.....setup looks nice and tidy bro and plants all look happy to be growin for ya.......what's your mix with the coco? Any hydroton in there or you usin perlite etc.......

@ your feeding. Your using 1/4" hose inserted into coco and fed once per day for about how long? If you don't mind would you expound on your feeding setup, a pic perhaps.....hehe

I've been workin with 4x6 tables runnin pure hydroton feeding every 3 minutes for about 20 seconds each feeding but may switch over to the coco sometime soon so i'm tryin to get my ducks in a row so to speak.

an old pic of the tables



looking forward to your results with the gravity as well........word on the street is that is that it works, like real good like.

thanks for sharin bro and make sure the bird doesn't get too mad at ya for playin on the pc........don't wanna see your priveleges suspended............my ol lady hates it too so i gotta wait till she's off at work.....what can ya do?

sorry for the long post....she's at work......haha

laer on
moz


Oh, also might be time to invest in burner dood......if your burnin co2 at that rate the propain or natural gas selection should fair much better than the tanks....good luck sortin it out

 

[gaiusmarius]

great thread 20kw dreams, about the co2 tank, i can imagine that 150 dollars more is no big deal considering the size you have going. but maybe you can get 2 tanks or a bigger one? to make less trips, or maybe get the tanks from a welding supplier?, just some ideas, i'm not the one to ask about co2. i do know that under the right conditions it can bring you a good 20% more yield, which is not to be sneezed at eh? on the other hand you might want to see how it all goes with out the co2 before you try it?

 

[Farmer John]

Niiiiice grow...

 

[mpro]

hi 2kw, and all the familiar faces around

I was just referring to the actual lavender bush. It has such a unique smell. I frequently rub a sprig or two between my fingers during the summer. Theres a large bush out front our house.


Regardless, the strain sounds loads of fun. Sharing characteristics with the urkle..can't be too shabby

 

[Ono Nadagin]

Are you positive you do not have a leak in the Co2 system mine never runs out that fast... only time I have had a tank run out that fast was a leak

 

[Guest]

Looking great! Glad to see more people hopping on the band wagon

As far as the Silica Blast the bottle says...

Silicon (Si) 2.0%

Dereived from: Sodium Silicate and Potassium Silicate

Does anyone else feel that Silica Blast would have an adverse effect in conjunction with the coco? I gotta do more research before I make a decision.. I have been using it sparingly as a pH up with my Floranova and have had no problems thus far.. (did you know you can fireproof wood with pot silicate?)

 

[20kw dreams]

Username - my new camera has "supermacro" feature on it, whatever that means. soon as those flowers start to ooze thier woman juices, I'll definately be putting that feature to the test.

somoz - I' feel you bro. Long posts are great though really, cause they are what starts up the conversation.

No mixin here. Not this time anyways. I think it might be better if I mixed in some chunky perlite, but it is too much work right now I anted to see how the coco did on it's own anyways, and when you pull off the pot from the roots, you can see there are plenty of small air holes. I hate hydroton, to tell you the truth. Those little round balls are a pain in the ass, especially after you step on a few with your heel when you are barefoot.

The feed lines are just 1/4 inch landscape tubing. I'll give the run don from pump to drain:
Pump > 1.5" PVC > Check Valve > T to valve for rez drain > Split to 2 x 1" PVC > Split to 2 x 3/4" PVC > This runs to each table and through a bulkhead fitting > This 3/4" splits into 3 x 1/2" Poly tubing which run the length of the tables > 6 x 1/4" poly rines run off these lines > These 1/4" lines are t'ed to the pots > no drippers or fittings > through pots > down bulkhead to rez > rez > pump

I run them about 5 minutes at a time, and they are running straight through for about 4.5 minutes of that, so there is a pretty good flushing of the medium everytime I water. Every few nights I run them for about 20 minutes or so, when I'm adjusting the ph or toppong of nutes/water. I have to adjust the ph every 4-5 days or so. It rises maybe 1-2 points a day, but seems to slow when it hits 6.0 or so, so I'll set it down when it hits 6.2 to 5.2-5.5, then let it rise.

Gaius - Could you please call me Mr 20kw dreams? j/k..please though, you can abbreviate my screenname. 20k is cool, or 20, or 2, or you could just say HEY JACKASS! That'll be too. Yeah, I should invest in the CO2, really. I'm just broke for a couple weeks really. Everything was going great with the CO2, really. temps were high, CO2 levels were high, and the plants were showing no signs of stress, and the flowers were getting larger daily. I'll probably fill it up shortly really.

mpro - ohhHhHH! Lavender "bush"! Uhh, no though, there is no similarity in the smell or anything whatsoever. I actually don't know how it smells yet, because the real herb aromas aren't quite coming out yet, just the leaf smells. I have a feeling it will smell something like Soma Diesel, which is this kind of funky skunky pungunt fuelly smell, but oike grape candy. That's how the Purple Urkle smelled I had, so I kind of assumed they had the same lineage. I'm really just talking out my ass though, cause I have no idea.

Ona Nadagin - I'm continuously venting the room, not running AC, although I would guess it is only 150cfm or so. Full power is 850cfm, and it couldn't be running more then 20% capacity. In theory, I should be using no more gas then someone who vents the room in cycles like many do who run CO2.

IndicaSativa - There is no K % on the silica blast? That isn't even possible, and if it doesn't list it, they legally should be I believe. Finding out the K and Na levels are key, because we don't want too much of either, although I think Na would actually be less of a problem then the K, assuming it is in low levels. What is the suggested dosage on that stuff? I wonder if they recommend a lower level then the growtec I use, which is the 0-0-3.8, or it is weaker. I think it should be fine. The mixture of K and Na with the Si gives you harmless levels of both.

 

[Guest]

Bro... I can't seem to find any info regarding the contents of Silica Blast... I think I am gonna give them a call tomorrow and find out.