Pipedream"s 150w Tiny Bubbler System

[HAPPYTREE]

your the DIY man PD u just keep com'n up with all the goodies.

Love it keep up the good work

HT

 

[growdak]

pipedream your DIY and small time grow is an inspiration!

 

[LIMELIGHT]

DAAM

DAAM


cool as hell

 

[XGovernor]

I just have a quick question. I am going be to doing pretty much the exact same setup as you, its pure genius BUT I am using a 430W HPS light instead. My question is that, do you start your seeds/clones off in a rockwool cube and then transplant them directly into the hydroton for them to continue to grow? If so, do you use the 1.5x1.5x1.5 and then move up to the 4" or do you just put the 1.5"cube directly in?

 

[Pipedream]

XGovernor - I have a few methods that I have used over the years and they all work well. First off, I always soak my seeds for 24 hours. Then, they usually go between warm-wet paper towels till I have a full 1 inch sprout. From that point, If the sprout is large and healthy, it will go directly into the hydroton with just a 1 inch square of the paper towel wrapped around it. If it looks like it needs a bit more time, I use a small piece of rockwool, about 1 inch square. I cut it totally in half, and sandwich the sprout between the halfs with the seed pod just above the surface. The sandwich is held together with a "dental rubber band" the tiny kind used for braces. Once the root starts to protrude from the bottom,the cube gets placed in the hydroton. I've also skipped the paper towel and placed the soaked seed directly into RW, but this method does add a few days and you have to be very diligent about keeping the RW very moist. One more thing, I never buy the small RW cubes. I buy a large one and cut it into the size I like. Its cheaper asnd gives me just what I'm looking for.

Here's one just two days after being placed into the RW. If you look in front of the sprout, you can see that the RW has been sliced in half.

 

[krazay]

Bonsai - The only reason the ladies may have any interest in this old fat man is because of my garden. I was at the cardiologist recently, and he asked me how things were going. I said "now that pot and food have replaced sex in my life, I can't even get into my own pants!"

One of the above plants had a 14-15 inch cola which wieghed just over an ounce once it was dried and cured. The rest of the same plant gave me about another half to three quarters of an ounce. But it was one of those real PITAs as it grew up past my main lamp.

you got these colas with 150w hps??

 

[Pipedream]

Yep, I grow exclusively with a 150w HPS. The only exception are a couple of CFL's that sometimes fill in the shadows in the top of the box.

 

[XGovernor]

Pipe-Thanks man, thats exactly what I needed to know. I'm going to grab one of these cabinets and toss it in my basement. Its perfect, and it doesn't even really need to be hidden. I have another question as well.

What do you do about the smell? I know you said that your wife and kids know you grow and they don't mind, but what about visitors? I'm more concerned when my plants get close to the 60 day flowering mark and start to smell pungent. Could you weatherstrip the cabinet? Or...Throw some ideas around DIY king.

Also could you be more specific on the type of air stones you use? I saw the pictures of the little cheap easy to replace sponge type ones, but I haven't been able to find them. Can you give any details? Also, what type of air pump do you use?

 

[Pipedream]

XGovernor - For the longest time I did nothing about the smell, we just lived with it. The box was in the basement and while it did warft up the stairs it was not too bad. Of course in late flower the house had a sure-fire skunk smell. After a while of my wife saying that the guests were going to pick up on something, I decided to build a small scrubber. I built a home made unit that hung on the back of the box directly over the fan exhaust.I used several layers of carbon impregnated filter material available at Home DePot. It worked really well, but not totally perfect. Here's a link to the filter material.... http://www.webproducts.com/products/furnace_ac/absorber.jsp They're less than 10 bucks a sheet and easy to cut and work with.I finally moved the box out to the garage and removed the scrubber so that more air would flow through. However, if you go near the door in late flower you can smell it a bit. Right now I'm considering an Ozone Generator, but I'm not sure I want to go that route.

As far as the airstones go, I use the cheapest ones I can find. I usually pick them up in PetSmart or PetCo. They come on a blister card. Four stones for about 2 bucks. And the airpumps can be had at any pet store as well. Go for the biggest your budget will allow. You won'[t be sorry.I use a large dual-outlet diaphram pump, and a dual piston pump as well. A great cheap resource for all sorts of pumps, valves, stones and airlines is www.petsolutions.com. Even if you aren't going to buy online, call them and have a catalog mailed out for free. Great reference material.

Hope this helps.

 

[XGovernor]

You pretty much covered all the bases there. Buuuut since you are soooo helpful. I got one more question

Since, I'm doing an almost identical grow (I purchased some materials towards it today) with the only difference being that I'm using a 430w HPS light w/ lens. Is heat going to be a major issue? I do not think that I am going to move the light up and down, so it wouldn't affect the plants until later in the grow if it did at all. I'm just worried about it being too hot inside the cab, and my plant grow being stunted because of it. Do you think an in-line duct fan would be cost effective (and reasonable) or should I get something a little less? Thanks in advance pipe!

Also, I have been checking out airpumps/stones from the website you sent me and I think I found what you were talking about.

Is this a solid air pump? http://www.petsolutions.com/Super+Luft+Pump-I-96301656-I-C-10-C-.aspx

And are these the kind of easy to use replacable stones? http://www.petsolutions.com/Discard+A+Stones-I-10812521-I-C-10-C-.aspx

 

[Pipedream]

Super Luft makes a great pump. I've used them in the past and know of others that have as well. Also, the stones are fine as would be any cheap one.

A 430w HPS is going to produce a good deal of heat. Remember, the smaller your box is, the harder it will be to keep cool. You'll likely need a much better fan than I use, but I'm not sure an in-line is the solution. You may want to check out squirril gage type fans like the Dayton. Also, make sure your light is remote ballasted and the ballast is outside the box. You might also want to look into a cool-tube.

 

[XGovernor]

My ballast is built right into the light. Its a hydrofarm. Alright, well I will look into getting that pump, and I found some cheap little 1" stones at my local hydro store for less than a dollar a piece so that is my solution.

The squirrel cage fan is a good idea, and I thought of that, BUT the only problem I think I would run into with it would be space. I would have a lot of crowded space up at the top, but I need to first purchase a cabinet before I am complaining about space.

 

[Pipedream]

Very true, but make sure you have a full game plan before you start to invest your $$$$. Its a real bitch to buy stuff and then find out that it won't work together the way you thought it would. Believe me, I have a garage full of it! Plan, Plan, Plan, in advance.

 

[XGovernor]

Excellent point. I need to start thinking before doing.

 

[XGovernor]

I have another question!

Do you think I could just get a neoprene insert and cover the top of the net pot and just feed the roots down into the hydroton? Would that work or would it be more of a hassle?

I was thinking of doing that, or just not using hydroton at all. Get back to me, thanks PD.

 

[Pipedream]

I guess you could do it, but what purpose would it serve? The hydroton on its own provides enough support for even a large plant. And it provides good shade preventing light from hitting your hydro bath as well. You can eliminate the the hydroton, others have with good results. However, the neoprene on its own will only provide enough support for a small plant. Unless you are going to SCROG, in which case the screen will give you the support you need.

 

[XGovernor]

Yeah i was planning on scrog'n 2 plants inside my cab. So you think just the neoprene insert plus the scrog screen would be able to handle it? Also, is there a good thread teaching the ways of scroging, it will be my first attempt and I want to make it worthwhile?

 

[Pipedream]

Check out the "150w HPS Club" thread. And while there touch base with the members by posting what you want to do. Many of them do two plant SCROGS and have great success with it. You won't be steered wrong. They're a great bunch with a lot of knowledge to share.

 

[XGovernor]

Thanks as always PD

 

[smoke1sun]

Hey all. Thanks for stoping by my thread again. Here's the latest addition to my growing set-up. Its my EZ-Clone knock-off system. It functions exactly like the original with high pressure misters delivering a very fine mist to the stems, and an airpump to keep a fresh supply of outside air running thru the bath in order to keep DO levels at a maximum. The big difference is only the cost. Theirs starts at $295 and goes way up from there. Mine ran less than 50 bucks USD to build.

There are several other threads that give the basics of building them, so I won't bore you with the details here. The pictures should tell you what I did and the changes I made from the others. However, I love to answer questions, so If anything isn't clear, or you want any additional info about the supplies I used or my methods, just post away or send me a PM.

I hope this helps or at least gets you thinking.......

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2 questions what size is your tub? And what size drill bit did u use for the misters Thanks.