SecondAttempt's first attempt at PPKs...

[SecondAttempt]

I don't know how to quantify my air filled porosity.

I have an overgrown gigabud mother I'm going to place in the hole... Thanks D9.

Autopsy photo to come.

 

[ImaginaryFriend]

It looks like you have more than enough canopy to fill it in with the surrounding plants.

Everything looks healthy, but I'm afraid you are overgrowing your space quite a bit.

An undersized canopy under-produces the potential of your light source, but so too does an oversized one.

Over-crowding (conventional ag studies) has been shown time and time again to be undesirable. In more classic/conventional approaches to outdoor gardening, plants are seeded beyond desired density and thinned to correct spacing (allowing for the most vigorous plants to be selected).

There is only so much quality producing light. Once that space is filled, you're in danger choking out the respiration cycle of your plants canopy. Spread those ladies out (or thin them out).

Think about aero's first donut grow where he killed it (1.3 gpw). On of his most significant conclusions was the the over-pruning he thought that he was doing throughout the grow and the fact that... well... it wasn't.

And remember: Go slow. Feel it out. Take your time.

Everyone is better off for it...

 

[SecondAttempt]

So my camera/phone is smashed and inoperable. Which blows on so many levels the biggest is I have pics/videos on there that I now can't delete. The second biggest bummer is I was using it for my update pics, so it's going to be a bit before there are any new pics.

When stretch ends (today is day 14 of flower) I'm going to thin the plants by taking the laterals... It is definitely overgrown to the point of reducing yields. PPKs grow some incredibly thick plants everyone... WARNING!

 

[DHF]

Hey SA.....With bare bulbs the laterals stretch up and out toward the light source , completely different from horizontal reflector grows....and.....

Start cleanin out the sideways growth and sucker branches off the main laterals gently as we speak BEFORE budset without any leaf strippin......and yes....

Hackin out laterals this late will indeed cause a certain degree of recovery period , but it might mean the difference in pullin down a decent Harvey by providing optimum lumen/light absorption/plant penetration , while keepin the plants from growin into and choking each other out sideways as they compete for light and environment....and also.....

Allow increased airflow around the plants to prevent airborn nasties takin hold of the plants during late flower in full swellage....now.....

I always trimmed/pruned/shaped my plants during preveg to insure same structures and similar growth patterns once put in the bloom rooms and flipped , and I`ve taken lower branch cuts all the way into day 17 bloomage without ever a hitch affecting the bloom plants NOR the cuts rooting abilities BEFORE budset.....

I know some strains start spittin pistils by day 14 , but it`s minimal and hopefully yas can get em gently trimmed and thinned out over the next several days without stunting the plant`s growth and beginning budset......but......

Worse things could happen , and ANY crop properly cleaned out with decent sized finished lateral and end nugs/colas is better than all the nugs bein subpar and flarfy at best come chop and dry....anyways.....

Just tryin ta help from all those yrs Bro......Not tryin ta tell yas what to do , so......Good luck and.......

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

 

[SecondAttempt]

I spent the last couple days re-reading Aero's thread, one of the threads that got me to go vert... I really missed the boat on organizing this canopy. I thinned it out some last night removing suckers and stuff on the back that won't produce. I got so used to my plants growing 2D on the screens that I forgot how to deal with a bush. I plan on thinning a little more in a few days, I didn't want to do too much but I wasn't sure if I did enough. Then I was done I could see through the canopy in spots, I hope it's just right.

Interesting sidenote on the effectiveness of reflectix... some of the limbs on the back of the plant were growing towards the reflectix instead of trying to find their way out front. Shit works.

 

[frankenstein2]

Defoliate for sure!!! FTW!!!! Take your time and feel the bitches out, and see which ones like it and which don't, i'm sure they will all take it to some degree. I just harvested some plants in 3/4 gallon dishes that yielded me an ounce a piece and without defoliation they would have only been half of that, and that's from my own experiences.

 

[DHF]

I spent the last couple days re-reading Aero's thread, one of the threads that got me to go vert... I really missed the boat on organizing this canopy. I thinned it out some last night removing suckers and stuff on the back that won't produce. I got so used to my plants growing 2D on the screens that I forgot how to deal with a bush. I plan on thinning a little more in a few days, I didn't want to do too much but I wasn't sure if I did enough. Then I was done I could see through the canopy in spots, I hope it's just right.

Interesting sidenote on the effectiveness of reflectix... some of the limbs on the back of the plant were growing towards the reflectix instead of trying to find their way out front. Shit works.

Reflectix did me proud for many many yrs , and now there`s Prodex and Orca......

Cover everything that ain`t green in some of it , including the ceilings per your choice and reap the rewards.......

Things are lookin up for growin dope with bare bulbs hangin guys.....Do shit right up front cuz it pays off in the long run.......

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

 

[DaveTheNewbie]

Do shit right up front cuz it pays off in the long run.......

god i wish i knew that when i started out ...

 

[SecondAttempt]

Stretch is almost over... fired up the light mover tonight, tight fit, going to have to stay on top of keeping the center clean. Camera on my new phone sucks... going to dig the wife's old sony cybershot camera out tomorrow. Thanks for staying tuned through these technical difficulties everyone.

 

[ImaginaryFriend]

Keep on top of it.

That said, I'm guessing you'll have alot more room for error on the mover than you would with a static bulb--contact will destroy point of contact, but I'm guessing material can be pretty close without being absolutely demolished between your training sessions.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Today is day 21 of flower... I'm still without a camera.

I've been picking fans out of the center of the donuts ... the light is incredibly close but doesn't burn. I'm going to keep pulling fans a few a day until the canopy is opened up.

I have a couple plants with soft stems at soil line... future casualties?

I've unplugged the pulse for tonight as I applied nematodes tonight to treat for fungus gnats... oh yeah I have fungus gnats. Before anyone suggests it they are not airborne aphids, I looked at everyone of them on my sticky traps under my scope.

I will never use coco again after this run... I can get Turface MVP locally at John Deere, or 8822 @Napa... trying to decide which way to go.

When I plug the ARt-DNe back in I may turn the pulse duration way down maybe 25-30 seconds instead of the current 45.

I just bought a few blocks of coco... I have no idea what to do with them besides throw them off a cliff.

 

[delta9nxs]

Today is day 21 of flower... I'm still without a camera.

I've been picking fans out of the center of the donuts ... the light is incredibly close but doesn't burn. I'm going to keep pulling fans a few a day until the canopy is opened up.

I have a couple plants with soft stems at soil line... future casualties?

I've unplugged the pulse for tonight as I applied nematodes tonight to treat for fungus gnats... oh yeah I have fungus gnats. Before anyone suggests it they are not airborne aphids, I looked at everyone of them on my sticky traps under my scope.

I will never use coco again after this run... I can get Turface MVP locally at John Deere, or 8822 @Napa... trying to decide which way to go.

When I plug the ARt-DNe back in I may turn the pulse duration way down maybe 25-30 seconds instead of the current 45.

I just bought a few blocks of coco... I have no idea what to do with them besides throw them off a cliff.

hey, if you are not doing a saturation pulse you should measure the pulse not time it. temporarily try 32 oz's every 30 min and see how that looks.

the top of the medium should look a little dry right on the surface but it should be immediately wet underneath.

grab a handful of coco in your fist just before a pulse and squeeze it, hard. if a lot of water runs out it's too wet. there should just be moisture showing between between your fingers. a couple of drops is ok, but if you can squeeze out anything more it's too wet.

frequent but small amounts works well into an already wet medium because it travels like a wave through the medium. refreshing gases, nutrients and moisture each time.

some of us are real focused on the saturation pulse and it takes more hardware and a more careful selection of medium than a wave type pulse but that does not mean the wave pulse is obsolete or not a viable tool.

i think it is an easier mechanic to achieve and just might be ideal for some folks.

if i cannot grow bigger plants with the saturation pulse i will go back to the wave technique.

soft stems means too wet.

how do they look?

 

[SecondAttempt]

10-4 to all of that D9... plants look fine, have nice flowers on them. I hope I caught it early enough.

MEDIA SELECTION is paramount people.

If you use the wrong media you'll be playing catch-up the whole grow.

Thanks again D9, I appreciate all your help.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Overdue Update

Overdue Update

Today is day 31 of flower, I pick a few fans off each plant each day, sometimes more if I space it out a couple days.



So I've been running the wave pulse for 1.5 weeks... seemed to cure my soft stem issue... NICE... then today...

I was in the room just before lights off this morning pumping my dehumidifier out and doing a basic check up when I noticed one plant wasn't as moist as the rest so I fired off the ART-Dne to see whats up and sure enough solution is only trickling out. Is my pump shot? Nope everybody else is wet... one plant in particular catches my eye. The solution is standing, not draining AT ALL.

I remove the drenched plant and put it on an empty bucket. I'm checking the base of the stem and when I move it it starts draining, weird.

I go back to the plant not getting enough and find the feed line clogged with coco that found its way in there.

I attribute both these problems to my coco, two different extremes. So I got a bag of 7133 Oil Absorbent today to check out.. like I wrote in my last post MEDIA SELECTION, MEDIA SELECTION, MEDIA SELECTION.

 

[delta9nxs]

i think everyone needs to ditch the coco. there are just too many variables involved.

the rest of your plants look great! i'm relieved to see that.

it truly bothers me to see folks lose plants for any reason using any technique.

it can be heartbreaking when you lose a plant after months of work.

 

[forkup]

Way to stay on top of things SA the op looks great!

Coco breaks down easily potentially causing drainage problems in the ppk. The concreting effect can make the device a true plant killer. Media that doesn't compress or break down to quickly seem to be the ticket to a truly boring grow. On the other hand if one has mastered growing in coco and understands the mechanics behind the ppk I have little doubt it could be the most productive setup yet. Roots love love em some coco. Stay safe.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Thanks D9 and Forkup... I love coco too, saved my ass when I couldn't grow for shit but time to move on.

I'm going to finish processing my bag of 7133 tomorrow and total my price per gallon of usable media. I get 7133 cheap so until I can spring for Turface that's the winner for me. Thanks for making me taking a second look at it as a medium D9.

Amazon offered us interest free financing for 12 months so I splurged on some equipment for the next run, really looking forward to making my grows boring. Although I'll say for all the little problems I've had, this run has been relatively boring.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Forgot to ask... D9 you think I can start seeds in 7133/Turface? Have you? That's how dead set against coco I am. I'm cloning in 8822 right now and it seems to be working well so far, I know you said you clone in Turface. I have a boatload of seeds I want to work through. I may just throw some bagseeds in 7133 and see what happens.

 

[delta9nxs]

i start seeds in the same containers i clone in. i germinate them first using the old soak 'em in a glass overnight trick and then the plate with paper towels covered with saran wrap trick.

the tails are about 1/2" by the time i transplant them, tail down, into the turface.

i try to put them in just deep enough to cover the seed cap.

like the clones, i soak the medium in 300 ppm flora nova bloom first and have about half the reservoir full of it also.

 

[irishdude5186]

Turface/DE sub forum ICM!!