Super cheese & cookies kush

[Vanilla Phoenix]

That's awesome! Should be a good day then. That last ballast was definitely more than a little screwy!

 

[ganjygav]

Yeah too right. I wasn't about to give the benefit of the doubt. The seller was very understanding and gave me half the purchase price back. Which was good and told me to do what I want with the ballast.
So in the bin it went.
I mean I got it for 20 pound in a auction so it's no great loss. I don't like the plastic cased ballasts anymore. That's 2 bad experiences this grow. From now on I will stick with the big mettle beasts.

 

[Blazeee]

Went up last night after the new ballast had been on a few hours. It wasn't good. The room was thick with a burning plastic/chemical smell. The room was hazey with the fumes like a thin smoke. It gave me a headache just being in the room for a minute or 2. I opened the tent and I could see the haze in there even more with the light on. I got paranoid about the affect on the plants.
I mean if a tent off gassing can harm the plants this stuff would surely mess them up. The ballast was super hot. I've owned 3 ballasts over the years so I know to expect heat but this was stupid hot. My 400w ballast is metal but I can still pick it up when it's hot. Not this plastic one.

Anyway I turned it all off and opened all the windows on that floor. Reconnected the 400w now as I'm scared. I sleep in same room as my tent I couldn't risk it....

So I've spoke to the seller and he's happy to give me a refund and says that plastic smell Is normal for a new ballast?
Really? I don't know how to go on from here. Do I keep it or send it back?
I got it super cheap in an eBay auction so I'm not even worried about getting a refund. I just don't want to wake up dead one morning.

Oh yeah the predators have arrived and so has my new ballast.

Glad to hear the predators arrived safely to you

What brand was the ballast you were having problems with? Was it one of those cheap £60 Maxibright ballasts with the plastic casing and did you buy it new? If so that smell is normal for the first day or two, i think its from oil on the parts inside when the ballast gets warm, the smell goes away after a day two, i usualy just have a fan blowing on the board the ballasts fixed to, to keep them cool. Ive bought over 10 of those maxi ballasts brand new and its been the same with all of them, nothing to stress over, never had any other issues with them either.

 

[ganjygav]

Glad to hear the predators arrived safely to you

What brand was the ballast you were having problems with? Was it one of those cheap £60 Maxibright ballasts with the plastic casing and did you buy it new? If so that smell is normal for the first day or two, i think its from oil on the parts inside when the ballast gets warm, the smell goes away after a day two, i usualy just have a fan blowing on the board the ballasts fixed to, to keep them cool. Ive bought over 10 of those maxi ballasts brand new and its been the same with all of them, nothing to stress over, never had any other issues with them either.

Both ballasts I just purchased are lumi. The first one that burned black all inside was a maxi compact plastic one yes.
The lumi plastic one that let off the fume's wasn't right fella. It wasn't just a smell I could see the smoke. It was thin as if someone was smoking a cigarette in the room just before I walked in. It gave me a headache but as soon as I turned it off and aired the room my head started to feel better . Not an ideal sleeping situation.

I've had the same 400w metal Maxibright ballast I use for veg for years. I've had to replace my 600w 3 times now in the same space of time.
I was going to invest in a digital ballast but a grow shop owner put me off them. Said they're a little more efficient but don't last as long and cost twice as much a mag. I'm all about saving money.... it's what got me into growing haha

Ps. Yeah it was a new ballast. The guy said it was old stock and had just plugged it in to test it worked.

 

[Blazeee]

Yeah that doesn't sound good, definitely made the right choice getting a new ballast. Your plants look great btw, hopefully the predators will wipe out all the aphids and the rest of the grow should be problem free. Wish you the best you luck

 

[Big-Narstie]

Yep them lumi ballasts are dangerous! How's the girls looking alas?

 

[ganjygav]

Yep them lumi ballasts are dangerous! How's the girls looking alas?

Ya Im beginning to off lumi but this metal ballast I got today is the same brand lol. It was that or a plastic omega and I've gone shy on the plastic boxes after these last couple of weeks.

The girls look good for the most part. I ain't got no spots as of yet and they have been doing my head I'm every grow. I noticed yesterday one of them had like a patchy Ness coming on the top leaves. Like lighter and darker shade's of green going on.
Will have a better look tonight and see what's I think is going on. Nothing major anyway.

 

[Big-Narstie]

Could be iron.. In ur case trace mix would b beneficial

U hard or soft water?

Girls were looking on point anyway

 

[ganjygav]

Could be iron.. In ur case trace mix would b beneficial

I will get on the bay and have a shop fella cheers

 

[ganjygav]

Canna mono trace mix any good?
Ya I'm hard water.

 

[Big-Narstie]

Yes that's the one chap.

 

[ganjygav]

Yes that's the one chap.

Ordered lol

 

[ganjygav]

Well Ive released the beasts in the tent. I took comfort when a few already hatched predators flew from the tub when I opened it.
Bummer though on close inspection I've found the brown spots coming on one of the plants.

Well that's my tap water being the cause ruled out.
Kinda glad because carrying them bottles was a pain. Going back to tap. So far trying to figure out what cause's these spots I've changed soil,nutes,started adjusting the ph,brought all new equipment and disinfecting the whole room the rent was in,started using calmag and tried different watering routines. I've tried feeding more and feeding less.
I think I've pretty much tried everything and still they come no matter what the strain.

I give up lol. It don't matter that much. I still get good smoke and pretty good yields, it just annoys me a little but I've got better. I don't want to rip my plants up and bin them anymore like I've done before.

 

[Vanilla Phoenix]

Got some pics of those spots?

 

[ganjygav]

Got some pics of those spots?

At the moment I wouldn't get them on a photo. They wouldn't show up. They're only just forming and hard enough to see with ya eye's alone.

 

[ganjygav]

Here is a picture of mine a couple of grows back. This is what I get every grow.
People are gonna start telling me to try things but let me assure you I've tried everything ever to do with these spots that's on the Internet and by week 3 of flower they show up everytime.
If you look through my albums for the past 2 years all my plants have this. They still flower and produce buds at a normal rate.
To tell you the truth I just find the whole subject boring now lol.

 

[Vanilla Phoenix]

Looks like calcium spots. I know you said you tried more calmag....did you ever try cutting back on actual nute strength? I'll get leaves like that starting in mid flowering if I'm running my nutes a little strong. They start to lock out calcium. The rust dots always start out on the leaf veins.

It can be frustrating as hell trying to solve a plant problem. The symptoms come on so fast but when the solution to the problem is applied, the results are slow! Lol. So pretty much, you really dont know if you solved the problem alot of times until the next grow.

I dealt with your problem for many years before I figured out what worked for me. So I'm here to troubleshoot with ya if you want at any time.

 

[ganjygav]

Looks like calcium spots. I know you said you tried more calmag....did you ever try cutting back on actual nute strength? I'll get leaves like that starting in mid flowering if I'm running my nutes a little strong. They start to lock out calcium. The rust dots always start out on the leaf veins.

It can be frustrating as hell trying to solve a plant problem. The symptoms come on so fast but when the solution to the problem is applied, the results are slow! Lol. So pretty much, you really dont know if you solved the problem alot of times until the next grow.

I dealt with your problem for many years before I figured out what worked for me. So I'm here to troubleshoot with ya if you want at any time.

Ya frustrating is a word for it... I can think of some other words lol.
I don't think I feed that strong. I work myself upto a maximum of 2ml of veg feed and 1ml of calmag per litre. I only feed once a week with ph water in between.
Thus is in veg of course. I start feeding bloom at week 3 and the spots are always present by then.
Ya looks like a calcium issue but what causes it is my headache.
I get it when I use my tap water and our tap is full of calcium so not sure what's going on there.
I've tried more and I've tried less.

I'm starting to think this is because I'm using calmag. I mean I started using it mainly for the magnesium but I think the extra calcium is causing the problem.
I remember 2 grows back I gave bio biz a try.
I didn't use calmag with that I just gave it a shot of Epsom salts 2 weeks into flower to combat the mag Def. Guess what? I didn't get the spots.

Thinking about it now I don't know why I didn't just stick with biobizz.

 

[Big-Narstie]

I told u it was calcium long time ago and to get epsem salts-mono mag lol


Are u using RO water ATM?

 

[Big-Narstie]

Bio bizz all mix bio bizz feed 1drip ph down per ltr... Job done lush growth for days lol

Least ur still growing nice herb.. No one can say otherwise no point trying to get ur plants hella pretty for us lot bro lol