Taking T8 to the extreme

[plantsman]

Hi magic
Cool thread man. Thought i'd have a look as you've helped me out recently. Man, ur plants look really healthy now. Im suitably jealous. I've had all kinds of problems. Think i'll post a few pic's over the next few days in a journal of my own, but i'll be back here to check out ur progress.
Take it easy...

 

[magiccannabus]

Don't be jealous! I've continuously fucked up for 5 or maybe 6 years straight, barely getting any harvests, one outdoor, one indoor with a friend. Shit just happens, and then you learn from it and life moves forward more positively if you really pay attention. I've taken a more humble approach on this grow than past ones. Less ambitious in terms of numbers, lights, ventilation, etc., but still trying to maximize the quality and output in the space I have. These sites have helped me enormously. Oh, and compost tea, and coco coir are two amazing things I have introduced to my grow with incredible results. All that green on them is thanks to the tea. I've never had plants like these before. I'm really excited. I see buds every time I close my eyes, I dream of plants, it's really sick. I want harvest already.

 

[plantsman]

I'm really excited. I see buds every time I close my eyes, I dream of plants, it's really sick. I want harvest already.

I know exactly how you feel. Man, it is all my mind works on at the moment. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Im just off to buy some coco coir to add to my soil mix... thanks for your help dude

 

[magiccannabus]

If you have any questions about the coir, by all means ask away. It seems like there's not a lot of threads discussing it's use in soil, despite the fact that lots of people seem to use it. They just kind of think of it like it's peat moss. Very under appreciated by the masses.

Gave the soil some molasses with the watering tonight. They seem to need water almost daily now. I am worried I'll have to do a mid-flower transplant, and I've never done that before. This grow style has some space restrictions I am not used to. I think I might try converting a piece of 8 inch PVC pipe into a planter, but then again PVC is often called "the poison plastic" for a good reason. I'm hoping I can find a suitable option. The 10" version of the Walmart pots I am currently using are just slightly too big for the space. Maybe if I can cut the reflectors off the non-corner lights I can make it work. These 8 inch pots are just too small I think.

I'm hoping to replace the non-corner lights with "strip light" style fixtures. They have no reflectors to get in the way of the buds, or make shadows at the walls. The best price I can find ones around here with electronic ballasts that run T8 lamps is almost 20 dollars. So that will be an 80 dollar investment. I'll have to think about it. I'm so broke it's a joke. I've been smoking blunts made out of trimmed or lost fan leaves. They get me high, but just barely. It's as good as shwagg anyhow, which sucks I know, but it's way better than buying brick at the absurd prices people charge for it.

 

[magiccannabus]

Thought I'd throw a couple new pictures up of my beautiful North #1. I've been feeding all of them compost tea, and they are responding amazingly well. North #1 has also begun to alternate, and yet it is still producing branches at 3 opposite positions, causing her to grow branches in an upward spiral from the main stem. She's a slow grower, but I have not topped her or anything and she is just crazy dense.... I'm very excited about her. I look forward to maybe having her ready for when space opens in the flowering cab.

Top View:

Side View:

 

[magiccannabus]

Here are a couple more pictures from 4-27-2009 for the heck of it....

Top-down shot of the flowering chamber:

View of the veg chamber:

 

[magiccannabus]

I have some cola shots tonight!

Here is the Trainwreck X Sour Diesel(Sativa pheno). Cola is a about 3/4 of an inch across.

The next picture is of it's sister, which is TW X SD with a more Indica phenotype. Cola is about 1 inch across.

Here is the mountain of leaves, Trainwreck X Colombian Gold. Cola is about 1 inch across.

Last but not least is the very frosty Purple Haze. She's on day 30 now, and really starting to get trichomes all over. Her colas are about 1/2 inch across right now, and covered in very tiny, but numerous flowers. Very interesting cola to me. I can't wait till the flowers swell on her.

 

[Work2much]

Looking good man. Sativa's can have airy buds with fluoros but yours are filling in nicely this early in flower.

 

[Work2much]

Hey magic I've got another question. I'm not familiar with T8's as much as T5's, can you hold them while there on or will it burn the heck out of you like my T5's will?

 

[magiccannabus]

No burning at all. My buds frequently sit right against the tubes and don't even look stressed, though occasionally I lose a pistil or two from shriveling. I rotate my plants often enough that it's not a worry though really.

 

[Weed Smoka OG]

Thats the difference with T-x series bulbs, they all produce very similar wattages in standard output, but the greater surface area of the larger sizes spreads out the heat that is being produced. A T-8 has just on 1.6 times the surface area of a T-5.

 

[GMT]

hehe, so I went to the wrong thread, easy mistake. very tall girls magic, that columbian gold cross looks very busy. it'll be good to watch them fill out.

 

[magiccannabus]

Cola shots on day 45! Anyone want to chime in on how long they have left probably, feel free! I don't know their expected finishing times

Trainwreck X Sour D Sativa:

Trainwreck X Sour D Indica:

Trainwreck X Colombian Gold:

Purple Haze:

 

[magiccannabus]

More new bud shots! Day 50 of 12/12

Trainwreck X Sour Diesel "Sativa":

Trainwreck X Sour Diesel "Indica":

Trainwreck X Colombian Gold:

Purple Haze:

I really have no idea how much the yield would be currently, or when they'll be done, but I hope they keep packing on the weight and still get done fairly soon...

 

[ScrubNinja]

Very niiice! Seriously nice buddage, bro! Hey listen, I really hope I don't seem rude here, but on a lot of those shots, they seem to be covered in cat hair or something? If you have enough fan power, have you considered filtering your intake/s? Anyway, real nice work dude. +1 subscriber

 

[magiccannabus]

No offense taken. There are indeed cat hairs all over everything in this house. I may filter some time though. I just have a Stanley blower venting the whole closet. It works amazingly well actually, but a filter might be too much, I will have to play around with some ideas. I'm not worried about it though. I can tweezer them out post-harvest, whenever that may be.....

Thanks for the compliments, after years of failure it's so nice to have things working! I'm firing blind on yield estimates, but I think I'll be ok. I know round two of this cabinet will be much better. I have more Trainwreck X Colombian Golds in the veg cab waiting for a spot in the flower room. Nothing else is quite ready yet, but I'm really hoping to get North #1 in there in the near future too.

I have the North #1, a Powerhouse, and so far I have one Bangi Haze x Purpurea T. That brings me up to 7 different types growing right now. I'm hoping to eventually have a living genetics kept bonsai and waiting to be cloned and vegged. It's nice to have lots of beans and all, but I want genetics that are known and ready to go. I need to break out the coir pucks though again so I can start cloning for this year's outdoor. I think mostly it will be North #1 going outside, but we'll see!

 

[ddrew]

Fantastic! You are getting great results with those, very impressive.
I am also forever picking cat and dog hair out of everything, I have to look closely at all bonghits before lighting as 90% of the time there is at least one cat hair in it, lol.

 

[DjRightHooks]

kicking ass with those t-8's...impressive

 

[magiccannabus]

Thanks for the replies folks

I had a bit of a sad night tonight though. One of my shop lights crapped out on me. I can't afford to replace it either, but I have an idea. I'll fix it as soon as I can. Kinda crazy that 9 dollars is so hard to find right now. If this grow doesn't work out I'm gonna be single and probably homeless too. Hopefully this finishes soon!

 

[guest5703]

Right on bro!!! Looks like those T8s are doing you justice!!! They really can be used to get some great buds!

I admire your persistence, on the first page it looks like no one gave you the time of day, but you stuck in there and people came! Now we are here!

Anyways great work bro, can't wait to see those finished buds!



ALTHOUGH....this makes me worried bro. I hope your situation gets better. Good luck.

If this grow doesn't work out I'm gonna be single and probably homeless too. Hopefully this finishes soon!