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The OBBT Grow Show!

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
It's good to be legal. For the buckets, any major hardware store or try the doughnut shop for used ones.
 
Much Respect LadyLargly,

Sideways to the max. You grow Cannibus that looks like Iceplant. Gonna have a flat field 'o bud very soon here. Your experience with OBBT, and a jolly green thumb to go with, makes me wish you had more light to really blow things up.

Wey-hey, thanks buddy! I know, I'm really astonished at how frosty the WW is getting this early in the game. I used to scoff at fancy dutch genetics, thinking I was growing some pretty good shit with local bagseed. Truth is, I don't think I'll ever go back, this is amazing! The overdriven floros really bring out the trics, can't wait to see what happens when I get the big, mean, UV-B tubes hung.

I wish I had a bigger light too! Next grow is gonna be a lot like this one, no changes to my grow gear just a very different hormone scheme. 2010 though look the fuck out. I've been drawing up plans for my new light setup and its gonna be a doozy! Two cool-tubed 250 watt CMH bulbs in a horizontal configuration hung over my current 5-tub layout. It will be joined by a 75 watt 600nm-740nm (deep red) water-cooled LED light strip. It will cost in the neighborhood of 3 time more than a dual-400 watt HPS rig would. But I'm not after a heavy yield, I'm after quality, so we'll see how it goes.


The little girls in the box seemed yellow so I've hit them with bubbled Fish Emulsion, Kelp Extract, and molasses. Got a noticable improvement in 1 day.

*nods* the ability of OBBTs to rapidly metabolize organic nutes and make them avaliable is demonstrated yet again. Normally it would take many days, perhaps weeks, for an organic fert like that to make a noticable difference in your plants. The OBBTs are just so damn responsive, its almost like pure hydro, you can hardly believe its little more than a pot of dirt.

I like supercharged organics and I think I may have used the term once or twice already to describe the idea. As far as DM, I actually just talked to him yesterday. Someone wants me to come out and do a little lecture on the OBBTs in the flesh. NOT gonna happen but DM is all over it, he loves that shit. I told him to swing through here, that ole RVW is feeling thankful.

Any thoughts on supercharged organics in soil? Underground reservoir full of bio-char?


Hey buddy! Sorry I missed that question. Turns out Bio-Box techniques being used in open soil has already been done!

That's what this was all about:

MycorrhizaImage.jpg


http://www.saviskyproturf.com/doc/mycorrhiza.pdf

They've built an outdoor irrigation system that injects air into large-scale grow beds in order to encourage increased micro-life. Its been successful already, read up!

As far as biochar goes I think it could be quite useful for OBBTs. My understanding is that the stuff acts as an organic buffer, helping to even out the soil chemistry. Its highly absorbtive and readily broken down by local fungus. It doesn't seem like its much of a nutrient source (organic matter that is burned hotter, ash, is better for this) but it works wonders for organic soil chemistry. Sounds like just the ticket for low-maintinence OBBTs.

Your ladies are beautiful, Lady :D You are amazing, I might be able to get my grow started in a few weeks now that we're legal!

Could others (like Rip) post how they've set up the drain/overflow on your buckets? Also, what would be the best place to buy the buckets themselves? I've got just about everything figured out, now I just need to go blow all of the cash we've been saving :)

Hey mate, great to be legal!! Everyone has gone pretty simple on drain/overflow configs. My tubs are raised fairly high up in my room, so I just place a drain bucket in the appropriate location when adding water. You could get a lot more sophisticated and plumb it all up to a nice gradual-downhill-draining system, but I'm not sure anyone here has bothered yet.

As far as bucket aquisition goes you can be creative. I prefer square rubbermaid tubs as they make a more efficient use of space and are easier to apply plumbing to. Just make sure the bucket is nice and opaque. If it isn't then remember to aquire some plastic primer and nice flat black paint to finish them off.

Good to see everyone! Looking forward to some gardening updates from our cats who are kicking off new grows. RVW, rrog, nine7oh, you all seem to be kicking off new grows at roughly the same time. Its gonna be a fun couple of months! Stay tuned! :joint:
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
They've built an outdoor irrigation system that injects air into large-scale grow beds in order to encourage increased micro-life. Its been successful already, read up!

As far as biochar goes I think it could be quite useful for OBBTs. My understanding is that the stuff acts as an organic buffer, helping to even out the soil chemistry.
I've seen the venturi air fittings for drip systems but not so much an active OBBT style system.
I've added char to my mini setup. The smaller stuff seems to help with the bubbling. Either way it looks gnarly and like it should be good for something.
I know the experts say the small ones can't be done. I'm here to prove them right.
 

SilverSurfer_OG

Living Organic Soil...
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I love biochar! Have made some few days ago and going to make some more today. Going to use chunky bits instead of hydroton. Also have some chunky perlite to see how that goes as res fill...

Is that what you are doing h.h? Do you also mix the fine stuff through the medium? I am making 6 new buckets and going to try 6 different media and see if there is much difference... hopefully with clones

1. Hydroton - coco, soil, perlite
2. Hydroton - coco, soil, perlite, bio char
3. Chunky perlite - coco, soil, perlite
4. Chunky perlite - coco, soil, perlite, bio char
5. Bio char - coco, soil, perlite
6. Bio char - coco, soil, perlite, bio char

These will be fed exact same nutes and same premix dry.

Bio char can be innoculated with teas or liquid nutes. The char then holds the goodies inside and they cant be flushed out. Very good outdoors in areas of high rainfall and for economy of nutes indoors... maybe! Teamed with mychorz i am hoping to see some good results...!!

Hoping to be set up in 8-9 days with a 1000w hps vert style grow.

:smoweed:
 
Bio char can be innoculated with teas or liquid nutes. The char then holds the goodies inside and they cant be flushed out. Very good outdoors in areas of high rainfall and for economy of nutes indoors... maybe! Teamed with mychorz i am hoping to see some good results...!!

Hoping to be set up in 8-9 days with a 1000w hps vert style grow.

:smoweed:

Woo-hoo! I'm glad my sumurization of Bio Char wasn't too far off the mark. I knew its absorptive properties came in handy.

I thought you where being a little on the quite side SS OG, glad to see you've been keeping busy through this time! Love the sound of your experiment. Bio Char is supposed to be a powerful tool when at the disposal of Myco Fungi, I'm betting that it makes a difference. Also sounds like our ole pal RipVanWeed has set a trend what with this 1000 watt vertical HPS OBBT business. Can't wait to see that run, makes me even more excited for the coming months! :joint:
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
I'm just doing mini prototypes. I'm also just trying it myself.. I feel the finer stuff in the upper area dissipates the air better. I'm sure the buffering effect is more thorough with the smaller pieces..
 

ScrubNinja

Grow like nobody is watching
Veteran
Hello folks and LadyL! LL, we discussed my root aphid problem briefly last night and so here I am swinging by. Got some Q's which I know you love.

Now I'm not sure if you've experienced root aphids (Phylloxera) before although I'm sure you are quite educated. So A) Have you had them personally? and B) Do you realise the intensely nightmareish experience it is to eradicate them or live with them? (Hope this doesn't seem like a dumb question, just that lots of people have offered assistance without understanding the full nature and severity of the problem. That thread I linked gets much worse than the first page. It goes on and on and on with each succesive new product failing to control these dirty little pricks, and the OP is there at the end, two years later, still with his original infestation.)

I mean, I'm pretty sure you said that a bio-box will over ride any chance of picking these things up again. Well, that's the impression I got anyway. So for all the world to see, will I be safe in an OBBT? Would I be so safe that I could use my quite likely infected organic materials such as coco, and it's simply impossible for these terrors to live in this environment? I do understand that any organic system is going to give me a natural level of protection against pests, but I really need to be clear here - if there's any chance they can exist and multiply in an obbt, I would like to know up front, and I thank you for your thoughts.

Also, I've picked up some hydro fittings and taps etc which I hope I can use to make an obbt or two. I have had a look around and still a little confused what the plumbing is actually doing, and what I'm aiming for. RROG has provided plenty of pics as have everyone but it isn't helping. Could you perhaps provide a checklist of every function that the plumbing should provide? I understand the overflow bit but that's about it and it seems everyone is doing their own little slant on the plumbing. I am just unsure how it all fits into everyday reality. Please feel free to guide me to any of your great posts you have made!

In your tubs, do you use a stick to measure your water height and look at the water level on the stick?

The drain valve is neccesary right?

I know this has been asked before but there is just so much literature now! Can I use perlite instead of lava rock or hydroton? I think DM said it's possible back in the early days?

Thank you.

Edit: Will nematodes live/thrive in an OBBT?
 

ScrubNinja

Grow like nobody is watching
Veteran
Also I would really appreciate it if any obbters could gimme some feedback on how I was thinking to do it:



Yay or nay? Benefits? Downfalls?
 

rrog

Active member
Veteran
Seems like that drawing would work ScrubN.

In the current OBBT model, there are three plumbing components:

Overflow, Site Gauge (water level indicator) and Waste Valve.

A dedicated Overflow is just a safety thing, really. In case you lose your mind for a while while filling.

The Site Gauge is the single most important component of the three (in my opinion).

The Waste Valve is used by LadyL and DM for a drying out period to illicit a response from the plant. Seems like a good idea for many things.

In my opinion, you could accomplish all three functions from a single site gauge as you have drawn there. Same as the one I have. If the clear plastic tube is short (like you have drawn), it will tell you how much water is in there. It will overflow when too much water is bing introduced. You can easily snake a flexible tube in there and pump out water with a tiny submersible pump and a 5 gallon pail.

So all three functions, one plumbing component.

I would not run the airlines through this pipe, personally. Leave the overflow clear and accessible. No harm running airlines into the bucket as I did (in my opinion).
 
Looks pretty decent Scrub!

I cannot tell you with absolute certainty that OBBTs will solve your root aphid problem. After having a good long look at that forum I am impressed with the levels of destruction those bastards can generate.

Organic, immune-system style solutions to pests like the OBBTs are based on prevention. I'm not sure that even a very powerful OBBT could combat a full-blown infestation problem. You are going to have to do some sterilizing. You will prolly have to toss out (or bake at 250 degrees for a couple hours) any amendments you currently have. Baking is surprisingly effective (if smelly). Most materials you would use like coco moss combust well above 400 degrees, so baking at 250 is quite safe. Stuff like vermiculite and pearlite are volcanic products and are actually good for more than a thousand degrees. Even normal soil isn't bothered by 45 minutes in the oven at 250 degrees.

The difference is if you adopt OBBTs I can promise that you will not spend the rest of your life cleaning and sterilizing regularly to keep the pests at bay. You should be able to do a good cleaning and general mass-exodus once and then the immune-systems of the OBBTs should keep the problem at bay indefinitely. Yea, you are still gonna hafta do quite a bit of sterilization, but it should be just a one-time-deal.

Generic OBBTs have powerful immune systems and it is possible to tune them even stronger. You can breed particularly aggressive beneficial bacteria such as Lacto B which are sortof the rottweilers of the aerobic bacteria world. They will defend their homes even more fiercely than other typical microbes. You can even spray them directly on your plants. They will crowd around and colonize on the stomata, the holes in the plant through which respiration happens. They sit there, growling and goading at other microbes, just daring them to try and encroach upon their territory. I've never had a big pest problem, but I bet a little research would yield you perhaps some even more suitable microscopic guard dogs.

That's the cool thing about OBBTs. Their flexibility means you can raise just about any oxygen-loving bacteria or fungi that you want!

Your drawing looks pretty decent, but rrog makes good points. It is possible to make the whole thing work, with dump valve and all, using only one hole. I use a design similar to yours, I prefer to use gravity to power my dump valve. Rrog uses pump, which is perhaps a bit more convinient. Either way works though. Also, yea, just snake the air line down the side of the tub, no need to sneak it in the drain like that, no real benefit. If that thing clogs you have serious issues. You DO NOT want to disassemble an OBBT half-way through a grow.

With my tubes I do use a stick to measure water level. This method is inferior. The clear sight-tube is a much better approach. I never check the water level anyway, I just look at the plants.

The draining process, it seems, is not strictly necessary. RipVanWeed
never drained his tubs fully and he harvested quite nicely, with a good flush and yellowing leaves at the end. I still think flush/starve cycles are critical for maximum yield however, and I think RVW could have gotten even more weight if he had run a couple of starvation cycles.

You seem on the right track though. You claim to not know what the purpose of all the plumbing is, but you seem to have it down pat from my end. It really is very simple,
we're just big geeks and like to complicate things.

You seem on the right track brah, keep us updated! :joint:
 
Well- having tried to help ScrubNinja, and having all respect for you LadyL- but I do not think that root aphids can be stopped by the bacteria or fungus in the OBBT. Those little creatures are armored as all hell. While it might make life unhappy for them, they are incredibly tough insects.

HOWEVER!!! There is one saving grace the OBBT MIGHT have an advantage with. Root aphids don't like be drowned. In soil or most mediums they will never deal with being submerged for long. In the wine industry they litterally drown the feilds to get the fuckers out between seasons in some areas where that is possible. I hear this works well.

So the OBBT gives us the ability to simply push a lot of water into the medium, while the medium is very hard to oversaturate. This MIGHT mean its too unfriendly for them to establish themselves in a bath tub.

Root aphids for the record, are FUCKED!! Many growers have to shut down there grows to stop em. The imiadchloripid seems to be one of the only solutions. And it might take both really if you have super problems.
 

ScrubNinja

Grow like nobody is watching
Veteran
Cool cool thanks very much everybody. That is quite alright that it's not a guarantee, and thanks for the informed answers.

Any idea about the nematodes? These seem like one of the strongest tools to combat these guys. I'm just wondering if they too would be deterred by the moist but airy conditions. I know nothing about them, so would they naturally be in the supplies you have listed on page 1?

I understand if you're not lucky, air can bubble out the sight tube. Or is that taken care of how I've planned it?

I hope I don't get annoying because we haven't even discussed the lack of supplies available to me. I'll need plenty of tips there but I'll get the tubs built first. No rush on this as I don't have the cab space yet.

Could I ask who has done the smallest tub size? RVW? I was planning 5 litre square buckets, 7 and 3/4 inches tall.

In summation: :woohoo:
 
Hey Scrubs gland you found these forums. I've read these forums many times, I absolutely love this idea and have been working on a design myself for awhile. Kind of the reason to my Vertical CFL post, i want to do that with one of these!
 

chef

Gene Mangler
Veteran
Been lurking the last few days, since stumbling across your thread. I saw BioBox mentioned awhile back & figured it was some new micro grow cab or something lol didnt even bother to clik thru :rolleyes:

Anyway, looks like I may have found some kindred spirits?
I've been running with a similar theory for over a year now, only thing in common is an air pump really tho. I knew there had to be others experimenting with similar, its too simple & common sense of an approach for there not to be! ;)
Plan on reporting on mine around the end of the year, after I get everything well documented.

That box of yours will flat out blow up with HID's, not dissin your floros at all, I love my T5's Its just that beyond budset, HID's will really outperform the floros.
I use strictly T5's for early veg & poppin beans tho, wouldn't trade them for anything.

Figured I'd say hey & follow along in the meantime...

Pump it up! ;)
 

RipVanWeed

Member
Hey ScrubNinja,

I use 5 gal buckets, but I'm formulating a plan.



My current setup is 8 buckets around the light. I wanna squeeze a set of smaller containers in the "crevices" between the 5er's, and train rooted clones into lollipops.

I've got a piece of PVC/vinyl horse fencing, the post section is a little more than 4" square. I'm working on a way



to seal the bottom of a 12" piece to make a tall, narrow container.

I'll snap some pics



and post 'em soon. Woulda done it sooner, but my plants were too punk.

As far as the plumbing/fittings discussion, here's a look at Rip's method.

I like the simplicity, and uni-seals, cheap plastic elbows, and neoprene plugs.





Grow on

Respect,
 

Organixx420

New member
hello fellows cultivation enthusiasts!

i too will be embarking on a biobox journey soon, but i have but a few things to still grasp mentally..

1. do you feed from the top or from the bottom?

2. if you feed from the top, do you let the run off fill up the res? do you flush it out/dilute it with plain/tap water till the runoff is clear?

3. i know you are supposed to put enough nutes in the medium to last through veg, but when you start to flower do you start feeding weekly like you would anyother soil plant?

thank you very much in advance for any replies..

i am so stoked on this and cant wait to try it!!

also, i wanted to let you guys know about the most potent mycorhizzal innculant on the market.. its called Xtreme Gardening Mykos and its the SHIT!! the spore count per cc is like 4,900 spores compared to the second highest (which is Great White) at 180 spores!!

check out their website ate vvv.refoest.com, and demand for it at your local hydro store or garden shop!!

and no im not a rep for them, i am just a very enthused customer!!
 

ScrubNinja

Grow like nobody is watching
Veteran
Thanks Rip! So what I don't understand at this point is what's stopping the air going out of your overflow instead of the medium? I'm sure I read this is an issue. As long as air will go to all the right places in my design, I'll be happy.

Also, I discussed with LL a while ago about micro-izing this idea. I'll list my container size as my plans changed a bit. They are 5 litre (1.3 gallon) square white plastic containers, about 7" x 7", and 7, 3/4 inches tall. If this is not a good idea, please let me know, haha.

I'll try and keep up with the various threads so I don't have to bother you guys so much.

ST8, I hear ya. It's pure genius. :yes:
 
hello fellows cultivation enthusiasts!

i too will be embarking on a biobox journey soon, but i have but a few things to still grasp mentally..

1. do you feed from the top or from the bottom?

2. if you feed from the top, do you let the run off fill up the res? do you flush it out/dilute it with plain/tap water till the runoff is clear?

3. i know you are supposed to put enough nutes in the medium to last through veg, but when you start to flower do you start feeding weekly like you would anyother soil plant?

Hey dude. I'm glad you have interest in OBBT. At this point what i can say is really read this thread all the way through. You questions will be answer as the have been discussed in detail. But to answers you questions

1. You feed it through the top, kind of like watering soil, thats what you'll be doing.
2. When you do feed you feed to fill the bottom of the tube, which has a type of porus substrate, ie. lavarock, hydrotron
3. You can use a feed-starve-feed regiment, this is also discussed in the thread, multiple times.

Useful links to look at

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=137656 -LadyL's Biobox club

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=116431&highlight=OBBT -DM's

Both are worth the time of the day, and should be read through
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
I think I've came up with a viable option that can be disassembled without disturbing the roots. There is no plumbing,but there is some cutting and drilling. That part could be eliminated though.
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=138094
I'll try and post pics on that thread later if any interest is shown.
 

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