latewood, crispi, weedhound....

[Scarlet Sky]

asuming you would veg for thirty days, how much room will one plant's roots take up? is it possible to do more than one plant in a 5g without getting bound? i'm in the process of learning new tricks, if you haven't deduced that already... any help is much appreciated.

here's the particulars. i'm going to be doing dwc, hopefully nine 5g buckets in flower in a square under a 1000w hps, will be vegging under one or two 400w mh with solarmax gold bulbs (blue spec with added red, works wonders). i will be using gh products, hardwater micro, flora gro, and flora bloom.

i am using 3'' net pots, are these large enough?

these buckets will be independent, and will not be recirculating.

i have one bucket now, for root establishment; seven site. here's some pix, but don't laugh; these are in water and st only, ph approx 5.8-6.2, temps at 60. i'm tesing water with ph strips and an aquarium thermometer.

[bongerstonerd00d]

Well hell........I got suggestions, but I am not any of those 3. This thread is no fun.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,sigh




b0nger

[Scarlet Sky]

bonger, you goof, i'll take help or advice from anyone :p these names in specific are some that i know and trust. by all means, contribute :)

[Cyclonite]

1 plant can take 1 5g bucket and fill it with roots....you only want 1 per. You could go with larger net pots...I would if I was doing 1 plant per 5gal bucket. 3in should be ok...they just provide a stable foundation for the plants.

[Scarlet Sky]

thanx cyclonite, right along the lines of what i was thinking. i'm not trying for monster plants, just addequate. but i can see how the roots would build up...

[bongerstonerd00d]

Well, since you asked.....LOL Why dont you get them netpots that perfectly fit the tops of 5 gallon buckets ? You can grow trees in those bad boys, literally.

9 seperate buckets, huh ? Do you realize what a pain in your ass that is going to be changing them individually ? Plus, if you setup controller wit seperate rez you can control yer h2o temps much easier in mah opinion. ie. Water gets a little too warm, lift lid toss in frozen bottle of water for example. Not to mention pH and nute ALL the water at once, well I guess you could mix up a batch in trash can or whatever and fill from it. But again, sounds like a major PITA. With rez hook hose to it, drain, refill.......eazy as pie.

Get ya some panda plastic and turn those monster net pots upside down and trace around em so ya got a nice neat cover for each bucket, too.

OR....why not a drip for them monsters ? Could set them up on say a 1 foot to 18 inch high table you make outa plywood and 2x4's and drain back to rez???????? Huh, huh????? Build that table and make legs on side you drain to 1/2 inch shorter so ya gots a slope. Remember, water dont run uphill:D :D What about that idea, huh ? CHeap to build, too. Some beer, grommlets, hose, drill, beer, a rez, pumps (air, water), beer and you are live and in color. Oh, and some silicone goop and a recycling timer. Can get a cement pond (swimmin pool) recyclin timer at Wallworld for around 20-30 bucks.

Drill hole on each side of 6 of the buckets and daisy chain them together. Yanno, hook one in back to one in front to other and then T the lines at end of table so it connects to one main line to drain back to rez. Your last bucket on each row of 3 only needs one ho' in it.

WHen them babies get to be big gurls they gonna get mighty thristy. You gunna be fillin buckets frequently ......and hate life.

Thats it, my vote is for drip, drain back to rez, large netpots, and trees. Unless you wanted to get all fancy and mirror that flood and drain system they sell for about 600 bucks with controller and seperate rez. What a spot for 2 1000 watt HPS's.............Holy shit, what a yield you would get.

Just some ideas to ponder. You settle on something, let me know. I enjoy building as much as if not more than growing.

Its always green,
b0nger

[Weedhound]

Scarlet are you going hydro? I LOVE THAT!!! WELCOME!! God I'm so thrilled!! I know you still have you soil stuff that you do so well but YEAH!

I agree with Cyclonite...I'm sure you've seen my rootbound thread...sigh. You will see roots growing around and into everything and everywhere....as much room as possible. The waterfarms are 2 and 1/2 gal each but do not have as many holes etc for roots to grow through.....only the bottom has holes so I feel that restricts root growth. Net pots will work much better for you.:thumbsup: The little set of roots growing in your last photo look nice and healthy. Are those clones you have going or from seed?

Your set-up looks totally cool. Good work there!

One last tip....watch out for that Bonger guy. He's kind of a wild card. :S2:

[Weedhound]

Damn I just tried to rep you for going hydro but I can't yet......:(

[bongerstonerd00d]

'Hound, moi ? <looks around>,,,,,,,,,,,,,So SS is new to 'dro huh ? Wait til they see the results in those 5 gallon (one plant each) buckets. If it wuz me, I'd grow 4 massive trained trees under that 1000 watter on a 4x4 footprint. 60+ watts per sq ft.............oh yeah, I am getting all excited now.

Drill massive amount of holes around tops of buckets and buy 12,000 yards of string and train those babes to expose all them budsites. Nice bake under that 1000 watts for 8-10 weeks, and............I am flyin now, just above the tree tops...........


:apachecopter:

Like it green,
b0nger

[Scarlet Sky]

hi guys! wow, lots to take in...

ok, let me give you some MORE background. i've been a dirty girl as long as i've been growing. works very well for the indoor routine, with different strains and projects going all at once... however, i've found two realy excellent pheno's that work wonders for my medical needs. i'd like to build up a small stock of these, to have it when i need it. hydro seems to be the answer. i have the potency, now im looking for yeild.

budget is and will continue to be a problem. i'm a very crafty individual, and can and will build what ever i need, if i can. so diy info is greatly appreciated. however, i can't afford to buy whatever i need, i kinda have to play it by ear. that's why i'm thinking sepparate buckets. i don't have a large tub for a res, and i don't have the pump or timers required for something like that. also, with the 9 bucket setup, i can change one bucket a day, which will result in a res change every nine days.

i have a 400w mh with solarmax gold bulb and a 1000w hps to work with in flower, i dont see myself aquiring additional lights any time soon. i will be getting an 85w air pump and a digital ph/tds pen, but those are necessary items, and i have something worked out, which is why i'm starting this.

i love the idea of a big res, but i had a slightly different idea. i have the drain to a shower, which will hold 8-9 buckets. if i could figure out how to put a closeable drain on the buckets, i could drain from that, three at a time into a tub i have (18g) i can find a big water pump for ten bucks at a flea market, and hook it up to a garden hose to water the roses. no waste :D

umm, i lost myself now, so i'll post this and see if the rest comes to me...

edit, i don't have room for trees, lol. i have room for 4-5 footers, that's it...

[Weedhound]

Sounds like you want something more like the waterfarm setup but Bonger is correct......individual buckets will kill you eventually especially when the plants get bigger. Even though you only have to change them every nine days you will still have to check ph daily and adjust it as necessary. You will love yourself later when you realize you can stick on a cheap water pump and drain them all through one central line. That too has it's drawbacks....one problem is everybody's problem sometimes. But when push comes to shove I'll take them connected.

My feeling with DIY is that almost anything here (and for some maybe ANYTHING here) can be built at home. What you are really paying for with your $$$ is saving time and convenience. With the buckets attached (and I have little valves between mine to shut them all off individually if needed so color me smokin' :D ) you really don't even need the water pump....gravity will do the job....but timewise it will take forever. ;)

[Scarlet Sky]

can you help me think of a solution here? i'd love to have them all hooked together, but i'm losing it at the part when it's time to fill the buckets... sounding like more tubes... *shudder*

pix would be great, if you can show me what you're talking about.

[Lord Dangly Bits]

Why could she not hook all her Buckets together in series, then have a Ball Cock valve on the last one to drain from. First bucket being hooked up to the filling pump. She opens Ball Valve, drains all buckets. Closes Ball Valve Cock, turns on Pump and refills all buckets.
Am I missing something here? You can buy a pretty big rubber made barrel, that will hold over 50 gallons for pretty cheap. You should have fun working with all those Balls, Cocks, and tubing.:D

[xcrispi]

Hey Sis ,
Bonger , Cyc , & W/H are all right , even w/ clones just 1 per bucket or = girls end up fighting for space and choking each other out . You run them individually I bet your suicidal in a mo. or less too . All buckets will be dif. p/h -n- ppm all the time .

Only way I think you'll get 9 buckets under a single 1000w. will be sog . I saved my origional w/f's just for that idea - plans of buying 1 more farm and running 3 x 3 -n- sog . Plants just go ape shit in dwc / drip hydro when topped .
I'll email you a cpl. pics. sis . I currently have just 2 - 5 gal. recirculating dwc/drip hybrid buckets just starting so good pics of routing of tubes etc...

I have 5 - 5 gal. lids w/ 6in. built in net pots and a spare via aqua 302 to recirculate them too , want them ?
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:

[Scarlet Sky]

crispi, you're my hero! holy cow! that's great :) i deff see the validity of recirculation, i'm just going to have to figure out how to set it up. i was planing on doing a sog type grow with these, perpetual in the sense that when 8-9 come off, 8-9 go in. 9 buckets should work out to 46''x46'', which i know the 1000w will cover. i have a total of 6 feet from floor to the glass of the hood at the lights highest point, so i'll need to consider that...

the strain that i'm considering for the first run is dreamgoddess (godbudxdreamweaver). this pheno came out unbeleivable, and i want more :D she grew to be about 24 inches in all, and i din't get the yeild :(. but here's some pix...

sorry for all the q's and ideas guys, i'm a water n00b :p

[LOC NAR on probation]

Just throwing my 2 cents in. I was growing 6 plants in 3 inch netpots in a ten gallon tub. 2 tubs under a 1000 hortilux bulb. 12 plants. They would get about 3 feet or so. I had them stagered to harvest 6 a month. I got 3/4 to a pound a month, that is untill my nephew turned me in to get out of coke charges. Each tub only held 5 gallons of water. They seemed just a little root bound but not bad. It was working well for me. Do a search for loc nar1958 (papaya). My grow is still here. I was about to change to 20 gallon tubs with 5 inch netpots. They are drip systems. Oh nice bud wish I could smoke now. I will be in Cali soon enough though. East Coast sucks.

[Scarlet Sky]

thanx loc, i may just try that, as i have an 18g already set up for that.. maybe three plants for a first time.

wh, do you have my email? if not, please get it from crispi; i still cant' rep you...

[Weedhound]

Not sure what the tubing issue is about.....does this photo help in any way?

[Scarlet Sky]

yes, sort of... can you show me a pic of how it goes to the rez? and back? that's the part i'm not understanding, how exactly do you circulate it?

[Weedhound]

Mines pretty much a one way trip.....I will take a pic of main rez. X-C does a recirculating thing with his....I'm sure he can photo his for you. The main reason I have them hooked together is for filling and emptying the buckets without having to do them individually. I do have a cheapie water pump that I use to draw water out of the buckets just because it's alot quicker than them draining naturally. But they don't recirculate between each other

There was an old thread that BlueBear started.....DWC club or something here. I'll see if I can bump it back up to the top because I remember X-C, Bluebear, me, and Latewood had an intense discussion at one point about growing in one large rez vs individual buckets. Lots of good info and first-hand experience in the pros and cons in that thread.

[Scarlet Sky]

reading now, thanx wh!

[bongerstonerd00d]

SS....my solution of hookin the buckets together is dirt cheap... Picture this, you have one row, 3 buckets per row.....wit me ? Now in the first and second buckets you are going to drill two holes, one on each side (front and back) of bucket. Last bucket in the rear gets one hole..... Now, you put them gromlets (1.00 each) with some silicone goop on em in all the holes ya drilled.......Now, you stick hose through each gromlet. You can put a wire tie on each hose where the end sticks in the bucket to keep it from ever sliding out.

So you have one row of buckets, all hooked together, and one hose commin from the "front" bucket that you are going to T in to the other 2 lines commin from ya other row of buckets.

Hell, if ya dont have cash, sell few hundred bucks worth of ya stash to a few friends.

SS......here is a link to a bucket system that is almost exactly what I am proposing you do, minus the controller unit.

http://www.hydroponics.net/items/details/multiflow.asp.....check out the .pdf on that and you will get mah drift.

I swear you will grow trees in 5 gallon buckets. 4 footers filled with bud should be a piece of cake for you to pull off with that 1000 watt light.

Have your mom, take clones, clones in veg when flower is mid way thru or so (strain dependent), and you chop one, move rooted clones into flower and a new crop is ready in 8-10 more weeks.........AND, you should be harvesting at least a pound per grow. If you are not over a pound per grow, you have issues.

pH/TDS tester is a must have item for hydro. I dont give a shit what anyone tells you. Wingin it aint the way to get there from here.


And, if money is really that tight, grab an air pump, toss some airstones in buckets, and change manually. I mean if cash strapped and cant afford to get equipment, then I am out of ideas. I am terrible at some type of ghetto rig design.

After my first grow I would have a second 1000 watter and move them buckets to a 6x8 footprint or so and grow even bigger trees.

[Scarlet Sky]

hey bonger, i am getting a ph/tds, i just don't have it yet. i'll also be getting an industrial air pump.

the link didn't work, let me see if i follow you so far... the holes and gromets go at the bottom of the bucket? the hose connects three in a line, then you conect those lines to gether for one drain system?

sorry, but i just don't see it. if i can find a decent pic, i'll have it down, i just can't figure out how you circulate water and keep the water level even at the same time...

[Weedhound]

I know what he is saying.....someone else talked about the same thing I think on the DWC thread......again gravity plays a role in keep the water at an even height and spread evenly between the buckets. There are pros and cons to that as well however.....

Perhaps i can draw very crappy pic and send it to you Scarlet.....

[Weedhound]

Here is what I think Bonger was saying.....one line that goes in one side of bucket and out other to form a chain versus the "T" line setup (like I have) that fills and drains from only one hole then the T adapter hooks to the cental line

And yes, I suck at drawing. And if it really makes you scream with laughter please don't say so. :S2:

[latewood]

Read this! It will answer all your questions.

http://boards.cannabis.com/hydroponics/91976-water-farm-dwc-club.html (http://boards.cannabis.com/91976-water-farm-dwc-club.html)

I quit growing so...In a few weeks or so. I will publish some awesome grow piks I have cached


p.s. right up to when I stopped...I use old fashioned individual bubblers, and grew Trees..well errr Very Big bushes. lol

[bongerstonerd00d]

Yeah, dats exactly what I am sayin, 'Hound. Holes at bottom of bucket, and they are daisy chained together. Drip in top, drains out bottom back to rez. I thought easiest and since SS dont have cash to be buying all the stuff to do controller for rez. Hydroton and them mega monster net pots on the buckets and big ole plants.

Rez change time comes, hook hose to pump, empty to shower, refill and mix. Simple as that!

SS, and once them plants get rockin you are not going to be able to go with changing one bucket on a 9 day cycle. You can forget that. They are going to drink a lot. You are going to be mixing and adding daily would be my guess to keep water level and nute strength where ya need it. Plus your pH will rise as sure as god made green apples (quickly) because of the small volume of water I would assume. And once your pH goes up to around 6.2 or so your plants lose ability to uptake P and K which they crave in flowering.

LW had what you want to do down to a science. Need him to toss some more ideas out. Wonder how he controlled pH.

b0nger

[Scarlet Sky]

well, i have some very depressing news. we've been having a small financial problem of late, due to the diner keeping me out for three weeks... anyway, i went to get assistance with the power bill, and lo and behold, my power consumption is questionable.

so i have spent all of this day harvesting, killing, cleaning, disposing, packing, removing, hiding.....and then some :(

i'm shut down temporarily, i have only four moms now, one bonzai, one just reveged, one just topped yesterday, and one just rooted, not reveged. it's so sad... but i kept the winners (and i have one black dom to try and reveg... fingers crossed) these guys are either going outside, or to a friends until we get this sitch under control.

when i start again, i will be starting with dwc, no dirt (cept for the moms) but i may only do three or four individual buckets. i understand the downside, and if i can get a setup together and working properly, i may do a full run. regardless, this seems to be the perfect opportunity, a sign if you will.

we harvest over 11lbs of wet weight this morn, only four were close, to of those actually ready. depressing; i may have to trade the dealer...



late, that link didn't work for me, it said page not found. wh, thanks for the pic, i now understand the gravity drain... but i don't get how the buckets fill up without over filling or ... well, i just don't get that part...

anyway, gotta go for a few, i'll be back.

[bongerstonerd00d]

Holy shit.............if you are pulling 11 pounds from one 1000 watt HPS, you should be served breakfast in bed every morning and never need to work. Thats 5 grams a watt. And the plants were not even ready for harvest ???????????? People should wash your car, rub your back, clean your house, etc........


And you want to change your growing method, why???




In awe........
b0nger

[Weedhound]

Scarlet wtf does that mean about your power consumption questionable?
Are they going to come out to your house and look around or something?

[Scarlet Sky]

bonger, lol, i wish it were 11 dry and clean, but alas, that's just cut green plant, stems and all. total weight of 36 plants with the paper bag. might get two pounds of bud and stick, one of clean, cured bud. maybe *fingers crossed*

wh, what happend is this. i'm two months behind on the power. there is a church organization that will pay your bill if you are disabled, if it's going to be shut off. as it was, they could only pay 200$ of the bill, leaving 150$, plus the back bill of the month before. when they paid the 200$ they looked at our bill, and said something must be wrong. they told me that the power company is going to be investigating the cause of the high consumption, and see if we have a faulty meter.

so, i'm expecting the power company to show and want to look around, and if i know this backwoods area, every cop within 30 miles will want to be here too. i'm going to invite them tomorrow :D house is now clean as a whistle (wow, what a day!)

our bill has always been between 275 and 350, and we've not gone higher; i got rid of appliances equal to the amount of power the grow op was using, so the grow is not the prob.

anyway, i'm not down and out by any means. soon as this bs is over, i'm setting up for hydro.

oh yeah! and my brother got his settlement, so we may be moving to a bigger house in a more secluded area! w000t :)

[Weedhound]

Well that really sucks!!! Except for the moving to a better place part. God what a bummer. Safe is good but.....all you work....

[Scarlet Sky]

yeah, so much for the new crosses... at least i have a new line up to go from :thumbsup:

[Markass]

yeah, so much for the new crosses... at least i have a new line up to go from :thumbsup:

I wish the best to you scarlet :thumbsup:

weedhound, do you have any pics of the blue russian you grew before it was chopped down?:)

[LOC NAR on probation]

Scarlet Sky, Sorry to hear about your troubles.I have had some of my own. At least your not out all together and get to keep what you had. They took everything I had. Hang in there and good luck. Power consumtion most times are not a problem but paying the bill is. My power company didn't care if it was a 1000 a month. Cops didn't even know. I told my meter reader I had an arc welder he said that will do it and went on his way. I wish we could start a paypal thing to donate a buck or two to those that have problem. There are alot of good peeps here and it would add up fast. Charity starts at home and I feel this is one of my homes. Even on probation I'm here trying to help when I can. If you get a chance check out my grows. Search for LOC NAR1958. (redhair ladies and papaya) papaya is what they took. I'm not out just California dreaming. Hope things go OK and good luck. OH never trust a nephew. That's who turned me in.

[Scarlet Sky]

loc nar, i'm so sorry to hear that, i didn't even know! wow... you're right though, the consumption is not the prob, the lack of payment was. it's remedied now, though we are going to get these peeps to do a thorough check and see if there is something wrong. i can be very naive when i need to be :D

so, i plan on them giving us a lecture on how to save power, then that'll be the end of it. i'm working steady again, we got all the bills caught up, and we're back to normal again, with the exception of the babies...

thanks loc nar, i'm going to check out your threads tonite.

[LOC NAR on probation]

Glad to hear your working again. It was your good fortune you did get everything out in time. That's smart. My probation girl says maybe 10 more or less months for me. Cut my 2 years in half for good behavour. That's cool. They got me June of 2006 and it takes awhile to get to court. Been on probate for 3 months. First offence not to bad. Eastcoast laws suck. California dreaming and med growing for me. All the gold in Cali isn't yellow, some is green with red hairs. LOL.. Good luck and hang in there. I'm at the bottom so there is only one way to go. UP!!!!

[Weedhound]

Yeah excellent point you made there Loc Nar.....about interest peaking when payment is behind vs the amount you use each month......never thought about it that way myself either.

Where you thinking of coming to in CA?

I'm going to check out your papaya grow.;)

[LOC NAR on probation]

Hey Weedhound, I have an uncle in LA and a brother in law near Oceanside. But I was thinking more of Nor Cal. I just want a place kind of out of the way but not far from supplies. I want to stay on the up and up side. Strickly med. When they got me here, I had helped a life long friend who died of cancer about a year ago and was helping another that is suffering now. The papaya was really helping them out. I got another friend from this site but not sure where he is in Cali. I don't blame him but hope to meet him soon. Offered to help me get started. An awsome offer. Till then I'm getting all equipment toghether I can to take with me. Any suggestions on locations ? If you get a chance the papaya is PA POW in hydro and a 1000 hortilux bulb.

[Weedhound]

You need to move fast if you want some space up in Nor Calif.....people are snapping up land faster than you can blink. I'm up east of Tahoe.....and I really love this area. For growing, the beauty of the land, the space....all of it. This is all mountain area so no beaches if you are into places like Oceanside etc. Tons of beautiful rivers though. I'll never go back to city living again. There are tons of little towns etc. that would be perfect for you. :thumbsup:

[Markass]

You need to move fast if you want some space up in Nor Calif.....people are snapping up land faster than you can blink. I'm up east of Tahoe.....and I really love this area. For growing, the beauty of the land, the space....all of it. This is all mountain area so no beaches if you are into places like Oceanside etc. Tons of beautiful rivers though. I'll never go back to city living again. There are tons of little towns etc. that would be perfect for you. :thumbsup:

that sucks..northern cali is one of my top 3 choices for moving...won't be for a few years though

[Weedhound]

Mark why would you want to leave the hotbed of activity you live in now? :D When we first moved up here land was cheap.....now tons of winery growers are gobbling up the land....and those that aren;t are building housing at a horribly fast rate. They've actually doubled the cost of housing permits this year trying to slow things down.

Do you get snow there Mark?

[Markass]

Mark why would you want to leave the hotbed of activity you live in now? :D When we first moved up here land was cheap.....now tons of winery growers are gobbling up the land....and those that aren;t are building housing at a horribly fast rate. They've actually doubled the cost of housing permits this year trying to slow things down.

Do you get snow there Mark?

we got some..no accumulation but it did come down for a few hours the other day...hotbed of activity? not shit here, I need to get out...legislators aren't willing to talk to me about medical marijuana..don't see much happening soon here gonna need to go where I can be legal. easy to be careful in this small town...I go to school, work and my house..but I would like to go somewhere that I can find a good job in the computer field...and get MMJ card. Denver is sounding nice to me...laws are law for marijuana in the first place..

[LOC NAR on probation]

Thanks , Weedhound. I may have to send a scout ahead to secure a place. If you see some one camped out in a vinyard it's me. LOL. Wine and weed , just what my heart doctor ordered. Maybe I'll see you sooner than I think. Peace man.

[howsyourroof]

thanks for reply .also forgot to include that rocks are red