PDA

View Full Version : Can I get a thumbs up on my grow plan?



Prodaytrader
10-27-2009, 08:36 AM
My current setup is temporary until my fogger arrives, but currently I have 6 small 360 degree sprayers shooting nut/water on 10 net cups setting on a 35 gallon res with maybe 10 gallons of water. I used hydroton by it's self as the grow medium, but I am wondering now if I should have used something in addition to hydroton. For now I will leave it alone I guess. The spray is on 24 hours with no rest with enough pressure that it covers the open portion of the netcup. I got these sprayers from Lowes so they aren't high tech by any means. I had the pump already and it seems to work fine. All together this spray system was about 25 bucks as I already had the pump. I wonder if I should be doing something different with this temp solution. When I get a fogger I will mist for 1 minute and rest for 3.

For lights I currently have 6 x 100watt cfl's while I wait for a 600watt hps/mh light to arrive this week. The light cycle is 20 hours on 4 off. Flowering is 12 on 12 off. When these plants get about a foot and half tall I will start flowering as I believe they will get another foot or so tall after I finish flowering.

I am using a 4 part nut solution. There is a grow formula and a flower formula and both have an A and B bottle. The chart indicates that for a normal growth ratio to mix something like 1.8ml's per gallon of water. This should give me a 600ppm increase from a starting point of 225 ppm for my local water. As I need new water/nut solution I will mix the nut's in a separate measurable container such as a 5 gallon bucket. Adjust the nute formula to give me a rough ppm of say 825ppm for my local water supply. As long as my water in the reservoir is in this range, my water/nut's are considered fresh, I believe. Once the ppm's leave 825 or so, I need to change the water and nutes. At what point though? If fresh solution is 825ppm at what number do I throw out the solution? If I just arbitrarily throw out the water every week to two weeks then why am I measuring daily? Do I even need to throw out the water? Can't I just add more water or nutes to get my res back to 825 ppm? Daily I need to measure ph in my res. I have ph up and down to help me adjust the ph to 5.6 to 6.6.

I am still not finished with the space yet. I have panda film, a light, fans and scrubbers all on order. Since the first pic I have installed a front door that looks similar to the doors surrounding the space already. When the remaining parts arrive I will line the space with insulation and then panda film. I will install the light and then likely use the fan I have on order to suck air through the air cooled hood that is connected to the scrubber that I also have on order. I will have to create some intake ports of some type for the room and maybe include a fan. Depending on my temperature needs for the room I will adjust the ventilation setup differently adding more heat from the hood and possibly cooling from a separate duct coming from the home. This will have to be determined later as I may be able to get an inline chiller to cool the room sufficiently. However I manage my ideal temp is 70 to 80 degrees I think.

Have I left anything out? Is my daily schedule about right? The daily routine is what is concerning me most. How often do I change the water, how much water, that kind of thing. I think I have included all my thoughts and plans so if someone can give me the thumbs up then this is what I will go with. Thanks for all the help from other posts.

LOC NAR on probation
10-27-2009, 01:53 PM
First PH for hydro is 5.2 to 5.8. Keep it ther and all will be happy.

Now your water source. 225 is kind of hard wish it was lower and then you add cal-mag back to it. See the problem is you don't know what's in your water. If it were well water it might be good with iron and minerals but if it is from a water treatment plant then we know it is full of chlorine and chloromine and floride. Oh, chloromine is solid chlorine that does not evaporate if left out. But for now we will hope it's OK

Now for your rez and nutes. Mixing the nutes you got it. Here is the thing. However big your rez is. When you top off your rez you don't need nutes just Ph'ed water. Makes it easy. The rule is if you have ten gallon rez and you top off with one gallon PH'ed water a day then ten days and you need to change the rez. You have replaced all the water. No need to keep upping the nutes, they will get too strong when the plants suck up alot of water.
Once you mix your nutes forget about ppm's. They will go up when water is low and go back down when you add more water.
You need to change because your plant take up only the nutes they want and leave the rest and then they piss in your water or give off waste.

Your water needs to stay as close to 68 degrees as posible. An inline chiller is the thing. Your room can then be around 80. Most of us don't have chillers and need to keep our rooms at 70 degrees all the time. Works great for us. Wish I had a chiller then I could add the CO2.

Looks like your going the the right direction. Most all your reasoning is good and you have thought this out well.

Prodaytrader
10-27-2009, 03:07 PM
u mentioned co2 which reminded me that I will also be adding in a homemade co2 system that I saw online. It's the design with two milk jugs and a homemade yeast mix. I figure something like that would be easy to maintain and likely couldn't hurt any. Whatever co2 the system gives off would only benefit the plants. I am confused though about where I should put the end of the co2 hose. Should it dump into the res allowing the roots access to the co2 or do I want to dump on the leaves? My guess is the leaves.

dejayou30
10-28-2009, 06:52 AM
Roots need O2, not CO2. You want to have the CO2 around the leaves. The best thing would be to turn off your exhaust fan while you are making the CO2. That way the room fills with CO2, the plants consume it, then you turn back on the fans to exhaust the spent air.