Hydro cabinet grow start to finish

[Passage to Indica]

I am documenting this grow for everyones pleasure. I have been growing Femaleseeds.nl seeds for years and I always have a good time with them. I chose the Easy Bud strain by Female Seeds for it's stability (consistancy) and it's mix of indica/sativa. I can yield up to 8 ounces when things are dialed in right in my lttle stealth cabinet. The dimensions of my cabinet is 29 inches wide, 19 inches deep, and 3 feet tall. It has been a challenge to keep temperatures and conditions correct, but succesful to say the least.



Cabinet specs (h/w/d) - 36"/29"/19"

Equipment:

American Hydroponics Baby Bloomer Ebb and Flow system
430 Watt Hortilux air-cooled reflector
(T5 fluoro light for germination)
General Hydroponics FloraNova grow and bloom nutes
Hygrozyme, Floraliscous Plus, CalMag+, Diamond Nectar, Koolbloom
Pinpoint pH monitor

I got two 4-packs of Easy Bud by Female Seeds from DrChronic.com and soaked them for 12 hours in RO (reverse osmosis) water. I strictly use RO water because there are high levels of chlorine and unknown minerals in my tap water. After 12 hours I use the paper towel method in a germination box (with dome) with a heating mat. The temp runs around 85-90 which I think these beans really like. 12 hours later 6 out of 8 beans popped and I put them into grow plugs in the same germ box. The heating pad is removed and my T5 fluoro begins it's 18/6 cycle. Fresh cool air is blown into the cabinet to cool the T5 and maintain a temp of about 75 degrees in the germination box. In a few days I will remove the T5 and start up the 430 Watt HPS.

Next day, 4 out of 6 of the seedlings are showing roots out of the bottom of their grow plug. Out of these 4 vigorous babes, I will choose 3 to transfer to the ebb and flow system.

Three seedlings have been picked and transfered to their pot in which they will stay until harvest. I use "Perfect Pot" pots from Humbolt County CA. THey are thought to be a good size pot and are versatile for soil and hydro. Three of these pots fit nicely in my Baby Bloomer. I have always used Hydroton growing media.

[Passage to Indica]

I have a good feeling about this grow. I took down the T5 today and fired up the 430W Hortilux HPS. I'm going to veg for 2-3 weeks before I go 12/12.

5 days from seed

[Passage to Indica]

9 days from seed

I like the ebb and flow systems but only because that's what Ive always used. I can move and shift the pots around a lot if need be. I flood every 4 hours for 15 minutes and only during the light cycle. THe hydroton is cheap enough that I don't have to reuse it. Floranova nutrients by GH have given me good results. THey are a mix of organic and chemical nutrients. There's a lot of stuff goin' on in my reservoir. Works good for me.

[Passage to Indica]

I use Calmag+ because I start with RO water. Koolbloom is an alternative to Floranova Bloom when you need less nitrogen towards the end of your flowering cycle.

I don't need much for my head honestly, I have friends who need it more than I do. Honestly I've never been that impressed with the flavor of my grows anyways. The quality has always made up for it. I nevr get to cure it for more than a week before it goes out the door!!!!! 6-8 ounces goes quick!!

[biff]

Pretty sweet setup you have there. You seem like you know what you're doing, but I have to ask, why the HPS during Veg? If it was me, those ladies would be under that T5 for a few weeks, then the HPS. Im sure you,ve got it under control, but i'm just wondering. At any rate I wish you luck, and I will definetly be following your thread.

-mike

[Passage to Indica]

I use Calmag+ because I start with RO water. Koolbloom is an alternative to Floranova Bloom when you need less nitrogen towards the end of your flowering cycle.

I don't need much for my head honestly, I have friends who need it more than I do. Honestly I've never been that impressed with the flavor of my grows anyways. The quality has always made up for it. I nevr get to cure it for more than a week before it goes out the door!!!!! 6-8 ounces goes quick!!



sorry if I confused anyone with this reply, I pasted it from another thread of mine by accident. Someone asked me about my supplements and if my yields were enough for my head in between grows and I replied with this answer. My grows have always been tasty, but I don't breed for flavor (mostly quality and potency)

[Passage to Indica]

11 days from seed

[Passage to Indica]

Some peace of mind, a digital pH monitor and ambient temperature gauge

[Passage to Indica]

my stash jar from the last grow. Notice the crystals sparkiling like stars in the sky. This is Grapefruit by Female Seeds.....

[Passage to Indica]

Looking good, the one in the middle appears to be behind a bit although they were germed at the same time. She'll catch up I'm sure.

11 days veg (15 days from seed)

[Passage to Indica]

19 days from seed 15 days of veg. Good growth, PPM 1130, some leaf tip burn (slight and only on a few older leaves).

The smaller one is catching up quickly just like I thought.

[stinkyattic]

Hi Passage to Indica... AWESOME name BTW.
Very clean looking setup. Streamlined.

EVERYONE PLEASE NOTICE THIS!!!! Passage is using rapid rooters instead of rockwool blocks... like a CHAMP. :D No bullshit, no moisture problems, those things rock my world too!

[JackdaWack]

whats the difference between the rapid rooters and rockwool cubes, i hate rockwool but it gets the job done i guess.

[stinkyattic]

You can see at the start of the grow... the rapidrooters are totally organic little plugs that feel like a sponge and are made of composted bark, so they have the correct pH without any treatment, and they STAY that way! They hold water EVENLY and don't develop dry bits as easily as rockwool. And so far I haven't had any problems with stem rot around the base of the stem under the initial plug like I had when I stuck rockwool-rooted clones in dirt. Pretty neat product, good for the Earth, easy to dispose of (throw in backyard rather than in trash like rockwool), and cheap... 10 cents each at my local shop.

[Passage to Indica]

Pretty sweet setup you have there. You seem like you know what you're doing, but I have to ask, why the HPS during Veg? If it was me, those ladies would be under that T5 for a few weeks, then the HPS

-mike

I don't think I would get that tight node spacing under the T5 during veg. It's probably worth a try though. I don't veg for more than three weeks anyway. I'm not sure the difference a MH would make for those first 3 weeks. I certainly don't need anymore volume of leaves and branches. I am curious though.

[Passage to Indica]

22 days from seed, 18 days of veg




Changed the rez today following the guidelines of the chart provided by General Hydroponics. I don't use Flora Sheild or Chi though, but I do use Floraliscous Plus (instead of regular Floraliscous), Diamond Nectar, and a few others not made by GH. All together PPM is about 1850, we'll see how these ladies take to it.


The last pic is a close-up of some pretty nice node spacing and stalk diameter for a plant 22 days from seed. Pretty soon the canopy will fill up with green and I will switch to 12/12.

[kdspecial]

you can definitly get that tight node Spaceing with a T5...

Your grow looks great to me ither way..

kd

[Passage to Indica]

Pretty sweet setup you have there. You seem like you know what you're doing, but I have to ask, why the HPS during Veg? If it was me, those ladies would be under that T5 for a few weeks, then the HPS. Im sure you,ve got it under control, but i'm just wondering. At any rate I wish you luck, and I will definetly be following your thread.

-mike

besides using less electricity, what would be the benefit of using the T5 during veg? I think the big lumens of the 400W HPS is better than the broader spectrum of the T5. I might have some heat issues too with the T5 since it would need to be close to the top of the plant for best efficiency. Boy you got me thinking though!!!!! Maybe I'll try it next grow.:rasta:

[stinkyattic]

The benefit of vegging under a T5 is the blue light.
A HPS is not ideal... yeah, big lumens, but not as usable to the plant since the spectrum is on the RED end... you want to use HID, get a MH for vegging efficiency.

[Passage to Indica]

Thx stinkyattic....Anyone else have any thoughts about this veg light topic?

[deftdrummer]

I just purchased a 4 bulb T5 2ft setup off ebay. We put it in a plastic garden cabinet that we bought and light proofed it, and are planning to use it as a cloning / mother chamber. At the same time though this discussion about T5 and HPS has got me interested

Currently we have a 400W HPS over our main crop of 5 plants. We were planning on using the T5 for the cloning and then just put them in the 400W setup but maybe we should veg with the T5?? Here are some pics.

[Passage to Indica]

23 days from seed 19 days of 18/6. Girls seem to like yesterdays rez change and higher ppm's. Noticeable vertical growth. PH steady

[biff]

Hey Passage, I'm telling you that theres nothing better for the vegatation stage then a T5. You get extremely green plants that have tight nodes. Then once you put it under a HPS for 12/12, the tight nodes seperate and the plant explodes in growth. Usually about 2-4 feet depending one your grow area accomadions. The only thing better then a T5 is a MH light. Like Stinky said, with that you get very high lumen output, even more so then a HPS, and the light spectum is perfect for the plants. I personally prefer the T5 only because of heat conditions. I grow my plants from start to finish with a T5, I just swap the lights for 12/12, and I have FANTASTIC results. Hope this clears some stuff up, and I definetly think you should try the T5's next round for the veg. I gaurentee you LOVE it.

-mike :smokin:

[Passage to Indica]

Ok, I will try it. Hell I might go buy a convertible ballast now. Anything for my girls!!!! I think I don't need it though since I don't have problems vegging at all. If anything I have always wished I vegged LESS because of overgrowth in flowering. I actually need to grow smaller plants to maximize the efficiency of my cabinet.

[rustafa]

so your saying with the setup you currently have you yield from 6-8 ounces and that you have yielded that much off of 3 plants that were bout the same size as you plan on growing now? if true what strains. and did you do any thing to the plants (such as lst,top,fim) very interested.

[Passage to Indica]

actually rustafa, I've never topped or done much in the way of modifying the plants. I only tie them down if they get too tall. I have grown mostly seeds from femaleseeds.nl so I don't worry about males. Grapefruit, Skunk Special, and Easy Bud are my mainstay. My first grow was AK-47 from Serious Seeds and I was lucky enough to have all female plants. I yeilded ober 8 ounces with that grow and managed to cram about 6 plants into my little cabinet. My avatar was a grapefruit grow in which I lost one of three plants and grew out two. THe added room for the 2 plants allowed bigger yeild for them so it worked out in the end.


23 days from seed, 21 days of 12/12. I'm noticing normal horizontal growth, and a boost in vertical growth.

[Passage to Indica]

not much to report today, slight drop ion pH but plants look GREAT

[Kindbud]

looks as if I could learn alot about hydroponics from you bro.The setup looks real efficient and clean.Tell me about .nl some more,thinking of going with them next grow. thanks man ,keep the updates coming .. -kb

[Passage to Indica]

If you don't have height concerns in your growspace, I highly recomend Grapefruit from femaleseeds.nl. If you have no concerns with odor or temperature control, grow Skunk Special. I am trying their Easy Bud strain because I want to try something new. Get my seeds from the doc.

[Passage to Indica]

not much to report today although last night the pH dropped again from 5.5 to 5.3. I thought It would level out around 5.5 but it continued to drop so I added some pH up to bring it back up to 5.9. Rez change tommorow......switching to 12/12. I think I will use a slightly weaker nute nute mix to see what the pH does. Target TDS with supplements....1500

[canuck grower]

They look amazing! :jointsmile:

[rustafa]

what is your flood and drain cycle on right now how mnay times for how long? Also how is the odor on that grapefruit? your grow is looking real nice.

[Passage to Indica]

I flood every 4 hours for 15 minutes and only during light cycle
Odor is noticeable, but aren't they all?
The thing about Grapefruit is they are very tolerant to stress and nute burn. You can't fuck them up. THey will stretch however and you have to be very careful in a cabinet situation. This Easy Bud should be shorter.

BIG side branches!!!!!!!

[rustafa]

now im a bit new to flood and drain but how high does the water actually get when it is flooding does it ever touch the rockwool or rapidrooters whichever you are using if you can answer that with a pic even better thanks man.

[Passage to Indica]

I set the plug (or rockwool) a little higher than the flood level. I don't want the plug getting saturated everytime a flood is performed. During the first week from seed, I manually moisten the plug until I am sure there are ample roots under the plug. Once the plants get a good set of roots (after about a week), I think it's best to keep the plug dry. I think a wet plug is potential for a problem such as mold or stem rot.

[rustafa]

is having a flood and drain system very low maintance. I know for a DWC system your nutrient level is almost constanlty changing sometimes the plant drinks more water then nutes other times it takes more nutes up always leaving the resevoir in a guessing game is this the same for a flood and drain or do you just top resevoir with same amount of nutes mixed with water as always. Also how large is your resevoir and how often do you find yourself topping it off and doing a complete rez change.

[Passage to Indica]

My rez is 5-6 gallons. Ideally I should change the rez every 7-10 days but I've been lazy before and gone 3-4 weeks.

I top off with plain water if I'm going to change the rez within 10 days. Ebb/flow is not high maintenance. I spend about 2 hours a week on it and love it. I learned everything I know right here on the message boards, and I have a few grows under my belt.


update.....

Changed rez, hit target ppm at 1550. I trimmed some lower fan leaves, starting to get a bit congested down there.

switching to 12/12. sit down, strap in, and hold on!!!!!



28 days from seed, 24 days of 18/6. So easy!!!!!

[Joedaddy]

I am really impressed with your set up and you have inspired me to use one similar to yours. Do you have a picture that shows more of your cab layout or perhaps a diagram I could look at?

[Passage to Indica]

I will help you out tonite. Thx:S5:

[Joedaddy]

Thanks. What size is your T5 light?

[Abattoir Dream]

great set-up :)

but stinky is right, metal halides are best for vegg.

[Joedaddy]

The Hortilax HPS is designed with a stronger spectrum of blue light which is why he is still producing strong crops while using it during the veg stage.

[JackdaWack]

looking good man.

[Passage to Indica]

I used to get explosive results from a 250 Watt standars HPS grom veg to bloom too. I know a commercial growere who strictly uses HPS start to finish. He never noticed any diff with MH

[Passage to Indica]

7 days 12/12 35 days from seed

I have done a lot of trimming to keep things under control such as lower fan leaves, lower side branches, and I topped the tallest plant to keep her low as the others catch up. I grow from seed so it's not unusual for me to get two or three different size or shape plants. I'm a little surprised that I have three different size/shape plants with this strain however, as Easy Bud from Femaleseeds.nl is said to be very stabile. All I really need from the three plants is 5 or six of each plants best kolas to rise to the top and I will have a canopy full of donkey dicks. THe rest is all gravy.

[rustafa]

how large is your rez and how large is the container you hold your plants in. basically the question i have is you say that you flood your system every4 hrs for 15 min. but how do you flood it for 15 min. does the pump constantly pump for 15 min. if so doest the resevior run dry becasue all the water is up top and there is no water in the resiviour to be pumped might be a dumb question but i see my friends flood and drain and once all the water is pumped up top there is no more water in the resiviour and the pump cannot work dry pls explain this to me thanks man btw plants are looking great.

[untamed]

hey there

your cabinet really interests me as I'm considering doing a similar setup.

wondering what your biggest yield is from it and was there any LST or any form of training done?