They are starting to grow faster. Looking good. How big are you gonna let them get before you flower them?Quote:
Originally Posted by deftdrummer
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They are starting to grow faster. Looking good. How big are you gonna let them get before you flower them?Quote:
Originally Posted by deftdrummer
06-08-07 Day #18 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 79F
RH: 49%
Nutrient Temp: 70.7F
PPM: 1061
pH: 5.6
Thanks earthy, they definitely are getting bigger and doing better as the days go on. We are especially pleased with the runt in the back as it was taking the slowest to the nutrients. It is still the only one that doesn't have roots down in the nutrients yet but it will any day now. As you can see the roots are looking great and dropping down into the nutrients. We now have it on a cycle where the drippers turn off at night to let the roots grow a little and to allow some air circulation in the roots and clay pebbles. We have been slowly diminishing the nutrients down to the 1100 & 1200 range by just adding water daily and diluting. To answer your question we will probably flower at about 1 ft tall. Within the next week we will top the plants and I will show that in detail. The tallest is about 7 inches tall so we have a little bit to go yet before topping. Topping is recommended after the 2nd or 3rd node but we will wait until the third gets fully developed before topping since they are just barely at 3 nodes right now.
these are pics from yesterday
Hey deft,
Where did you get topping info at ? Never heard of anyone topping that early . I have read conflicting info on this at a few dif. sites . 6-7th node / some ppl. wait till nodes are alternating etc... I can't wait till nodes alternate tho I don't have enough headroom .
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:
well now that I think about it we will probably wait until we have alternating nodes as well. There's nothing too scientific about topping. When the plants are mature enough topping is recommended just a few weeks before going into flowering. By most time tables this puts topping right at or around the 4th week *or waiting until alternating nodes appear which should be right around this time as well. We plan on topping then letting them veg for at least another week after.
I am an old dirt farmer, I only know very little about hydro, from the Forum - I recently built a 'bubble-cloner' that works perfectly, 100% clone success, so far, which has sparked my interest in your hydro-setup - question: IF the sprouts are being 'bubbled' from beneath, for air, nutes, and water, why is the top drip-ring necessary ? - will the plants be 'hydro'd' from top, AND bottom, for their entire life-span ? - sorry if this is too 'beginner' of a question :smokin:
Freewheelinfrank, thanks for your interest. As far as I know, there are only a few advantages and matter of preference depending on the options you go with. The benefits of having a top drip that I can see is for use with clones and newly rooted seedlings. This enables the nutrients to be dripped while at a young age to encourage rapid root growth to the sides and bottom. We were also not keen on the idea of having approx. 4 gallons constantly in the buckets so that the roots could make use of the DWC style. I guess in all honesty it came down what the local hydro shop had available and also the fact that the net buckets we purchased fit the 5gal buckets perfectly so there would be no modifications needed to a lid or anything of the sort. Typically, you only need a very small basket for the roots and clay pebbles if you are doing a DWC style grow only. Really it was intended to be a drip system only but the fact that the roots WILL drop down into the nutrient makes it a DWC as well. We are all about the hybrid grows =) Oh yes, to answer your question: yes, they will be fed from the top and through the bubbler for the entire life span. The roots that are present now are the whitest and healthiest I have seen in all my grows thus far. There were some issues of leaking in the beginning I dont know if you read that, but an easy solution for people intending to reproduce a similar setup should consider routing the air lines through the top and avoid drilling holes in the buckets at all costs for any reasons. Hope I answered your question.Quote:
Originally Posted by freewheelinfrank
06-10-07 Day #20 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 82F
RH: 52%
Nutrient Temp: 74F
PPM: 1000-1250
pH: 5.5
The plants are doing superbly, I think they are finally starting to hit full stride as evidenced by the leaves pointing upward and also vigorous undergrowth. The plants will be ready for full strength nutrients in the 1200 ppm range for the next nutrient change. We are waiting for the right time to top (just once) each plant. We may try to clone one of them to save the strain but we have had bad luck in the past trying to clone top cuttings due to their size (smaller is better for clones). You can see in one of the pictures of the biggest plant that the alternating nodes are starting to take form. This same plant has also grown a full inch since my last posting.
6-11-07 Day #21 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 81F
RH: 58%
Nutrient Temp: 70.5F
PPM: 1050
pH: 5.5
We performed a nutrient change today which put the PPM at 1050. This is a little less than before especially considering our water from the tap is 120 ppm alone. We don't think this should be a problem at this stage of growth and the plants are actually doing really well. The tallest is at about 9 inches now so we raised the light another 6 inches. The light spectrum is actually a lot better now and spreads more evenly to all the plants and should make the mylar a little more useful. We already turned one of the drippers to 24 hour drip and we will do the other two in the next day.
06-12-07 Day #22 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 78F
RH: 48%
Nutrient Temp: 75F
PPM: 1050
pH: 5.4
raise your Ph to about 5.8 now and they will have more nutrients available to them at this cycle of life.
There is a chart in the FAQ section that will show you the different nutrients available to the plant at variable Ph levels.
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-faqs...u-can-use.html
Hey Deft ,
Hope I'm not a pest .
Also in response to Freewheelin's q's about both systems being intergrated = If airstone ever clogs you have dripring , dripring clogs you have airstone . Plan B type thing , is why I did it w/ mine . If neither ever fail = 1 way oxygenated root sys , -n- happy happy girls .
I'm at 5 weeks now w/ my virgin run of dwc / drip combos w/ only 2 buckets and I'm blown away w/ results . I bet 3/4 to a full LB. per bucket if it keeps getting denser - never done the strain before ?
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:
Thanks Zandor, your wisdom is always much appreciated. I will make the adjustments. Do you have any good resources that specifically tell what elements MJ needs during all phases of growth? This would help myself and probably others in maintaining the correct pH at all times.
Crispi, no need to feel like a pest I enjoy anybody that takes interest and is willing to contribute to the thread, after all if it were just me talking nobody would benefit cause I'm no expert. By the way what you were saying about the dual system backup is an excellent example, I never thought about that but it makes perfect sense. Thanks crispi
WoW this is a freaking Awesome thread. i am going to be trying out the bucket pretty soon. (Noob) and this is a great reference to look over for my 1st grow. thanks!! :thumbsup:
Now for the questions hee hee...
On the halo's then was something mentioned about salt build up. could you use distilled water to prevent this? or if the tap water is too harsh?
you have the water cycle set 15 every 2hrs. when are you going to switch (or recommend) it to 24hr?
5150 thanks for tuning in and thanks for the compliments. Regardless of what type of water you use you will still have salt buildups. This is due to the nutrient solution staying when the water evaporates. Also, I am no longer on a 15 min every 2 hours watering cycle. We are currently on 24 hour drip systems since the roots have dropped down into the nutrient reservoir.
Hey Deft ,
Heres a link to the current pics. I spoke of . These homemade gizmos rock bro. , 4 of these buckets will fill my 11 x 12 ft room I bet . Can't wait to see how they work out for you !
http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-gr...e-5-weeks.html
Peace bro.
Crispi :jointsmile:
06-13-07 Day #23 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 80F
RH: 51%
Nutrient Temp: 77.4F
PPM: 1058
pH: 5.8
We topped the biggest plant yesterday so here is a picture of the topping site. Now the plants are all the same size and we will top the others in a day or so also. We topped just above the 5th node and there are several potential bud sites below it.
Hey, Deft...just wanted to say that I really like the thread. Great log. Great build. Great consistency with your info and lots of awesome pictures. Thanks for showing me up. ;)
Good stuff, man. Will be watching the whole way for sure. Your plants look excellent as well. :greenthumb: REP+
The Fog :rastasmoke:
Hey green fog thanks! This is my first grow log and my first grow that i'm trying to be detailed on, I figure if anything goes wrong along the way at least people will be there to help rather than just posting a random thread somewhere in hopes that someone will help me out. I checked out your grow and it is very similar to mine except for the soil(?) We have 3 mothers under a T5 also, I think your grow log was pretty comprehensive, I actually looked at it a few times before making this one and it gave me ideas. Thanks for checking it out I can't wait to get some knock you on your ass chronic from this grow.
Well, I'm not sure if you're sure you looked at the right one. In the JOURNAL, there is no soil used. It is rockwool with hydroton rocks in a dripper/ebb & flow system. In fact, I am trying to get a second log up...been trying for a while. I'm just such a perfectionist, that I wanted to make a short pictorial video of the first grow to start off the second one, but that is taking WAY too long, so I'll probably just throw it up there and smack the video onto the end of JOAMM I when I get around to finishing it. LoL
Be cool.
The Fog :rastasmoke:
Off topic but the bike in the pic is that an R1?
Looking into trading my dirt bike in for an R6
Back on topic Still a great thread going to save this thread so when i start have something to compare to.
5150 it is a 2007 R6
06-14-07 Day #24 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 82F
RH: 49%
Nutrient Temp: 75F
PPM: 800-1050
pH: 5.7
We lowered the pH to 5.7 so that it will rise to about 5.8 towards the evening and then be lowered again. The root systems are healthy on all plants although the stunted plant doesn't have that many roots coming out the bottom yet. We will top the other two plants hopefully in the next few days.
6-16-07 Day #26 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 83F
RH: 55%
Nutrient Temp: 79.5F
PPM: 934-1025
pH: 5.7
Although I don't seem to notice, the pictures tell me the plants are getting bigger every day. We topped the other two plants and should be on schedule to flower within the next week or few days depending on growth. The heat here outside has been in the 100F range daily for the past 4 or 5 days. Hopefully it will cool down a bit and give the plants a break. I topped off this morning with just water that was cool from the tap. This should help a little bit with the heat. We are planning to get the other exhaust fan very soon so that flowering will have a nice transition and hopefully it won't be so hot. We are shooting for a 4" centrifugal that will serve as nothing but an exhaust fan. Sorry about the pictures, not sure why they are so dark but you can see the topped sites clearly.
Sweet ,
Watching the undergrowth explode from topping is almost as much fun as watching them flower = 6-7 headed monsters . Weedhound just got like 8.5 oz. from a single plant this style . :thumbsup:
Crispi :jointsmile:
06-17-07 Day #27 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 79F
RH: 49%
Nutrient Temp: 77.2F
PPM: 962-989
pH: 5.4-5.7
It is almost time for another nutrient change. With the next change we will do a 2-2-2 mix of the GH 3 part which is recommended for the transition from vegetative to bloom phase. We will also start flowering at this time.
they are looking good
06-18-07 Day #28 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 82F
RH: 49%
Nutrient Temp: 78F
PPM: 1100
pH: 5.5
Today we made some changes. First the foremost, we switched to "transitional flowering" by doing a nutrient change with 2-2-2 nutrient solution. We also swapped out our 400W metal halide bulb for our 400W HPS bulb that simulates the fall light spectrum. It is quite a bit more orange in color that it emits. If you have a 400W light you can do this as long as the other bulb is also 400W. This is the closest thing you can get to a switchable ballast without spending the big bucks. At the same time we also did some routine maintenance; cleaned off the protective glass on the light and also wiped out some of the dust and bugs that collected inside the hood and calibrated our pH pen, and as it turned out it was .2 off. It was also time to raise the light a bit so we did, and it is about 6 inches higher than the plant tops.
Our little fan was no longer adequate so we cleaned off our other oscillating fan and put that in the grow tent. Now we have some good circulation! Due to the new light spectrum it is a bit difficult to get good pictures but I tried my best.
Some more pics
In addition to all this we also took some clones since we didn't want to be left without any clones of the grandaddy purple cause after all, we paid good money for it at the cannabis clinic. Since we are switching to flowering this was one of our last days to take clones and the donors are good and healthy so why not? We took two clones from each strain including the mothers in our mother chamber making 6 total. It's a shame, but we will probably be killing off our mothers that are in soil in order to make room for the clones we just took. And naturally, we will wait until the clones have rooted before killing them off. The strains are: goo, grandaddy purple, and rhino. It will be truly heartbreaking to kill our current mother plants but we believe it is for the better, and after all thats what they are there for. We got some smaller pots so that the plants only get big enough to take 1 or 2 clones from max. This will also enable us to have all 6 in the mother chamber at the same time without space issues.
For those that are new to cloning the process is simple and I have taken some pictures to illustrate. We went with rockwool due to its ability to retain water for days at a time before being soaked again and also because when properly cleaned from the start, rockwool offers nice soft medium for newly established roots to probe through.
First, we took all 6 rockwool cubes and put them in a pot of tap water over the stove. Some people believe only distilled or reverse osmosis water is the way to go with with clones, which is probably a good idea but we have never had any problems with tap water. You want to bring the water to a good boil for at least 10 minutes to make sure you get out all the particles out. We like to boil for this length also because it makes the rockwool nice and pliable so that the roots have an easier time and at the same time it kills any bacteria that might be pre existing in the rockwool. Be sure to let the cubes dry naturally for at least a good idea before cutting any clones.
Next, we chose sites on all donor plants that had nice small growth with few leaves since they have an easier time getting root generation under way. This is because clones with less leaves and shorter stems don't have to pull water and nutrients as far up the cutting or to as many areas. We used a clean razor blade of course, and scarified the very bottom of the stem. In other words; lightly scraped the razor along the stem all the way around. Once scarified you dip the stem in a rooting hormone; which usually comes in a powder or gel form. We use earth juice gel rooting hormone which is actually rather expensive at $10 for 1.5 fl oz, but it will last you forever.
Once dipped, simply place in the rockwool cube and place in a humid warm environment under low intensity fluorescent light and you're golden!
put your shirt on and i'll read it ;)
It's not me, and frankly I don't care if you read it.
06-19-07 Day #29 of Veg.
Cab Temp: 80F
RH: 57%
Nutrient Temp: 76.3F
PPM: 1195
pH: 5.65
i learn something new everyday.
i think that is a good idea to boil the water and add the cubes to kill all the bacteria. never know what could be in there.
also from what i have read before about clones was to pick a nice healthy long stem to cut.this info is valuable for the newb who wants to clone thanks!!!!Quote:
"clones with less leaves and shorter stems don't have to pull water and nutrients as far up the cutting or to as many areas"
yeah, you are right 5150 long stems are good but only to a certain point. I have found that long stems are great for making sure you can get them far enough down in the cube but that's about it. Just a matter of preference I guess.
06-20-07 Day #1 of Flowering
Cab Temp: 80F
RH: 58%
Nutrient Temp: 75.5F
PPM: 1093, 1103, 1126
pH: 5.2 - 5.4
we switched to flowering today by going on 12/12 lighting. The centrifugal exhaust fan is coming soon so we can't wait to start seeing buds!
i love the thread i just read the whole thing at one sitting wow that was alot.nice im a noob at this to but i have been reading everything i could find on this for the last 3 months.so i know a good bit more than i did to start.i read about all the diffrent type of setups my set up is dwc. i set up mine in 30 gal rubbermaid tubs fill 20 gal each i setup 4 with 8 plant sites each.i made a pvc spray bar with 14 360*sprayers each. i have it to where the water is right under the spray bar. and sprays all over the bottem of the 5inch net pots. then in the bottem i have the dual air hog stones so it's a 2 in one but from the bottom.
i was having a lil trouble with a lil alge. im guessing that was alge. a thin slick film so i was guessing the light was getting through the clay balls around the edges. so i went out today and bought sum emergency blankets. a buck each instead of using my good mylar. and i laid it over the whole top 3 layer thick and cut holes at each plant site and put the baskets back in for a nice tight light proof fit.i know i should have done something b4 all that but i didn't see any light getting through so thats done.i have my seedlings under 2 of those curling type lights the bigger ones not the lil ones i just bought 1 of those ceramic pull chain lights and wired it to a replacement ext cord and put a 2 way in then the lights my stuff is sprouting in about 3 days but i don't know when i should put into the dwc i have thick white fuzzy roots starting to poke out but they still look to lil to put in yet any thoughts on this? and 1 other ? i read that u (topped)ur plants how is that done? just cut off the top at sum point? i have well water it is 25 or 250 ppm by itself i guess ro/is the only way around this? or is it that big a deal to mess with? keep up the good work
hey palerider7777 thanks for posting and learning! A lot of people just ask questions that have been asked a million times but at least you take the time to read a learn a little. Sounds like a good setup you have there with the sprayers and all that. If you started a thread and posted some pictures it would be very cool to check out! If you are having trouble with algae then you are taking the right precautions it sounds like. The first step is to block out all possible light (zero light being best) and the next step is to keep the reservoir temperatures below 78F being ideal. This is something I'm guilty of myself but for us DWC growers there is very little we can do due to the limited space in the reservoir. The best that can be done is put reflective material also on the outside of the buckets or reservoir to lower the temps 1-2 degrees and also you can frequently put ice in the reservoir rather than topping up with water. Or, when you do top up you can use the coldest water you can find (which is mainly what I do, in the form of refrigerated water).
To answer your other questions, I do think that your plants are ready for the DWC by the sounds of it. If you say you have thick white roots poking out the sides then they sound like they are ready. As far as the topping goes, topping is a very simple process that only seems complicated. All you do is wait until you have about 6 or 8 nodes and cut the top most sprout off just above the node. This lets the lower growth have all the light and it branches into about 4 or 5 colas instead of just one big cola. It is better use of the light is all. The best way to tell when you are ready to top really is dependent on the light you have. We have a 400W so we wanted to make sure the top got good light and also the sides, and also the underneath bud sites as well. Granted the lower growth won't get as much light but you cut your losses at some point ya know?
ok i see i new it was something along those lines i just did'nt know where to cut.i have a thread going it's not much of one yet no picks yet but i don't know how to put the link in here for u to see it.+i don't know how safe it is to post pics in here i here u have a mmj card i don't and i don't know much about how safe it is here.but what i started out with as im new to growing anything at all this is my first grow of anything. but with anything else i do in life i like to read read read and then read sum more b4 i jump into anything.so i started out 5 each of watermelon,carrots,lettuce,bell peppers,hot peppers,toms,and i got sum crippie seeds from my brother he smokes like no other lol.this is just to start out of coarse the veggies are on there 8th day doing great.there growing like crazy no wilt just good solid growing(and by the way i like the jiffy plugs from gh better alot better cause i have noticed that i put half in rocwhool and the others in the jiffy plugs and the ones in the jiffy plugs not only sprouted 3 days sooner but seem to have more roots i dunno why?) im using advance nutes micro,grow,bloom,then i have hygrozyme,bud blood,doc horn'sby big bud ,kool bloom,enngy's f1,and lq carbo load.it's neat how u can smell the roots and it smells like what ur growing the watermelon man i smell the roots and i want to eat the whole thing plug and all lol j/k.the seeds i got from my bro they are like a 1to 2 inches tall with a redish strip on one side of the stalk and a nice green on the other and the leafs are small but thick. i just wanted to start out on sum free seeds b4 i go to the good stuff
well i guess i should start off by telling u what i have first so u will know whats what and not have to ask to many?.i have a 7x7x71/2 ft rmwith half for the grow space. a space for the seedling dome, and i have my 3 ballast boxs up on a shelf to the left 5ft up. and my light in the middle to back of the room. and an ac unit on the right side about 4 ft up right in front of the light. so as it can blow through the hood's 4 inch duct. and i have it set up on a carbon filter/same duct meaning i can hook up that sides duct with the carbon filter or take it off and let the a/c run through to the other side. where the duct from the inline fan is to suck the air out of the rm. i have a dwc system i made but not in the buckets. i have 4 30 gal rubbermaid tubs that holds 8 plants each. with a pvc set up with 14 sprayers each i got the 360*ones. as i have bought others and the 360*ones just out do the others by alot. it sprays all over and the back side of the spray hitting the walls and bouncing off. and with the bigger openings it looks like they might be harder to clog up on me.
anyways my lighting system, i was online looking for the ballest lite hood and everything. and found this guy on cl an online trade site. and a guy had a 400wmh set up. (ballest lite 2 bulbs lite hood with 4inch duct and a box of air stones about 5 with 5 air pumps 3 inline fans for the ducting then 2 set ups of the 1000w mh and one a 1000w hps/mh set up with a ballest box and hood each and a bunch of other stuff) like a tds tri meter ph ppm temp. and other stuff he was wanting 2300 for all that was a good deal in it's self. so i went to meet him at his storage cause he was moving up north. and had it in storage i had to travel a good ways out of town to meet him. but he had me waiting for awhile. so when he got there he was way behind. so i told him i would help him pack his stuff up if he would give me a better deal. so i did i did most of the work i might ad. at the end he just gave me all the stuff for free well i helped him move but no money. so thats why i have all this stuff. and was trying to put it to good use. all the stuff for the lites are from diamond anyone know of that type of lite?? they seem good to me i like um.
so what i did cause of the limited space i have.i took all the lite out of there hoods.and i picked the biggest one.it was the one with the hps setup.and it had room for all three.and for sum odd reason it already had the hole cut out and set up for 3 lites.so i mounted the other to mh (1000w and 400w)on the sides of the hps.now im not gonna run all at once but 2 at a time won't hurt like the 1400w of mh or 1000 mh 1000 hps or what ever so thats my set up pretty much now my ? is and im sure i'll have others. but 1st one is how can i change the humidity? it's been staying around 65 to 80% with most of the time around the 70 mark. is there a way to dry it up a bit. i know how to make it higher that part i know. but how do u lower it is there an easy way. and the reason it's been so high is because it's been raining for a few days. will that hurt at all or is it ok to be humid for a few days. and i keep the room spotless it's clean. any input would be great!! oh and 1 more ? what is ur thoughts on well water/hard water well im sure it's hard i put my meter in just the water and it's around 23ppm (230ppm) is that considered (hard)oh and the ph on that water is around 7.8 to 8.1 and sumtimes lower
thats my thread so far lol not much but a start