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When you install the light, raise it and lower it with it turned on so you get a good idea of where the brightest swath shines upon the center of the pot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
4 gallon square pots work, I use cat littler buckets often.
For the fans, try using perhaps a covering screen to prevent the leaves from getting into the fan. eventually the plant will train itself away from those.
I want the most possible yeiled even if that means 3 plants in my box sitting in 10 gallon bucketsQuote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
wouldn't the plants be affected if there is a fan blowing directly into them?
You'd want the fans blowing on them, it provides some micro-stress which makes the stems stronger.
You'l get way more yield with what I've told you than you would with 3 plants in 10 gallon buckets :)
I'm deff taking all the info you gave me and I am going to use all of it. I have a concern with the ballast. What should I know about what ballast I need for my cool tube and MH bulb? I was reading that the socket/cord of the cool tube does not fit most ballast that people use for their reflectors.Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Get yourself some electrical tape, you'll likely need to cut and splice the proper plug. The internal wiring for the cord should be the same, white, black, and green. Any ballast will work, it's just often you'll have to adapt your own plug since most suppliers want to use non-IEC standard connections.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
I seen a kit with the cool tube and ballast on Amazon. I provided the link below. Would I be able to use this kit for a MH bulb? I'm not good when it comes to the electrical systems.Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Amazon.com: 400W 120V HPS Cool Tube Digital Grow Light System: Patio, Lawn & Garden
That one won't work. You want the cooltube to be clear 360 degrees.
The reflector can be removed. I read people on other forums who claim its a piece of cake to remove and it gives you clear all around glass. So that wont be an issue. I'm wondering if the ballast will work with a MH bulb?Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Looks like most companies I'm looking at don't make one totally clear all the way around.
*Advanced DIY* Non-Bakearound 7" Cooltube - Grasscity.com Forums
There's a technique DIY on makign your own.
the reflector's in the cool tube's are removeable which in result will leave you with a clear glass all the way around.Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
It looked like half of those only used half a glass tube.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
its all glass, the reflector is inside the tube. Here is a picture of what I'm talking about. You can see its glass all around with the recflector inside the tube.Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Cool Tube Reflector at Planet Natural
I found the forum I read. Mutiple people discuss removing the reflector from the cool tube.....The link below
Where Can I purchase a vertical cooltube?
Ahh, I see now.
So now back to the original question, the link I posted of the cool tube kit, will that ballast work with a MH bulb?Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Also, I'm going to be using Fox Farm's Ocean Forest Soil and Fox Farm's Nutes; Grow Big, Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom. Is there anything I should change or add?
Most MH bulbs will not fit a cooltube designed for HPS. Check your diameter of your tube vs diameter of your bulb.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
Everything else is fine.
I was thinking about using this bulb. What do you think? It will deff fit in the cool tube but as for performance I'm asking....Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Buy 400W SolarMax 7200K Metal Halide Lamps Here!
Another thing, I'm going to start the whole grow from start to finish in 4.75 gallon pots. I don't want to bother with the transplant causing stress for the plants. My question now is, I'm going to use 75% Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil & 25% Fox Farm Perlite....with the seedlings being in 4.75 gallon pots how long can I let the plants feed on the nutes in the soil itself for before having to start feeding them myself?
About the walls being reflective, I'm interested in the Kool Seal Elastomeric Roof Paint. I heard it's 90%+ reflective and its dries in some sort of water proof sheet of rubber type material. Any suggestions on that? I'm still trying to figure out if it will stick on wood.
The bulb you were interested in would work just fine. 7200K should produce some great results.
I would probably go with 60/40 OF/Perlite, I've seen OF compact pretty badly. And with that, you could likely do almost the entire veg phase and only need to add nutes come flowering time.
Never heard of the paint you're talking about, though I would wager since it would work on a roof, it would work on other rough surfaces, you just need to worry about even application.
I would not bother with that paint. You are going to be dealing with a very messy product there and a hell of a lot of effort getting in on to the walls. Plus it will take days if not weeks for the smell do dissipate. It is a lot of effort when plain white paint will be nearly as good. Better yet, go to home depot and get some Reflectix. It is highly reflective and you can hang it in 1/2 hour and your are done.
The benefits of repotting far outweigh any stress to the plants. You put them in a big pot and the roots are going to stretch and stretch as they never meet any resistance. You want dense root development to support a dense canopy. You will have significantly better results starting in a small pot, moving up to 1 gallon and then into the 5 gallon pot.
you made a good point about the paint. I will paint the walls gloss white and use reflectix over that. How easy is it to make whole's through the reflectix with a hole saw? I don't want to tear it. As for the pots, I been doing a bit research on potting seedlings in cups and in 5 gallon pots and the results are the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigsby
60/40? When I was doing my research on mixing the soil with perlite everyone using FFOF used 30% max. The people who used 20% said they had no problems. I'm going to put at least 1" of perlite on the very bottom then the soil/perlite mix on top.Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
There is still a bit of soil compaction that happens when you water, the added perlite is to keep the overall density regular to avoid that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
I'll keep that in mind. What's your input on veg state, should I veg vertical as well since I'm going to veg in 5 gallon pots?Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Full thing veg and flower. Set and forget :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
got ya! Now I'm trying to figure out what plant I want to grow :stoned:Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
You can punch holes in it with a nail. Use tacks or a staple gun. It's fairly durable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
You're wrong about going straight into 5 gallon pots. You can do it and you will likely get results but you will get better results by repotting over time. Here is why. You do not want your plant to focus more energy underground than necessary otherwise you sacrifice canopy growth for root growth. With a large pot you end up with stagnant zones of soil that retain water and provide a breading ground for pests, harmful molds, and conditions ripe for root rot. You want the root ball surrounded by fresh, nutrient rich soil. It is important to note that the ability of peat-based mediums to buffer pH degrades over time. As the buffer degrades you may face pH swings and nutrient lockout.
See this sticky on the importance of repotting. I'm going to add it to my signature as I see this question raised quite a bit.
I will deff keep that in mind, bigsby. I'll continue doing my research. Since I started this thread I've been nonstop online researching on everything about growing. Even though its going to be my first grow, I want to go into it know exactly what is needed to be done and grow my plants to their full potential. I don't want to rush into it just because I'm excited to get started. It's like knowing how to take off a plane but no clue as to landing it. I'm doing a whole lot of reading and learning from other people's mistakes.
I'm going to put a mini humidifier in my grow box. I will make a small shelf towards the top of my box where I will place it. Also, any input on a thermostat controller for my exhaust fan and humidifier? I was thinking about this one in the link below......
CT-DH-4P Synchronized Cooling Thermostat/ Dehumidistat w Independent CO2 Outlet w Photosensor
You want to build in fire controls with an auto kill switch if you add a thermostat controller to your fan. You can imagine the disaster of heat from a fire triggering the fan. The fire would go out of control in a matter of minutes. There are different options for dealing with this issue. Be sure to do your homework on this one.
If you ask me it is a bit overkill at this point. Get setup, do a grow and build out from there after you determine your needs. Not a bad price on that little unit though.
Hey, khyber...when you told me to net my plants, how would you recommend I do that? Using what material and applying it where exactly?
I don't recall talking about nets. Net pots, yes, nets, no. The net pot is a pot made for allowing roots to escape the confines of the pot and get to a nutrient reservoir.
Oh alright, got you. I would grow hydro but I heard they don't produce as much yeild as they would in soil.Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Actually, no. The opposite. Hydroponic done right will outperform soil every time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
I just can't stand all the nutes and setup is insane. I'm a dirt kind of guy. It just feels right to me. Less to screw up IMHO.
This is the right approach my friend. Pretty soon you will not ask as many questions and you will start answering them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malsor
I was wondering if my grow box setup would work with a 4'x4' instead of the orginal 3'x3'? I was thinking about it and, I wont have much room at all for my cool tube to hang down towards the canopy and if there isthe plants wont have enough distance from the light and risk burning the plants. I would much rather use a 4'x4' room with a 600w MH light system. If I need to modify my venting hole's to a bigger size, I will. I also would'nt mind adding more than 8 plants in my box as well :smokin:
You could do the 4x4 with a 400w easily. In a vertical setup that would only mean having to push through 2 feet in any direction, well more than enough penetration distance for a 400w.
I was thinking of putting 12 plants in a 4x4, growing 400w MH then switching to HPS the last 2 weeks of flower. I was also looking at feminized Big Bang seeds. I read people growing 4+ oz per plant!Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune