Photo Grow Journal - "The Producer" Grow Cabinet - Start To Finish

Zandor,

I will have to give the CalMag Plus a try. Thanks for the recommendation, I have a feeling that this is going to solve my problem. I have been keeping my nutes on the low side and ALWAYS keeping my pH between 5.5-6.0, and do not have any signs of pest. So I have been very confused about what the possible problem might be. I will keep you updated on the progress. You rock.

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

I like your rthread. I think when you are done I will make it an FAQ on that type of grow system if that's ok with you.

Yes, and FAQ for this type of grow box (Or the Bloom Box by the same company) would definitely be cool.

For a few days now I've been considering the Bloom Box by that same company. I've never done hydroponics before, and I'm not handy or experienced when it comes to designing or creating my own grow room. Also, I do have children and these boxes all come with locks. A regular grow room would be too easy for the kids to get into and this is MUCH more private and without the smell.

These self contained boxes are so pricey, but worth it for those who have nosey neighbors, children, or aren't in a position for guerilla farming.

Any, yes on that FAQ if you ever get the time, thanks :)


Sabrina

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zandor

I like your rthread. I think when you are done I will make it an FAQ on that type of grow system if that's ok with you.

---

I would be honored to have this thread made into a faq. I will do my best to answer all the questions I had about this system before I bought it. I feel the manufacturer's site is somewhat lacking on the details.

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sabrinaleena

Yes, and FAQ for this type of grow box (Or the Bloom Box by the same company) would definitely be cool.

For a few days now I've been considering the Bloom Box by that same company. I've never done hydroponics before, and I'm not handy or experienced when it comes to designing or creating my own grow room. Also, I do have children and these boxes all come with locks. A regular grow room would be too easy for the kids to get into and this is MUCH more private and without the smell.

These self contained boxes are so pricey, but worth it for those who have nosey neighbors, children, or aren't in a position for guerilla farming.

Any, yes on that FAQ if you ever get the time, thanks :)


Sabrina

---

Sabrina,

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I am more than happy to answer anything I can.

GrowerXLT

Sabrina, I am also in Bako.
Good to see a fellow red neck. jk
I'm not a redneck. lol
I'm actually not from here.
But it's nice to see someone from the local area.
If you need help setting up your garden. Just post a thread so we can help you.

I went out and purchased some CalMag Plus today. I am going to wait until Sunday 07-01-06, the day I do my reservoir nute change untill I try it out. I will keep you all posted on how it works.

GrowerXLT

I started using Cal-Mag Plus today. I am hoping that it will solve my yellowing and stunted growth problems which most likely started because I am using RO water that srtips it of nutrients like calcium, magnesium and iron. The Cal-Mag Plus replaces these. I can't wait to see the results. I will be sure to keep you all posted.


GrowerXLT

once a leaf turns brown. its DEAD.. necrotic cells do not COME BACK from the dead...

Oh come on. Haven't you ever seen "The Reanimator"?

hey growerxlt i was thinking of growing with hydrophonics but im still not sure. is it better than regular soil? cheaper? but neways , u said u got the producer, but i wanted to know if u new wut the price for the bloombox was , cuz it doesnt say.

Keep it up. This is booked marked for me. By the way The Producer is supposed to be featured as the winner of the best self contained system this fall in High Times. Spendy, but I may check it out, kids are getting older and cabinets with vents comeing from the side out the wall are starting to look a little odd to them. Hope you get that uptake problem solved.
Adieu

good job!

OK, the holiday should be over by the time you read this, give us an update. Hmm Hmm?

Day 39 - 07-06-2006 - 25 Days Into Flowering

Pic 1 - Overview
Pic 2 - Left
Pic 3 - Right

Hello All,

As I stated in my previous post I started using Cal-Mag Plus. Unfortunately it hasn't seemed to help my yellowing, burning and stunted growth problems.

I keep now keep my 10 gal reservoir at 300 PPM Cal-Mag Plus and 900 PPM Flora Nova Bloom, for a total of 1200 PPM. I check my pH once per day and it is always at 5.5-6.0 and has seemed to stabilize over the last week to a constant 5.5-5.7.

When you look at the overview, left, and right photos it seems like all is well, but upon a closer look it is far from ideal. Over half the plants are stunted in their growth and are under 1 foot tall. Almost all the plants have yellowing of some type. Of the original 17 plants only about 4 are doing well. I am guessing that the 4 good plants will yield more than the other 13 "bad plants". I will be happy if I get 4 ounces (112 grams) total. Not too good for 17 plants under 860 watts of light in such a small space.

I am very frustrated that I can't find the cause of the problem. I was hoping that the Cal-Mag Plus was going to save me, but that just isn't the case. If anybody has any suggestions or insite on what to do please let me know.

Very Bummed,

GrowerXLT

Are your roots healthy? What color are they? How often are you changing your res?

nice pics!! i want to see what your yields are at the end of ur grow cuz im not sure if i should get the producer or the bloom box.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dr.Smokealot

hey growerxlt i was thinking of growing with hydrophonics but im still not sure. is it better than regular soil? cheaper? but neways , u said u got the producer, but i wanted to know if u new wut the price for the bloombox was , cuz it doesnt say.

---

I paid $2800 + $200 Shipping when I ordered from a local hydro store. I see them for sale for $3200 with free shipping at http://www.bghydro.com and the price is the same for the producer and the bloombox.

As far as hydro being better then hydro or cheaper, I have no idea. I am sure you can find all sorts of debates on that subject.

GrowerXLT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BlueBear

Keep it up. This is booked marked for me. By the way The Producer is supposed to be featured as the winner of the best self contained system this fall in High Times. Spendy, but I may check it out, kids are getting older and cabinets with vents comeing from the side out the wall are starting to look a little odd to them. Hope you get that uptake problem solved.
Adieu

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Hi BlueBear,

Still no luck with my uptake problem (if thats what it is?).

What I wanted to tell you was that "The Producer" still looks pretty funny to anyone with half a brain. It is kind of loud because of the fans, and light leaks out of the fan holes and around the doors.

I keep mine in my garage and don't have kids so I don't really have to worry. However I never can invite anybody into my garage becausee it is pretty obvious what it is. Espically with the switches on the front that say flower and veg.

GrowerXLT

Pic 1 - Doors Closed Light On
Pic 2 - Doors Closed Light Off
Pic 3 - Switches

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BlueBear

Are your roots healthy? What color are they? How often are you changing your res?

---

I change my res every 7 days.

The roots of the sevierly stunted plants havent even grown out of the 3 inch rookwool cubes that are in the the 3 inch pots.

The good plants roots are a white/tan color.

GrowerXLT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dr.Smokealot

nice pics!! i want to see what your yields are at the end of ur grow cuz im not sure if i should get the producer or the bloom box.

---

Don't base your decision on my yield. I am having newbie problems.

The reason I bought the Producer and not the BloomBox was because I figured I could make a small mothering/clone box with a fluorescent light for pretty cheap. And since both boxes cost the same I would rather have 860 watts of light as with the Producer instead of 430 watts as with the BloomBox.

GrowerXLT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GrowerXLT

I change my res every 7 days.

The roots of the sevierly stunted plants havent even grown out of the 3 inch rookwool cubes that are in the the 3 inch pots.

The good plants roots are a white/tan color.

GrowerXLT

---

Well, at this point I wish one of the Mod's would chime in. I think that the roots not even growing through the Rockwool are the problem. Zandor has said quite a few things on this board that haven't been to favorable when it comes to using Rockwool as a mediam. Well hopefully he can bring his expertise to the subject.

But let me ask you one or two things. Before planting the seeds/clones in the Rockwool did you soke them in 5.5 PH distilled water solution? Perhaps you didn't think about it. I believe that the producer is a drip system if my memory serves me right, do you have the drippers dripping directly onto the Rockwool? If so this can be a problem depending on how long your drippers are on for. Rockwool can cause root rot problems when kept wet constantly. This with the way you soaked them in the first place may be a combination of the problem. Do a search on root rot and Rockwool and you may come up with something. In the mean time I will poke around too. Hope this helps some.

About the other things you were saying about the appearance of the units, my Misses and I went to the BC Northernlights site and checked out the boxes again and compared them to some of the other units out there and came to the conclusion that for stealth it does get two thumbs down. Even if you didn't know that it was a grow box you still would think that it looks odd. I know that a few people on here have went with the Cool Cab and the Caddie units from Sun Sheds and their experiences have differed, but with Sun Sheds you can go to their site and read their board and hear about the cabs in action. I am surprised that they keep the board open because of the fact that the users of the cabs have so many problems with the units, so for anyone interested in the Cool Cab or the Caddie, read SunSheds boards first. Not to say that they are all duds, but always do your R and D before you go spending the rent money on a grow box.
Adieu

No Roots = BIG PROBLEMS

Rock wool isnt the best but it does work and shoundn't have anything to do with your ongoing problems.

Review your thread.

Seems to me trouble started when you applied the neem oil to PREVENT pests, which doesn't work that way.

Perhaps you over did it with the neem oil. Neem can be very very very hard on new growth but even devestating on new roots. There is a chance that some neem got in the stem / root structure and did some permanent damage that the plants couold not recover from.

Regardless, this is a good thread, yet, the final product appears to be a light weight harvest, small buds, and stringy stemmy growth.

Seems a SOG grow is the only way to go with these boxes to fill that grow chamber up. Also, you (in the future) may want to try and top each plant a couple of times to get some horizontal growth.

Veg longer...you went to flower pretty quick.

Anyhow, you are learning, teaching, sharing and discovering all on your own.

And that my friend translates to: SUCCESS....regardless of your harvest.

Thanks for the presentation...I hope it works out.

Harddon do you think that he should still consider the rockwool saturation possibility? I know that saturated rockwool can choke the roots and block nute uptake. I know from reading your post that you have way more exp than me, but it seems like this could be a possibility as well. I have no exp with the oil so perhaps I am just way off. Well either way I am glad that someone else has brought more light to this sittuation.
Like Harddon said though, keep it up and just remember it is a learning exp. The things I know the best are the things I made the biggest messes out of first.
Adieu

Since I've been considering getting the Bloom Box, I've been keeping a close eye on this thread as well, and thank you very much for sharing your adventures with us :D

I'm sorry about the difficulties you're having. One question I have though... if I were to get the Bloom Box, what else can I use to germinate seeds other than rock wool? It's not that I'm a rock wool hater, never used it myself. But I don't like the "idea" of it and I would rather germinate in something a bit more natural at first, and then switch over to the medium that the boxes use for veg and flowering. Is that possible, or am I stuck using rock wool?

Thanks :)

Sabrina

Well you can read up on using an aero cloner on the FAQ. Also, Jiffy peat moss pellets. You never need to swich to rockwool either, you can use grow rocks or lava rocks as the mediam instead of the rockwool.
Adieu

hey growerxlt is the producer really loud or kinda loud?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BlueBear

But let me ask you one or two things. Before planting the seeds/clones in the Rockwool did you soke them in 5.5 PH distilled water solution?

I believe that the producer is a drip system if my memory serves me right, do you have the drippers dripping directly onto the Rockwool? If so this can be a problem depending on how long your drippers are on for.

Adieu

---

BlueBear,

I didn' soak the clones in 5.5pH water before adding the 1 inch cube into the 3 inch cube.

The hydro system is a combo DWC/Drip system. The drippers do drip directly onto the rockwool. However they only go on twice a day for 5 minutes. So I do not think the rockwool is the problem becuase it stays relatively dry most of the day.

I do know for sure now that this is a root problem.

GrowerXLT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HARDDON

No Roots = BIG PROBLEMS

Rock wool isnt the best but it does work and shoundn't have anything to do with your ongoing problems.

Review your thread.

Seems to me trouble started when you applied the neem oil to PREVENT pests, which doesn't work that way.

Perhaps you over did it with the neem oil. Neem can be very very very hard on new growth but even devestating on new roots. There is a chance that some neem got in the stem / root structure and did some permanent damage that the plants couold not recover from.

Regardless, this is a good thread, yet, the final product appears to be a light weight harvest, small buds, and stringy stemmy growth.

Seems a SOG grow is the only way to go with these boxes to fill that grow chamber up. Also, you (in the future) may want to try and top each plant a couple of times to get some horizontal growth.

Veg longer...you went to flower pretty quick.

Anyhow, you are learning, teaching, sharing and discovering all on your own.

And that my friend translates to: SUCCESS....regardless of your harvest.

Thanks for the presentation...I hope it works out.

---

Harddon,

Thanks for the reply. It definitely is a root problem. Now I must determine the best I can, what caused the stunted roots & root rot. I think you are most likely correct in thinking that the neem is the problem.

My question is, what do you think of this article:

http://growfaq.marijuana.com/growfaq/1667.htm

I followed it word for word thinking that it would be best to apply neem as preventive maintenance. You on the other hand directly contradict this. Do you think this artice is teaching me bad practices?

Also some important facts to note are:

1. My water is always about 86 degrees fahrenheit. I have read that this is too high for DWC, what do you think?

2. The drip system only waters for 5 minutes twice a day. So I doubt that the rockwool is the problem.

I have seen someone successfully do a SGROG with the BloomBox and I am thinking about doing something like this next cycle, due to the fact that I can grow less plants (which is a bonus do to the laws in my city/state).

I never topped my plants because I am a newbie and the general thought of cutting the main grow shoot scares me. But I guess this is something I will just have to get used to.

The reason I went to flower so quick was because I was scared that I was going to grow the plants to tall and burn them. I would imagine if I hadn't of fucked up my roots they would all have been much larger by now.

Man....it is so much cooler learning by doing something CORRECTLY as opposed to learning from my mistakes :confused:. But as you stated I am learning. Thanks again for taking time to help a newbie out. I very much appreciate it.

GrowerXLT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sabrinaleena

Since I've been considering getting the Bloom Box, I've been keeping a close eye on this thread as well, and thank you very much for sharing your adventures with us :D

I'm sorry about the difficulties you're having. One question I have though... if I were to get the Bloom Box, what else can I use to germinate seeds other than rock wool? It's not that I'm a rock wool hater, never used it myself. But I don't like the "idea" of it and I would rather germinate in something a bit more natural at first, and then switch over to the medium that the boxes use for veg and flowering. Is that possible, or am I stuck using rock wool?

Thanks :)

Sabrina

---

Sabrinaleena,

You can use a paper towel to germinate the seeds, then use any medium that you want to plant them in. My clones came in 1 inch Oasis Horticubes which fit perfectly in 3 inch rockwool cubes. I only used the rockwool because that is what comes with the system. But I am sure you can use any medium that you want as long as you can get it into the 3 inch net pots. I hope this helps.

GrowerXLT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BlueBear

Are your roots healthy? What color are they? How often are you changing your res?

---

BlueBear,

Thanks for asking the above question. You pointed me in the right direction so I can finally start to understand why my plants are doing poorly. You rock brother.

GrowerXLT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dr.Smokealot

hey growerxlt is the producer really loud or kinda loud?

---

Dr.Smokealot,

I would say that it is the equivalent of 8 computer fans. Each one of the four fans is about twice as loud as a computer fan. They say on their site that the unit is less loud than a computer fan. This is just not true.

GrowerXLT

Day 41 - 07-09-2006 - 28 Days Into Flowering - Problem Photos

Here are some photo showing the stunted root growth that is affecting 13 out of my 17 plants.

Pic 1 - Stunted Root Growth Close Up
Pic 2 - Stunted Root Growth Close Up
Pic 3 - Stunted Root Growth Side View

Day 41 - 07-09-2006 - 28 Days Into Flowering - Problem Photos

Here are some photos showing the rotting roots affecting 4 out of my 17 plants. Its pretty sad because these are the roots of my "good" plants. :mad:

Pic 1 - Root Rot
Pic 2 - Root Rot

It was a day of mixed emotions for me. I am happy that I finally pin pointed my problems (thanks to all of your help) but am a little sad due to how prevalent and advanced the probelm is. So now to my BIG question:

What do I do now?

Is their anything I can do to "fix" my roots. I am thinking of washing the rotted roots off with some fresh water, possibly with a spray bottle. But what can I do about my stunted root growth on the majority of my plants? How can I get those roots to grow out of the pots and into the water?? Is their and additive I can add that would help at this point? As always any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

QUOTE=GrowerXLT]BlueBear,

Thanks for asking the above question. You pointed me in the right direction so I can finally start to understand why my plants are doing poorly. You rock brother.

GrowerXLT[/QUOTE]
Hey XLT, I am glad you have found a clue to your problem. It seems to me that at this point in the game you are so late into flowering that there isn't much you can do. I am going to do some snooping around and see if I can pick up any ideas though.
Perhaps washing off the roots in a peroxide salution may help, or adding a little peroxide to the res, 1tsp per.. I don't remember, need to search, also I am not sure if there are any negative affects with the nutes you are useing, what are they GH or advance? I know that the peroxide treatment can have a negative affect with organic nutes. Hope someone else can chime in as well.
I would also consider getting those roots out of that rockwool and placing them in grow rocks
or lava rocks as the mediam. At that point you can run the drippers 24-7 and perhaps your roots will respond a little better and might be able to produce some new growth.
New growth is going to be the key at this point. You need to get some cleaning salution for those roots, IE peroxide and then start looking for new root growth. Also, do you have any clones on stand by? Just something to think about.
PS. try to use the search tool and check out any related terms I mintioned above, I may or may not have time, but hopefully someone like Zandor can also check up on this thread, but I know that he is a busy fellow. Harddon, LW and GNome's help and any others help would be highly appreciated as well.
Adieu

I would get those roots out and spray them down with PH adjusted water. With the peroxide I would get some 3 Percent, the kind that is used for cuts, Wally Mart. You can use 100ML in a liter of distilled water. I am reaching, hope that someone else will give some more feed back.
I know that after making such a large investment that this is probably not what you expected so I am trying to help as much as I can bro.
Adieu

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GrowerXLT

I change my res every 7 days.

The roots of the sevierly stunted plants havent even grown out of the 3 inch rookwool cubes that are in the the 3 inch pots.

The good plants roots are a white/tan color.

GrowerXLT

---

Do the roots of the sick ones smell?
Or more like does the rockwool smell?

Are they all the same strain too?

You could be dealing with plytherwilt. It's common in Rockwool, there is an art to growing with it.

What is your water schedule again...I'm sure you answered somewhere but this great thread is to large to read. I just don't have that much time this month. (not that your post is that long) I just have a new project that is taking all my time right now.

I will stop back tomorrow AM and see if I can offer you any advice. The CalMag Plus was a good thing to add.

Grower..

sorry about the root rot.
it is very very serious issue..

1. you need to add as many air stones and airpumps to your reservoir as possible

2. DO NOT ALLOW ANY DEAD MATTER TO STAY IN YOUR RESERVOIR. dead matter will consume much needed oxygen

3. pull off all dead and slimy roots.. if you need to use scissors.. use scissors

4. add as much H202 as possible and read this..

http://www.hotlib.com/articles/show....rdening_System

5. lower your reservoir temperature... do not let it go about 72 degrees..

over coming these types of issues will MAKE you a GREAT grower!!

iloveyou


I have witnessed succesful harvests...massive yields... from plants that have root rot.. it is possible!!

After reading this thread, I'm still going to be saving up for The Producer. Not the Bloom Box like I had originally intended. But my main question is this now... why did you get such root rot with your grow? Was it a fault of the box, or was it just bad luck? I'm very curious because I'm hesitant to plunk down this kind of money for such a unit if it's inherently flawed in its growing techinque through no fault of the grower.

Again, I do hope that your next grow is a great one. This thread has been so helpful for me in making up my mind on what I want to buy, and also when I do get it, I'll be referring back to this thread often :)


Sabrina