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

Well after months of saving I finally purchased "The Producer" grow box from BC Northern Lights for about $3000 including shipping. For those of you who don't know what "The Producer" is please check out this link below for more info.
http://www.bcnorthernlights.com/?page=home

Basically it is a totally self contained grow box including:

2 - 430 Watt Lights
1 - Drip Hydro System With Room For 18 Plants
1 - Master Controller That Controlls Watering, C02, Fans, and Lighting
1 - Carbon Filter
1 - C02 Regulator That Hooks Up To Tank (Not Included)
4 - Fans (2 For The Lights & 2 For The Grow Chamber)

I am using General Hydroponics Flora Nova nutrients. My water goes through reverse osmosis and before adding nutes it at about 3 PPM. I drain the reserivor every week and replace with fresh water/nute solution. I also make sure my water/nute solution's pH stays at about 5.4-6.0. I check the pH about every other day. I am using 17 White Widow clones and am about exacty 1 month into my grow.

I am writing this journal so I can give something back to the community that has provided with with such great information. Please don't hesistate to ask me any questions or tell me what I am doing wrong. I appreciate any and all comments.

Now onto the photos.

...ahem....photos.....???.....

This is day 1 for me because this is the fisrt day I had the clones. They are probably 1-2 weeks since being cut off the mother.

Pic 1 - Overview of the all the clones. (Note the fans in the upper corners)
Pic 2 - Left Side
Pic 3 - Right Side (The spot with no plant is where I access the reservoir)
Pic 4 - Clone that didn't make it.
Pic 5 - Happy Clone.

Here are some photos from day 4 on 06-01-2006.

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

Day 10 - 06-07-2006

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

Day 12 - 06-09-2006

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

Awesome grower, this system is unique, Im here to see this for sure now brother.

HEY GROWER!!

thanks for the pictures.. this looks like it will be fun...

is there anything stopping the plants from growing into the lights...?

is there a glass barrier or something...?

how does the producer deal with HEAT?

thats a lot of watts for such a small area

THANKS again!!

iloveyou

Day 19 - 06-16-2006 - 5 Days Into Flowering

Well here are the fisrt photos I have of my leaves starting to yellow. I switched from 16/8 to 12/12 on Sunday 06-11-06. I also switched my nutes from General Hydroponics Flora Nova Grow at 600 PPM to General Hydroponics Flora Nova Bloom at 450PPM.

I also started using neem oil and warm soap water to spray the plants on 06-11-06. I spray 1 day with the neem/soap water mix then two days with just plain water. I am supposed to continue this cycle for 2-3 weeks. In these photos they have been sprayed with the neem mixture only 2 times.

To summarize. Since the last set of photos here is what has changed:

Switched lighting from 16/8 --> 12/12
Switched nutes from Grow @ 600PPM --> Bloom @ 450PPM
Started using neem mixture to keep potential pest away.

Pic 1 - Overview
Pic 2 - Yellow Tips
Pic 3 - Yellow Tips
Pic 4 - Yellow Tips
Pic 5 - Yellow Tips

HEy grower,

Your plants are showing signs of nut burn,
This seems very odd to me considering your PPM is very very low and some of leaves are showing NUT deficiency...

HOW is your PH?

You should consider flushing for 12-24 hours and refilling your reservoir from scratch..

iloveyou

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Garden Knowm

HEY GROWER!!

thanks for the pictures.. this looks like it will be fun...

is there anything stopping the plants from growing into the lights...?

is there a glass barrier or something...?

how does the producer deal with HEAT?

thats a lot of watts for such a small area

THANKS again!!

iloveyou

---

Hi Garden Knowm,

Thanks for the kind words. Their is a glass barrier on both lights that effectively seperates the lights and ballast from the grow chamber area. Those lights and ballast are then cooled by two fans one blowing in and one blowing out.

Also the grow chamber area is also cooled by two fans. One blowing in and one blowing out. You can see them in the overview photos. Although they are relatively small fans they keep the grow chamber at about 85-90 degrees fahrenheit. Althought this is just a guess as I don't have a thermometer. My ambient temp arround my city is 75-85 most of the year.

I am pretty happy with how well it is handling heat considering the whole unit is just sitting inside a non ventilated garage. I think I could probably keep it about 5 degrees cooler if I were to add some fans to my garage that blow air out a small vent on the bottom of the wall.

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

Day 22 - 06-19-2006 - 8 Days Into Flowering

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

Day 22 - 06-19-2006 - 8 Days Into Flowering - PROBLEM PHOTOS

At this point thinking the problem was nute burn I cut back the nutes to 225 PPM. However in these photos the plants had only been at 225 PPM for 1 day.

Pic 1 - Yellowing
Pic 2 - Yellowing
Pic 3 - Yellowing
Pic 4 - Yellowing
Pic 5 - Yellowing

Day 24 - 06-21-2006 - 10 Days Into Flowering

Pic 1 - Overview
Pic 2 - Left
Pic 3 - Right
Pic 4 - Super Sexy Close Up

FINALLY somebody has a review of the producer, i want to buy one but dont kno how they produce.

Day 25 - 06-22-2006 - 11 Days Into Flowering

Pic 1 - Overview
Pic 2 - Left
Pic 3 - Right
Pic 4 - Close Up 1
Pic 5 - Close Up 2

im very interested in this grow, it looks great so far, keep up the good work

Day 26 - 06-23-2006 - 12 Days Into Flowering - PROBLEM PHOTOS 1

Here are the best photos yet showing the yellowing tips, yellow spots, red stems, browning, curling, etc. At this point the plants have been at 225 PPM for 5 days. I cut them back from 450 PPM after thinking my problem was nute burn.

Pic 1 - Yellow Spots On Leaf
Pic 2 - Two Toned Leaf
Pic 3 - Red Stem On Leaf (Is This A Problem?)
Pic 4 - Red Stem On Leaf 2 (Is This A Problem?)
Pic 5 - Curling Leaf

Day 26 - 06-23-2006 - 12 Days Into Flowering - PROBLEM PHOTOS 2

Here are the best photos yet showing the yellowing tips, yellow spots, red stems, browning, curling, etc. At this point the plants have been at 225 PPM for 5 days. I cut them back from 450 PPM after thinking my problem was nute burn.

Pic 1 - Brown Tips
Pic 2 - Two Tones Leaves
Pic 3 - Brown Tips 2
Pic 4 - Tips Curling Up Now
Pic 5 - Yellowing & Curling Up

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Garden Knowm

HEy grower,

Your plants are showing signs of nut burn,
This seems very odd to me considering your PPM is very very low and some of leaves are showing NUT deficiency...

HOW is your PH?

You should consider flushing for 12-24 hours and refilling your reservoir from scratch..

iloveyou

---

Garden Knowm,

I keep my pH at 5.5-6.0 and check it every other day. I calibrate my Hanna pH tester about every two weeks and always use Hanna storage solution.

I always change my nutes on Sunday so I guess I will do a flush and add only 3 PPM water at 5.6 pH for 24 hours & then I will go back to 450 PPM nute/water solution.

I thought I was being conservative by using 450 PPM. So I too am surprised that it is showing sign of nute burn.

This is my fisrt shot at growing so I truly appreciate your help. I also start the CO2 injection tomorrow so I am very excited about that.

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

Well I am getting ready to flush my plants and was wondering what should I expect durring this 24 hour period?

Are my plants going to yellow due to the lack of nutes?
Or is the period of time (24 Hours) too short to really cause any negative changes?

What else should I expect?

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

your place is kool man. your whole setup is fresh. your bud must be outstanding

Very very nice clones you got there, I was looking into getting one of those
bloom boxes but the price turned me down. keep us updated

when you flush/ run plain water.. ph 5.8... your plants will basically just stop growing for 24 hours... it is actually possible to sustain plants like this for a very very long period of time... during this period the plant will basically get a clean bill of health... kinda like fasting for a human...

IF you ae using Co2 and your plants are flowering.. I can not figure out why you PPMs are not at 1000-1600...?

i look forward to seeing the outcome of your grow ...

: )
cheers

Garden Knowm,

I am wondering if the problems I am having are due using too little nutes and not too much nutes. Would the symptoms be simmialr to what I am experiencing?

I just started the CO2 injection toady 06-25-2006. The instructions that came with "The Producer" suggested not using CO2 until the second week of flowering and today is the start of the second week. So I guess we will see how that goes.

Also, what is a "normal" PPM for someone to use in a hydo system simmilar to mine? After the flush would it be safe for me to put the PPM to 900-1200?

I am using the lazy man's nutes, General Hydroponics Flora Nova Series. I call them the lazy man's nutes because their is no mixing like with the regular 3 part Flora Series here is a link:

http://genhydro.com/genhydro_US/floranova.html

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

Day 27 - 06-24-2006 - 13 Days Into Flowering

Pic 1 - Overview
Pic 2 - Left
Pic 3 - Center
Pic 4 - Right

Well I am finishing up on my flush and was wondering what is a safe PPM to put my plants at. I was only using 450 before and apparently got signs of nute burn (see the previous posts in this thread). I even dropped the PPM to 225 for the last week and still was having yellowing leaves. So now I don't know if I should go up to 900 PPM or stay at the low 225-450. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

What was your Ph may have been as much of a Ph issue as over powering them with nutrients.

At that time in flower I normaly have mine about 1200 ppm from clones. From seed it's good around 900-1000 but you need to have your ph around 5-5 - 5.8

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GrowerXLT

Garden Knowm,

I am wondering if the problems I am having are due using too little nutes and not too much nutes. Would the symptoms be simmialr to what I am experiencing?

I just started the CO2 injection toady 06-25-2006. The instructions that came with "The Producer" suggested not using CO2 until the second week of flowering and today is the start of the second week. So I guess we will see how that goes.

Also, what is a "normal" PPM for someone to use in a hydo system simmilar to mine? After the flush would it be safe for me to put the PPM to 900-1200?

I am using the lazy man's nutes, General Hydroponics Flora Nova Series. I call them the lazy man's nutes because their is no mixing like with the regular 3 part Flora Series here is a link:

http://genhydro.com/genhydro_US/floranova.html

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

---

NOw you are thinking like a gardner.. yournutrients levels are definitley way to low.. but your plants are definitley being burned.. and you have to belive what you see.. as opposed to what some meter says...

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

so the only way to tell if your plant has recovered is from new growth...
and you would be the best one to see how that is.. cause you see your lants every day... they should be shooting up very tall now.. almost one inch a day for the first 2 - 3 weeks of flowering...

LIKE zandor said.. your PH is KEY...

you flushed for 24 hours correct?
is the new growth showing any signs of brown tips?
are the pistils staying white?

: )

Thanks for the replys Zandor and Garden Knowm. Well I ended up putting my PPM to 900 after the flush and I always keep my pH at 5.5-6.0 (Checked every 1 or 2 days). I changed the PPMs earlier today 06-27-06 so I am really nervous to see what the plants look like over the next few days.

Here is the big kicker. I don't have a TDS meter so when I say I put my PPMs at 900 it is based on General Hydroponics instructions on the nute label (TBS/Gallon ratio). I didn't really understand the importance of PPMs when I purchased my equipment. But now I am definitely going to buy one. So I guess it is off to the hydro store for me.

And yes the hairs stayed white and no new signs of problems with the flush. And even before the flush the plants have been growing at a steady pace and continue to due so.

I will update you all with some pictures over the next couple of days.

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

what type of water did you say you used?

You should check and balance your Ph at least twice a day, every day. It's the swing that will kill you so monitor it close. With the money you spent you may want to pick up a wall mount Ph/tds monitor.

grower, you have to get a ppm meter...

I think you can find them on ebay for cheap


iloveyou

I use RO water that comes from a water store. I have never check its PPMs myself but the guy a the store says it is 3 PPM. Now that I purchased a PPM meter I can check myself.

After the flush the plants still seem to be showing yellowing on the tips of some of the leaves. However it is hard to tell if it is new yellowing or yellowing that was already there.

On the other hand, the bud production seems to be very nice. Especally since the CO2 has been going. The pistils are looking white and new ones are developing everyday. Overall the plants look good and only about 10-15% of the leaves have yellowing tips (I'll post new pictures tonight).

My new plan is the check the PPMs daily and see weater it goes up or down like this quote from a grow FAQ:

"Start with 1.00 EC (or a SAFE nutrient strength). Next day, if it reads 1.4, it means your plants have been using water and your nutrient solution is becoming more concentrated. This means the concentration of nutrients is too high, so you dilute.

If the meter reads lower than the previous day, 0.7 say, it tells you that the plants are eating nutrients faster than they are drinking water, so you should increase your nutrient strength. If it remains the same, your feeding schedule is on target for now. The nutrient/water intake fluctuates with the growth of the plant, so you must continually monitor it day to day."

http://growfaq.marijuana.com/growfaq/1248.htm

Does this sound like a good plan for me to determine the correct PPM to use for my system?

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

Day 31 - 06-28-2006 - 17 Days Into Flowering

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

I am not interested about the PPM of the water before you put nutrients into it... (maybe a little)

I am interested in the PPM's after you put nutrients into it..

LOL

iloveyou

damn those are some skills right there...
wish i could someday have a grow room like yours :o :D

Day 31 - 06-28-2006 - 17 Days Into Flowering - Close Ups

Pic 1 - Close Up Of Bud
Pic 2 - Close Up Of Bud
Pic 3 - Close Up Of Single Plant

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by s12fever

damn those are some skills right there...
wish i could someday have a grow room like yours :o :D

---

Thanks s12fever, I wish I could say any of my progress was a result of skills. But at this point that just isn't the case. It is more just the result of so much light in such a small space :). If you had a similar setup I am sure you could do the same. It took me many months to save up for "The Producer" but I am definitely happy with my choice, for my current living situation (renting). Keep checking back this thread often because I will be posting new pics every 3 or 4 days.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Garden Knowm

I am not interested about the PPM of the water before you put nutrients into it... (maybe a little)

I am interested in the PPM's after you put nutrients into it..

LOL

iloveyou

---

Garden Knowm,

Well today I purchased my Hanna PPM meter and went home and calibrated, and then tested. My water was at 920 PPM. Right arround where I wanted it. Now I am going to check daily to see if their is any fluctuation and then follow the method from the above post to find my plants sweet spot. Thanks for all the help.

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

When you use RO water (like I do) you need to add CalMag Plus. That is the problem I am seeing in your leaf.

The idea of using CalMag Plus is to replace some minerals found in water that the RO process removes. The plant needs them so you should use the recommended amount on the bottle with every res change and that will cure your nutrient uptake problem.