Bonsai Buds

[hairypotter]

I bought one of those Aerogardens thinking to myself "Geez! This'll be a great way to grow myself some weed!" Well, after reading through the posts on Aerogarden growing, I realized that this might not work. I had no idea what my nutrient levels were, nor my Ph. I didn't know if the nute tablets that came with the set-up were good enough, nor was I sure whether or not this was a good investment for my money.

Anyways, I did my homework, and I drove into the big city to buy myself a reliable TDS meter along with a Ph kit and a set of general, non-organic nutes (I read on one of the posts that the organic nutes clogged one dude's set-up).

Let me just say, my plants were looking awfully sad when I came home that afternoon. The leaves were curled and light, light green. Upon checking the nute level, my TDS gave a reading of only about 415 -450... not exactly sure, but it was low. My Ph was 7; nothing crazy bad there.

Anyways, I rinsed the base, Ph treated some water, and mixed in my nute combo. Now, I've got a Ph of about 5.5-6 along with a TDS reading of about 1550-1600 (just brought it up that high today after adjusting them to higher nute levels over the course of a week or so; I brought them up to 1100 immediately when I brought the stuff home, and I've finally got them maxed-out. I also have a soap stone bubble running 24/7, and reset the internal timer every morning to keep my lights on 24/7, too.

I understand that this isn't an ideal set-up for growing full-sized plants, however, I don't think I need that much weed, nor do I have the time to grow that much. Thus, I'm going to grow what I'll coin "Bonsai Buds."

My Bonsai Buds will be miniature, mature plants which will produce approximately one sack (1/8 oz.) per plant. Ideally, I'll have both females, however I'm open to chopping one down or pruning its flowers in order to protect a possible female plant. If both are male, or if either is fertilized, then fuck it. I'll still have a little 'dro. Even if I only get a single bowl out of my plant, I'll still see it as a success for having been my first deep water, semi-hydroponic grow.

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hairypotter Reviewed by hairypotter on 03-05-2008. Bonsai Buds I bought one of those Aerogardens thinking to myself "Geez! This'll be a great way to grow myself some weed!" Well, after reading through the posts on Aerogarden growing, I realized that this might not work. I had no idea what my nutrient levels were, nor my Ph. I didn't know if the nute tablets that came with the set-up were good enough, nor was I sure whether or not this was a good investment for my money. Anyways, I did my homework, and I drove into the big city to buy myself a reliable TDS Rating: 5

[carinia]

I don't 'do' ppms, but i do have to say..

LOVE IT!! haha, omg an areo garden, that is sweet ass. Seriously, start a grow log on this sucker or put p a challenge to someone else that has one, cuz im exicted:hippy:

[melodious fellow]

EC is a much more reliable standard where as ppm can vary by as much as 300-400 ppm based on many manurfacturers, countries, and other variables.

Get an EC meter and then research the appropriate EC for young seedlings.

good luck

peace

[hairypotter]

oh, and btw, the plants in the pic are 5-6 weeks old. didn't get fed enough, but are making an awesome comeback. have good root systems, just small on top.

[hairypotter]

What is the diff. between the two meters?

[melodious fellow]

Electrical Conductivity is a direct measurment. PPM is a caculated value based on the EC value and is not always calculated in the same way, resulting in discrepancies as large as 600 ppm.

The Debate Over EC And TDS - Greentrees Hydroponics

peace

[hairypotter]

cool, and thanks for the snappy answer. my temps are up on my grow surface. gotta either raise my lamp or buy a fan... any suggestions for cooling? i've scoured the threads but with little luck.

on a side note, my dad broke his hip last week, and his bro came cross-country to visit. i showed him my pics from travels, bonnaroo, high school, etc, and he mentioned that "one time, when [he] was visiting Columbia up in New York City, [he] met this one dude who had a freakin' forest in his closet." this in the course of a normal conversation with my 66 y/o uncle. thought you might like that.

any suggestions for cooling? help me out.

[cman20118ut]

cool, and thanks for the snappy answer. my temps are up on my grow surface. gotta either raise my lamp or buy a fan... any suggestions for cooling? i've scoured the threads but with little luck.

on a side note, my dad broke his hip last week, and his bro came cross-country to visit. i showed him my pics from travels, bonnaroo, high school, etc, and he mentioned that "one time, when [he] was visiting Columbia up in New York City, [he] met this one dude who had a freakin' forest in his closet." this in the course of a normal conversation with my 66 y/o uncle. thought you might like that.

any suggestions for cooling? help me out.

any cheap oscilating fan will for you...actually any cheap walmart fan with decent air flow

[stinkyattic]

You have to install some type of EXHAUST fan. Simply moving the hot air won't help, and may in fact dry out the plants worse.
You can go the cheap route and do a 'duct-booster' fan from home depot, or you can go with a high-cfm blower that will really move some serious air. FYI if you intend to run a carbon filter at some point, a duct fan doesn't work, you'll need the blower.

Palerider, you KNOW you don't have to quote the entire post and then post some snide remark, right?

[stuartambient]

Is there such a thing as "Bonsai Buds" ? Not necessarily the name but what they are supposed to be. I know nothing so would like to learn more. In general, are there options for cramped space.

TIA