AK-47 in E&F - rockwool/clay medium (First Grow Log)

[bertoxxulous]

@subzero - Actually, I don't have a carbon filter at all right now. That top can is exhaust and that box duct taped on the left side of the tent in the second picture with the plants is actually a cardboard & duct tape rig I made so the intake fan wasn't blowing directly on the plants, so it blows down instead. Also, checked the plants this morning around 8:00AM and the looked noticabely better. I think I may actually be on track like you said but I don't want to get my hopes too high haha. I really think that the tents were the biggest issue like you said and I wished I had done this earlier but thought it was one of those last ditch effort things that I didn't want to mess with but now I don't regret it at all even if these ones don't work out because there is no more smell in the room. In fact, with the door open it used to stink the whole house up with that smell and it is no longer there. I really appreciate all the help you've provided me with because I would have never assumed the tent would have even been a possible issue. I mean I bought the damn tents from a grow store, you'd think they wouldn't sell you something like that. I will post pictures of the plants this weekend so they should have a couple more days to recooperate and hopefully start looking better. Lastly, I'll turn the other 4 tubes on and drop the ballast down this evening when I get back home. Cheers!

[subzero]

Bert

I know, I couldn't get my head around the tents either, I just couldn't accept it. Problem was my new set up just fit in the excecution tent and to change back to my old one meant to change back to my smaller system without giving my new stuff a try. I tried everything else, it had to be the new carpet in the room or the tent.

You will need a carbon filter quite soon as ak 47 stinks like skunk, as soon as they take off it will reek all through your house. If i understand what you were saying about your fan at the bottom, let it blow on the plants, it will strengthen the stems and help them breathe better (lights on only). I dont blow any air in, I open the vents at the bottom and let the exaust fan suck through, never had any ventelation problems. If you are serious, get a 6oo watt duel spectrum sodium lamp in there when you flower or ideally a few weeks before, even a cheap ebay ballast/ reflector/ lamp kit made for specificly for your purpose will do for now. I know for a fact that you will not yeild well if thats all the light you have. I know more expense, but it will pay for itself in 2 months time.

Other than that, just keep everything clean, and don't change too many variables at once.

Look forward to an update in a few days.

Subzero :thumbsup:

[bertoxxulous]

@subzero - I've got an Ozone generator that seems to have worked well when I was keeping the door shut during the winter but I'm not sure how affective it will be having to keep the door open due to the heat. About the lights....they were recommended to me because they supposedly aren't just regular flourescents. They are T5 Metal Halides that supposedly put out mega lumins are run very cool in comparison to other lighting options. I also have 4x T5 red spectrum lights that I'm suppose to use for the bloom cycle. I'll take some pictures again this weekend (plan on doing at the end of every week to show progress), but right now they are looking much better than they did yesterday. Again, thanks for all the help I don't think I'd have ever figured this one out otherwise. Plus I'm lucky to talk to someone who is knowledgable about Ionic as well which has helped me understand more of just what I'm working with. I really think I'm undernuting the plants and I'm going to do a full drain and put in 2.5 tsp/gal. this weekend.

[icbh707]

yep, t5 thats what i thought you were using. i had one for a while but never really used it. a friend has one he uses for early veg and likes it for that. but i would not use it to flower. like sub said a 600 hid or like he was saying about 2 400 8" apart. im not sure if you trays big enough. i bet you could get 300-400g off a 600w. also my buddy keeps his t5 i think about 8-12in above the tops.
do you know the cfm of that fan?
i would make both of those fans exhaust and use a vent opening for intake like what sub was saying. i like to get one of those 3m heppa filters for $3 at home depot and rig that to filter the incoming air. i do that for my hoods as well and it keeps the glass nice and clean.
are you going to top? supercrop? scrog?


im happy things are looking so well, keep up the good work. :thumbsup:

[bertoxxulous]

@icbh707 - So you don't think the red spectrum T5's are any good? I'm not sure about the cfm of the fans off the top of my head but I can get that info later when I get home. The intake fan is specifically ment for that purpose and I don't think it was ment to be inter-changable. Lastly, being my newbie self I don't know what top or supercrop means, and I think scrog means screen of green right? I really never considered doing that, I was just going to grow them ?normal? I suppose and if they got too tall just tie them down but I don't plan on growing till the fall if I can get a harvest from these so I don't have any plans of maintaining a clone mother or anything like that.

[icbh707]

well i know those t5 lights arent cheap and i dont know what those red spectrum tubes will do as far as yield goes but i do know what you could get from a 400 600 or 1000 hid. but really i never heard back from you about being able to vent out of that room so those hid lights may not work because of heat. although im vegging my blue cheese babies under a 400mh on my bathroom counter top with only the bathroom exhaust fan going and its staying around 78-80f. i bet if i were to flower under that 400 i could get around 300g. but hey the t5 might do the same with less heat for all i know but it will never do as well as a 600 or 1000 hps. put it this way, i cut down my kush yesterday and am very unhappy with the size but i think i will end up with about 550g/1000hps. i couldnt get clones from my normal guy and had to get some from a guy i dont know and this is what happens. when i ran 600s for years i would get about 450g/600hps. i never finished with 400hps but i hear theyre very energy efficient .
im going to top today, i'll take a few pics for you in case you want to try it. im also going to build that vented door soon and ill get you a few pics of that as well.
scrog is a nice low stress way of spreading out the plants and keeping them low but again you cant move them around which i do a lot of.
i top, and supercrop if i have to, or to help trigger the purp to trun purp...i'll be doing that in about 10days on some grape ape.
you will need a carbon filter for sure. about 5 weeks into flower you wont be able to leave clothes near the room because it will stink them up so bad and by the time youre ready to cut youll be able to smell it from my house.

[subzero]

Can someone please explain to me exactly what a t5 is? I have never heard of them over here? Surely your not meant to flower under just that??? are you. Icbh how many watts are they? Must get a decent lamp as soon as you are sure they are recovering. you must.

Bert, ozone is great but too much is bad for you and your plants. I use it when I'm drying alot it works great but for the money I would get a carbon filter on there and treat the ozone with a bit of caution.

Glad things are getting better.
Subzero. :thumbsup:

[icbh707]

the t5 is just a high output fluorescent. i think mine was about the same size as berts and i think i was told it was like using a 250w hid but with about half the watts used. the good; evenly covers a larger area with less heat and uses less power. the bad; its not an hid...yield/m2 will not come even close.
heres a site that sells bulbs and has the lumens for each. t5 blows away normal tubes but comes no where near the hid bulbs.
seeing my buddy veg under the t5 is the reason i never really used mine. after a couple weeks of veg his ladies were always skinny and small and needed some time under his 600mh before he put them under his 1000hps. where as the ones i vegged under a 600mh were topped and ready to flip after about 2 weeks. i have no info on the red spectrum tubes or yields in general under the t5.
put it this way, my yield/watt ratio was better when i used 600s but my yield/m2 is better with 1000s. and theres the rub... the more power you use the more you waste. but i only have so much grow area and want to get the most out of it even if i have to use more power and control heat. i like your idea of the 2 400w. sounds like your getting about 1000w of yield with 800w of power. i still need to study up on the nft. my hydro store guys calls it old school method.

[icbh707]

oops...site for bulbs...
T5 high output Fluorescent, Metal halide, high pressure sodium and fluorescent growlight replacement or conversion Bulbs from 4 hydroponics.com by Growco Indoor Garden Supply

[subzero]

icbh, have a look here, for gt1oo it's what i'm using. Surely e/f is more oldschool than nft?? I dunno but I like it!

Hydroponics lights kits systems, grow tents, organic & alternative gardening products

bert, i think you need to find another grow shop if they sell poison tents and reccomend those lights for flowering. Looking at the price of them, you should have just got a few normal blue spectrum flourescents for veg and spent the rest on a hps, i do actually like the dual spectrum hps they are great for a beginner and it would save you from buying a big m/h for only a few weeks of veg when the t5's aren't sufficent.

Anyway,

HAVE A NICE DAY!
Subzero.