joe-grow's first grow

[Deejay2163]

ooopps...sorry...160 watts total.

[joe-grow]

Well, it appears I've managed to sprout some seeds. :dance: Four out of the original 6 that I started with, have sprouted. (To be fair, I threw one away that was beginning to sprout, due to room in the garden - only four spots). It appears that I may have added nutrients a little too soon. The bottle did say that I could start with a nutrient schedule during the seedling stage. Three of the four plants have some yellowing on the tips, and from what I've read, I believe this to mean nutrient burn? So, do I dump the water now, or let it ride until the first water change - in about a week? When adding nutrients, I followed the mixing instructions exactly - not full strength at this point.

Deejay, those plants look nice! Amazing that they were done with a shop light. I am using a T5 with 4 6500k bulbs. I'm going with the 24 hour schedule for now. This is one of those things which I have seen many opinions about. I will switch to a 12/12 schedule for flowering. But, for now, unless someone can make a good case for switching during this stage, I'm going to give this a try. The reason I am using this schedule, is a faster vegetative cycle. I'm on a race for something to sample during my vacation at the end of December. I realize it won't have time to cure properly. I just plan to take a sample and cure the rest.

Update pictures attached ..... First one is the overall garden. The remaining are individual shots, starting with the top left, and moving counter-clockwise.

[joe-grow]

So far the plants are moving along. Today, I added a little more water and checked the pH and ppm. The pH tested at 6.5 and ppm at ~360. I believe the pH is good, but not sure about the ppm. I have also noticed roots starting from all four plants. I was amazed to see how long the roots had gotten this soon.

The first shot shows the root development, and the subsequent photos are in the same order as previous postings. A couple of them still look like there is a problem, due to the coloring. Any suggestions/ideas?

Thanks for reading!

[blue_ox]

good plan joe-grow :thumbsup:
... I also just bought a hydrohut mini and am using a 430w hps and a 200w cfl 6400k

I have only 1 space for now so have to veg and bloom in same place ... was thinking that, after veg'n with the 200w cfl , I'll just put the 200w cfl on with the 430w hps during flowering 12/12 cycle .. thats alot more lumens per sq/ft * ( ~= 1445 in addition to the 6111 lumens )

Is it worth the extra BTU's ... any opinions?

I'm an organic guy so using cox farms stuff ... worm castings .. etc.


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[joe-grow]

Hi blue_ox .... I'm not a light expert, but I've read others here that say that using both lights as you say, is a good idea. Use the CFL for side lighting, is what I've seen a lot. However, I'm not sure that the HPS is strong enough. I've heard that you need to have at least 600w for the HydroHut (even the mini).

I've debated about the organic route, but thought it was more complicated. Let me know how yours turns out.

[MegaOctane12]

Nice one JoeGrow, your very good at documenting all that shit, I think in a similar way but I can't recall it all just like that. You've asked a hella'va lot of questions there so I'm just gonna bail out and say you have the very best of luck with this and I'll be watching.

[blue_ox]

hey joe-grow ...

it *should* be enough lumens .. like ~= 7000+ per sq' ..
the BTU trade off is a problem for me to vent enough heat

So we will see .... :thumbsup:

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[joe-grow]

Hi MegaOctane - yep, I lke to be detailed. Hopefully someone can pick up on some of my questions, so they stop piling up. That is one of the reasons I started this log, to help fill the gaps along the way.

blue_ox - what kind of venting are you using? I was told, using the fan that I picked up, that temperature inside the tent shouldn't be more than ~9F than room temperature, but that was just the 600w lamp. I've since picked up a T5, which I'm thinking of using for side lighting, once I switch to flowering and put the HPS on top.

I am also, considering switching to a cabinet, instead of the HydroHut. I figured a cabinet would be a little more stealth, but I'm still on the fence. I need to make a decision after this week. How do you like the tent so far?

[blue_ox]

blue_ox - what kind of venting are you using? I was told, using the fan that I picked up, that temperature inside the tent shouldn't be more than ~9F than room temperature, but that was just the 600w lamp. I've since picked up a T5, which I'm thinking of using for side lighting, once I switch to flowering and put the HPS on top.

I am also, considering switching to a cabnet, instead of the HydroHut. I figured a cabinet would be a little more stealth, but I'm still on the fence. I need to make a decision after this week. How do you like the tent so far?

I'm using Can-Fan RSS4HO 178cfm 4" with a Can 9000 filter, the hydrohut mini is only about 60cf so that should be enough for a 430w hps and a
200w cfl.

thats 600w total = 2049btu/hr or 3.412btu per watt
( http://www.infinitepower.org/calc_watts.htm )

A simple rule of thumb for calculating cooling flow requirements is:

CFM = 3.16 x watts/allowed temperature rise (°F)

This calculation only represents required airflow, not the fan rating. It is a conservative number because there always is some radiated cooling and turbulent flow within the chassis that can help remove heat from components. In a well-designed chassis, one can count on getting only 40-50% of the free airflow rating for a fan. Thus, a 300W system with a 20°F temperature rise would need about 47 CFM through the chassis or a fan with a free air rating of 100 CFM.


ok if security is needed then cabinet's are a good way to go .. lockable and
able to be in the open ... a hydrohut is not good for that.

take care man

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[blue_ox]

just another tid-bit

I'll leave the fan on 24 hours this time
to see if the DIF method works ( cooler temps
at night reduce internodal's .. but ... )

read:

http://www.hrt.msu.edu/course/HRT221...compressed.pdf


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