4x4 1000w SCROG 4xWW DWC w/ Sunpulse 3k Digital Bulb

[DroJo]

jeeeeeeeeezus... omg.. well ill be watching your grow journal and if it lives up to the hype that will be my xmas present to myself!

last q, how much did ur whole set up cost ya, seems like ur pullin out all the stops..

bubbles do look great btw

 

[Here To Learn]

Nice lookin setup ultrasonic. I am starting a soil grow but plan on upgrading to hydro after a couple of harvests. I will be watching this grow for sure.

 

[Setting Sun]

Well that - to me - is what digital ballasts are all about. I wouldn't use one otherwise. I have access to Ushio bulbs as well which are supposed to work nicely in digital ballasts as well, but I like the idea of the color adjusted MH bulb.

There is very little info here about them, and everything i've read, people say they're great. There are alot of traditionalists in pot growing i've come to learn, which is fine, but i'd like my thread to be a place for free exchange of information.

It appears to me that you're here primarily to promote a product.


SunPulse Bulbs, Digital Ballasts, and you

linky-dinky, lol

 

[ultrasonic]

It appears to me that you're here primarily to promote a product.


SunPulse Bulbs, Digital Ballasts, and you

linky-dinky, lol

Well I hate to put the kibosh to some good old fashioned internet grow forum paranoia, but I'm not affiliated with Sunpulse. The idea is frankly laughable. I like their equipment, and for a good reason.

If you'd like to discuss it, take it out of my thread to a PM. This thread is reserved for useful information only. Thanks and I appreciate the respect.

phew :focus:

And now; as for everyone else, please continue to ask any questions you have, and I'll be sure to post some pictures and results as they become available



Thanks for the fun!

 

[ultrasonic]

jeeeeeeeeezus... omg.. well ill be watching your grow journal and if it lives up to the hype that will be my xmas present to myself!

last q, how much did ur whole set up cost ya, seems like ur pullin out all the stops..

bubbles do look great btw

Thanks very much! The whole thing cost a couple thousand in total (couple re workings, tent, 2 vortexs, 1000w'ers, fogger(not in use), etc) Definitely expecting a good return. Co2 will be added at next grow i'm pretty sure.

on the bubbles too

@Here To Learn
Thanks for following along. I plan to not disappoint. At harvest I will also be able to provide HQ images, nice macro shots with a pretty decent digital SLR. I'm looking forward to making hash with all those crystals. yum.

 

[Here To Learn]

Are you going to make bubble hash? It would seem appropriate with all the bubbles in your tubs.

Mmmmmmm bubble hash.

 

[DroJo]

It appears to me that you're here primarily to promote a product.


SunPulse Bulbs, Digital Ballasts, and you

linky-dinky, lol

Hey Ultra, i can understand that you got urked, but setting sun is a cool guy, the thing is around here we have been seeing a lot of ppl come around and promote lights and other grow neccessities...

There is a particular sponsor who has actually gone to the lenghts of creating new accounts/alter egos under the impression of new growers who bought their product, so it's a little irking. Not to take away from the product, but more the propoganda scheme. So it might have seemed that you were doing the same thing, which i personally doubt, i think you're just someone who's looking for opinions on a product you're investing in, and just want to give feed back and share information, which is what i think a forum should be about.
Dont feel slighted or offended by SS

now :focus: for me lol

u have 3 buckets but you are going to grow 4 plants, stupid assumption on my part but is one of those buckets going to contain 2 plants?

a couple k doesnt sounds that bad given the return you're expecting and should attain!

but you may need to pick up a few more things before your grow is done i.e. dehumidifier, water cooler/heater..

but ill def subscribe once ur journal is up, sounds like its gonna be one helluva grow/harvest

 

[usul]

Great setupUltrasonic! Sounds like we have very similar plans and techninques - should be fun to compare results. I'm subscribed and along for the ride.

So, how are the plants looking?

 

[The Butcher]

this is going to be an interesting grow. Like the clean set up bro. I'm subscribed and will be watching.

And drojo: great job on putting out a fire!+rep

 

[Setting Sun]

Ultrasonic and I got things squared away in PM.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming .

 

[ultrasonic]

Hey Ultra, i can understand that you got urked, but setting sun is a cool guy, the thing is around here we have been seeing a lot of ppl come around and promote lights and other grow neccessities...

There is a particular sponsor who has actually gone to the lenghts of creating new accounts/alter egos under the impression of new growers who bought their product, so it's a little irking. Not to take away from the product, but more the propoganda scheme. So it might have seemed that you were doing the same thing, which i personally doubt, i think you're just someone who's looking for opinions on a product you're investing in, and just want to give feed back and share information, which is what i think a forum should be about.
Dont feel slighted or offended by SS

now :focus: for me lol

u have 3 buckets but you are going to grow 4 plants, stupid assumption on my part but is one of those buckets going to contain 2 plants?

a couple k doesnt sounds that bad given the return you're expecting and should attain!

but you may need to pick up a few more things before your grow is done i.e. dehumidifier, water cooler/heater..

but ill def subscribe once ur journal is up, sounds like its gonna be one helluva grow/harvest

Thanks man I appreciate you helping me relax a bit. You're totally right, I don't want to continue on like that. we've made amends, and bygones are bygones.

As for the plants, I'm actually growing 2 in 2 bins (so 4 plants) and the other bin is just there to increase the volume of the res. Made it work today that the pump can be on constantly without anything overspilling, yay. However, I will only use the pump once or twice a day to manually circulate the solution. Yeah, you're right I may and DO need more things, the list gets shorter, then longer, then longer, etc etc .

My recent challenge is apparently the bulb company can't properly ship me a bulb, because two have arrived broken, and as I was told by the fellow at the grow store (one of the guys I didn't compliment for customer service) They may have to "give up" because they're at a loss each time they ship a bulb and it breaks. I mean come the F on. I'll pay you the extra 10 bucks to pack the thing so tight you can throw it at a wall and it won't break. I just received a vortex fan with EIGHT count em EIGHT large orange fragile stickers on this frickin box. How many did the lightbulb have, on a box 1/5 the size? One. I'm quite disappointed, and I hope when I call back tomorrow I get the good guy again. They even told me they probably couldn't send a replacement right after I told them I was going to go with them to purchase my new ballast! BS!

So thanks for stickin about man. The buds will be large and will be many.

Are you going to make bubble hash? It would seem appropriate with all the bubbles in your tubs.

Mmmmmmm bubble hash.

Oh you's bets. Already saving up what stems etc I can It's so nice to have two such great things to look forward to. Thanks for stoppin in!

Great setupUltrasonic! Sounds like we have very similar plans and techninques - should be fun to compare results. I'm subscribed and along for the ride.

So, how are the plants looking?

I'll have to have a look at what you've got going - you by chance growing WW too?
Well thanks for stopping by, and allow me to post what i've got going right now:

These are my 3rd ever round of aero clones. Think i've got it right this time, and I think these are the ones we're going to use.

These are my older rockwool cuttings. They, like the other clones I've taken, look stressed as hell. They root, and once they do they look much better, but theres something to be said for a nice looking clone... Almost positive it was too much light - I've got a white bag over top of my aero clones which blocks a lot of light, and I think it's helping

this is going to be an interesting grow. Like the clean set up bro. I'm subscribed and will be watching.

Well thanks for the compliments, and i'm happy to have you on board. I could have just bought a lamp and grew in dirt and that was that, but when I do something I always have to spend money, so here we are

Ultrasonic and I got things squared away in PM.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

man this is a great community.

 

[Sonzor]

Yes, that aero cloner works wonders. My only issues with it is transferring them into soil so I don't use it very often. But if you are a hydro grower I don't think there is a better system. Great job and can wait to see how it all turns out. + rep

 

[usul]

Hey Ultrasonic, you were one of the first to visit my journal and give me some reps - thanks! Our setups are similar in that we're both growing in a tent using DWC and plan to ScrOG. You have 4 times the square footage and 4 times the wattage I do, but that makes our footprint/watt ratio the same.

If you haven't already, take some time to read through Munki's journal - he did a 400W 3x3 ScrOG hydro tent grow that turned out really well. His final yield came in at .562 grams per watt. He sets a high bar but if we can match it I'd harvest about 5 ounces and you, my friend, are looking at well over a pound.

So there's the challenge: .562 grams/watt or better. Let the games begin.

 

[MI-grower]

What's up bro!! I just found ur journal and have been skimming through it..Looking good man...

& Love from the Glove



My 1st grow

 

[ultrasonic]

Okay, It seems like it's been forever! Time for a little Q&A them some Show&Tell

yes, that aero cloner works wonders. My only issues with it is transferring them into soil so i don't use it very often. But if you are a hydro grower i don't think there is a better system. Great job and can wait to see how it all turns out. + rep

You know I have to agree with that. My aero clones have shown their roots a full 5-6 days faster than my rockwool clones did. They also are 100% green (unlike the rockwool guys). Interesting note, you'll see in the pictures, I've covered my aero clones with a white colored thin plastic shopping bag. I actually quite firmly believe that this reduction in light is what helped them look so nice. So anyone having the same problem I was? reduce your light! I was running 4x 26w CFLs overtop them, and I think it was stressing them to little bits.

Today I noticed that the roots are not only showing themselves, but coming through quite rapidly. So I opted to go right ahead and change out the water for the first time since I cut them. After a RO water rinse, I added back in 2 gal of water, and 1/4 lucas nutes, so 2.5ml micro, 5ml bloom. Ph adjusted down w/ 1 drop to 5.2 to allow for a nice full swing back up to 6 (i'm guessing) before they get transplanted into the main DWC setup in about a week. I've included some pics below... Thanks for staying around sonzor, you're positive support is much needed and appreciated.

hey ultrasonic, you were one of the first to visit my journal and give me some reps - thanks! Our setups are similar in that we're both growing in a tent using dwc and plan to scrog. You have 4 times the square footage and 4 times the wattage i do, but that makes our footprint/watt ratio the same.

If you haven't already, take some time to read through munki's journal - he did a 400w 3x3 scrog hydro tent grow that turned out really well. His final yield came in at .562 grams per watt. He sets a high bar but if we can match it i'd harvest about 5 ounces and you, my friend, are looking at well over a pound.

So there's the challenge: .562 grams/watt or better. Let the games begin.

Well it's no problem usul: like you say, we're quite similar in setups, makes sense that we stick together! I look forward to shattering .5grams/watt My goal is around 1.8lbs. I believe scrog is the key, as well as co2. While I won't be using co2, I will be sleeping in the same room, so it should be intaking quite a bit of co2. Also, on top of weight, trichrome density and quality is important to me. I definately look forward to doing a side-by-side of our results. thanks for you support man

what's up bro!! I just found ur journal and have been skimming through it..looking good man...

& love from the glove

Thanks for stopping in and thanks for the support! I'll have sit down with some peanutbutterytoast and a bowl tonight and give your grow a readthrough. peace cup.

So thats pretty well that. I just finished up changing out the clone water, and i'm happy as a pig. Except now I just have to give a call to my friends at the bulb store to order my lumatek ballast, and my other replacement bulb. Sheesh, i'll have to see what the guy says: they didn't pack the bulb properly at all the first time (you can feel it whacking against the cardboard. Thankfully I still have the unopened package as a reference, and if they give me a hard time about sending me a replacement bulb, I'll just mention how if they would have packed it properly and used due care, it wouldn't have happened. I mean, the bulb is clearly loose inside the package.
The second one the sent me I refused outright because when I moved it around, I didn't hear glass but heard something rolling. When I called back, they said they "didn't know if they could afford to send me another one, because they take a loss each time one breaks in the mail" Well like f*ck. Use a little more care then right? If you're going to take a fricking loss if it breaks! I just had a vortex shipped to me from another company with 8 large fragile stickers on it, on all sides. How many did my bulb have? one. BS. There are two people i've been dealing with, one is clearly smarter than the other, so I'm trying to get ahold of the good guy again. If that happens, I'll easily have my bulb/ballast combo in time to start this grow.

However

There is a sickening possibility that I may have to go with a high quality magnetic ballast w/ nice bulbs from my local hydro store if this other place presents a problem. I -do not- want to do this, as the purpose of me growing was to achieve a quality product, unseen to this area. I don't think I can achieve any uniqueness with a standard bulb set, but I may have to turn that way for my first grow only.

But all glum aside, here are some updated photos with captions! I'll end it here, and wish everyone peace a good smoke. enjoy!

Here we have my setup for my clones. Yes, that is a shopping bag. Don't laugh, because it's worked better then the 20$ dome that my rockwool cubes are in. I'm going to start selling them on ebay.

Here is a clone I took that is a topped top. Its growth is hard to see, but it's Y shaped: I'm interested in seeing how this one progresses.

Roots starting to poke through! Come little ones!

Here are a couple shots showing the growth on my mother plant. It's interesting to see how a mature/non mature plant grows. I thought it was flowering when the nodes started to stagger, but turns out it's just all grown up

Here is a shot of the calcium issue my mum was having. She hasn't been treated very well lately, but is holding on like a TROOPER.

This is a shot of how the clones are doing on top. Very green! very healthy! I'm 90% surprised and 10% impressed in myself Go ahead and compare them to the shots of the rockwool guys in my previous post! Those cube fellows look even droopier and yellow now, same as my first batch of aero clones! I think light just may be the key!

 

[Setting Sun]

Just about every HID bulb will have some little piece(s) of loose metal inside, so they will make that noise when you shake/move them.

That bulb you didn't open just *might* be OK.

 

[Sonzor]

Looking good, I love to see those little roots shooting out of those stems. Great job... And about the plastic bag, it sure does not look hight tech but whatever works. Great job again...

 

[usul]

Hey Ultrasonic, those are some fine looking clones you have there!! I have a lot of catching up to do foliage-wise, at least my roots are bigger

I'll second the comment about HPS bulbs sounding like they have broken pieces inside. Mine has that sound but it works fine, and just for grins I went to a local store and handled a few - they all made that same "broken" sound. That said, I can also relate to issues with getting broken stuff. My first light arrived damaged and wouldn't ignite the MH bulb (it's an MH/HPS switchable unit). Had to send it back and just yesterday I recieved the new one - it works fine. Like you, I am currently growing under 26W flourescents. Imagine that.

I'm still battling the pH/algae issues and it's a bitch. I'll update my journal in a bit and share all the details. Suffice it to say I've gotten really good at res changes and have learned to treat the DWC environment with operating-room-like sterility.

 

[ultrasonic]

Just about every HID bulb will have some little piece(s) of loose metal inside, so they will make that noise when you shake/move them.

That bulb you didn't open just *might* be OK.

I thought the same thing, but upon talking to the hydro shop guy, it shouldn't have been anything that I could have heard outside next to a delivery truck. It sounded like a penny or dime.

Looking good, I love to see those little roots shooting out of those stems. Great job... And about the plastic bag, it sure does not look hight tech but whatever works. Great job again...

Posting below a few updated photos.... these are just 1 day after the last ones! Thanks for the positive vibes

Hey Ultrasonic, those are some fine looking clones you have there!! I have a lot of catching up to do foliage-wise, at least my roots are bigger

I'll second the comment about HPS bulbs sounding like they have broken pieces inside. Mine has that sound but it works fine, and just for grins I went to a local store and handled a few - they all made that same "broken" sound. That said, I can also relate to issues with getting broken stuff. My first light arrived damaged and wouldn't ignite the MH bulb (it's an MH/HPS switchable unit). Had to send it back and just yesterday I recieved the new one - it works fine. Like you, I am currently growing under 26W flourescents. Imagine that.

I'm still battling the pH/algae issues and it's a bitch. I'll update my journal in a bit and share all the details. Suffice it to say I've gotten really good at res changes and have learned to treat the DWC environment with operating-room-like sterility.

Well thanks for the clone compliment! I had a bit of a eureka moment after taking my rockwool ones, and took those ones, and they're by my standards pretty perfect. Bigger roots, eh?! We'll see

Any ideas from my suggestion on a bigger res to help with ph problems? Hope it inspires something good

Check these out:

And until next time everyone I'll have updates in about a week whenever I get my lumatek/sunpulse. Still waiting to find out if this company is going to give up on me. If they do, there are a couple other options I have, and I do have the money. Just a matter of finding someone to take it!

 

[Sonzor]

Amazing how fast they grow out of the aero cloner. Just cant be beat. Great job..