Frenchy672
Well-Known Member
take the pictures sideways on your phone? they have a few things in the gallery faq 
growstrong
New Member
I agree it is pretty stupid. I found I have to rotate my pics a quarter turn clockwise before uploading, then they seem to come out straight on here.
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- #23
Sonora
New Member
OK, I'm now calling the two sections of the growbox "Prep" and "Perm"; the left section is where we prep them, the right section is where they go to finish their lives (their permanent home).
So, here's the fully kitted out prep area. I've used toothpicks to cover all the rockwool with covers to prevent algae, including the babies' cubes. All 3 babies are popped and spread, so photosynthesis is fully engaged. I also got a small USB-powered fan I mounted to the wall with command strips to get some air circulation going (I may put two more up to make it extra windy in there).
Here's a family pic in the prep neighborhood.
Now that I continue to refine the box, I'm liking it more. It's not for beginners, and experts can build their own box that's better for cheaper. But I'm starting to get a feel for how to be successful with it.
So, here's the fully kitted out prep area. I've used toothpicks to cover all the rockwool with covers to prevent algae, including the babies' cubes. All 3 babies are popped and spread, so photosynthesis is fully engaged. I also got a small USB-powered fan I mounted to the wall with command strips to get some air circulation going (I may put two more up to make it extra windy in there).
Here's a family pic in the prep neighborhood.
Now that I continue to refine the box, I'm liking it more. It's not for beginners, and experts can build their own box that's better for cheaper. But I'm starting to get a feel for how to be successful with it.
- Thread starter
- #24
Sonora
New Member
Apparently UPS won't be delivering my parts for the perm chamber until Monday :rolleyes3
So I went ahead and changed out the res in the stage area, assuming they'll be there one more week. I used full nutes according to the week 1 schedule, which puts me at about 750 PPM (keep in mind I use tap and not RO water).
Go go gadget weed!
So I went ahead and changed out the res in the stage area, assuming they'll be there one more week. I used full nutes according to the week 1 schedule, which puts me at about 750 PPM (keep in mind I use tap and not RO water).
Go go gadget weed!
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- #25
Sonora
New Member
Happy Friday from the babes in a box! 
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- #26
Sonora
New Member
Woohoo! Let me tell you a story - the story of Genesis, as told by a stoney Jew:
In the beginning, there was nothing but God. And the spirit of God hovered in the void. And God thought this was bullshit, so he wanted to get high. And God said "Let there be weed!" And LO!!! Weed plants sprung into existence, so that they could bring forth their bounty unto a stoney God. But the weed plants brought forth no bounty, because they had no light to power them. So God said "Let there be light!" And LO!!!!! A friend did cometh to my home, and in exchange for beer he did spot-weld and repair a rip in the flower area, and the parts that were needed to repair the pump manifold did arrive, and the flower area with it's high intensity discharge metal halide is LAYING THE SMACKETH DOWN, and God saw that it was good, and he took the biggest bong rip in the history of the universe (because, you know, God lungs), and fuck was he high.
Maybe that's not exactly what happened, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it. BEHOLD! The Bloom Box's bloom chamber, in action!
That's a full 55 gallon reservoir serving 3 1 week old seedlings, with 6 micro-air-stones feeding the roots, an automated drip system that rinses the rockwool in nutrient solution for 20 minutes a day, a 9" air circulator to keep those seedlings a-shuckin' and a-jivin' in the breeze. A 400 watt metal halide light absolutely BOOMING from above, with two T-5 fluorescents singing from below. Active intake, active exhaust through a can of carbon, and DAMN am I a whole lot more impressed with this box's bloom area.
Pics of the girls:
WW1 - the star of the show
WW3 - the baby of the bunch, cracked last, but doing well.
WW2 - she's got an issue - she has scoliosis. Her stem is bent and s-shaped. I'm leaving her alone - she'll either work it out, or she won't. I'm hoping for the best.
Temps are under control for now, but in the hot desert summers, I'm guessing this is going to be an issue, so I'm investigating res chillers now.
Only one week ago, here's we were:
Now that we're under the MH and in the bloom segment, we should see some explosive growth. Let's light this candle!
In the beginning, there was nothing but God. And the spirit of God hovered in the void. And God thought this was bullshit, so he wanted to get high. And God said "Let there be weed!" And LO!!! Weed plants sprung into existence, so that they could bring forth their bounty unto a stoney God. But the weed plants brought forth no bounty, because they had no light to power them. So God said "Let there be light!" And LO!!!!! A friend did cometh to my home, and in exchange for beer he did spot-weld and repair a rip in the flower area, and the parts that were needed to repair the pump manifold did arrive, and the flower area with it's high intensity discharge metal halide is LAYING THE SMACKETH DOWN, and God saw that it was good, and he took the biggest bong rip in the history of the universe (because, you know, God lungs), and fuck was he high.
Maybe that's not exactly what happened, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it. BEHOLD! The Bloom Box's bloom chamber, in action!
That's a full 55 gallon reservoir serving 3 1 week old seedlings, with 6 micro-air-stones feeding the roots, an automated drip system that rinses the rockwool in nutrient solution for 20 minutes a day, a 9" air circulator to keep those seedlings a-shuckin' and a-jivin' in the breeze. A 400 watt metal halide light absolutely BOOMING from above, with two T-5 fluorescents singing from below. Active intake, active exhaust through a can of carbon, and DAMN am I a whole lot more impressed with this box's bloom area.
Pics of the girls:
WW1 - the star of the show
WW3 - the baby of the bunch, cracked last, but doing well.
WW2 - she's got an issue - she has scoliosis. Her stem is bent and s-shaped. I'm leaving her alone - she'll either work it out, or she won't. I'm hoping for the best.
Temps are under control for now, but in the hot desert summers, I'm guessing this is going to be an issue, so I'm investigating res chillers now.
Only one week ago, here's we were:
Now that we're under the MH and in the bloom segment, we should see some explosive growth. Let's light this candle!
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
The bloom box is pretty nifty , great for the micro grow and I'm thinking it would work well as Big Cloner box. Add a DIY tank lid with 100 net pot cut outs (or what ever) and its set.
I am fond of White Widow , its a great Sativa/Indica cross ! one of my favorites That I grew for years about 10 years ago.
I am fond of White Widow , its a great Sativa/Indica cross ! one of my favorites That I grew for years about 10 years ago.
- Thread starter
- #28
Sonora
New Member
Temps in the box are definitely going to be an issue - yesterday the inside of the box got up to 89 F. The way I see it, I have a few choices:
* Invest in an AC unit for inside the box, which will involve some form of modification that could ruin the warranty. Don't want to do that.
* Get a res chiller. About $400 for a good one, which will address the water temp, but not the air temp per se.
* Increase air flow with an ever-increasing number of fans. Meh.
* Start using CO2 now, even though it won't assist growth.
The 4th idea is the most interesting to me. Adding CO2 increases the temperatures at which a plant's metabolism works best; a remnant from the age of the dinosaurs. Given where I live, this may be the best choice - I could run with temps between 85 - 95 and have plants in the sweet spot, rather than over-heating.
Has anyone done this before - use CO2 for modifying ideal metabolism temperatures?
* Invest in an AC unit for inside the box, which will involve some form of modification that could ruin the warranty. Don't want to do that.
* Get a res chiller. About $400 for a good one, which will address the water temp, but not the air temp per se.
* Increase air flow with an ever-increasing number of fans. Meh.
* Start using CO2 now, even though it won't assist growth.
The 4th idea is the most interesting to me. Adding CO2 increases the temperatures at which a plant's metabolism works best; a remnant from the age of the dinosaurs. Given where I live, this may be the best choice - I could run with temps between 85 - 95 and have plants in the sweet spot, rather than over-heating.
Has anyone done this before - use CO2 for modifying ideal metabolism temperatures?
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
If it was me I would improve on the current fans CFM.
Or tune the current systems air flow , add ducting to the exhaust to vent it away from the Box.
Not sure if it uses a intake fan , I find using intake and exhaust fans to be trick and needed.
I recommend two fans with speed controls and exhaust or intake ducting or both ducts in and out.
Using the carbon filter for exhaust to the outdoors is easier and cheaper then Co2 enrichment.
1 Fan in , 1 Fan out on speed control is the conventional and best way , short of AC , which is kickass and works excellent with Co2 as your not venting outdoors.
also
Look into leaf temperature
Or tune the current systems air flow , add ducting to the exhaust to vent it away from the Box.
Not sure if it uses a intake fan , I find using intake and exhaust fans to be trick and needed.
I recommend two fans with speed controls and exhaust or intake ducting or both ducts in and out.
Using the carbon filter for exhaust to the outdoors is easier and cheaper then Co2 enrichment.
1 Fan in , 1 Fan out on speed control is the conventional and best way , short of AC , which is kickass and works excellent with Co2 as your not venting outdoors.
also
Look into leaf temperature
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- #30
Sonora
New Member
It has active intake and exhaust. The exhaust is ducted away from the box, but it's in the same room. I would need to do some construction work on the house to be able to duct it outside or into a different room.
I can explore using more powerful fans. I might want to get a uirrel-cage and put it at plant level.
Mitchazzle
New Member
You've been subbed..... Dunn Dunn ddduuuuuuuuunnnnnnnn
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- #32
Sonora
New Member
Welcome to The Box!
- Thread starter
- #33
Sonora
New Member
I'll be posting pics this Friday unless something dramatic changes. I prefer pics which show visual changes; fresh from seed they still grow somewhat slowly while they're getting established. But I'm still here 
- Thread starter
- #34
Sonora
New Member
It's Friday, which means updates! Happy weekend from The Box! 
Last Friday all three girls had popped, and had just gone under the 400W Metal Halide. All 3 girls were basically just stem and cotyledons (the round baby leaves), and they were in a very diluted nutrient mixture. They've had a really good week, as you'll see below, although I have a few issues.
First issue - temps. My box regularly gets up to 90 degrees on the inside. I've increased air flow all I can, but ultimately I'm growing in one of the hottest places on plant Earth, and those temps are making an impact.
Second issue - cleanliness. The box's design makes it really hard to keep things clean. I had a fishy-aquarium smell when I changed the nute solution out today, and WWI (my biggest girl) had some brown on her long taproot. I've ordered some H2O2 and will need to start running a regular peroxide bath to keep pythium at bay.
Third issue - changing out nutes. Holy cow, this box makes that such a messy, pain in the a$$. I'm really unhappy with the hydro-setup in the BloomBox. The box itself is very nice, but the hydro system is just a cut-rate homemade...well, it's crap. No better words I can use for it. However, the good news is I can move all the hydro stuff and still use the box to grow soil, which is what I think I'm going to end up doing (or maybe 3-gallon hempy buckets or something). I'll finish this grow out, get me a mother (which I'll grow out using a 1-gallon hand-watered hydro bucket with coco), and then future grows will be in some soil or soilless mix that don't rely on water reservoirs and pumps.
Anyhow, with all my griping, I do have to say, the girls look good for being above-ground for basically a week. To the pics!
White Widow I (WWI): the oldest girl, also the tallest. She has one long root dangling in the nutes that got a bit of brown on her. I tried cleaning her with a gentle spray of some H202 (not food grade) and some water, cleaned out the res with bleach, and am hoping that will intercept the issue until I can get the 35% H2O2 here and start cycling it through the system.
Above the water
Below the water
Next, White Widow 2 (WWII). She's the one with scoliosis. She's growing fine, she's just funky. Her roots don't dangle in the nute stream quite yet.
The roots
And finally, White Widow 3 (WWIII). She's interesting - she was "born" last, a full day after WWII and 3 days after WWI...but she's caught up almost all the way, and her root structure looks best. I'm hoping for great things from her.
Top
Roots
Family shot up top
Family root shot, with a view of my ghetto res chiller (frozen water bottles, changed 2x daily)
Last Friday all three girls had popped, and had just gone under the 400W Metal Halide. All 3 girls were basically just stem and cotyledons (the round baby leaves), and they were in a very diluted nutrient mixture. They've had a really good week, as you'll see below, although I have a few issues.
First issue - temps. My box regularly gets up to 90 degrees on the inside. I've increased air flow all I can, but ultimately I'm growing in one of the hottest places on plant Earth, and those temps are making an impact.
Second issue - cleanliness. The box's design makes it really hard to keep things clean. I had a fishy-aquarium smell when I changed the nute solution out today, and WWI (my biggest girl) had some brown on her long taproot. I've ordered some H2O2 and will need to start running a regular peroxide bath to keep pythium at bay.
Third issue - changing out nutes. Holy cow, this box makes that such a messy, pain in the a$$. I'm really unhappy with the hydro-setup in the BloomBox. The box itself is very nice, but the hydro system is just a cut-rate homemade...well, it's crap. No better words I can use for it. However, the good news is I can move all the hydro stuff and still use the box to grow soil, which is what I think I'm going to end up doing (or maybe 3-gallon hempy buckets or something). I'll finish this grow out, get me a mother (which I'll grow out using a 1-gallon hand-watered hydro bucket with coco), and then future grows will be in some soil or soilless mix that don't rely on water reservoirs and pumps.
Anyhow, with all my griping, I do have to say, the girls look good for being above-ground for basically a week. To the pics!
White Widow I (WWI): the oldest girl, also the tallest. She has one long root dangling in the nutes that got a bit of brown on her. I tried cleaning her with a gentle spray of some H202 (not food grade) and some water, cleaned out the res with bleach, and am hoping that will intercept the issue until I can get the 35% H2O2 here and start cycling it through the system.
Above the water
Below the water
Next, White Widow 2 (WWII). She's the one with scoliosis. She's growing fine, she's just funky. Her roots don't dangle in the nute stream quite yet.
The roots
And finally, White Widow 3 (WWIII). She's interesting - she was "born" last, a full day after WWII and 3 days after WWI...but she's caught up almost all the way, and her root structure looks best. I'm hoping for great things from her.
Top
Roots
Family shot up top
Family root shot, with a view of my ghetto res chiller (frozen water bottles, changed 2x daily)
- Thread starter
- #35
Sonora
New Member
The babies have really, really, really taken to the new full strength nutes and res change. growth has been explosive, especially in the roots. Just a reminder, Friday afternoon, here's what the root system looked like:
Here we are only 36 hours later, and here's what the root system looks like. WWI in particular has really exploded.
Family shot
WWI
Group shot of WWII and WWIII
There's still a hint of brown here and there, but it's not slimy. Nevertheless, I'll be adding 3ml/day of 35% H2O2 and 6ml at res change to keep pathogens at bay.
All-in-all, for as much as some parts of the BloomBox really frustrate me, the results to date have been pretty awesome.
Here we are only 36 hours later, and here's what the root system looks like. WWI in particular has really exploded.
Family shot
WWI
Group shot of WWII and WWIII
There's still a hint of brown here and there, but it's not slimy. Nevertheless, I'll be adding 3ml/day of 35% H2O2 and 6ml at res change to keep pathogens at bay.
All-in-all, for as much as some parts of the BloomBox really frustrate me, the results to date have been pretty awesome.
- Thread starter
- #36
Sonora
New Member
OK, so this morning I wanted to get my SCROG set up. Since I am only running 3 plants, the best way to maximize their yield in my space is (I think) a SCROG. Ultimately this will be a SoG with 9 small plants crowded in the space, but until I get a mother plant identified and get the cycle going, the SCROG will be what we use.
I made a cheap, semi-throw-away SCROG trellis. I went to Home Depot, got a 6 foot length of PVC, had the cutting center cut it into the lengths I needed - my dimensions are 33" wide, 24" deep, and 10" tall. Found all the connectors, connected as appropriate, then drilled holes every 2" along the perimeter of the frame and weaved braided nylon line to make the netting. Special note: I hate working with braided nylon line. The stuff starts to unravel, I can't pull the net as tight as I like it...sheesh. Nevertheless, I finished the whole project - running to the store, waiting in line, etc - in three hours. Cheap, easy, and will last a couple of grows, whic is all I'll need it to last. Here's the pics.
With the SCROG in place, I am aiming for 7.5 oz dried, or 2.5 oz a plant. I think that's pretty conservative, but it's my first time growing in The Box, so keeping the bar low as I get it dialed in.
I made a cheap, semi-throw-away SCROG trellis. I went to Home Depot, got a 6 foot length of PVC, had the cutting center cut it into the lengths I needed - my dimensions are 33" wide, 24" deep, and 10" tall. Found all the connectors, connected as appropriate, then drilled holes every 2" along the perimeter of the frame and weaved braided nylon line to make the netting. Special note: I hate working with braided nylon line. The stuff starts to unravel, I can't pull the net as tight as I like it...sheesh. Nevertheless, I finished the whole project - running to the store, waiting in line, etc - in three hours. Cheap, easy, and will last a couple of grows, whic is all I'll need it to last. Here's the pics.
With the SCROG in place, I am aiming for 7.5 oz dried, or 2.5 oz a plant. I think that's pretty conservative, but it's my first time growing in The Box, so keeping the bar low as I get it dialed in.
Far East Buds
Well-Known Member
Looking good... Patience!
FE
FE
- Thread starter
- #38
Sonora
New Member
It's been a big day in The Box - thanks for joining!
So, we finished week two, and we're starting week three. Here's what we looked like this morning:
Family shot
A lot of growth. The metal halide has really helped the plants stay stocky and bushy, and these WW are definitely indica dominant through and through. I'm excited.
The star of our show, WWI - top and roots.
The funky one, WWII - her scoliosis has more or less corrected, but she's still lagging in growth.
And finally, WWIII - competing with WWI for prime billing. Only issue is that WWIII's roots seem a bit crispy (more on that later).
So, last weeks' res change we had a PH of 5.7 put in, PPM of 505 TDS, 6 gallons. Today, I tested the pH of the res, and it was up to 7.1, so it's time for a res change. Res change details:
I added 7 gallons (~28 liters) of RO water. In it, I used
* I used full strength future harvest grow (1 ml/liter)
* I used full strength future harvest common (1 ml/liter)
* I used 4 ml/gallon of CalMag
* I used 3 ml/gallon of 35% H2O2 (burn the pythium away!!!)
This resulted in a nute solution of 505 PPM TDS, and a pH of 5.6
Interesting is that the PPM was the same going in as coming out. This tells me we're at a good level - the plants are drinking water and absorbing nutrients at the same length. The plants drank 3 gallons over the week, so almost 1/2 gallon per day between the 3 of them.
After nute change, it was time for the 2nd big event of the day...topping! That's right, the girls got their first haircuts! Here's what they look like after haircuts:
WWI
WWII
WWIII
Family shots
I also removed a few lower leaves that were blocked by the larger upper fans, and while I'm not LST'ing yet, I tried spreading them a bit so we could get some light into the centers.
After handling the plants, my fingers smell like candy. So excited!
So, we finished week two, and we're starting week three. Here's what we looked like this morning:
Family shot
A lot of growth. The metal halide has really helped the plants stay stocky and bushy, and these WW are definitely indica dominant through and through. I'm excited.
The star of our show, WWI - top and roots.
The funky one, WWII - her scoliosis has more or less corrected, but she's still lagging in growth.
And finally, WWIII - competing with WWI for prime billing. Only issue is that WWIII's roots seem a bit crispy (more on that later).
So, last weeks' res change we had a PH of 5.7 put in, PPM of 505 TDS, 6 gallons. Today, I tested the pH of the res, and it was up to 7.1, so it's time for a res change. Res change details:
I added 7 gallons (~28 liters) of RO water. In it, I used
* I used full strength future harvest grow (1 ml/liter)
* I used full strength future harvest common (1 ml/liter)
* I used 4 ml/gallon of CalMag
* I used 3 ml/gallon of 35% H2O2 (burn the pythium away!!!)
This resulted in a nute solution of 505 PPM TDS, and a pH of 5.6
Interesting is that the PPM was the same going in as coming out. This tells me we're at a good level - the plants are drinking water and absorbing nutrients at the same length. The plants drank 3 gallons over the week, so almost 1/2 gallon per day between the 3 of them.
After nute change, it was time for the 2nd big event of the day...topping! That's right, the girls got their first haircuts! Here's what they look like after haircuts:
WWI
WWII
WWIII
Family shots
I also removed a few lower leaves that were blocked by the larger upper fans, and while I'm not LST'ing yet, I tried spreading them a bit so we could get some light into the centers.
After handling the plants, my fingers smell like candy. So excited!
- Thread starter
- #39
Sonora
New Member
And finally...the temperatures in the reservoir were concerning me, so I bought a res chiller and got that bad boy set-up. The res is now at a chill 66 degrees
Hope everyone enjoyed this update from The Box!
Hope everyone enjoyed this update from The Box!
LEDBud
Well-Known Member
Good Man ! investing in the future is always smart and when it relates to the grow the payback is generally fast.
I suspect the increased yields will pay for the Chiller in short order. It may well save this grow from a otherwise disaster / fail.
I have to mention your mini beasts are coming along just great
I suspect the increased yields will pay for the Chiller in short order. It may well save this grow from a otherwise disaster / fail.
I have to mention your mini beasts are coming along just great
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