DIY Grow Cabinet Round 2

[Here To Learn]

Here are a few pics of my bubble cloner. I will try to get a few pics up of the flowering girls when the lights go out later.

It's been about five days so I am hoping for some roots in the next few days.

 

[Here To Learn]

I have been dealing with extreme heat so I had decided to go back to the 250 Watt MH radient hood with built in ballast to see if it would be any cooler than the 1K HPS with remote ballast and 4" vented hood. The temperatures got to the 1K ballast last night though and it got an internal short. So last night the plants had no light as I was not able to get a bulb for the 250 Watt setup until today. The following photos show whats been going on the last couple of days.

Burnt plants:

Burnt flowers:

After Clipping:

Anyone have any experience going from a large HPS light to a small MH light three weeks into flower with a Kush strain? I want to know what I am going to be looking at besides a lesser yield.

 

[Woodsman]

I have been dealing with extreme heat so I had decided to go back to the 250 Watt MH radient hood with built in ballast to see if it would be any cooler than the 1K HPS with remote ballast and 4" vented hood. The temperatures got to the 1K ballast last night though and it got an internal short. So last night the plants had no light as I was not able to get a bulb for the 250 Watt setup until today. The following photos show whats been going on the last couple of days.

Hello HTL! Sorry to hear about your heat problem and subsequent lighting issue. I know that using MH will work in flower, though the growth rate is supposed to be down. Now there is good here, I guess? Using MH will get you more potency through resin production or more trichome production. I may be all wrong, but this is what I learned here when I first learned about mixed spectrum lighting in flower. Some growers eliminate the HPS near the end of flower to boost potency levels. I know your a smart guy, so I expect you to look into this yourself before taking my word for it! Good luck buddy!

 

[NobleWeed]

I have heard that diesel can be hard to root. Let me know if you find the trick to it.

 

[Lemon Paradise]

wow, sucks about the plant burn dude.. I have been dealing with heat issues as well...
how about upping the fan,, putting a 6" on there instead,, would probably double the ait flow,, might help you get the 1k back in there..

 

[Here To Learn]

Woodsman, Noble Weed and Herb Zen thanks for stopping by. It seems that there are many differing thoughts about MH vs. HPS during flowering. Many of the growers who have experimented with one over the other has said that if there was a difference between the two it is not obvious in the growth pattern of the plants.

Herb Zen, I was thinking about ways to cool the cab more efficiently but the heat got to the ballast and now I have no choice but to run the 250 Watt light until I A: Fix the 1K or B: buy another ballast. I have been thinking about getting a 600 watt HPS ballast and bulb but using my 1K vented hood. That would probably bring the heat down over the 1K and still let me get a decent yield in contrast to the 250.

Noble Weed I am out of sour diesel to root until I take another trip. I have made a bubble cloner though and that seems to be creating roots in around 10 days with simple tap water. There is also less wilting and I have not been using a humidity dome. I think the $25 or so I have spent to make it is worth it. Very little upkeep with this system.

I am unfortunately seeing spider mites again in my clones so I am going to the store to get a bag of ladybugs tomorrow. I have lost two cuttings to spider mites in the last two days so I cannot wait any longer.

I will try to get some pictures with the light on tonight so you can all see the difference in the light intensity. It is severe.

Dinner time

 

[Lemon Paradise]

Woodsman, Noble Weed and Herb Zen thanks for stopping by. It seems that there are many differing thoughts about MH vs. HPS during flowering. Many of the growers who have experimented with one over the other has said that if there was a difference between the two it is not obvious in the growth pattern of the plants.

Herb Zen, I was thinking about ways to cool the cab more efficiently but the heat got to the ballast and now I have no choice but to run the 250 Watt light until I A: Fix the 1K or B: buy another ballast. I have been thinking about getting a 600 watt HPS ballast and bulb but using my 1K vented hood. That would probably bring the heat down over the 1K and still let me get a decent yield in contrast to the 250.

keep the ballast outside the tent. that should help with heat as well, what is the CFM of the fan you are using, I remember reading somewhere, for basic ventilation, for good co2 levels you need 1 airchange a minute or something like that, and for good heat control you need like 5 or 6.. I don't remember the number completely,, sorry..

I am unfortunately seeing spider mites again in my clones so I am going to the store to get a bag of ladybugs tomorrow. I have lost two cuttings to spider mites in the last two days so I cannot wait any longer.

I will try to get some pictures with the light on tonight so you can all see the difference in the light intensity. It is severe.

Dinner time

that sucks about the mites,, get them quick. have you seen the pest and problem solver threads? also there is a sponsor here SNS or something, I hear they are pretty good as well..

 

[Here To Learn]

I got some ladybugs from the hydro shop and I am hoping they take care of the spider mites on the clones. I released about 40 or 50 of them with the clones. If they don't do the job then I will try the Organicide that I bought last grow but never got to try.

I also released about half of the ladybugs in the grow cabinet as a preventative measure in case any of the spider mites or any other pests have decided to take up residence.

Here are a few pictures:

As far as the heat issues. The 1K light ballast was kept outside of the cabinet but the heat wave still blew it up. It is probably just the capacitor but I will have to check it when I get my Digital Volt Ohm Meter (DVOM) back next week. That means that the temperatures in the cab were due to the heat from the bulb minus the cooling effect from the vented hood and exhaust fan. My space is 4'X2'X4' plus a small peaked ceiling. This equates to 32 cu/ft. My 4" fan is rated at 171 cfm meaning that I am replacing the air in the cabinet a little over 5 and 1/3 times per minute. I am not saying that the addition of a stronger fan wouldn't help with the heat problem but I don't think it would make a huge difference unless I were to make the intake much larger. This is why I am thinking about going 600 Watt. Either way the cabinet will most likely become my veg area next grow as I am planning to build a separate flower area so that I can have a harvest every 2 months instead of 4 months between harvests. That being the case and with the fact that I only have about 4 weeks to harvest I may just stay with the 250 Watt MH and deal with the reduction in yield for this harvest. To many things to think about right now so I guess I will just wait and see where things take me.

 

[Lemon Paradise]

4x2? 400 would be more than enough, I would think,, the 250 should be fine.. the 1000 is too much I think,,
girls are looking good too. I never used lady bugs inside,, the though of 1500 dead lady bugs to clean up after they ate all the other bugs and dies, never appealed to me..

 

[Here To Learn]

The spider mite problem has become just that "A problem." I seem to have killed most of them on the clones/cuttings that have survived with a liberal dose of Organacide. However the lady bugs have not taken care of the mites on my flowering plants as I had hoped. I am now picking spider mite webs off of the plants every night when the light comes on. I would use the organacide on them but I worry about bud rot. After this grow season I will be developing a new room and the shed will become my veg room. I think I will just liberally spray the vegging plants if I see problems and keep the flower room cold (75-80 degrees F) as I have heard that the spider mites have a hard time reproducing below 85 degrees.

The good news is that I am half way through flower.

 

[DJMattz0r]

Sorry to hear about the spider mites, they are terribly hard to get rid of. I have heard Neem Oil or some other products that are specifically designed to kill the spider mites and eggs work well. Not sure about the bud rot/mold issue though with any sort of spray. Haven't ever had to use them <knock on wood>.

 

[Here To Learn]

Last night when the lights came on I checked on the flowering plants and found that many of the flowers were being suffocated by spider mite webs. As it looked like I was going to loose the entire crop I decided to hit the plants with Organicide even with the possibility of bud rot from increases moisture on the flowers. I also pulled the majority of the webs off of the plants and cut the necrotic/dying limbs off. I just checked on the plants tonight and they look much happier. I will apply another liberal dose of Organicide in 7-10 days to kill any mites that hatch from current eggs. Hopefully that will keep them at bay well enough to finish flowering these plants without causing any mold/rot problems.

 

[Lemon Paradise]

wishing you the best,, got my fingers crossed for you

 

[Here To Learn]

I think I have beaten the bastard spider mites back. It required spraying the tops and bottoms of all the plants with Organicide three times about four to five days apart. I still have to spray the last two cuttings (only one has rooted still) for the third time. The mites killed two of the flowering plants and one is just hanging on. That means there are eight plants alive and flowering but one of them might not make it. That being said I am glad that I have anything left for this crop with everything that has gone wrong from the Burnt plants to the mites to the ballast going bad and having to switch to the 250 Watt light for flowering. I still might make it through with something. Now for some pictures.

The ladies. The one barely hanging on is out of frame to the left.

Flower

another flower

Trichomes

More trichomes

enjoy.

 

[Woodsman]

I think your doing fantastic considering all the issues you've been dealing with HTL.

Over on my thread you mentioned the teenagers trying to get into your shed. I think this may be your biggest problem. If they already know what's in there, then nothing short of deadly force will do! Just kidding! I would never encourage annihilating a whole generation of teenagers, even if it's for the good of mankind. In fact I love teenagers of all kinds, mostly ones that mind their own business!

How about a watch dog or some sort of alarm. That may be the easiest remedy. Something that would wake the dead if they trip it. Moving would be another possibility though I'd rather do the first suggestion way up top before that!

Just hold on for a few more weeks buddy and you'll be done (at least with your adults)

 

[Here To Learn]

well tonight I checked my trichomes. They are about 10% clear, 70% cloudy and 20% amber. So tonight I started the flush on 5 plants as 2 more were not able to come back from the last round of spider mites. The two that didn't make it through had a few decent branches of flowers so I am going to water cure them starting tomorrow when I can go get a large enough container from storage. That means I should have some of my own smoke in about 5 to 7 days. the 5 remaining plants will get flushed for about a week or maybe 10 days and then will need to be dried and cured. That is the nice thing about water curing, it is quick. of course the smoke doesn't look as good but still smokes well if I remember correctly from last time.

Woodsman, thanks for stopping by. I do have dogs one of which could wake the dead but unfortunately in our neighborhood we have to keep them in the house at night due to the possibility of home invasion. I had though of creating a set of exploding dye packs around the shed so I could identify crooks the next day but we are actually moving in the next few weeks to another county here in California so I don't think it will be an issue much longer. Thankfully the house we will be moving into has a room that is perfect for flowering my plants and I will be able to keep the shed in the garage as a veg room. So I will be able to harvest every two months or so. I am also going to be adding to Azatrol to my nutrients as it is certified organic and works systemically in the plants killing bugs when and if they choose to eat my plants again. It also disrupts the reproductive cycle of mites so they cannot lay eggs.

Sorry for the rambling but it is late and I am tired.

 

[Woodsman]

well tonight I checked my trichomes. They are about 10% clear, 70% cloudy and 20% amber. So tonight I started the flush on 5 plants as 2 more were not able to come back from the last round of spider mites. The two that didn't make it through had a few decent branches of flowers so I am going to water cure them starting tomorrow when I can go get a large enough container from storage. That means I should have some of my own smoke in about 5 to 7 days. the 5 remaining plants will get flushed for about a week or maybe 10 days and then will need to be dried and cured. That is the nice thing about water curing, it is quick. of course the smoke doesn't look as good but still smokes well if I remember correctly from last time.

Woodsman, thanks for stopping by. I do have dogs one of which could wake the dead but unfortunately in our neighborhood we have to keep them in the house at night due to the possibility of home invasion. I had though of creating a set of exploding dye packs around the shed so I could identify crooks the next day but we are actually moving in the next few weeks to another county here in California so I don't think it will be an issue much longer. Thankfully the house we will be moving into has a room that is perfect for flowering my plants and I will be able to keep the shed in the garage as a veg room. So I will be able to harvest every two months or so. I am also going to be adding to Azatrol to my nutrients as it is certified organic and works systemically in the plants killing bugs when and if they choose to eat my plants again. It also disrupts the reproductive cycle of mites so they cannot lay eggs.

Sorry for the rambling but it is late and I am tired.

Sorry about the two you lost HTL, but 5 plant for harvest is not a bad deal at all, Great news on the moving buddy, I bet you're very excited (not about the actual moving but the move).

I'll have to read up about water curing, I really don't know much about it. Does it diminish the taste or smell compared to conventional curing? Also what would the reason be for doing it.

 

[Here To Learn]

Woodsman, 5 plants is alright for harvest but it would be better if they were bigger. I guess I am just saddened by this grow in general. All the issues I have had left me with far less in the flower size than I had hoped/expected especially considering the Wonderberry grow. Oh well enough feeling sorry for myself.

I am absolutely enthused about the move, it cannot come quick enough. One major bonus is that the previous owners had a major setup going on. I am going to be using their veg room for my flower room about 6' by 7'. It looks like they were using the entire garage for a flower room. The best part is that the electrical has already been split and the grow will be on its own breaker box so I will not have to worry about blowing breakers or splitting the electrical myself.

On to your real question though: Water curing is used to remove unused nutrients from your plants when something bad happens and you are not able to flush the plants before harvest. Most of us have come across some buds through our smoking lives that pops and flickers when smoked. That pop and flickering is the unused fertilizer salts in the plant matter and trichomes. Smell is usually wiped out by the water curing except while smoking and in my opinion about half of the taste (others will disagree I am sure).

The way water curing works is through osmosis. You have to use RO or distilled water as they do not have the salts, metals and other impurities in them and that is the key. To perform the task you must take your plants and put them in a container large enough to completely submerge all the plant matter. Next you have to come up with a way to hold that plant matter down in the water (screen with something to hold it down as the plants will try to float). Next you completely cover the plant matter with your RO or distilled water and set it somewhere where it will not evaporate away (you can use a container with a lid too). Through osmosis the salts will migrate from the area of high concentration to the area of low or no concentration (see the reason for truly clean water?) when the concentration of salts in the water is equal to what is in the plants osmosis will stop as there is a natural balance. This is why I change the water each day when water curing, no balance is achieved and osmosis continues. I have found that after 5-7 days of water changes the majority of the salts are removed from the plants and the smoke is acceptable in that it doesn't sparkle and pop when smoked. Some processes happen during this time that keep the plants from molding and they dry very rapidly when removed from the water and are hung or laid out to dry normally. Last time I did it the flowers were dry enough to smoke within a day of removing them from the water.

I hope that was a clear enough explanation. If it doesn't make sense let me know and I will try to make it more clear. I have heard I am hard to understand lately.

 

[Velodrone]

Well it sounds like you have your hands full. I really hope that everything works out in the end. Those bastards are an absolute pain. I had to deal with them ONE time and that was enough. I am so anal about my pest management these days. I DO NOT ever want to deal with that again.

 

[Woodsman]

Woodsman, 5 plants is alright for harvest but it would be better if they were bigger. I guess I am just saddened by this grow in general. All the issues I have had left me with far less in the flower size than I had hoped/expected especially considering the Wonderberry grow. Oh well enough feeling sorry for myself.

I am absolutely enthused about the move, it cannot come quick enough. One major bonus is that the previous owners had a major setup going on. I am going to be using their veg room for my flower room about 6' by 7'. It looks like they were using the entire garage for a flower room. The best part is that the electrical has already been split and the grow will be on its own breaker box so I will not have to worry about blowing breakers or splitting the electrical myself.

On to your real question though: Water curing is used to remove unused nutrients from your plants when something bad happens and you are not able to flush the plants before harvest. Most of us have come across some buds through our smoking lives that pops and flickers when smoked. That pop and flickering is the unused fertilizer salts in the plant matter and trichomes. Smell is usually wiped out by the water curing except while smoking and in my opinion about half of the taste (others will disagree I am sure).

The way water curing works is through osmosis. You have to use RO or distilled water as they do not have the salts, metals and other impurities in them and that is the key. To perform the task you must take your plants and put them in a container large enough to completely submerge all the plant matter. Next you have to come up with a way to hold that plant matter down in the water (screen with something to hold it down as the plants will try to float). Next you completely cover the plant matter with your RO or distilled water and set it somewhere where it will not evaporate away (you can use a container with a lid too). Through osmosis the salts will migrate from the area of high concentration to the area of low or no concentration (see the reason for truly clean water?) when the concentration of salts in the water is equal to what is in the plants osmosis will stop as there is a natural balance. This is why I change the water each day when water curing, no balance is achieved and osmosis continues. I have found that after 5-7 days of water changes the majority of the salts are removed from the plants and the smoke is acceptable in that it doesn't sparkle and pop when smoked. Some processes happen during this time that keep the plants from molding and they dry very rapidly when removed from the water and are hung or laid out to dry normally. Last time I did it the flowers were dry enough to smoke within a day of removing them from the water.

I hope that was a clear enough explanation. If it doesn't make sense let me know and I will try to make it more clear. I have heard I am hard to understand lately.

That's about as good as an explanation that anyone could give, HTL, thanks a bunch, I just learned quite a bit about something I know nothing at all about!
Contrary to what people that don't grow tend to believe, growing quality bud requires immense effort and dedication and depending on the size or complexity this could demand a huge commitment. So when you loose a few plants or (both in your case) you have diminished quantity or even quality, it is very disappointing and I would also feel awful. No need to feel sorry for yourself though, you gave it your all but some things are extremely difficult to control (bugs, disease)

Glad you are looking forward to the move and man, you couldn't have wished for a more appropriate and grower friendly house! Was it someone you know or is it just that common to find something like that?

Well it sounds like you have your hands full. I really hope that everything works out in the end. Those bastards are an absolute pain. I had to deal with them ONE time and that was enough. I am so anal about my pest management these days. I DO NOT ever want to deal with that again.

I kill bugs now that step into my path just because they're related in someway to the bastards that I have out back.