First Grow-Aero-Stealth Box

[Skybound]

Yeah, I suppose I will do the 24 or 36 hour night. Not too sure what to do about what feed schedule to do. Don't yet know the pros and cons of both to decide. I'd like to do a GLR for the rest of this week to help transition, but I'd like others to weigh in on that before I do it.

Thanks SG! P.S. I couldn't find that 4" oscillating fan on any of the 3 sites, (Wally, Blowe, home D)

 

[stealthgrow]

Yeah, I suppose I will do the 24 or 36 hour night. Not too sure what to do about what feed schedule to do. Don't yet know the pros and cons of both to decide. I'd like to do a GLR for the rest of this week to help transition, but I'd like others to weigh in on that before I do it.

Thanks SG! P.S. I couldn't find that 4" oscillating fan on any of the 3 sites, (Wally, Blowe, home D)

Sorry Sky, its not oscillating, its a stationary fan, my closet is small enough that just having the 2 per closet (1 above canopy and 1 below) blowing creates enough airflow. Try searching the lowes website for "4 inch desk fan".

 

[donpaul.p]

its best to use glr from the start of veg then go strait to flower, i would not go from say 24-0 or 20-4 then glr then to flower, id only use glr from the start as it helps build flowering hormones up during veg so they flower a lot quicker and more vigourous when flipped to 12-12,

what schedule are you using at the minute, if you didnt want to go strait to 12-12 then you could do it over a week or 2, you could go from 24-0 down to 20-4 then 18-6 etc etc, until you back to 12-12, pretty similar to how its done outdoors in natural light, but its also ok to go strait to 12-12 from what ever schedule your using

i have tried all schedules and find plants stretch more when going from 24-0 and 20-4 down to 12-12, using 18-6 or glr for veg tends to make the stretch a little less, its more to do with the plant getting used to the dark period,

during the dark period the plants using its stored energy to repair damage done during the day, it also sends nutrients back down to the roots which helps with root development, the plant also stretches during the dark period, it does this as its trying to find the light again, when a plant is in the shade it stretches to get back into the light, so when you flip to 12-12 it thinks its going to find the light again by stretching, so it takes a week or 2 before it gets used to the schedule and stops stretching,

so going from 24-0 down to 12-12 tends to make the plant stretch more as its not used to having any dark period, so 18-6 or glr would produce less stretch when flipped to 12-12, but reducing the light hours gradually will also have a similar affect,

but its ok to go strait to 12-12, i found 18-6 is a good schedule to use for veg and less stretch when flipping 12-12, so i wouldnt switch to glr if you have been using another schedule as its best to use glr from the start of veg, you dont want to stress it at this point,

 

[Skybound]

Thanks for the speedy response DP. I am in 18/6 now and will stay here till the 15th. then I'll shut off the lights for only 24 hours so as no to stretch too much, then hit the 12/12 till finish. I may have gotten too carried away with the topping as I have branches everywhere and not enough space for all that. I will likely get the scrog net up prematurely to train where the stretch can occur. I want to give the clones and seedlings a fighting chance, and being as though they are all in hydro, possibly they can catch up in at least height.

My log;
Hydro res climbed to about 6.4 pH, but I gradually lowered it to 5.8 over the course of 3 hours. PPM is 715. Mixing nutes for the soil plant to drink tomorrow morning. I will keep micro and silica @ 100% and gro and bloom nutes @ 50%. I was wanting to stretch this out for another day as this is a larger pot and some moisture is hiding down bottom. It doesn't think I know it's there, but I know! However when I put the moisture meter all the way down, the first reading was 3/10 and then started to decline. when I pulled the probes out there was some soil stuck to them and I felt the moisture on them. I expect to be called to work within the next few hours, then am going out to the country to start building another site with more space to veg out in. So hopefully I can tie all that up and get back at a reasonable hour tomorrow evening. Maybe I'll get my wish and hold off on the watering for that additional day?

 

[AfricanGrower]

Are you looking to build an outdoor site with a grow box/tent or an actual cabin-type shack?

 

[donpaul.p]

no worries, just didnt want you to stress the plants as they need to get used to glr so just doing it for a couple of weeks might give you hermies, its not something ive tried but i do know its best to use glr from day 1 up till flower then use deminishing light routine for flower to produce good results, again ive not tried dlr along with glr, i have used glr a couple of times but im working with autos so cant use glr just yet but once im done with autos ill be flipping back to glr for future grows as im more than happy with the results and much less stretch when flipping to 12-12

 

[Skybound]

A close friend for a very long time lives way out in the boonies has a large shack on his property, of which he will allot me about half the space inside in exchange for teaching and 50% of harvest. I'm game for that as I will then have about 4'x6' and 8'+ high to work with. Not to mention that if we don't have to move down south for work this winter, there'll be plenty of farm land and game land and since I'm dying to smoke a sativa.....

 

[donpaul.p]

very nice, would be able to produce some nice bud their, i take it one of you would be their to check the plants, only thing id do is get the propery using more electric before you start growing, that way if anyone is going to check up on the electric use then its going to be nothing more than something heavy using more power, sometimes it can flag up if power usage ramps up all of sudden, the electric companies say they dont monitor customers like that but i dont think id risk it,

when i started growing i knew i was going to be using around 400watts, so i found ways of cutting back on other electrical items, i replaced all my house bulbs with low watt cfls, i didnt use the tumble dryer as much and this easily off set the extra 400 watts i was running, its why i also prefer to run lower light running hours like 18-6 or 17-7, plus it just so happens that plants seem to grow a bit better when given a good night period over 24 hours, i did hear on another journal that a grower was growing plants under 24-0 and they still flowered and they wasnt autos,

i had something similar happen under 18-6, i had a clone and it started flowering under 18-6 and it wasnt an auto, ive got another now flowering under 18-6, ive got a male growing and i thought it was just showing sex but now its growing more and more pollen sacs so will be interesting to see if they actually open while its under 18-6, in theory the plants shouldnt flower under a veg schedule, but im sure it was fuzzy duck who said he had plants flower under 24-0,

 

[B A R]

A close friend for a very long time lives way out in the boonies has a large shack on his property, of which he will allot me about half the space inside in exchange for teaching and 50% of harvest. I'm game for that as I will then have about 4'x6' and 8'+ high to work with. Not to mention that if we don't have to move down south for work this winter, there'll be plenty of farm land and game land and since I'm dying to smoke a sativa.....

Sounds like a win win.

very nice, would be able to produce some nice bud their, i take it one of you would be their to check the plants, only thing id do is get the propery using more electric before you start growing, that way if anyone is going to check up on the electric use then its going to be nothing more than something heavy using more power, sometimes it can flag up if power usage ramps up all of sudden, the electric companies say they dont monitor customers like that but i dont think id risk it,

when i started growing i knew i was going to be using around 400watts, so i found ways of cutting back on other electrical items, i replaced all my house bulbs with low watt cfls, i didnt use the tumble dryer as much and this easily off set the extra 400 watts i was running, its why i also prefer to run lower light running hours like 18-6 or 17-7, plus it just so happens that plants seem to grow a bit better when given a good night period over 24 hours, i did hear on another journal that a grower was growing plants under 24-0 and they still flowered and they wasnt autos,

i had something similar happen under 18-6, i had a clone and it started flowering under 18-6 and it wasnt an auto, ive got another now flowering under 18-6, ive got a male growing and i thought it was just showing sex but now its growing more and more pollen sacs so will be interesting to see if they actually open while its under 18-6, in theory the plants shouldnt flower under a veg schedule, but im sure it was fuzzy duck who said he had plants flower under 24-0,

I've been following this convo but NOW I'm getting confused. For photosynthesis to take place doesn't it need to be dark?

 

[Skybound]

Light & CO2 for photosynthesis.

@ DP, I'm bringing my 400w MH & HPS (same hood). He also procured a 2000watt generator. He just moved to his property about a month ago so the power company shouldn't have developed his patterns yet. I'm planning to go with an RDWC if we can keep the temps optimal in there, will have to see what we can do insulation wise first. But I just wanna focus on those 1 LB plants everyone's talking about. HygroHybrid (on YouTube) says he gets more than a pound per plant with this system. His nute schedule is so simple too. Veg under T5 to make'em stretch a bit with Flora nutes, then when he flips, Flora Nova Bloom, H2O2 and Sillica till harvest. The system he uses looks idiot proof which right up my alley, and since I already have a good water pump, I'd just need to get a good air pump (which I want anyway). Scrog, lollipop, super crop, monster tops! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!

 

[mcloadie]

6co2+6h2o in the presence of appropriate light = c6 h12 o6 +6o2....this is photosynthesis, the 6o2 will rise in the atmosphere and become o3.........ozone, as it gains another o atom.

 

[s1ingblade]

I have since put the little fella in a hamper with a CFL (unknown output), 1 of the PC fans I got for my dream box and tuck it into an obscure corner behind my door. I covered 2 of the walls with white Bristol Board (used to draw portraits) to block light leaks. With a small piece of that BB, I fashioned a reflector for behind the CFL to control amount of light going out the top and to get more light to the struggling seedling. Aside from plugging in the fan every once in a while to circulate, I don't really have anything else to give as I wasn't planning to grow for another week or 2 (maybe 3).

With an already strained budget, I'm looking for extremely cheap ways to improve his/her chances to grow some more. the PC fan blows too much and sounds like a tiny vacuum cleaner so for starters I'd like to cheaply dial down the speed if possible to maybe 50%. Also I'm lost as to what to feed it aside from tap water. I guess I can get a jug of distilled. i poured a tea cup of tap water in earlier and maybe 20% came right out the bottom inside of a minute or two so I can see at least decent drainage. Any thoughts as to what I can do for elemental supplements? Don't know the quality of dog doo doo. I don't have access to poultry poop save for the white stains all over the windshields.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

High Sky!
Don't know if you are still wanting to slow down the fan but somewhere on this site is info on a pc fan speed controller. Maybe a rheostat can be wired in and that could quite things down a bit. Only had time to bookmark your journal as I am getting ready to leave but asap I will do a complete read, cant wait!

 

[Skybound]

bring lots of snacks cuz my journey involves many hills and valleys, but so far it's a happy journey.

i read somewhere that if a fan isn't designed for multiple speeds, u can burn it out. i tested that theory on a drill at work and sure as shit, i fried the motor. have since made many developments, one is a DIY carbon filter and the byproduct is much less noise.

 

[Skybound]

9-12 update

I just woke up after a very long 27 hour (or so) shift at work. I am still a little discombobulated but am slowly regaining bearings. Prior to going to work, I watered the mom in soil a bit early. The soil was still pretty moist about 2-3" below the surface, but I knew I'd be gone for a while so I chose to feed anyway. The feeding was;
GH Flora 3part Drain to Waste
Micro - 100% Late Veg
Gro - 50%
Bloom - 50%
Silica 100%
H2O2 - 100%
Some may ask why I used H2O2 for an organic soil. I've read that some insects may find refuge in the soil and cause problems and since I noticed a few small flies in the grow room, I didn't want that to get out of control. Also, b/c H2O2 has a free atom of O2, it is said that it will replace stagnant water in the soil with fresh oxygenated water and really invigorate the root system. I got the H2O2 for the hydro, but read that it can help the soil too. Also read that it will kill all bacterias, so whatever was alive in the soil, I expect has been eradicated, even the good stuff, so I hope the benefits of H2O2 outweigh the need for beneficial organisms. So far, the plant is responding well with more stabilizing of color and the nute burns appear to healing well.
When I first got home from work, even before I showered I wanted to check the PPM and pH level of the hydro, so I unscrewed the water outlet outside the grow box as the pump was then on, and nothing came out. this frightened me a bit b/c I knew the water level was that low. Thankfully, because this is an over/under setup, the root chamber maintains whatever water level I set it at, which is usually about 2-3" deep with air stones bringing air from the pump that is located right in front of my A/C unit. So I pressed the level/drain pipe down a bit to get some of that aerated water down to the res to be recirculated into the system. I was then able to draw some water into a solo cup for testing. The PPMs decreased a bit, but the pH raised up to about 6.3. So I got cleaned up and mixed some more nutes to top off the system.
I mixed 1.5 gallons with GH Flora 3 part Drain To Waste (mistake, I should have used the recirculating schedule) - (below measurements are based upon one gallon. I used half doses for the other half gallon)
Micro - 4ml 100% (Transition)
Gro - 4ml 100%
Bloom - 4ml 100% ---------NOTE, the recirculating transition schedule calls for 7.5ml of all 3 parts, so the use of 4ml on all 3 make for about 60% strength which is still pretty good.
Silica - 100%
H2O2 - 100%
I phed the water to about 5.6 to bring down the 6.3 into optimum levels. Tomorrow I will add more to bring it down further to 5.8. Right now it is at 6.0. PPM is @ 550

Another thing I did was to start decreasing light hours. For the 2 days I was at work, the light/dark time was 17/7. I readjusted the timer by taking another 1.5 hours from daylight which will now be 15.5/8.5. I plan to flip the lights off on sunday for 30 hours. From here to there I will decrease daylight hours as evenly as I can until I bring to just above 12/12 before lights are off for a day. then when they return it will be 12/12 till harvest. And now the pics;

I usually alternate the big momma between LST and free standing. I want her to focus the remaining time in veg on her under growth. All those secondary branches that I topped, I want to shoot as high as she'll push them, so I LST her biggest dominant tops to allow the others to get some of the light. when the ScrOG net goes in, I will train her the best I can to get the most bud sites on the screen. All the rest of her undercarriage will be lollipopped. The 2nd CO2 batch is about spent. I will make a new one when the lights are flipped, but for now, I just shake the bucket every so often to get it bubbling again.

 

[AfricanGrower]

Hey Sky, The Mom is looking great and her little sisters are soon to follow with all that new growth. It is getting pretty crowded in their quick that's soon going to be filled with some sticky buds

How many days of veg are the plants in the aero setup? You plan on flipping all of them into flower at the same time time, right?

 

[Skybound]

8/18 - I soaked the seeds for 12 hours, then right into the presoaked rock wool cubes. Also took for clones
8/21 - The seeds sprouted and were transplanted to the hydro a few days later
8/28 - None of the clones rooted out the bottom of the rock wool cubes, so I took the best looking 2 and transplanted them to the hydro. It's hard to say when a clones DOB is, but somewhere between 8/18 - 8/28 to date of flip 9/16 will be just under a month. Yeah, they're all going into flower at the same time. I want to clean that box out and focus on a more efficient grow. I probably won't use this location again b/c it has too many liabilities, but we'll see if I wanna take that chance again. Legislation is being mulled over to legalize MMJ in this state and is expected to be finalized yea or nay on 9/23, so my fingers are crossed.

 

[stealthgrow]

looking good Sky, keep up the good work.

 

[Skybound]

I wish I had more space to let them all stretch to their heart's content.

 

[donpaul.p]

@broke, not sure what you mean mate, ive slept since then, let us know what you mean,

plants look great,

 

[B A R]

If your referring to post 289, I was highly medicated that night. When I get like that I think very deeply. Right now I have no idea what I was talking about then.