First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 COB LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strains

steppedinds

Well-Known Member
Howdy all. Semi-newbie here. This will be my 2nd hydro grow, and 3rd indoor. This is a new setup compared to my last hydro grow, and I have fixed a lot of my problems from that attempt...hopefully. Still don't have everything I want, but it's one step at a time I guess. All seeds were purchased from a 420mag sponsor. I found a cheap tent setup on ebay that I figured was a good starting point for $547, and better than what I had. Definately would have been better off doing another week of research and ordering things seperately. Not necessarily for cost difference, but slightly better equipment and more specific for my setup/liking. The LEDs were weaker than anticipated, and since I just got rid of my 2 HPS to pay for the setup, I was out of luck. I ordered a few cheaper COB LEDs from China that fit in my budget as temporary solutions that actually surprised me in their power, just a very narrow coverage area.

- Strains :
All are auto-fem strains from the same bank (they did very well for me last order so I figured I'd stick with what was proven). Strains are in order from left to right looking at the top pic (1- back left, 2- front left, 3- back right, 4- front right)
1. 4 x Haze
2. 4-1=3 x Cheese
3. 4 x Sweet Tooth
4. 4 x Hindu Kush
5. 1 x Great White Shark/Lemon Skunk
(they were freebies/not labeled in the res, and one fell into the rez...not sure which one it was. it was too stunted to remain in the tent; relocated the surviving plant in the cheese res and removed a weak cheese plant to give them to friends...that too fell into the res around wk 2 (another reason I would not recommend these particular buckets, although others may be better)

- Life cycle stage : Currently in veg, showed preflowers @ day <48 (they were a little slow to start because of some crap LEDs that came with the setup. Should have checked lux to begin with. Aproximately 3 weeks behind schedule.

- Tent : 4' x 2' x 5' - 600D Polyester Nylon grow tent (leaks light around the zippers)

- Pots : 4 x 4 site 3.5 gal res (originally 5 buckets; weakest were removed and strong were reallocated 11-13-15. (Stunted passed to friend to practice hydro)

- Lighting :
4 (during veg), 6 (during flower) x 60w COB LED E27 (3x20w each Epistar)(ebay - also have 90w = 3 w x 30- really not a bad deal), 2 x 23w Phillips CFL ("100w equiv"), 2 x vertical 2700K-3000K Soft White 24" Florescent, 1 x vertical 6500K 24" Fluorescent (top LEDs - going to try and get something bigger with a wider coverage next grow or grow after)

- Ventilation : 4" 190 cfm inline fan w/ carbon filter (leaving outside the closet), 1 8" stainless steel floor fan, 1 6' floor fan pointing strait up (opposite side).

- CO2 :
20 lb CO2 tank with regulator/solenoid (just ordered CAP CO2-2e Controller - no sensor yet); running @ 10-15 psi ~1 min, every 2-3 hours during daytime after opening/venting/letting out heat/humidity. Started CO2 on day 45.

- Lighting Schedule - 24/7

- Temp :
78-90 F

- Humidity : 50-88% (humidifier or ac to fix this)

- PH of res : ~5.5 (color blind so it's hard to tell. plan on getting a digital pH meter asap)

- Pests/Disease : None

- Water changes/Fertilization : once a week

- Ferts : Currently full str GH Flora series Performance Pack - Week 3 schedule

- Germination :
24 seedlings were planted in pre-soaked 1/8th grow solution that came with the setup I ordered on ebay in cloning tray w/ lid under 2700-3000k fluorescent lights for 7 days. 20/24 sprouted, so I added an extra 4 site bucket to the tent to grow the other 4 till I could remove the weaker ones. They were then moved into the DWC buckets in the tent @ 1/2 fert solution @ week 2 schedule of GH Flora Series Performance Pack with the 3 24" fluorescent corner vertical lights and the 2 x 12w LEDs. The lights that came with the kit had 225 R/G LEDs, just assumed they were the 3w...they were not lol. 12w total each.

- CFLs :
added 8 23w (100w equiv) Phillips CFLs on day 38, followed by 4 x 60w (3w x 20) COB LEDs on day 41

- FIM - FIM technique was used on larger plants on day 41

- LST : Started on day 47 (day before these pics/post)(plan on tightening bend tomorrow or next. Since these buckets do not have a connected rez, I dont plan on using a scrog or trellis. Next grow I plan on getting the Superponics 16-site top fed system to accommodate this since it has a drain. Also, I've had some problems with rockwool cubes not getting nutrient solution because I put too much hydroton underneath them (problem during seedling stage and early veg). These plants seem to be noticeably smaller during the first few weeks vs those with only a small layer of hydroton underneath the rockwoll cube and are staying wet. Hypothesize top fed may eliminate this.

I'll try to update this as much as I can. Can't promise much with work and school as it is right now, but I'll at least try to get some pics every few days and add them when I can. Constructive feedback is absolutely welcomed and more than appreciated. Also, I'm no expert, but I'll be more than happy to share what info I can that may help others out.

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also having a humidity problem. i taped the top of the cups to try to decrease evaporation, but not much luck so far. It's dropped a few %, but still gets up to 85% or so pretty quickly after releasing CO2, usually 30-45 mins. Any cheap solutions for this and id be in your debt.

also realized the wires are a little bit tangled up top when i looked at the top ceiling pic afterwards...and had them tie strapped down originally up top out of the way, but after adding the new light setup and the co2 I had to unzip tie a few things...just haven't replaced e. I'll clean up the mess tomorrow before i have something fall and break one of my beautiful ladies
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

Looks nice and full in that tent! Nice job.

- air flow and circulation- what a fun challenge . Lol

- are u on a fan timer? Or do you have them running constant?
- do you take humidity readings often?

* are your lights on 24/7? Or did I misread that?
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

Circulation fans are on constantly right now. the stainless steel fan in the front, the one you can see, was next to the port opening I had bringing in fresh air because I have no intake fan (this has since been closed after adding CO2). There is another small fan in the back right corner pointing straight up to hopefully keep the sinking heat/co2 circulated. They are all full-autostrains so yes the lights are on 24/7. I have a humidistat/thermostat so that I basically just do visual readings right now. My controller came in today! Woot! I'll be setting it up in the next day or so, so I wont have to keep manually CO2ing and plugging/unplugging the fan each time. I couldnt afford the CO2 monitor attachment, but I think this will suffice and help a lot until when I do. It was also nice to be able to get this cheaper controller so that I can buy the extras later.

EDIT: The EXHAUST fan is only on when I plug it in when the humidity gets too high, so right now it is not on a timer but will be soon as I hook the controller up.

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Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

and my humidistat/thermostat are wireless, so I can see the readings in my living room constantly.
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

:welcome: to :420: steppedinds. Might I suggest a link to your journal in your signature. In that way you will gain followers, advice, and friendship. I'm sure it will increase your enjoyment of our little cannabis corner of the www.

As for your grow, I'm subbed in. Hydro guy too. I look forward to seeing your skils. :) :peace:
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

preciate it bro. I'm really excited for this grow. This is only my 3rd closet grow, and only 2nd hydro. Also this will be my first full-auto grow. I got a freebie auto-AK47 the order before last, from a 420mag sponsor of course, and it did wonderful. They were out of that strain this go around, but I did order all from the same seed manufacturer (hoping they are as good as the AK was lol). Added the link in my sig too...guessing it doesn't add to older posts. Thanks for the heads up though...Edit: got my sig workin now lol
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

*Update 11-20* - Not much; raised lights a few more links. 2-3 links every other day...maybe an inch or so each time. Having to open the tent up 3-4 times a day to dry out for 20-40 mins, then close it back up and co2 'em down. canopy is filling out nice. Starting to fill out enough I may start removing more lower growth that are not receiving light. I'll try to keep as any branches as I can so they grow up top, and just remove the lower spindly growth and sucker leaves. My other 2 60w LEDs just came in, so that should kick it up a notch too. Very impressed with these little guys. They don't have a very wide surface coverage, but are extremely focused and very bright on the areas they do hit. The heat/watts is very efficient too, should be able to get really close to the canopy during flowering. For a low-budget setup or for some1 just doing a few plants I think they are great. I can check the lux/ft candles if any1 is interested, just no par meter, yet.

Haze-back left, Cheese-front left, Sweet tooth-back right, Hindu kush-front right

Front


Top



Sweet tooth


Hindu kush


Haze


Cheese
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

some pre-budding on the sweet tooth i just noticed while trimming the bottoms. actually had a good bit of dead/dying leaves at the bottom that were prime for pruning. temp has dropped 5 deg since opening the underside of the plants. should get some nice vertical growth in the next few days. Also added the other 2 60w leds today and placed them over the crossover points between the front and back plants. Now there are 3 23w 24" florescent, 2 23w compact florescent, and 6 60w cod leds. Also had to add 5 gal of water today, also with h2o2, first time using it. will be adding this to regular regimen. Only been 3 days since water replacement.
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

Just ordered a GE 30-Pint Dehumidifier ADEL30LRQ1 used off ebay. It's actually only located about 100 miles away, so hopefully it will be here soon. It should show up about the same time as the electronic solenoid for my CO2, then hopefully I'll be all set before budding starts. I'm thinking if I don't do something about the humidity once budding starts there is going to be a mold/mildew problem. Should have it all set before then though, hopefully.

how big are you guys co2 tanks? or how many do you have? I seem to be going through a whole 20lb tank at ~800 psi in a little over a week. I found a closer place that refills, I've been paying $21. Only had to pay $75 for the tank I think as a deposit, so I could take it back and get a larger one. At the same time I dont want to be hauling a huge 3-4ft tall tank into my apartment.
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

how big are you guys co2 tanks? or how many do you have? I seem to be going through a whole 20lb tank at ~800 psi in a little over a week. I found a closer place that refills, I've been paying $21. Only had to pay $75 for the tank I think as a deposit, so I could take it back and get a larger one. At the same time I dont want to be hauling a huge 3-4ft tall tank into my apartment.

I don't use it. I battle heat with aggressive exhaust. I would have a hallway full of co2.
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

*Update 11-23* - Bent the tallest branches down to even out the canopy today. Used nylon string and I-hooks that are fastened into the lid. Swapped to week 4 schedule yesterday with water change.
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Right


Left
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

Added GE 30-Pint Dehumidifier ADEL30LRQ1. It has it's own humidistat and a full time automated fan. I chose not to plug it into my controller so that I could keep the fan on all the time. The exhaust fan/humidity control aren't separate on this controller, so having them separate works better anyway. I set the humidity on the dehumidifier to 55%, and on the controller for the exhaust to 75%. This works so that the humidifier will come on sometime after the co2 is sprayed, which causes the humidity to rise, and if it gets too high the exhaust fan kicks in. The heat is set to 90 F, so if it gets too high the exhaust fan will come on, also. I'm hoping the extra heat from the dehumidifier doesn't build up too fast and offset this whole system...I've had it in an hour, watching to see if the temp is going to get any higher than normal mid 80s

Edit: wow. came back and it was at 99'....definitely cant use this thing lol
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

*Update 11-26* - Not much done. Humidity is down to 45-55%, stopped using CO2. CO2 was raising humidity, so will probably only use it from now on for first 4-5 weeks.

Front
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Top
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Left
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Right
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Sweet tooth
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Haze

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Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

any1 know why the haze is so yellow towards the middle, near the bud? is this a deficiency? i could get a real color photo without leds if needed.
 
Re: First Journal - 2nd Hydro Grow - 60W x 6 Cob LED - CO2 - Closet - Multiple Strain

TDS and digital pH meters came in today. Reservoirs are 6.3-6.6 pH and as low as 950 ppm. Guess I haven't been adding enough fert., although going by the recommended doses. PH is also higher than I anticipated, although it may be lowering throughout the week, same as TDS. Next water change I'll be able to check before and after to see how much plants are using.
 
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