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.
- 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.
to 
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.
