JakPot's Hempy Bucket LED Grow - First Journal

[JakPot]

Hey jak this is worth a look. What is Lucas Formula, and how do I use it? . And weight is a good way to tell when the plant needs more feed later on in flower vs this day or that. As for seedlings water your hempy daily the roots will find the res just fine.

Hey Habitual, I have actually read that page and considered using Lucas Formula after seeing King426's THC Bomb Mainlined Hempy Grow. Turned out nice, he got 217 grams (7 & 3/4 oz) off of one plant. I think under an 800W HPS. I also read this article from The North West Leaf.

I read a few other grow journals and articles on the subject that I have since lost track of. What I gathered is that it is a great grow schedule when on a budget, to save on the bottle of gro. Also, that it generally is an effective schedule for healthy plants.

However, I have also read that it really is strain dependent. Some strains need that additional nitrogen, some don't. By the time I had read about Lucas Formula, I had already bought a 3 pack of the GH gear from Amazon, so I decided to go with it.

The first time I watered/fed all of them, it took a gallon before I got runoff. Right now, every three days, it takes only a half gallon to get runoff. My feeling is that at this stage, every three days is fine, because I am replenishing the res when it is still half full. I know that they will get more hungry/thirsty as they get bigger. I will def adjust/increase watering/feeding then.

Not trying to be a contrarian.. lol. I do appreciate your input.

 

[Habitual]

No worries, though not sure its about price . We agree it's a great product and I look forward to watching you harvest. Ever thought of using hydroton on top to limit algae and evaporation?

 

[JakPot]

No worries, though not sure its about price . We agree it's a great product and I look forward to watching you harvest. Ever thought of using hydroton on top to limit algae and evaporation?

I haven't thought of that. I'm hoping the peroxide will help prevent the spread of the spores of algae. I expect some to form on the surface due to the light but I don't think it'll have much impact.

I may buy a bag of hydroton though. Great idea to light proof the surface of the medium and slow evaporation.

Also, despite what I said above, I am likely going to go with Lucas next round...lol. I have read a lot of journals of people that have had great success with 100% perlite and Maxibloom (with nothing else). In the interest of KISS, I am going to give it a try.

 

[Howell]

Those seedlings are loving that LED so don't worry about the distance from the light

 

[JakPot]

Those seedlings are loving that LED so don't worry about the distance from the light

Yeah they are I am not worried about the distance now. Not since I moved them. The height of the first room I had them in was 5' and with the light hanger and the buckets, they didn't have much room to grow before they would've been in danger of being burned.

This room I put them in is 7.5' and the tips of the seedlings are about 4.5' away; plenty of room to grow. Will be putting them in a tent to flower mid to end of November. My tent is 7' tall so I think they'll be (matured and) fine in there too.

 

[Howell]

Yeah they are I am not worried about the distance now. Not since I moved them. The height of the first room I had them in was 5' and with the light hanger and the buckets, they didn't have much room to grow before they would've been in danger of being burned.

This room I put them in is 7.5' and the tips of the seedlings are about 4.5' away; plenty of room to grow. Will be putting them in a tent to flower mid to end of November. My tent is 7' tall so I think they'll be (matured and) fine in there too.

Yeah 7' is more than enough, mine is less than half of that with CFLs but by keeping the lights low I managed to grow them really short.

 

[smokers420]

Mind if I pull up a chair?
Interested in seeing the outcome of your grow!

 

[Fuzznutter]

*Slides a chair over next to the others* Hey everyone! Hi JakPot! Looking good.

I've done Hempy in the past and I don't think you need to worry too much about overwatering. I watered with feed (slightly diluted) every other day in veg and usually every day in flower without problem.

 

[JakPot]

Mind if I pull up a chair?
Interested in seeing the outcome of your grow!

Not at all, Thank you for joining in

 

[JakPot]

Hi everyone,

sorry it's been a few days since I've had some free time to get on the internet. I took some new pictures a couple of days ago but didn't get a chance to put them up. They have progressed a little since then so I am going to take some new ones and put them up shortly.

A few things I will say about LED lights: There really is a lot of hype out there. Some really are great but some oversell on some irrelevant sales points. I was sold on purchasing a light rated at 800W because it has dual 5W Epistar Dioades (10W total), a UV-B diode which they claimed was good for "Stem elongation and general plant health." It also includes an IR Diode, just one; one of the biggest selling points was that it's draw is very low compared to it's rating.

What I've learned since making the hasty purchasing decision: 10W Diodes is a bit too intense and does not add a lot to the penetration capabilities. Actual wattage actually matters and in terms of rating wattage, watt per gram is not on par with rated wattage, though with better systems actual draw is or is at least somewhat close. I know that IR is good for the plant but the UV is useless to the plant but is what is causing reddened sunburned skin and extreme eye irritation if I forget to put UV-400 glasses and sunscreen on before entering the room.

I think the light I purchased was too intense without much benefit for that intensity. I had another light on order but after reading a lot on the subject, I canceled it. I am instead purchasing two LED's rated at 450W that allow daisy chain and are 200 actual draw a piece. I think I'll get better coverage with two and get closer to the 1g/W ratio of actual draw.

I'm curious what you all think about what I'm saying regarding LED's.

Pics coming shortly

 

[JakPot]

Oh, and the 450's I'm getting have 5 watt chips instead of 10, with 5 ir diodes, and no UV.

 

[JakPot]

Last thing on that. I did consider just getting a 400W HPS but then I would also need to get an inline fan, ducting, and a carbon filter. I don't have anywhere to duct it out to though. So, I am sticking with LED's. It's just now I am not seeing the benefit of the low actual draw or 10W chips with UV-B diodes, so much as the built in heat syncs, fans, and overall low heat operation.

 

[JakPot]

Ok here are some pics that I just took a couple of minutes ago

The baby Brooklyn Mango is still just a wee baby. She hasn't gained much in size yet but there is some definitely fattening of the leaves which are a bright lush green; She's alive and I expect she'll do well. I've seen quite a few late bloomers blossom beautifully.

The second Mango to pop is a bit bigger but still a little slower growth than I am use to. I attribute that to the slow start that I have read about regarding Hempy's and I expect an explosion of growth soon, at least I hope, lol.

The THC Bomb was the first to pop and so far still the most developed. She sprang up hard and upright 3 days from planting her seed, pointy side up, into a moist coco based pellet.

The Sex Bud is still also quite small but I like the shape she is taking so far, sort of a sexy slender physique. From what I've heard and read, she is a special pheno of Cindy99. I have read that her purported effects are hyped up, but we'll see. I'll include a full smoke report of all of these at the end

Temps and RH still in a good range for this stage.

I have noticed a tiny bit of algae on the perlite of the THC Bomb bucket. That is the only one so far that I added additional perlite to the top of to prop up the elongated stem really early on. I have not noticed any on the buckets with the vermiculite.

I diluted some 3 percent peroxide with ph'd water and sprayed it over the top of the algae. I will get some hydroton to place over the top at some point, if it becomes more of an issue, before the perlite is shaded from towering buds.

Anyone else here had a major issue with Algae on hempy's?

Also, I have moved to a daily watering schedule based on the advice here. I don't think it'll hurt and may help prevent root rot from stagnant water.

I think that is sound advice. Thanks all.

 

[Howell]

Hi everyone,

sorry it's been a few days since I've had some free time to get on the internet. I took some new pictures a couple of days ago but didn't get a chance to put them up. They have progressed a little since then so I am going to take some new ones and put them up shortly.

A few things I will say about LED lights: There really is a lot of hype out there. Some really are great but some oversell on some irrelevant sales points. I was sold on purchasing a light rated at 800W because it has dual 5W Epistar Dioades (10W total), a UV-B diode which they claimed was good for "Stem elongation and general plant health." It also includes an IR Diode, just one; one of the biggest selling points was that it's draw is very low compared to it's rating.

What I've learned since making the hasty purchasing decision: 10W Diodes is a bit too intense and does not add a lot to the penetration capabilities. Actual wattage actually matters and in terms of rating wattage, watt per gram is not on par with rated wattage, though with better systems actual draw is or is at least somewhat close. I know that IR is good for the plant but the UV is useless to the plant but is what is causing reddened sunburned skin and extreme eye irritation if I forget to put UV-400 glasses and sunscreen on before entering the room.

I think the light I purchased was too intense without much benefit for that intensity. I had another light on order but after reading a lot on the subject, I canceled it. I am instead purchasing two LED's rated at 450W that allow daisy chain and are 200 actual draw a piece. I think I'll get better coverage with two and get closer to the 1g/W ratio of actual draw.

I'm curious what you all think about what I'm saying regarding LED's.

Pics coming shortly

I'm not too keen on purchasing high Wattage LEDs for now. My 138W Ufo LED is all I need. But if I were to expand my growing space in the future then I'll definitely be doing the same thing you did which is getting 2 LEDs instead of an overpowered one. The reason is because you get better light coverage, less burns and low consumption so yeah

 

[Howell]

Ok here are some pics that I just took a couple of minutes ago

The baby Brooklyn Mango is still just a wee baby. She hasn't gained much in size yet but there is some definitely fattening of the leaves which are a bright lush green; She's alive and I expect she'll do well. I've seen quite a few late bloomers blossom beautifully.

The second Mango to pop is a bit bigger but still a little slower growth than I am use to. I attribute that to the slow start that I have read about regarding Hempy's and I expect an explosion of growth soon, at least I hope, lol.

The THC Bomb was the first to pop and so far still the most developed. She sprang up hard and upright 3 days from planting her seed, pointy side up, into a moist coco based pellet.

The Sex Bud is still also quite small but I like the shape she is taking so far, sort of a sexy slender physique. From what I've heard and read, she is a special pheno of Cindy99. I have read that her purported effects are hyped up, but we'll see. I'll include a full smoke report of all of these at the end

Temps and RH still in a good range for this stage.

I have noticed a tiny bit of algae on the perlite of the THC Bomb bucket. That is the only one so far that I added additional perlite to the top of to prop up the elongated stem really early on. I have not noticed any on the buckets with the vermiculite.

I diluted some 3 percent peroxide with ph'd water and sprayed it over the top of the algae. I will get some hydroton to place over the top at some point, if it becomes more of an issue, before the perlite is shaded from towering buds.

Anyone else here had a major issue with Algae on hempy's?

Also, I have moved to a daily watering schedule based on the advice here. I don't think it'll hurt and may help prevent root rot from stagnant water.

I think that is sound advice. Thanks all.

I don't use perlite but if the algae problem gets out of hand then a lil flushing won't do any harm. I'm really looking forward to seeing how that THC Bomb will be. I've seen some really monstrous THC Bombs and I'm hoping yours will be one of them .

 

[Weaselcracker]

Not a hempy expert, but from what ive seen everyone, including myself, gets algae on top and it seems to do no harm. If you are worried about it I suspect that you could stop it by putting a layer of hydroton on top, or some other inert material like pebbles, or whatever.

 

[Fuzznutter]

When I ran Hempy I'd get a small amount of algae on the very top layer. I just let it go and it never got out of hand or became an issue. The top layer dries too fast for it to ever get really established.

I do the same thing as you're planning for lights: Two 200 actual-watt LED panels per closet (roughly 2'x5') and so far they seem to be doing great. I haven't hit flower yet so time will tell. I just couldn't justify the extremely higher cost for the possibility of a little extra bud per plant. I'll already be swimming in buds with just one grow. It felt like overkill for the price. Hopefully, I don't eat those words in another couple months though.

 

[JakPot]

I'm not too keen on purchasing high Wattage LEDs for now. My 138W Ufo LED is all I need. But if I were to expand my growing space in the future then I'll definitely be doing the same thing you did which is getting 2 LEDs instead of an overpowered one. The reason is because you get better light coverage, less burns and low consumption so yeah

That is what I am thinking in terms of better light coverage and less possibility for burns. Though I don't believe I am under too much of a height constraint.

The low power consumption is a great point as well, though not as much of a concern to me. I do believe there is a direct link between the actual draw of the light and penetration, which in the end converts to yield.

The LED's are self cooled and throw little heat to begin with which is a major bonus to this type of lighting. The intensity however can burn plants that are within 18" - 30" depending on the model of light and stage of growth of the plant.

I am definitely pleased with my decision to go with LED's because of the low heat distribution but do want a minimum of 400W actual draw running through my grow room.

I think for your size garden your 138W Roleadro UFO is perfect.

 

[JakPot]

Not a hempy expert, but from what ive seen everyone, including myself, gets algae on top and it seems to do no harm. If you are worried about it I suspect that you could stop it by putting a layer of hydroton on top, or some other inert material like pebbles, or whatever.

I've read that a few places but I did see one person on a thread saying that was wrong and that when you see it, spores are infecting the entire root system.

So far as I know, algae needs light to grow, so I don't think it would be very far under the surface. Most people though have said that they get it at some point or another when running Hempy's and it seems to have no effect. Also that it stops once the surface of the medium is shaded by the buds.

I've never run Hempy's before this but the plants do seem healthy and lush green. No spots from deficiency, burn, or pests. Seems more development this morning when I took a peek than in the pics I took last night.

I am not terribly worried about the algae. I pulled off the few chunks on the surface where I saw it and sprayed with peroxide/water mix. This morning I don't see any signs of it having spread. But, on next run just to be thorough I will use hydroton or clay pebbles on the surface.. That or cut a whole through the center of a lid for a bucket and use that.

 

[JakPot]

When I ran Hempy I'd get a small amount of algae on the very top layer. I just let it go and it never got out of hand or became an issue. The top layer dries too fast for it to ever get really established.

I do the same thing as you're planning for lights: Two 200 actual-watt LED panels per closet (roughly 2'x5') and so far they seem to be doing great. I haven't hit flower yet so time will tell. I just couldn't justify the extremely higher cost for the possibility of a little extra bud per plant. I'll already be swimming in buds with just one grow. It felt like overkill for the price. Hopefully, I don't eat those words in another couple months though.

That seems to be the consensus on the algae with very few differing opinions scattered throughout forum posts here and there. I do not think I have a lot to worry about, and do have solutions on hand should it become a problem down the road.

Yes, I think it was the right decision on the lights for both of us

Your babies are looking beautiful as well and I can't wait to see what all of those organic nutrients produce under those LED's.