JakPot's Hempy Bucket LED Grow - First Journal

[JakPot]

I want to make some corrections to errors that I stated early on in the journal regarding the lights I am currently using.

The 300W I have is just the 3W chip 300W King, not the double 5W. I have it in a separate closet on the other side of the house seeding some clones and spraying CS on some plants and other clones. In hempy's, nothing special, no special nutes, just want my own fem seeds; save some $.

The 800W, I stated earlier was 210 draw. The 1000W KingPlus that I was planning on buying was. When I went to amazon to buy it, it was still in stock but it was no longer being offered with Prime. So, I went with the 800W with Prime instead. The one I have only has an actual draw of 160. I am currently using this one to veg these. When my other lights arrive, I am going to put this one in yet another empty closet over some Auto's.

I just picked up some GSC, VIP Love Peace, and Blackberry for this purpose and got 3 each of Sweet Coffee Rider and NLxBB; all auto fem. I'll make a separate journal for that when it's all set.

I've said so much about the lighting systems I'm using, good and bad, I figured I should clarify that... lol.

 

[JakPot]

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 .

Same here on the THC Bomb, one of the main reasons I got this strain. Huge yielder from what I hear and up to 25% THC. The breeder says that it flowers in 7 - 9 weeks. I have seen some video journals though of people about to chop at 60 - 65 days into flower and they were still covered in white hairs and new growth; looked really premature. Many veteran grower journals that I've read referencing the strain say it is more like a 10 - 12 week flower to reach peak maturity to be picked.

She was the first to pop and the most developed so far, but will likely be the last to be chopped. Hopefully she'll reach her full potential. We'll see. Stay tuned

 

[Howell]

Same here on the THC Bomb, one of the main reasons I got this strain. Huge yielder from what I hear and up to 25% THC. The breeder says that it flowers in 7 - 9 weeks. I have seen some video journals though of people about to chop at 60 - 65 days into flower and they were still covered in white hairs and new growth; looked really premature. Many veteran grower journals that I've read referencing the strain say it is more like a 10 - 12 week flower to reach peak maturity to be picked.

She was the first to pop and the most developed so far, but will likely be the last to be chopped. Hopefully she'll reach her full potential. We'll see. Stay tuned

That's great news, she'll definitely surprise us. So I'll be watching the grow man. Keep up the good work.

Respect.

 

[JakPot]

That's great news, she'll definitely surprise us. So I'll be watching the grow man. Keep up the good work.

Respect.

Thank you Howell! Very happy to have you along for the ride

 

[JakPot]

Ok, so I have been all over the map on LED lights...lol. I had a Viparspectra 600W on order but quickly canceled before the order was fulfilled, after reading some poor reviews on forum posts. That light was $190 on Amazon.

I decided that when I got paid again, on Thursday, that I would get two Meizhi Reflector series 450W with daisy chain and dual switch functions. I was reluctant to go with that brand but they were $110 a piece on Amazon and I liked the actual draw of 200W, and the 120 degree diodes along with the other features.

At the last minute before making the order on Amazon I decided to check Ebay to compare prices. I saw some people on another forum saying that ebay is cheaper for lights.

I saw a Meizhi R 600W reflector series on Ebay for $120. They had the blue 450W too for $90. The 600W had an actual draw of 290 with 4 reflector panels on each light and all the features of the Meizhi Blue 600W Reflector Series. The blue 600W had the daisy chain and veg bloom switches but was the same price as the Vipar.

I contacted the seller to ask him what the difference is between this light and the blue one, if the daisy chain and dual switch is the only difference. He replied right away and confirmed that is the only difference, they both have 290W, but the Blue has the blue spec for veg and red & blue for flower; this one has the blue and red all the time. With the power though, I don't think I' get much stretch, didn't get too much on a single 160W (800W rated). Also no daisy chain on this one and this one is Royal Purple.

So, I ordered two of them and it is final. I did not want to say anything here until it was...lol, because I have changed my mind several times now. But, these two are bought and paid for and I got confirmation last night, have shipped. They are due to arrive by the 15th or earlier. I'll take a few pics when I unwrap them and set them up.

They were a great price, I hope not too good to be true. With these two, so long as they don't break, I will be close I think to the equivalence of a 600W HPS. I'll have true 580W of power.

I am hoping that a panel doesn't go out mid grow, proving true the old addage; "You get what you pay for."... lol

PS: Adding this link if anyone wants to take a look at what I bought. This Light

 

[JakPot]

There hasn't been a ton of growth but they all look very healthy and when I look at the last pics versus these I can definitely see a difference. The most noticeable difference is in the babiest of babies here, the Baby Brooklyn Mango that sprouted at the 11th hour and secured her place at the garden.

She is still a baby but is just now beginning to express some growth beyond her first set of leaves and little hints of her second.

The second Brooklyn Mango is now beginning to look like the THC Bomb did a week and a half or so ago.

The THC Bomb is still doing well. A little more algae on the perlite but not seeming to affect her.

The Sex bud is still looking sexy and is showing a little new growth.

I forgot to take a pic of the temp reading but when I looked it was 76 degrees F and 45% RH, in range.

I can't wait to get these babies under 580W's of power. I think things will really pick up then.

 

[JakPot]

Just one more shot and post for the day. I probably won't be on much over the weekend, my kids will be here soon. I noticed when I took a look earlier that growth tips are beginning to form at the nodes of the THC bomb and her stalk is beginning to thicken, as are the others. Again, my camera is not the greatest at 8MP. Still, although a little blurry you can see the tips just starting to poke up at the nodes, and that the stalk has thickened a bit. I'll be making her first cut in a couple weeks followed by cuts to the others shortly after.

Here's the pic:

 

[JakPot]

I took a few pictures over the last few days but I haven't put them up yet. I just uploaded 18 of them but I probably won't post them all here. I am going to take a few more new ones that I will add to the next post.

I have really been clear on the time line of the journal so I will add some additional background now.

I planted the Brooklyn Mango's and freebies on the 8th of October. I've been planting directly into medium to germinate for a long time. Sometimes I soak the seed until it sinks first, sometimes I don't. This time I didn't but wished I had when it took so long to pop. This was my first time using a coco pellet, usually I plant in soil.

I planted the THC Bomb on the 10th, out of frustration, and it popped on the 13th. The Sex Bud Popped about 4 days later, on the 17th. I kept the remaining pellets in a warm place and didn't give up. The Mango's eventually popped around 11 and 14 days after planting; on the 19th and 22nd. That is the longest it's taken me to germinate seeds. The Bomb was more typical, the Sex Bud wasn't bad.

Also, the seed membranes being stuck on the cotyledon's made me think the seeds were aged. Still, it was a 2 pack and they both popped. The first mango to pop has caught up nicely; definitely going to root the cuttings for seeds of this strain. The freebies popped too but one of them rotted, that one the shell was cracked when I got it but I tried anyway. The other two I am using for other projects.

I got some more supplies too. I took pictures but I decided against posting them all here, too many. Lights have been updated on the UPS tracker, will be here tomorrow. I will take pics of them too.

I will take some close ups of the nodes that are forming shortly

Here are a few of the pics I took over the last couple days:

I uploaded 18 but they are not really organized and I've lost track of which is which, sorry for that. I will keep track of the next ones I take and label them...lol.

I took a few of them when they were out of the room, when I was emptying out the reservoir pans.I wanted to show them but I don't think I uploaded them. I don't see them on the list.

More good shots coming soon though.

 

[JakPot]

I did not add all of the 18 here though, and in the bigger shot I see I included a couple of the ones when I had them right in front of the room, but not all of them. More in my gallery and more coming soon

I fed them today and today is the last day for seedling nutes. Switching to veg nutes next feeding. Also, THC bomb is on 6th node today and growth tips are looking good. I am making cut to her tomorrow, unless something comes up but definitely Monday if I don't tomorrow.

I expect some rapid growth with new lights and feeding schedule. I am a little worried about the heat, I hope these lights aren't too much but I bought a couple more fans so I am hoping that I have no issues there. The room itself is up against an exterior wall so hopefully those factors help.

 

[JakPot]

I cut and nailed a couple foot wide boards into the old closet, that I had height issues with when using this light. I added a foot of height which I think will solve my issue. When my new lights get here tomorrow this light is going into this room.

I was going to black it out tonight but my kids will be here shortly. They have the day off school for Veterans Day. So I am going to get it all set up Monday. These are the supplies I got for this room and I will be adding one fan to the other room and using the panda film to light seal them both.

 

[JakPot]

I got quite behind on my journal here. Another blackout knocked out my Sat modem. When the replacement arrived it did not work and a technician just got me back up and running yesterday. I have been taking pictures all along though and I will be back to update with them shortly.

I ended up not going with a manifold though. I have never done it before so it was crucial to me that I follow Nugbucket's guide as I was making the cuts. With my internet down and the plants growing at a rapid rate, I was unable to access the tutorial to follow along. I did not want to F it up by doing it from memory of the first time that I read the guide.So, I will have to figure out how to rename my thread when I get a little time; I Fimmed them instead.

They are pretty big now. I was planning on putting them into flower on the 23rd but kept running into issues. The first issue that I ran into is that there is no way that I can run these two 600's in the space that I was planning to. I put one in just to see the difference in heat production from the King and the difference is quite dramatic.

Soon after putting the first one in, the heat rose to about 88 F and was continuing to rise. I had to add a second fan, and keep the temp in the house lower. I get cold easily, so in the winter I keep the heat in the mid 70's but the room with the light runs about 10 degrees hotter than the rest of the house. I have been keeping the temp in the rest of the house at around 63 F.

Also, I needed to separate the lights and decided to just utilize existing closets that I have instead of assembling a tent. I was in a rush to get it done. I was trying to get it done before my kids got here for their break from school. I got two of the closets finished but could not get to the third before they got here.

So, I had to put 3 in one closet and one in another. I plan to have one in the closet that I currently have 3 in and 2 in the closet that needs to be finished still. I will need to wait until my kids leave here Sunday night before I can finish my 3rd closet.

Once all of the girls are in their assigned dorms I can flip the switch and start flowering but that will not be until Sunday night so as of right now I am planning on flipping the switch Monday morning.

Other than that they are all healthy and beautiful. My next post will be a wall of photos.

 

[JakPot]

I just uploaded a bunch of pics but I am going to use them for a couple different posts. For those still reading, thank you. I know that I can be a bit scatter brained and disorganized at times and I know that this is not the most well put together or documented journal.

I said that I would take photos the day that my lights arrived and I did but I ran into all kinds of issues with my Sat internet after a blackout, as I mentioned before.

Before I share these pictures though I want to reiterate that I am not a sponsor and I paid for these lights. I feel that they were a good deal for $120 on Ebay compared to the King Plus I bought on Amazon for $146. 290W draw and the plants can definitely tell the difference.

Here are some pics:


In the boxes before opening on the day of arrival:

Opening up the first box:

Looks to be well packed, everything was snug and had it's own place:

Much larger fans than my Kingplus and large aluminum heat syncs are visible through the vents:

Front and back is very well constructed, suprising for a light this cheap:

I tested the first light here and all diodes are working perfectly:

Here's a side shot of the light hanging:

The piccs of the light on are of the first one that I opened. I did not open the other one till around a week later when I moved the THC Bomb. They arrived on the 11th and I have been running the first one since then and the other beginning about a week later.They do run a bit hotter than the King as I mentioned but they are a lot more powerful and luckily I had to room to make adjustments to compensate for the heat.

My next post will be pics of the plants. I have so many of them that I am not going to label them all this time. It may look a bit messy, sorry. My last pic was more than a week ago. My kids were with me for my school break so I didn't take any pics. I kind of neglected them but they did not seem to mind. Been feeding/watering every 2 - 3 days since the start. This past week I went 4 days. Each girl drank up a gallon before getting runoff, leaves were slightly droopy but they perked up quick.

I just flipped the switch to 12/12 today. The THC Bomb popped first, on the 13th so she got about a month and a half of veg. First BMango and Sex bud popped a few days later, so they got about 5 weeks. The Baby Mango popped last, on the 23 - 24th so she only got about a month.

I will take more pics tomorrow, after the lights are back on, and upload them with descriptions. There will be a lot fewer pics so it will be a lot easier to do that.

 

[JakPot]

Ok, so it is actually over 30 pics that I just uploaded of my baby girls. So, I won't add them all here. Instead I'll just add the best most recent pics. They are all much bigger now than the most recent pic. They have grown tremendously over the past week. If you want to look at all of the pics I put up you can check them out in my gallery @ JakPot Gallery - 420 Magazine Photo Gallery. As I said before, I will take more tomorrow. Big difference.


The THC Bomb is still the biggest. Since this pic she's gained about 6 inches and really bushed out:

Baby Mango has more than doubled since this photo:

This is my most recent photo of them all together"

Sex Bud, still looking sexy:

The first Bmango:

Some node growth:

Ok, this is a lot of pics already so I'll stop here. Fresh updated pics coming tomorrow. Thanks for staying tuned

 

[JakPot]

I just took a round of photos. A couple of each plant, top and side profile.

Here are the pics:

This is the First Mango that popped. I didn't realize until I was uploading that this pic came out this way. I prefer the wide view. The Bomb top view came out that way too.

Side view of first mango:

Top view of Sex Bud:

This is her side view:

Baby Mango top view:

Her side:

This is the THC Bomb top view. I knew this one came out this way right away but it was hard to get in there with her. The room is 3.5'x3' but I have that shelf in there holding the fan and some smaller shelves above. So, floor space to stand is really only 1.5'x1.5' to hold us both. Plenty of room for her to branch out above the step though and the tiny shelves are tight to the wall.

Her side view. I had to get way back to get all of her into the photo so it's not a close up but I think it's decent detail.

I only have on 2 temp/rh monitors at the moment so I am sharing on between Baby Mango and Sex Bud/First Mango. Sex Bud and first Mango are sharing a room. THC Bomb is all by herself under one of those 290W's and Baby Mango is under the 160W. So I am keeping one in the room with the bomb and occasionally taking a reading on the Bmango. her RH got really high, 74% so I added another fan and most recent reading was at 44% and holding.

Monitor for THC Bomb, looking fine at this stage:

Monitor for the others. In the Sex Bud/First Mango at this time:

Ok, so now I feel caught up here on my journal. I've been missing this site quite a bit. Internet was down, got it up, then it ran really buggy. Finally running ok. I am going to go get caught up on the journals I was reading before going down

 

[Fuzznutter]

The plants are getting big. How many days old are they now?

 

[JakPot]

The plants are getting big. How many days old are they now?

Yeah they are. Baby mango is a bit smaller than the rest...lol. But she's got her own light, albeit the smallest one (160w).

The Bomb popped on the 13th of October, the first mango and sex bud popped the 16th and the baby mango popped on the 24th. Had to look at my phone calendar to remember for sure on the baby mango.

Almost gave up on the last mango but I was patient. When she popped she had skin from the seed still stuck around her cotyledons. Worked them off in a couple days though. Popped like an old seed. The first one did too. Planted them both on the 8th of October.

I planted the Bomb as a backup on the 10th, had five and was going to save them all, have 4 now. She popped straight up on the 13th. Strong strain, or at least this seed is. 4 more for later so I'll see if they are all like that.

The Baby Brooklyn Mango will most likely be the smallest in the end because she's only gotten a month of veg. The THC Bomb got about a month and a half and the two others got 3 days less than her.

 

[JakPot]

I did trim a couple fan leaves off of the sex bud and first mango. They were damaged from the fim. I let them grow out at first but they were shading some lower branches with their own fans so I did a tiny bit of defoliation on those two but none on the others so far. I have some soft plant ties that I am going to use to train the branches around the rings as they reach them.

 

[JakPot]

I just took pics a couple days ago but I decided to take some more today. I flipped the switch to 12/12 on the 28th. I figured that I would see evidence of that in 3 - 4 days. I was pleased to see today that there are some white hairs forming at the tops of the plants and most of the bud sites. Also beginning to see calyx formation.

I have run into issues with humidity though. I have been told that winters here are very dry but I am new here so I haven't experienced it myself. Humidity had been at a manageable level but the last couple days it's been raining a lot and the humidity has gone up considerably.

I have one large fan in the room with the THC Bomb and two small fans in each of the other two rooms. The THC Bomb RH is staying in range but when I shut the doors on the others, in the last couple days, it's risen into the 60's. For flowering I want to keep it between 35% - 45%. Opening the doors on those two rooms, to let them breathe while the light is on brings it down to around 50% which is OK for now. Hopefully when the rain stops it'll dry up a bit more.

I noticed a little nute burn on the first mango. Only on some of her small lower leaves. I haven't noticed it on the baby mango at all so I don't know if the strain is nute sensitive or it's just this plant. All of the large fans and new growth are fine. The Bomb and Sex are eating it up, lush green.

I am considering flushing the mango with PH'd water and then resuming with 3/4's strength while continuing full strength with the Sex and Bomb. Not sure though if I should do that on both Brooklyn Mango, just the one with the burn, or not at all.

Any ideas on that?

Here are the pics:

This is the slightly burnt leaf I was talking about on the Brooklyn Mango. There are a few of them, just the small lower ones.

Here's a full shot of her. Overall, aside from the slight burn, she is looking healthy.

And here's her top view. Her hairs are hard to see with my crappy camera but they are there.

The sex bud hairs are a bit more obvious. Still a little hard to see in the shot though.

Sex Bud is a bit leggy, loose node spacing, but classic looking structure.

Baby Mango is still continuing to grow.

Her top.

I took a few shots of the bomb, top, side, and tried to get in on some of her nodes, to show off her new hairs. Was hard to get close in. She's a bush. Some of her branch, of which there are many, have reached the ring and I am beginning to train them. Here are a few shots.

And here is what the temps/rh look like right now.

 

[Howell]

Those plants are doing great under those lights man! They're getting really bushy.

 

[JakPot]

Those plants are doing great under those lights man! They're getting really bushy.

Thanks Howell!

They do seem to really like them. These are already the biggest plants that I have ever personally grown so far and they have roughly two months left to go.