Keeping it Underground 600 Watt HPS + 8 Light T5 Cellar Grow

[PetFlora]

Believe me, I am the first to chastise potential hijackers. No grudge here. We're good!

Buying premixed 3% will be expensive as you will need to do the dunk 2-3 times a day, with fresh 3% H2O2. you could dilute it by 50%. I never tried diluting it below 3%, but it might work. Worth a try. You will need to repeat about a week later in case any eggs survive.

Beauty Supply stores sell gallon jugs of 40% H2O2 for around $12. The dilution ratio is 10-1 for 40%, meaning you will get 10 gallons @ 3% from one gallon of 40% concentrate.

I keep 3% spray bottles all over the house to disinfect counter tops, anything that comes into the house, key pads, cell phones, door knobs, fridge handles, sinks, faucets fixtures, me before entering the grow area...

 

[Troublesome2]

Will def. look into it i know i can get a bottle of 3% for a buck and id think i could handle that for now due to the fact im low on $ till friday

 

[PetFlora]

One of the problems with DWC occurs shortly after you flip to flower and switch to nutes that are high in P-K.

Think how a woman's hormones change when she is pregnant. Looking at all the girls you have feeding from and excreting into a tiny rez, you can exponentially multiply the potential problems.

These hormones (and excrement) are being eliminated through the roots and directly into your recirculating rez. Check the ppms and pH regularly. They probably already have skyrocketed. This is a toxic to the plants.

The safest least expensive solution for this is D2W- Drain to Waste which is financially out of the question with DWC. The other option is to quadruple the amount of nutes in your recirculating rez, but to me that's putting a band-aid on a shotgun wound.

Depending on the number and size of roots being fed, HPA uses up a mere 8-16 ounces in a 24 hour period. Letting the runoff D2W doesn't damage your pocketbook, and you have healthier plants.

HTH

 

[karagrows]

One of the problems with DWC occurs shortly after you flip to flower and switch to nutes that are high in P-K.

Think how a woman's hormones change when she is pregnant. Looking at all the girls you have feeding from and excreting into a tiny rez, you can exponentially multiply the potential problems.

These hormones are being eliminated through the roots and directly into your recirculating rez. Check the ppms and pH regularly. They probably already have skyrocketed. This is a toxic to the plants.

The safest least expensive solution for this is D2W- Drain to Waste which is financially out of the question with DWC. The other option is to quadruple the amount of nutes in your recirculating rez, but to me that's putting a band-aid on a shotgun wound.

Depending on the number and size of roots being fed, HPA uses up a mere 8-16 ounces in a 24 hour period. Letting the runoff D2W doesn't damage your pocketbook, and you have healthier plants.

HTH

Change you DWC water once a week if you can, definetly change the water before switching to Bud... and you will never have issues with PH or nutrient intake..... Drain to Waste is the way to go, but you don't have to drain it to soon.... Once a week is key... Trust me.....

 

[Troublesome2]

Oh i do change my res once a week I enjoy it lol. and the roots love to be aired out for a little bit while i clean there res and air stones real well

 

[PetFlora]

When I read karag's response, I thought 'seems reasonable', but you're still having the problem.

What nutes/additives are you using, and at what ppm ?

 

[Troublesome2]

I am using GH 3 part nutes. No additives. Iv got a nice ppm meter but iv never used it. Not too sure how to?? Seems complicated to me??
I just purchased 3 bottles of hydrogen peroxcide dumped a whole bottle in extra res. Filled res to the top with water and set my plants in it for 5 minutes then emptied the res and filled it with plain water and let it set in that for 5 minutes and the dunked it a few times for a good rinse and put em back in there tent. I watched a ton of knats go down the drain in my bath tub lil FU**ERS lol
My ph never goes above 7.5 and i adjust that daily to 5.5

 

[SkooterClowns]

One of the problems with DWC occurs shortly after you flip to flower and switch to nutes that are high in P-K.


HTH

In our experience this is not accurate at all. The nute mixes used in DWC (at least when using GH's nutes and schedule) is a gradual change during the whole grow process. A properly maintained growing area, medium, and equipment prevents all occurrences of problems related to over, or under, feeding of the plants.

Topping off the res with properly pH balanced water and properly measured nutes between scheduled nute mix changes ensures the constant, controlled feeding of the plants. There should be no need to constantly monitor and adjust pH levels of the res itself when all is dialed in properly and done methodically and on schedule. If at all possible always "top off" the res with balanced and mixed water. I never top off the tank with just pH balanced water. I want to be sure the plants have the nutes they need exactly when they need them. It's worked for us so there is no reason to believe it won't work for you and others.

At their peak water usage 4 plants take up ~10 gallons of water in a week. This translates to 2.5 gallons per plant or ~1/3 of a gallon per day per plant (~42 ounces a day per day). This may seem like a lot but if that's what they need then so be it.

I do realize that we have is easier than you do Troublesome in that our grow tents are in a room in my place and not in a basement. This helps keep everything clean and organized which in turn makes things go much smoother. Maintaining temp and humidity etc is all easier when "indoors".

You are doing great. You are learning a lot which will translate to a much easier time with it on your next grow(s). Getting everything set up and getting into a rhythm and work flow will all come in time and experience. You are well on your way there. Solving all the "problems" you are having in this one grow will pay off big in your future grows and most of the problems you are having now will not occur again because you have learned how to prevent them in the future. Keep up the good work.

 

[karagrows]

In our experience this is not accurate at all. The nute mixes used in DWC (at least when using GH's nutes and schedule) is a gradual change during the whole grow process. A properly maintained growing area, medium, and equipment prevents all occurrences of problems related to over, or under, feeding of the plants.

Topping off the res with properly pH balanced water and properly measured nutes between scheduled nute mix changes ensures the constant, controlled feeding of the plants. There should be no need to constantly monitor and adjust pH levels of the res itself when all is dialed in properly and done methodically and on schedule. If at all possible always "top off" the res with balanced and mixed water. I never top off the tank with just pH balanced water. I want to be sure the plants have the nutes they need exactly when they need them. It's worked for us so there is no reason to believe it won't work for you and others.

At their peak water usage 4 plants take up ~10 gallons of water in a week. This translates to 2.5 gallons per plant or ~1/3 of a gallon per day per plant (~42 ounces a day per day). This may seem like a lot but if that's what they need then so be it.

I do realize that we have is easier than you do Troublesome in that our grow tents are in a room in my place and not in a basement. This helps keep everything clean and organized which in turn makes things go much smoother. Maintaining temp and humidity etc is all easier when "indoors".

You are doing great. You are learning a lot which will translate to a much easier time with it on your next grow(s). Getting everything set up and getting into a rhythm and work flow will all come in time and experience. You are well on your way there. Solving all the "problems" you are having in this one grow will pay off big in your future grows and most of the problems you are having now will not occur again because you have learned how to prevent them in the future. Keep up the good work.

I have to disagree with your first statement. You can run GH Flora Series at 10-15-5 your entire Veg period, change your Res once a week, and you are golden.... Proof is in the puddin'...

 

[SkooterClowns]

Troublesome...in thinking about your set up I was wondering a couple of things relating to your pH levels rising daily in your res. If I recall you are using a res that you covered with tape to seal out light. Is that correct? I ask because if that is the case my question is: Is any of the glue from the tape (I believe you are using duct tape) coming in contact with ANY part of your tub or lids interior? I am a clean freak and I consider EVERYTHING that goes into my grow room before it enters. I make certain that NOTHING comes in contact with the interior of my res or lids or net cups or rock wool or hyrdroton that could, even remotely, cause any problems. I am no expert in any of this at all. I know it may sound nuts but I believe that when you move your grow to your new tent (and I believe you said that will be in your "living space" of your house instead of your basement) you will find you will have a much easier time of it as far as maintenance etc.

What are the dimensions of your tent? I ask because you may want to look into the purchase of the type of res we use. It is made by Botanicare and the dimensions are 22x22x7. They are a bit pricey but VERY well worth it. Propagation Trays | Botanicare

Check out our thread here if you haven't seen it yet: SkooterClowns with power tools

It will tell you about the lids we bought for the trays, show you the drainage system we set up etc. Maybe some info there will help you out as far as setting things up so that you won't have to deal with some of the same issues you are having now.

We found that putting some extra time into the set up of the grow area saves us time every day during the grows. In fact I spend, on average, 15 minutes a day taking care of the reservoirs and plants.

We are the lazy ass variety of clowns

 

[SkooterClowns]

I have to disagree with your first statement. You can run GH Flora Series at 10-15-5 your entire Veg period, change your Res once a week, and you are golden.... Proof is in the puddin'...

The only thing I can agree with you in this statement in the puddin' part. We've enjoyed a LOT of pudding doin' it the clown way (pounds and pounds of it) and have never had ANY problems as far as nute levels etc. To each his/her own.

 

[SkooterClowns]

I have to disagree with your first statement. You can run GH Flora Series at 10-15-5 your entire Veg period, change your Res once a week, and you are golden.... Proof is in the puddin'...

wait..we may be speaking the same language. We use this chart

and in fact do use the "week 3" mix for the entire vegging period.

But when we switch to bloom (week 4) you can see that the change in the mix is NOT drastic but subtle and the changes from week to week remain subtle with no sudden or drastic changes. That is what I was referring to.

Oh and when we switch to bloom we shut down the lights for up to 36 hours.

 

[PetFlora]

In our experience this is not accurate at all. The nute mixes used in DWC (at least when using GH's nutes and schedule) is a gradual change during the whole grow process. A properly maintained growing area, medium, and equipment prevents all occurrences of problems related to over, or under, feeding of the plants. Aside from this disagreement, you are golden in all you say

Topping off the res with properly pH balanced water and properly measured nutes between scheduled nute mix changes ensures the constant, controlled feeding of the plants. There should be no need to constantly monitor and adjust pH levels of the res itself when all is dialed in properly and done methodically and on schedule. If at all possible always "top off" the res with balanced and mixed water. I never top off the tank with just pH balanced water.

Yes the plants are always feeding, so that needs to be adjusted for. Since I do not recycle back to my rez, all I do is monitor the slow pH rise from 5.4-6.0. As I use so little nutes, 1.5G covers a whole week until they are packing on the pounds, then 3-5 G. But again, since I am not recycling my rez nutes, I make up 3 G at one time and simply top off my rez. I also have a 10G rez as a back up.

I used to recycle and was asking for help with a root problem, probably slime, when a fellow grower recommended that I disconnect my return line and monitor the runoff pH and ppms. I saw a huge gain in both ppms and pH in the bloom runoff. How do you account for that.

I want to be sure the plants have the nutes they need exactly when they need them. It's worked for us so there is no reason to believe it won't work for you and others.

At their peak water usage 4 plants take up ~10 gallons of water in a week. This translates to 2.5 gallons per plant or ~1/3 of a gallon per day per plant (~42 ounces a day per day). This may seem like a lot but if that's what they need then so be it.

I do realize that we have is easier than you do Troublesome in that our grow tents are in a room in my place and not in a basement. This helps keep everything clean and organized which in turn makes things go much smoother. Maintaining temp and humidity etc is all easier when "indoors".

You are doing great. You are learning a lot which will translate to a much easier time with it on your next grow(s). Getting everything set up and getting into a rhythm and work flow will all come in time and experience. You are well on your way there. Solving all the "problems" you are having in this one grow will pay off big in your future grows and most of the problems you are having now will not occur again because you have learned how to prevent them in the future. Keep up the good work.

I am adding this at the end because a POP UP keeps telling me to add more characters.

 

[SkooterClowns]

I am adding this at the end because a POP UP keeps telling me to add more characters.

We don't recirculate at all and never have.

 

[Troublesome2]

Thank you Skooter You always help me keep going and not get discouraged.

 

[Troublesome2]

Yes Skooter i moved em to my tent in my room None of my tape (aluminum tape not duct tape) is touching plants or water. My tent is 3'11" x 3'11" x 6. I am going to get the exact same batanicare res and lid your using The have them at my grow shop 5 minutes from my house. Will be using it for my next grow. I just love when I get some help from the skooter Your words are GOLDEN to me

 

[SkooterClowns]

Thank you Skooter You always help me keep going and not get discouraged.

no problem Troublesome. We've all been in your shoes before (first grow and everything). The way I see it is there is no ONE way to grow pot. Even within the various methods there are no hard and fast rules per say as far as how the goals are met as far as how to feed and maintain etc. As long as it's done somehow. Slappy and I don't get paid to do this so our goal was to find the system that works for us then to hone in on how to make that system fit our schedule and laziness.

Simple, clean an easily reproducible were our goals and will always be our goals. We found a way that works for us and, knock on wood, hasn't failed us yet (not taking into account human error like closing all the doors preventing air circulation and raising the temps to abnormally and disastrously high levels hehe).

Hell we even produced over 5 ounces with 2 plants using nothing but our DWC and CFL lighting in a VERY small box. SkooterClowns CFL Cabinet Grow

 

[SkooterClowns]

Yes Skooter i moved em to my tent in my room None of my tape (aluminum tape not duct tape) is touching plants or water. My tent is 3'11" x 3'11" x 6. I am going to get the exact same batanicare res and lid your using The have them at my grow shop 5 minutes from my house. Will be using it for my next grow. I just love when I get some help from the skooter Your words are GOLDEN to me

 

[karagrows]

The only thing I can agree with you in this statement in the puddin' part. We've enjoyed a LOT of pudding doin' it the clown way (pounds and pounds of it) and have never had ANY problems as far as nute levels etc. To each his/her own.

I respect that.... I'm not arguing that the GH schedule is whack, I'm just stressing the fact that GH schedule is overkill, and far from perfect, there is a much more simple, cut and dry way of maintaining your Res.... Thats all.... Simple formula, professional results... What else is there to ask for....

 

[SkooterClowns]

I respect that.... I'm not arguing that the GH schedule is whack, I'm just stressing the fact that GH schedule is overkill, and far from perfect, there is a much more simple, cut and dry way of maintaining your Res.... Thats all.... Simple formula, professional results... What else is there to ask for....

And by no means was I implying that the way we do it is the only way or even the best way. Only that it's the way we do it and it works for us.

We are always willing to learn new things. I will be posting my questions to you in your thread rather than tying up Troublesome's with my questions.