LED Autoflower Help Wanted

[Fatboyreed]

420 users


I'm on this so you more experienced guy can help me out and you guy the only one I'm gunna tell about it First Grow Single Auto Under 135Watt

Ok so I have a mars hydro 300 watt 135 actual out put and a noisie as hell carbon filter and fan witch if anyone know tips to quite it down Please let me know

I'm using bio bizz all mix and bio bloom nutes for flowering

The strain is Vision Northern Lights Auto Autoflowering Feminised Seeds from herbies headship

It's been growing for about 8 day now under the led and natural sun as the cabinet wasn't 100% finished I'm hoping now it will stay under the led

I'm going to do lst so tips and best time to start on that would be good

Would like to get 0.5gram per watt but we will see and please any tips or trick along the way please let me know

This is them at a week what do u all think

 

[knighthawktfc]

Looks pretty good for day 8.

As for quieting the exhaust fan... yeah I'd love to know that too.

Do you have a fan controller? (either on the fan or separate)
If you don't it might pay to pick one up that will work with your fan, as big difference in noise I've found with the two fans I own between low, medium and high (not to mention sometimes you don't need it to run full force anyway).


Is the exhaust inside the tent or outside?
I first set mine up outside the tent (with the filter inside obv.) to save space inside the tent, eventually moved mine inside the tent just to see if it mattered and to see if mating filter with fan directly helped with suction, and surprisingly it did take it down a few dbs and slightly better pull vs ducting outside and then exiting. (I have db meter, it was minor but 2-3db matters to my ears)
The shorter and less bends in the ducking the less noise I think.

Some people have built contraptions to house their external fans, usually a container of some suck lined with like foaming (like pieces of the bed foam for mattress covers\tops) or egg cartons etc, and then leaving some room for the air to dissipate a little before exiting said container at a slower rate of speed. I've not done this but sounds like it would work. I've read insulated ducting is also marginally quieter, guess it works a muffler for the noise of the air moving through it.

/2cents from someone brand new to the hobby of growing.

 

[Fatboyreed]

Will update the photos shortly and iv ordered a fan controller it should be here today and inline and carbon filter is all set up in side the tent and that's interesting about the ducting being shorter will have a couple e experiments with that see how's it goes

 

[JayCseed]

Hey Fatboy looking good so far.

My last grow I used 3 Mars hydro 300 watt lights and was very happy with them. They have a great price point and I think they perform very well. I started out with 1 light and as she grew just kept adding to get even coverage because I didn't do any topping or LST. I managed 5 oz dry, probably could have had more if I would have topped and trained for an even canopy (lesson learned and doing a scrog this time).

I'll be along for the ride.

 

[Fatboyreed]

Hello fellow grower lol

I'm planning on doing the same iv got one ATM then getting more as my box gets bigger and my confidence grows this grow more to test the water see what people think and hopefully improve along the way will put some more photo up shortly

 

[Fatboyreed]

Day 11 I believe what do people think on the size so far I'm lead to believe autos just have a growth spurt at around 3 weeks she seem small ATM

and a couple of my set up I'm hoping once I grow a couple more this will be my vegging box and I have a massive 6ft wide 2ft deep wardrobe I will use for flower and feed back on doing this would be amazing

 

[JayCseed]

Nice set up! Its always a good idea to start small ( figure of speech , not saying your grow is small ) and get a grow or two under your belt and some knowledge before scaling up.

I've never grow an auto before so I cant really chime in on when they really start to bulk up. Most regular plants I've grown from seed take about two weeks or more to establish some healthy roots before they start packing on some vegetation. The LEDs put out some great light and you will notice that the node spacing will be very tight with multiple leave sets almost right on top of each other.

You're almost at that 2 week point so I would think you should start to see some increased growth in the next week.
Can't wait to see how the auto does with that light!

 

[Fatboyreed]

Thanks man given me abit more confidence in her yeah will keep it all updated

 

[knighthawktfc]

Thanks man given me abit more confidence in her yeah will keep it all updated

My WW and Candy Cane Autos... they really started exploding and putting on girth at the tail end of week 2.
You can check out the daily photos in my journal in my sig. But here are some from day 8 and day 14.

Day 8: CC & WW

Day 14:

(full gallery: knighthawktfc Gallery - 420 Magazine Photo Gallery)

Since then they been growing... like ...well WEEDS... The cc right into the sides of my pots, like JayCSeed said cause the node spacing (especially the first one) was too damn close. I think that happened fore a couple reasons not just the led's themselves, but that I should have kept maybe my lights a little higher days 2-5 and maybe given them rest (night time) after day 3-4 (ran them 24x7 till day 7 or 9 I think), cause I read most 'node space' stem stretch\growth happens at night.

/2cents

 

[Fatboyreed]

My WW and Candy Cane Autos... they really started exploding and putting on girth at the tail end of week 2.
You can check out the daily photos in my journal in my sig. But here are some from day 8 and day 14.

Day 8: CC & WW

Day 14:

(full gallery: knighthawktfc Gallery - 420 Magazine Photo Gallery)

Since then they been growing... like ...well WEEDS... The cc right into the sides of my pots, like JayCSeed said cause the node spacing (especially the first one) was too damn close. I think that happened fore a couple reasons not just the led's themselves, but that I should have kept maybe my lights a little higher days 2-5 and maybe given them rest (night time) after day 3-4, cause I read most 'node' stretch\growth happens at night.

/2cents

Lovey looking plants will have a look through your stuff now .

my stem seem very long compared to your is that just the genetics of the strain or is the light to far away from it stretching for it

 

[knighthawktfc]

My guess about length would be a little bit of both, I never grown norther lights but I think they run a little lengthier, at least the non-autos from what I read. Like I said I wish let mine actually come up another inch or two like yours so mine didn't grow into the sides of the pot. lol I think yours is in good shape.

 

[Fatboyreed]

Having problems with my temps and one got tips how to lower it

 

[JayCseed]

Having problems with my temps and one got tips how to lower it

How many CFM is your fan?
What is the ambient air temp of the air being pulled into your grow space?
What size is the intake hole for air coming in and where is it located?

 

[Fatboyreed]

How many CFM is your fan?
What is the ambient air temp of the air being pulled into your grow space?
What size is the intake hole for air coming in and where is it located?

My cfm 116
The air out side the box is 24-26 hottest
In take I have 3 two and a half inch holes at the bottom on the box located in my room in the Corner if it stay at this heat there no chance flowering is going to work out lol

 

[JayCseed]

Your intake holes may not be big enough, i like to have a slightly larger intake opening than my exhaust. So if my exhaust is 6 inches I like my intake to be 8 inches. You also have to factor your CFM rating will be lowered by your filter so you my not be getting enough air exchange.
If there is any way to lower the intake air temp I would do that along with making your intake larger. Also adding a small fan inside the grow room will help eliminate any hot pockets of air, and the movement will help strengthen your plants stems.

Your temp isn't way out of control and flowering will still happen trust me, these plants are way tougher than we sometimes give them credit. After all they grow all over the world in many different climates.

 

[Fatboyreed]

Your intake holes may not be big enough, i like to have a slightly larger intake opening than my exhaust. So if my exhaust is 6 inches I like my intake to be 8 inches. You also have to factor your CFM rating will be lowered by your filter so you my not be getting enough air exchange.
If there is any way to lower the intake air temp I would do that along with making your intake larger. Also adding a small fan inside the grow room will help eliminate any hot pockets of air, and the movement will help strengthen your plants stems.

Your temp isn't way out of control and flowering will still happen trust me, these plants are way tougher than we sometimes give them credit. After all they grow all over the world in many different climates.

Cheers mate I will drill another 2 1/2imch hole that will bring me up to a 8inches and there's a 6inch clip on fan in there ATM but it seems to make the temps higher when it's on ?

 

[knighthawktfc]

Your intake holes may not be big enough, i like to have a slightly larger intake opening than my exhaust. So if my exhaust is 6 inches I like my intake to be 8 inches. You also have to factor your CFM rating will be lowered by your filter so you my not be getting enough air exchange.
If there is any way to lower the intake air temp I would do that along with making your intake larger. Also adding a small fan inside the grow room will help eliminate any hot pockets of air, and the movement will help strengthen your plants stems.

Your temp isn't way out of control and flowering will still happen trust me, these plants are way tougher than we sometimes give them credit. After all they grow all over the world in many different climates.

All very good advice for you fatboyreed.

I found out the good-filter effect the hard way, I had read like to account for 15-20% seems more like 25-30% in my experience.
I figured my 4"x171cfm would be good for a 4x2x6, and it probably would have been... without the filter, and with say 72f intake air, bump that to 74-76 peek day and throw on a filter.... it was not really enough, maybe I could have eeked by but I ended up just forking out more cash for 6" 440 that I run on low (it's more quiet than the 4") and another matching filter and using the 4"x171cfm as to filter part of my intake air (worse case it's a backup if the 6" fails I can always go all passive), so I push about 60-70% in via that guy and the rest comes passive (and unfiltered atm).

Yours is 2x2x5 right?
With a filter I think you need something more like 150cfm.. Maybe even little higher (~170-200)to account for filter (you could still reuse the 116 for blowing air in).
That or you may have to address the intake temp, which you might have to anyway. I spent days dialing in the right balance of intake-air vs cfm pull setting on fan controller vs. then too much negative pressure and sucking all added humidity out asap vs finding the sweet spot. It wasn't fun but I got there. As JayC said though... if 29c is your high-end right now you can probably make due so long as that stays your high end. Don't panic just trying a small change..monitor for 24-48hr try another change. Like JayC was saying though if say for example you tent walls are like "sucked-in", that's probably because you don't have enough passive air vents available, you want some negative pressure like that, but not too much, maybe you can open another hole, or maybe you can help push cooler air into the exiting openings (I did that via fans, tape, and some jerry rigged venting during my trials)? Are there any other vents available other than the 3 you have open?

Another option is to slowly adjust your timing (20-30min a day slowly over a week+) such that hottest times of day for intake air is 'sleep' time for your girls, or maybe you're already doing that.

...I'm rambling but you get the point.

 

[knighthawktfc]

Cheers mate I will drill another 2 1/2imch hole that will bring me up to a 8inches and there's a 6inch clip on fan in there ATM but it seems to make the temps higher when it's on ?

One thing I did for while was hang one of my "clip ons" such that it was helping to suck air in from the intakes down at the bottom, that way cool air got in, hottest air was forced up and was left to the big boy up top to suck out. Keep in mind when adding another vent manually, to come up with some way to light-trap the vent if the room itself gets light, even if it's not perfect think about it. A little 2 - 3" pvc with two 90d turns works wonders, but so does a couple card board boxes inside one another with some holes in the right spot and a little flat black spray paint, etc, you can get creative.

 

[Fatboyreed]

Thank you for the advice will get on to it I'm not to worried about the temp now it's more when I'm going into the flowering will look into a new fan I may need to get on with a bigger build

 

[Fatboyreed]

Day 13 abit of growth but this morning the bottom leave on the tip went yellow on the bottom leaves am I right to say this is lack of nitrogen is so how can I sort this

And thank you guys iv gain half control over the heat again still hit 30c but that was at hottest part of the day and only for a hour or so

Couple of pics before I watered them

last pic is the leave that's gone yellow