17 Sq' Oxyponics - 1KW AC - 1st Grow

[Cultivator]

hi there.

Change ur nutes to one suitable for recirculating system. Like canna aqua for example. u can use that at full strength no worries in dwc. Ive only flicked through the journal but looks like u have huge ph swings and thats the main reason ur plants are fucked. roots look fine. using 1/3 and 1/4 strength isnt something u should be doing at all with the right feeds and additives.

they are really bad. are u using tap or ro water? try switching to ro water and using soft water nutrient.

feel free to pm me or ask questions in any my journals if u want specific advice mate.

 

[bunches]

I'm using Advanced Nutrients' Sensi Grow/Bloom in Stealth Hydro's Oxyponics 6.

When I do a flush and fill there is always some solution left in the grow buckets. Is that where things are building to harmful levels?

 

[bunches]

I just found seeds in a bud!!!!!
This is terrible. what happened? Sure, I may get seeds out of the deal, but at what cost?
I may have overreacted, but I cut that bud off, washed my hands, and inspected the rest of the plants. No more seeds that I saw.

 

[Cultivator]

i only give a light flush to my plants at end. flushing can cause problems in its self. What type of ph/ec/ppm meter do u use? u need to remove plants and drain ur system completely. use a sponge to soak up any residual liquid and wring into a bucket or something. Then fill with water and add H2O2 and flush the system out completely. u could use drip clean too. let it run 10-20 mins then empty. take plants to a sink and rinse off the roots with tap water. then return plants to system and add water and nutes. as a beginner u want a feed that is easy to use. are u using tap water? what is water ppm? try switching to canna aqua flores, its cheap and it will work. i have never had an issue with it, its not the best feed on the market but it definately works and is great for beginners. id use that, some root stimulators, an enzyme product and a simple boost such as canna boost, dutch pro explode or hammerhead. ph around 5.8 in flower.

 

[bunches]

Well, I've recently been chastised by almost everyone posting here for not having a TDS/PPM meter. It was on the shopping list. Everything seemed perfect 'till I raised the nutes.

I'll start removing the plants to sponge out the grow buckets during flush/fill.

I'm using tap water and pH Down to 5.8 before adding nutes.

 

[oldman60]

I always have a little left when I drain for a res change. It would be a pain in the ass to mop out each bucket
to get all of it. Simply leaving it and filling with fresh water then nutes then adjusting ph has worked good for me.
If you are worried about build up you can drain, fill, recirculate a little if you have that type, then drain again.
The little that is left on the bottom will have next to nothing in it.

 

[bunches]

That's what I've done a few times, Old. It certainly is easier, and hopefully effective enough.

 

[Green Knight]

Well, I've recently been chastised by almost everyone posting here for not having a TDS/PPM meter. It was on the shopping list. Everything seemed perfect 'till I raised the nutes.

I'll start removing the plants to sponge out the grow buckets during flush/fill.

I'm using tap water and pH Down to 5.8 before adding nutes.

I wouldn't worry too much bunches, it's all a learning curve and that's a big part of the fun - if we all nailed it on day 1 it would be boring! An EC meter will help you dial things in for the next grow so it's worth getting one as soon as you can. You'll have it all sorted in no time.

Out of interest, you say you're adding the pH down and getting it to 5.8 and then adding the nutes? Is that right?

That may be part of the problem if so. The nutes are acidic so will lower the pH, so your pH may end up much lower than 5.8 if you add the nutes last. You want to add all the nutes etc, then add the pH down to get it to 5.8.
Bear in mind if you just mix your nutes, add pH down and set it to exactly 5.8, in a few hours it will be 6.4, or something else way off, unless you let it stand for a while and then fine tune it to 5.8 before adding it to the res. I've found that when I do a res change I need exactly 1.5ml pH down for every 10l of water but when I mix the nutes and add the pH down it will be around 5.4. Over 5-6h though it rises and settles on exactly 5.8 so the first reading isn't always the right one, you need to get a feel for exactly how your system behaves. And as the plants use nutes, or if the solution is too hot, the pH will change. With regular pH and EC readings you'll get a real feeling for exactly what your plants are doing, what they need, and when something's too much.

You've got a really sweet set up mate so you have everything you need. The key variable which I think would really help is just making sure the pH and EC are controlled at all times

 

[bunches]

Thanks GK. It is a nice setup if I do say myself, but I feel like six plants need more space. In a 5x9 tent with the plants in two rows of three, would two 600W lamps be enough?

 

[bunches]

Oh, and yes, I add Ph Down first, THEN add nutes. I'll try switching that.

 

[bunches]

Here's the offending bud. Terrible photo, but you can see the seeds at its tip. Hermie? Pollinated from my fingers after being in a bag?

 

[Green Knight]

I'm not an expert on light sizing I'm sorry because I've got such a small space. I'm sure it would be enough with everything else dialled in.

Have you thought about a scrog? If you get your pH and EC nailed on the next grow and scrog it you could pull out a shit load from the space you've got at the moment. I'm not sure you'll get what you want from your current grow, but once you get it dialled in I reckon you could pull more bud out of the space you've got currently than you're thinking you could get from a 5x9 grow.

 

[bunches]

I've seen vids of the Scrog with two levels of net that you trellis plants back down through as they grow above it.

All I know is that the lower buds aren't getting any light because the plants are too crowded. By measuring my plants size, I figure each one needs almost 9sq'. And that's what a 5x9 would give me: almost 9sq' each. Problem is, I also figure for that space I'd need two 1kW lamps. But the penetration would be tremendous!
Is it really overkill?

Until then, I'm at least going to take the control bucket out of the 5x5 before I plant the clones. I obviously shouldn't have put it inside to begin with. Wish I could find a dehumidifier that sat outside the tent?

 

[Green Knight]

I don't think you can really have too much light - the more the better. There will be a point where adding more light won't make much difference because they're getting all they can use but until that point it will make a difference. The biggest issue often is controlling the heat - two 1kw hps put out a lot of heat.

You could flower the plants a bit smaller so they don't get quite so large and overcrowded, or do a few less plants. Fit your plants to your space rather than the space to your plants. The advantage of scrog is you can make much more efficient use of the space you've got, it helps keep an even canopy and its easier to prevent overcrowding.

You don't necessarily need the dehumidifier in the tent. If you've got a good extraction system you could put the dehumidifier in the room the tent's in - the humid air will be extracted from the tent into the room and dehumidified here. Dryer air will be drawn from the room back into the tent as the extraction runs.

 

[bunches]

The tent I'm looking at is 8' tall and would have air-cooled lights, so I'm not worried about heat even with 2kw.

As for vegging less, or fewer plants... no way! I've got my heart set on this taller larger tent, but I'm worried about the light increase. Needing to keep my electric bill under $200USD, I won't be able to have a separate veg tent like I want.

New tent or no, Scrog sounds like something I need to try. I'll read up on it.

As for the dehumidifier outside the tent... that won't work in this well-vented room. I'd be dehumidifying the outside air.

 

[Cultivator]

check out here My First Grow Journal-Holy Grail Kush- Purple Kush 6x12 Scrog 4 x 600W LEDs On Movers and here Cultivators Cultivation High Quality Yields for scrog

 

[bunches]

day 87 (day 57 of flower)
1/4 nutes
pH at 4.6 ...4 gallons of water brings to 5.7

Maybe if I DID move the dehumidifier outside the tent it would dry the air instead of emptying my grow buckets (is that what's happening)? It occurs to me that 4 gallons of water is about what the dehumidifier takes in two days; maybe that's why my solution is nutrient rich and making the pH low?

 

[bunches]

about twelve hours later my pH is down to 4.8 again
...added four gallons to 5.8

My next brand of nute is Advanced Nutrients' pH Perfect Sensi Grow/Bloom (made for hydro)
I don't think I'm ready for any exotic additives yet.

 

[Green Knight]

If your extractor fan empties the tent of air enough times an hour then it should keep the RH low enough on its own. The issue is where the humid air goes. If you're extracting it outside the house or whatever it's not a problem, but if its just going into the room the tent sits in then that room will get more humid over time, and that humid air will just get drawn back into the tent through the passive intakes, making a dehumidifier necessary.

It may help to move it - a really low RH may contribute to problems because the plants will transpire more and use more water. I don't think there's any harm in trying - you can monitor the RH and if it gets too high then you can put the dehumidifier back or get a larger extractor.

Warm humid air rises, so theoretically at the moment your extraction will be removing all this humid air and replacing it with dryer air, which your dehumidifier is trying to dry further, so yes, you might be right about this contributing to the nutes concentrating.

You're shifting all the humid air out of the tent and into the room, so theoretically the dehumidifier should be in the room because this is where all the water is going. It may help the plants use less water and stabilise the nutes and pH a bit

 

[gairbud]

dew point must be achived for dehumidification. pipe the air out. there must be a delta t big enough for water to be removed from air. dosent matter the air temps as long as dew point is achived in the delta t of the dehumidifier. you can have a very cold room with way to high of rh. then you must reheat up the air to achive dew point. it is the delta t your after. the temp drop accross the coil. intake versus exhaust. remeber this.
heat moves.
cold does not. cold is a constant in the entire universe. or nothing would work.
the best way to use a humidifer is in the exhaust air from your space and add freash air to the exhaust air at around 20% and pipe that in the tent.
tent to dh to tent. your t/y should have a damper on it and on the exhaust side of tent to intake side of the dh. adjust for 20% air. the damper should be about 5% open to achive that at 6inch duct or below.
if you have a dehudifier and an air conditioner your wasteing money. the a/c will do the same job for both. just have 12 to 15 % or greater delta t or temp diferential. also you want a slight positive presure in the tent. keeps crap out.