2 Plant Jack Herer Fem, SCROG, DWC, COB LED Lights

[Steve Jobs]

Beautiful foliation
They will fill back in with the remaining leaves. What you can do from this point on now is if you remove anymore leaves as it's filling out, it's safe to do 1 or 2 a day or every other day.

Kinda what I’ve been doing. Just plucking the odd leaf or two that’s been getting in the way. Open up some air flow or some light penetration.

It’s a learning experience for me. Maybe next grow I’ll play around with different defol strategies to test what changes. I might toss a pail in my next grow to up the plant load to 3.

That Scrog looks so nice lol maybe I’ll wait and see what you yield compared to my plain bush strategy lol then decide whether to mainline or Scrog. Mainlining I’m dwc looks good cause they bounce back in veg sooo fast that it doesn’t really add much time to the grow.

 

[Aroxol]

Kinda what I’ve been doing. Just plucking the odd leaf or two that’s been getting in the way. Open up some air flow or some light penetration.

It’s a learning experience for me. Maybe next grow I’ll play around with different defol strategies to test what changes. I might toss a pail in my next grow to up the plant load to 3.

That Scrog looks so nice lol maybe I’ll wait and see what you yield compared to my plain bush strategy lol then decide whether to mainline or Scrog. Mainlining I’m dwc looks good cause they bounce back in veg sooo fast that it doesn’t really add much time to the grow.

I always like scrog because you can bend stuff however you want, but I would advise that if you’re going to scrog over dwc, don’t use 5 gal buckets. It’s too difficult to open the lids and get inside. I think I saw sativuhhh mention in a dif thread that he got around this by cutting a viewing window/ flap with hinges to get inside and work - IMO that is VERY good advice. Design something like that IF you’re going to scrog.

 

[Steve Jobs]

I always like scrog because you can bend stuff however you want, but I would advise that if you’re going to scrog over dwc, don’t use 5 gal buckets. It’s too difficult to open the lids and get inside. I think I saw sativuhhh mention in a dif thread that he got around this by cutting a viewing window/ flap with hinges to get inside and work - IMO that is VERY good advice. Design something like that IF you’re going to scrog.

Ya if I Scrog I’ll stick with my tote and have to modify something to be able to check water levels and ppm and be able to add.

I’m assuming sativuh uses his fluid transfer pump to add water as well as subtract it.

 

[sativuhhh]

I just lift up the edge of mine cause the lid is pretty flexy plastic. The hatch will be for the next one when I can design it ahead of time. I can easily lift it enough to stick my hand down in. I do use a flashlight to see better while wearing the glasses sometimes. I make nutes in 5 gallon water jugs and mix up 2 at a time then use the fluid pump to empty out the res into a bucket to get rid of the res water and then pump in fresh from the jugs. The pump is pretty quick for the 7 or 8 or however many I pump in. Sometimes if I have help or on the res top ups I'll pour from the jug into a funnel. A hatch door you could easily flip up would be ideal. I think I might try to find a little lower but bigger res for the next grow and design in a flip up door and possibly a screened in chute to stick the pump down in. I can easily stick my ph pen down in and it's backlit so it's easy to read. Also with the scrog net how I have it, I was able to move it with the lid. It's fairly light with the pvc and paracord, so I just lifted a corner or side at a time with the res lid and put something under the leg of the pipe to raise it and hold/block the lid and you can get more access. Or Just 2 people with a lift and hold while the other does whatever work underneath. I did have to do that earlier once when I decided to cut out some of the bottom of the net pot due to how the roots were going really thick in just one circle and I didn't wan't it to get cut or restricted by the plastic. Got enough access to get to the bottom of the netpot for a while to cut it away. I do have that flexyish lid though so that had to have helped.

But really though, how often do you even really need more than a peek at the roots anyhow. You know your airstones are working from the bubbles and when you drain it you can see possibly. You can see the roots to see that they are healthy looking. I can imagine the plant really likes a big heavy wet rootball pulling down when it's pulled up from the water like there are in a lot of the 5 gallon bucket dwc pics. Those roots in the water aren't under nearly the weight stress. Overall there just isn't that much that I can think i'd need to do where a small access door wouldn't handle it for 99% of issues and the other would be pretty easy too. I had been thinking about a lid mounted scrog that would build around to allow the door and have some support feet to be equal to perfectly closed res height and would allow you to lift the entire unit and hold raised by just using blocks under the 4 legs down the corners of the res. That might be next grow!

I have the whole tent on a 4 wheel dolly with a plywood base underneath. Raised it nicely off the ground and makes it really nice to be able to get behind the tent and move it around while everything is on and running. Also helps I think with the fluid transfer pump as the bottom of the res is raised enough to have the pump output below the water line if desired so there can be siphon action if needed/to help the pump get it all out easier.

 

[sativuhhh]

That Scrog looks so nice lol maybe I’ll wait and see what you yield compared to my plain bush strategy lol then decide whether to mainline or Scrog. Mainlining I’m dwc looks good cause they bounce back in veg sooo fast that it doesn’t really add much time to the grow.

Thanks!! I knew I needed to attempt to keep it as low as possible since the tent is only so tall and wanted to really maximize whatever I could out of the space. Topping and defol and training really didn't even phase them in veg and let it stay low pretty easy. Had I not scrog'd I'd for sure have had to veg less time and flip to flower sooner. Having the even canopy was nice to know they should all get pretty good even light with the led's.
The scrog surely made my tent pretty much maxed out in realistic canopy potential. Plants are touching 3 sides of it. I had to raise the right light up almost right to the base of the exhaust fan this morning. sadly, I may have to move it tonight over to the left of the tent to get back more vertical room. It's like 23.5" with the filter and fan and enough hose to turn 90 degrees and the tent is 24" so I may be able to make it work easy. Hopefully it doesn't have any stretch really left and likes these lights at 12" and all will be easy. We'll see!

 

[Steve Jobs]

Thanks!! I knew I needed to attempt to keep it as low as possible since the tent is only so tall and wanted to really maximize whatever I could out of the space. Topping and defol and training really didn't even phase them in veg and let it stay low pretty easy. Had I not scrog'd I'd for sure have had to veg less time and flip to flower sooner. Having the even canopy was nice to know they should all get pretty good even light with the led's.
The scrog surely made my tent pretty much maxed out in realistic canopy potential. Plants are touching 3 sides of it. I had to raise the right light up almost right to the base of the exhaust fan this morning. sadly, I may have to move it tonight over to the left of the tent to get back more vertical room. It's like 23.5" with the filter and fan and enough hose to turn 90 degrees and the tent is 24" so I may be able to make it work easy. Hopefully it doesn't have any stretch really left and likes these lights at 12" and all will be easy. We'll see!

Yeah that canopy looks dope. Pun intended. How tall of your tent? Seems short lol. I’ve got like 3ft for my plants probably if everything is raised to the roof.

 

[sativuhhh]

It's a 60" height tent, wishing I would have tried to find one a bit taller. I didn't really think about the flat mass of canopy coming up and how the room on top would all work exactly, haha.

 

[sativuhhh]

Ok, well I haven't got the top net on yet, meant too last night but fell asleep so away they grew. These two really are amazing in that they don't care in the least if you cut off a crap ton of leaves, they just keep on growing and are not even phased.

So here on the start to F24. It's stretched even more, lights are now max raised to the fan, it's going to have to get moved tonight. When I opened it this morning though at the end of the light cycle the tops were like 10" from the closest light and not looking any worse for it. Maybe they can get closer than the range listed.

This is a great view to unzip the tent to!

Did a full res change this morning. Got to drop off one nute from the mix so yay to that minute of time savings. Here is what all went in to each 5 gallon RO bottle. I'll also go into how the res looks to be able to check on things since that has come up a few places.

So much measuring and bottle shaking!

So first the lid. With the little notch cut for the hoses it lifts up pretty easy without disturbing the plants. I moved that red light out to the front right of the tent when I raised the real lights, I didn't know it was making a lot of these look super red. I'll cut that off first from now on.

So then a few of how I pump it out and then pump it back in generally.

Now refilling from the widemouth 5 gallon.

Checking PH:

Just cruisin now I guess. Humidity and temps are pretty much ideal, if not a little cool. I think that must help with the lights getting close, they are intense but leaves can stay cool. They've certainly been drinking a ton.

 

[sativuhhh]

The people at flying skull said using hydroguard and z7 is pointless as they claim z7 can do everything hydroguard does, and more. I emailed them to ask.

I bet I could get away with not using both, especially now in winter when the res temps are really easy to keep low. The z7 really did seem to clean up the res. No issues running both and on the site says they don't hurt running both either. It needs so little I'll probably keep running both till I run out and then maybe try a z7 only, it's pretty great.

 

[sativuhhh]

Well I have added on a second top screen to try to direct how the stems angle to optimize light and airflow, and eventually provide extra support as well. Found some nice clip on pipe connectors so the top screen just clicks in to the arms which clip to the base so I can easily adjust the legs/height. I just kinda guessed on how high to put it, I guess I'll give it a couple days to see how it does growing into it if it is still growing much at all. The leaves are really darkening up a bit and buds getting bigger with the nute changes. What do you all think, keep the screen at this height? Lower some?

Gotta practice taking close up pics better, it's tough!

 

[Aroxol]

If the plants are done stretching I’d maybe lower a bit. Really depends if the buds are lined up how you want, if they are and that’s the height that gets them there, leave it. Also a bit tough because plants are different height. All that aside, that’s a very clean setup.

 

[sativuhhh]

That one corner is just so far it didn't stretch quite as much. and the plant on the right exploded one night. I guess it gives good perspective if nothing else if it's stretching at all anymore. I doub't it will much with the gro nutes cut back a lot now.

 

[sativuhhh]

First, a pretty sight that I am going to enjoy watching continue.

Plants are looking great, it did stretch a bit on the left looking at this morning till now of F25 going into F26.

Tucked the right a bit and leveled it out. Hoping the left continues to rise up a bit. They do have bigger buds than a lot of the right plants edges so that's good either way.

And a couple playing with the new usb microscope, which is really pretty neat!!

 

[Growingasmile]

Other plant first topping:

They recovered nicely, here is 5 days later on the 14th.

Things are really starting to get bushy now, decided it was time to try to figure out a SCROG net. Built this with pvc and some lightweight soft feeling paracord.

Installed, 12/15

Had some issues soon after on 12/19, that was super confusing. The exhaust fan makes some serious negative pressure in the tent and pulls the sides in nicely which is great. The problem was that power strip in the back, right were the pipe of the net is is also where the power button is. I came back to the tent after a full water change with stronger nutes and the next day had a really unhappy looking plants. The big fan leaves were looking really yellowed out and crispy. Temp was up too. The PH had shot up to like 7. Freaking out I got the ph back under control, added some ph'd water to dilute it down thinking it could be an issue. The power strip just had the fans and the air pump for the air stones on it. When I had the tent open or unzipped more than 8" or so there was enough air to let the sides of the tent hang normal. Every time I'd open it and work on them, all would be good, fans running, air pumping, etc. When I zipped it up and walked away I noticed that the air pump seemed quiet, but then I'd open the tent to check and all would be good and it'd pump again. Long story short, when sealed up the side of the tent was pushing in just enough on the power strip to trip the power button to off, but not enough to actually toggle it, so the second air came back in it would go lose and the power would be back on. ARG!!!!

Got it moved and the air pumps back on (thought the air pump was failing in the neg pressure and bought a second new one which had the same problem) and all was well again, however the plants were starved of air and had some gnarly PH. I kept having to fight it down till I figured out the air. Thankfully it recovered well.

Some trimming of bad and lower leaves and some LST and bending under the net have been the name of the game since.
2/21, 2 days after the ph/air debacle. Still looking a little rough on the bottoms but getting better.

What a difference a day makes, did a little trimming I think maybe.
12/22

A little underside action:

Man that's really un lucky, good thing you realized it before it was too late

 

[sativuhhh]

Man that's really un lucky, good thing you realized it before it was too late

I was going so freakin crazy pulling my hair out at that too! Another day or two and I'd have been in real trouble I'm sure.

 

[Growingasmile]

I was going so freakin crazy pulling my hair out at that too! Another day or two and I'd have been in real trouble I'm sure.

Thats the one downfall of dwc one power outage can mess up everything, after reading your post i had to check my buckets lol.. Your plants are looking great now.

 

[sativuhhh]

What are you growin right now?

 

[Growingasmile]

What are you growin right now?

1 Twista the dispensary wont give away the strain parents but pocals believe it's a derivative of the dutchmans twister strain from Amsterdam then i have grape presidential i also couldnt get much info on that strain then i have 4 seeds from weed i smoked over the years some of them are around 10 years old. Ive got one seedling that is growing giant im begining to wonder if hes a male which i wouldnt mind because i would like to havr bulk seeds for growing any time i want.

 

[sativuhhh]

Sounds like it'll be an exiting harvest when you find out what it all is!

 

[sativuhhh]

F31:

Well things are going along decently. They've gotten bushy again, of course. The humidity is in the 50's-60's but it's also temp wise in the 60's so it's not so bad I hope. My dehumidifier is outside the tent totally not keeping up with the rainy moist air outside.
I lowered the net a little on two of the poles, the others were tight and I didn't feel like messing with them since they are hard to get at right now. Flowers are growing and getting better. Changed around fans some, got a mini clamp oscillating blowing over the canopy, a hanging 6" clamp at mid/lower canopy across, one on the other side blowing back, and the tower fan now blowing into the corner of the tent in front of it to the oscillating so it's not so violent right on the plants. Even on low and wind gust mode with oscillating, it was still just too much and there was leaf damage right up next to it. This at least helps keep the total airflow up.

Also redid the filter and fan and moved the filter over to the far left and fan far right and gained some room back. Ordered a quieting exhaust hose from amazon to hook up to the exhaust side to see if it muffles the wind/fan noise that comes out the window a bit.

Bud porn:

Also keep thinking about the lower buds and got a dorky clip on triple led grow light on arms thing. Spread it in mid canopy to light up some lower sights a little extra that are getting covered by bigger stuff up top. It was cheap, can't hurt right?