Aberration Goes Ker Bloom! - Perpetual

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

So here are some pics.

My manicure/dry/cure process is a combination of what I have read, what I have actually seen done, and some ideas of my own.

First, at harvest, we start at the bottom and cut off branches. I'm thinking I might switch to top-first though. We bring the branches to the trimming area and cut off anything that is damaged or doesn't have much in the way of trichomes. I want to leave the little bitty trichome covered leaves there, but I want to expose the calyxes as much as I can. We are very careful of the pistils as they are desirable. We cut them into smaller segments as needed - we try to keep them under 12" long at finish if we can.

Once we are done with a branch, it gets hung from a clothes hanger. Sometimes we just make sure to leave a 'hook' on the branch to hang it by, but lately I've been clipping them on with binder clips, which is much easier and they don't fall off anymore. Once the hanger is full, I clip on a slip of paper that tells me what it is and when it was manicured.

Then it goes in the dryer. My goal is to slowly dry over a week. Too fast and it's harsh. Too slow and it molds. A week seems good. I hang the hangers full of pot on rods in the box. I have two rows, but I need to re-do the rods. I originally put them in with the idea that the branches would be directly hung from the rods, so the rods are arranged that way. I need to take out the side rods and put in larger center rods, but it works fine for now. Besides, It's full right now:

I try to keep the temps in the mid-70s and humidity near 50% with slight air circulation. After they get dry enough that the stems will snap, but still hang on, I cut the buds from the branches into a ceramic bowl. Trichs won't stick to it like they do to plastics. I cover this loosely with newspaper. I take a smaller section of the paper, close it up and fold it top to bottom, like it is when you get a fresh flat paper. Then I tape one corner down and let the rest of the paper lay on the bowl:

This allows a little breathing and good moisture absorbency. When the buds are still on the branch, I think the stem provides some moisture to the base/center of the bud. It seems like, with more mass, less surface area, and (I believe) less or no stomata (pores to evaporate water through) stems take longer to dry. So while the outside of the bud is dry, the core is getting moisture from the waterlogged stick it is attached to and doesn't dry as much. We want to equalize that. Cutting the buds off the stem stops the transfer of moisture, and the bowl-with-newspaper-lid gives them a chance to find equilibrium sooner than if I waited until I put them in jars. Here's some trainwreck in there now. Notice I just dropped the paper label from a hanger into the bowl, changing the date to when it went into the bowl:

Once they've spent a couple days in the bowl, they go into jars. I use wide mouth half-quart (pint) canning jars. A label on the top ID's the strain and when it was jarred. I then open the jars for 15 minutes a day for a week. After that, I just leave the jars somewhere cool, dark and dry, tightly sealed until use.

Here's a trainwreck bud I grabbed. I probably should have picked a nicer looking one, but this is about average and representative of the whole:

The trainwreck is great. I haven't got the flavor and smell identified yet, but to borrow a phrase, it stones me to my soul. I quite like it.

 

[HazeSeeker]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

and

amazing plants, buds, everything looks great !
+reps if I can

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

Thanks.

We finished harvesting the PG4 in a marathon run, and she's in the dryer. It's pretty full in there, but it starts coming out almost daily for a while, starting tomorrow, so by the time the KK is ready there will be plenty of room.

MTN2 stepped up to bloom in PG4's place. MTN2 is about 18" tall and diameter. It's in a ten gallon pot, just like MTN1 and OC5.

Speaking of those last two, I just moved the lights over OC5 up last night to put them more than 18" from the light. Now, OC5 has a branch 2" past that line. It's stretching fast at 2 1/2 weeks bloom. I have pics but I need to go to bed. I'll get to them tomorrow, I expect.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

So here is the current state of the bloom room. KK is in the back left corner, and MTN1 and OC5 take up the rest of the back wall. The newest bloomer, MTN2, is right up front there:

Here is a closer look at OC5. The green cord on the right is hanging from the corner of the light - it's a distance guide. The end of the line is 24" from the light and the black mark is at 18". With my 600W lights, I just need to keep the tops between the end of the line and the mark.

See the two tallest branches? The taller one was ~1" below the mark Friday night. When I took this last night (Saturday) it was ~2" above the mark. 3" in 24 hours. Woot!

Here's a closer look at that tallest branch. Most of that flowered area at the top appeared overnight:

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

I'm suddenly busy.

-> MTO1, MTO2, 7 clones in 3' pots (4 OC, 2 MTN, 1 MTO) *VEG*:
1. Feed: Wet to saturation.
   Per gal:
	 1.0 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
	  .5 t Companion
   870 ppm, pH 6.27 @ 20.5 C (MTO1, MTO2)
   600 ppm, pH 6.18 @ 21.4 C (7 clones)

-> KK:
1. Flush: 1.5 gallons water.

--> OC1, OC3, OC5, MTN1, MTN2:
1. Pre-flush: 1/2 gal. 
   Per gal:
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
   pH 6.21 @ 20.2 C

2. Feed: 1 gal.
   Per gal:
	 2  t  Soil Nute
	 2  t  PGE
	 3  t  Notrazyme
	 1  oz yucca
	 1  T  Biggest Bloom
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
	 2  t  Feather Tea
	 1  oz Amino Blast
	 1  T  Bioactive
	1/2 t  Carbon sweet
	 1  t  Cal-Mag
         1  T  Calcium Syrup
	 1  t  Companion
   Watered down to 1200 ppm (1040 for MTN2)
   Brought up with liquid lime to pH 6.25 @ 20.2 C (MTN2 pH 6.19 @ 20.8 C)

I just realized that 11 of the 23 hangers in the dryer are ready to come out. Zoinks!. I gotta snip off a buncha buds, so sorry if I don't hang around.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

-> MTO1, MTO2, MTNz1, MTOz1 *VEG*:
1. Feed: Wet to saturation.
   Per gal:
	 1.0 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
	  .5 t Companion
   840 ppm, pH 6.27 @ 20.5 C (MTO1, MTO2)
   650 ppm, pH 6.13 @ 23.4 C (MTNz1, MTOz1)

-> KK:
1. Flush: 1.5 gallons water.

--> OC1, OC3, OC5, MTN1:
1. Pre-flush: 1/2 gal. 
   Per gal:
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
   pH 6.24 @ 23.7 C

2. Feed: 1 gal.
   Per gal:
	 2  t  Soil Nute
	 2  t  PGE
	 3  t  Notrazyme
	 1  oz yucca
	 1  T  Biggest Bloom
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
	 2  t  Feather Tea
	 1  oz Amino Blast
	 1  T  Bioactive
	1/2 t  Carbon sweet
	 1  t  Cal-Mag
         1  T  Calcium Syrup
	 1  t  Companion
   Watered down to 1290 ppm
   Brought up with liquid lime to pH 6.29 @ 23.1 C

I approved the bud I put in bowls 2 & 3 days ago and put it into jars. I didn't weight it, but previously, 6 pint jars per 4 oz was about average. I jarred 6 pints POG2 and 10+ pints ATW, so I'm guessing 4 oz POG2 and 6+ oz ATW. Woot! I'll weigh it in a few days, but I think I'm meeting my goal of 4 oz per plant average with a tad to spare. I still have the KK to go to finish the set. Also some of the POG2 and all of the PG4 is still drying.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

As the temperature rises here, my AC units are less and less able to cope. I have a 5K btu AC in the veg rom and an older 12K btu unit in the bloom room.

So to remedy this, I have purchased a 25,000 btu AC. That's 2 tons of cooling folks. If it can't keep up, something is wrong. I'll move the 12K into the veg and the 25K goes in bloom. I also purchased a high amperage relay, since the new AC runs on 240V and I want to control it with 120V power. It's a Green Air HAR-1. I'm sure I could build one for far cheaper than the normal price, but the local shop is closing out all Green Air products and instead of $205, I got it for $85. It's worth it to me at that price.

So this will be the 4th time I have frankensteined an AC. By that I mean:

1. Disassemble the AC well enough to decipher the primary circuits
2. Solder in jumpers to bypass the relays for high blower and compressor
3. Re-assemble except outer shell
4. Seal the hot side from the cold side as well as possible with foil duct tape
5. Run a pan drain out to be connected to a sump (13 gal garbage can) later.
6. Build a box around the hot side (rigid styro insulation), airtight.
7. Attach incoming air to side of the box, aimed at the compressor
8. Attach a 440 cfm 6' inline fan to that
9. Attach duct to back of box
10. Hang the entire thing up near the ceiling, hopefully vibration damped, tilted slightly for drainage
11. Hook up ducts, water drain line, relay, thermostat, fan cord, custom power adapter hardware
12. Pray it doesn't drip, blow a styro aneurysm, or overheat

That's my plan for this evening - that and smoking copious amounts of ganja. So I'll probably be at it for some time. I plan to take pictures, and hopefully I'll have some posted later. I'll feed later too.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

7/24/09
-------
MTO1 and MTO2 look a little over-dark green, so
I'll back them off a bit, which gives everyone else
a chance to catch up.

-> All *VEG*:
1. Feed: Wet to saturation.
   Per gal:
	 1.0 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
	  .5 t Companion
         2.0 t Bt-i
   730 ppm, pH 6.23 @ 20.0 C

-> KK:
1. Flush: 1.5 gallons water.

--> OC5, MTN1, MTN2:
1. Pre-flush: 1/2 gal. 
   Per gal:
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
   pH 6.24 @ 21.0 C

2. Feed: 1 gal.
   Per gal:
	 2  t  Soil Nute
	 2  t  PGE
	 3  t  Notrazyme
	 1  oz yucca
	 1  T  Biggest Bloom
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
	 2  t  Feather Tea
	 1  oz Amino Blast
	 1  T  Bioactive
	1/2 t  Carbon sweet
	 1  t  Cal-Mag
         1  T  Calcium Syrup
	 1  t  Companion
   Watered down to 1250 ppm
   Brought up with liquid lime to pH 6.20 @ 19.9 C

Still working on the AC unit. We have figured out how this one can be hot-wired. We just need three male 1/4" spade connectors. I have wire and a wire nut. Just three wires that need to be connected.

This AC is huge. It's going to be a bear getting it into the bloom room - we have to take the final door off the hinges to get it in there.

 

[Keith Lake]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

2 tons, that a serious addition.

Aberration Goes ker Serious

 

[Tunes420]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

Looking good and super harvest!

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

I've been intensely sidetracked by the high temps lately. In the 90s and my AC isn't keeping up. So I subbed in that 25K btu AC, but it won't run all the time because it overheats and shuts down. We are going to run dual 6" ducting with dual fans. Hopefully that will work because it's supposed to hit 100 degrees tomorrow.

-> All *VEG*:
1. Feed: Wet to saturation.
   Per gal:
	 1.0 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
	  .5 t Companion
   835 ppm, pH 6.24 @ 22.4 C

-> KK:
1. Flush: 1.5 gallons water.

--> OC1, OC3, OC5, MTN1, MTN2:
1. Pre-flush: 1/2 gal. 
   Per gal:
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
   pH 6.24 @ 23.1 C

2. Feed: 1 gal.
   Per gal:
	 2  t  Soil Nute
	 2  t  PGE
	 3  t  Notrazyme
	 1  oz yucca
	 1  T  Biggest Bloom
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
	 2  t  Feather Tea
	 1  oz Amino Blast
	 1  T  Bioactive
	1/2 t  Carbon sweet
	 1  t  Cal-Mag
         1  T  Calcium Syrup
	 1  t  Companion
   Watered down to 1200 ppm
   Brought up with liquid lime to pH 6.20 @ 21.6 C

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

Excellent news! The new AC is working. It just brought the temp down from the high 80s to 72 in a matter of a few minutes. I have 3 of the 4 lights on. I'll leave it like this and see what the temp max/min are between now and tomorrow evening.

Looking good though. Woot! Just in time. Too bad I was up til 3am finishing it. I'm beat. Off to bed for me.

 

[Minus]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

Serious skills indeed!Love your ingenuity Aberration!

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

Thanks. Not only does it work, but when the temps outside hit 104F today, the bloom room was 70F (it was their night time). I love this thing. I still have a few details to work out, like how to better manage condensation, but it's otherwise stellar. I just turned the 4th HID light on in there and I don't expect problems.

No feeding today. I'm going to spend some time with my wife.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

I have a few minutes, so here's a picture of the new AC unit. I removed the original enclosure and face. I opened the electronics box and located the two relays for compressor and high fan. The circuit diagram on the inside top showed that the black hot (240V AC) simply crossed these relays directly, so by wiring hot to both of those leaders I forced the unit into full fan and powered up. As long as it gets 240V, it works.

I then sealed the hot side from the cold side with foil tape, and boxed in the hot side with 1 and 2 inch thick styro insulation. It handles heat well, is rigid enough, and seals well with foil tape. It's also light and easy to work with. On the backside, the styro extends out about 12' past the radiator to create an exhaust manifold.

It has two air intakes, each with it's own 6" 400 cfm inline blowing directly into the compressor space of the hot side. You can see one fan (they are blue) on top; the other is obscured. From the exhaust manifold go two exhaust stacks straight out through the ceiling. Above the ceiling, the intakes draw from the eaves, and the exhaust is vented through roof vents, so that I don't unnecessarily heat the attic space.

This is all held up on big shelf brackets and chain, as you see. There is a purple hose coming out the bottom-center - that's for the condensation and drains to a large sump. The drain tube is barely pushed into the hole with no fitting. There isn't much moisture coming out atm, but I still need to get a proper bulkhead fitting for that and route it out the wall into the backyard.

Also, check out my high tech air diverter at the top right. Two pieces of styro wedged between the AC and the wall are diverting the cold air across the room. It keep the air from just recirculating at the intake and it spreads it around well, but I need to duct it to the floor properly when I get some time.

Below that is a rat's nest of cords and devices. Starting on the left, with a steel wall plate, is a 4 wire 240v 30A outlet. I realized that this heavy duty circuit was completely unused, so I hijacked it a while back. Just below it is a 4 outlet box hung on the wall. The cord for that split the 2 240V rails and carried a neutral to both, giving me 120V on each. I am not using that now and the cord goes to the floor. To the right of the 240 is a 120V 20A outlet. It has a digital heat/cool thermostat in the top, and the bottom feeds that power strip below.

Plugged into the power strip, from top to bottom, is the oscillating fan on the left, the transformer for the CO2 controller ( it's hiding just to the right of the thermostat), the always-on fan for the AC (I'll get back to that) and a 6" inline with a carbon filter that cleans and circulates air.

Now, to explain the AC cordage, there's a problem. The AC runs on 240V, and the thermostat only does 120V. Getting a digital thermostat for 240 line voltage is expensive and difficult, so I used a relay. Starting at the 240 outlet, that black cord goes to the black box on the right. That contains a relay powered by 120V, so that when the 120V power comes on (it's plugged into the thermostat), it turns on the 240V, which feeds those two outlets at the top right. One is a 240V outlet for the AC, and the other is 120V (stole a leg again) which gets turned on and off with the 240V.

I had both 6" intake fans on that 120V outlet, but I decided to keep one fan going all the time (as mentioned above), so it's plugged into the always-on power strip. I'm hoping that this will help keep the device's entire structure cooler.

Finally, here is a pic of the bloom room. All the lights are on now. The yellowing lady in the front is the KK, which has been flushing for almost 2 weeks and is mid-harvest. The rest are just packed into the back half of the space. They get good light and I can get in and out without going mad. They all seem to be growing quite well.

 

[LiveTour]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

Freaking wicked awesome bro!!! Its funny, as I've been reading about your unfortunate coolant issues the past few days and it dawned on me tonight. You'll work out all the kinks in your cooling system just in time for fall/winter. What are your plans for winter? Are you going to be running during those cold winters up there

That last picture is your best so far, a room of beautiful blooming ladies!!!

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

Yeah, I know, but it will be a couple months before it gets cool again. Even then I will need AC in the bloom room, so I'm satisfied.

Thanks. They are doing great this time. I just hope the 3-4 days of high temps don't cause problems.

 

[Keith Lake]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

I love it

I've got a minute

1:44 AM and still working in the grow room

That's dedication

 

[cigo]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

looks fucking goooood!
nice grow room man!

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009

Thanks. You're gonna make me blush.

I think I was up at that hour because I needed to medicate my screaming knees. It's why I have a med card. I get stoned and get to fooling around with the ladies in the wee hours sometimes. If you know what I mean.

Actually, it's an obsession right now. Growing I mean. It's fascinating. I have so much I want to investigate, so much I want to try for myself. Growing has long term potential as a hobby. Growing, learning their quirks, trying new strains, breeding, and of course - getting ripped on good organic self grown bud.

Thanks for making me feel like I fit in. There's a lot of nice friendly people here.

-> All *VEG*:
1. Feed: Wet to saturation.
   Per gal:
	 1.0 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
	  .5 t Companion
   880 ppm, pH 6.18 @ 23.7 C

-> KK:
1. Flush: 1.5 gallons water.

--> OC1, OC3, OC5, MTN1, MTN2:
1. Pre-flush: 1/2 gal. 
   Per gal:
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
   pH 6.18 @ 23.6 C

2. Feed: 1 gal.
   Per gal:
	 2  t  Soil Nute
	 2  t  PGE
	 3  t  Notrazyme
	 1  oz yucca
	 1  T  Biggest Bloom
	 1  T  liquid bone meal
	 1  oz Amino Blast
	 1  T  Bioactive
	1/2 t  Carbon sweet
	 1  t  Cal-Mag
         1  T  Calcium Syrup
	 1  t  Companion
	 1  t  Bt-i
   Watered down to 1300 ppm
   Brought up with liquid lime to pH 6.20 @ 23.8 C

It was 104F here today, which is insanely hot for this area. It is a testament to the new AC that the temps never went over 80F. Swee-eee-eeet! It won't be that hot too many days all summer. I just need to get the 12K btu AC (that was in the bloom room) put up in the veg. Less of a problem here tho. The 5K that is here is just limping along, but it's acceptable. No rush. Which is good because I have other things I need to tend to.