First Journal: DIY T5/LED Light & Grow Box

[Piña Delores]

Hey firstly thankyou to everyone here, I've been lurking on and off for a 3 or so years now, and have learned so much. I feel it's high laughtwo time I contributed in my own small way, while I continue to learn. So once again all.

So lets get the official bit over and done with.......

What strain is it? 1x Kritikal Bilbo, from Genehtic 1x Bubblegum from Best Seeds

Is it Indica, Sativa or Hybrid? What percentages?Both are mixes, but unsure of the %

Is it in Veg or Flower stage? Veg

If in Veg... For how long? no more than a week, (today I'm counting as day one )

Indoor or outdoor?Indoor in home made box

Soil or Hydro? Soil

If soil... what is in your mix? Bio Bizz all mix, with extra perlite, and small amount of light mix

If soil... What size pot?25l clothpots folded down too half size

Size of light? 4 x 39w T5, with 33 x 3w leds

Temp of Room/cab? 20 -25c at the mo

RH of Room/cab? 70%

How often are you watering?AS LITTLE AS POSS LOL. Seriously the pots are on 2 lava rock SWICKS

Type and strength of ferts used? It'll be Bio Biz when we get to that stage


The plan is to VEG for as long as needed, SCROG, and then flower.

This will be my 3rd grow with this light, but I have just upgraded to a slightly larger grow space (1m10cm width x 50cm deep x 1m20cm high)

Current photo's to come as I've got to get my headround up loading pictures again. (Not to mention sorting out a signature), but here's the light in action in the old grow space, from my last grow...

as you can see it got a little cramped..

All comments, questions and suggestions more than welcome.

I'm sure WE can do a bit better this time

 

[TheChanger]

re: First Journal - DIY T5/LED Light & Grow Box

If you are cramped for space then try mainlining her or LST to help even your canopy and also keep.her short and bushy. I prefer mainlining but its a longer veg time 8 weeks minimum for me but maybe you can accomplish it quicker, either way you'll get 8 to 16 top colas evenly distribution of light

 

[Piña Delores]

re: First Journal - DIY T5/LED Light & Grow Box

Cheers for popping in ken

I hope to be less cramped in my new space, but LST will be used, along with the SCROG, and I'll top at least once.

Didn't mention, but thats how I worked last time.

Been following (lurking) the fluxing threads a while, that shits amazing. I'd love to give it a go, and maybe I will one day, but for now I'm sticking to what I've got half a handle on

 

[SmokeyPanda]

re: First Journal - DIY T5/LED Light & Grow Box

Subbed up Piña! Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using 420 Magazine Mobile App

 

[Pat999]

re: First Journal - DIY T5/LED Light & Grow Box

Subbed up man your previous plants looked great, killed it with the scrog. I personally would stick with the scrog if height is an issue. Have a great day bru

 

[TheChanger]

re: First Journal - DIY T5/LED Light & Grow Box

Cheers for popping in ken

I hope to be less cramped in my new space, but LST will be used, along with the SCROG, and I'll top at least once.

Didn't mention, but thats how I worked last time.

Been following (lurking) the fluxing threads a while, that shits amazing. I'd love to give it a go, and maybe I will one day, but for now I'm sticking to what I've got half a handle on

Check out my lady here she was LST and topped or fimmed 3 times. She came out perfect for me but this grow i am doing mainlining just for a experiment to check yeilds

 

[Piña Delores]

Happy Saturday peeps

Hope all is good and green in your worlds.

So I have just been up to my space, and had a bit of a photo shoot with me girls

Been a bit of a hassle, needed to find the charger for the camera, then had to find the USB lead for the camera, and now I've got to work out how to upload some photo's.

I've done it before, so I must be able to do it again, right.....

Anyway before I take on that frustration, thought I'd take the time to reply to people.

First up Ken, nice plant. What strain? Those buds look so sugary I take it your now mainlining (sorry hate that term:surrender the same strain?

Pat cheers for the kind words, not sure I "killed it" with that scrog, the last couple of weeks of that grow were spent hoping it would just finish lol. My old space only had 750mm height, by the time the pots and light took their share not a lot left. I do remember I struggled to get my hand between the net and the pot.

My new space with 1m200mm height feels huge. Here's hoping i can fill it.

Right back in a bit with some pics

 

[Piña Delores]

So my babies were started 10 days ago. Between plates on wet paper towel

I constructed my new grow space from Dexion (well a cheap knock off) shelving, lined with 3mm MDF. Painted matt white inside. The photo below was taken during construction.

I doubled up on the metal support angle at the front. This forms a groove so the front sheet of MDF can slide up and down, making a suprisingly light tight door

With some extra timber I had knocking around, and reusing old fans, the box cost me about 60 euros to make. Not too bad, but there were times during the build I wished I was just throwing up a tent.

To keep heat down in the box, the LED drivers, and T5 ballasts are all housed outside of the grow space, under a metal shelf. Although I am finding in this larger box temps are less of an issue. Maybe more lights?

So now the ladies....

Here they are on their SWICKS

To the left Philomena (Kritikal Bilbo[can you tell the wifes getting involved?])

To the right the more shy Juanita (Buble Gum)

think she's finding the soil a wee bit rich, but seems to be pulling through.

Thats all for now, thanks for reading

Comments, questions and suggestions more than welcome

 

[Pat999]

Looking great buddy. I love doing things DIY and that works well. If more lights are required then it can't be helped, LoL! Have a great Saturday further

 

[TheChanger]

Happy Saturday peeps

Hope all is good and green in your worlds.

So I have just been up to my space, and had a bit of a photo shoot with me girls

Been a bit of a hassle, needed to find the charger for the camera, then had to find the USB lead for the camera, and now I've got to work out how to upload some photo's.

I've done it before, so I must be able to do it again, right.....

Anyway before I take on that frustration, thought I'd take the time to reply to people.

First up Ken, nice plant. What strain? Those buds look so sugary I take it your now mainlining (sorry hate that term:surrender the same strain?

Pat cheers for the kind words, not sure I "killed it" with that scrog, the last couple of weeks of that grow were spent hoping it would just finish lol. My old space only had 750mm height, by the time the pots and light took their share not a lot left. I do remember I struggled to get my hand between the net and the pot.

My new space with 1m200mm height feels huge. Here's hoping i can fill it.

Right back in a bit with some pics

That is blue cheese barneys farm, and no I'll be mainlining vanilla kush, or critical kush, or afghan kush. Its a kush winter for me!!!

 

[Piña Delores]

Seasons greetings

Hope all's good and green with you and yours.

Well I've decided to make my journal bi-weekly, so this is my first humpday update.

My girls are still under 24 lights, and I think they'll stay that way at least until my next update. Then I'll think about dusting my timer off

They've not been watered yet, and if I do give them any before the weekend it will be a top up direct to the SWICK.

Oh, full disclosure, I shared some coconut milk with them yesterday. They really didn't get much, 10ml at most, each. I like coconut and I'm more than a bit stingy with it lol, but it was nice to sit and share 5 min with them.

So pictures. Here's Philomena taking it all in her stride.....

Followed closely by Juanita. You can still see what I think was the initial burn from the soil, but she's making a great recovery....

Thats it for today, I'm off to check on a few other journals.

As always comments, questions and suggestions more than welcome

 

[greengostarr]

Along for the ride, Piña.

 

[Pat999]

They look great Piña, will you be placing them on 18/6??

 

[greengostarr]

So my babies were started 10 days ago. Between plates on wet paper towel

I constructed my new grow space from Dexion (well a cheap knock off) shelving, lined with 3mm MDF. Painted matt white inside. The photo below was taken during construction.


With some extra timber I had knocking around, and reusing old fans, the box cost me about 60 euros to make. Not too bad, but there were times during the build I wished I was just throwing up a tent.

I hear ya brother. I considered constructing my own as well, but decided on a 1.2m X 1.2m X 2m tent and I'm glad I did!

 

[Piña Delores]

Hey

Hope we're all set for a good one

Welcome to my journal Greengostarr.

Just a quick one tonight. The SWICK has indeed been topped up, and I've just shared another coconut milk with the ladies, and I must say they seem to be loveing life.

They're still on 24hr light, as I've flaked out, as far as finding my timer goes. . Sure it's not going to hurt them, but going to have to get it done before Wed.

I was planning on dropping to 20/4 light Pat, any advantages to 18/6?

Couple of quick pics......

Juanita

Philomena

all in all happy with their progress

As always comments, questions and suggestions more than welcome

 

[greengostarr]

Looking good and it's good to see the node growth.

I was running 20/4 on mine, but will go 18/6 next time. This is because I had very little vertical growth; it was all bush with minimal internodal space and I believe the added dark hours would increase this.The lack of vertical growth was only a problem for me because mine was a reveg with insane growth.

 

[Pat999]

Looking great Piña, it all depends like Greengostarr said. More dark will make them grow taller as any plant uses the dark period to grow, I would say stick to 18/6 for now. Merry christmas to you and have a blessed day

 

[greengostarr]

Buenas fiestas, Piña, y buena suerte (No hablo español, solo portugués, pero es similar.)
Em portugués é boas festas e boa sorte.

 

[greengostarr]

Looking great Piña, it all depends like Greengostarr said. More dark will make them grow taller as any plant uses the dark period to grow, I would say stick to 18/6 for now. Merry christmas to you and have a blessed day

I'm even thinking of going with a 16/8 as I'm planning on a 4 clone monster crop next time instead of a single reveg.

 

[Piña Delores]

Hey

Hope all is good and green with you all, and cheers for popping in

I know it's not humpday, but thought an update could be in order.

I've decided that 18/6 is the way to go, my last grow had a lack of height. It never occured to me that 20/4 might have been the reason. Time to find out, cheers for the advice.

Having said that, it's not happend yet. When I did get round to digging out my timer, the digital part was dead. A few hours plugged into the wall didn't help, so with it being Xmas and all I've had to wait to get a new one. I've gone analog this time, and the girls are due their first 6hr dark period tomorrow.

Greengostarr, I wondered where you were from when you typed my nick correctly lol. Not even I can do that anymore. I'm English but live in Spain, and joined up on my old PC. My new PC has windows in English with a keyboard to match, not a ñ in sight. Got somewhere to copy and paste one from now though.

So on with the update, first up Philomena.....

and then Juanita

both the girls seem to be doing well, and are a very healthy green colour, but there does seem to be something funky with the older larger leaves. Not concerned, I've put it down to proximity to the lights, so raised them a little.

I figured it's time they were topped, so have cut the smallest, newest growth I could see from the top of the plant. So little you can't see it in photo's, hope it's enough, we shall see.

So with it being Xmas, and the ordeal I just put them through. I decided that they were old enough to have their first drink....

1ml of each in a litre of water, shared between the two of them. It's the first time they've been watered from the top, and their first sniff of neuts. We'll see how they respond.

There they are after their adventure, as you can see there's no sign of a topping, although maybe they look a little tipsy

As always comments, questions and suggestions more than welcome.