Foghorn - Bloombox - Noob - 2012

[Foghorn]

Hey all! I just got my bloom box from bcnl and I am excited! Iv read pages about the merits of. Building from scratch or buying a set up, and iv bought it so that debate is over for me. I ordered big bud seeds from the Uk and they should arrive tomorrow. I regret now ordering those. I was up late on the Internet, and well we all know that's when bad choices are made. Oh well. They should be good to learn with. Iv read several journals on here and it seems helpful so that's why I'm starting mine. So all respectful comments are welcome. I haven't done this in 15 years so we will see how it goes.

I hemed and hawed for months before pulling the trigger on the box. One of the big resources for me were these journals so I'd be happy to return the favor and answer any questions I can about the box.

Also, ms.fox, xlr8, and others out there that have a box and that I know are knowlegable, I would love to glean from your experience. Pics posted soon!

 

[Foghorn]

Re: Foghorn/bloombox/noob/2012

I germinated the seeds and pH balanced the water according to the instructions that came with the box. Six out of six sprouted within 36 hours. I placed them in the 1 inch rock wool that had been pre-soaked overnight in the pH balanced water and placed them in the clone dome underneath 125 watt CFL on the veg side.

To explain the duct tape on the wall in the pics: I had to remove a portion of the wall to get the box in. The room is exactly 1 inch wider than the box itself leaving me a half inch on either side. I simply cut a hole in the wall, installed a new stud, framed in a box around the hole, built a small wall the same size of the hole with insulation and dry wall, and placed it in. I used expanding foam and duct tape to seal the gaps. On the exterior side of the wall, which is the garage, I put up pegboard to cover the work and hung some tools.

The main question I have right now is how many roots need to poking out of the 1 inch rock wool before I transfer it to the 3 1/2 inch rock wool? Also, how hot is too hot inside the clone dome?

Also, I plan on using Uncle Ben's topping method, which is basically after 5 or 6 nodes of growth, pinching it off above the 1st or 2nd node to get 2 or 4 main colas respectively. Google it for pics and better explanation. Has anyone had any success or failures with this method? It's supposed to be good for keeping plants short and that is a priority of mine with this box. Unless anyone gives me a reason not to, I will let you guys know how it goes.

This account is completely fictional and pics are taken from the internet.

 

[Xlr8]

Hi Foghorn!

I only have a minute at the moment, but I'd say put the small rockwool into larger rockwool as soon as roots are visible out the sides and bottom even a little bit. I don't use rockwool (just a personal preference, a lot of people like rockwool) but that's what I'd do.

I try to keep my humidity dome in 70's, but low to mid 80's should be ok I think. I honestly haven't gotten higher than that with my temps, so I'm not entirely sure on the max.

I'll try to peek in whenever I can. MsFox hasn't been around for a while now, but she was great. I miss her!

UBT method is a fine way to keep things short. I take the "new" main grow tips and LST them to keep canopy low and level. On first grow with it, I'd suggest inducing flowering when they are pretty young... Maybe like a week or two after you top them at most. Just a thought - they can really stretch, so don't veg too long or you'll blow the roof off...

 

[Xlr8]

Check out this journal when you have time:

BCNL Producer & DIY Cabs 3 Strains

Should be some useful tidbits in there that might help.

 

[Foghorn]

Re: Foghorn/bloombox/noob/2012

I'm so glad your aboard xlr8! It really gives me a boost of confidence knowing someone in the world that knows what they are doing is looking over my shoulder a bit.

I had my first real hiccup today. I decided to put them the 3.5 in rock wool today and all went smooth. I mixed my nutes half strength, pre soaked my rockwool, and filled the hydro 12 tub from the mixing resevoir using the supplied hose and valve. Worked like a charm. I pluged in the water pump to the always on position just to see it pump, it did. I had not tested the pumps since I'd had no water. I removed one of the pots and arranged the stones and air lines just how I wanted them and flipped the air pump over ride switch in back. It had been manually turned off because it's set to run all the time the machine is on. And since I'd only been using the clone dome and light until that moment, I had kept it turned off. Instant bubbles! I put the five plant in the pre soaked rock wool already in the tub and put on the supplied light shields over the rock wool to prevent algae growth. They don't fit well with stake style droppers. Not terribly bad though. I might experiment with foil or using a hole punch to make a little access port for the stake. I checked my PH level again and left for dinner with the in laws. When I came back, no bubbles!!! My air pump took a dump on me! I emailed Todd, my BCNL rep, manufacturer of the box, and immediately ordered me a new one and sent me some bonus nutes. When I emailed him he replied in two minutes and just call to him. This was 930 PM!!! I work in the medical industry with lots of on call doctors that are less accessible then Todd has been for me. Iv been a worry wart this whole proccesss and they held my hand the whole way. So I used an old air pump from a turtle tank to get some bubbles going until the new pump arrives. After taking a close look at the components compartment of the box I'm impressed by its engineering and craftsman ship. It's put together on the same standards as a high end washer fridge. I'm happy I bought it. Nothing framed from wooed will last as long as this.

But after all this I decide to check the PH level again because iv read so much about it creeping up and sure enough, it was 6.4! So I added some PH down but added to much, its 5.3 now. Too low I know but I think it might Come up by morning feed and if not I'll change it then I guess so it's right.

I'll load pics tomorrow.

 

[Xlr8]

Re: Foghorn/bloombox/noob/2012

I'm so glad your aboard xlr8! It really gives me a boost of confidence knowing someone in the world that knows what they are doing is looking over my shoulder a bit.

I had my first real hiccup today. I decided to put them the 3.5 in rock wool today and all went smooth. I mixed my nutes half strength, pre soaked my rockwool, and filled the hydro 12 tub from the mixing resevoir using the supplied hose and valve. Worked like a charm. I pluged in the water pump to the always on position just to see it pump, it did. I had not tested the pumps since I'd had no water. I removed one of the pots and arranged the stones and air lines just how I wanted them and flipped the air pump over ride switch in back. It had been manually turned off because it's set to run all the time the machine is on. And since I'd only been using the clone dome and light until that moment, I had kept it turned off. Instant bubbles! I put the five plant in the pre soaked rock wool already in the tub and put on the supplied light shields over the rock wool to prevent algae growth. They don't fit well with stake style droppers. Not terribly bad though. I might experiment with foil or using a hole punch to make a little access port for the stake. I checked my PH level again and left for dinner with the in laws. When I came back, no bubbles!!! My air pump took a dump on me! I emailed Todd, my BCNL rep, manufacturer of the box, and immediately ordered me a new one and sent me some bonus nutes. When I emailed him he replied in two minutes and just call to him. This was 930 PM!!! I work in the medical industry with lots of on call doctors that are less accessible then Todd has been for me. Iv been a worry wart this whole proccesss and they held my hand the whole way. So I used an old air pump from a turtle tank to get some bubbles going until the new pump arrives. After taking a close look at the components compartment of the box I'm impressed by its engineering and craftsman ship. It's put together on the same standards as a high end washer fridge. I'm happy I bought it. Nothing framed from wooed will last as long as this.

But after all this I decide to check the PH level again because iv read so much about it creeping up and sure enough, it was 6.4! So I added some PH down but added to much, its 5.3 now. Too low I know but I think it might Come up by morning feed and if not I'll change it then I guess so it's right.

I'll load pics tomorrow.

First, thanks!

The customer service at BCNL is typically very good for sure. If your roots aren't hanging into the res yet, you'll be fine for now anyway. I didn't have those type of drippers on mine, but it sounds like you have a good idea there. 5.3 is okay, a little low, but it will come back up, too.

Make sure your reservoir is as light tight as possible - that can contribute to the ph going up so quickly, too. it should be DARK in there if you can make it so - as dark as possible.

If possible, try to adjust the ph to about 5.5 or 5.6 to begin with, let it drift up to about 6.1 or 6.2 before adjusting back to 5.5 or 5.6 again. Some nutrients can be taken in by the plants better at varying ph levels, so letting it naturally drift through that range is an effective strategy. Also, it's best to not adjust more than about .5 at a time if you can, but do what you need to to keep it in aprox the range I mentioned.

Hydroponics gardening stores usually have an air pump like you need for 10-20$ or so, if you need it quick - a backup isn't a bad idea anyway if you can swing the extra $$. But, BCNL is usually pretty quick with stuff, too.

Keep rockin it - I'll try to keep peeking in.

 

[Foghorn]

Re: Foghorn/bloombox/noob/2012

Well your comment spurred me to experiment sooner than later with light shields. I used tin foil and it works well but took awhile and looks ghetto. I also started keeping the box closed. I had been keeping it cracked because I was worked about heat. But with it closed my ambient room temp is 72. The box is supposed to run 5-7 degrees warmer than the room it's in. But my temp sensor says otherwise. I talked to bcnl and was told me sensors too high in box and to relax, as long as my room temp is good I'm fine. So I feel better about that.

Right now my only concern is that my stems are SO crooked. Is that normal?

And I checked out the link xlr8 posted, and that guy makes my lil closet look just sad. He has a great thing going and

 

[Foghorn]

Re: Foghorn/bloombox/noob/2012

I plan on reading the whole thing

 

[Foghorn]

Re: Foghorn/bloombox/noob/2012

 

[Xlr8]

Re: Foghorn/bloombox/noob/2012

Hi Foghorn -


Your stems are a little stretched due to distance from the light. Are they under flouros on that side (can't remember on the bloom box)? A very light fan with a very light breeze can help strengthen the stems if they can't be brought closer to the light source. Also, a straw cut lengthwise and trimmed to length, carefully wrapped around the stem can be useful to prop it up better. Best thing is to somehow get them more light or closer to it. Might be tricky in your setup, but food for thought...

 

[Foghorn]

Re: Foghorn/bloombox/noob/2012

 

[Foghorn]

 

[Foghorn]

 

[Foghorn]

As always, thanks for the time to check in on me Xlr8. Fortunately this time things seem to work themselves out. The stems without any real assistance are growing straight up, some lean slightly but not enough for any real concern. The plants have not been growing up hardly at all, but as you can see I have had a lot of new growth on the leaves. The plants pictured side by side are the tallest and shortest of the five. As you can see from the pic directly above, the sprout closest and to the right started out very tall and the shortest is the one behind it which started out very short. I think next time I might try to frame out a box to set the hydro 12 on to get it closer to the light and yes, it is a CFL. I am still trying to come up with something in my head so i can make it stable and stack-able so I can raise and lower the height as the plants need it.

I was having some issues keeping my pH down, but wasn't overly concerned as I have read this is common from many other journals on this site. I eventually read, again on this site, that when using RO water you need to add CalMag to compensate for what is normally in well and tap water and not provided in nutrient mixture because they are already factoring in a certain amount of calcium and magnesium which is already in your water. Also, the CalMag acts as a buffer for the pH because RO is so pure that the pH swings easily. Since then the pH has risen some, but not as much as before and stabilized much faster with far less acid.

As you can see in the pics, I am starting to have some roots come out of the 3.5 rockwool. So far this week I have only been hand watering and according to the instructions you can put them on the timer once roots are showing from the rock wool. But it also says this should take a week to 10 days and they have only been in the 3.5 rock wool for 5 days. Too soon to switch to the timer or can they handle it?

Thanks again everyone for checking in and all the good advice.



All accounts are fictional and pics are taken from the Internet.

 

[Foghorn]

 

[Foghorn]

So I have taken the leap and topped my plants using the Uncle Ben method. I have to admit I was apprehensive about cutting off so much of my plant. But the new growt on the four new main stems is obvious in less than 24 hrs. I'm happy I did it it. They were at 3weeks and 5 days with six nodes. Today is the last day of the third week. One more week of veg then over to the flower chamber! That's where the magic happens!!

I plan on turning on the T5's as soon as the plants are tall enough not to get burned. From the other journals iv read it seems to take about two weeks. About the same time as your supposed to start the Co2. I need to go get my tank.

My only concern now would be my roots are a little brown. Just right at the water line and down from there like two inches. Then nice and white again. And white right as it comes out of the rockwool, but not as bright white as the very ends. The color dosnt show in my crappy camera. So iv decided to add H2o2 to my mix. Iv read from a few places to use 10ml of 3% HP per gallon. Others say use 35% from the grow store only. And mix it way higher but only run for thirty minutes only then drain and add regular mixture. The later sounds scary to me. So I'm doing the former. If anybody has any first hand experience I'd love to hear.

And ever since iv put my mum in her new pot she's hardly grown at all. She was always a little shorter than the rest, that's why I picked her. But the others have just blown by her now. That's just difference of DWC vs coconut shreds in a box I guess? I hope that's all it is. I hope nothings wrong. Some of the leaves have some very small spots of slight discoloration, but only on the oldest leaves. And very very slight.

And I did get the new pump from BCNL with free big bud, blood bud, and something else. Carb load I think. I forget. But I haven't started using it yet cuz I have to switch the lines on the air stones from the pump iv been using and I don't want to damage any roots, so I'm waiting till I move them. Plus the aquarium pump I'm using is virtually silent and puts out more bubbles so I think I'm going to put it next to the stock pump and run the plug out the back and just Y into the air line with the new pump. I already paid for it (only 20$) and its quitet, and better at its intended function. Seems like a no brainier.

Sorry it's been so long. Iv had guests in from out If town, do iv had to keep things low. I'll check in with pics of the girls in the hydro 9 tub next week when it's time.

 

[Xlr8]

So I have taken the leap and topped my plants using the Uncle Ben method. I have to admit I was apprehensive about cutting off so much of my plant. But the new growt on the four new main stems is obvious in less than 24 hrs. I'm happy I did it it. They were at 3weeks and 5 days with six nodes. Today is the last day of the third week. One more week of veg then over to the flower chamber! That's where the magic happens!!

I plan on turning on the T5's as soon as the plants are tall enough not to get burned. From the other journals iv read it seems to take about two weeks. About the same time as your supposed to start the Co2. I need to go get my tank.

My only concern now would be my roots are a little brown. Just right at the water line and down from there like two inches. Then nice and white again. And white right as it comes out of the rockwool, but not as bright white as the very ends. The color dosnt show in my crappy camera. So iv decided to add H2o2 to my mix. Iv read from a few places to use 10ml of 3% HP per gallon. Others say use 35% from the grow store only. And mix it way higher but only run for thirty minutes only then drain and add regular mixture. The later sounds scary to me. So I'm doing the former. If anybody has any first hand experience I'd love to hear.

And ever since iv put my mum in her new pot she's hardly grown at all. She was always a little shorter than the rest, that's why I picked her. But the others have just blown by her now. That's just difference of DWC vs coconut shreds in a box I guess? I hope that's all it is. I hope nothings wrong. Some of the leaves have some very small spots of slight discoloration, but only on the oldest leaves. And very very slight.

And I did get the new pump from BCNL with free big bud, blood bud, and something else. Carb load I think. I forget. But I haven't started using it yet cuz I have to switch the lines on the air stones from the pump iv been using and I don't want to damage any roots, so I'm waiting till I move them. Plus the aquarium pump I'm using is virtually silent and puts out more bubbles so I think I'm going to put it next to the stock pump and run the plug out the back and just Y into the air line with the new pump. I already paid for it (only 20$) and its quitet, and better at its intended function. Seems like a no brainier.

Sorry it's been so long. Iv had guests in from out If town, do iv had to keep things low. I'll check in with pics of the girls in the hydro 9 tub next week when it's time.

Topping was wise, good choice.

H202 is good for root problems. You did fine with the 3%. Same stuff, just pre-diluted. The only real difference is in level of concentration.

For ongoing root health, I highly recommend Dutch Master "Zone". It will clean and disinfect the root area and prevent problems (as well as fix them). It's pretty concentrated, so it lasts a while, and it will last for a good week (h2o2 dissipates out in 2-3 days). So, I use the h2o2 for the stubborn emergencies but DM Zone with every weekly reservoir change. Good luck with your roots - I'm sure you'll get them fixed up!

As far as the mom, I'm betting she's concentrating all her efforts on rooting. She's probably got a bunch of available root space under her, and she's putting all her efforts into rooting. Potted plants in soil or coco will look to fill the root zone first, then start going up. Circulated hydro plants often just take off in both directions at the same time. Don't worry, that's all it is I'm nearly certain.

 

[Foghorn]

Thanks for the tip. I will get that for sure instead of H2o2. Iv read that it's dilluted with chemicals listed as not fit for human consumption too. The 3% h2o2 that is.

I have another dilemma though. I want to sex my "mom" for sure. Wow, I never thought in a million years id write that sentence, haha. Any way, what is the best of determining sex with out sending her all the way into flower? Iv read diffrent things but wanted to hear from you really.

Also, those big bang autos you did, you transferred to your big tent part way through (jealous!) but how do you think they'd do in a box like mine or yours. Same height. I was thinking if I switched to autos I could harvest every month running both sides. What do you think? No pressure, but I'm basically going to do exactly what you tell me to.

Thanks xlr8, I'm glad iv got you in my corner.

 

[Foghorn]

I moved them Over to the flower side today. They were almost ten inches tall, which is the maximum height the guide book says to allow them to be before moving them to avoid height issues later. I'm only six days from topping and three and a half weeks into veg, but holy crap do I have vegetation! And roots! So I went ahead and moved them.

When I did I noticed a leaf with some nasty spots. I took a pic. That's by far the worst leaf iv shown. There are also a few 1 to 2 ml spots on other leafs. Perhaps six of these small spots over two of the four plants. I'm concerned. I keep reading about needing to listen to your plants, and I know they're trying to say something, but I don't speak plant yet! Can someone translate for me?

And I had a heck of a time seperating the roots. Is there some product, like a bag made of pantyhose type material but preferably stronger, that you can wrap around the basket and let the roots grow into. So when you transplant they're not all tangled. And then just take it off cuzz who cares if they get tangled in the flower chamber. Cuz mine wrapped around the airlines, water pump lines, and each other. That's with just four in there. Is that a retarted idea? Would panty hose work?

Also, when should I turn on my t5s? I can't yet cuz leaves touch. But can as soon as they allow?

This journal probably sucks to read because it's just a bunch of noob questions but it has very helpful to me. Thanks

 

[Foghorn]

I would like to formally apologize for using "cuz" instead of because. I do all my updates from my iPhone, so it's easy to slip into lazy text cheats. I just read my last post and cringed.