Hiker's Basement 2.0 - Multiple Strain - Perpetual - Now With LEDs!

[mrrobert420]

dude - What a set up!!! I LOVE IT!! was delayed getting over here but im here now! More proof for the ebb and flow systems Nice lighting!

 

[c526]

thanks for the invite

there is a ton to learn from this thread already.

subbed

 

[mrrobert420]

thanks for the invite

there is a ton to learn from this thread already.

subbed

Agreed c526, Hiker gives no shortage of information. He has been a great asset for me

 

[Dutty Panty]

The guy is obviously killing it. I'd have him and c at my round table of growers any time.

 

[Hiker]

I love seeing other guys (especially locals) going big, producing big, clean, efficient grows and hiker if I started a club of fairly large and slick setups I'd want you at the table with me brother

Thank you sir.

I don't think of my room as "fairly large", but I suppose it's a matter of perspective

I have learned a lot here today catching up. I will be following . thanks for the thread

That's awesome! Makes my day to hear folks are learning something. That's why I do it.

So Hiker, you would huck all that to travel to a country that you have to poop in a ditch

cut it out... and if you still want too, I will man the fort while you are gone

PS that is one of the culture shocks I was not prepared for

LOL, well one of our requirements IS indoor plumbing.

The hard part will be the next year or so while we do scouting trips/vacations. Hard to shut down the garden adn start it back up. If I time it right, I can leave for maybe 2 weeks at a time with a buddy stopping by once or twice to check on them. That's longer than I like a res to go though.

Very nice setup Hiker, extremely efficient use of your space. I especially like the way you used all the space under your work bench with veg plants and the RO tank! BTW, I am stealing your tomato cage idea right away. Having recently snapped off a large branch due to carelessness, I am very hesitant to bend any more branches to the breaking point, plus the cage would work well with my space as I have 8' vertical and don't need to crush them down.

Thanks. The tomato cages are awesome. I got them for $2 each with free shipping from Lowes.

The veg area worked out well. The trays need to be elevated for this type of system anyway, I don't need a ton of vertical for veg, the space can't be stood in, so making an area I stand next to is perfect. It's almost high enough not to hurt my back... almost

I've moved stuff around quite a bit. My 'workbench' (just some shelves) used to be in the center of the space, near one end of the trays. I moved it and the space is much better now.

Also, I'm curious why you fill in your flood tables with rocks? Seems much more rock is used in the annular areas than in the pots.

There is definitely more rock between the pots.
There are a few reasons. The main one is to keep light off the nutrients. I don't need to grow algae as well as cannabis.
Also it holds them in position. If I didn't have it, they would float around during floods.

When you take cuttings and get them into neoprenes, do you ever put a dome over them, or is the constant wetting from underneath good enough to keep them from sweating out?

I have tried the dome once. My domes are just a little to small if I put clones in the corners. Besides, like CHH, I don't find it's necessary. If the RH is super low and they appear to be 'withering', I will spray some RO on the bottom of the leaves.

In case someone reading this does not know... you want to spray the bottom of the leaves as this is where the plant respires. The stomata are located ONLY on the underside of the leaf. Spraying the top does nothing unless you're trying to wash off some dirt/dust or something.

If at all possible, can ya shoot one video as moving pictures reveal more than just stills. No sound is needed if you're not comfortable with that, but I'd love to see more of your rooms.

I've been wanting to for a very long time. I've filmed many many videos, but I never like any of them. It's not even the audio. I can dub over that.

I understand what you mean though. I was looking at all my pics trying to imagine I didn't know what the room looked like. It would be really hard to get a sense of how everything is laid using just pictures. No promises, but I will give it another go. At least now the thread is started and it discusses the tech, so I don't have to try to focus on it in the video.

Looking great Hiker

Thanks Ronnie!
Glad you came by.

Sheesh, Hiker!

Don't I remember a guy with a grow tent in his garage? Wasn't that you?

I think you're confusing me with MrRobert420. He has the same CAP Ebb&Gro I do, so I've been participating in his journal.

Glad you're here though.

This setup is BOSS...I'm in for the ride

Thanks vdub.

btw, based on your name you might like my 1968 Campmobile too.

 

[Hiker]

dude - What a set up!!! I LOVE IT!! was delayed getting over here but im here now! More proof for the ebb and flow systems Nice lighting!

THanks. Glad you made it. E&G's rock

thanks for the invite

there is a ton to learn from this thread already.

subbed

Thanks

 

[MassMedMan]

The guy is obviously killing it. I'd have him and c at my round table of growers any time.

I'd pay to sit at that table...

All this thread does is drive my motor. And similar threads. I have the thumb, I need the law on my side, or close to it, and the correct space.....

 

[mrrobert420]

I'd pay to sit at that table...

All this thread does is drive my motor. And similar threads. I have the thumb, I need the law on my side, or close to it, and the correct space.....

I think were sitting at that table lol

 

[MassMedMan]

Good point, Mr Roberts. Another reason why I love this site!

Still, you guys want to do a get together I'm in.

 

[Buckshot]

LOL, well one of our requirements IS indoor plumbing.

Oh man you are in for some culture shock... dude that IS indoor plumbing! In many countries there is no "throne" There is literally a ditch (porcelain or whatnot) .... yes.

 

[CronicHempHog]

ouch I like my plumbing

 

[Graytail]

I think you're confusing me with MrRobert420. He has the same CAP Ebb&Gro I do, so I've been participating in his journal.

Glad you're here though.

Aha! Actually, I have you confused with Backpackin420. He's also a hiker.

 

[MassMedMan]

Indoor plumbing.... reminds me of getting sponge baths in the Philippines....

You don't need indoor plumbing, trust me.

Well if you're married, ya might!

 

[Hiddenkoncept]

Excellent,I'm have managed to sub up to a hiker guide near the start.....excellent!
Looks brilliant my friend, I too am very much about the gear and equipment too so I cannot wait to see where this goes.

 

[Hiker]

Oh man you are in for some culture shock... dude that IS indoor plumbing! In many countries there is no "throne" There is literally a ditch (porcelain or whatnot) .... yes.

haha

I've been doing the research. You're right. In some areas, there is not a sewage/septic system like we are used to in the US, but that's not the case everywhere. I've watched a lot of videos about living costs in other countries. The homes they tour have all had toilets. This was what I saw in Thailand, specifically the areas of Chang Mai and Cha Am, and in several South American countries.

Aha! Actually, I have you confused with Backpackin420. He's also a hiker.

Ah yes. He's a hiker and a good grower.

Indoor plumbing.... reminds me of getting sponge baths in the Philippines....

You don't need indoor plumbing, trust me.

Well if you're married, ya might!

Indoor plumbing is a requirement.

Excellent,I'm have managed to sub up to a hiker guide near the start.....excellent!
Looks brilliant my friend, I too am very much about the gear and equipment too so I cannot wait to see where this goes.

I'm glad to have you.
Not sure how much things will change. The basement is mostly done.
The only upgrade I know I'm doing soon is to expand the veg area. I need to add more veg time to get my cycle where I want.



We're still doing our research on living abroad, but that's not going to happen for at least a year. We will start by taking vacations to places we're interested in during the Winter. We have even discussed just leaving for a few months each year. My issue with that is related to growing and shutting down and restarting.

There is still the possibility we will be moving more locally before that. My wife's job wants to move the company down to Deer Park, but that is somewhat in limbo due to some health issues. Really the impact is 'when', not if, so we're still looking for a place down there. I found one I am interested in. It has an awesome basement!!! It has a 9' ceiling and it's at least double the area I have now. Everything about it is better.



It's not a done deal or anything. It's a forclosure and I want a deal, so it depends on how willing the bank is to negotiate. I bought the house I'm in as a bank owned property too, so I know what we're getting into. It needs some work too, so that works in my favor lol

Point is, I'm not going to be upgrading this basement a whole lot in the short term. Other than the veg expansion, this basement is done. Not that there aren't more things I would do, I just don't want to build more down there if I have to move it all in a few months.

 

[Colesdad]

Sub'd

 

[chris606]

Sub

 

[Hozona]

Cruising through...LOVE the set-up....see LOTS OF BENJAMINS spent....I hope your final product ends up as nice as you want it to....so much going on, so little time

 

[Hiker]

It looks like I pissed off Mr Murphy talking about my success with clones. Apparently I have some sub conscious desire to kill them. I see roots starting on a couple, but they are not looking good. Of the 4 strains, 3 are probably going to be fine, but all 4 of one strains' clones look bad.

I harvested both of the Critical plants this weekend. That strain was a freebie seed and feminized. I've always been wary of these manipulated genetics, and this is a case that supports that. This strain hermaphrodites badly. I'm done with it. There are 2 of this strain that just went into Flower A, but I took no more clones of it. I only chopped the tops and left the bottoms to mature some more. All the nanners were near the top, but I'm keeping a close watch.

The 2 Critical plants yielded 165g of tops and another 35g of popcorn so far. Some of what I left in there will be "tops", but most is popcorn. Probably another ounce on each plant. That means the total for the 2 plants is ~250g. That's just under 9 ounces for the two plants. Each plant has a Mars II 400W (~200W actual draw) and occupy ~2'x2' leading to calculations of only 0.62g/W and 1.1 oz/sqft. I'm a little dissapointed with these #s. I'm used to getting well in excess of 1g/W. This is an improvement from the last batch, but I'm still concerned. If LEDs can't yield the same g/W as HPS, where is the efficiency we're supposed to get?

I've already taken measures to improve the next batches yield. I think part of the cause for a lower yield this round was the plants were smaller. The plants that were just transplanted into Flower A vegged longer and are much bigger and bushier.

The other strains are not ready yet. I'm starting to see a few orange trichomes, but not very many. I'd say the clear/milky ratio is around 50/50 maybe starting to lean towards more milky. They are close.




FYI, I am waiting on a video to finish uploading to YouTube, then I will share it. I've had this open for hours waiting, but I will have to post the vid link later.

 

[Hiker]

Here is a video from last Saturday. It shows the bud washing setup as it was harvest day, and transplant day as you will see

[video=youtube_share;9gKwQtYggb8]

[/video]


Sorry about the audio. You can't hear me real well, but at least you can finally see the basement and get a better feel for how everything is laid out.


I also got a gauge yesterday for my oil purging setup.
I seems I can only pull ~-26.5 mm hg. I think my jar leaks. When I made the hole in the lid, I didn't get a clean cut, so I suspect that's where it's leaking. I tested by shutting both valves and turning off the pump. It did hold a vacuum, but it dropped down to ~-25.5 after a couple hours. I think my setup is still fine. I'd like to get a thermometer inside the jar next, but I'm still skeptical it will be able to measure anything inside a vacuum. I'll probably just end up measuring how hot I heat the jar instead. I think my current method works, but it's not accurate. Right now I put my hand on the glass to test the temperature. I estimate I couldn't leave my hand on anything ~150F or so, so as long as I can touch it, I'm not over heating the oil.