It's Been Too Long Journal, Critical Kush

[GroZone]

I will for sure wait longer if they haven't filled out the tent by then but I'm planning to scrog so I'm hoping in that time frame I can get them to fill the net out. Very excited to see what the next 30 days has in-store for us none the less

 

[Mike Connor]

I will for sure wait longer if they haven't filled out the tent by then but I'm planning to scrog so I'm hoping in that time frame I can get them to fill the net out. Very excited to see what the next 30 days has in-store for us none the less

Real scrog or just a support netting?

Well, all we can do is go a week at a time and see where it all goes. We're excited too as this is our first grow in 18 years. Been away from it for far too long. I hate waiting. When you look up impatient in the dictionary you will see a photo of me...

Let er fill up the light foot print, do some trimming and away you go. Good quality stuff is assured. I don't understand the folks that flip when the plants don't fill the light foot print. I guess they are impatient too

 

[GroZone]

Real scrog or just a support netting?

Well, all we can do is go a week at a time and see where it all goes. We're excited too as this is our first grow in 18 years. Been away from it for far too long. I hate waiting. When you look up impatient in the dictionary you will see a photo of me...

Let er fill up the light foot print, do some trimming and away you go. Good quality stuff is assured. I don't understand the folks that flip when the plants don't fill the light foot print. I guess they are impatient too

I am hoping to do a true scrog on the first net and then have a second net higher up just for extra support!

 

[Mike Connor]

Well. It's official...


We have received approval from the family "Inspector General"..

This is one smart but fussy inspector!

 

[Mike Connor]

Recovered from the small pot issue they are now growing like wildfire again.

Here are some of the seedlings you may remember from just a few short weeks ago.

Boy I've missed this. Lovin' every minute of it.

 

[Mike Connor]

Still moving along ok, bushing up nicely. Now in a holding pattern waiting to take clones.

Cheers

 

[Mike Connor]

Phew,

It's been a long time - Took my first wave of clones tonight. 24 clones. Let hope they root as easy as the old northern lights strain did.

- so far - so good.

Cheers

 

[Jgrowlove]

Looking good SS. Nice healthy looking garden. Just got a Barney farm red diesel and am looking forward to popping it. I'm definitely subbed!

 

[Mike Connor]

Clones Day 2.

Well they look better than expected! usually theres some significant wilting. And I certainly saw that last night. But today they are all upright and looking great.

 

[Mike Connor]

Looking good SS. Nice healthy looking garden. Just got a Barney farm red diesel and am looking forward to popping it. I'm definitely subbed!

Welcome Aboard I'm a grower from long ago getting a new start. I must say I've missed it. I see you are an advanced grower yourself. It certainly will be interesting to trade notes as we go. It's a great hobby and a good learning experience.

Certainly glad to have you. Jump in when you can.

Cheers

 

[Mike Connor]

Short Update

Yesterday - Installed new 420 cfm fan and carbon filter. Done. Works great.

Today - Installing dimmable ballasts. HPS and MH - 500 / 750 / 1000 and 1100 watt setting. Have MH and HPS horticultural bulbs. Moving them to 220 volts. Installing an original adjustawing reflector. Reconfiguring grow rooms for better lighting and air circulation.

This coming week - installing portable AC unit. Its not been really hot here yet, but its time to get this done before it does get hot. Have all the duct work, just need to install it.

Clones - Still doing well, expecting roots in 4 days or so.

Plants. Since some of them have been topped for cloning, they are bushing out very nicely. Once I get lighting up to 1000 watts, I will be able to spread them out for better side growth.

A friend has a light mover for sale. Strongly considering this.

Photos later.

Cheers

 

[Mike Connor]

Now broadcasting at 1000 watts of power to better serve our viewing audience.

 

[Mike Connor]

Everything is moving along fine. Funny how you watch these things day after day and don't see a big change... until you compare photos. Wow. This weeks photo also includes plants that were trimmed at the 5th for clones 6 days ago. You would never know it.

 

[GroZone]

Now broadcasting at 1000 watts of power to better serve our viewing audience.

*drool* looking great snid

 

[Chipay]

Awesome!

 

[Mike Connor]

Its been 2 short days these plants have been under a 1000 watt 4100K MH lamp. Growth is stunning.

The room is 4 feet wide and there are 6 five gallon pails.... Zero nutes

 

[Mike Connor]

A few photos -

-Most of the plants have reached the preflower stage
-Since I'm lighting a 4 by 4 area, I've spread them out to allow the sides to get more light and bush em out further.
-Gratuitous plant shot
-Gratuitous plant shot
-Gratuitous plant shot

Cheers

 

[Mike Connor]

Well,

I told myself I wasn't going to write about this, but I feel the community needs to hear this.

The subject I will write on just happens to be one of my areas of formal training so please understand I am speaking from a position of trained experience.

I few weeks back I bought a new dimmable digital ballast. What a slick thing it was. 500, 750, 1000 and 1100 watt settings as well as compatible with both HPS and MH. I wont mention the manufacturer name. However I will say I trusted them as they had also made a long line, for many years old fashion magnetic ballasts.

I had heard some stories of digital ballasts causing radio interference. Silly me. RF Engineering is my thing and I paid these rumors no attention.

So I went ahead and installed and fired up my slick new digital ballast. Afterwards my wife sent me to the local corner store, you know, milk, bread etc.... On the way back, I recalled the stories I had heard about digital ballasts radiating strong singles, so for shits and giggles I started tuning up and down the AM band while in my car getting close to my home.

I was shocked to pick up a very strong signal more than 1000 feet away from my home!! As I got closer the signal got very strong. And in more than one spot on the AM band.

What does this mean? It means any idiot with a car or a handheld am radio can find your grow op without any fuss at all. You may as well put up a flashing red light and a sign that says "Grow Op Here".

Couple that with the fact law enforcement on the west coast is now using this technique to locate and shut down grow ops. There are many articles on the web about this very subject. It wont be long before your local law enforcement catches on to this trick. An it might just not be cops looking to exploit this trick as well.

During my research on this subject I find all digital ballasts make RF interference. Some more than others and even some that say they make none at all, but still do. The sad news is the gross majority of them make a horrendous noise on the AM band. These signals are so strong they are leaking into Cable TV and internet services.

"Nah, it won't happen to me". Don't be so sure! I dare you to take the test.

1) Find an AM portable radio and take it to your grow room.
2) Turn on your light
3) Tune up and down the AM band until you hear a loud buzzing, popping or clicking. You may find this signal in more than one place on the AM band.
4) Make note of where on the band you heard the signal.
5) Now turn your light off. You will note the places where you picked up the signal is now gone. Yes thats right your ballast was making that racket.
6) Wait 15 minutes and re-start your light.
7) Tune to the area you found your signal. Go for a walk. In many cases you will still hear the signal 100's of feet away, and a car with an antenna may well hear it 1000's of feet away.
If you have a digital ballast there is better than a good chance you are detectable.

Stay safe

Read >
How cops are catching grow ops with AM radios

Grow Light RFI

Grow light electronic ballasts

https://www.arrl.org/files/file/RFI/Thompson Noise.pdf

 

[Mike Connor]

So far the clones are rooting up nice. Second wave of clones get cut tomorrow.

 

[Mike Connor]

Well,

We took the last round of clones last night and we are rolling up on 60 days veg. Plants have totally bushed out and are still going like gang busters. Except for the one that is in the front row center. Its a spindly sativa that's just aching to be 8 feet tall so we have cut it back more than a few times. We had hope it was a male for breeding purposes. But that's not the case. It's pre-flowering female. Be interesting just to see how it smokes so we decided to continue to bring it along for the ride. The other 5 plants are all Critical Kush and I think its time to change the spectrum and taper into flowering mode.

They look a little scruffy after taking 24 cuttings but will recover in two days with a show of new grow tips. All of these plants are approaching one meter tall.

Cheers