Kinda slow grow

[pete2]

Anytime. We got yer back.

Cannabis is not a house plant. And great weed is something that takes some effort.

Try to follow the below guides for you environment.

I recommend learning in soil as it is substantially easier then going to hydro later when you understand the basics.

I can grow darn near as fast and as big in soil with a fraction of the work.

The deal is you have a lot to learn and a lot to do. The more you take on the harder it is.

Learn how to do it before trying to run a hydro farm. There is a lot more to it than people realize.

Read my journal on how to do it all cheap organically without pH or nutrient problems. It makes growing simple. I have 2 methods explained that make it so you can't screw up and will have good yield...but you have to have a grow space.

CC guides

• Papageno
• Feb 16, 2015

Your are right, there is a great deal to learn still. Back in my day this stuff was a lot easier to grow and I did both, Planted indoors with a EBT system, and outside. Most of it turned out fairly good, so I do have some experience with hydroponics.
I do have two questions: I need something to sterilize everything with, 35% hydrogen peroxide I heard was a good thing to use. I used Isopropyl Alcohol the last time, that could be another mistake I made. # 2 How can you tell if the expanded clay Pebbles need to be changed, they have been in use since 2015. Well thanks for listening, and the fact that you have my back is awesome, I really thank you for that. later

 

[pete2]

I thought past experience would be enough, but with the high concentration of THC these days, has changed a lot. Back in my day if you had 10% THC you had the best around. Thanks for your 2 cents Later

 

[Chris Scorpio]

I thought past experience would be enough, but with the high concentration of THC these days, has changed a lot. Back in my day if you had 10% THC you had the best around. Thanks for your 2 cents Later

That has nothing to do with growing

Growing is still the same, just more technology to help you now

 

[Papageno]

H2O2 is a good sterilizer for the medium. I use it.

I never used the clay I use the recycled glass. But I think I heard once, about 5 years. But I don't know about that. I bet well maintained they go a while.

 

[Papageno]

Also... I am in my mid 40s and was growing well more than 20 years ago.

In hydro my means have changed a bit. In fact I put off hydro a long time. But the changes increase yield not potency.

In soil I basically do the same thing I always have.

There are some improved genetics for sure which realy is nice. But honestly a lot of that only matters for concentrates.

My tolerance is high enough that over the counter edibles at the daily legal max in Oregon doesnt get me high. I can tell you after 15% it really doesn't matter for smoke. How hard is it to take one more hit.

All of this improved potency is really more due to the spread of horticulture and education into the community. When I started there was no internet sites for this. You had 3 books and a magazine you could read to learn from and word of mouth. And the people looked at you like a criminal for buying the book. Life was totally different then for growing.

The information available now allows for people not in the community to get the advice they need to grow like a farmer.

I learned about compost Teas 20 years ago. Those have not really improved much and are still the best way to grow. That won't change any time soon.

The deal is back in the day its was so illegal and underground that a lot of it was grown wrong period. The demand to supply ratio doesn't require decent product. That is the main issue.

Now the pros have to deal with small timers who can focus and over produce good stuff.

The market is being driven to higher standards...in some places. Overall that is good for everyone.

But northern lights is the same as I smoked in the 80s and can be grown to competative quality today.

 

[Stunned]

soil - bugs
hydro/coco - no bugs

 

[Papageno]

And in France Ants Have Pantz.


His point is he is super excited to grow all these fabulous cool flowers. As we all are.

The propoganda and advertising makes you think it will come out purple and dank because it is special and new.

That is advertising.

You can make a traditional landrace awesome. You have to have some knowledg AND skillz.

The point I am making is 2 things happened in the Last 20 years that revolutionized things that makes it all radically different. Nothing is the same anymore.

The impact of legalization all over the place has allowed for real competition.

The Internet has allowed for real education.

The impact of both of these can not be overstated and have caused the street quality world wide to have improved.

The cannabis isn't that much better. It's that fools be learning and scientific research is allowed and bla bla bla...it ain't the 70's. I dont think it is possible to explain to a new grower what it was like without the internet.

 

[Papageno]

And running hydro without tea is foolish. It isn't hard to do but more expensive and more work to do otherwise. Harder to get the same yields running sterile. If you know how to grow a live res is where it's at.

No dumping just topping off. Easy peasy. Clean up at the end of bloom. Maybe flush the res at light change if you care.

When using a live res they suck it up so fast there is no need to dump it.

Way easier to let it run natural.

I am out. I ain't debating what I know to be 100 true about living res. I have in the double digits of journals on here where unfixable issues were fixed when they broke down and went live with my tea.

Good luck old timer. Message me when you start a journal and I will walk you through it. Even if you wanna be a wussy and do it sterile. We got yer back.

Ciao

 

[CannaCola]

hey village. can you pm regarding the tea. i have some questions. I have used it in the past, but am currently running sterile due to a few concerns with my specific setup (not that i fear the tea. i loved it. and it saved my ass when i first learnt about it a decade ago)

 

[pete2]

H2O2 is a good sterilizer for the medium. I use it.

I never used the clay I use the recycled glass. But I think I heard once, about 5 years. But I don't know about that. I bet well maintained they go a while.[/QUOt

I use temps to bring growing to a halt all the time. It is easy to stunt with out damage this way. However keeping it that way can cause problems if you dont understand what you are doing and esspecially if you are feeding it when it is doing nothing.

Hay it's me again, Confused lol
Been reading again and ran across info on adding hydrogen peroxide to the grow, it's suppose to add to my buckets with the food. I looked at several web pages about it. They say to use 35% hydrogen peroxide, but they don't tell you how to mix it for several different uses. I want to use it to clean my equipment to.
Appreciate any info you could provide. Thank-You

 

[Papageno]

Right so if you have been reading about H2O2 you know it is actually dangerous and typically what we buy is 3%. Handeling high concentration you want to wear good PPE. Be careful.

I had a nurse yell at me once for using it on a wound... just the over the counter stuff. For this deep of and type of wound she was worried about permanent scarring from the chemical burn which could not heal right from H2O2.

So anyway...I use the stuff all over maybe too much...

I mostly use the regular stuff I get from Costco in bulk for cleaning tools and washing buds.

The high concentration stuff is best for use in sterile hydro systems which is something I don't do. I run a living res full of active pro biotics. I dont use a chiller.

It works great to clean a bong too.

 

[pete2]

Right so if you have been reading about H2O2 you know it is actually dangerous and typically what we buy is 3%. Handeling high concentration you want to wear good PPE. Be careful.

I had a nurse yell at me once for using it on a wound... just the over the counter stuff. For this deep of and type of wound she was worried about permanent scarring from the chemical burn which could not heal right from H2O2.

So anyway...I use the stuff all over maybe too much...

I mostly use the regular stuff I get from Costco in bulk for cleaning tools and washing buds.

The high concentration stuff is best for use in sterile hydro systems which is something I don't do. I run a living res full of active pro biotics. I dont use a chiller.

It works great to clean a bong too.

Thank-You for your reply. Got a couple things for you if you don't mind ? Using 3 %, is that strong enough to clean equipment ? The rest of the questions are from post you have made.
Running hydro without tea is foolish?
What is a living reservoir ?
And how or why do you wash buds ?
Try to remember I'm a newbie Thank-You

 

[Papageno]

Yep. Sterilization comes after cleaning. You can sterilize in a bath if concerned.

Honestly I wash up before going near my area and go in clean and keep it clean. So while in there it doesn't take much. Sometime you need to remove something to clean it. Don't bring it back until it is right. Keep the greenspace clean.

People need higher concentration for the hydro sterilization programs. If you want to run hydro you can do it a few ways. Most people keep the reservoir sterile using that as well as a chiller.

The plants are hearty.

 

[Papageno]

For the other stuff...there is a lot to learn.

No worries. The issue is 1 I am an engineer not a poet and everything know is written down better than I can explain. What I will do is prefer to recommend you go learn about some things. Then you don't have to trust me.

So the foolishness comes from the fact that all the nutrient companies out there worth a darn sell entier pro biotic products to do what I am about to explain. You pick the line. Last I looked I think Advance Nutrients sold it in 3 or 4 different bottles for a lot of money. People use it and don't even know they are wasting it killing it off in a sterile system.



So the fundamental issue is a good hydro soup is also a great place for algae and bacteria. Most people try to battle this by trying to keep it sterile enough that the bad stuff doesn't overwhelm the plant. Most people do so well the system is pristine. They use water chillers to keep the water cold and high concentration sterilization techniques to keep the system bacteria free.

That is all fine and dandy.

Also it is recommended to do a probiotic amendment of beneficial bacteria every 2 weeks. The reason is it takes that long to die off and have problems reoccur.

Some people dump beneficial bacteria (benes) into sterile systems and they don't work to well and die off.

Many people don't use it at all.

Some people rotate and flush out the H2O2 and warm up the res for a bit and add probiotics for a few days then go back.

And then there are some who run live, no chiller, and just make sure the good bacteria are winning over the bad.

I think it is foolish to not at least follow the hydro product line of your choosings recommendation to add good microbes to your hydro.

I make my own and run live. I don't have the problems people have that try to fight it. I let the microbes do the work.

Washing buds: There is a good thread on here. So after 3 months of sunflower filtering air that is covered in sticky resin ...washing it like you would your salad is a good idea. I use the method explained somewhere on here just search. One bath is H2O2 for sterilization before drying.

Makes for better smoke and cleaner concentrate.

 

[Papageno]

The hydro store makes good money on chillers and sterilization chemicals. They have no reason to not push them as they solve so many issues people have.

If you don't have a chiller you should be running live. If you have a chiller...once in a while turn it off and dump in some beneficial bacteria to clean out the hydro system for ya. They get into the pump and other areas you can't and clean it out for ya.

Then if you want to kill them turn the chiller back on after a few days.

Your call. I don't waste the money on a chiller since I feed them through the beneficial bacteria brew i make at home. So the system is teaming with my army.

For that info read up on EWC teas and check out the first two links in my sig.

 

[CannaCola]

just going to lighten up the other side of this. I have used bennies in the past. they solved the issues i was having before i got my chiller. I am in NO WAY bashing a live res.

Personally i run a simple 3 part, with a couple additives i have selected from experience and past performance. i run a "sterile" reservoir.

my maintancance consist of... mixing my nutes... thats about it.

i havent had an issue with bacteria, mold, etc since i started running my chiller. Not saying you cant infect your res with nasties if you run a chiller. but i havent yet. that said i also run 5 stage RO water that runs through a UV filter, and make sure nothing organic makes its way into my res. I dont run h202, but i have a bottle on hand of 30% just incase i see something funky.

I probably pay more per cycle than village up there, but it works for me. everything i need is in a few (6) bottles, all so i dont have to bother with spendign the time ot make the tea. If i didnt have sterilized RO water, or a chiller, i would still be running tea. No question.

if you have money to burn and no time. i would say go sterile.( im probably about $1000 more in equipment compared to a live res... and i probably pay more for nutrients per cycle too) if you are frugal, or have the time go with the tea.

*shrug* its all a matter of preference. neither way is right or wrong. both work great.

 

[Papageno]

Agreed....I wont rant but hydro is for speed and tea makes things faster better...fresh tea. I don't use cold bottles except for mine. But real tea is better than no tea even wasting it in a sterile system. It still helps.

But yeah the reason I do what I do is for one I enjoy the tea brew thing a lot. I enjoy playing with the mix and changing it up. I can't imagine growing without it. There isn't a method that can't be improved by using tea, even the bottled stuff from the store.

You dont need it...there are a lot of things you don't need. But I find you can provide a magic syrup whenever you want that fixes anything and provides all the nutrients it needs... nice to have. Doing that regular doesn't hurt.

Killing it right away doesn't mean the soup isn't rich and worthy.

But lots of people don't like doing it. Lots of people dont like curry...till they try it.

 

[pete2]

For the other stuff...there is a lot to learn.

No worries. The issue is 1 I am an engineer not a poet and everything know is written down better than I can explain. What I will do is prefer to recommend you go learn about some things. Then you don't have to trust me.

So the foolishness comes from the fact that all the nutrient companies out there worth a darn sell entier pro biotic products to do what I am about to explain. You pick the line. Last I looked I think Advance Nutrients sold it in 3 or 4 different bottles for a lot of money. People use it and don't even know they are wasting it killing it off in a sterile system.



So the fundamental issue is a good hydro soup is also a great place for algae and bacteria. Most people try to battle this by trying to keep it sterile enough that the bad stuff doesn't overwhelm the plant. Most people do so well the system is pristine. They use water chillers to keep the water cold and high concentration sterilization techniques to keep the system bacteria free.

That is all fine and dandy.

Also it is recommended to do a probiotic amendment of beneficial bacteria every 2 weeks. The reason is it takes that long to die off and have problems reoccur.

Some people dump beneficial bacteria (benes) into sterile systems and they don't work to well and die off.

Many people don't use it at all.

Some people rotate and flush out the H2O2 and warm up the res for a bit and add probiotics for a few days then go back.

And then there are some who run live, no chiller, and just make sure the good bacteria are winning over the bad.

I think it is foolish to not at least follow the hydro product line of your choosings recommendation to add good microbes to your hydro.

I make my own and run live. I don't have the problems people have that try to fight it. I let the microbes do the work.

Washing buds: There is a good thread on here. So after 3 months of sunflower filtering air that is covered in sticky resin ...washing it like you would your salad is a good idea. I use the method explained somewhere on here just search. One bath is H2O2 for sterilization before drying.

Makes for better smoke and cleaner concentrate.

just going to lighten up the other side of this. I have used bennies in the past. they solved the issues i was having before i got my chiller. I am in NO WAY bashing a live res.

Personally i run a simple 3 part, with a couple additives i have selected from experience and past performance. i run a "sterile" reservoir.

my maintancance consist of... mixing my nutes... thats about it.

i havent had an issue with bacteria, mold, etc since i started running my chiller. Not saying you cant infect your res with nasties if you run a chiller. but i havent yet. that said i also run 5 stage RO water that runs through a UV filter, and make sure nothing organic makes its way into my res. I dont run h202, but i have a bottle on hand of 30% just incase i see something funky.

I probably pay more per cycle than village up there, but it works for me. everything i need is in a few (6) bottles, all so i dont have to bother with spendign the time ot make the tea. If i didnt have sterilized RO water, or a chiller, i would still be running tea. No question.

if you have money to burn and no time. i would say go sterile.( im probably about $1000 more in equipment compared to a live res... and i probably pay more for nutrients per cycle too) if you are frugal, or have the time go with the tea.

*shrug* its all a matter of preference. neither way is right or wrong. both work great.

Your grow room sounds awesome, like to see it sometime. And you see my grow room isn't anything special. It's an 8X8X32"closet with 2 sliding doors on it. And I assume that a chilled is used to lower the temp ? I've always have to, when necessary put a heater into my DWC buckets to warm them up.

 

[CannaCola]

i dont run my chiller in the winter. never gets warm enough to need it. That said, summer its a requirement for me. might not be for you.

i aim for 65-68. i find they hold 10F lower than ambient with my current setup