Mark Green
Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome to all. I am new to posting as this will be my first; however I have been reading and learning for some time now. This community has helped and inspired me to improve my growing skills. Although none of you all knew it you have helped and i thank you so much for that. I welcome any questions, comments, or suggestions that are not derogatory towards anyone. So please post on!Ok, first off let get you a little info on my set up. First up my grow area; it consists of three chambers or boxes. All DIY (do it yourself)
1. Clone box. It's an old wardrobe that has been lined with reflective material and has three 100 watt equivalent clf bulbs, small box fan (normally not used), heating mat, and storage tub (to hold the clones). As for actually cloning I take a few healthy cuts from my mothers, then while the clone is held under water I strip the lower fans and growth tips, then cut a node at a 45 deg. angle, scrape the outside of the lower stem and cut through the node about 1-2 cm, then dip the cut end into rooting powder, then straight into a rooting plug (I'm using root riots for the moment), from here I place the new clones into a storage tub that has about a ½ inch of moist perlite in the bottom and close the lid. Now I find this part really important if you don't want your clones to wilt. The first 48 hours do not open the tub at all, we need to build and keep high humidity. For the first 8 days I keep a layer of paper towel over the lid (to defuse the light just a little). The light (I only use one for now) will remain about 1 foot above the lid as well. After the first 48 hours I vent the tub at least 3 times a day for around 5-10 min. Make sure the plugs are damp not soaking (if soaking gently squeeze a little bit of the water back out, if to dry I dip the bottoms in ph'd ro water and supertrive).now after day 6 I remove the paper towels from the tub lid. My clones root in 8-12 days with 99.9% success rate.
Once the clones are rooted I veg them for 3-7 days in mini-hempy buckets. (Little clear 16oz plastic cups with a hole and filled with 100% perlite, feeding with ph'd ro water and supertrive). I also turn on the other two cfls bulbs and lower them about a foot.
2. The mother box. It is 5ft x 3ft x 3ft --- L x H x W. This box sits directly above my flower box and can hold roughly 8 decent sized mothers. As of now I only have 5 mothers, G-13 Pineapple Express x2, T.H. seeds Burmese Kush, Dinafem Critical +, Female Seeds C99 (non-hybrid derivative from the original Brothers Grimm) My mothers are in Happy Frog soil plus extra perlite and I feed them the GH 3 part(left over from my last few runs)
Ok this box is cooled with an 8in duct booster fan along with a 6in clip fan for more internal air movement. The lights being used are 2 4ft 2 bulb HO T5s
Now I know this box is a little under outfitted but I'm working on this. Over the next few months I will be spending a good some of money on this box and my flowering box (talk about that next). For my mother box I will be adding another 2 blub 4ft HO T5, 2 2ft HO T5 (side lights), and probably another 8in booster fan (idk if I need it or just want it).
3. The flower box. Is also 5ft x 3ft x 3ft --- L x H x W. This box sits directly below my mother box. Within this box I have three tubs at different stages of growth, they move roughly every 3 weeks. This is how I am able to achieve a perpetual garden. I will be upgrading this box as well. However for now each of the tubs can hold a total of 14 2 liters, for a total of 42 2 liter 100% perlite hempy buckets or (I.R.B.). I use the tubs to keep the plants tight and collect the run off. I use two dominos taped together to make a 1in lift so that the run off is easier to collect. As for feeding them i am now using BPN (Blue Planet Nutrients), just switched from the GH 3 part. The girls seem to be liking the switch just fine! They feed like so --- ro water, feed, lite feed, feed, lite feed, feed, lite feed ---. They continue this for 8 weeks. On week 9 they just get ro water, followed by 3 days to dry out, then chop chop chop. OK, now for the light source I currently run 2 digital ballast 400 watt hps lamps and over the middle tub I have 2 26 watt repti-glo uvb 10 cfl bulbs. If you have not tried adding uvb light, give it a shot, it totally makes the buds frostier and stickier (my opinion). The 400's are in 6in cool tubes being cooled by an 8in inline fan, for now this fan is also the exhaust fan... (ya it works but not perfect). I also use an 8in booster fan as an intake and a 6in clip fan for air circulation. For smell I'm using the ONA pro gel. I have a storage container (with drilled holes in the middle for air flow) that my exhaust blows into. Inside this container are soil moist and water, then i add the Ona pro gel to it about 2-3 times a week. (works but could be better)
What I plan to add: unfortunately it will take me about two months to get the cash together but soon... Another 6 in clip fan, new 8in and 6in flanges, a new 8in inline fan and speed controller (to cool the cool tube separate from the box), a 8in carbon filter (to replace the ONA bucket), and a 8in duct muffler. Over the next few months I plan on trying to make the grow space a little more stealthy. I'm going to build a wall around the space to enclose the grow area from the rest of the room. I'm also planning to run the ducting through the walls.
Looking further: I would like to add a digital 600 watt hps, buy these new tubs that can hold a total of 32 2 liters (that make 96 3x32=96),and I'm playing with the idea of an auto drip but I don't know yet.
Tip on the 2 liter hempy: Ok, so I know that some of you probably already figured this out but anyways. I have read a lot as I said, and a good bit on the 2 liter hempy. Everyone one that I have read talks of putting a hole about 2in from the bottom, and adding a screen or something to keep the perlite from falling out. Well just skip the screen and make a slit about 1/16th of an inch thick and about an inch long. I use this and have no drainage problems and my perlite stays in the bucket.
The Goal: As a lot of you, I got tired of paying such a high price for meds. So I set out with no cash and crappie equipment to see what I could do.... (Short version) Lots of money, reading, time, loss of the little ones, and lots of different setups. I am now aiming to provide myself and roommate with almost free meds. So far so good because there are only two of us, we normally need 4-5ozs of meds a month. Let's just say with the system as is I can meet our needs.
I plan on doing another update a little later on today. I'm going to defoliate the two remaining tubs, move the rooted clones to mini hempys, and take new clones. I'll try to take a few pics along the way.
Now I must say, I am sorry for the long post but, I feel the more you know the better you can understand what I am working with and thus better give advice. That is if you might have some to share. Updates will be frequent but not every day.
Now for the fun part: It is your turn to make this journal special; you read this much you must have something to say. Questions, comments, suggestions, something you might do similar, idk this is your turn!
