New Grower, planning my new grow space

[philthegeek]

"They allow great aeration of the root zone and provide self pruning of the roots. Fabric bags are tops in my book! "

Root zone Aeration is really useful for keeping them healthy. Like really important!!

I actually have an aquarium pump bubbling into the bins my system uses as a belt and braces approach to oxygen availability.

Those fabric lined cages look good. Not suited to by current bottom up watering setup, but got me thinking how to improve it for next time?? The kind of plastic mesh used in gutters...Gutter-guard they call it here?? Or plastic flyscreen bags would be well reusable??

 

[The70’s]

Use nutrients all from one manufacturer. I use the Flora Trio from General Hydroponics. In addition you'll need CALiMAGic, KoolBloom, and Flora Kleen. Optionally add in Rapid Start, and Floralicious. Start with no more than 30% of the recommended strength throughout your first grow. It may not be the fastest grow, but you will succeed. If you choose these nutrients I can provide a feed schedule for you.

Great post ! Thanx for all the advice, i’ll get back with you on feeding schedules ect

 

[The70’s]

Use nutrients all from one manufacturer. I use the Flora Trio from General Hydroponics. In addition you'll need CALiMAGic, KoolBloom, and Flora Kleen. Optionally add in Rapid Start, and Floralicious. Start with no more than 30% of the recommended strength throughout your first grow. It may not be the fastest grow, but you will succeed. If you choose these nutrients I can provide a feed schedule for you.

Ok, im caught up on my notes. Yes, please explain.

 

[Bud basher]

70’s all these guys are giving you top tips as they are clearly good growers. I to use fabric pots I have tried them all, plastic,air pots and fabric, and fabric I have found are the best but all will work fine, I to also use coco drip to waste and multi feed in flower with 2 gallon pots I have found this to be the bests after trying lots of combinations of different pot sizes and number of plants per 4x4 space and speed of veg times.
I tried 25x1 gallon,9x1.1/2 gallon,4x2 gallon and 1x5 gallon and all types produce roughly the same yields the 25 run the bud was not dense and a bit airy,nightmare to feed I would not recommend this to any new grower. The 9 run, bud was ok but had no space to work. The 4 run had great bud and is by far the easiest way to grow which I would recommend to anyone including new growers. The 1 run I scrog net it the bud was great but took forever veg and was harder to grow.
So those are my findings with pots and sizes I would also say I don’t use pearlite and if I did I would increase the pot size by 30 percent if I was using a 70/30 coco pearlite mix.
I get consistently 18 to 20 ozs from this way using a 600 watt hps lights in 4x4 spaces pending the strain and if I use a good mother hope this helps.if you like when you get setup I will let you know how I grow it’s pretty fool proof, cheers for now and good luck, ps salt love the cages really mint.

 

[The70’s]

70’s all these guys are giving you top tips as they are clearly good growers. I to use fabric pots I have tried them all, plastic,air pots and fabric, and fabric I have found are the best but all will work fine, I to also use coco drip to waste and multi feed in flower with 2 gallon pots I have found this to be the bests after trying lots of combinations of different pot sizes and number of plants per 4x4 space and speed of veg times.
I tried 25x1 gallon,9x1.1/2 gallon,4x2 gallon and 1x5 gallon and all types produce roughly the same yields the 25 run the bud was not dense and a bit airy,nightmare to feed I would not recommend this to any new grower. The 9 run, bud was ok but had no space to work. The 4 run had great bud and is by far the easiest way to grow which I would recommend to anyone including new growers. The 1 run I scrog net it the bud was great but took forever veg and was harder to grow.
So those are my findings with pots and sizes I would also say I don’t use pearlite and if I did I would increase the pot size by 30 percent if I was using a 70/30 coco pearlite mix.
I get consistently 18 to 20 ozs from this way using a 600 watt hps lights in 4x4 spaces pending the strain and if I use a good mother hope this helps.if you like when you get setup I will let you know how I grow it’s pretty fool proof, cheers for now and good luck, ps salt love the cages really mint.

Thanx Bb,
Yupper (4) is gonna be my starting point. Having enough room as another topic that comes up often in my reading here and there, so (4) it is. Fabric pots are so cool. Since i really like equipment i may go a little crazy on the LED lite :0) The Viparspectra dimmable 1200.
So far im much clearer on how my equipment list is coming along, once the list is compiled, i can read up more on the actual grow and how my lenthy list of goods blends with the grow process.

It kinda looks like the first wave of legislation may NOT include the amount of plants we can grow, just the recreational use, time will tell.
In the mean time im still learning, this looks to be a hobby i can take into my retirement years which will begin in the summer of 2020 :0)

Auto watering is something that interests me, but i feel, learning how to water first is a better idea.

Cheers thanx for the encouragement

 

[Old Salt]

Ok, im caught up on my notes. Yes, please explain.

Plants have different nutrient requirements as they mature. There are several manufacturers providing multiple nutrient solutions to add to your water. You have to add two or more, the volumes depending on the stage of growth. I chose the General Hydroponics Flora Trio as it has a long history of use with cannabis. My thought was it would be easier to get help when things went wrong. Reading through multiple posts here, and elsewhere, I found that at full label strength as recommended by the manufacturer, they were too strong and would cause nutrient burn. A common thread was start at far less than 50% and work your way up. I chose to start at 25% and keep it constant throughout the grow, unless the plants showed signs of nutrient deficiencies. My last successful grow was at 33%. Here is the feed schedule I used:

General Hydroponics Feed Schedule - 33% of Label Strength​

Flora Micro, Grow, and Bloom are the core nutrients, and are required. Flora Micro is available in two formulations. One for hard, the other for soft water.

CALiMAGic is a supplement I use as my water source is a Reverse Osmosis filter. It is often required in lesser amounts with other water sources.

Rapid Start is an additive used to promote fast and healthy root growth.

Floralicious Grow and Plus are additives to promote plant vigor. Floralicious Bloom was discontinued at the time I purchased my nutrients, so it is not shown. Floralicious Plus is my substitute. These products leave a deposit on the walls of my watering buckets, so I don't know whether or not they'll clog drippers in automatic watering systems.

Liquid and Dry KoolBloom are supplements to increase bud production and weight. I start with the liquid, and switch to dry when the trichomes start getting cloudy.

Flora Kleen is used to flush the salts from the plants prior to harvest. When the desired percentage trichomes have turned amber, I use it at full strength for four days, followed by four days at half strength, and four days of water with CALiMAGic. Why four days of each? That's how long 18 liters of the water/ nutrient mix lasts.

I strongly recommend using the metric system when mixing nutrient solutions. Accuracy is important, and using the metric system makes accuracy easy. I weigh my water to accurately get the desired volume. One liter weighs one Kilogram.

Weighing Water to Get an Accurate Volume​

I use 1, 5, and 10 ml oral syringes to measure out the liquid nutrients. An accurate 100gm X .01gm scale is used to measure the dry KoolBloom. I also have calibration weights for my scales to ensure accuracy.

TDS meters (Total Dissolved Solids) are used to measure the nutrient concentration. In most hydroponic systems the concentration will vary as the nutrients are taken up by the plants. The TDS needs to be checked and possibly adjusted daily for these systems. Coco systems do not need the daily checks, or even to check new solutions if they are accurately mixed. I have one, but it's only use is to check the condition of my RO membrane monthly.

A method of measuring pH is critical to the success of all hydroponic systems. There are pH test strips and drops available, but these are notoriously inaccurate. I highly recommend an accurate pH pen or meter. Go for a minimum accuracy of 0.05 pH and precision of 0.01 pH. Accuracy refers to the measurement performed by the tester, precision refers to the display of that measurement. Most hydroponic systems require daily measurements and adjustments, while coco based systems require measurement and adjustment only when mixing a new batch.

I strongly suggest calibrating your TDS and pH meters at least weekly. I calibrate before each use.

 

[The70’s]

Plants have different nutrient requirements as they mature. There are several manufacturers providing multiple nutrient solutions to add to your water. You have to add two or more, the volumes depending on the stage of growth. I chose the General Hydroponics Flora Trio as it has a long history of use with cannabis. My thought was it would be easier to get help when things went wrong. Reading through multiple posts here, and elsewhere, I found that at full label strength as recommended by the manufacturer, they were too strong and would cause nutrient burn. A common thread was start at far less than 50% and work your way up. I chose to start at 25% and keep it constant throughout the grow, unless the plants showed signs of nutrient deficiencies. My last successful grow was at 33%. Here is the feed schedule I used:

General Hydroponics Feed Schedule - 33% of Label Strength​

Flora Micro, Grow, and Bloom are the core nutrients, and are required. Flora Micro is available in two formulations. One for hard, the other for soft water.

CALiMAGic is a supplement I use as my water source is a Reverse Osmosis filter. It is often required in lesser amounts with other water sources.

Rapid Start is an additive used to promote fast and healthy root growth.

Floralicious Grow and Plus are additives to promot plant vigor. Floralicious Bloom was discontinued at the time I purchased my nutrients, so it is not shown. Floralicious Plus is my substitute. These products leave a deposit on the walls of my watering buckets, so I don't know whether or not they'll clog drippers in automatic watering systems.

Liquid and Dry KoolBloom are supplements to increase bud production and weight. I start with the liquid, and switch to dry when the trichomes start getting cloudy.

Flora Kleen is used to flush the salts from the plants prior to harvest. When the desired percentage trichomes have turned amber, I use it at full strength for four days, followed by four days at half strength, and four days of water with CALiMAGic. Why four days of each? That's how long 18 liters of the water/ nutrient mix lasts.

I strongly recommend using the metric system when mixing nutrient solutions. Accuracy is important, and using the metric system makes accuracy easy. I weigh my water to accurately get the desired volume. One liter weighs one Kilogram.

Weighing Water to Get an Accurate Volume​

I use 1, 5, and 10 ml oral syringes to measure out the liquid nutrients. An accurate 100gm X .01gm scale is used to measure the dry KoolBloom. I also have calibration weights for my scales to ensure accuracy.

TDS meters (Total Dissolved Solids) are used to measure the nutrient concentration. In most hydroponic systems the concentration will vary as the nutrients are taken up by the plants. The TDS needs to be checked and possibly adjusted daily for these systems. Coco systems do not need the daily checks, or even to check new solutions if they are accurately mixed. I have one, but it's only use is to check the condition of my RO membrane monthly.

A method of measuring pH is critical to the success of all hydroponic systems. There are pH test strips and drops available, but these are notoriously inaccurate. I highly recommend an accurate pH pen or meter. Go for a minimum accuracy of 0.05 pH and precision of 0.01 pH. Accuracy refers to the measurement performed by the tester, precision refers to the display of that measurement. Most hydroponic systems require daily measurements and adjustments, while coco based systems require measurement and adjustment only when mixing a new batch.

I strongly suggest calibrating your TDS an pH meters at least weekly. I calibrate before each use.

Wow, that’s unbelievable, Ty for taking the time to post this. Im looking forward to an indepth read later tonight.

Cheers OS

 

[Old Salt]

I mentioned earlier that I use oral syringes to measure my nutrients. Well those syringes don't reach the bottom of the manufacturer's containers. I bought 100ml wide mouth HDPE bottles through eBay and a tray to hold what I need to mix the nutrients:

Ready Use Tray​

Left Side:

Back Row: mixing charts, scale 100gm x .01gm, TDS meter, pH papers, calibration weights​

Third Row: pH Buffer #7, HM Digital PH-200 pH pen, 2 x shot glasses, pH up, pH down​

Second Row: nutrients​

First Row: nutrients​

Right Side: chains, luggage scale 50Kg X 10gm

Each nutrient has its own syringes. They are held to the bottles with hair bands.

Shot glasses? Yes I use them to hold calibration solutions for the pH and TDS meters. The solutions are discarded after use so the manufacturer's containers are not contaminated.

This was a poor choice for a tray. Some of the syringes can fall through, and there's no support for the pH or TDS meters while calibrating them. A future project is to build a custom tray.

 

[The70’s]

I mentioned earlier that I use oral syringes to measure my nutrients. Well those syringes don't reach the bottom of the manufacturer's containers. I bought 100ml wide mouth HDPE bottles through eBay and a tray to hold what I need to mix the nutrients:

Ready Use Tray​

Left Side:

Back Row: mixing charts, scale 100gm x .01gm, TDS meter, pH papers, calibration weights​

Third Row: pH Buffer #7, HM Digital PH-200 pH pen, 2 x shot glasses, pH up, pH down​

Second Row: nutrients​

First Row: nutrients​

Right Side: chains, luggage scale 50Kg X 10gm

Each nutrient has its own syringes. They are held to the bottles with hair bands.

Shot glasses? Yes I use them to hold calibration solutions for the pH and TDS meters. The solutions are discarded after use so the manufacturer's containers are not contaminated.

This was a poor choice for a tray. Some of the syringes can fall through, and there's no support for the pH or TDS meters while calibrating them. A future project is to build a custom tray.

Again, Ty so much, i’ll be updating my journal and im sure i’ll try to research as much as i can but im sure i’ll be asking a few more questions. Thanx OS

And i’ll be adding this thread someday to my signatures for noobs to follow when searching for a “where to begin”

 

[Calvados]

Hey oldsalt, great stuff. What is PH buffer?

 

[Old Salt]

It's a pH calibration solution. This one is pH 7.0.

 

[The70’s]

It's a pH calibration solution. This one is pH 7.0.

Ahhhhh :0) A reference point !

 

[Old Salt]

Ahhhhh :0) A reference point !

Yes, like any electronic measuring device an uncalibrated meter is worse than none at all.

 

[Calvados]

What’s the dif between that and distilled water?

 

[The70’s]

Yes, like any electronic measuring device an uncalibrated meter is worse than none at all.

Sure, like an 8ohm load, read ya “lima-charlie”

 

[Old Salt]

What’s the dif between that and distilled water?

A pH meter depends on conductivity for measurement. My pH meter's instructions state "It is not is not recommended to use this meter in water below 10µS." Although the pH of distilled water should be 7.0, the meter cannot accurately measure it due to the low conductivity.

 

[Bud basher]

Fuck me salt are you on the ball or what! I thought I was fussy but keep things neat and on point and you will be rewarded this MK is what you need to look at keep things clean and tidy which doesn’t any cost money and will give you accurate measurements make life easy and give you big yields.
I will show you the ropes when you are set up no worries as I am sure the boys can too it’s not rocket science but forward thinking is key like with anything all of us don’t want you to make the mistakes we made when we started as it cost money and will get you down with poor yields and no one wants that plus patience and patience you will get there in the end some get it quicker than others you will be fine. Cheers.

 

[Old Salt]

Fuck me salt are you on the ball or what!

I sure didn't start out that way. I spent about $500 on equipment that I replaced by my fourth grow.

 

[philthegeek]

So that big bottle of pH7 buffer?? Thats a lifetime supplu if you are using it for meter calibrations? Do you use that for stabilising pH when mixing nutes and additives as well??

 

[Bud basher]

I here yer salt I have spent multiple thousands on equipment in the past that’s why this site is so cool I wished I would have joined ages ago and saved my self loads of moola and not listen to promises these companies make about there products but at the start you don’t know and take there word for it, now I don’t bother buying anything unless I see it with my own eyes working and proof it does what it’s supposed to do.