Nick Hardy's Skunk Works #1 10 Strains 18 Solo Cups 4x4 HPS/CMH: Thailand!

[NickHardy]

Awesome. As you see I’ve been inspired by your work. And my guess would be exactly what you said - root stress.

Awesome! My silly idea and testing of it has inspired at least one person! Not so harebrained after all and it was only in hope of it working to grow more efficiently so that’s a mega win!

Betcha it would be way easy to pop them out and trim the roots periodically a la Shed style?

Most of them seem like they are easy to pop out, done a couple. Wait for then to get a little dry. The trimming of roots?! nah pretty much impossible.

Suggested tools - ice pick. No joke. & Co watched me try stab air channeks in with a wooden skewer. As she’s prone to so she grabbed plant and skewer off me and proceeded to try and emasculate me with her strength and vigour! Second stab she broke the skewer they are hard as rock. Just watch out in tour little uns - they’re fabric so roots might stick to the sides more?

Solo cups are brilliant and stylish. A bit of Americana right there and they lend themselves to hacking. But I reckon a little bigger is better. In a 4x4 16 is a good number. My touchy feely is saying 32-48oz cup size. (solos being 16)

I want to investigate more and going to try 3D printing some of my own design for the next run. Better airgooes in the sides for sure.

If only I knew a pro level 3D printing guy to help me out?! oh wait! Cheers Absorber!

Essentially a theory I have is roots cost energy to produce. Energy that might be spent on flowers. The same as delarfing. - restrict the root growth for “roots sake” when it reaches a certain level to feed plant sufficiently. Roots aren't only there for nutrient provision. They also perform a structural/engineering role! My pallet negates the need for some of that (plus breeze blocks!) so less roots are required.

Honestly as beautful as my room full of 5 gallon potted plants is - it feels a bit ridiculous to me right now. At a minimum change next grow I’m thinking about downsizing to 3 gallons. Just a hunch it will yield better per watt and per sq/m

 

[Jon]

Awesome! My silly idea and testing of it has inspired at least one person! Not so harebrained after all and it was only in hope of it working to grow more efficiently so that’s a mega win!


Most of them seem like they are easy to pop out, done a couple. Wait for then to get a little dry. The trimming of roots?! nah pretty much impossible.

Suggested tools - ice pick. No joke. & Co watched me try stab air channeks in with a wooden skewer. As she’s prone to so she grabbed plant and skewer off me and proceeded to try and emasculate me with her strength and vigour! Second stab she broke the skewer they are hard as rock. Just watch out in tour little uns - they’re fabric so roots might stick to the sides more?

Solo cups are brilliant and stylish. A bit of Americana right there and they lend themselves to hacking. But I reckon a little bigger is better. In a 4x4 16 is a good number. My touchy feely is saying 32-48oz cup size. (solos being 16)

I want to investigate more and going to try 3D printing some of my own design for the next run. Better airgooes in the sides for sure.

If only I knew a pro level 3D printing guy to help me out?! oh wait! Cheers Absorber!

Essentially a theory I have is roots cost energy to produce. Energy that might be spent on flowers. The same as delarfing. - restrict the root growth for “roots sake” when it reaches a certain level to feed plant sufficiently. Roots aren't only there for nutrient provision. They also perform a structural/engineering role! My pallet negates the need for some of that (plus breeze blocks!) so less roots are required.

Honestly as beautful as my room full of 5 gallon potted plants is - it feels a but ridiculous to me right now. At a minimum change next grow I’m thinking about downsizing to 3 gallons. Just a hunch it will yield better per watt and per sq/m

Hmm. I would tend to fall on the side of big roots = big fruits. Even in your Solo scenario, when I do it (has to be Solos, The fabric half gallons are impossible to work with…) I’ll likely trim the roots as they max the cup and try to add some fresh soil to them for the roots to go back into. As they max again I’ll do it again. Otherwise I see no way to keep them from getting rootbound in the time fram of a grow. I’m thinking it might take three or four trims for a 32-48 ounce Solo.

 

[Jon]

Hmm. I would tend to fall on the side of big roots = big fruits. Even in your Solo scenario, when I do it (has to be Solos, The fabric half gallons are impossible to work with…) I’ll likely trim the roots as they max the cup and try to add some fresh soil to them for the roots to go back into. As they max again I’ll do it again. Otherwise I see no way to keep them from getting rootbound in the time fram of a grow. I’m thinking it might take three or four trims for a 32-48 ounce Solo.

Also thinking to choose the strains carefully and pick fast ones, not 140 day sativas.

 

[NickHardy]

Yeah definitely strain dependent - this grow is nearly all indica dominant hybrids - just by chance. I ordered the seeds on availability and reputation. Not on yield out of tiny pots. Single strain ftw.

Its the most sativa FK’d me before it got heavy on the PK

 

[Carmen Ray]

As she’s prone to so she grabbed plant and skewer off me and proceeded to try and emasculate me with her strength and vigour!

Does she beat you at pool too?

 

[NickHardy]

She is a fabulous potter of the ball, really lean down and bam! Positional play? What’s that?

 

[NickHardy]

Day #65/80 Auto
Day #30 Flip

So getting down to the business end of the grow.

I just made a banging 100L of food up for them.

2ml Cal Mag
P/L White label of Advance Nutrients I think 2-0-0 + Fe

3ml A/B
1ml Total,
0.2ml Keep It Clean
P/L Dutch Pro

2ml Bud Candy
2ml OverDrive
P/L Advanced Nutrients

2ml Mono-silicic Acid
Grow Genius MSA เข้มข้นที่สุดในโลก

Ph 5.5 EC 2.6 Co2 PPM 1300

Low Ph to get them more amenable to PK, EC I’d be happy up to 3.0 with bigger plants but it came out like that because I’m deliberately at 3ml p/l in a recommended range of 2.5-3.5ml - other grows I’ve gone as high as 3.5 EC and 4ml/L. That didn't harm them but probably above 3.0 EC is just a waste. Co2 PPM is standard from the start.

Love a bit of Costner, devo about Yellowstone.

You might argue she already “bucked” me! But want a strong finish.

2 weeks from indicated harvest the auto and 4-6 weeks the photos. We’re gonna have a strong mid flower push - hence the silica to give them some strength to hold those colas up - no supports needed so far but seeing some heavy branches leaning. (Weight of the seeds lolz )

So yeah lets gogo!

Nick

Day #65/80 Auto Day #30 Flip 2.jpeg

• NickHardy
• Sep 16, 2023

Day #65/80 Auto Day #30 Flip 1.jpeg

• NickHardy
• Sep 16, 2023

 

[InTheShed]

Betcha it would be way easy to pop them out and trim the roots periodically a la Shed style?

My root pruning of a long-term clone grown in a solo cup was unsuccessful but my 1 gallon ones turn out fine.

 

[NickHardy]

My root pruning of a long-term clone grown in a solo cup was unsuccessful but my 1 gallon ones turn out fine.

I’m not throwing doubt on the potential benefits (if potentially risky) root trimming technique - only saying that if you’re gonna do it in a “micro pot” grow forget about it! There ends up no medium just a hard block of roots

Daily “did the lights come on check” love how the light tone changes as the HPS warms up.

Missed the cold blue stage before the above. To the eyes they look even more verdant green.

Then they go yellowy - like they end up under full heat light.

But before what there’s a moment of what ‘Id call “Exaggerated Natural Light”

Then its all orange.

 

[NickHardy]

Photos copyright & Co. Miss ‘em all

 

[NickHardy]

Day #70/80 Auto
Day #35 Flip
Gonna ask & Co to switch to water from tomorrowfor the auto. She’s using a Samsung to my iPhone and still the HPS light is an issue!

They look falling over monsters though. Not zoomed in yet. She seems happy / told me she fed 3x today because twice wasn’t enough. “You got the con, honey” but yeah this is peak in our experience.

10 days out from harvest the Auto - hope I’m home by then for the fun - & Co will nail it without me anyway.

 

[Jon]

Day #70/80 Auto
Day #35 Flip
Gonna ask & Co to switch to water from tomorrowfor the auto. She’s using a Samsung to my iPhone and still the HPS light is an issue!

They look falling over monsters though. Not zoomed in yet. She seems happy / told me she fed 3x today because twice wasn’t enough. “You got the con, honey” but yeah this is peak in our experience.

10 days out from harvest the Auto - hope I’m home by then for the fun - & Co will nail it without me anyway.

This is making me think I’ll take a QP from a half gallon. Lmao!

 

[NickHardy]

I’m really thinking of doing a grow that’s 16 plants in double sized 32oz solos per light in the main flower room for 48 plants but 4.8kg yield with lower costs and hassle. Reckon by grow #2 it’ll be 6kg plus an 8 week nearly no touch grow. Top them in a quad line style snd that’s it. F-all skill required.

I mean my dogs couldn’t run it but the cat could but then he’d be constantly renegotiating the contract

 

[Jon]

I’m really thinking of doing a grow that’s 16 plants in double sized 32oz solos per light in the main flower room for 48 plants but 4.8kg yield with lower costs and hassle. Reckon by grow #2 it’ll be 6kg plus an 8 week nearly no touch grow. Top them in a quad line style snd that’s it. F-all skill required.

I mean my dogs couldn’t run it but the cat could but then he’d be constantly renegotiating the contract

And simply water via manifold? Geo or chem? Fresh water rss or chem mixed res?

 

[NickHardy]

Same as now i have a load of never used small size collars we use 26cm dia now to fir 5 gallon pots which are generally 30cm We have 24 I think of the 10cm versions so I’d find a pot to fit. As have them to hand bit big maybe, that or two drippers per pot.

Coco - soil won't work for this style in my mind. The medium zone is too small to supply nearly enough for long enough.

May you can convince me that organic had watered is ultimately the beet achievable but its so subjective at rhat point. I’d use Co2 snd the lights what ai have. Maybe second time out I’d do hybrid LED/HPS i’m wowed by them. I was all “Oh yeah those old hippies but nah - though I said to & Co the other dsy on the phone because she’s nver really been in the HPS tent untill I came on this trip maybe because our bodies like the sun we get happy withbthe same tome light? She was immediately convinced. Really likes it like me!

But I reckon you could yield 2kg per 4x4 space once really dialled in. Run the same strains - no need to chose high yielding freaks. But nothing under 400g per/sqm And it would be all solid. No popcorn. Minimal effort to manage too.

Dunno but its been looking like we’ll get some big yielding plants out of tiny pots here for a while. That first Strawberry AK at less than 30cm/12” tall was 27g of perfect (not an ounce as I think I said)! These are around 80cm ignore rhe roots think about plant yield.

Relatively tiny amounts of medium and nutes. Better product averaged product from top to toe / you get light down low.

We’ll find out if there’s weight to my theory soon!

 

[Greenvein]

But I reckon you could yield 2kg per 4x4 space once really dialled in.

This sounds really attractive I mean I don't have co2 but my manifold is set for 16 plants ready to go

 

[NickHardy]

Day #73/80 Auto
Day #38 Flip
Dunno your guess is as good as mine! & Co is happy. 100% she’s not checking trichs really - the Strawberry Cheesecake is gettiing in window.

Said chop of you like she said wait until I get home. Was meant to be tomorrow afternoon. Not until Thursday now.

Look bigger though!



Nick (somewhere in SE Asia)

 

[NickHardy]

Day #75/80 Auto
Day #40 Flip

Strawberry Cheesecake Auto - oh but she’s an ugly/pretty thing. Can see some yield missed but hey our first Auto and in a solo cup. She can run a little longer.

Home tomorrow latest I hope.

 

[NickHardy]

I’m and seen my babies! (I covered off yeah family missed them blah elsewhere )

This grow has been a bit underwatered. Because the irrigation heads are blocked from what ainsaw today. I hand watered them mostly. Aldo there is definitely some light burn. Because? I knew the Co2 would run out while I was travelling. It could have been replaced but I felt happier while I was away there wasn’t that risk point. But probably it was an abundance of caution - & Co seems to have done just fine. The buds look on a bunch of strains a bit popcorny - but hey the Auto ain’t near ready for two weeks and 4 weeks the rest so yeah we’re good!

We don’t have any plants presenting seeds? Maybe my madness two weeks ago was just that

Photo HPS light dump below.

Nick & The Girls

 

[Absorber]

You must just have a cacophony of smells when you walk in there