Pink's New Grow Room: Perpetual Fun and Games

Pinktiger777

Well-Known Member
Well, folks, it is time to get serious about growing cannabis. I started out more than three years ago with a 2 X 2.5 X 5' 7"Gorilla Lite Line tent,under the stairs in the basement. Soon after, I added a propagation tent ( a 2 foot cube), where I learned to clone and raise seedlings. Like most people, it took me awhile to get decent at growing. I had to learn a lot of hard lessons. I grow with hydroponics - ebb and flow with a tray and reservoir. There was a steep learning curve. I soon realized that hydroponics was wonderful but also terrible, in that the plants grow fast and finish fast, but if you make one little mistake, your whole grow can come crashing down.
I battled mites, temperature swings, accidental revegging, and grows that stopped prematurely due to my own negligence. Finally I got good at this, and then decided to get legal after my state approved medical cannabis. I'm allowed to grow six plants at a time; which means I can have six seedlings or clones, six vegging plants, and six flowering plants.
Last Christmas, my stepdaughter, who lives with us, told me she was giving me her bedroom to grow in, and she was moving across the hall to a larger room that was used for storage of her hobbies, and for sewing. One wall had cabinets, with a counter and a tall cabinet on the end. We moved those to my new grow room, and plotted our moves.
My stepdaughter has a medical condition that requires her to live with family. She is a very nice person, and we are close; she helps me with my grows, and is the mastermind behind the setup. She doesn't smoke, but she enjoys the capsules we make with ground up and decarbed sugar trim. It is better for getting her to sleep well than opioids. The original plan was to move both of my tents in the room and get a new, bigger tent for flowering; I plan to put mother plants in the medium tent, and continue to use the smallest tent for propagation/clones. My dear husband is also helpful, as he helped us do the planning and setting up, and helps change the reservoir water when it needs it.
the new room is 12 X 14, with a closet. It is in the basement and is partially underground.
We decided on a 5 X 5 Gorilla tent. I wanted to have a 4 by 4 tray, inside dimensions, meaning I needed a larger tent. And because the basement ceiling is only about 7.5 feet high, I am not using the height extension.

Here are some photos:





I'm going to list the equipment and nutrients here for the new tent:
  1. Budget LED ( 50-500 watts), 3500 Spectrum). It has a 6 X 6 footprint, and is dimmable.
  2. AC Infinity CLOUDLINE T8, Quiet 8” Inline Duct Fan with Temperature Humidity Controller
  3. 8-inch carbon filter
  4. Fast Fit 706122 Tray Stand, 4' x 4'
  5. Botanicare 4 X 4 (inside dimensions) Ebb and Flow tray and 70- gallon reservoir
  6. Four little fans (one on each corner)
  7. High CFM poles for tent (two sets)
  8. Intake fan, 8-inch
  9. 5-gallon fabric pots
  10. Coco coir and perlite medium, topped with hydroton pellets
  11. GH Flora series nutrients, with components (I may change these).
Next, I'll explain how and what we did and why.
 
My first grow in the new tent is in progress:



The plants look pitiful because four of them are clones and got a little large in the propagation tent before we got all the new equipment up and running. In the back row, three clones of Peppermint Kush. In the front, from left to right, one PK clone, an Expert Haze from seed, and a Blue Dream from seed. The puny one in the back right is concerning me, but I think it will grow up OK. The lights are very bright, even at 50 percent power.
The scrog setup utilizes the high CFM poles and fastens the net to it with zip ties. I saw this on a YouTube video. I find YouTube to be a great resource for how to do things. The scrog net is part of an upper and lower set of nets. I found these on Amazon.{ MEGALUXX 2-Pack Dual Layer Flexible Elastic Trellis Netting Grow Tent Net - Grow Netting for 4x4 5x5 4x2 Grow Tents (2 Pack)} Later I'll attach the top net to the four poles without zip ties.

The fabric pots and the inert media was a good idea I stole from others (LOL). What I love about it is the roots don't hang out of the pots, and the water stays cleaner. John down at the grower's supply turned me on to using bricks of coco coir and hydrating them myself at home. Much cheaper than buying bags of coco coir. And I add perlite. I have hydroton, so I put a layer of that on top to keep mold down. One of the pots is different from the others because I couldn't find a pack of six five-gallon bags. I'm going to fabric pots in my other tent, as well, for the mother plants.

In the meantime, once these plants get to a size, I will make clones of the Blue Dream and the Expert Haze, along with the Peppermint Kush. I'm thinking two clones of each.

Also, for those who like me, rush in: Caution. The nutrients for a 70-gallon tank are different than the 10-gallon one. I used the GH template I found online to do the math, but I plugged in the wrong numbers. Imagine my surprise to find I had done this wrong AFTER the tank was full. So we had to dump it and start over. That's the first blunder for this grow. I'm sure others will rear their ugly heads.

I'm considering going to an all in one nutrient for my grows, instead of using a component series. I would be interested in hearing from others who have switched. TPS is the main brand I'm considering, as it is also a PH buffering formula.

My new 70-gallon reservoir is challenging; I've had to learn some things (see above). But I hope I don't have to change it more often than every two weeks. TPS nutrients state you don't have to do any topping off between changes. That's a great thing, if true.
OK - that's enough for now. Stay frosty, friends!
 
What I did and Why
Growing cannabis was a dream of mine several years ago, and when my husband said I could go ahead and do it, I jumped at the chance. Cannabis is hard to come by around here unless you know someone. I didn't, at least I didn't know the right people. I found that it was hard to grow enough for my needs in a 2 X 2.5 tent that was not even six feet tall.
That's why I upped my space. Now I can do three or four grows a year and hopefully enjoy a variety of strains without fear of running out. No way I want to pay $350 or $400 an ounce for weed that is maybe as good as I grow, but probably not.
The expense for all the new equipment was close to $3,000. It isn't cheap. But if you figure out the grows over a five-year period, and assume that you can grow at least four times as much as I was growing in the smaller tent, then you get close to 30 ounces. Maybe more. That's at least 90 ounces a year. More than I need. But I have family that I also share with, so that's OK. 90 ounces times $300 is $27,000. So it pays for itself plus. I'm not growing to sell, but I want to have enough so I can share and/or make edibles. And play. And I want variety.
So, that's why.
 
Damn them OZ prices are crazy I do not blame you for growing your own. Here it is around 80-120.
 
Damn them OZ prices are crazy I do not blame you for growing your own. Here it is around 80-120.
Damn those are super cheap what quality do you get there? I can get like average weed at 150/oz as like the cheapest but I grow better quality
 
I was buying mine online from a site that had to keep changing its url because the feds kept dogging them. It was surprisingly reliable with a one week turnaround but the prices were high.
 
I was buying mine online from a site that had to keep changing its url because the feds kept dogging them. It was surprisingly reliable with a one week turnaround but the prices were high.
This is why :420: tries to fight against cannabis prohibition laws and allow us to grow our own medicine. Some people on the internet take advantage of anything and price gauge the shit out of consumers
 
I sure wish someone would start fighting about seed prices. Average plant can pump out 2k seeds. Lets say their good price of 5$ per seed, that = 10k$ per plant, so let say the breeder only gets 50% that is still 5k a plant now that is just for the seeds off the plants I am sure oil hash and other things can be made as well. Seeds have been the number one slap in the face to all growers that buy. Sorry had to vent a little.
 
Seeds are ridiculously high priced. That’s why I buy enough to last me awhile and why I clone.
 
Update and More Pictures
Today I wanted to show more photos of my new space and also to brag (of course) about the plants and seeds I planted.
The 70-gallon reservoir is great. It stays stable longer with ph, and also it doesn't require daily water additions. It's using less than 10 gallons a week, and I top it off then. I am not adding nutrients to it when I add water, as the PPM is staying steady (700 or so). The plants are growing fast, even the puny one.
The AC Infinity fan I have in there is doing a wonderful job of keeping the humidity and temperature steady. The probe on it measures temp and humidity and then changes the speed of the fan accordingly. The lights are only on half strength; but it seems to be enough for now. I am pleased with Budget LED on this light.
The seeds I planted on Sunday are doing well - two have popped and two to go. They are all different varieties, so I'm sure that the germination time for these are a little different. Planted the following:
Harlequin - the first one to pop.
Fire OG - Second one to pop
Skywalker Triangle Kush - pop to come
Bruce Banner - pop to come

Here's some pictures:







 
Meanwhile, under the big top
We are 2.5 weeks in on this grow, and I can't believe how fast things are growing. I figured with this big tent, which is a lot larger than the smaller tent, it would take longer for the plants to veg out. Now I no longer assume that. We might be ready for 12/12 by the middle of September. That is "might be," not definitely. Even the little puny plant in the back right corner is doing well. I'm tucking and weaving everything under the scrog net, just as usual. Yesterday we changed the water in the 70-gal reservoir. It is pretty simple to do, because I have a sump pump attached to a hose and it pumps it up fast. I put the wastewater on my roses out back. I'm preparing for giant buds. Rose buds.
Nutrient Changes
I'm using some new brands (new to me, that is. One is Bio Root, to substitute for Rapid Start, which is too expensive. Once I have tested out the other stuff I'm doing here, I'll reveal the other products. (Hint: H2O2).



 
Bruce Banner seeds still won't pop. Everything else I started is now a seedling, but two Bruce Banner seeds are not.
First, I planted one after soaking a day, carefully planting it in a small block of rockwool. Just like the others. After one week, nothing, so I checked and the seed had not popped. So I took another seed and starting soaking it in water in the dark. After two days, no taproot. So I took the other seed out of the rockwool and put it in the glass with the other one. After a day, I poured both of them in some paper toweling and placed this on the heat mat. If they don't pop now, I know they were duds.
Just like the other two seeds from a different batch I tried to pop last year. Is this Bruce Banner thing difficult to grow?
Anyone had a similar situation?
Maybe I should call on my gurus. @Pennywise , @InTheShed @Weaselcracker ??
 
That new tent is huge! Quite a change from the old one :).

I haven't grown Bruce Banner, but I have had seeds that just won't pop. Have you tried roughing them up with sandpaper first? I use a Mini Altoids tin lined with sandpaper that I shake them in for a few minutes before I drop them in water.

80º is my temp for the enviroment during germination.

Gibberellic acid in certain dilutions will help with germination as well if you want to go down that road!
 
Scrog these pink kush if by Barneys farm they need support for sure they stack nicely man .
 
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