Psilosinner's Inaugural Auto DWC Grow

[Scientific]

I love the bluelab guardian monitor. Got a great deal on Amazon compared to local shops. Wanted the wireless monitor but it has to have internet connection all the time to log the data and none of my computers are always on. Once you get the nutes and pH dialed in it's out of sight out of mind. I check it once a day when I get home from work.

Cool. Looks like just the thing for a busy person.

 

[Psilosinner]

5/14 2300 -Day 32

Did resevoir change with increase of nutes to 40%. Think next change in 8-10 days will switch to bloom since they will be 6 weeks approx

 

[Scientific]

5/14 2300 -Day 32

Did resevoir change with increase of nutes to 40%. Think next change in 8-10 days will switch to bloom since they will be 6 weeks approx

Space is gonna start getting REALLY tight when those guys go into stretch... My little Dwarf Low Flyer is growing in a reservoir about the same size as yours and blew up to take over half the space. They're not kidding about growth in a dialed-in hydroponic system being explosive!

Dwarf Low Flyer auto 45 days from seed

 

[Psilosinner]

Yeah I've got a "scrog" net ready to put in and will defoil some of the larger fan leafs. Right now I'm trying to do some lst by tucking/folding and will get some pipe cleaners today.

My intention all along was only 4 plants. Germed 8 hoping for a 50% success - never in my wildest dreams guessed an 88% rate

 

[Scientific]

Germed 8 hoping for a 50% success - never in my wildest dreams guessed an 88% rate

Germination rates for commercial seed seems to be really high (and should be for what we pay for them). I had some 20-year-old Maui Wowee seeds in the back of my desk drawer that I wanted to try just out of curiosity, but I lost them when I moved.

Nice to have the problem of too much greenery!

 

[Psilosinner]

5/16 2200 - Day 44

Huge growth in the last 48hrs. Quick measurements show 2 plus inches on the Dark Devils.

 

[Scientific]

5/16 2200 - Day 44

Huge growth in the last 48hrs. Quick measurements show 2 plus inches on the Dark Devils.

I can see it. Your jungle is filling in! It's hard to tell, but it looks like you're starting to get some very early flower development at the grow apexs. Which would mean you're at the beginning of the stretch!

(Mine, just BTW, is at the opposite end of the stretch; my plant is absolutely static now, with no growth except bud growth.)

 

[Psilosinner]

5/18 - Day 37

The Dark Devil in the front left has almost doubled in height, grew close to 9", in 3.5 days

Trying to decide if I want to go ahead and flip to bloom nutes now or wait a bit. Thoughts?

Some preflower shots

 

[Scientific]

5/18 - Day 37
Trying to decide if I want to go ahead and flip to bloom nutes now or wait a bit. Thoughts?

Wow! Everything is looking great!

I waited quite a while to switch to bloom nutes, and my plant responded very positively when I did, so looking back I wish I had done it earlier.

Just for reference, the General Hydroponics feed chart lists "Transition," "Early Bloom" (2 weeks), "Mid Bloom" (2 weeks), "Late Bloom," and "Ripen," (which is 8 weeks, and my auto only blooms for six according to CropKing, so I've compressed the two 2-week phases down to 1-week phases). Anyway, I would say that of those classifications, yours are definitely at the "Early Bloom" stage, so my two cents is that you should definitely switch to bloom nutes--i.e. less nitrogen and more phosphate.

Regardless of the fine points of nutrient proportions, your plants are looking great! Have you noticed that they've started sucking up massive amounts of water and nutrients?

 

[Psilosinner]

Planning on doing a res change tonight when I get off work so will get the bloom going.

The ppm has dropped 120 since last change on Monday, pH has been steady at 5.8/5.9 and drinking like a fish = meaning she is hungry and good situation to be in. The chart that is floating around here says to raise ppm but I'm at 40% already so thinking I don't want to push it higher just switch to bloom.

 

[Scientific]

Planning on doing a res change tonight when I get off work so will get the bloom going.

The ppm has dropped 120 since last change on Monday, pH has been steady at 5.8/5.9 and drinking like a fish = meaning she is hungry and good situation to be in. The chart that is floating around here says to raise ppm but I'm at 40% already so thinking I don't want to push it higher just switch to bloom.

Drinking like a fish is good. Speaking of which, I would be curious to see a photo of your roots in the tank if you get a chance. Just curious. (Seems to be a typical hydroponic fetish. )

General Hydro's chart says X, Nebula Haze says to use .5 X, and I'm using less than Nebula recommends (though I have upped it a little lately). I got a little tip yellowing when I used the 1/2 GH's recommended levels for a week so backed off, a lot, then had a pH crash so upped it a little and am now trying to keep it at 400-500 PPM (including the big PPM boost I get from my CaMg supplement.)

I do my nute changes on Saturday morning and am switching to "Late Bloom" tomorrow, which might be my last time changing the reservoir except for a flush(?).

ANYWAY, your plants are looking great. Good luck on the home stretch!

 

[Psilosinner]

5/19 - Day 38

Got home from work and did the res change with 40% flower nutes. The ppm ended up being higher than I expected so I'll be watching closely for any signals that it is too much. When I did the last res change on the 14th with 40% veg nutes the ppm was 760 and now today 960. Actually it's not crazy - just sticker shock to see the ppm near 1k.

The scrog net is 18" from the res and the Dark Devil is now touching it - 12.5" in 9 days

I'll get root pics in the next day or 2

 

[Psilosinner]

5/21 - Day 40

Raised the LED again and starting tying branches off to side to get lights down lower in canopy on the smaller Ducks and one small WW. Dark Devil in the front left going crazy.

WW canopy and bud shot

Dark Devil buds

 

[Scientific]

Nice net! Nice flowers!

 

[Psilosinner]

5/23 - Day 42

pH steady ppm steady but water level dropped by about 2gal from last night after topping it off again last night with 2gal. Did notice a little nute burn on the front Duck. Not a bad thing the ppm dropped lower after straight water last 2 nights.

Dark Devils - not looking like either will have purple pheno which sucks

Duck - can see the nute burn

White Widows - love the flower canopy

Wipeout Express - no definitive preflowers like everyone else but she is bushy as hell

 

[Scientific]

Everything is looking GREAT!

How many gallons is your reservoir?

 

[Psilosinner]

Everything is looking GREAT!

How many gallons is your reservoir?

I mix a total of 15gal on res changes

 

[Scientific]

I mix a total of 15gal on res changes

Thanks. I asked because I think a lot of my pH instability has been from my plant and in particular its roots outgrowing its 2.5 gallon reservoir. You have a lot more volume but a lot more plants too.

 

[Psilosinner]

Thanks. I asked because I think a lot of my pH instability has been from my plant and in particular its roots outgrowing its 2.5 gallon reservoir. You have a lot more volume but a lot more plants too.

Definitely could be a problem. My pH has essentially stayed the same from res change to res change - 5.8 for first 4-5 weeks and now 6.0

I haven't got a chance to take a pic of my roots. I'll try to get that done tomorrow.

 

[Psilosinner]

Not the greatest pics using the phone but here they are. Every nute increase the roots turn more brown but it isn't rot. Res smells great and I've been adding Z7 on every change plus every 3-4 days