QB, MH, HPS, T5, LED New Fast Hybrids, BBxC99xFast, WhiteWidowxFast, #1SkunkxFast, FastChilly Perpetual Tent City, Clone To Harvest

[Metal Halide]

Coco RTW/DTW, hand fed until in bloom tent and then drip fed 5-20 runnoff
Bloom tent - Currently full - Moneymaker & Skywalker OG - Harvest MM in 1-2 weeks and OG in 2-3 -
2x600w hps, ts1000, VS150, 6400k 130w cfl

Veg-early Bloom tent - Currently full - Moneymaker & Skywalker OG - Soon to transition - Harvest MM 7-8 weeks, OG in 9-10
2x400w MH, 260w QB

Plants for this journal are
1 Blueberry x cinderella99 x fast
3 White Widow x fast
2 fast chilly
1 #skunk x fast chill
4 Skywalker OG

All ten will go into same tent as a sort of sog in 15ltr nutrifield modular DTW/DWC pots. Skywalker may get hand fed later into bloom as its a 9-10 week strain and the other can finish in 6 but ill push to 7 at least

My current situation leaves me a bit tight on space, ill be harvesting soon and things will get rolling on but I can definitely start the journal as I've got the plants for this journal going well in my smaller propagation tent. Think of it as a kind of like a waiting room for plants, its just needs some soothing music and crappy old magazines from 1994 to read and the girls can sit it out in there for now waiting for their much much older aunties MoineyMaker and Skywalker to HURRY THE HELL UP.... actually no they are proper ladies and should be given the dignity to finish whenever they please, Dont you think?

Once MM gets harvested i will have enough room to start playing plants Tetris (like normal Tetris except with plants and tents) and move forward out of the waiting area.
My old perpetual method has me perplexed on my nutes, having 2 strains that end at diff times on the same drip system makes it tough especially with finishers, pk n stuff. CBF or afford 2 resies with diff nutes so they both get the same and its just not good enough so ive come up with another solution, Fast strains that mature in 6-7 weeks meaning ill harvest every 3-3.5 weeks. Let all see how this works out, shall we? Unfortunately have had to supplement the fasts with a skywalker so its still gonna be tricky but doable

Under t 5s

Ignore the blurple its just umm.....ummm The Aurora Borealis....
Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within your kitchen?
Yes
May i see it?
No....

 

[Metal Halide]

Ok so they have been vegging for about a week after being transplanted out of my aeropinics cloner. ill go into the cloning process when i take new cutting in the next few days and ill also be documenting those aswell. They will all be fast strains. but back to the plant at hand.
will you look at those wispy white roots. They look sooo good.

I wasn't sure where to begin really, but i suppose the roots are the best place to start since its the backbone of the entire process. So lets delv into what makes them so white and fluffy

 

[Metal Halide]

Actually a fair bit goes into those roots
OMG Sweetaz. This stuff is crazy. organic and full of bacteria, enzymes and other goodies. It stinks but i love it.

As you might see i dont follow any one company or feed chart. I got with what works best for me and what is the most economical and beneficial.
Florakleen, needs no introduction. Snake oil, yeah sugar water really but it works and i use bugger all, i think ive had it for 2 years.
Fairform CMX. The most potent calmag plus iron ive come across. 0.5ml per litre will do more than fine but i usually use much less unless in very late veg and transition.
bloom roots. Amazing company and amazing stuff
Cyco Ryzofuel. Probs the companys best product. Super concentrate. 0.5ml per ltr

H2o2 needs no introduction. I dont use it on the coco, only in the aero cloner
CCS, been using it for over a decade, never leave home without it, the inventors of clonex gel and this stuff makes it 10 times better as a foliar spray or in your solution
PH down, up, ec and ph standards, testers and glass jars all a must

 

[Curiousnoob]

Looking good mate! Seems you got your style down pat.

 

[Metal Halide]

Looking good mate! Seems you got your style down pat.

Cheers mate. But im always mixing it up and therefore always encountering something new and unexpected, for good or worse at least we are always learning.

 

[Metal Halide]

Just a quick update with more infor that should have been in the OP.
Perlite/coco mix
My Nutes are far and many. no set feed schedule. i look at my plants and i decide what they need. Theres too many brands and additives to mention but as the grow continues you'll get to see them all. Suffice to say i use partly organics with maxibloom and monsta bud the backbone of my bloom feed.
My grow spaces are two 8x4 tents, a 4x4 tent, a 2x4 tent and a 2x2 tent.
I keep my temps and humidity at the usual levels, 50% humidty with around 28 degrees celcius. Warmer and more humidity the younger the plants are and the less humidity the older they get. Pretty stock standard.
I have some pics here from my last grow just before the flush

just to make it clear that im not here to waste anyones time. this will be a high level complicated and extremely indepth guide, looking into all aspects of stress, training and other things. No scrog cause i rotate plants and because its a perpetual grow, plants are moving about from room to room

 

[Metal Halide]

Ok so lets talk about my veg nutes and what your roots should look like at this stage.

As you can see, It looks like noodles.
I used to dream about noodles like that

Now as I've stated i don't use a feed chart but there is always a constant, Ec vs size of plant and ph.
At this size, i sit around 1.4 ec with 6.1ph.
Current nutes in order of application are as follows
Bloom - Silica 0.1ml per ltr
Ph down 0.1ml per 2 ltr ( or till your out of the ph danger zone that silica induces)
Ozi magic - Sweetaz (zymes minerals and other crazy stuff) 1ml per ltr
Cyco - Ryzofuel 0.5ml per litre
Professors - Go roots 0.1ml per ltr
Flairform CMX - 0.5ml per litre
Organic unsulphered molasses 1 tsp per 10 ltr
GH - Flora-micro 0.5ml per ltr( basically just Nitrogen. I felt they needed more due to the slightly light green leaves)
Ozi magic - Monsta grow till at 1.4ec.
Ill go into more depth about some of these nutes But do you see anything going on here?
Look at those dilution rates. As concentrated as it gets. Very little water, non plant food crap that most stuff is filled with.
Also thats 8 different companies.
Ive done much research to make sure im not doubling up on anything or giving my plants anything that they dont need.
this covers everything from humic, fulvic, aminos, sugars, vitamins, A balanced NPK ratio, enzymes, triacontanol (beeswax), seaweed extracts, silica, gibberellins, every single macro nute and mineral on the planet (molasses), beneficial bacteria and much more.

Monsta grow, Monsta bud and Ozi tonic in itself have over 80 ingredients and its formula has and is being copied by some of the biggest hydro companies around the world including green planet massive bloom, terpinator, rock resonator and many other. This stuff has been around for decades and is the only nute line within the last 20 years ive always used. The most popular nute in my country, a secret to most of the world since its hard to get in most countries besides mine. Every time i research one of these so-called bloom enhancers, flavour enhancers, terp enhancers i find that im already using that substance in my Ozi magic line. Plus the rest of them are a complete and total ripoff.
This stuff costs me 2.5c per litre at 2ml per litre when bought in bulk, similar to say maxibloom or jacks. Cheap

I dont care what anyone says to me. Ozi Magic make the very best nutes in the entire world. I have on many occasion spoken to the staff and owners of this wonderful company and I find them to be very transparent.

Heres the rest of my concoction
Only the best for my girls

Next ill be discussing my lighting and environment at this stage of development and why i chose this path. See you soon

 

[Metal Halide]

Wanted to mention that many people rave on about great white, fungi n stuff. I've used it and found no difference, I know I know. out of all the products on the market its probably one of the most beloved atm but I assume that maybe it's for people who maybe don't have perfect roots to begin with or don't use as many root enhancers as i do. I just found that for the price vs results, it just wasn't happening for me.
Also im not really feeling the love here people. feel free to chime in on anything so far, good or bad. I can handle it

 

[irie lion]

Hey MH! Just read through and caught up. Impressive setup man, i'm really looking forward to see how your perpetual plays out, i'll make my way there one day Amazing looking roots you've got there, i have never heard of your nute line but it's working for you bro, oh it's working Clones are looking strong and healthy.

 

[Metal Halide]

Hey MH! Just read through and caught up. Impressive setup man, i'm really looking forward to see how your perpetual plays out, i'll make my way there one day Amazing looking roots you've got there, i have never heard of your nute line but it's working for you bro, oh it's working Clones are looking strong and healthy.

Super stoked to have your on board here. Not many bites but the journal is so very young and there's a lot of info with many products that people may not have ever heard of or thought of using so im not sure how well its going to go down but hopefully people are interested in something different.

 

[Metal Halide]

Lighting

Good old T5s.
I love them and use them all the way from propagation into early veg. I find they become inefficient after my plants are over say 1 a half feet. They arnt the greatest of penetrating of lights but what makes them amazing at this stage is that its impossible to stress your babys out from light and heat, well almost impossible. A superior light for beginners due to this and fasntastic for seedlings and clones. I own 2 x 4ft, 3 x 2 ft. I also use them for my mothers but they are too inneficient these days compared to the latest LEDS for mothers. Currently it takes 400w to cover my 6 mothers in a 4x4 with 2 4ft t5s, I can get that coverage from a new Mars Hydro SPW 250 for 250 watts and it is more than enough.
My mother tent is a 4x4 with 4-6 plants at a time usually

Happy to answer any questions.
Next will be the propagation process since i took clones yesterday
heres a sneak peak

Its attacks of the clones next

Mesa called Jar Jar Binks, mesa your humble servant!

 

[Metal Halide]

Took 30 new cuttings.
12 blueberry x cinderella99 x fast
12 #1skunk x fast
6 White widow x fast
I suppose we need to start 2 days before cloning and start with the mothers themselves

As you can see i do all the trimming and defoliating 2 days before the cuttings as to allow the mother to repair itself instead of the clones. Cutting the leaves is to allow for airflow, less transpiration and will reduce pest and mould infestations. But i can never understand why people cut the clone leaves after the cut. Ive found that all it does is slow down rooting while the clone tries to repair itself not to mention the stress it induces, why not leave all that heavy lifting to the mother herself aye.
Furthermore, i only give the mothers PH water for the days proceeding and after the cut. This is for many reasons but mostly to stop nutrient lockout on the mother and clones after all the cuttings have been taken and I give it a massive trim back to about a foot high. If i leave too much nutes in your substrate then I run the risk of over-fertilizing the mother and since the plants are so small in such a big pot now, it's very easy for them to also become overwatered, then that leads to all sorts of issues. I want them to continue to be thirsty after the trim down.
Healthy mothers healthy clones.
Speaking of healthy clones

Notice the v shape.
Already after 12 hours im able to completely remove the dome with ZERO wilting or sagging at all.
How is possible you ask?
I'll go into my entire process, including all my gear, enviroment and nutes next

 

[irie lion]

Beautiful cuttings MH.

 

[Metal Halide]

Beautiful cuttings MH.

Cheers mate. Helps to work on the mother a few days in advance. Plus i got a few other tricks up my sleeve for tomorrow but i gotta hustle, already im 36 hours behind on posting. I might just do 3-4 days worth in 1 post or something. have a good weekend irie

 

[Metal Halide]

A quick run down of the equipment i use to clone
-Platinum Cloner. A sick little cloner from a french company. Half the price of the ezcloners

In the cloner i have an
-air stone
-thermometer probe

Under the cloner i have a heat mat cause "winter is coming" and i gotta hustle so the night king doesn't creep up on me and turn my clones into walkers.

They sit under a 55w 2ft t5

In a 2x2 tent
A spray bottle is a must, i fill mine with Clonex clone solution to EC 0.4 and PH 6.2

Ec and ph meter is a must
The nutes i use in the resy in order of application
-Bloom - roots 0.5ml per ltr (the best and one of the most economical root developer/enhancers on the market)
- Grotek - Clonex Clone Solution to 0.4 ec
PH down to 6.0
OxyPlus - h2o2 but at a whopping 50%. 1 ml per 10 litres for prevention and double that if you run into any issues.

I add Oxyplus every 12 hours or so at 1ml per 10 ltres throughout the entire process
Oxyplus will bring your ph up to around 6.2 depending on the age of it and how well its been looked after. Keep it in the fridge with the lid closed at all times. It had a 6 month shelf life after opening but can be extended in the fridge

Hygrometer and thermometer and thats pretty much all the gear used.
Next is the cutting process

 

[Metal Halide]

Pre-cutting information, sanitizing, equipment and air embolisms

Firstly the whole sanitizing thing.
Im gonna go ahead and let it be known that no bacteria survives out of the danger zone of 4-78 degrees Celsius. All bacteria dies above 78 degrees.
This negates the need for cleaning products on anything that can handle that heat.
I set my hot water system to the very max and it does the job but you can boil water, I throw my utensils into a bucket, put gloves on and wash stuff in the almost boiling water or wait for it to sit a bit. Rinse down and im good to go.
My cloner is made from plastics that could melt or warp in the hot water so I just use standard bleach to clean it and the inside of my tent.
I also wipe down my tent with vinegar cause it always gets mould underneath it due to it being very very high in humidity inside and therefore it sweats underneath, but that's no real concern with vinegar

All I use for cloning is a pair of scissors, cloning gel, a spray bottle with clonex clone solution, a small cup for the gel, a kebab stick to get the same size clones and plunger to put extra gel on my inserts

I don't use the underwater cut technique as I have found a quick and steady hand in cutting and placing into the gel negates the need for that long and cumbersome way. This is mainly due to the mother preparation as stated earlier in the journal.

I'm able to pump out all 30 clones in about 10 min with most of the time spent preparing the next step while they sit in the gel for 1 min.

Im coming to get you little tree. You cant run

Next up, off with its head and into the cloner

 

[Metal Halide]

Out of the fire and into the frying pan.
The cut

I place my measuring stick onto the stem of the mother to get the right hight then with my other hand i cut on an angle with my sharp scissors and in one fluid motion, i place the cutting into my cup.

HOT TIP
I sticky tape my cup to my table so I can put heaps of clones in it and have them all wait at once.

After 60 seconds i put them into the cloner, put extra gel onto the insert, spray them and put the lid on.

I repeat this process until the cloner is full.

HOT TIP 2
Use coloured inserts that refer to a certain strain. In this instance, black is skunk x fast and will stay that way through the entire grow. i just use colored sticky tape for the sides of my pots later on

Next up: into their new environment and all that it entails including temps, nutes and gear.

 

[Metal Halide]

Propagation environment

Heres the inside of the cloner. I use a waterproof thermometer with the probe inside the rez to let me know of the temps as well as a hygrometer to let me know of the ambient temp and humidity
Underneath the rez is a heat mat and in between them is a simple baking tray to allow some room between the rez and mat

Ive got an air stone in there along with the pump to help oxygenate the water

The most abnormal part about all this is my unusually high rez temps.
I sit between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius which just about everyone is going to say WHAAAT???
yep, that's right, In my experience low temps are the main reason my roots take longer than they should which intern causes its own problems.
This just works for me but at a price. Sometimes I lose a few here and there plus I use a lot of H2o2 and I give them a good drying out once a day which I'll explain once I do it.

My tent usually sits between 25-28 aswell, with just the heat mat, light and most of the vents closed.
Humidity levels usually sit around the %70 mark unless I'm in there fiddling around which intern drops those numbers but after I've done my thing i just give them a mist, close her up and off I go.

 

[Metal Halide]

Day 1 of propagation

Clones are in with the dome on and vent open
In the rez, I've put
-Bloom - roots 0.5ml per litr
-Growth technologies - CCS - till im at 0.4ec
-PH down till im at 6.0ph
-Oxyplus - H2o2 1.5ml per 10 litres

H2o2 brings my ph back up to 6.2ph which is perfect for cuttings.

12 Hours and ive put little neoprene pieces to make a gap between the dome and base, as shown below. This allows the clones to get used to the lower humidity levels before the dome comes off tomorrow.
I also add just 1ml of H2o2 per 10 litres before i hit the sack and get some rest.

Next up. Day 2
The removing of the dome, stabilization of the cuttings and upkeep of rez

 

[Metal Halide]

Propagation day 2
The removing of the dome, stabilization of the cuttings and upkeep of rez

Time for the dome to come off.
Firstly i'll check the rez and repeat my ph adjustments and add 1.5ml of h2o2
Rez was back up to 6.4ph so i added a few drops to 6.0ph before adding the h2o2.
I try to do this all really quick with only a small part of the tent open as to not let out too much humidity.

Rez is running at 26 degrees and tent 25

I very quickly touched each stem with clean fingers to check for any stem rot. None so far. Everything is perfect right now .

After a mist of the leaves, i close up the tent and set an alarm to go off every 15 min for 2 hours. Every time I go in and mist them but less and less each time then i leave them like that for 12 hours

12 hours later and the clones are perfect. No wilting, discolouration or disease.

Note that no leaves are touching the base with plenty of room for air.
It's important to jiggle, shake and turn the clones occasionally to allow air to get between the leaves that touch each other so as to inhibit mould and disease.
If I ever see anything that concerns me, I spray the clones with water from the rez which has h2o2 once it has a fresh supply of h2o2 in it.
Repeat the steps from yesterday, PH & H2o2

Up next
The drying out of the clones and day 3