Smokemup's Latest Grow - Going For 1+lb! 400W MH/HPS - Soil - Indoor

[Richard Richardson]

Here, M8. Check these guys out...

I came across a thread saying they use different vinegars as a down and baking soda as an up. So I added a cap full of red wine vinegar to about 3 gallon (maybe a little more) res and it plummeted to like a 4.3. I added ph up to bout 8 oz water and filled the res, cycled the system, got it to 5.3, then repeated and nailed it to 5.8 so the kids were only on the acid for maybe 10 minutes.

Damn, a full cap of vinegar is comparable to 2 teaspoons at the least; I have only added .3125ml (1/16th Tsp) to my 1 gallon of nutrients lowering my pH from the high 7.8s to right around 5.8-6.0. But as we both know using vinegar doesn't stabilize pH for an extended period of time. Maybe this is due to the vinegar evaporating, I don't know? I'm in desperate need of some hydro labeled pH buffers. That at least would be optimal for my system to run without my presence.

One other tip from one grower to another, I tend to mix a small cup full of water and add my amounts of vinegar to concentrate that solution with an acidic pH. Then I usually can get more leeway when adjusting pH by just pouring small amounts at a time to the concentrate. But like you said if you get to low, just add the original water source.
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These are hydroguys, but AG seems to know his stuff with vinegar and ph

 

[Smokemupm8]

THANK YOU AL VERY MUCH!!!
Yeah I have tried Vinegar before but not much, as said it doesnt need much to change reading. But I was worried about any burn issues from it, I dilute about the same ratio as mentioned and my runoff shows that my soil SHOULD be @ 6.4 ish but when checked the soil is @ 7.6, Ive added more sulphur, and will feed with some dilute vinegar n water and see how it goes. But as said - Its effects dont last long, last time I did it I think it changed for 2 days?
Need to restore microbial life again, SO I think its back to my old nutes Seaweed extract & POwerfeed version for flower Hoping if I dont go overboaard the Sulphur will break down more in couple weeks a nd lower the PH naturally, well kinda naturall.. MANY THANKS TO YOU ALL AND ILL KEEP U ALL UPDATED!! Smokemmup

 

[Smokemupm8]

Hey guys - How are we all going on this weekend??
Im pleased to see some SUN!! Man its been crap weather of late and cant do much when its wet.. Anyways, today im going to check the PH first of my soil, see if its dropped any since increasing more Sulphur.. If not, Im going to feed her with 10L water - EB@15ml, Seaweed extract@15ml, some vinegar.. Then will check PH of solution - Probably will take it down to 6.0, or 5.8 - See if in the coming days it will drop the Ph any, I need it to drop under 7 and get back to a decent range as she s in flower and I dont want her to go with out the nutes she needs, according to a couple of my charts , certain elements are locked out either above 6.8, and below 5.5 So I want her to be around 6.6/6.8 again..
I hope my mix of solution wont harm her??? Or maybe I should just leave the Vinegar out for now as the solution will probably drop it as usual to around 6 anyway? The Vinegar may react with my other feed and cause some bloody issue knowing my luck!!!
Ill keep u posted and>>> PICS TO FOLLOW SOON
TAKE CARE GUYS AND WISH TERESA LUCK... Chat soon ok, Cheers.. Smokemupm8

 

[Smokemupm8]

Well I had enough!!
I made up some feed for Teresa earlier at PH of 6.0.. Fed her waited abit and checked the soil PH for any change ( I know its not accurate first reading this way ) but any way usually if she s been fed a more acidic feed it does register in say 10 min on my meter, So anyways I tested it and again it still sat at friggin 7.8 not happy with that.. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE I LACK IN SPADES!
So I thought Stuff you PH reading - So I whipped out the Vinegar... 2 litres of water with about 40ml of vinegar - Then I waited and tested it - LOL - Well, I dropped it>>>> TO 5.5 And ya know what IM HAPPY!!! As vinegar is a temporary solution for a high PH, I figure that maybe the vinegar will help break down the sulphur - OR POSSIBLY CAUSE AN EXPLOSIVE REACTION?? So after this I got 2L of water again, mixed in some Seaweed extract ad lightly spread 700ml across the top soil just to help dissapate the strength of Vinegar before. The end goal is hopefully that with the PH this low for now, in the coming days, I HOPE the PH will some what self- regulate or Buffer through the soil.. I am going to feed her PH d water for next week and see what reading s I get from the soil then..
*WARNING* DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME AS I AM POSSIBLY GOING TO KILL MY TERESA.... This is gunna be one of them things like when I fed Lucy friggin Golden Syrup instead of Molasses, yes the leaves may have tasted sweet - But I did not like the thought s of all these globules among my buds!!!
So ill keep you posted on her results in the coming days ok guys WISH HER LUCK!! Thanks everyone and chat soon.. Smokem..

 

[Smokemupm8]

* PHOTO UPDATE - TERESA IN FLOWER *

Welcome guys to my latest pic update of my good green girl.. She is growing rapidly and will hit 6ft fairly easily I think Sorry been while since updated pics but I hope you like these.. Sorry if some are crap :/
Take it easy and chat soon Smokemup.

Well we will see if the vinegar kills her or not in a day or so CYA GUYS

 

[Richard Richardson]

Looking great, M8

 

[Smokemupm8]

Ok well the Vinegar was only a temporary solution and frankly I dont like dousing my plants in it.. My PH is showing at 7.2-5, and since 7 is considered Neutral, @7.2 or so while not ideal for ganja - is gunna have to do..
Ill feed her with PH d food of 20ml Liquid Blue, 15ml Early Bloom, 20ml Seaweed Extract, I am just going on the assumption that as long as I feed her the nutes she needs she should be able to intake some of them surely??
Maybe not ideal - But the only other thing I can try is Peat Moss I think?? Meant to help drop PH too, but if lemon juice and vinegar cant then Im just gunna feed her til she finishes!! Of course I will not overload her I plan on plain water feeds in between also but I am not sure what will help, Ive put sulphur or PH SOWN on the soil and it aint helped, maybe Ive not put enough?
But yeah if I feed her at say 5.8/6.0 and the run off is close to that then doesnt that mean the soil is somewhere in between these areas? I forgot the exact methodology about it but if IM right well stuff my PH meter IM GUNNA SMASH IT WITH A MALLET SOON.. Yes it cost me $ 120 - But does it deserve to be broken, YES!! Its a liar - giving me false readings trying to sabotage my plants???? Hmmmmm... Do u think the ganja makes me Paranoid:/ lol.
Anyways, all in all Teresa s growth is great, She is nearly @ 6ft in her pot Her branches are amazing - Ill try to take pics at lights out so you all can see better, But the larger branches have large shoots coming from them so the buds gunna be chunky - and a dense top canopy - I hope reminincent of CINDY She looks the same, Ive counted at least 19 dominant cola's, theres 24 all up, But the others are just shorter and may yield less.
Though I am gunna put the 600w on soon and she should be set for the rest of her journey!!! I removed about 80 leaves from her over 3 days, most was yellowing drooping lower leaves - I had to trim some for light penetration down each branch and bud shoot.
If Im lucky enough for her to be able to sustain good flowering with a PH over 7, I will be stoked and I really am getting more confident about pulling over 1pound from her, there will be alot of wastage - But I will put it to use. Ie; Rick Simpson oil Tho I aint putting no pound of buds in my batch - maybe popcorn and all the branches as they retain fluids,resin,CBN,THC too, So gunna give that a try, I will definately be looking into doing it safely and as documented, I had surgery on my cancer - idiots failed to anaesthatise me I felt the cuts, and worse - The stitches, he asked me as a smart ass " Oh ok, how many have I done?" I said 4.. Then WELL HOW MANY HAVE YA DONE??? No reply , my girl says - yep he s done 4! Tho he still didnt give me more aneasthetic.. All 8 stitches I felt..Yay for me..
OK well guys I will follow with some dark flowering pics
Cheers for stopping in everyone, snaps soon.. Smokemupm8

 

[KingJohnC]

how often do you re calibrate your pH meter? when I use my pH meter frequently I calibrate it every 2 weeks to keep it accurate.

 

[Jimmycricket]

Mix Master Smokey, whats happening.

I just started wondering, why don't your buds ever seem to hit the walls? I constantly have that problem of them leaning and laying on shit like the walls or other buds.

 

[Smokemupm8]

* PHOTO UPDATE - TERESA - DAY 13 OF FLOWER *

Welcome everybody to my latest pic update!!! She s coming along nice now and is really getting me excited I just managed to take some pics before lights on yesterday..
Each dominant branch has great bud shoots from them around .5 ft long each, so these will all fill in with - Wait for it.. BUDS!!!! As I said theres about 16-18 dominant branches with others that wont get as much light unfortunately but long as I get good growth from the top 2/3rds as usual I should get close to my 1.5 pounds Tho this PH is shitting me, I will perservere and concour!!

Today she is being fed some Early Bloom/Liquid Blue/Seaweed at PH of 5.8 or 6.. I cant wait to see what this gal can do - she has the TOKES OF A NATION on her shoulders
BUDS BUDS BUDS>>>>> Thanks guys, I hope you liked my pics of her so far, Ill get some closer flower pics when theyve devleoped some more hair - Remember my Bud-Troll Jimmy??? That shit!! lol...
Cheers everyone, Chat soon.. Smokemupm8

 

[Smokemupm8]

Hi King John,
Ill calibrate it again, But if it starts this dodgy reading again its history!!! I never used to use a PH meter at all, and my plants were fine - Now I cant stop worrying about PH?? Ill try to keep her around 6..8/7.0 and feeding her at around 5.8/6.0 PHd solution, thats bout all I can do? Think it may be bit late for peat moss or any other soil amendment I can only use lemon juice or bit of Vinegar to drop it - Not sure if by feeding vinegar it will aerate the soil bit more - I was almost tempted to chuck a Centrum multi vitamin tablet that bubbles up when put i water - Its got all minerals and such we, and plants need!! Tho may kill her too?? Hmm....
Thanks for stopping by and for ur input bro Chat soon, Smokemup

 

[Smokemupm8]

Lol.. Well bro - My girls main dominant branches are basically grown vertically causing no bending or strain on the tops. Only if Im tethering into positon will they be bent over
Cindy started to sway in the breeze abit when she was ready and Im pretty sure Ill have similar stacks of cola's as hers, the branches are already only 5 inches shorter than her @ full maturity..
Also as I have constant fans blowing on em they sway back n forth all day long probably building up their fibres Ganja workout!! I should play music - apparently it increases your yield by double! But only if you play Ozzy osbourne - No Bieber or itll turn Hermie but grow no balls! Bahahaha...
Thanks for stopping in Jimmy C, its good to have you about. Do you know of any way I can try lower my PH - other than Vinegar,Lemon juice, Citric acid. Or do you think I just go with my heart and not stress on a PH of 7 ish, Her looks are healthy and she s doing what she should.. THINK IT MAYBE 600w SONTGRO TIME! Big buds big buds, What ya gunna do??

 

[rdooski3]

Holy crap dude she is a beast Got a little shot of her base in that one pic and wow. Its amazing what can be done with a 400w setup. You seem to be getting some great light penetration/reflection. Could I perhaps do a picture request and get one of the base and one of the entire plant+container? Pretty please

 

[waknbak88]

Man that is one huge plant! Awsome job! Reps

 

[Smokemupm8]

Thanks Dooski
Much appreciated n cheers for ur kind remarks Well I can take another pic of her base where Ill try to show as much as I can ok? And in regard to showing a FULL picture, I unfortunately cannot do that now due to the LST tether points, theyre secured branches now, I have access to one side of her only now - Thats the bain of my grow style but as long as you set up right and are attentive all will be fine.
The photo I have of her on the side ( showing pot and bout half of her ) is pretty crap as was taken with lights on, Ill try one at bedtime for her ok - Just for you!!!
As you saw with the base, Thats how nearly EVERY LST'd plant Ive grown looks after her initial training, a short stumpy base that grows vertical branches, NO FIMMING/Supercropping/topping - simply my adapted LST grow to suit my space, MYLAR is VERY important part of my light penetration, as its like a mirror - I LUV IT PLus with the leaf removal process I use I try to thin out the centre and clear an area around each main branches tops and as far down the branch as I can, But I dont STRIP the plants either, I gradually trim one leaf from one branch, and then another from an opposite branch, so theres not so much stress on each branch losing alot of foliage.
The way you trim and when you trim can affect the plants growth height and speed, I try to leave the top 5 pairs of leaves - from top,down - alone as best I can as Ive done it higher before and it was bit slower in response.
CHeers for dropping in and Ill post sum snaps for ya as best I can ok - But yeah have to wait til it dark! Chat soon, Smokemup

 

[Smokemupm8]

Thanks Shake N bake!!
Well - She is pretty decent size I guess, So far she stands @ 5ft'1 inch ( 6ft1' in pot ) so her tops now stare at my face.. Hoping she will hit 5ft 6" at least, then I know Ill have an abundant top 2/3rds of her main branches and then the top canopy of buds..
So if she does manage to reach close to Cindy s specs - Ill have the towers of cola's, and below that the top canopy which normally gives 2" - 6" buds, pending on the strain too tho, Some strains Ive noticed grow more calyxes and are very dense and just stacked with flowers,pistils and trichs YUMMY!!!! Tho I am at present bit unsure about the PH affecting my harvest?? Maybe Ill just have alot of dead leaves!!? lol.. Only time will tell - and while I was doing Teresa s trim up other day, I was thinking THIS IS A CLONERS DREAM! I had about 16 nice lil branches just waiting to be rooted - By Rootex of course:/ lol. I dont kno what this strain is - Im waiting until buds so I can recognise it from any of my previous gals?
Alrighty well cheers again WaknBakk Have a good one - Smokemupm8

 

[Smokemupm8]

OK Dooski, Just for now, Heres some pics of her base I took earlier of her, during Veg, The branches are obviously larger, the pic with Perlite on top is the most recent of pics.
LOL at the size of her in the Overhead photo during Veg, the Mylar walls surrounding her - The Mylar wall is just at 6ft 2' high, Now Teresa s tops are sitting pretty much equal to the top of the Mylar sheeting..

 

[Smokemupm8]

* SNEAK PEAK FLOWER DAY 15 - Teresa *

Hey guys how are you all?? Hoping merrily baked Just thought Id put up a few snaps of Teresa a day ago, She is nearing all over height of 6ft1" the lower tops are just shy of 6ft, maybe 3" or so..
She is now eploding in size, I am probably going to put my 600w SON T GRO on her as I want as much light on her and penetration, tho I was checking lumens output on my 400w and its slightly higher than some other globes? Its a High efficiency Horticultural pro grow light, Theres no light spectrum graphs but it seems to be keeping up to the task, I do have light reaching the floor from 7.5ft above and thru the canopy7 but its only 200 - 500lm, Tho still is some light for the tiny popcorn bearing branches..
Man these top cola's maybe impressive - this is one reason Im going to the 600w as I am hoping that the extra 200w will help my end weight, Temps at present are between 20*C - 25 peak, RH of 35-50 peaks - So I should be ok with the 600w heat wise, I plan on having it centrally located and the light spread downwards should pass 25" inches down each branch easily with bud.. Well hopefully, I was thinking of using the 400w all thru but not sure - As am I correct in thinking that more light = More bud??? Or beter photosynth and production? Ideas guys??
OH, and Im removing old Perlite, and adding some of my fave old school brand feed solution thats got 7% Calcium which is more than any other prduct I have, most are below 2%.. So Im gunna spread some of this across the top soil and Im going to basically just water feed her with some Liquid Blue @10ml,Seaweed@10ml every 3rd feed from now. STUFF THE PH - Yesterday I checked it at 7.4, which is better than 8, I just not sure if it will lower much more - CHECK THIS GIRL, TERESA OUT>>> SHE LOOK OK TO YOU GUYS??

I included another BASE pic for ya Sorry the sticky trap is blocking some branchings, But she is just over 3 inches in diameter at the base, the branches are fairly established now, I tried to show a half side of her full shot but its hard to show you guys until harvest!
Thanks for the best wishes and dropping by.. Take care everyone, Smokemup

 

[rdooski3]

Wow man Teresa is beautiful! Thanks for the pics! That base is crazy! I cant wait to see those monster buds fill in. Im considering putting some mylar up and was curious if you think I should even with my plant being in a corner with white walls? Keep up the great work smoke

 

[aztecbuds]

shesssss beautiful,