Stevehman's 780W LED - DIY 4 in PVC Recirc - Caramlicious Grow

[Hydrologist]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

yo steve I just went through your hole grow and I gatta say im impressed. One of these days when I get some more money into my savings account I am definetly going t opick up a few of those L.E.D's your using man, i've stayed away from them as my local hydro shop doesn't carry them bc they arnt and I quote "proven" yet. Well....after looking at your journal i'd say the ones your using are proven enough for me! That's one reason i've stayed away...the other is of coarse as you know HID lights are still just wayyyy cost effective. But yeah I had never heard of frog ponics until going through this thread so thanks for that info too, sounds like a neat idea....If you can contain it in that...1' radius white line you have running through your grow. Btw, so what your doing is...practically DWC just with a creative bad ass scientific twist to it by running the water through that insain toobing like you do correct? Or does that style of grow have a specific name to it? Would be good to know. Love learning new stuff. Keep up the great work Steveham, can't wait to face off with ya in plant of the month one of these months. Btw when is your eta on harvest? Im shooting for may 5thish. Giving these girls 70-75 days after only giving 60 last time....Tho that grow was a co op and my room mate just....really wanted to harvest. So I went along. THis time I wont be doing that...though the herb turned out great dont get me wrong, I juse know it coulda used the extra days!
take it easy
-Hydro

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Hydro,
Thanks for the comments. I think that this is technically an NFT system, although the lines are getting blurry as far as what-is-what. The fogponics system I started with worked great, but need to find a way to contain that mist, it got everywhere (and salty fog is not electronics friendly).

You're right, these lights aren't cheap, but my options were either LED or HO-T5 due to space restrictions. I would have used HID if I had the space for them.

I plan on cutting on, or about the 4th of May--that is day 70 for me. Last grow was chopped at day 56, so an extra 2 weeks should add a little extra weight to the harvest. I will be keeping a close eye though since I am running CO2 now and that may affect the finish time.

Your grow is looking good as well. Keep an eye out for my next grow, I have the beans in root riot plugs now, so I will be doing another clone-to-bloom with 4 strains and am doing a re-tooling of my system that will include a few of my own ideas that a lot of people may find very useful (I have an engineering background and look for the simplest solutions to problems).

Thanks for stopping by,
Steve

 

[Hydrologist]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Dude you gatta read this article from Urban Garden Magazine Issue 10 you can pick this magazine up (its by far my favorite) for free at any hydroponic store. atleast you should be able to. ENjoy!


ADVANCED WATER CULTURE TECHNIQUES

One aspect of hydroponics that receives much attention from growers of all abilities is deep water culture aka DWC. Everest quizzes water culture expert, Daniel Wilson from Current Culture H2O, and discovers some great tips on running these productive hydroponic systems.

Of all the hydroponic growing media you can use water is cheap and the easiest to obtain. Water can be filtered, typically with an RO machine, and sterilized with UV or Ozone to create a clean and consistent substrate tailored to your growing requirements. Many hydroponic growers already understand the virtues of using, and more importantly reusing, water in hydroponic systems. So, why not go the whole hog, throw away your rock wool/soil/coco/clay pebbles and use water culture?!
What is Water Culture?

Deep water culture (DWC) — At its essence, a DWC system is made up of a container, lid and net pot. The container holds the nutrient solution (typically 2.5—4 gallons (10—15 liters)) and the lid supports a single plant growing in a net pot. Roots grow out the net pot and into the nutrient solution held in the container below. In the container, an air stone bubbles away to agitate the solution and keep dissolved oxygen levels high–essential in any DWC system. Shallow water culture (SWC) is based on the same principle but, yes you've guessed it, uses a lower volume of water.
Single vs. Recirculating

Single stand-alone systems are fairly cheap to buy and even more popular for DIY enthusiasts. Modular DWC systems, in which many containers are connected to a central reservoir, create an active system where the nutrient solution is able to cycle from the reservoir around all the pots, arriving back at the reservoir. Each has inherent issues. Stand-alone systems can be inconvenient to work with, while recirculating systems can spread problematic root diseases very quickly. The key is to operate the chosen water culture system properly, and you'll be sure to get explosive results. Once you play around with DWC, you'll most likely wish your system was modular and recirculating.

Q: Ok, lets start with the basics; what types of nutrients and additives work in DWC?

A: In my experience, pure synthetics of the highest solubility tend to work best. Especially formulations with well-balanced mineral ratios as well as being balanced on a molecular level. This tends to translate to a more pH stable nutrient solution that stays viable for longer periods of time.

Q: Where do you stand when it comes to Beneficial Biology in DWC systems?

A: There's a bit of a fork in the road philosophically when it comes to"bennies" or no "bennies". In my experiences both tend to work but I lean towards more of a sterile aqueous root zone. It is possible to use a more carbon-based substrate for a plant's root crown cultivation. It's this beneficial habitat that could harbor and allow colonization of a plant's mutualistic organisms. The solution itself has little potential for colonization of anything other than bacteria, which while useful, don't offer the benefits of fungi's, which share a more direct relationship with the roots themselves.

Q: Are there any specific pH and EC requirements you recommend?

A: Depending on the nutrient, working with a pH between 5.5—6.5 works fine. If you want to be more specific 6.0—6.3 for veg, and 5.7—5.9 for flower. It's in these pH ranges that the minerals most needed for the respective plant cycles are most available. With regards to EC, I generally recommend 50—75% of a nutrient manufacturers directed dosage for best results. Remember that lower EC can result in a higher intake of water into a plant's tissue, which in turn speeds plant metabolism and increases nutrient transport.

Q: How often should growers change-out the nutrient solution? Are there signs they should look out for?

A: Depending on the type of nutrients, a 14—21 day change out schedule is typical. When plants are growing vigorously they can turn the nutrients over several times in that time frame. This is essentially "changing the nutes" by displacement from the top-off reservoir. If the nutes begin to fluctuate in pH or become murky, or if plants begin reducing nutrient usage this is usually a good time to purge the reservoir and mix a fresh batch.

Q: What is the ideal water temperature for DWC systems?

A: We've observed that no matter the ambient air temperature, plant roots tend to do best at 62—68°F (17—20°C). Above 72°F (21°C) the solutions dissolved oxygen (DO) holding potential quickly diminishes and below 60°F (16°C) plants tend to slow their metabolism in response to what is perceived as changing seasons. This said, growers could aid in fruit/flower ripening by reducing water temps toward the end of the reproductive cycle. Being able to dial in each zone of the plant (Leaf/Root) specifically often leads to an amplification of plant productivity.

Q: Speaking about DO, what is the best practice for monitoring and maintaining DO levels?

A: Keep nutrients cool and ppm's at a modest level to ensure good DO saturation. Surface aeration and the implementation of air pumps and diffusers is an easy way to keep the solution agitated and moving. Manual as well as digital meters can be useful for those more meticulous souls. If you go digital buy high end as the budget meters (which still run several hundred dollars) are typically unreliable instruments in a pretty plastic housing.

Q: Can you run through your recommendations for propagating plants destined for DWC?

A: Establishing cuttings with an aeroponic cloner using 1/8th strength nutrients is ideal, preferably under mixed spectrum T-5 lighting. Propagating bare root plants suits DWC best. This offers an easier transition to water culture given there is no wicking substrate (rock wool, Sure To Grow) to hold excess moisture too close to the root crown.

Q: Is there an ideal water level to be maintained in the reservoir?

A: Start with the bare root submersed to the base of the rooted stalk, being sure to not submerse the stem or stalk tissue so as to avoid water logging. If using a wicking substrate, ensure the cube is approx. 1" above water line; this may necessitate hand watering for a few days before the roots hit the water.

Q: What are the potentialities for plant steering using water level / amount of root zone exposed to the air?

A: With water as their growing media, growers can tailor nutrient solution parameters more specifically. Provoking plant responses such as essential oil production, fruiting and flowering are better manipulated when the substrate can be dialed in. For example, higher exposure of the root zone to atmospheric oxygen can help trigger a plant to increase oil production as a means to conserve water, and can also apply mild root stresses that are often interpreted by the plant as reproductive cues. While higher water levels can cause plants to focus more energy on vegetative production, particularly fan leaves, which in turn speeds transpiration and photosynthetic potential.

Q: Are there any specific pests or pitfalls DWC growers should watch out for?

A: Root diseases no doubt, Pythium, Fusarium, etc. These types of problems are most evident in water culture given the roots high profile, but are also typically found in most hydro methods currently practiced. In our experiences we've observed that once the variable causing the problem is removed (warm water, too high an EC, sludging inputs, etc.), it's completely likely the plants will recover. In other words, root disease is not a death sentence, but a symptom of a problem needing to be addressed.

Q: I have heard from a few DWC growers that veg times can be significantly reduced, is this true?

A: Growers will need to make that call, but when dialed-in there is no faster way to grow plants–hydroponically or otherwise. A well-hydrated plant typically grows more quickly which will inevitably create shorter veg times and still achieve a premeditated harvestable plant size.

Q: Is DWC suitable for longer-term plants, such as donor plants? Commercially DWC is only used for lettuce and short-cycle plants, not for annuals.

A: Water culture is still a relatively new hydroponics method. Though first introduced in the 1930s by professor Gericke at UC Berkley, using water as a primary growth medium is still seen as somewhat impractical by commercial farmers. Due to the need to keep water conditions cool, it's caused the bottom line to operate large-scale water culture facilities to be cost prohibitive.

Though with the recent improvements in cooling technology and increased efficiencies, I think we are likely to see a move toward water culture as a viable alternative to the current carbon substrate-based approaches presently being used for the growth of annual vegetables.

Especially as farmers discover the reduced volume of fertilizer inputs and the conservation of precious water that are key to water culture's allure. This is an exciting time for water culture as what has been considered a black art is now emerging as a legitimate means of cultivating a variety of crops.

 

[Maer]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

If you had it to do over would you go with the 4" PVC again or a DWC bucket type setup? I am thinking of building a system much like yours and was wondering if there is anything else you would change. Fox example maybe put T's in at your plant sites with a length of PVC to allow longer roots? I dunno just riffing.

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

If you had it to do over would you go with the 4" PVC again or a DWC bucket type setup? I am thinking of building a system much like yours and was wondering if there is anything else you would change. Fox example maybe put T's in at your plant sites with a length of PVC to allow longer roots? I dunno just riffing.

Maer,
Good question, I am constantly redesigning (in my mind) my system. I think I would stick with the 4 in pvc for a few reasons. My other option is/was an undercurrent style DWC with 12-18 sites. The pros and cons of the decision to stick with the 4 inch.

Undercurrent,
Cons: 12-18 buckets, 4 gallons each (48-62 gallons of nutes, 12-18 air stones, and 2 uniseals or bulkheads per buckets all adds up). THe DWC has more than one point of failure for leakage, although that should be a non-issue with properly installed uniseals. 48-62 gals of nutes plus a res to chill and change out.

Pros: easy to do a constant harvest, have 6 plants ready to harvest every 3 weeks (no tangled roots in individual buckets). Tons of aeration with an individual stone per bucket

PVC NFT,
Cons: may be a challenge to clean the roots out once the harvest is done. Roots could grow too big and cause a blockage in the pipe. Difficult to do a constant harvest unless multiple pipes are set up.

Pros: 10 feet of 4inch PVC is $8 at Ace. Easy to configure to your space. One point of failure for leakage (if you use pvc cement, if you just slip fit you could have seepage at a few places). Relatively small amount of nutes in the pipe, easier to chill and less expense when doing nute changes.


I plan on adding a few "T's" in the system, but more as an easy way to clean out roots and to do a visual check on the roots through out the grow. On my second grow I used some 2 inch threaded couplings to hold the neoprene pucks and will probably use that again on grow 4.0. They are cheap and easy to us, and will give you an extra couple inches of root space. It will depend on how the root mass looks when this grow is done. The roots are getting plenty long though so that isn't too much of an issue. There is a 3+ foot long run of pipe between the last plant and the res, so they could go quite a ways.

I am still finalizing my plan for my next grow but think that it will be my final design, I feel like I'm getting this pretty dialed in. I have a few design changes that I will document and put in the beginning of the new journal. Really trying to simplify the setup, and make it as hands-off as I can.

Thanks for checking and I'm always open to exchanging ideas and expanding my view outside the box.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[NEPharmer]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Looks good bro, I've been real busy, I'm back to work now, but I'm still checking in on some of my favorite journals. Cant wait to watch this one finish up!

 

[Hydrologist]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

yo will u be entering plant of the month??? if so what month? please dont say april (thats when I am! shhh!)

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

yo will u be entering plant of the month??? if so what month? please dont say april (thats when I am! shhh!)

I don't think any of mine will compete with yours (unless I am able to submit them all as one plant). I may enter the nug of the month, but probably not.

 

[cryodude]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

So, Steve, i know you take weekend breaks... that's a good thing. some new pics, and info on Grow 4???

My posts will be sporadic at best for a while. Parents are really old, having issues and i was just in Redding for 4 days, no internet.. trying to read all this shit on my iphone is a joke. Birthday coming up, i either need to get charter to do wireless at their house since i will be there 2-4 days week for the next 6-8 weeks or make my wife get me a 3G-wi-fi ipad for my birthday in a week and a 1/2..

 

[Hydrologist]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Hydro,
Thanks for the comments. I think that this is technically an NFT system, although the lines are getting blurry as far as what-is-what. The fogponics system I started with worked great, but need to find a way to contain that mist, it got everywhere (and salty fog is not electronics friendly).

You're right, these lights aren't cheap, but my options were either LED or HO-T5 due to space restrictions. I would have used HID if I had the space for them.

I plan on cutting on, or about the 4th of May--that is day 70 for me. Last grow was chopped at day 56, so an extra 2 weeks should add a little extra weight to the harvest. I will be keeping a close eye though since I am running CO2 now and that may affect the finish time.

Your grow is looking good as well. Keep an eye out for my next grow, I have the beans in root riot plugs now, so I will be doing another clone-to-bloom with 4 strains and am doing a re-tooling of my system that will include a few of my own ideas that a lot of people may find very useful (I have an engineering background and look for the simplest solutions to problems).

Thanks for stopping by,
Steve

yo whats up steve,
dude I think its pretty awesome you and I are running at about the same time schedual because im going to be harvesting around may 5th or 6th haha! But I too will be keeping an eye on if that date will change since I also am using C02...well I just started using it at the beginning of this flower. I've heard that c02 extends harvest...have you heard of it shortening it? But Yeah thats so funny I also was kinda pushed into harvesting at day 60 with my last plant...idk my room mate wanted to cut her down I was ready to wait an extra week or two but he wanted to it go down. So it went down. Whatever. One bad captain is better than two good ones is what i've always heard so thankfully im the only captain of this ship now and ima wait till day 70 to start the flush, atleast thats the plan, it may change like i said.

But yeah my girl is at day 34 as of today what are yours at? They gatta be close.

Also I love your quote "salty fog doesn't good w. electronics" lol I would think not, that sucks the fog got everywhere, have you considered working with aeroponics? The idea is up the same ally as fog ponics...just use sprayers instead of a fog machine I guess.

Last but not least
Yeah man you could tottally contend with my plant! Its not about size with POTM its alll about if you can get a pretty enough shot in, and if....people feel like voting for you that month u know. I honestly believe we only got as many votes as we did last POTM because a lot of people knew this was our first time entering....and a lot of poeple knew we wanted to win.

But fuck it we didn't win

so its definetly going to be my goal to win that sucker some day!
lol

just cuz....

-hydro

p.s bad ass you have an engineering degree can't wait to see what changes you make homie! Im working on my BS right now and will go on to atleast a masters in Geology! thats the goal

that and plant of the month!


take it easy





hydrologist

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

So, Steve, i know you take weekend breaks... that's a good thing. some new pics, and info on Grow 4???

My posts will be sporadic at best for a while. Parents are really old, having issues and i was just in Redding for 4 days, no internet.. trying to read all this shit on my iphone is a joke. Birthday coming up, i either need to get charter to do wireless at their house since i will be there 2-4 days week for the next 6-8 weeks or make my wife get me a 3G-wi-fi ipad for my birthday in a week and a 1/2..

Cryo,
Sorry to hear about your folks, I lost my mother to cancer last Sept. Spend as much time with them as you can, I missed out on the last few years of her life and it bums me out when I think about the missed opportunities.

I'll be posting some pics and an update in a few minutes. I have been looking at the Motorola Xoom instead of an iPad (Verizon 4G). I think I am going to wait for the next version though.

yo whats up steve,
dude I think its pretty awesome you and I are running at about the same time schedual because im going to be harvesting around may 5th or 6th haha! But I too will be keeping an eye on if that date will change since I also am using C02...well I just started using it at the beginning of this flower. I've heard that c02 extends harvest...have you heard of it shortening it? But Yeah thats so funny I also was kinda pushed into harvesting at day 60 with my last plant...idk my room mate wanted to cut her down I was ready to wait an extra week or two but he wanted to it go down. So it went down. Whatever. One bad captain is better than two good ones is what i've always heard so thankfully im the only captain of this ship now and ima wait till day 70 to start the flush, atleast thats the plan, it may change like i said.

But yeah my girl is at day 34 as of today what are yours at? They gatta be close.

Also I love your quote "salty fog doesn't good w. electronics" lol I would think not, that sucks the fog got everywhere, have you considered working with aeroponics? The idea is up the same ally as fog ponics...just use sprayers instead of a fog machine I guess.

Last but not least
Yeah man you could tottally contend with my plant! Its not about size with POTM its alll about if you can get a pretty enough shot in, and if....people feel like voting for you that month u know. I honestly believe we only got as many votes as we did last POTM because a lot of people knew this was our first time entering....and a lot of poeple knew we wanted to win.

But fuck it we didn't win

so its definetly going to be my goal to win that sucker some day!
lol

just cuz....

-hydro

p.s bad ass you have an engineering degree can't wait to see what changes you make homie! Im working on my BS right now and will go on to atleast a masters in Geology! thats the goal

that and plant of the month!


take it easy





hydrologist

Hydro,
I'm on day 40 of bloom today, so I think I am 5 days ahead of you right now. I've read that CO2 can finish your plants quicker. That is one of the selling points all of the online hydro stores use "bigger yields, faster".

I have an Aeroflo 20 system in the garage just sitting there, so I am thinking of incorporating that into Grow 4.0, basically the aero-NFT recirc system. I think it may be a good option and basically the same thing I am doing now but with the addition of having the root zone sprayed with a mist of nutes. So my final design is down to 2 designs, a few tweaks on the 4 inch PVC, or a few tweaks on the Aeroflo system (which is a 5 inch square, which is more volume...). I'm leaning towards the modded Aeroflo system. When I get it all figured out I will post the decision points and rational for the mods.

Good luck on P.O.T.M. I'll be voting for you.

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Day 40 in 12/12:

Res temp 66 (new chiller is kicking ass, constant 66)
pH 5.35
ppm 1093
ec 2182
temp 81
RH 53%

Ok, here's my post-weekend update. Things are getting very sticky and stinky in the box. I am way ahead of where I was in terms of quality and quantity from this point last grow. Not sure if I can pin the results to the addition of CO2, the Great White, or the constant flow of nutes in the NFT. Maybe a combination of the three. Whatever it is, things are working.

A quick update on Grow 4.0, I have three seedlings and one that has not popped yet. The Twilight is being a bit shy and hasn't popped out of her shell yet. If there is no sprout in 2 days, I will pop another seed in to see if I can get one going. Since I am growing moms to clone, I'm not overly worried about the start dates, all the clones will be about the same size and age when they go into the box. I was trying to figure what to do to grow out the moms. I've decided on a coco/perlite/vermiculite mix to grow them in. It is a neutral mix and will hold moisture for a few days so I don't have to worry about leaving them for a weekend, and I also don't have to worry about res temps that way. I could use my flower res to cool the mother res, but that is an extra step of complication and I am trying to make it as simple as possible.

On to the picture show.

I had to put the obligatory "soda" shot in there. I don't drink soda, so I used a 16.9 oz bottle of green tea for size comparison (too early to put a 12 oz beer in there )

Getting pretty frosty in there, I need to work on the camera technique a bit so that I don't wash out the colors too much. I am planning on putting 2 CFLs in there (23w) just for color correction next grow. It will make it easier to see what is going on without the pink/purple glow.

On a side note, have any of the other LED growers noticed that after about the first month of using these panels you've adjusted to the color? The first month I used it, my eyes would be seeing green for the next 30 minutes after leaving the box (even if it was for just a few minutes). Now I don't even notice the color of the lights, everything looks "right" to me and when I leave, there is not color change. I wonder if the brain has a way to "re-wire" itself and make the adjustments needed after repeated exposure?


Steve

 

[Maer]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

I see you have some brown edges and tips, is that a bit of nute burn?

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

I see you have some brown edges and tips, is that a bit of nute burn?

It is either that or from the lights causing a little heat burn. I am letting the PPMs drift down to about 1000 and will keep it there until finish. The brown tips are not on all of the plants, just the taller ones, which is why I think it could be the lights. Also, no brown tips 3 inches down on the plants. The lights are about 6-8 inches above the plants now, and the recommended height is 18. I'll be fixing the height issue before Grow 4.0 starts up.

 

[Hydrologist]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Day 40 in 12/12:

Res temp 66 (new chiller is kicking ass, constant 66)
pH 5.35
ppm 1093
ec 2182
temp 81
RH 53%

Ok, here's my post-weekend update. Things are getting very sticky and stinky in the box. I am way ahead of where I was in terms of quality and quantity from this point last grow. Not sure if I can pin the results to the addition of CO2, the Great White, or the constant flow of nutes in the NFT. Maybe a combination of the three. Whatever it is, things are working.

A quick update on Grow 4.0, I have three seedlings and one that has not popped yet. The Twilight is being a bit shy and hasn't popped out of her shell yet. If there is no sprout in 2 days, I will pop another seed in to see if I can get one going. Since I am growing moms to clone, I'm not overly worried about the start dates, all the clones will be about the same size and age when they go into the box. I was trying to figure what to do to grow out the moms. I've decided on a coco/perlite/vermiculite mix to grow them in. It is a neutral mix and will hold moisture for a few days so I don't have to worry about leaving them for a weekend, and I also don't have to worry about res temps that way. I could use my flower res to cool the mother res, but that is an extra step of complication and I am trying to make it as simple as possible.

On to the picture show.

I had to put the obligatory "soda" shot in there. I don't drink soda, so I used a 16.9 oz bottle of green tea for size comparison (too early to put a 12 oz beer in there )

Getting pretty frosty in there, I need to work on the camera technique a bit so that I don't wash out the colors too much. I am planning on putting 2 CFLs in there (23w) just for color correction next grow. It will make it easier to see what is going on without the pink/purple glow.

On a side note, have any of the other LED growers noticed that after about the first month of using these panels you've adjusted to the color? The first month I used it, my eyes would be seeing green for the next 30 minutes after leaving the box (even if it was for just a few minutes). Now I don't even notice the color of the lights, everything looks "right" to me and when I leave, there is not color change. I wonder if the brain has a way to "re-wire" itself and make the adjustments needed after repeated exposure?


Steve

dude steve-o! That strain looks extremely similar to the strain I am growing-young shepard aka pre 99 bubba kush crossed with Deep Chunk. its a 60 40 sativa dominant. What strain are you growing??? Did you get those seeds from the internet?
I plan on purchasing some seeds from the aditude seed bank in the next month or so probably. Im planning on going with Nebula or maybe bluebarry or jack herrrer or......black BERRY!! idk i'll figure it out soon


I LOVE GROWING POT!!!!! EVEN WHEN ITS LEGAL AND AN OUNCE GOES FOR 50 BUCKS I'LL STILL GROW IT!

 

[Hydrologist]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

oh yeah man where are the pictures of your new chiller!!! This I gatta see!

Dude welcome to the "Chill Club"

where your plants get maximum nutrient uptake ALLLL DAYYYY LONGGG

P.S. my grow mentor, the buddie who pretty much gave me my chiller for free (well its sorta borrowed...without a date to give back) said that now that I have a chiller there will be no need for any form of ZYME type of aditive which bummed me out bc now I have a full bottle of sensizyme sittin on my shelf that I can't really do much with except save. But anyways yeah you dont need that stuff because that stuff's job is to try to make up for the high temps by keeping uptake strong. But with your water at the perfect temp your getting that maximum uptake and a zyme is just adding bull shit to the water you dont need. So honestly I suggest switching to a Root Zone conditioner aka a biological friendly water sterilizer. AS THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN A DWC SET UP IS KEEPING WATER TEMPS BETWEEN 66B AND 68 AND KEEPING YOUR WATER STERILE.

I use Dutch Masters Gold Range Zone
it has an NPK ratio of 0.06-0-0.15 so it doesn't effect your PPM's at all while still keeping your root system, pumps, and pipeing clean of scum, mold, and other nasty bacteria that will try to form a living in your resi and on your roots. Also a 1L bottle like the one I have will last you about 3 cycles or more im guessing...well it'll last me that long sinsce im only dealing with 3 gal a plant haha idk what your dealing with but yeah you only need 1ml per Gallon of water which is another thing I dig.
Anyways take care
hope that helps.
hydro

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Hydro,
The strain is called Caramelicious, it is from the AMS seed bank. I did get my current seeds from The Attitude though and I am much happier with their products so far.

I couldn't find much on the genetics of the strain, they aren't as informative as teh other seed banks. It is a Indica/Sativa hybrid but not sure from which strain. Here is their description of the strain:

Caramelicious springs many things to mind. For those who are not into growing or consuming Marijuana, Caramelicious sounds like a really great tasting candy. For Cannabis connoisseurs, Caramelicious means the same thing. The Caramelicious seed strain produces bud that gives a rich and full bodied high.

The fat sticky buds of the Caramelicious pot plants are high in THC content, from 15 to 20%, and produce a sweet Caramel like taste when they are smoked. This creates a very mellow and relaxing high that is not often duplicated. Caramelicious plants are definitely an indoor strain. They do not produce nearly as much when grown outdoors. With that said, they are a relatively easy plant to grow, even for beginners. Caramelicious seeds are frequently grown by growers who appreciate the quality and yields that a boutique pot plant can provide.

A typical yield for Caramelicious pot plants is approximately 400 to 450 grams. This is puts it on the higher scale of Marijuana plant yields. A typical Caramelicious cannabis plant will grow to the height of approximately 60 centimeters. This is still relatively small enough to be grown even in close quarters. This relatively small height means that growers can even grow them in the corner of a room without much difficulty.

When looking at buying Caramelicious seeds, you need to make sure that you have the set up needed to grow them successfully. They do require more TLC than other seed strains that literally be planted and forgotten about until harvest time. Because of all the benefits of this strain, they are a popular dorm room pot plant. They are put in the corner, cared for during the school year and then harvested and enjoyed by all. With the sweet taste of caramel and big sticky buds full of resin, it’s a weed plant that can satisfy the most finicky Marijuana connoisseurs.

I decided to go with Attitude because they provide the genetic lineage for most of their seeds (although they are buying from breeders all over and not all will give up their genetics). My local collective wants to know the genetics if you expect to get a good deal from them.

I currently have 20 different strains in my own personal seed bank. I plan on working through them systematically until I find my top 4-6 performers to keep.

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

oh yeah man where are the pictures of your new chiller!!! This I gatta see!

Dude welcome to the "Chill Club"

where your plants get maximum nutrient uptake ALLLL DAYYYY LONGGG

P.S. my grow mentor, the buddie who pretty much gave me my chiller for free (well its sorta borrowed...without a date to give back) said that now that I have a chiller there will be no need for any form of ZYME type of aditive which bummed me out bc now I have a full bottle of sensizyme sittin on my shelf that I can't really do much with except save. But anyways yeah you dont need that stuff because that stuff's job is to try to make up for the high temps by keeping uptake strong. But with your water at the perfect temp your getting that maximum uptake and a zyme is just adding bull shit to the water you dont need. So honestly I suggest switching to a Root Zone conditioner aka a biological friendly water sterilizer. AS THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN A DWC SET UP IS KEEPING WATER TEMPS BETWEEN 66B AND 68 AND KEEPING YOUR WATER STERILE.

I use Dutch Masters Gold Range Zone
it has an NPK ratio of 0.06-0-0.15 so it doesn't effect your PPM's at all while still keeping your root system, pumps, and pipeing clean of scum, mold, and other nasty bacteria that will try to form a living in your resi and on your roots. Also a 1L bottle like the one I have will last you about 3 cycles or more im guessing...well it'll last me that long sinsce im only dealing with 3 gal a plant haha idk what your dealing with but yeah you only need 1ml per Gallon of water which is another thing I dig.
Anyways take care
hope that helps.
hydro

I've added the Great White to my system which is the beneficial bacteria/fungi mix. I'll have to see if the DM Zone will kill them off. I stopped using H2O2 because of that and that is the reason I was using Hygrozyme to keep everything healthy. I'm running to the hydro store in a few to pick up my 60 site cloner and will see what they have.

Thanks for the info.
Steve

 

[SteveHman]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Hydro, I talked to my local hydro shop owner and he said that DM Gold Range Zone will kill all of the beneficials in the res. Which I guess is what it is supposed to do to get a sterile system. I have the Great White in there so I am going to have to hold off on that stuff. As long as my temps are good I should be alright. I'll keep tossing a 1/2 cap of Hygrozyme in each week. Even if it does very little to help, at that rate it is cheap insurance.

 

[NEPharmer]

Re: Stevehman's 780W LED, DIY 4 in PVC Recirc, Caramlicious Grow

Hey Steve, your plants are looking great! I just harvested my last plant of this run, I entered one in the POTM contest. Not the best pics, but I entered them anyway. I agree with your hydro guy, you should lay off anything that will kill off the bennies. Have you ever heard of biochar? Apparently it works really well in hydro as well as organic soil grows for the bennies to colonize. Another grower on here turned me on to it and I'm planing on giving it a try next time around. After the results I achieved this time, I'm sticking with organic. These buds are the stickiest, smelliest, and tastiest I've ever grown, and I've been growing this strain for 2 years.