THC Bomb - 1000W MH/HPS Air-Cooled - Oxyponics Pro Six - 5x5 Indoor

[gardener]

As for the buds hanging to slowly dry, the ammonia smell is barely noticable now. Have to put my face in it to smell it. I can't SEE the mold, even with 30x magnification, but it's there. I need to learn more about mold. ...(EPA - Take the Mold Course)...


Perhaps if I HEPA vacuum the buds, then wipe them down with a mild detergent... and wear a respirator, gloves and goggles while smoking, everything will be okay? ...(Chowder - Mold Rush)...


And if I DO get sick, I can just trade some moldy pot for a quality antifungal medication. ...(CDC - Mold)...

Problem solved.

 

[Greenthumb J]

after 5 days your buds should be dried enough to trim off the plants and put into jars for curing. Any longer than this i think your buds will dry significantly enough to affect the quality of your smoke. The RH% of your curing container should also stay at 62% for optimal effect. When curing in the jars, your smell and potency should also increase, in a positive way!

congratulations on your harvest!

 

[Greenthumb J]

The plants' indoor environment is not being controlled nearly as effectively as it should be. Temperatures stayed within acceptable limits during the winter, but have been 85-92°F this summer, and I've not been adding CO2. The tent's air kept an RH of 45% during flower, with the dehumidifier set just outside of it... but mold was incorrectly considered a non-issue.

Temperature has consistently been the weak link this grow. There was also a rough start due to root rot as a result of dirty equipment and... you guessed it... high water temps.

Portable AC wan't used because there isn't enough floor space inside the tent, and to hang it would require a second sturdier frame setup. Without access to free PVC pipe etc, that is expensive.

Am considering moving the tent to a space with it's own central or window air-conditioning (much more efficient that portable). A different space could provide a higher ceiling, which might give the excuse to get a taller (and much stronger) brand of tent.

I'm growing six plants under a 1000w HPS/MH in a 5' x 5' tent. Assuming the same light fixture, but in a taller tent, would something larger than a 5x5 be advisable?

Read back and noticed you are using AN sensi grow and bloom and no supplements What is the quality of the water you are using? tap? RO or distilled?

To prevent against pythium and root rot, try using Botanicare's Aquashield in your water reservoir and keep your temps between 62-68F or 17-20C if you're canadian like me! I had a bout with root rot early in my grow, but i remedied the situation with Aquashield. I now use it every reservoir change, as well as with my clones and seed germination. Establishing beneficial bacteria early will produce a very health specimen throughout its life, as well as help prevent root diseases. I'm battling temperatures right now as i just had a heat wave warm up my apartment significantly! the water temps are going back down, but the warmer temps bring risk of root rot and other issues with water quality.

Your harvest looked good! keep it up!

 

[gardener]

Read back and noticed you are using AN sensi grow and bloom and no supplements What is the quality of the water you are using? tap? RO or distilled? ...

Using tap water, with a chiller set to 61°F. I have not yet used any supplements. I used hydrogen peroxide after the root rot. I will definitely look into supplements for controlling root-rot.

Water temps are under control with the chiller, so air temp is now the focus.

Have a portable 2-hose AC that's too large to fit in grow tent. Am considering either rigged ductwork on the portable, OR a second small tent with portable AC inside ducted to circulate with grow tent. Think they call it a Lung Room.

I'm leaning towards the lung room idea.

 

[gardener]

after 5 days your buds should be dried enough to trim off the plants and put into jars for curing. Any longer than this i think your buds will dry significantly enough to affect the quality of your smoke. The RH% of your curing container should also stay at 62% for optimal effect. ...

Will jar bud from already trimmed plants now, and finish trimming and jarring ASAP.

Thanks for advising!

 

[Greenthumb J]

Will jar bud from already trimmed plants now, and finish trimming and jarring ASAP.

Thanks for advising!

NO problem! I hope your buds haven't gotten too crispy in the hanging process. If they do, put a moist piece of paper towel on top of some plastic wrap, inside your sealed jar so it doesn't soak the buds, and the dried buds will absorb the moisture thats in the paper towel. If you dont mind the smell of citrus, you can use the peel from a citrus fruit. Cut it into wedges then cut about 98% of the flesh off the rind and place into your jar. Remove after a couple days and continue your cure. Should be enough to bring some moisture back into the buds for your cure.

 

[gardener]

This is my portable AC lung tent idea. Portable two-hose AC in it's own 2' x 2' tent, next to grow tent.

1. Inline fan pushes cooled air out from bottom of lung tent into top of grow tent.

2. Portable AC intake hose attached to filter in top of grow tent brings in warm air to be cooled.

3. Portable AC exhaust hose out of room.

I suppose looping the air-cooled light through the AC tent might overwork the portable AC.

Thoughts?

 

[gardener]

I revised the above. (Annoyed that I can't edit or delete my previous postings.)

1. Inline fan pushes cooled air out from bottom of lung tent into top of grow tent.

2. Portable AC intake hose attached to filter in top of grow tent brings in warm air to be cooled.

3. Portable AC exhaust hose out of room.

 

[Greenthumb J]

Great idea, heres my holes in this plan.

1. Smell. Is smell an issue? cause with this setup up here you are going to either create a positive pressure on your tent, thus pushing air out through the zipper and lower vent flaps, or too much cold air flow up high in the tent to actually move this cool air anywhere but straight to the filter, i will touch on this on the next point.

2. Intake positioning. Remember, heat rises. BUT, I think if you put your intake up on the top of your tent, your just going to have the cold air create almost like a curtain, keeping the hot air circling around your plant canopy, or around your pots creating a warmer environment for bacteria, insects, and other undesirable shit.

Heres what i would do with this Lung tent idea:

1. Put your cold air intake on the bottom of your main tent. This will push the hot air up into the carbon filter, and out of the tent. Also make sure that the intake is on the opposite side of your carbon filter, so the plants get the fresh, cool air drawn over them.
2. Increase your CFM on your exhaust fan in your main tent. Dont "push" cold air into the main tent with another fan. This might mean you need to get a bigger fan, or one thats just better than what you got. If you are sucking in the cold air, you will keep a negative pressure in the tent, and you wont have to worry about smell, as long as your carbon filter works good!

Just my idea!

 

[KingJohnC]

Your second plan is more sound.

 

[Greenthumb J]

I agree John. The second idea is a much more sound option for him. I still think the cold air should be brought in by the Exhaust fan rather than blow it in with another fan, to maintain a negative pressure in the tent to keep smell issues to a minimum.

Plus, an additional fan would not need to be purchased! save some money!!

 

[KingJohnC]

It will depend on the size and how high CFM inline fan he chooses to use for his extraction fan and whether the inline fan can maintain enough airflow and cooling by itself and still maintain negative airflow in his grow area.

 

[gardener]

Great idea, heres my holes in this plan. ...

Positive pressure pushing out smelly air. That was absolutely going to happen. And cold air immediately floating right back out of the grow; I didn't picture it happening that way, but I can see it now, thanks.


So:

1. Cold intake at the bottom and near the front, since the warm-return filter is in back and at top.

2. And the cold intake will simply be pulled into the grow tent by it's negative pressure created by fan/filter blowing the grow's warm air out.

... I think I will need another fan, to push A/C exhaust outside.

Here's the new draft (no pun intended):

 

[gardener]

It will depend on the size and how high CFM inline fan he chooses to use for his extraction fan and whether the inline fan can maintain enough airflow and cooling by itself and still maintain negative airflow in his grow area.

Have been using a 4" 177 CFM fan for filter/exhaust. Without the lung room, it certainly does keep negative pressure in the 5' x 5' tent... not sure if that will continue after adding another 2' x 2' tent, especially if lung tent has it's own powered exhaust.

Hmm... maybe there shouldn't be a powered exhaust from the lung tent?

 

[KingJohnC]

You want your intake 150% of the surface area of your exhaust outlet to allow free airflow into the grow area. Does your tent have 6" inlets? A pair 6" flanges could be mounted to your tent as well with one placed on each side of the tent sandwiching the tent material in between. You may want to add a fan small fan for circulation in your "Lung Room". You may want to add a temperature and humidity controller to regulate the temperature and humidity in your "Lung Room".

Temperature and Humidity Controllers for Grow Rooms and Greenhouses

Using a master controller would allow you to regulate the temperature, humidity and C02 release

"The Blueprint Digital Atmosphere Controller, BDAC-1, offers full control of the indoor garden environment. The unit's four receptacles control cooling, humidity, CO2-generating and night-only devices. The Controller allows separate day and night set-points for temperature and humidity. The temperature control range is 41-113°F, and the humidity control range is 5-95% RH. Humidity and temperature deadbands are adjustable. The timed CO2 output has an on range of 1 second to 12 hours and an off range of 1 second to 96 hours. A remote sensor on a 15' cable accurately monitors temperature, humidity and light. The Controller is ETL listed and includes a three-year warranty."

Blueprint Digital Atmosphere Controller, BDAC-1 - Perfect Gardens

 

[gardener]

You want your intake 150% of the surface area of your exhaust outlet to allow free airflow into the grow area. Does your tent have 6" inlets? ...

The tent does have 6" ports. I might not understand "intake 150% of surface area of exhaust outlet", but I think I do. Are you saying that since the exhaust is 4" the intake should be 6"?

The portable A/C can be set for cooling OR dehumidifying (OR fan OR heat), though it's cooling function has the natural added benefit of dehumidifying. Are you suggesting that there be the portable A/C and also a dehumidifier in the lung tent, hooked to a controller? I'll have to find the owners manual, and see if there aren't some intuitive control options on the portable that I'm not aware of.

 

[KingJohnC]

I would use a 6" air intake inlet. Your air conditioner may do the job by itself to regulate your grow area environment. With the Blueprint Digital Atmosphere Controller, BDAC-1 master controller you could also use a humidifier to raise your humidity if required.

 

[David Bowman]

Thanks for sharing your grow with us.

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