TheCapn's - Not So Simple - Aeroponics

[BigIrishDoode]

yo cap question the ozone lights how much and where,??

 

[TheCapn]

Hey all, I just joined up and would've rather sent this in a pm to TheCapn, but forum rules disallow anyone with under 50 posts from doing that. Anyway, I switched over my DWC to your low pressure aeroponics system. Thank you for posting the detailed pictures, that really helped me get an idea of how to do this thing. I couldn't do everything like you did. I am only using an 18 gallon container so everything was kind of scaled down from yours. You used 3 rails of sprayers in PVC, I used 2. I had no idea how to get sprayer fittings into PVC, so I used poly irrigation hose. Worked fine. I also decided to scale up and use two 264gph pumps. At the bottom of my reservoir are two 3" net pot bulkheads, wrapped in panty hose and tied around the pot to act as a root guard. Works great.

For my chiller, I went to advance and bought the cheapest heater core they carry. I think it was sub $24. If you get one make sure the inlets and outlets are the same size. It took me and the dude quite some time to find one with two 5/8" outlets.

I'll have to post some better pictures, but one pump charges directly into the sprayer manifold, the other pump charges directly into the heater core (chiller), then out to the manifold as well. I decided to use a valve on the chiller to control flow and temperature somewhat. I put it in a cooler of ice water, it keeps my temperatures around 67-70°, but if I dump ice cubes in it I can get it down to 57° measured at the bottom of the reservoir. I realize I will need to shield the silicone tubing soon to keep algae from forming. All they had at the Depot was clear tubing. I realize now that I could probably throw a frozen water bottom in the bottom of my reservoir, but this keeps me from ever needing to disturb the tubs. On the other side of my outer tub is a 3/4" hose bib.

Plants started from clones from various dispensaries around town. Some are looking good, some obviously have a deficiency. I'm pretty new to this, so I'm learning as I go. As far nutrients go, I'm using half green air products microbase and half fox farms grow big in a quarter strength solution. Up until today I had been running only ph-balanced tap water. They were yellow when I checked on them this morning. The bigger ones have 8" of thick, healthy white roots. Right now I'm using it to vegetate smaller plants, but I do have another lid for an 8" net pot. Thanks again for the great writeup, here is my setup.

Hello BC. Welcome to the forum. It looks like you are getting into this full force. I'm digging your little set up there and it should work well for those 6 plants. If you don't plant on expanding, I would go ahead and start 12/12 whenever you see them some to grow some new leaves and a nice root base. Otherwise, they will be over crowding each other.

I like your enthusiasm, but I'm confused as to why you chose the most complicated and risky way of growing for your first venture. I'm guessing you did some research and found a lot of people say "aero" is the fastest way to grow. That might be true, but it comes with a lot of expense and risk. With having two pumps running, your water will heat up constantly. Your DIY chiller will work temporarily, but unless you plan on being there 24/7 adding ice, trust me, the heat will win and the plants will die of pythium. The plants need a stable temperature in the root zone (varying temps is not good). Your will also need to monitor your PH daily. PH is a bi-ch to keep stable in aero. You need beneficial bacteria in there to help protect the roots. Roots grow into the pumps, plants fall over, algae will grow in your hoses (as you pointed out) and will cause a slime outbreak. I could go on and on about why this is the worst way to start growing. Ask any experienced grower here... sling, cultivator, hiker, and so on. They will agree. Don't take it personally.

The yellowing you are seeing is because the plants are not taking up nutrients. This could be because the roots are already suffering, ph fluctuations, and a slew of other things.

Since you posted your set up in my journal, I'm assuming you wanted me to take a look and comment. If you were my best friend and wanted advice, I would say you should make a "back up" plan. Aero and DWC is fun. It's fun to go buy hoses and connectors and build a system. But the bottom line is they often go horribly wrong, even for VERY experienced growers.

1. Buy 3, one gallon nursery pots from the home store, and a block of coco, or bag of grodan grow-cubes from the hydro store.
2. Pick your 3 best plants, and transplant them into the coco / cubes.
3. Leave the remaining 3, spread out in the aero tub. They will need to room anyway.
4. Keep your lights at 18/6 until your plants are all about a foot tall
5. Transplant your 3 potted plants into 3 gallon pots at that time
6. Start a 12/12 light cycle to start budding.

Now you have a "backup" plan, in case the aero plants go wrong. Call it an "insurance" policy. In 3 months, you can bank on 1 - 2oz per plant with the potted plants. If the aero grow does well, then that will be a huge bonus. If it goes wrong, you still have the 3. In addition, you will have the experience under your belt of two different growing methods, which would basically give you TWO grows under your belt, instead of one.

If you decide to go with the insurance policy, or not, there are many of us here who will be happy to help you. IN fact, I have a step by step thread on how to grow in the cubes. With the cubes, you can get close to the same yields, if you just veg a week longer, and they are much less prone to root disease. Start your own journal and you can post a link to it here and people will go check it out.

I know it sounds like I'm trying to extinguish your growing method. Every one of us has had a bout with root rot. I was dead in the water (literally) for 3 months last year. Take it or leave it, but I would not have typed such a long reply, if I didn't want to see you succeed.

Here's a quick example of a plant grown in grow-cubes, right when I put it into flower.

 

[TheCapn]

Here is the blog entry for the UV Ozone generator:

Dank smells got you down? - Blogs - 420 Magazine ®



If you looked at this picture, your eyes will start to burn in about 20 seconds. Never look at UV light.

 

[CronicHempHog]

Happy Weednsday Capn

 

[Cultivator]

Yeah aero would be a tricky way to go with for first grow. I wont be impossible but its def not the simplest way to learn. If things go wrong it will put u off fast also. Easier to start in coco or soil or even rockwool and learn the fundamentals first. U can still get amazing plants as capn shows in his pic above.

Capn if u are having real trouble with ph swings i urge u to try AN 3 part ph perfect. Im getting amazing healthy plants with it in DWC and i havent even looked at the ph once! Its like ive found the holy grail of base nutes.....

 

[AfricanGrower]

I think I may also hr convinced on this AN pH perfect. All reviews have been consistent. A grower, Fred, posted his experience in my journal that even further convinced me.

SRY for the late input but only now i catch-up with this journal, if you want easy times on PH control give a try to AN PHperfect , I use PH perfect for a year and halfe and never have used a pH pen , I now, I grow in soil and soil buffers, that's right but the first time I have see the PH perfect working was in my friend hydro reservoir and it simply makes magic in front my eyes , he got a fresh water reservoir with a 3.6 PH and a 60 liters reservoir with 7.0 PH , he start adding the boosters one buy one no great changes but after he finalize with the booster and start adding AN part a+b in 30 secs more a less the PH on both reservoirs start changing until stops at 5.8 in one and 5.7 in the other wow , i don't remember witch one was the .7 and the .8 but I was amused since than I only use AN PH perfect

First off all sry for the terrible english i usually try to correct the text but i am in my droid on the moment and my english it is weak,AF you have amazing girls keep the good work, and Captn thks for all the great info

 

[Cultivator]

the dwc plants in my current journal are using that. they are smaller than id like due to root issues but that has nothing to do with the AN PH perfect. Look at the health of them, bare in mind this is water straight from that tap, nutes in and havent touched ph once! I would never have dreamed that was possible only a few months ago. i also dont think its a one off fluke as i have around a 100plants in total using it and they all look great. Just food for thought.

 

[TheCapn]

Yeah aero would be a tricky way to go with for first grow. I wont be impossible but its def not the simplest way to learn. If things go wrong it will put u off fast also. Easier to start in coco or soil or even rockwool and learn the fundamentals first. U can still get amazing plants as capn shows in his pic above.

Capn if u are having real trouble with ph swings i urge u to try AN 3 part ph perfect. Im getting amazing healthy plants with it in DWC and i havent even looked at the ph once! Its like ive found the holy grail of base nutes.....

Hey cult, yes I did see one of your videos and you were talking about the PH perfect. Typically I don't have any issues with the cube grows, and after my aero plant started flower, the PH stabilized.

I'm really surprised no company has made a "6.0 buffer" to add to any nutrients. I may have to try to advance stuff and see if it works for me. I've seen a lot of good things about it too. What is the PH of it after mixing it up?

 

[Cultivator]

for me the ph settles at 6.4 using a tap water of 7. Even at 6.4 not a blemish in DWC! For me its not a case of issues, im so used to setting ph its second nature. But the fact i havent had to do it or even make minor adjustments is amazing for me, its just simplified growing even more.

 

[AfricanGrower]

for me the ph settles at 6.4 using a tap water of 7. Even at 6.4 not a blemish in DWC! For me its not a case of issues, im so used to setting ph its second nature. But the fact i havent had to do it or even make minor adjustments is amazing for me, its just simplified growing even more.

May I ask, do you follow the feed schedule provided by the nutrient line, or do you have your own proportions (disregard PPM)?

 

[CronicHempHog]

im just wondering how freds friend holds a 5.7-5.8
I see he starts with 3.6 mixing with 7.0 but the nutes bring that down
hows his at perfect ph or so close to perfect and cultivators at 6.4? I see cultivator uses straight 7.0 but hes still adding nutes
I usually have to adjust up after nutes tap water here is usually around 7.0 sometime a slight bit higher seen it as high as 8.0
im just curious because if someone has a bit higher ph water to start with wont it be even higher causing you to adjust ph anyway?

and also where is this product available?

edit usually only adjust ph higher when im not using silica blast later in bloom
in the beginning in veg when the nutes aren't so heavy the silica blast stays the same through the schedule so I do have to adjust down in the earlier part of veg

would be nice if I didn't have to adjust ph daily or check daily

 

[s1ingblade]

Can I get a vote for Fan Leaf OTM ?

Has anyone ever seen fan leaves like this? The middle leaf is over 10" and the stem is almost the size of a pencil. Maybe this is common but I've never seen it before with any of the strains I've had in the past.

Call them babys Frying Pans

I have been getting great results for over a year with the AN 2 part Sensi PH Perfect Line. I'd like to try their Connisuer but thought someone warned against it due to something being left out? If so can someone PM me and explain. Sorry Cap'n I know this is not the place

 

[Cultivator]

U are missing the point on ph perfect. The nutes are chelated in such away that they are available for uptake through a huge range of ph spectrum. I dont know the science behind it but i know it works. PH differs after nute mix could be down to whats in the water, just because the water is the same ph doesnt mean it has the same compostion of minerals etc.

I follow the Nutes as recommended. I dont follow ppms ever. Once in a while i use my EC meter to check if im noticing any def's or burn but its pretty rare. Ive grown so many plants i just go by my eye. I start cuttings on 1ml/litre then build up to 3.5ml/litre. the dose states 4ml/litre but ive never had to go that strong yet. i add microbes, enzymes, bud candy and dutch pro explode in flower.

When my new space is complete in january i will create a video log of everything on my new youtube channel. it will all be shared in a new journal here at 420.

 

[Growingnow]

Dang that's a monster already and once it hits 4 to 5 weeks into flower you are going to giving that 24 oz run a for its money.

 

[BarlesCharkly]

Hello BC. Welcome to the forum. It looks like you are getting into this full force. I'm digging your little set up there and it should work well for those 6 plants. If you don't plant on expanding, I would go ahead and start 12/12 whenever you see them some to grow some new leaves and a nice root base. Otherwise, they will be over crowding each other.

I like your enthusiasm, but I'm confused as to why you chose the most complicated and risky way of growing for your first venture. I'm guessing you did some research and found a lot of people say "aero" is the fastest way to grow. That might be true, but it comes with a lot of expense and risk. With having two pumps running, your water will heat up constantly. Your DIY chiller will work temporarily, but unless you plan on being there 24/7 adding ice, trust me, the heat will win and the plants will die of pythium. The plants need a stable temperature in the root zone (varying temps is not good). Your will also need to monitor your PH daily. PH is a bi-ch to keep stable in aero. You need beneficial bacteria in there to help protect the roots. Roots grow into the pumps, plants fall over, algae will grow in your hoses (as you pointed out) and will cause a slime outbreak. I could go on and on about why this is the worst way to start growing. Ask any experienced grower here... sling, cultivator, hiker, and so on. They will agree. Don't take it personally.

The yellowing you are seeing is because the plants are not taking up nutrients. This could be because the roots are already suffering, ph fluctuations, and a slew of other things.

Since you posted your set up in my journal, I'm assuming you wanted me to take a look and comment. If you were my best friend and wanted advice, I would say you should make a "back up" plan. Aero and DWC is fun. It's fun to go buy hoses and connectors and build a system. But the bottom line is they often go horribly wrong, even for VERY experienced growers.

1. Buy 3, one gallon nursery pots from the home store, and a block of coco, or bag of grodan grow-cubes from the hydro store.
2. Pick your 3 best plants, and transplant them into the coco / cubes.
3. Leave the remaining 3, spread out in the aero tub. They will need to room anyway.
4. Keep your lights at 18/6 until your plants are all about a foot tall
5. Transplant your 3 potted plants into 3 gallon pots at that time
6. Start a 12/12 light cycle to start budding.

Now you have a "backup" plan, in case the aero plants go wrong. Call it an "insurance" policy. In 3 months, you can bank on 1 - 2oz per plant with the potted plants. If the aero grow does well, then that will be a huge bonus. If it goes wrong, you still have the 3. In addition, you will have the experience under your belt of two different growing methods, which would basically give you TWO grows under your belt, instead of one.

If you decide to go with the insurance policy, or not, there are many of us here who will be happy to help you. IN fact, I have a step by step thread on how to grow in the cubes. With the cubes, you can get close to the same yields, if you just veg a week longer, and they are much less prone to root disease. Start your own journal and you can post a link to it here and people will go check it out.

I know it sounds like I'm trying to extinguish your growing method. Every one of us has had a bout with root rot. I was dead in the water (literally) for 3 months last year. Take it or leave it, but I would not have typed such a long reply, if I didn't want to see you succeed.

Here's a quick example of a plant grown in grow-cubes, right when I put it into flower.

Cap'n, thank you for your reply and advice, your insurance policy truly makes sense and I should start that this weekend. I must be honest and say that this isn't my very first grow. I have some OG Kush flowering in my DWC setup. That was the first clone I ever bought and for some reason has tolerated my stupid beginner ass long enough to flower. A little leggy, but I'm not complaining. This was right after removing some fan leaves.

So I guess I got a little big headed from my success so far and jumped into the hardest one. I really like going to Home Depot and buying all the Legos and putting it all together. But I understood all the risks involved when I started building it. Failure doesn't scare me too much, clones are relatively cheap for me. I just don't want to not learn from my failures. Good thing guys like you are out there or I'd be lost. Jorge is only so much help.

 

[ISEARCH56]

GREAT GREEN OF THE GREENNESS MORNING TO ALL . . . .

TO THE Capn . . . . . . FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH US + REPS . .

THE FIST TIME I SAW MR. AfricanGrower's SETUP I WAS "LIKE WHOA" THIS GUY IS USING CROUTONS.

I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE SIMPLICITY . . . . WELL MR. AfricanGrower's MADE IT LOOK EASY. . .

I WIIL BE FOLLOWING IN "THE Capn & MR. AfricanGrower's FOOTSTEPS . . . .

THANK YOU Capn FOR SHARING YOUR TIME AND KNOWLEDGE WITH US + MORE REPS

FOR -_- The Capn's Grow: How to prepare rockwool grow cubes for use. (*_*)

MY GREENNESS REGARDS TO ALL OF . . . . . . . . SMOKE IT IF YOU GOT IT . . . .

PS. Capn I WILL BE ASKING YOU AND MR. AfricanGrower's FOR ADVICE. .

 

[Red0ctober]

Hi Capn,

First let me say that you are the reason I joined up here
After reading and lurking for a while, I wanted to have the ability to participate in your posts which are just a treasure trove of information!
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication, as well as your willingness to share your knowledge with the world!

Now to my question...
I have run a prefabricated aero system (plant tier system) for some years now and would like to now build my own modular system pretty much like the one you have laid out. I have an aquarium chiller which I have not yet used but would like to incorporate.

So firstly, lets say you had two, or three, or eight of these totes set up - how could you alter the design to use a central rez instead of each tote having its own individual rez? Or more to the point, how could you use a single chiller on multiple totes?

Secondly, am I correct in thinking that you pass the nutrient/tea solution directly through the chiller?

Someone once told me that chillers are not designed for this, and the way to chill a rez is to hook up a stainless steel coil to the chiller, which then in turn sits in the reservoir. Cold water passes through the coil thus cooling the rez. This way the chiller itself doesn't get contaminated with rez water, nutrients, and teas. This info could be completely wrong, and please point it out if it is...

 

[TheCapn]

Hi Capn,

First let me say that you are the reason I joined up here
After reading and lurking for a while, I wanted to have the ability to participate in your posts which are just a treasure trove of information!
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication, as well as your willingness to share your knowledge with the world!

Now to my question...
I have run a prefabricated aero system (plant tier system) for some years now and would like to now build my own modular system pretty much like the one you have laid out. I have an aquarium chiller which I have not yet used but would like to incorporate.

So firstly, lets say you had two, or three, or eight of these totes set up - how could you alter the design to use a central rez instead of each tote having its own individual rez? Or more to the point, how could you use a single chiller on multiple totes?

Secondly, am I correct in thinking that you pass the nutrient/tea solution directly through the chiller?

Someone once told me that chillers are not designed for this, and the way to chill a rez is to hook up a stainless steel coil to the chiller, which then in turn sits in the reservoir. Cold water passes through the coil thus cooling the rez. This way the chiller itself doesn't get contaminated with rez water, nutrients, and teas. This info could be completely wrong, and please point it out if it is...

Thanks for the compliments, Red. The reason I share, is because I was just like you a few years ago. It is so hard to find sound advice online.

Before I answer this question, I would like you to tell me your set up. Size of your flower room, how much light you have, and how many plants you want to grow. Make sure you choose a number that will keep you out of trouble. After that, I can advise you in the direction to get the most yield possible in this type of growing. Also, do you want to grow em "capn style" one pounders? Or are you thinking you will go smaller, but still use the same growing style?

 

[Red0ctober]

The size of my room is 10x12
I have 2400 watts available but have only used 1800
I'd like to do Capn style one-pounders, but I might also try experimenting with some smaller plants too
Ideally if I had everything go the way I want, I'd do five or six Capn style plants, which is probably all I have room for
I will have a separate area to veg a few plants as well, but not the same amount of space as the main room
I'd like to do a perpetual grow style with fewer, but bigger Capn style plants

Thinking of maybe trying out some of the new XGS-190 Area 51 LED panels for my next grow, seeing how they compare to my Gavita 600w HPS. I like the idea of having more even light coverage.

So there's my ideal setup in a nutshell

 

[ronnie6690]

Hey Captn , just wanted to let you know I got my new journal started. the link is in my signature .

going to have to do some catch up on yours

keep em green