TheCapn's - Not So Simple - Aeroponics

[Cultivator]

I don't need to add anything to that mate. U have it covered. A chiller is a must for none media hydro. I have done it many times successfully without one but it's Russian roulette. I've had my fair share of root probs over the time I've been growing, a chiller would have prevented most of them.

I still think the dwc gives better results in a true like for like scenario. The speed of dwc growth is hard to match when done effectively. Not only that but u could veg 4plants 2 weeks and get the same as the 1 monster plant that's vegged 3months.

As for light u are right capn. It's true 1gpw and more is possible but this technique really refers to sea of green growing with lots of small plants. For someone like myself who has no regards to plant numbers it's no problem, that is when I can be bothered to set up 300 2litre hempy pots which are filled with perlite that I constantly knock over and is time consuming to manage. In my opinion it's better to never really have more than 9 plants per light. Adding that extra light will absolutely more than pay for itself in produce. When looking to add anything to ur regime just ask ur self how it will improve ur product and will u see a return on what it costs to put in.

 

[AfricanGrower]

Thanks for clearing that up, and for the better root pics. I thought you were on the verge of something there. I hope you don't mind another root related question: When in DWC/Aero, do you stop the Florablend and Tea at the two week mark just like in your Simple Hydro tutorials?

When looking to add anything to ur regime just ask ur self how it will improve ur product and will u see a return on what it costs to put in.

The fundamentals of consumer economics...I agree.

 

[TheCapn]

Thanks for clearing that up, and for the better root pics. I thought you were on the verge of something there. I hope you don't mind another root related question: When in DWC/Aero, do you stop the Florablend and Tea at the two week mark just like in your Simple Hydro tutorials?

The fundamentals of consumer economics...I agree.

I love root related questions. I love any questions about this hobby. And AG, I like how you always have something constructive to say in your comments on my, and other's journals.

At the 6-7th week of flower, I figure my plants (no matter what grow method) have a very nice population of beneficials, so adding florablend and tea probably isn't necessary. That said, it doesn't hurt to use it. If I've made a batch of tea and I still have some left after watering the babies, I pour a cup on the big girls, even if they are in weeks 6-8. In DWC, I tend to be more LEAN with it, only adding about 8oz at the base of the stalk.

But yes I do stop using the florablend 1-2 weeks before flush (no matter what grow method), as I don't believe there is any benefit at that point. For readers who are just joining us... I use florablend at about 4ml/gal religiously from seedling up until 2 weeks before harvest. It is a key ingredient to fantastic root growth, along with other beneficial bacteria. I even use it when I run dutch master nutrients.

 

[Cultivator]

Great roots equals great plants. It's the foundation to success. Many people grow large plants on top and wonder why their yields are small so they try adding more boosts and nutes to enhance it. Usually with limited success. Any professional grower will tell u to focus on building the foundation of the.plant first. Even small plants become monsters when the roots are healthy.

There is an argument that adding beneficial bacteria can have some negative effect on the plant after week 3 of flower. The reason being that aerobic bacteria will compete for O2 along with the roots. I have never had this problem but I don't use beneficial right through flower in dwc. But it is an interesting point.

 

[Cultivator]

8 days in my aero cloner. Plain water, no ph down, and a small amount of great white shark. Foundation to successful growing.


Hope u don't mind me showing this capn. I can remove it if it's interfering in ur journal mate

 

[s1ingblade]

Does anyone else notice how not a single leaf on any of those photos is blotched, deficient, or burnt in any way! That is my goal every run! Capn

Its amazing what you can coax out of a plant thats not fighting to keep hydrated. Gotta come see what growing in your garden African grower. Your right when you say he's giving the unannounced strain justice.

I suspect such a keen green thumb comes with seasoning which is why I'm trying as many techniques as I can, hopefully to shorten that learning curve and season myself sooner. I am definitely envious of the perfection Capn gets in his grows, and they all look like that too.

One thing you can guarantee is if you go looking for trouble you'll usually find it, yes doing so can gain you experience but I'd sure love to see you stack 20 chops in a row and get where you really want to be. I want to get a multiponics table, a mega farm, a HPA and many other awesome systems but for me one unsuccessful run will put a real big wrench in my little gears.
Just wanna see you kill it sky, success wise not killing the plants haha

I don't need to add anything to that mate. U have it covered. A chiller is a must for none media hydro. I have done it many times successfully without one but it's Russian roulette. I've had my fair share of root probs over the time I've been growing, a chiller would have prevented most of them.

I still think the dwc gives better results in a true like for like scenario. The speed of dwc growth is hard to match when done effectively. Not only that but u could veg 4plants 2 weeks and get the same as the 1 monster plant that's vegged 3months.

As for light u are right capn. It's true 1gpw and more is possible but this technique really refers to sea of green growing with lots of small plants. For someone like myself who has no regards to plant numbers it's no problem, that is when I can be bothered to set up 300 2litre hempy pots which are filled with perlite that I constantly knock over and is time consuming to manage. In my opinion it's better to never really have more than 9 plants per light. Adding that extra light will absolutely more than pay for itself in produce. When looking to add anything to ur regime just ask ur self how it will improve ur product and will u see a return on what it costs to put in.

High cult great info I also enjoy he heck out of what your doing. I've got four of tinys little sisters flowering out that only vegged a little over three weeks out of the kloner and I will be keeping track of the results to compare to my three month veg times. They are fun but costly and if your room isn't full of ample space that last 15 days will keep you on your toes. I'd love to only have to veg two weeks but that would be pushing it haha I need a pound per light at least. Shooting for two.

Great roots equals great plants. It's the foundation to success. Many people grow large plants on top and wonder why their yields are small so they try adding more boosts and nutes to enhance it. Usually with limited success. Any professional grower will tell u to focus on building the foundation of the.plant first. Even small plants become monsters when the roots are healthy.

There is an argument that adding beneficial bacteria can have some negative effect on the plant after week 3 of flower. The reason being that aerobic bacteria will compete for O2 along with the roots. I have never had this problem but I don't use beneficial right through flower in dwc. But it is an interesting point.

Im going to ask the cap'n if he'll allow me to post a pic of my pineapple skunks that have been in #15 nursery pots for say ten days and the roots coming out of the bottom drain holes already are fantastic. Im going to go pm ya cult so I can stop hijacking this thread.

8 days in my aero cloner. Plain water, no ph down, and a small amount of great white shark. Foundation to successful growing.


Hope u don't mind me showing this capn. I can remove it if it's interfering in ur journal mate

I agree and all my plants get a sprinkle at each transplant. I've been slacking on my tea so I gotta run and go start a new brew.

Hey cap'n I hope u didnt mind me running my mouth and ill pm ya about that pic.

 

[TheCapn]

8 days in my aero cloner. Plain water, no ph down, and a small amount of great white shark. Foundation to successful growing.


Hope u don't mind me showing this capn. I can remove it if it's interfering in ur journal mate

Beautiful. That is amazing roots for only 8 days. mycos have a lot to do with it, no doubt. Soon we will convince Ronnie to throw away the ZONE.

 

[Cultivator]

yeah i agree capn. i not keen on sterile res's, they do have a place but i only use sterile if an issue pops up. roots need those goodies to get huge white and fluffy. Huge roots on mean huge buds!!!!!

 

[ronnie6690]

Beautiful. That is amazing roots for only 8 days. mycos have a lot to do with it, no doubt. Soon we will convince Ronnie to throw away the ZONE.

I only use the Zone in flower after the bennies have gotten the roots large and in charge

 

[Skybound]

How's things Capn?

 

[TheCapn]

We've had some great discussion on this journal. I like it. Things have been a little crazy for me lately, so forgive me if I've lost track of your forums. I want to follow them all but not enough hours in the day. If you have something impressive, send me a link!

How's things Capn?

Sky and all, things are going well. Currently in the operation we have THREE, 4 x 4 stations in flower.

1. DinaFem OG kush, which I have renamed to OMG kush. This is growing capn style, but with no scrog. This is the start of week 8. This is the same pheno you saw a couple months ago. This was the best from 3 seeds. I will keep this strain. Finishes in 8 wks + flush, very strong branches, EASY to grow, great yield. I can't say enough about it. My goal is a lb but I make no promises. One goal of this grow is to see if I can get a higher yield by NOT using a trellis (SCROG).

2. The unannounced strain, witch is running aero / dwc hybrid. If you PM me, I'll give you the strain, but I've chosen not to announce it publicly. That said, I love this strain. This is also the best of 3 seeds. Again, I'm hoping for a lb but not sure yet. The last one I ran produced a lb in a 3 x 3 area. Incredible yield. This one is in week 7 so it will start bulking up much more than you see now.

3. Serious BubbleGum, growing capn style with scrog, in a tray (s1ing style). I'm highlighting this strain and s1ing's tray style in my blog. I'm pheno hunting, so I have 4 (chosen from 11 seeds), which should = a lb when finished. So far, it is unstoppable. Check out the close nodes and bud formation already after only two weeks. I have found no hermies, it grows fast and is easy to grow, it's bushy when topped properly, and I saw preflowers just 45 days from seed.... that's when I put them into flower.

And here's what's going on in the veg room. The 4 clones from the 4 bubblegum in flower, OMG on the left, unannounced strain on the right. You can see how nice the OMG grows in veg. The unannounced strain needs to be topped frequently, which I have not done enough of. But it grows incredibly fast as you saw in the beginning of this journal.

When the OMG in flower comes out in 2 weeks, this OMG will go in. When you're only running a few plants like me, it is important to PLAN to have the next one READY to go in as soon as the floor space is available. Otherwise, you're just wasting time.

I'd like to point out a few things. Everything you see here, I didn't spend hours on some crazy training method. I'm not torturing my plants by plucking off leaves as soon as they pop out, or caging them down. I use regular gen hydro nutrients. I don't have any magical training methods to produce a high yield. I simply top here and there as needed to create more branches. I don't use mylar, no C02, and I don't use additional CFL bulbs hanging here or there to try to make a certain branch grow better. I use 600W HPS bulbs in flower and a single 400W metal halide in veg. That's all you need. Yes, I've got some experience, but my point is, you don't need to do anything crazy to get crazy yields. Keep it simple, and less will go wrong. Let the plant do the rest.

 

[s1ingblade]

Well done cap'n well done. Ill pm ya now to find out the strain. So im really liking the no screen testing, the strains and the pheno hunt for some bubblegum. Ok I like it all lol. I plan on getting two 600 mh lamps to replace my 1000 watt metal halide. The 1000 will burn a hps once I get them. My new veg area I think will do better with a bigger footprint.
As always cap'n thank you for your time
Hey I wanted to show all the other members how well your "stick to it!" Recipe works so here goes a quick high-jack sorry

That was from a huge #15 nursery pot after only being transplanted into it for 7 days from a five gallon airpot. I ran out of funds and had to resort to "run whats you brung" I will be buying more airpots as I feel there worth every dollar, their so reusable it makes it super economical. Not like growing cap'n style with mini cubes isn't already super cost effective but it really dials in easy with the super roots air pots, another thank for the testing you did with them last year.
Don't forget guys this is spot on what cap'ns doing and I can only hope to do so well, keep it clean! Keep it simple! Keep it growin cap'n style! Keep the Heisenberg tea brewing and stick to cap'ns recipes and you'll get your pound, trust.

 

[BigIrishDoode]

shaweet stuff capn! kiss is always good,im pmin' ya i gots ta know!!

 

[Rx-420dank]

Gratz on 420th Like.
Keep up the Great Growing

 

[ISEARCH56]

TO TheCapn . . . . . + rePS . . . . . . . . THANK YOU FOR TEACHING "US" AT . . . . .
YOUR QUOTE ON QUOTE THE "Capn Style" . . . . . . . . . . "Each One Teach One"

 

[TheCapn]

Thanks for all the compliments, gang. This is coming to an end so the teaching is done, but I'll tell you a few key points in this grow.

1. I kept it under 1000ppm the entire time, even in weeks 6-8. I have absolutely no dehydrated tips on either plant. I went to 1200ppm with these two strains on a previous run, and got a few burnt tips. yuk

2. Both reservoirs were filled up to about 12 gallons once a week on Saturday. Then topped off with plain water on Wednesday, then the following saturday, I pumped out what I could (usually only a few gallons) then filled with fresh nutrient solution again. I believe doing water changes (rather than simply refilling all the time) helps make more nutrients available to the plant and results in bigger yield.

3. PH ran from 5.7 to 6.2 all thru flower. I didn't use PH up or down at all in flower.

4. Nutrients used were general hydroponics. 123, 222, 321, plus 4ml/gal calmag and 4ml/gal florablend used thru entire grow. 2ml/gal kool bloom used weeks 6-8.

5. Flower time is 9 weeks for both plants, after which time I bring the PPM down to 0 over a period of 3 days, then let it flush for a few more.

6. Heisenberg tea run once a week.

7. 3 x 600w HPS was used to light the two plants. (ushio, apollo, hortilux)

The dinafem OG Kush is coming down, today. I call it the OMG! Because OMG it is simply beautiful. No late pollen sacks (none early either), great size buds, no mold, great dank smell. The branches held up until the 7th week and I had to yoyo them up. This strain is SO easy to grow.

In about a week I will be able to tell you if I will continue to NOT SCROG. So far, I'm about 25-30% way through the trim, and I'm guessing I have 4-5 zips on hangers. It's hard to tell. If I get over a lb, I'll run another one like this, but this time I will go even taller. If I don't get over a lb, I'll go back to scrog. This is the first time I've used the hydrofarm yellow yoyo's. I was dreading it, but I have to say, it took me all of 15 minutes to yoyo up the branches. They are SO easy. $20 for a pack of 12.

Here's is the OMG (pic taken a week ago):

Getting started on trimming it:

A close up of some of the biggons: (420mag rotating my picture, STILL after all this time):

And here's what is still to go:

And here's the mystery strain, which will be pulled next week. Starting flush today:

And here's what I'm most excited about, the Serious Bubblegum, 4 weeks in, which I'm featuring in my BLOG.

Please feel free to leave constructive comments and relevant questions. Or PM me with anything! I'll see you in a week when I have weight for the OG, and getting started on the mystery strain.

 

[Cultivator]

Looks great mate. Just curious why u dont announce the unannounced strain but favour the bubblegum? could u pm me if u dont want it in thread.

 

[WyldeChylde]

you grow some mean plants man. I don't have any questions because your process and pictures are pretty well laid out and easy to follow. I've been implementing some of your stuff in my own grow.

Congratulations on your plants.

 

[CronicHempHog]

,

 

[KingJohnC]

Congratulations on your harvest!