Thirvnrob's Canuck Seeds Double Chocolate/Acapulco Gold Comparative Grow

[Thirvnrob]

Now, about that science comment I made. I have a plethora of questions & all are welcome to jump in, regardless of your growing style - synthetic or organic.

Let me talk about the light. I had a few bucks saved up & wanted a really nice light that would allow me to grow in an open space, so I snagged a @Mars Hydro FC 1000 Smart Grow Light. What the hell was I thinking? It's a great light, but it's a Ferarri & I drive a Chevy S-10 pickup. I have zero complaints about the light, but I discovered my level of incompetence pretty quickly. I have a pool table upon which I assembled this technological marvel quite easily. As a matter of fact, I have some pictures...

There was a big gouge in the box when it was delivered, but the packaging is pretty stout & nothing inside was blemished.

Other components...

Fixture assembled & ready for transport to the grow environment.

I was alone, so I had to "manhandle" the light to my shop, which is about 80' from the house once I clear the back door of the house, the deck, steps & the gate on the fence, then through the door of the shop, then another 15' of maneuvering through a crowded space to the grow room. The light it not designed nor is it intended to be manhandled. I'm totally responsible for that error in judgment, but the point I'm making is the assembly needed some tweaking after all of that clumsiness. Next time I'll ask for help. This is but the tip of the iceberg, but the trials & tribulations that go along with biting off more than one can chew is, at least in my case, a good learning experience that has led me to take advantage of one of the features of this light which is to operate with only eight of the ten available light bars. Removing two bars effectively makes it a FC 800 but with the smart technology, (I don't need that either) but It gives me better access to the yoyos when I need to raise or lower the lights. Once this grow is finished I'm going to rotate the fixture 90 degrees for even better access to the aforementioned yoyos. The lights are presently 20" above the canopy. Now for the science I don't understand. I use photone on my cell phone. At this stage of growth I want the DLI to be between 40 - 50 according to their charts, but I can't get a consistent reading - it's all over the place & I'm not sure what to do. Also is that .40 - .50? Lastly, given all the bells & whistles that come with this light, I need to find comfort in the driver's seat. Any suggestions are welcomed.

Soil is my next area of concern. For this grow, I realized I didn't have enough soil to fill all the containers so I had to buy some on the zon. I got me some Vermont Compost Company all purpose compost based potting mix. The mix is beautiful to behold & running my hands through it was wonderful. I added some perlite & nothing else. The plan was to grow one AG & one DC in each the soil I bought & one each in the soil I built myself. Alas, another stoner brain fart occurred & the Double Chocolate is in my soil mix & the Acapulco Gold is in the VCC mix. A few months ago, @Gee64 brought BRIX to my attention. Sigh... I tried to get a measurement today, but had no success - I couldn't read the refractometer, so I'll go through the manual & troubleshoot tomorrow, but I'm done with it for today.

I've had very few problems maintaining temps between 70F at night & 82f during the day. I'm running a humidifier around the clock in tandem with a radiant heater & the RH in the room has been between 55% - 65% with a few exceptions, those being a drop in humidity for a few hours because the humidifier runs out of water sometimes overnight - operator negligence. I have an infrared thermometer & most of the time The leaf temp. is within a degree or two of the ambient in the room. Talk to me Gee - I'm not able to dial temp & RH into exactly what it should be.

@StoneOtter mentioned feeding his sip girls CalMag on a daily basis. The AG are consuming at around twice the rate of the DC, but I'm adding one tsp of CalMag to each gallon of water. 4 weeks into veg, are there any proactive measures I need to apply?

Lastly, I purchased a water filtration system that filters sediments & chlorine/chloramine, but has no RO filter. I may have fallen prey to a snake oil salesman, but to cut to the chase, my water measures out at 130 - 130 ppm pretty consistently. I'm thinking about adding another sediment filter.

Clearly, I have a good enough understanding of the science to screw everything up royally, so please feel free to dumb things down if you have comments or suggestions...

 

[Bill284]

Now, about that science comment I made. I have a plethora of questions & all are welcome to jump in, regardless of your growing style - synthetic or organic.

Let me talk about the light. I had a few bucks saved up & wanted a really nice light that would allow me to grow in an open space, so I snagged a @Mars Hydro FC 1000 Smart Grow Light. What the hell was I thinking? It's a great light, but it's a Ferarri & I drive a Chevy S-10 pickup. I have zero complaints about the light, but I discovered my level of incompetence pretty quickly. I have a pool table upon which I assembled this technological marvel quite easily. As a matter of fact, I have some pictures...

There was a big gouge in the box when it was delivered, but the packaging is pretty stout & nothing inside was blemished.

Other components...

Fixture assembled & ready for transport to the grow environment.

I was alone, so I had to "manhandle" the light to my shop, which is about 80' from the house once I clear the back door of the house, the deck, steps & the gate on the fence, then through the door of the shop, then another 15' of maneuvering through a crowded space to the grow room. The light it not designed nor is it intended to be manhandled. I'm totally responsible for that error in judgment, but the point I'm making is the assembly needed some tweaking after all of that clumsiness. Next time I'll ask for help. This is but the tip of the iceberg, but the trials & tribulations that go along with biting off more than one can chew is, at least in my case, a good learning experience that has led me to take advantage of one of the features of this light which is to operate with only eight of the ten available light bars. Removing two bars effectively makes it a FC 800 but with the smart technology, (I don't need that either) but It gives me better access to the yoyos when I need to raise or lower the lights. Once this grow is finished I'm going to rotate the fixture 90 degrees for even better access to the aforementioned yoyos. The lights are presently 20" above the canopy. Now for the science I don't understand. I use photone on my cell phone. At this stage of growth I want the DLI to be between 40 - 50 according to their charts, but I can't get a consistent reading - it's all over the place & I'm not sure what to do. Also is that .40 - .50? Lastly, given all the bells & whistles that come with this light, I need to find comfort in the driver's seat. Any suggestions are welcomed.

Soil is my next area of concern. For this grow, I realized I didn't have enough soil to fill all the containers so I had to buy some on the zon. I got me some Vermont Compost Company all purpose compost based potting mix. The mix is beautiful to behold & running my hands through it was wonderful. I added some perlite & nothing else. The plan was to grow one AG & one DC in each the soil I bought & one each in the soil I built myself. Alas, another stoner brain fart occurred & the Double Chocolate is in my soil mix & the Acapulco Gold is in the VCC mix. A few months ago, @Gee64 brought BRIX to my attention. Sigh... I tried to get a measurement today, but had no success - I couldn't read the refractometer, so I'll go through the manual & troubleshoot tomorrow, but I'm done with it for today.

I've had very few problems maintaining temps between 70F at night & 82f during the day. I'm running a humidifier around the clock in tandem with a radiant heater & the RH in the room has been between 55% - 65% with a few exceptions, those being a drop in humidity for a few hours because the humidifier runs out of water sometimes overnight - operator negligence. I have an infrared thermometer & most of the time The leaf temp. is within a degree or two of the ambient in the room. Talk to me Gee - I'm not able to dial temp & RH into exactly what it should be.

@StoneOtter mentioned feeding his sip girls CalMag on a daily basis. The AG are consuming at around twice the rate of the DC, but I'm adding one tsp of CalMag to each gallon of water. 4 weeks into veg, are there any proactive measures I need to apply?

Lastly, I purchased a water filtration system that filters sediments & chlorine/chloramine, but has no RO filter. I may have fallen prey to a snake oil salesman, but to cut to the chase, my water measures out at 130 - 130 ppm pretty consistently. I'm thinking about adding another sediment filter.

Clearly, I have a good enough understanding of the science to screw everything up royally, so please feel free to dumb things down if you have comments or suggestions...

I have faith in you.
Congrats, nice bit of kit.


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Thirvnrob]

I have faith in you.
Congrats, nice bit of kit.


Stay safe
Bill284

Thanks Bill. Hope I can get it figured out...

 

[Thirvnrob]

Looking nice healthy n happy . CL

Thank you sir!

 

[Absorber]

a good learning experience that has led me to take advantage of one of the features of this light which is to operate with only eight of the ten available light bars. Removing two bars effectively makes it a FC 800

Nice big light
Do they say you can run it with 2 bars removed?
because I have read before not to run led fittings without all bars connected

 

[Thirvnrob]

Nice big light
Do they say you can run it with 2 bars removed?
because I have read before not to run led fittings without all bars connected

Yes, the 9th & 10th bar are optional.

 

[Absorber]

Yes, the 9th & 10th bar are optional.

Nice, expensive little puppy's

 

[Thirvnrob]

Nice, expensive little puppy's

Expensive indeed!

 

[InTheShed]

I'll take a minor league crack at some of it:

I was alone, so I had to "manhandle" the light to my shop

Next time build it in your shop!

Now for the science I don't understand. I use photone on my cell phone. At this stage of growth I want the DLI to be between 40 - 50 according to their charts, but I can't get a consistent reading - it's all over the place & I'm not sure what to do. Also is that .40 - .50? Lastly, given all the bells & whistles that come with this light, I need to find comfort in the driver's seat. Any suggestions are welcomed.

I have never had any luck with the Photone app on my various Android phones in spite of the success so many others have. I have a $35 Dr Meter LX1330B which reads lux, so I just use that. Reading the leaves and going by this from Royal Queen Seeds works pretty well:

How Much Light Do Your Cannabis Plants Require?

Roughly, the lux ranges below are best suited to their corresponding stage of the growing cycle:
• Clone and seedling stage: 5,000–7,000 lux
• Vegetative stage: 15,000–50,000 lux
• Flowering stage: 45,000–65,000 lux

Despite 65,000 representing the roof of recommended lux during the flowering stage, plants can handle up to 75,000 lux before things start to go south. With that said, illuminance values change a lot from one fixture to another; you should view these values as relative and not absolute.

Some growers approach cannabis with a “the more light, the better” mindset. This strategy only pays off until it reaches the 75,000 lux threshold. Light exposure of this magnitude can cause several issues. First, it can inflict light stress, which has the potential to reduce plant health and, subsequently, yield. This phenomenon manifests as dry, shriveled leaves and bleaching. Second, this level of light intensity will drain your energy bill without actually doing much to increase plant productivity—you will reach a point of diminishing returns.

Lastly, I purchased a water filtration system that filters sediments & chlorine/chloramine, but has no RO filter. I may have fallen prey to a snake oil salesman, but to cut to the chase, my water measures out at 130 - 130 ppm pretty consistently. I'm thinking about adding another sediment filter.

From everything I've read (and from the folks who make GeoFlora below), you don't need to remove chlorine/chloramine from your water to grow in LOS. Unless your tap water is high enough in some element that could hurt the plants I would say you're okay right out of the tap. If you can drink it, so can your plants!

In regards to the chloramine, we don't notice major degradation of bacteria from tap water with typical city levels, but if you're worried about it you can always leave your water aerating or standing for 24-48 hours (for chlorine) before watering to bring those levels down!

 

[Thirvnrob]

I'll take a minor league crack at some of it:

Next time build it in your shop!

I have never had any luck with the Photone app on my various Android phones in spite of the success so many others have. I have a $35 Dr Meter LX1330B which reads lux, so I just use that. Reading the leaves and going by this from Royal Queen Seeds works pretty well:

How Much Light Do Your Cannabis Plants Require?

Roughly, the lux ranges below are best suited to their corresponding stage of the growing cycle:
• Clone and seedling stage: 5,000–7,000 lux
• Vegetative stage: 15,000–50,000 lux
• Flowering stage: 45,000–65,000 lux

Despite 65,000 representing the roof of recommended lux during the flowering stage, plants can handle up to 75,000 lux before things start to go south. With that said, illuminance values change a lot from one fixture to another; you should view these values as relative and not absolute.

Some growers approach cannabis with a “the more light, the better” mindset. This strategy only pays off until it reaches the 75,000 lux threshold. Light exposure of this magnitude can cause several issues. First, it can inflict light stress, which has the potential to reduce plant health and, subsequently, yield. This phenomenon manifests as dry, shriveled leaves and bleaching. Second, this level of light intensity will drain your energy bill without actually doing much to increase plant productivity—you will reach a point of diminishing returns.


From everything I've read (and from the folks who make GeoFlora below), you don't need to remove chlorine/chloramine from your water to grow in LOS. Unless your tap water is high enough in some element that could hurt the plants I would say you're okay right out of the tap. If you can drink it, so can your plants!

I was hoping you’d chime in Shed! Thanks for the input.
I assembled it in the house for two reasons:
First, The pool table gave me a waist high work surface - I didn’t have to be bent over like I would have had I assembled it in the shop. My only option would have been the floor & my back & knees would have exacted their revenge for days. I did consider doing it in the grow room, but my back & knees are sometimes my masters.
Secondly, it would’ve been too tight a space to work in. I’d have to step over, around & between too many things & I saw myself falling down on the light. My mistake was being impatient & not waiting for help. One person to open doors & the gate & one to help me carry it.
Thanks for the info on the lux meter! Sounds like a better option, I assumed they’re cost prohibitive. The light itself isn’t difficult at all to operate, I just need a more reliable way to measure the output.
My understanding of chlorine/chloramine (per the Rev’s book) is that it isn’t good for the soil, as it harms microbial life. That said, you’re the second cultivator that I trust to have said that & the other one is a devotee of The Rev, so I will investigate further.
Thanks Shed!

 

[InTheShed]

I figured there was a good reason to build and carry!

In terms of LOS, I would check with some folks who actually use it, but from what I've read there's a lot more bacteria than would be killed by the stuff in the water.

 

[CaptainLucky]

I was hoping you’d chime in Shed! Thanks for the input.
I assembled it in the house for two reasons:
First, The pool table gave me a waist high work surface - I didn’t have to be bent over like I would have had I assembled it in the shop. My only option would have been the floor & my back & knees would have exacted their revenge for days. I did consider doing it in the grow room, but my back & knees are sometimes my masters.
Secondly, it would’ve been too tight a space to work in. I’d have to step over, around & between too many things & I saw myself falling down on the light. My mistake was being impatient & not waiting for help. One person to open doors & the gate & one to help me carry it.
Thanks for the info on the lux meter! Sounds like a better option, I assumed they’re cost prohibitive. The light itself isn’t difficult at all to operate, I just need a more reliable way to measure the output.
My understanding of chlorine/chloramine (per the Rev’s book) is that it isn’t good for the soil, as it harms microbial life. That said, you’re the second cultivator that I trust to have said that & the other one is a devotee of The Rev, so I will investigate further.
Thanks Shed!

I use PB nutes for my plants with straight Chicago tap water that is Chlorinated and never had any problems. CL.

 

[OGpapa]

Now, about that science comment I made. I have a plethora of questions & all are welcome to jump in, regardless of your growing style - synthetic or organic.

Let me talk about the light. I had a few bucks saved up & wanted a really nice light that would allow me to grow in an open space, so I snagged a @Mars Hydro FC 1000 Smart Grow Light. What the hell was I thinking? It's a great light, but it's a Ferarri & I drive a Chevy S-10 pickup. I have zero complaints about the light, but I discovered my level of incompetence pretty quickly. I have a pool table upon which I assembled this technological marvel quite easily. As a matter of fact, I have some pictures...

There was a big gouge in the box when it was delivered, but the packaging is pretty stout & nothing inside was blemished.

Other components...

Fixture assembled & ready for transport to the grow environment.

I was alone, so I had to "manhandle" the light to my shop, which is about 80' from the house once I clear the back door of the house, the deck, steps & the gate on the fence, then through the door of the shop, then another 15' of maneuvering through a crowded space to the grow room. The light it not designed nor is it intended to be manhandled. I'm totally responsible for that error in judgment, but the point I'm making is the assembly needed some tweaking after all of that clumsiness. Next time I'll ask for help. This is but the tip of the iceberg, but the trials & tribulations that go along with biting off more than one can chew is, at least in my case, a good learning experience that has led me to take advantage of one of the features of this light which is to operate with only eight of the ten available light bars. Removing two bars effectively makes it a FC 800 but with the smart technology, (I don't need that either) but It gives me better access to the yoyos when I need to raise or lower the lights. Once this grow is finished I'm going to rotate the fixture 90 degrees for even better access to the aforementioned yoyos. The lights are presently 20" above the canopy. Now for the science I don't understand. I use photone on my cell phone. At this stage of growth I want the DLI to be between 40 - 50 according to their charts, but I can't get a consistent reading - it's all over the place & I'm not sure what to do. Also is that .40 - .50? Lastly, given all the bells & whistles that come with this light, I need to find comfort in the driver's seat. Any suggestions are welcomed.

Soil is my next area of concern. For this grow, I realized I didn't have enough soil to fill all the containers so I had to buy some on the zon. I got me some Vermont Compost Company all purpose compost based potting mix. The mix is beautiful to behold & running my hands through it was wonderful. I added some perlite & nothing else. The plan was to grow one AG & one DC in each the soil I bought & one each in the soil I built myself. Alas, another stoner brain fart occurred & the Double Chocolate is in my soil mix & the Acapulco Gold is in the VCC mix. A few months ago, @Gee64 brought BRIX to my attention. Sigh... I tried to get a measurement today, but had no success - I couldn't read the refractometer, so I'll go through the manual & troubleshoot tomorrow, but I'm done with it for today.

I've had very few problems maintaining temps between 70F at night & 82f during the day. I'm running a humidifier around the clock in tandem with a radiant heater & the RH in the room has been between 55% - 65% with a few exceptions, those being a drop in humidity for a few hours because the humidifier runs out of water sometimes overnight - operator negligence. I have an infrared thermometer & most of the time The leaf temp. is within a degree or two of the ambient in the room. Talk to me Gee - I'm not able to dial temp & RH into exactly what it should be.

@StoneOtter mentioned feeding his sip girls CalMag on a daily basis. The AG are consuming at around twice the rate of the DC, but I'm adding one tsp of CalMag to each gallon of water. 4 weeks into veg, are there any proactive measures I need to apply?

Lastly, I purchased a water filtration system that filters sediments & chlorine/chloramine, but has no RO filter. I may have fallen prey to a snake oil salesman, but to cut to the chase, my water measures out at 130 - 130 ppm pretty consistently. I'm thinking about adding another sediment filter.

Clearly, I have a good enough understanding of the science to screw everything up royally, so please feel free to dumb things down if you have comments or suggestions...

Jealous! That's a beautiful light!

 

[Thirvnrob]

I figured there was a good reason to build and carry!

In terms of LOS, I would check with some folks who actually use it, but from what I've read there's a lot more bacteria than would be killed by the stuff in the water.

So I could remove the chlorine filter & replace it with a second sediment filter then. The ppm after filtration is between 130 - 140…

 

[InTheShed]

How much sediment is there that you need to remove it? Is there sludge coming out of your tap and what's in it?

 

[Thirvnrob]

How much sediment is there that you need to remove it? Is there sludge coming out of your tap and what's in it?

No sludge, I just have too many ppm (I think).

 

[Thirvnrob]

I removed two light bars and the extensions that held them in place & created a ton of much needed space. Now I can reach everything pretty easily.

 

[InTheShed]

Merry Christmas rob, to you and your whole family!

 

[Bill284]

Merry Christmas Buddy


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Thirvnrob]

Merry Christmas Buddy


Stay safe
Bill284

Thanks Bill! To you and yours as well!