WOLFtick3t's Perpetual Auto Tent 2020

[WOLFtick3t]

Hello folks,

I'm germinating my first seeds today for what will be a year long (at least) auto grow.

I'll be growing outside, under our patio, in a 4x8 tent. Using 5 gallon fabric pots with soil. Using, for the moment, Advanced Nutrients bottled nutrients.

Lights are 2x Mars Hydro Sp 250 and a TSW 2000 as well as an old Mars Hydro blurple I'll be starting the seedlings under indoors. Tent as an exhaust fan with a carbon filter and Inkbird humidity controller with humidifier and dehumidifier.

Strains are Dinafem White Cheese auto, Humboldt Bubba auto, Fastbuds Skittelz auto and Fastbuds Blackberry auto. I may add more as things progress, but I've got 10 of each of those to go through.

To begin with I'm going to germinate 3 seeds every two weeks. This will give me up to 14 weeks to move the plants through the system.

Today I'll germinate 3 White Cheese auto. If all goes well the next 3 will be on the 15th of November.

Photos to follow once I've got seedlings.

 

[TurboBucket]

subbd

 

[WOLFtick3t]

Can always count on you, Turbo!

I made a spreadsheet to track each set of 3 and another to track each plant. I'm sure these will change and evolve as things go. My memory for little details isn't great so hopefully this will keep things organized and allow me to see patterns.

Using the saucer and paper towel method with the first three seeds.

 

[Gutter444]

This will be fun!

 

[WOLFtick3t]

I built, laid down really - no nails, a platform for the tent out of some 4x4 and a sheet of plywood. Set the tent up, put the two SP 250 lights in, hooked up the exhaust fan and put my Inkbird humidity and temp monitor inside. It’s Bluetooth and I can check it on my tablet from bed. Very handy.

So far the temp is about 10 C (50 F) and the humidity is up around 65% the last two hours (11 pm to 1 am). Not outstanding but more or less what I expected. I’ll hook up the humidity controller and dehumidifier tomorrow and see how that alters things. I guess a space heater may be in order too, I was hoping to avoid that. I can also turn the exhaust fan up to help dehumidify I guess but I assume that would drop the temp some too.

I have a couple of weeks to figure it all out as I’m going to have the seedlings inside for 10-14 days to start.

Tomorrow cheese 1, 2 and 3 get put in pots (assuming all germinated) and stuck under the blurple light on the work bench indoors.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

Temp seems to have stabilized around 12 C (53 F). On one hand if I am going to heat the place up I'd rather do it with lights, on the other hand I don't know how many CFL and LED lights I'm going to have to add to get to 20 C. I should probably just suck it up and get a space heater.

Humidity is going to be tricky, as expected. I can get it to 60 without plants in there with the fan and dehumidifier on. It's going to be tough getting lower than that and ideally I'd like to be at more like 50.

All three Cheese germinated and are now in pots. Hoping to see seedlings asap.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

As of this morning 3/3 Cheese above ground, all looking good, spreadsheet filled out accordingly.

 

[TurboBucket]

Run HID lighting, more waste heat to keep temps up less need for an extra heater. As long as the roots stay above 50°f or so they arent too cold. Heat mats under the containers work well.
Air with the same water volume at a higher temp is a lower RH. As you get the temps up the Rh will be closer to Target. Good air circulation can let you get away with slightly higher humidity. My flower tents make it over 70% occasionally, especially the in between seasons. Right now they read 59% and 66%. Knock on wood the only time I had bud rot was after we lost power for 30 hours.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

I think you’re right, Turbo. I was hesitant to go that direction because, well, I’m lazy and I don’t want to swap the traditional light for an LED in the summer to keep things cooler, but that’s a bad excuse. It’s a tiny bit of work twice a year.

I’m looking at a 315W CMH, I’m hoping that would be the right balance of not too much power use but enough heat? I have zero experience with anything but LED so any guesstimates appreciated. Trying to go from about 15 C to 20-25, which would be 60 F to about 70-75 F.

You‘re making me feel better about the humidity. I’ve got one fan and I’ll be getting more.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

315W CMH purchased and hung in the tent. Nighttime temps stable at about 19 C (66 F) and humidity at about 55%.

The three cheese are looking very healthy. Almost time to start the next batch toying with the idea of doing six seeds to get the tent a little fuller a little quicker. Less waste of power. Or maybe a set a week for a month. I’ll think about it.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

Temps staying between 18 and 22 with the lights on 24. Going to switch to 20 on 4 off with the dark period from 7 to 11 am and see how that goes. Humidity is good, about 55%. Still have to put the controller in, though it seems kinda pointless, the dehumidifier will always be on I’m sure.

I ordered another 105 watt CFL so my total light compliment for now will be 2x SP 250, 1x 315 CMH, 2x 105W CFL and 1x 85W CFL. Plus my old blurple light indoors that I’m starting them under.

Started to germinate 3x Fastbuds BlackBerry Auto at midnight today. Saucer and paper towel method. If all goes well I’ll move the 3 cheese into the tent in a couple of days and have the new girls under the light indoor for a bit before moving them outside as well.

Really looking forward to mid-December when the whole system is full and starting to actually be a routine every 10-14 days of cutting, drying, trimming, planting, training, feeding.

 

[TurboBucket]

Really looking forward to mid-December when the whole system is full and starting to actually be a routine every 10-14 days of cutting, drying, trimming, planting, training, feeding.

Famous last words lol. 6 months from now you'll be ready for a break haha.

Really though breaking it into waves like you are will help it feel less monotonous.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

Famous last words lol. 6 months from now you'll be ready for a break haha.

Really though breaking it into waves like you are will help it feel less monotonous.

Ha! I believe it. Although I think as long as I keep improving I'll be pretty enthralled with the whole thing. Eventually I'm sure it will get monotonous though.

Here are the White Cheese girls on about day 10 above ground. the one on the left is the real large one. Probably about time to try some quarter strength feeding, maybe tonight. I've been spraying them with water a couple of times a day and did one plain water feed a few days ago, otherwise untouched.

I added an extra planting on the 22nd, so the tent will be a little fuller a little quicker, and after I move the Cheese to the tent I'll be discontinuing the use of the indoor "starter" blurple light for the time being as it pulls something like 440 watts at the wall and really is a waste of power, its an original Mars Hydro 900, i believe. I may have to consider replacing that sooner rather than later with something less hungry.

 

[TurboBucket]

It's hard to get too tired of doing something you enjoy. But when the trim marathon hits 12 hours it's rough haha.

They look good so far, they don't look hungry yet but it's not a bad idea to start giving them a little something. Depending on your medium I'm not sure how much precharge it has.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

The medium is a “what I had lying around” mix of clay pebbles, promix potting soil, root farm, vermiculite and miracle grow. It’s probably got enough in there for now but better to make sure I figure.

If there is one thing I learned from my summer grows it’s that the only way a perpetual like this is going to work for me is if I minimize the amount of time I have to spend trimming every month. Minimal popcorn, fewer, bigger buds.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

I tried turning the lights off for 4 hours as planned and I think for this time of year I'll have to just run 24 hours a day. Without the lights humidity goes straight to 90% and the temp is ambient which right now is 50 F and will be going lower over the next couple of months.

Little higher electric bill, but such is life. Otherwise I'm happy with the current tent conditions and will be moving the cheese over in the next day or two along with the Blackberry girls as soon as they germinate. Indoor blurple will be shut off for the time being.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

We have plants in the tent!

Day 12 above ground for the three cheese, into the tent they go (noted on spreadsheet). Joined by 3 germinated Blackberry. Hopefully they'll be above ground as well in a day or two.

Fed the cheese with 5 liters of 1/2 strength (2 ml per L) of the micro, grow and bloom advanced nutrients. The very front one does look a little light green but other than that they're all looking very good.

Usually they'd be under the Vivosun 315W CMH at this age but being the inaugural plants they'll be under the SP250 for their entire stay in the tent. This Friday I'll be adding three Bubba Auto from Humboldt to the mix.

My concern now is going to be watering and working with the plants as they grow. It's going to be tough to get to the middle and especially the back plants as things go. I'll have to think about that a little more.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

I think I mighta killed the three Blackberry by putting them in the tent

It got down to about 15-16 C - about 60 F in the tent over night. Don't see any sprouting going on. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

 

[TurboBucket]

I tried turning the lights off for 4 hours as planned and I think for this time of year I'll have to just run 24 hours a day. Without the lights humidity goes straight to 90% and the temp is ambient which right now is 50 F and will be going lower over the next couple of months.

Little higher electric bill, but such is life. Otherwise I'm happy with the current tent conditions and will be moving the cheese over in the next day or two along with the Blackberry girls as soon as they germinate. Indoor blurple will be shut off for the time being.

I tried 24 hours with the first autos I ran. They didn't like it.

60 is pretty chilly for younglings if they sprouted already it may have bothered them, If they're still inside the shell they'll be fine. You'll know in a few more days or hopefully sooner.


Hahaha you've seen my tents, don't talk to me about reaching the back I don't see mine for weeks at a time.

 

[WOLFtick3t]

You are, as usual, correct, Turbo. I went and ordered a space heater for the tent and I’ll try to do 4 hours of dark from 11-3 I think.

I was wrong about killing the blackberry girls. Two of them are above ground now. Two outta three ain’t bad, but I’ll give the third another day or two before I give up on her.

Now a new issue. The cheese girls aren’t looking super happy. A little droopy and sad. Hopefully just some shock from being moved to the tent. Maybe the heater will perk them back up.

I’ve cancelled this weeks scheduled germination. It seemed like everything was going great and I could afford to pop an extra week in there but I was maybe getting a little ahead of myself.