Looking beautiful. I know you will love the coco mix, your growth will explode. I love the shit and have been using it w/o perlite but I'm going to start and expext even better results do to more air to the roots.
I'm also eager to hear about your regular ballasts vs. Digilux. You think it will outwiegh the price diff? I think a digi ballast with digi bulbs would work great butthey boast over 50% more light with the same power n seems a little far fetched. I also believe coil ballasts will last longer. You aren't using co2 are you?
Keep it up man. Can't wait to see the trees your talking about growing.
This coco thing is very exiting. I think I already posted that my hydroponics supplier is this Indian dude that supplies
all of the coco to
all of the coco distributers. Every coco I had tried before was too fine for my liking. Then, Coco Puff Daddy (thats what we call him), shows me this custom coco blend: 30% coarse coco/70% medium/fine. The stuff drains so good you don't even need perlite. I can't believe the water holding capacity, either. Then, there's the price. It works out to about 1/3 of Sunshine#4. I can't believe that I'll be growing in product right out of the bag (or block with the coco). For years I've mixed my own special blend. Even with Sunshine #4 I add perlite and vermiculite. Anyways, the 1 gallon test plants we tried the coco in shot roots out the drain holes in 5 days. That's a record.
I agree with you 100% on the ballasts. A magnetic ballast will probably last longer. I've had one for over 15 years. It's in this room. I use it in every grow for good luck. This ballast has never been busted or robbed. I don't know how long a digital will last. I would imagine that if it were kept cool, it would last quite a while. The Phantoms have a 5 year warranty.
I've never heard claims of 50% more light. It wouldn't suprise me, though. People clain all sorts of crazy stuff. As far as increased light, the Digilux bulb puts out around 155,000 lumens vs 140,000 lumens for a Horti. That's from my own testing, and that's more the bulb than the ballast.
There are 2 reasons I run digital...#1 The noise. Ever heard 20 mag ballasts buzzing away? It will drive you nuts. #2 Versatility. I can change bulbs at will. If I feel like some halide in the bloom room, i just change bulbs. I hate conversion bulbs. They're just cheap ass halides with no real enhanced spectrum.
Right now I'm not running CO2. When and if I seal the room and install the ductless split AC system, I'll put in a burner. To be honest, CO2 is kind of a pain in a perpetual op. The plants do become addicted. You need to isolate both rooms atmosphere from each other to keep the veg at 1200ppm while the bloom is sleeping. If the CO2 levels ever drop to ambiant, growth stops. I speak from lots of experience running CO2. If I have to seal this room, I'll have to run CO2. Otherwise, I'll just keep moving around 3000cfm through the rooms.
