The Dude 4552s' Rubbermaid stealth grow winter 2008

The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone at Rollitup!

This will be my first serious indoor grow. Luckily my outdoor grows this season were a success. Planted in March, the roughly ten bag seed plants were harvested last week and yielded roughly 695g dry weight (they were planted in shade, beginners' mistake). My six G-13 plants unfortunately weren't so lucky. Thanks in part to the urban sprawl in my once rural community, rapid construction of a condominium led to the choice of me having to remove the plants August 3rd. They were planted in ground so could not be transplanted. Upsetting but nevertheless an inevitability for the odd guerrilla grower. Interestingly enough, as I happened to work near my successful spot, I noticed a week after harvest my local law enforcement decided to begin helicopter flyovers in the entire forested area where the plants used to be. A week too late for them I guess... :sleep:

---For the record, organic pot growing is where it's at! Organic through it all and NO watering! A very wet summer in Ontario this year for sure. After drying and curing the bud is delicious and smooth (an upside to a no-fertilizer approach). The bud is a numbing Indica, maybe a haze-cross and the euphoria of smoking the fruits of my hard labor this spring and summer adds to the stone.---

My neighbor also pulled off a successful harvest of eight G-13xBuddha plants which I guided him through, as it was his first time. As a thank-you for my marijuana mentoring, I received a nice zip of bud and also all the roughly fifty seeds from one of the females who was pollinated before the male could be removed.

So, now I begin my indoor grow. Using the Rubbermaid gr(l)ow box I presented in the grow design and setup forum, I took six of the seeds and began germinating them using the 'paper-towel' method I used on previous grows:

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1. Take three sheets of paper towel (without seperating them) and fold in half four times so you have one thick towel and one full thin towel.

2. Place the seeds, spaced out, on the thick piece of towel.

3. Spray the seeds with pH balanced water.

*Since I didnt go out and buy RO water from wal-mart, I used Canadian river springs water. It tested at 7.5 so I added some pH down and it then tested at 6.6. I felt this was sufficient as in previous grows I used normal tap water for germination to great success.

4. Fold the full paper-towel in half and place over top of the seeds.

5. Spray the towel, front and back and place in a large ziploc bag. Seal out all the air and place the bag in a place where there is no light (ex. under the couch, in a closet).

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That'll do it for Day One. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions as I am always open to discussion.

And check back in a couple of days for a germination update.

PS Sorry I have no pictures of the finished product I was working with 2 partners and I didn't want to spook them by taking pictures of everything and telling them I was going to post it online for everyone to see :)
 

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The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Day One
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Watered: 500ml/plant
Water pH: 6.6-6.7
Soil pH: 6.0
Nutrients: None
Light Cycle: 24/0
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Hello everyone at Rollitup!

So the first two (of eight) seeds have germinated so I went out to the local Canadian Tire and picked up a bag of miracle grow moisture control for the pots.

Filling the pots up roughly 95% of the way, I used the end of a hi-lighter to make a hole in the soil, roughly 2" deep, to place the seed into. I used a pair of tweezers and picked up the seed from the pod only (paying careful attention not to touch the root). The seeds were planted root up (although I don't know if there is a real benefit to this).

There is a farmers' market near my house that sells RO water for 4.96CDN for 5 gallons. I picked up 5 gallons and the water tested at a neutral 7.0. I added roughly 5ml of pH down, and it brought the 1 liter of water to 6.6-6.7.

I water in concentric circles starting from the outer rim of the planter towards the center until water begins to seep through the newspaper lining the pot and into the catch tray. I used 500ml per plant.

Currently I have everything running 24/0: circ. fans, exhaust, top and side lights. To make use of all the light on the two plants, I placed them near the 42w and angled the main fixture to aim towards the pots, as seen in the picture. I intend to keep everything going 24/0 until the plants start to develop more than one set of leaves, at which point I will regulate light time to 18/6.
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Ill take this time to mention I just placed an order with Gypsy Nirvana Seed Boutique for 10 feminized CH9 Jack & 20 Hindu Kush (for a friend of mine...) So expect a couple of Jacks in with the G13xbuddah some time within the next couple of weeks.

Also, I hereby give permission for anyone who wants to post within this journal to do so. See you next time!
 

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The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone at Rollitup!

Day Four



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General Details

Number of pots: 2
Soil pH: 6.5
Watering schedule: 500ml every two days
water pH: 6.6

Environment

Temps - Highs 80 - 82f (26-28c)
Lows 67-68f (20-21c)

Humidity - Highs 40-45%
Lows 35-38%
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Well day four and one seed has popped through the soil. No real activity coming from the second container however. I'm still waiting on some more of these seeds to germinate so I can fill some more planters.

However, I am contemplating whether to use the wide space to my advantage and fill the usable space with 2-liter soda bottles instead, SOG style. That way I can use the limited light height to maximize light efficiency. I also plan to purchase 2 more 23w 4200k CFLs to add some more light.

The temperature and humidity seem at a tolerable level. I may end up putting a bowl of ice cubes in the box next to the fan to circulate colder air should I notice any heat stress.

'Till next time!
 

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The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone at Rollitup!

Day Five


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General Details

Number of pots: 2 (now 4)
Soil pH: 6.7
Watering schedule: pots 1&2 - light spray on soil to keep moist
pots 3&4 - Thorough watering (500ml each)
Water pH: 6.6

Environment

Temps - Highs 84-85f (27-28.5c)
Lows 72-73f (23-24c)

Humidity - High 42%
Low 37%
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I decided day five was worthy of another update as the second seed has sprouted and two more germinated seeds were placed in soil. Since I didn't go over this last time, I'll explain how I prepare my pots:


1) Take planter with drainage holes and stuff newspaper (unfortunately I only had paper towel) :neutral:

2) Add a small layer of perlite (enough to cover the paper) to help drain water out the pot.

3) Fill the pot roughly 90% of the way with soil mix.

4) I use my finger to poke a small hole roughly 8-10mm deep and place the seed in, root down.

5) I water in concentric circles, starting from the outside of the container towards the center. I water thoroughly until there is seepage from the drainage holes.

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Also, I decided to create some humidity domes for the seedlings as I would imagine the container is not the ideal humidity. I simply cut two empty bottles of water in half, poked holes in the bottom of the bottom half, and cut a little slit for air to pass in. This should last until I can go buy some clear plastic cups to use instead.

What else is there to say? So far no problems to report. Be sure to check back soon for regular updates!
 

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Farsinchia

Active Member
hey dude nice grow so far I plan on doing a grow just like this only dwc with a 150w hps cool tube

keep up the good work!
subscribed
 

The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Thanks, Im working on this grow while I compile the materials to build my perpetual stealth grow cab (in a wardrobe.) Three chambers: Mother/clone, vegging and flowering. The cloners in that wardrobe are DWC and I planned on using a 150w HPS w/cooltube for the flowering chamber.

I might as well tell you that, as I have uncovered in my research, most people seem to have a lot of heat issues with rubbermaid containers. Even with 2 circulation fans and 2 seperate exhausts my temps still dont go below 60f (20c). Most of the time it fluctuates between 77-86 (25-30c). This could be because I have so many CFLs in such an enclosed space.

What does everyone think of the temps? Are they suitable or are there any quick, efficient ways to lower the temps?
 

The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone at Rollitup!

Day Seven


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General Details

Number of pots: 4 (now 6 !!)
Soil pH: 6.3
Watering Schedule: Pots 1-4 - light soil spray
Pots 5&6 - thorough watering (500ml each)
Water pH: 6.6

Environment

Temps - Highs 85-87f (29-31c)
Lows 68-70f (20-21c)

Humidity - Highs 42-44%
Lows 38-40%
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I've decided to hold out on buying the seeds until my wardrobe growbox is near completion, so I used two more germinated seeds and placed them in the box today. I have two more seeds in towels and when they sprout they will go into some 1/2 2L bottles that I have cleaned out and filled with soil. Another two 6" planters required more space than available so this is my solution. That will bring the total number of plants for the winter grow to eight.

So I checked this afternoon and plant #4 had sprouted, although a bit to the side of where I placed the seed. Interestingly enough, in pot two it seems another small plant is growing. Two leaves so far; Very odd since nothing else was planted and I used Mg soil.

I gave plants 1-4 some water sprayed on the soil to compensate for the lights drying it out. Plants 5&6 got a thorough soaking and will be sprayed tomorrow. Plants 1-4 will get another 500ml of water tomorrow.

***Question: If the planters take roughly 500ml of water before they drip through, how often should I water them?***

Be back soon!
 

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The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Hello again to everyone at Rollitup!

Day Nine


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General Details

Number of pots: 6
Soil pH: 6.8
Watering Schedule: Pots 1 & 2 - Thorough Watering (500ml each)
Pots 3&4 - Light Soil Spray
Water pH: 6.6

Environment

Temps - Highs 83-84f (27-28c)
Lows 68-70f (23-24c)

Humidity - Highs 47-48%
Lows 40%
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Hello everyone, some new things to go over. On Friday the Rubbermaid didn't dip below 86f (30c) so I knew I needed to make some changes. Firstly, I moved the remote sensor for the temp/humidity meter to plant level. Secondly I added in the only fan I had lying around the house: a Black & Decker box heater with fan function. I propped it up on another one of my books and turned it on to give a nice cool breeze to the plants. I aimed the fan that lost its spot and angled it towards the lights to further cool them.

It seems nice and cool inside the box to me, I wonder how the plants will respond. I can see the little leaves rustling from the gentle wind of the box fan which makes me think good things!:leaf:

I removed the humidity domes from plants 1&2 as they have outgrown them and placed the domes on plants 5&6 (4&5 still have the domes).

Since the plants will be in these containers for the remainder of the grow, I really would like someone to answer the question from my last update please:

Is 500ml, or 16fl oz too much water for every 3 days? The containers are 6" in diameter so probably hold 1 liter or 1 Quart. I am also using MG moisture control, if this matters.

Right now I thoroughly water each pair of containers (1&2, 3&4, 5&6) every 3 days:

So, on day one plants 1&2 get watered 500ml while 3-6 get a soil misting, if needed. On day two plants 3&4 get watered 500ml and 1, 2, 5&6...well you get the picture.

Don't be afraid to post questions/comments or suggestions. See you in a couple of days!

Edit--- Oh and if anyone would be nice enough to explain to me how to take close-up pictures in focus please let me know...there's some rep in it for you!
 

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The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Yet another Hello to everyone at Rollitup!

Day Eleven
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General Details

Number of Pots: 6
Soil pH: 6.5
Water pH: 6.6

Watering Schedule

Pots 1-2: Light soil spray, light foliar spray
Pots 3-4: Sprayed humidity domes
pots 5-6: Thorough watering (500ml each)

Environment

Temperature

Ambient Temps
Highs 82f (28c)
Lows 75f (24c)


Plant Level Temps
Highs 86f (30c)
Lows 79f (26c)

Humidity
Highs 48%
Lows 45%
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It took me a while to settle on the appropriate style and layout for the journal, plus I recently learned how to embed appropriately sized pictures into my posts so I can describe necessary (and sometimes unnecessary) information.

FYI - To change it up a bit, I took all of today's pictures from the other side of the container. It's a tight squeeze to get back there but it would lend new perspective. Plus I picked up a vaporizer today so I was in a very good mood:weed:



Not much new major growth to report; I just got so blissfully high with some Jack Herer and my new vape so I was delighted to login and update.

Since I am not a proponent of luck or karma, as it were, I decided to jinx myself and give all my plants male names. The first three were named after George Formans' 3 sons: George I, George II, and George III. Plants four five and six, respectively: Hank, Rick, and Jamie Lee Curtis (who apparently could also be a hermaphrodite...:lol:)

As you may or may not know, I am very interested in having the most space for my plants to grow as possible. I do not envision space becoming a problem at least for another week, so I want to make as much free space as possible within that time.

The cord protectors did wonders for keeping the wires for the fans propped up against the lip of the container, like so:



However due to their rigid plastic construction they do not bend, and thus I cannot use them for the free-floating wires (the top fan and main light fixture).
Pretty much I need to find a way to either affix the wires solely for the bottom container to the sides or... and heres my idea:


I'm open for suggestions If anyone wants to chime in (no major reconstructions however, as I want to put my grow money into my multi-chamber cab)

Now I will elaborate on my watering schedule:

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I watered George III and Hank today, 500ml each. Personally I think starting these plants days apart and watering them in pairs will lend an advantage to me. I am starting to notice the varying consistencies of moisture in the soil.

As you can see, George III & Hank are nice and damp, while the rest of the gang seems dry. However, when I put
my finger an inch into the soil of George I & II, its still damp. This means the lights' heat is drying out the soil surface, so I remedy with a light soil spray. Plus, I figured I'd tease these studs with some light foliar spray for those burgeoning leaves.

As for Rick & JLC, when I put my finger roughly 2-3 inches into the soil, it appears somewhat moist. This lets me know to wait until the next day to water and let the plants' roots grow out to find water. Plus since the water within the humidity domes has since evaporated, I re-spray the inside of them.
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Keeping this watering cycle going has been pretty easy, but I'm still worried about the plant level temperature. Hopefully after 18/6 has begun and as the plants grow they will learn to withstand the higher temperature. I even have a dedicated fan blowing on the lights and it cant lower the temp below 79f (26c).

Well that's it for now. Attached are pictures of the plants themselves and some photos of the box taken from this New Perspective...enjoy!

Edit---In case you pay alot of attention to the details in these pictures, you would have noticed, as I did, that 2 of the lights were not working. Fixed it, the Y-splitter was loose, no big deal.
 

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The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Well, according to the recent Seemorebuds dvd, one of the growers uses green light to work on his plants during lights off. Apparently plants do not react to light in the green portion of the colour spectrum. I haven't used it by itself as i'm currently on 24/0 but when I go to 18/6 lights are on at 2pm and off at 8am so I can work on them at night anyway. Its a 'just in case' light; in case anything has to be adjusted immediately in a worst case scenario situation.
 

The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone at Rollitup!

Day Thirteen
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General Details

Number of Pots: 6
Soil pH: 6.8
Water pH: 6.0

Watering Schedule

Pots 1-2: Light foliar spray
Pots 3-4: Thorough Watering (500ml each)
pots 5-6: Light foliar spray, light soil spray

Environment

Temperature

Ambient Temps
Highs 87f (31c)
Lows 80f (27c)


Plant Level Temps

***The remote sensor is malfunctioning. I guess $20 cant get you a half decent wireless temp/hum monitor in this world...Plant level temps will be back up by next update :)*

Humidity
Highs 40%
Lows 35%
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Hello! Lots of new growth to report. I have easily flown right past my previous indoor grow experience (I remember one 40w halogen flood lamp and practically no space for plant growth:?)



Alright I made some changes today when I opened the container. First off, I switched the light cycle to 18/6. I chose to do this earlier than scheduled because the temperature is still very high. I dont want to shock the plants and reduce any stress or harm as possible. On 18/6 there will at least be a 6 hour cooling period per day instead of 24 hours of 80f average temperature!

The lights are on a 7-day digital timer:




To save the hassle of setting am/pm I set the timer to 24hr time. The lights turn on at 2pm, Monday to Sunday, and turn off at 8am. This schedule means I can reserve time at night to tend to the plants.

Secondly, I removed the 13w green CFL as it was really just wasting electricity and had no real practical use. When all my cannabis botany will be done when the lights are on, It becomes a waste of space. So I took out the 13W green cfl and placed a 23W 4100k CFL in its place. Now a little bulb-socket tutorial:






Yes folks its that easy!

Thirdly, I noticed some stretching from Hank so I added some more MG moisture control up to nearly the end of the stem to compensate. Join me for my next update, here's a preview:

I find some new way to prop up that old black & decker fan!
Larger humidity domes!
A Humidifier!?!?!?

See you later...

One more thing to those who are tuned in: when would be best to top them?
 

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Tanman402

Well-Known Member
as a fellow rubbermaider i can say that you have done an excellent job constructing your box. i am subscribed. i will use your journal to compare to mine.
 

The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Thanks Tanman I did take some time to develop the self-containing concept of the tub (where to route wires, cutting down on temps etc.)

Hello everyone at Rollitup!

Day Fifteen
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General Details

Number of Pots: 6
Soil pH: 6.6
Water pH: 6.0

Watering Schedule

Pots 1-2:Thorough Watering (500ml each)+Foliar Spray
Pots 3-4:Light Soil Spray, Foliar Spray
pots 5-6:Light Soil Spray, Light Foliar Spray

Environment

Temperature

Ambient Temps
Highs 84f (29c)
Lows 68f (20c)


Plant Level Temps
Highs 86f (30c)
Lows 68f (20c)

Humidity
Highs 45%
Lows 35%
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Welcome back! We have just past the two week point since the first two seeds were placed in pots.



I needed to do some reconstruction within the box in order to fit 18/6 timers for both light fixtures. I took the original power bar that housed the exhaust fans and main light and switched it with the power bar with the 42W and the 23W. This allowed me to put all lights on timers and lets the 2 circ. fans and the exhaust work 24/7 to filter air in and out.

Also this does a good job of moving the wires out of the plants' way and tucks them a bit farther away from the lights as well.

Now, a tutorial on how I make my water:

1) I buy my water 5 gallons at a time from my local winery supply/water depot. This water comes from an industrial-sized RO Filter and I pay $2.50 per fill. Every day I pour approximately one liter into the jug you see here.


2) RO water (or Reverse Osmosis water) is distilled and contains less than 10ppm of dissolved salts. When I use my PPM meter to read it comes up at 11 (there is most likely a residue of some sort in the jug, no big deal).It reads at a stable pH of 6.0.



3) Normally I would add 5ml of pH up to get the water to roughly 6.5. Yesterday, however I noticed the soil pH beginning to drift towards a neutral 6.8 -7.0. To help stabalize the soil pH I am watering with pure RO water at a pH of 6.0 in an effort to gradually decrease the median soil pH to roughly 6.2-6.3. At that point I will revert back to watering with a pH of between 6.1 - 6.5.




4) I water from the edge of the pot towards the center in concentric circles to ensure even distribution of water and continue until I see drops spilling from the drainage holes into the catch tray.


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Well, everything seems OK for now. I went out to Canadian Tire and purchased a Honeywell Coolmist humidifier for $20.00. It was the cheapest and smallest humidifier they had, but it was too damn big to fit into this container. I took another book and propped up the B&D fan and the lower circ.fan. Doing this has reduced my daytime ambient temp to an average of 25-26c. Reverting to 18/6 seems to be helping as well. During lights off the box drops to roughly 68f (or 20c).

Humidity is still low, hopefully the bigger the plants get the more transpiration and the higher the humidity.

Until Next time...

I will take this opportunity to post the questions I have been trying to get answered but have yet to hear back:

Is 500ml every 3 days too much/not enough water?

When is the best time to top?

 

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The Dude 4552

Well-Known Member
Well to all those following this journal I am reporting that this grow has come to an end. I am focusing all my attention now on my perpetual cabinet build. I ended the grow Tuesday, stripped the box and kept all the supplies.

I am in no way dissatisfied with the design, it was working wonderful for me these past couple of weeks. But this was a temporary indoor grow and I feel my time is better spent on my mini-garden.

Heres a link to the growcab if you are interested:

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/125420-thedude4552s-perpetual-multi-chamber-grow.html
 

hardrockereverett

Active Member
Thats too bad that you ended it. I'm looking to make something very similar but with smaller bins. Can i ask where you got those sockets for your bulbs that just plug into a powerbar or extension chord. Best of luck your new project.
 

winmac

Active Member
yo i was gona buy cfl but the thing is that i dont got enough money to buy a reflector
what is that thing u attach all ur cfl to?
 
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