Hydroponic Basement Grow (moved)

Constructive posts welcome here!


Apologies, but I wanted to strip my exif and tiff data from all my photos before uploading, so I decided to start my thread over, more structured here. Ive batched my files with http://www.irfanview.com/ and thus, makes me feel better about growing my tomatoes. Ive got too many trees in the back yard, so I gotta do it inside.

All the following photographs are taken from random websites, and any of my comments are strictly speculation. =)

Ok so I guess im not allowed to post pics thru RIU but i dont want to use photobucket for hosting images. Where is an alternate, but secure image hosting site that you guys would recommend? Im not allowed in the security forum =(

First, was in the closet. Had a bunch of little ones, and let em duke it out as they got bigger. oG started out using mere sunlight and dirt in a cricket container, with 5 siblings. Well, didnt water enough, and a few died. Well, all other 5 died. So I decided to put it in an 8" plastic pot with Miracle Gro 3month feed soil. I had about 52 in the eggcrates, maybe 3 seeds to an eggthing, to get the survivors of darwinism. Each time I found one not doing so well, I simply cut it and tossed. I had some really good bud from sometime in 2003 or something, so oG might be WW I got in college and saved the 2-3 seeds I found. Very hard to kill plant as well.



While the other bagseeds were duking it out over the light, I decided after much research to go the hydroponics route. I was used to care and maintenance of hundreds of gallons of saltwater aquariums, so it also appealed to me as I understand importance of maintaining chemical balance.

I decided to uproot all of the dirt plants, and washed their roots off of most soil in a warm bowl of water with a little growbig. (1/2tsp/gal) They, of course, had shock for about 4 days and didnt grow at all. I simply got tired of taking care of all the other ones and let all but 2 go off into the darkness.

Using 3DStudio Max, I rendered an image of what I would like my setup to look like. Then I made a rendering using the materials I had in my basement (heavy wooden pallets) before I attempted to move them.



oG and #2.

#2 was the best bagseed from this year, planted nearly 1 month AFTER oG. So as of this time, oG is almost 8 weeks old now, and finally having normal growth for a plant in 4th week of veg imo. So, by those standards, this plant has been doing poorly, but continued growth at this rate I can just say it is 4 weeks old and base growth from there. #2 is currently at a little over 5" tied down for scrog training, and oG is nearly 9" tied for scrogging. #2 would be growing rather strongly imo. Both plants had a spurt of nearly 2.5" in the last 9 hours.

Nutrients/Water

I had been maintaining foxfarm growbig level at 600-900ppm for the last week, gradually increasing in conjunction with citric acid to mitigate pH increase. I would add some more water pre-mixed with growbig every other day, until I reached a ppm of 1200-1300. On odd days, when the pH increased to 7.5, I would add 10% citric acid solution 1 tsp at a time until pH was 5.2. FoxFarms Growbig at 2tsp/gal is 5.8pH.

I have not taken pH/TDS readings today.

I noticed about .25" of roots peeking out of the holes in the bottom of the pots, so I decided to add 6gal of fertilized water to the rez. This brought the water level to half inch above bottom of pot, with 12" air stone directly underneath.

I had the tragedy of dropping my rock from Macchu Picchu into my rez, so im sure to have some rampaging inca amazonese bacteria or fungus shortly. Or it could bless my first grow. Heres to hoping for the latter. Im hoping positioning my rock between the two plants that kymatica would boost plant growth. So im a bit eclectic!

Meet #2



and here is oG (original Ganya)



...when they were babies. At this point, oG is about 5 weeks old, and #2 is about 2 weeks.

Less than nominal growth, but getting over all types of abuse. Overheating, roots being taken from dirty, etc

Three weeks later, this is what we get. #2 in the foreground, oG in the rear.

At time of this picture, im estimating 5 and 8 weeks of age, respectively.

Nutrient intake was at 600ppm and between 5.0 and 7.5 pH fluctuating wildly between when I mixed up the rez and the next day. 5x 26w cool blue cfl, + 1x 40w warm cfl.

My rez is an effective pitcher plant for these wasps. scoop their helpless asses out and >crunch< 17 less wasps.



Catching a watering. Set at 30mins each 7am and 6pm. water in rez is not touching the bottom of the pots, but rez IS being aerated with 12" bubbler.

Pump is variable (lies) 300-500<-- gph pond pump. Lowes. 54$ and well worth it. I wont pay for expensive pumps unless it is for something that needs to move some serious water. My ball valve is open maybe 1/16th of an inch. any more and it pressurizes to shoot water about 16ft away.

Each day, the plants have been developing rapid new growth. I cut the top node of oG about a week ago, and now the new fan leaves that developed (2) from that cut are about 3" long. Older fan leaves are over 1" in width for both plants. internodal structure seems very solid, with thickening dark colored stems, and very nice root growth. Training takes 1 day, and simply twisting the leaves is proving to be effective in positioning. Distance between nodes is approx 3/4" or less.



Upper view shows spread of both, prior to training



#2 about a week ago.



and oG.

Now that we're all caught up, last night we have these beauties.



Decided to increase rez water by 6 gallons. pots are .5" in the water.

And then this morning...

They grew so much, they got burnt by the cfls! oG was climbing up thru the middle of four lights.




#2 with burnt spot



oG. The top leaf is extending like that on its own.about 1.5" growth overnight.

5.6pH and 1120ppm. Plants used roughly 100ppm overnight. pH was 7.2 (new water wants to equalize pH to around 7.0-7.5) Hopefully I get some rain caught soon.

Its the pm and I went to do one more light distance and pH check. Of course, the pH was back up to 7.2. the nute level is 1100. Adjusted the lights to 2.5 inches and the pH to 5.6



#2



oG - nearly an entire inch since this morning.



tale of two beauties.



These are really taking off now. I guess im doing things right, now. Next comes the 400w hps. I am wanting to get about 12-15" in height, at which time I am going to clip a few clones to determine sex. If they are males, im just going to scrap them and start with some nirvana ww. If they are females, or even if one is female, im going to scrog it for a few weeks, then when im satisfied with the spread, moving the setup to the other side with 12/12 400w HPS and converting the current space to 8x 48" 110W UVL VHO Actinic White (12000K) in two DIY reflectors. I have used these flo's in reef lighting and I was always impressed with the growth they offer to corals, chaeto, coralline algae, etc... so I figure if I need flo's for growing, they are going to be these. http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?category=UVL_48_Inch_T12_VHO_Actinic_White_Bulb_(110_Watts)_VHO_Fluorescent_Light_Bulbs&vendor=UV_Lighting_Company_(UVL)&idProduct=UF3243&IdCategory=FILTBUFLVB&child=UF3483&tab=1&size=48 inch (110 watt)


Once these original two are parked in flower mode, im going to go Nirvana WW 2 fem beans in the box, and hope that since ive accumulated all the necessary goods, its time to get to real business.

You also might think I am crazy for using marine aquarium-keeping goods for MJ cultivation, but I am going to experiment with running purified water through a pvc tube with a Chemi-Pure filter to promote ion generation and stimulate growth. I figure I can install a 4" pvc tube into a Rubbermaid trashcan and attach it to my roof downspout. I found a rain barrel adapter with a screen in it and since I swear by chemi-pure for negative ion generation in the marine aquarium environment. time after time, it is shown extremely effective in increasing vibrancy of animals, as well as stimulating natural activity and vigorous growth and eating habits. If negative ions affect fish and invertebrates in such a way, why wouldn't it be a perfect rainwater treatment right as the water is going into the collection container? http://www.marinedepot.com/Boyd_Chemi_pure_10oz_Carbon_Replacements_Resin_Chemical_Filter_Media-Boyd_Enterprises-BE1113-FIFMCHRM-BE1113-vi.html

im going to increase the size of the air pump and the air stones. I think I want 12 stones, 6 to a pot. http://www.marinedepot.com/Aqua_Fizzzz_1_inch_Cylinder_Air_Stone_(4_pkg)_Cylinder_Air_Stones_Diffusers-Hagen-HG10961-FIARASCA-HG10962-vi.html These create great microbubbles. This is mine once I find it on ebay. http://www.marinedepot.com/Coralife_Super_Luft_Pump_SL_65_Multiple_Outputs_Adjustable_Flow_Plug_In_Air_Pumps-Coralife-ES01656-FIARPIAFMO-ES01657-vi.html

this morn, more good growth, pH was 7.1 and 1000ppm. Decided to try for 5.6pH and 1500ppm after adding just enough growbig to get it to 1500. If I see a little nute burn by this afternoon, ill take out some rez and add fresh water, if not, heres to hoping for the boost. However growbig is 6-4-4 (though my bottle says 6-3-5 or something to the liking) Should I be using something with more nitrates while in veg?

I havent really done much except trim off lower leaves that looked scraggly. I took the two 6" fan leaves off the bottom because they were starting to sag and cover the lower branches.

I tied string to some of the inner branches to spread them out and encourage stronger growth. The fan leaves are huge now on oG, so if the other leaves get more light, im likely to have about 6 buds in all i think. A tragedy occurred earlier; I was trying to forcefully pull the string from where it was lodged and broke off one of the bud-bearing branches. Sadness. It is wierd. While my daughter getting that prick in the foot for the first time and her subsequent reaction nearly made me bawl, breaking off one of those branches is nearly the same.

I rudely bent oG over as it was now 15" and over the height I desire. I attached a zip-tie to the upper node area and looped a piece of 16ga electrical wire to the pot. I wanted to encourage the top to reach for the lights, but i didnt want to tie it down, so, I hung a scrap piece of lighting chain on the top node area, weighing it down a bit. I positioned all the bud-branches (please tell me the word for this part of the plant.) higher and more toward the lights, while I tied down most of the big fan leaves.

I eagerly anticipate the 400w hps. I will immediately move oG over and give all the veg light to #2. I should be applying better nutes soon as well, and controlling the pH automatically.

I have also collected some water for use, about 5 gallons or so. So thats exciting. I think I will go to the store and get a 5gal drum of h2o so I have a more convenient mode of storage and use.

anyone has any advice, do tell. Also, I would love to pay for a subscription, but the site wont allow me to buy one =/

big ol fan leaves.




you can kindof see it, but right now, this is the only area that has any droplets of anything. Mostly waxy substance that smells pretty good. seems to be more production of the substance on the underside of the leaves.



wrenched oG down, we will see what comes up. Like a reverse waterboarding.

The light is much closer to more leaf surface per inch than before, so I expect increased uptake just in time for new nutes.

I was told by a 25yr grower; (when grown in dirt) "Weed does not need you. You might need it, but it certainly does not need you."

Well, this isnt dirt, the plants absolutely need me to get things right. So as I become a scientist in horticulture, I cant wait for the next try.

yep thats #2



and the oG

Well congratulations to me, I dont know what is up with my photobucket still... but


oG is a female! #2 has not yet begun exhibiting anything indicative of sex. I can now see with naked eye about 12 little doo-dads that have pistils on oG which is exciting. #2 seems to have flimsy looking branches and I think the extended high pH is now affecting the plants. SO, I finally am lowering it, dunno why ive waited this long.

Been a while here but wanted to put the thread to completion loose ends, you know?


oG: Sensimilla. Sativa. No sticks, no seeds. Manicured/Dry weight: 79.2grams. harvested and hung in closet for 10 days at 70F/35-40RH, then plan to cure for at least 2 weeks in sealed glass jar, opening jar 2x a day. Day 2 so far shows an incredible smell of pine/mint, with no harshness though a sting on the first hit. After initial hit, smoke has been smooth, comes on after two hits. Because I harvested maybe 1 week early due to several accidents and moments of cranial cavitation, buds are small, around a dime to a gold dollar size. However, two bowls is a total of two nugs. They are nice and tight, so you can just grab one out of the jar and cram it in the bowl, no sticks or seeds to worry about, and just blaze on. Two bowls and im set. After a celebratory 6ft 2"PVC bong hit I was toast. Dog was toast. Gf was toast.

As far as my personal experience with herb:
`I say it is about a 6-7 out of 10 in strength and is definitely more of a head high. My back still fuckin hurts so its not medicinal. Im pretty high but im composed. I can still think, but I get giggly. Something I havent had in a while. Its refreshing.
`9 out of 10 in taste. My absolute favorite has to have been my "father in law's" which is incredibly piney because he uses pine needles and leaves and god knows what else organic and knows his shit. It tastes so incredibly good. Mine isnt that good but it is pretty close. The taste was exactly how the plant smelled when you rub your fingernail on the stem. I went until the entire bud was crispy but still held up under a squeeze. HPS FTW. I think it needs a week in the jar before it mellows out though, and gets rid of that minty sting. Like, pinesol/wintergreen mouthwash or something lol. (pinesol being less of a chemical descriptor but intensity of smell)
`Color is really green. It definitely went a really dark color from what it was and thats why I thought it was the change, yet, after cutting and manicuring I discovered the tops had begun to bronze. I asked the knowledgeable ones for an exacting critique and they said they were inpressed with my first harvest. So thats great. I know my mistakes, and have learned from them. Practiced on bagseed.

#2: Sensimilla Sativa is still going. Sorry, no pics anymore, i must be humble in my obscurity. Too much shit going on in the world today. Soon I might drop off the internet alltogether because its such a damn distraction. There is a lot of work to be done. I expect to yield at least 100grams Dry/Manicured.

#2 = > 125g and everyone I gave a sample to has been screamin "wheres that homegrown???" I wish I had not given so much of it away to people I needed to "make things even" but an ounce for me seems to go 3 weeks.

But, I wanted to give everyone my experimental bag schwag to get an idea of its value and ppls want it. "Killer," or my Nirvana WW plant is now the same size as BOTH oG and #2, combined, at their peak. Killer has not experienced the 4-8" spurt yet, but with 2x 430w AgroSun I have the hoods as high as they can go and now have to hang mcdonalds tea cups around the colas 5x main colas 25+ secondaries giving it the appearance of a big hand. Trunk circumference is 6.25" compared to 3.75" appx both previous plants. Root ball cannot fit into a 5gal - 13" diameter and 16" length and resembles a Treasure-Troll getting a swirly. At the astonishing rate of growth I am going to conservatively estimate at least 6ounces and maybe 8ounces. The foliage is a pain to trim it grows so ridiculously. I break off an 8" diameter leaf and another 6" is back in its place a day or two later.

I beleive the world is getting to be a hairy place and this plant is medicine for me. I plant to extract, butane, and bake a majority of the plant material to use as much as possible while keeping a good amount for personal consumption and sharing, perhaps as a bartering tool.