newbie cfl\hydro experiment - GreenPassion.org - Dedicated to Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation and Education

justanotherbozo · #1 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 10:14 AM

i decided to give this another try for the sake of the newbies like me. i don't know if this will help anyone other than how not to do things but sharing it will help me and i guess that's a good thing anyway.

this is my second attempt to grow the ganja and the first in hydro so i am sure i am making many mistakes and the things i do right i have learned here and other forums as well as from Jorge Cervantes and Greg Green's books.

my plan is to have 3 mommas from 3 premium strains (gonna buy the seeds with the money George is sending me to 'stimulate' my 'economy') as my foundation for a SOG with 32 stations, for a weekly harvest of 4 clones.

i'm using DWC exclusively as that seemed to be the simplest way to 'get my feet wet' so to speak, KISS, with the foundation for my SOG being 4 x 5gallon bins(prototype #3), each with 8 stations (each station houses a 9oz, cup filled with hydroton, each bin actually holds 27 quarts, 5 gallons brings the solution to about a half inch from the bottom of the cups).

i plan on rooting clones for approx 2 weeks, then to flower them immediately (hopefully my bins will be big enough).

anyway, here's some pics so you don't die of boredom.
(please don't laugh at my fumblings, i'm a newbie traveling the same road you once traveled and on a VERY tight budget)

1) my old lights ($25.00 Walmart security lights, Mercury Vapor, 170watts each) they sucked, don't buy them, i'm using CFL's now and the growth is far superior
2) prototype #1, just an underbed bin with duct tape and dowels hot glued to provide support system for the cups.
3) just another shot
4) some roots
5) a look under the stairs

justanotherbozo · #2 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 10:31 AM

some more pics as work begins on prototype #2.

and FYI, i started this experiment at the end of Feb. so these first pics are from the 2nd week of March.

also FYI, i'm using Technaflora's BC Grow, Boost and Bloom with ThriveAlive B1 red and green as my nutes (recommended by the guy at the hydro shop). i also recently started using Superthrive and Hygrozyme.

anyway, the pics

1) work begins on prototype #2
2) the wonder tool, makes short work out of turning cups into 'net' pots,
not so good for this job (i recently invested in a hole saw)
3) ragged edges
4) they fit !
5) ubiquitous duct tape
6) getting ready for moving day

scott06 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 10:47 AM

you are clearly very determined and working hard...I hope all goes well this grow...it looks very nice to me....the only thing I see that I would bring up is all those electric cords
Are they all going to a surge strip rather than directly into the wall?
Can they get wet on the ground and if they can could you raise them off the floor?
thanks for sharing your efforts

justanotherbozo · #4 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 10:55 AM

as a parent of 3 teens who think they know all the answers even though they haven't heard half the questions yet, i am often distracted from my passion (which is green, hence my desire to participate here). i struggle daily deciding whether to hug them or choke them, LOL.

anyway, as i am also not the most organizized guy on the planet, i got distracted during the move and half the plants went almost 24 hours without an air line into the bin resulting in root-rot. fortunately, i was able to nurse them back to health.

1) moving day half done
2) finally done
3) my poor roots (the yellow color is from stuff i added that is meant to treat fungal problems in fish)
4) more sick roots
5) a little healthier here
6) and here

justanotherbozo · #5 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott06

you are clearly very determined and working hard...I hope all goes well this grow...it looks very nice to me....the only thing I see that I would bring up is all those electric cords
Are they all going to a surge strip rather than directly into the wall?
Can they get wet on the ground and if they can could you raise them off the floor?
thanks for sharing your efforts

thanks for sharing yours as well, i've been watching, LOL.
anyway, i've since cleaned up the mess somewhat, i'm still ironing out the kinks yet so final positioning of everything is still being worked out. i will say though that i have a couple years training in electronics so i'm careful not to get electrical stuff wet, LOL
oh yeah, i forgot, the only thing plugged into the wall is a surge protector that i plug 2 more surge protectors into, one for the lights and one for everything else.

justanotherbozo · #6 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 11:14 AM

being a disabled vet on a VERY tight budget, i opted for CFL's once i found out how bad my MV lights were and i've been truely amazed at the results, i wish i had started with these the first time around (i haven't flowered yet but i'm VERY encouraged by others results)

anyway, i'm using mostly 6500Kelvin bulbs right now with about a 4 to 1 ratio, watt for watt split between 6500K and 2700K respectively. i'll be flipping the ratio around for flowering.

anyway, heres some pics of the expanding canopy, LOL

justanotherbozo · #7 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 11:17 AM

time for an attitude adjustment so, toke amongst yourselves.

justanotherbozo · #8 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 11:35 AM

justanotherbozo · #9 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 12:11 PM

if i want to make this thread interesting enough to get some feedback, LOL.
and since pictures are worth a thousand words, heres a few more.

pics 1 - 3 show my hi-tech solution for monitoring temps at root level
pics 4 & 5 show my first attempt at cloning
pic 6 shows the pots i used last year for my first grow ever (in dirt obviously, LOL)

Pappy · #10 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 12:13 PM

Looks like you're doing something right. Your girls seem happy and healthy. Good luck, with this grow.

Pappy

serge2dv8 · #11 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 12:22 PM

That's a neat setup you got there, I would like to make to couple of suggestions, that might help you increase your yield.

You look underpowered on light, Home Depot sells Bathroom bars with 3,4, or 6 bulbs for under $20. $1.98 extension cord to plug her in and a couple of screw in (Y's) to double the bulb count. The bar can be screwed to a 2x4 and hung with eyelets to make it easy to readjust.They look like a " Rube Goldberg" but work great. The depot also sells bulk packs of CF's in the 4100 range for vegging and 2100 range for flowering.

Reflective film on those walls and stair stringers will also increase effectiveness

Toughest nut you got to crack is how to exhaust that space, if you are fearless you can mount a small exhaust fan right thru the door.

Clones take 7 to 14 days to root, I suggest you veg'em for 30 days at 18/6 before switching to your flower cycle

Good luck friend, this game isn't for the weak of heart. I killed so many plants in my time that my best friend nicknamed me " Vald the drowner "

Good luck, good growing , peace.

justanotherbozo · #12 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pappy

Looks like you're doing something right. Your girls seem happy and healthy. Good luck, with this grow.

Pappy

although i haven't sexed them yet so don't know if they're girls yet. let me re-phrase that, i don't know WHICH are girls, i know SOME will be, LOL.

i didn't want to flip to 12\12 until i had replicated them, i've had a bitch of a time this year getting my clones to root! last year, my first year mind you, i had a 95% success rate with my cuttings. seemed like i could drop a fan leaf and it would take root, LOL.

this year, cloning has humbled me and made me actually LEARN how to clone, to understand, at least a little, the different variables involved so i could have a reliable source of healthy little girls.
i've actually built a cloner, inspired by looking at EVERY thread i could find about cloning and DIY projects, etc., etc., etc....

THANK YOU to all of the original posters!

anyway, here are a few pics of the cloner. and feel free to ask questions, although the pics speak for themselves.

1) inside, i've since removed those airwands and replaced them with 2 medium round airstones i got at the hydro store, lotsa more bubbles, lol
2) assembled, 18 stations, 3 rows of 6 sloppy 1 inch holes (the lid has ridges and my hole saw is shit) each clone is wrapped in a piece of pipe insulation and suspended just above the solution which consists of 2 gallons of tap water treated with 10ml of ThriveAlive B1 red and 2 drops Superthrive and 4 ml hygrozyme. (please tell me if the hygrozyme is a good idea, someone recommended it and it seemed to make sense to me, i may have mis-understood the application)
3) my first run, 17 of 18 rooted (that was before the addition of the hygrozyme)
4) root root

justanotherbozo · #13 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 01:01 PM

and thanks for the suggestions, as it happens, this is all stuff that happened in March, you will see as i go that i have considered some of those issues. my first priority was reproducability, which is where i'm at in the saga of my climb up the learning curve.

justanotherbozo · #14 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 01:30 PM

so, a little commentary.

first, i started work on prototype #2 on March 20 and by April 1 i knew they weren't deep enough to do the job, damn, lol, i'm tryin' to do this on the cheap.
so work begins on prototype #3, i hope this is it. 27 quarts, standing 10 inchs and with a foot print that is all of 18.5 x 11 inchs. they hold 5 gallons with a couple inchs for the bottoms of my pots to hang suspended in, 2 medium airstones provide many bubbles.

in the first three pics you can see #3 has almost exactly the same footprint as #2, that's important to me because, eventually, i will build 2 cabs to hold my bins, i'm not legal yet so i need to be stealthy. lol, as belied by my public postings i guess

anyway, pics 4 and 5 show the ridges on the lids, made it tough for my cheap-ass hole saw to get through and pic 6 is one of my air pumps and a thermometer/hygrometer.

justanotherbozo · #15 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 01:50 PM

despite my abuse, my plants flourish, surving root-rot and neglect.
damn, they grow like weeds man! lol
anyway, heres a few shots from early April to show how nicely they grew under my lights.
oh yeah, some specifics. 4x30watt 6500K plus 1x40watt 2700K CFL's all suspended in clamp fixtures with reflectors.
note the short internodes

justanotherbozo · #16 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 02:02 PM

i love watching them grow and i love my evolving garden, the nurturing of the plants is somehow relaxing.

anyway, this brings me up to the first week of April and i'm gettin' hungry

'I'll be back' (God willin' and the creek don't rise)

jangel · #17 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 02:09 PM

Hey you! They look just terrific! If you are doing this on the cheap your plants do not show it! And one thing, just cause I can....soil is cheaper than hydro in my opinion!!! .....sorry....I couldn't stop my fingers from saying that!!!!

Okay, one thing: Look in your phone book and see if there is a Habitat for Humanity store near you or any used building store. I found LOTS of cheap flourescents there (look for t-8's or even if you can't find them t-12's. T-5's are like gold so if you find any grab them!) And try using them on the sides. against your walls. The side growth will improve. I also found the same bath fixtures there as serge spoke of for a couple of bucks, and use them with cfl's hanging on chains for side growth. It looks all good bozo, just great! And you do what I do with the soldering iron to make holes in plastic. Works great but MAKE SURE YOU DO IT IN A WELL VENTILATED SPACE AS THE FUMES ARE CARCENOGENIC!

Also, those clones need some light. Not much but some. Aim a cfl towards it, not on it, but maybe a reflector or something, or put it near your set up to get bounced off light. I love your cloner. Just might try me that! Imagine that - a soil girl going hydro! LOL!

Keep up your good work! Looks great and you are very creative. Props to you!!!!

ISO2BWELL · #18 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 02:58 PM

Justanother:

Very nice work...and a good presentation to other newbie's (aren't we all?) about how creativeness and thinking something through as you go can lead to much better harvests and happier plants..

BTW, I've heard that a 4k spectrum isn't all that good...don'tknow why but the higher kelvin temp lamps are cheap too.

WALGREENS has 60w (relatively..I think thay are 13W CFL) 6500k daylight lamps at 4/$1.00 right now...yep, four for a buck. There is also a rebate on top of that you get applied at the store. Wife bought a bunch yesterday, and with her employee discount she actually got them for free, and $.40 change!

Put a few of thouse doubled up in a bathroom fixture and yo get some nice light!

ISO

justanotherbozo · #19 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 03:26 PM

like minds, think alike, lol

heres a couple pics of the new light fixtures i bought for my flowering op for under $5.00.
2 fixtures, 4 sockets each, with splitters = 8 light sockets x 40 watts actual (we don't need no stinkin' equivalences) = 320 actual watts per fixture
when the set-up is complete, each fixture will be suspended over 2 bins covering 16 very short clones (8 per bin).

anyway, the pics, lol

justanotherbozo · #20 (**permalink**) 05-17-2008, 03:39 PM

pretty much up to date.

my progress was terribly hampered by my struggles with cloning, i believe i have that under control now and am waiting for clones from my last few donor plants before flipping 1 clone from each donor to determine sex.
once that's completed and the males eliminated i can begin the process of nurturing 2 short, bushy mommas.
right now i'm working with two strains of bagbeans (note red and blue cups in pictures) so i figure 4 clones every other week from each momma.
what do you think? doable? i sure hope so LOL
a few more prototypes and we can throw 'on the cheap' out the window, LOL
anyway, i have the makin's for a scrubber that is planned as i know i need to seal them in for flowering. i haven't built it yet but the heart of it is an 8" inline 500cfm duct fan so, hopefully, it will pull plenty of fresh air through some passive intake sources.

so for today i think i'm done, LOL

hope you all enjoy the show, that's why i included so many pics and i can't wait til i have fresh nugs to show off! wish me luck!