How to set up a
grow room:
The first thing that you need to do, is set
aside a suitable place for growing. This is actually a large portion of the
obstacles you'll need to overcome.
Hopefully you'll size the room according to how much light you'll be supplying. A rough guide is:
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Yes you can have many lights in one room. You'll also need ventilation and
exhaust. Besides ventilation and exhaust, you should plan on
air cooling your
light. At the very least, a glass shield helps alot. No glass shield or air
cooling is a recipe for disaster.
Besides exhausting your grow room, you'll need some intakes for fresh air to be
bought in from outside the room.
If you are using a 6" exhaust, you want double that on intake.
There are several mathematical formulas floating around
for properly sizing your exhaust.
Here is one: Take your lights wattage, multiply by 3.2 and divide by the cfm of
your exhaust fan.
400watts x 3.2 / 500cfm= 2.56 degrees above ambient temp is where your grow
rooms temp will be.
More is always better. The sole purpose of an exhaust
is not to only expel the heat, but also to replenish the depleted co2 in the
room.
You'll also need an oscillating fan in the grow room.
It will take some experimentation on your part to find out what combination of fans works best.
On the note of experimentation, and opinions for that
matter, you'll find growers to be very opinionated people.
We love to experiment, and we all believe our way is the only way. This is so
false it's not even funny.
There are 1000's of ways to successfully grow the plant. Remember it is a weed
after all.
If the advice one grower gives you, does not feel comfortable, or does not fit
your growing style, seek out some more advice.
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Grow Pots:
This, on the surface would seem so basic, and often taken for granted. It
shouldn’t be though, they are very important to healthy
root growth. Every pot
you use should have proper drainage holes in the bottom, if they do not, make
some holes in the bottom for
drainage. The other important factor here is size.
Start small, and plan on transplanting about every two weeks during the vegging
stage.
You can start off in something simple, like a 12 or 16 oz plastic cup,
not a transparent cup though, it has to be colored. A transparent
grow pot will
allow light in, and get at the roots. Roots will not grow well in a lighted
condition. Roots and light are just plain bad.
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Earth/Soil:
The next step is to gather your growing things. What do we all need if we’re
going to grow cannabis? Pots to put soil in, which should
not pose any major
problems. By soil I mean an earth mix, of course, and in this you have a huge
range to choose from. Cheap bags
of earth as sold in many gardening centers will
work, but can pose many problems for the beginner. The earth contains little
nutrient
and is not airy enough. Well aerated soil is important for good
development of the roots of our cannabis plant. By ensuring you have
a well
aerated soil the plant will grow more vigorously, be stronger, more healthy –
just better all round. You can achieve this by
adding small, white, light stones
called perlite to your earth, which make it airier.
| Now it has to be said that cannabis plants will pretty much grow on anything;
after all it is and remains a weed. But try and indulge the plant as much as possible and she will indulge you in return come harvest time with a large yield. So make your way over to the local grow shop if you can. The biggest advantage of using good quality earth is that you have nothing or very little to do. So you do not need to add extra nutrients, for example. Try to get a decent organic soil from your local gardening center, add about 35% to 40% perlite to this soil and you’ll have a decent base to start with. This recipe can always be improved upon, it is merely a starting point, that will work. However, you could add some domolite lime, bat guano, bone meal, blood meal, the list goes on and on. Try a good organic soil available from your local nursery, along with the necessary pearlite, and whatever else listed above, that you may decide to add into your soil. |
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Acquiring Seeds:
We have filled out pots with earth, so what do we need now? Well obviously,
growing marijuana without the cannabis plants
themselves can be a little
difficult. The easiest way to get hold of some, is from seeds. These can be sold
in most countries
and you can order them without any problems.
I can hear the next question on your lips: what sort should I raise? And why are
some seeds so expensive and others cheap?
The simplest way to explain this is
that it is similar to the difference between branded clothes and unbranded.
Branded clothing
costs much more but is not necessarily better. The major part
of the price you pay is going on the brand itself, and the same goes
in the seed
world, where the well-known names command the highest prices. It also has to do
with the image; ‘expensive’ is
associated with being ‘better’.
One company sells its seeds for more expensive prices but sells fewer than the
seed company which sells its wares for cheaper
prices. Also, the amount of work
put into a seed’s development and that of new varieties (basically, R&D), adds
to the price.
Through many years’ experience the quality of the seed is kept
high, as with big companies such as Sensi Seeds, and the asking
price is high as
a consequence.
But the eventual price depends on many, many factors and my own experience is
that price is not necessarily an indicator of quality..
You can have good and bad
experiences with expensive and cheap seeds.
Even seeds picked out of your weed can be raised into decent plants. But we
still haven’t got our seeds, so which will we plump for?
There is way too much
choice, I must say. Each variety has its own qualities in growing. So the good
news is you can’t really make
a wrong choice. So don’t work yourself up into a
lather choosing. But to make it easier for you: go for an Indica variety. Why an
Indica? You have two basic sorts of cannabis plant: Indicas and Sativas.
Indicas don’t grow too large and have a short bloom period, with strong, broad
stems and wide leaves. The Sativas are the opposite,
with a strong growth
leading to large plants with thin leaves, and especially during flowering, are
much bigger than the Indicas.
You also have hybrids of the two that are
primarily Indica with a little Sativa, or they can be mostly Sativa with a dash
of Indica
in them. Both sorts are outstanding but for a beginner there is a
greater chance of success with an Indica. Sativas can be
unpredictable and
during flowering can triple in size.
Indica varieties will double their size at most during flowering, which is way
less (especially when space is limited).
Indicas are therefore easier to deal
with and do not hold as many surprises in store, as well as having greater
resistance
to stress (with less for the grower in turn). Definitely for the
grower with just a few plants in a cupboard I recommend the
Indicas. Now I don’t
want to give the impression that a Sativa is hard to raise, but if you want to
maximise you chances
of a successful harvest you have got to go for an Indica.
You will notice that there are a lot of these to choose from.
Everyone has a personal opinion on what variety you should go for, so choose for
yourself, as it is ultimately down to
personal preference.
So finally, after much ohh-ing and ah-ing, you’ve made a choice. Nice one!
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How do I
germinate my seeds:
Once again, you'll find countless methods for germinating seeds. Here
are some:
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(1) I use a paper plate, a moist paper towel, laid on the plate, and folded
half over the seeds, and I slide the whole thing into
a zip lock baggie, than I
blow into the baggie just before zipping it shut. This way as the moisture
evaporates, it is re-distributed
back over the paper towel.
I place the whole thing into a drawer, next to my stove, it's kept warm there.
48 hours later they are ready for planting.
After germination the sprout is placed tap root down with the little bean head
about 1/4 inch deep.
Every other day for the first two weeks they get some superthrive mixed at 3
drops/gal water. Superthrive is not a nutrient but a combination of hormones and
vitamins that primarily stimulates root growth.
(3) Take a cup, put some water in the cup and drop the seeds in. Place in a WARM place and check for the taproot periodically.
(4) Wet paper towel. Fold and put inside tupperware. Place in warm area (like on top of light) wrap in black plastic first.
Something should be said on cleanliness, and being sanitary when handling
seeds, wash your hands thoroughly first, and handle as little as possible,
especially when making the transfer from the paper towel into it's first new
home.
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What is HID lighting:
Marijuana is naturally a high light requirement plant. While there are
alternatives, this is the plants natural desire, to bathe in lumens.
To fill that need, growers typically use HID lighting, because it meets the
demands of the plant.
HID (High Intensity Discharge) Lamps are:
Efficient. They put out more light, with less energy usage, than any other type
of illumination available to indoor growers.
Bright. HID's produce more light than other types of indoor horticultural
lighting.
Expensive. HID's cost more than flourescents. They range in price from $50-$600
dollars.
Hot. HID's produce heat and precautions have to be taken.
Fluorescent lamps are:
Inexpensive. Shoplight fixtures can be purchased for as little as $7. Compact
fluorescent bulbs only cost a couple of dollars
a piece.
Locally Available. Most discount stores and home improvement stores carry
inexpensive, fluorescent fixtures and bulbs.
Fine for vegetative growth. Fluorescent bulbs put out plenty of light for plants
growing vegetatively, including mothers,
seedlings and clones. Some growers
prefer fluorescents for vegetative growth because of the slower pace of growth
and better
root development.
Fluorescents need to be in close proximity to achieve their rated output, which
means their canopy penetration is more
limited than HID's.
Comparatively inefficient. 10 forty watt fluorescent bulbs use the same amount
of energy as a 400 watt HID, but produce far less light.
Since they use the same
amount of energy but produce less light, the remaining must be given off as
heat. Contrary to how it may
first appear, fluoros actually run hotter than the
equivalent wattage of HID-- they just disperse the heat quicker, because it is
spread
over a wider area.
Rough coverage guidelines for HID lights:
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Typically a grower would use a MH light for vegging, and an HPS light for
flowering. These offer the best color spectrum, for
the associated stage of
growth.
Rules are made to be broken though, HPS light bulbs have improved, and growers
are learning you can veg & flower using
an hps, or veg using cfl's and save some
money on your electricity, than flower with their HPS light..
(MH=metal halide light HPS=high pressure sodium)
How many lights/watts can I safely put on a 15 Amp service?
The rule of thumb is to only load a breaker up to 80% of its rated capacity. On a
15-amp service with 14/2 gauge wire one
should only load it up to 12 Amps MAX.
Since most lights will draw 1 amp per 100 watts a 15-amp breaker can handle one
1K light each. This brings up another point in home growing. That it is always
good practice to have the fans and the light that
they cool on the same breaker.
That way if the breaker is somehow tripped (Murphy's Law) then both the light
and its cooling
system are down. Instead of the cooling system for the light
going down and the light still blazes away because it was on another
breaker.
Note: above figures are estimated based on 110V supply.
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All about
Vegetative growth
Vegetative growth is the second stage in the life of a plant after it completes
germination and begins photosynthesis. During this stage
a plant will be photosynthesising as much as possible to grow as large as it can before the
onset of the flowering phase. In essence it
is the period of growth between
germination and the beginning of sexual maturity characterised by flowering.
All plants have a vegetative stage where they are growing as fast as possible.
It is almost standard practice to grow Cannabis plants
with no dark period, and
increase the speed at which they grow appreciably. Plants can be grown vegetatively indefinitely
(Mother Plants for clones). It is up to the gardener
to decide when to force the plant to flower.
Again, there are many ways to accomplish this. The basics of vegetative
growth is to grow
your plant, until it reaches sexual maturity.
There are 2 features that distinguish mature veggie plants from immature ones.
They are alternating nodal arrangement and leaves
with 5 or more blades. You can
flower before those features are present, but the plants perform a whole lot
better if you wait.
Most strains except for equ. sats have these by 12" or so.
Personally, mine have always had these features before they reach 30 days old.
There are other factors to consider too, most indoor growers veg for about 4
weeks. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
Alot of indoor growers like growing an Indica strain. These will about double in
size when you switch to flowering cycle.
A Sativa, will grow about 3 times it's size, during flowering.
These factors, all need to be taken into consideration, along with the size of your grow room, and the light that you are using.
The main difference between vegetative growth and flowering is the light cycle. 18
hours of light (or more) and 6 hours of
complete darkness tells the plant it is
in vegging state. (Some people veg using a 24 hour light cycle). A 12/12 light
cycle,
tells the plant to flower. It is important to maintain complete darkness
during flowering.
Some members input:
2. I use a 4 foot shoplight with 2 40 watt cool white flo's. I also have a
17 watt fish tank flo and a reptile flo im not sure
what the wattage is. I
also have a 150 watt hps that im using right now but thats only cause i dont
have any plants in flower
at the moment. I like to tie my plants down to let
the sides grow out. I usually let them go until they are about a foot tall
before
putting them into flower. I also cut the top cola off so the sides can
catch up to the top. I just topped 2 of my plants yesterday
and i'm trying to
clone them by sticking them in water. I dont have any root gel or nutes
besides some miracle grow but i dont like
using it. I basically germ the seed
throw it in dirt and water it.
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Sexing your plant
Determining if all your hard work was spent on a lady....or a guy.
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Some members input:
1. 2 ways...one throw them in flower and pick the males out...two cover lower
branches with panda plastic for a 12-12 effect once
again pick out males
2. First I put on some slow music then I give her some Vodka, When I switch the lights to 12/12.........oops what were we talking about?
3. I love the strains that show preflowers as soon as I see balls they go
into the compost pile.
Women = good
Men = bad
4. I like to wait until the plants have 3 rd set of leaves.
That is usually 3-4 weeks.
I then switch them babies to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark.(For the
growing impaired)
If the are in total and complete darkness they should sex in 7-14 days.
The darker you can get the dark cycle the guicker they will show.
White hairs are girls. Keep the girls.
Little balls that eventually burst and spread pollen are the males.
Kill the males unless you want to take pollen for cross breading.
Sometimes you will get hermies and they can be sneaky.
They may appear to be female at first.
So the females, you'll find that you need to keep watching them to make sure they do not develop the
male pollen sacs.
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The flowering cycle
The flowering cycle, again, is determined by the light cycle. Outside, it is a
natural occurrence, as the days grow shorter, the plant
receives less sunlight,
and starts to flower.
Inside all we have to do, is change the lights from our previous light cycle
of 18/12, to 12/12, and this tells the plant to flower.
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Some members input:
1. Honestly All I do is put the lights to 12/12 and start using bloom food.
Observations
The ones started from clones flowered in a few days.
The ones started from seed took a couple of weeks before they started to flower.
This is my first time around and I really did not do anything elaborate. I used
the same 400wt HPS that I vegged with.
I had to stake one of the girls because
her top was making her bow.
2. I flip the lights back to 12/12, I continue my vegetative nutrients, (or
grow nutrients) for another 10 days or so into flowering,
because this is when
the plant grows the most. I mix the vegetative nutrients with my bloom formula.
I start to switch her over to flowering nutrients, but hit her again with
vegetative nutrients, about halfway through flowering.
This last time, I used feminized seeds, and saw flowers on the first day of
flowering!
I also like to flush, or rather leach my soil grows throughout the flowering
cycle, 2 to 3 times during flowering is usually enough.
I see a large growth spurt after doing the leaching.
3. After a month of Vegging. I flick over to 12/12 under a 600watt light and
have the light 450mm away from the top of my girl.
I have my girl in a 20lt pot that drains at the bottom into another 20ltr pot
that drains outside. I grow in CANNA COCO.
I put 7 litres of water through my girl a day when flowering. People have said
im nuts, but i have a big bushy girl that growing up fast.
The excess just drains off. The first water of the day i water around the
trunk of the plant. The second water of the day, I water I
put around the outer edges of the pot. Seems to work well and get those little
roots moving outward pretty quick. But the most
important thing is to get your Nutrient and ph correct. I use a nutrient that is
made in Perth Western Australia its called GT COCO.
Its made by GROTH TECHNOLOGY and there is are problems getting a regular
supply. I really like the stuff Has made my girl
healthy and strong. I have a great deal of fresh air coming into the room via 2
pretty strong intake fans I also run a carbon filter
on my extractor fan. I have 3 oscillating fans moving the air around the room.
One fan at the base. One between the plant and
the light and one blowing air around the top of the room.and I use CO2
powder at the base of my plant every day. All this is
sealed in an air tight room which remains at 50 degrees C.
Nothing comes in or out unless i want it to.
Recommendation: End the flowering cycle with only water for the last couple
of feedings, you do not want to go through all the work
of growing your own herb, and have to taste nutrients in your cured product. The
plant will use up all of its stored energy/nutrients
and give you better tasting product this way. A good rule of thumb is,
only water for the last week.
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When to harvest
The preferred way to harvest is by judging the color of the trichomes.
Trichomes are small appendages that look like hairs. They are produced by
marijuana, and other plants. Female marijuana plants produce certain trichomes
that are a rich source of THC. These trichomes start out clear, turn a milky
color, then turn amber (light brown).
The trichomes in picture 1 are clear. After the plant has flowered, the
trichomes start to turn a milky color (picture 2). In the later stages of
flowering, trichomes will turn to a light brown color (picture 3). The amount of
time required to get to this point depends on the marijuana strain and the
growing conditions.
In picture 2 you can see the stems have started to turn from a clear color to a
milky translucent color. For maximum THC content and a more cerebral high,
harvest your plants when a majority of the trichomes on the plants in your
garden are a fully milky translucent color.
You can wait until most of the trichomes have started to turn amber, but the
resulting marijuana will produce more of a body stone than it would if plants
were harvested earlier. The trichome in picture 3 is about 90% amber, with just
a trace of the milky translucent color it previously possessed.
After the trichome is fully amber in color, the THC starts to degrade. This
makes it very important to harvest marijuana at the time before the trichomes
have attained a total amber color. If not, the marijuana will not be as potent
as it could have been.
On your first harvest, if you are having a hard time judging when to cut the
plants down, a good rough guide as to when to harvest is to wait until you see
the first sign of amber trichomes on each plant.
Note that trichomes are too small to be seen properly with the human eye. To see
them properly, you can use a 10x magnifying glass or a 20x to 70x pocket
microscope. Radio shack sells a pocket microscope 60x for $10.00
The greatest concentration of trichomes can be found on the growing buds.
The pictures below, in order are, clear, milky and amber.
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Here is a handy chart below that sums it all up
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Curing your harvest is just like aging a fine scotch. There are many ways to
do it, but if you take the time to do it properly,
you'll be left with a natural, smooth tasting smoke. There are many "quick
drying" methods that certainly will work, but we are more concerned with keeping
to the basics for now, and ending up with a quality product.
The proper way to cure your product, as Tony Soprano would say......is to
whack 'em. Cut it down low, and trim as much leaf as possible, You'll find it
easier to do the trimming now, rather than after it is dried, as after it is
dried, it would make a mess doing the trimming.
(I usually save all my trimmings, I use to make iso oil, but my new love is to
make brownies with them, yummy!)
Moving on, we've cut our ladies down, and trimmed them, now our main concern, is to keep the humidity as low as possible, to avoid any mold growth. The best way to go about the curing is to hang your ladies from a chain, or a string, or some people like to place them on a screen.
Whichever method you choose, just make sure there is good air flow around all sides of your buds. I usually hang mine for about 5 days in a dark location. Light degrades THC. At this point, they seem dry to the touch, but what is happening here is that the outside is dry, but the center of the bud is still extremely wet. What you need to do now, is place them, loosely into a brown paper bag and close the top.
Now, after 24 hours, open the bag, and look, you'll notice the dampness, has been re-distributed throughout the bud, this is good, leave the bag open for a couple of hours, than seal it back closed again. You should do this "open & close routine" for about 3 more weeks.
After the 3 weeks has passed, you are now ready to sample some of your hard
work, it is now cured.
Alot of people at this point, transfer the buds into glass mason jars to further
cure the plant some more.
Some members input:
I cut the plants as low as possible, trim away as much leaf as i can then hang upside down for a few days to a couple weeks...then when the buds start feeling crisp on the outside i move them to the next step which is trimming them off the stalks an manicuring them then i place them in brown paper sacks for a week or 2...then on to the mason jars for an indefinite amount of time....for the first month I continually check the buds each day for mold or a mildew "ish" look...if I do find mold I just go back one step, if I got mold on the hanging then I cut the plants up and lay the buds on a screen in front of a fan for a week.
DIY stealth
Rubbermaid growbox
Submitted by: Smokedoja
Some of my friends have been using these growbox's with great success...VERY
discreet, good yields, low wattage (156 watt), low cost ($88)
and simple to set up and maintain!
I just got done making mine, and I documented it so I could share it with the
good people at greenpassion.
Here are some pictures of the finished product followed by detailed instructions
on how to build your own
OK, heres the list of stuff to grab...kinda in order
1.Two 21.5 gallon tubs
2.roll of tin foil tape (or mylar with some double-sided tape)
3.Two 3socket 18" light fixtures from lowes (item#122251.ask em)
4.Two 26 watt 3packs of GE CFL bulbs
5.Extension cord
6.12volt AC adapter
7.Computer fan
-~you can replace the 26 watt bulbs with 42 watt bulbs if you want, giving you a
total of 252 watts~-
So to start off, grab a couple 22 gallon rubbermaid tubs, or any size really, 35
gallon tubs are good too, and smother the insides with tin foil tape, or mylar.
don't forget to get the bottoms, i forgot to get a pic.(stoned as hell)
Next, Take the light fixtures out and remove the ground screw
get rid of that white shiiit...its heavy as hell and can make the box tip
and now you're left with the insides. (much lighter)
so to make em fit in the container, all you need to do is grab some wire or
metal cutters, probably some plyers would work, then cut and bend the ends of
the flimsy aluminum...(if you have a bigger box size you wont even need to bend
this stuff, its just for the smaller box's)
now just do the other side and set these aside for now.
ok next you put the fixtures in the tub and mark the 3 holes you need to
drill, 2 for the screws and 1 for the wires (on each side)
Drill the holes, make sure the middle hole for the wires is big enough for them
to fit.
Grab some screws
mount and tighten up
now you'll have the 3 wires (pos,neg,ground) dangling outside the box on each
side.
Grab that orange extension cord that you got for 3.99 and cut a 3 ft chunk out
of it.
with some scissors cut a couple inches of the orange plastic off each end to
expose the wires.
Take some cheapo wire cutters (I got mine from Meijers for 4.99)
and strip away the tips of the positive,negetive and ground wires on each end of
the 3 ft chunk.
strip the ends of the wires from each fixture (the ground wire is already
bare)
match em up!
twist em up...
cap with some wire nuts and wrap em up with some electrical tape.
wrap it up real good now
Now, take a nice long chunk of the "plug-in" part of the cord.
split
and strip
now match up the colors (remember the light fixtures ground wire is bare)
and twist em all up...light fixture, 3 ft of cord that you just attached to the
other side, and the long "plug-in" chunk of cord.
now cap with wire nuts and wrap em up good!
REAL good.....
it should look somethin like this
screw those bulbs in and give it some l i g h t !
its time for a break with my Volcano!!!
ok, now its time for some ventilation...
I order a 120mm computer fan from
www.newegg.com ,they're fast....
use a cd to trace a circle on the top of the box, its the perfect size!
I bought a cheap 10 dollar soldering tool. I recommend these because its so easy
to cut out holes.
now just mount the fan so it blows air out, I accidentally mounted it the wrong
way the first time.
For some air flow, you need a passive intake...cut a hole near the bottom of the
tub, I put a pvc tube to redirect light and then just caulked it..
.....stay tuned for "how to wire a computer fan"
wiring a computer fan is alot like wiring the lights... real simple...
buy a 12v AC power adapter
then cut the end off and strip the wires from the computer fan and the AC
adapter.....twist em up! (with most AC adapters you will be able to tell which
is positive and which is negative, as you can see the ones from Radioshack are
white and you can't tell)
cap and wrap
Just to make sure that the top doesn't fall off at any time, poke some holes
around the edges so you can put pins in to secure everything together
Thats it!
it should look something like this
I hope this helps you guys out, now all thats left is.......
I love looking at pics....don't you?
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How
to build a flip flop
Submitted by Fredfarted
You use a Flip Flop to control 2 lights from 1 ballast, The ballast stays on
24/7 and a time connected to the flip box will switch the power from one bulb to
the next.
The advantages:
You get 2 lights from one ballast.
NO power spikes the power is on 24/7
You leave no 12 on 12 off power footprint.
You can have 2 bloom rooms running off on half the ballasts.
Longer ballast life as the ballast works the hardest on startup.
This will build an eight light flip, you can build any size you want the
principles are the same.
This works with 220v or 110v each power configuration is exactly the same the
110 has 1 hot and one neutral and the 220 has 2 hot s and no neutral.
Head off to your favorite GROW store Home Depot.
I was doing some research on flip/flops, and decided 2 things...
1) most grow shops do not carry them because they cut into business.
2) They are fairly easy to build. (Just be careful to watch which wire goes
where.)
FIRST OFF LET ME SAY THAT I KNOW I FORGOT THE GROUNDS FROM THE PLUGS. I was
smoking some fine hash and realized it later. I do not have pictures of it
installed the correct way. But it should be easy for ANYONE to grasp.
OK on with the build!!!!
First off we need to get some supplies...
1) square power box $25
2) (2) 2 place outlet boxes $4
3) (2) 4 place outlet boxes $7
4) 6 outlets $5 (for box of 10)
5) screws $2
6) nuts $2
7) washers $2
8) pvc 1/2 cable connectors $5 (for 5 pack)
9) metal 1/2" cable/box screw connectors $6 (for a 10 pack)
10) wire connectors $13 (box of 100) 14 gauge
11) 10' of wire 14 gauge (4 wire, red, black, white, copper) $6
12) 4' of 14 gauge (3 wire, black, white, green)
13) male plug $4
14) bag of 100 zip ties $3
15) 2 place outlet cover (2 of them) $3
16) 4 place outlet covers (2 of them) $5
17) a 12 pack
18) 2 hrs of time
Total $94 from home depot
now 4 relays from the internet $20 x 4 = $80
Now lets get started shall we???
First we need some relays like these...
Then we need to lay them out in the utility box.
Next comes marking the holes for the screws
Now lets drill some holes..
Pilot holes first!
then proper size holes
Now we need some nuts, screws, and washers...
Ok time to place the relays back on the board and attach...
Ok let’s run some wire...
First let’s hook up the power IN wires to the relays, and thread out to the IN
Power plugs.
next run the wire from the out power side of the relays to the power OUT plugs.
Note the red wires for one half of the plug, and the black for the OTHER half of
the plugs. DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO TO KEEP THE WIRES IN ORDER.
Now you might be asking me what do you mean HALF a plug????
well plugs you buy in the store are connected with a jumper, so one set of wires
charges all receptacles.
What we have to do is snip the jumpers because we want each plug to operate
independently...
Alright, lets get wiring those boxes...
I marked the white wire side (the power in white wires) of the power out wires
(red/black) So i kept the power flowing the same side of the plugs.
Next make sure you are wiring up the RIGHT out plugs for in plugs. and decide
which you want to be hot with power off/on.
The relay has a 120volt coil in it... When you apply power it becomes a magnet
and brings the connectors down to engage the second set of contacts.
That is what i mean by power on/off.
here are some wiring pictures, note the wire colors. DO NOT MIX IT UP TAKE YOUR
TIME!
now we install the power wires to the relays and
connect them all together to the extension cord wire with a male plug we have
installed. This is a 120v extension cord just
cut off the female end and attach it to the coil screws. This is what you will
plug into your timer.
Then attach the grounds.
Time to install the sockets to their boxes
and attach the face plate coverings!
Finally MARK each plug (i bought white ones)
so you know which is which, and attach the protective cover to the utility.
Here is a better explanation of what wire goes where
To use this You will
need to modify your cord coming from your ballast to a 110 male plug just cut
off the plug and attach a new one.
Then you will need to modify your cord going
to the bulb with another 110 male plug. Just make sure you get the good heavy
plugs, Don't go cheap here.
Now Plug in as follows, Ballast need to be on
24/7 from power out of ballast to in side of flip box from out of flip to each
bulb. don't forget to plug the switching cord into a timer set for 12 on 12 off
Here's two places you can order the relays from if you cant find them at a electrical supply house. Nte relay R04-11A30-120 at Wholesale Electronic inc. Wholesale Electronics or at Source Research Inc. A Franchised Electronics Components Distributor, both places will cost you $22.90 each.
You use a Flip Flop to control 2 lights from 1 ballast, The ballast stays on
24/7 and a time connected to the flip box will switch the power from one bulb to
the next.
The advantages:
You get 2 lights from one ballast.
NO power spikes the power is on 24/7
You leave no 12 on 12 off power footprint.
You can have 2 bloom rooms running off on half the ballasts.
Longer ballast life as the ballast works the hardest on startup.
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Make
your own compost
Submitted by Shaman
1. Find a shady out of the way spot in your yard that is easy to access,
Try to keep it in view so you don't forget about it.
Make sure the soil around the bin has good drainage.
2. Make a bin.
3. Add brown materials.
Add a 6-inch layer of "brown" organic matter -- such as hay, straw, old leaves,
and sawdust -- to the bottom of the container.
4. Add green materials.
Add a 2 to 3 inch layer of "green" organic matter, such as green grass
clippings, manure, table scraps, or even high-nitrogen fertilizer, such as
cottonseed meal, on top of the brown layer.
5. Repeat these layers, watering each one as you go, until the pile is 4 to
5-feet tall and fills the bin.
A smaller pile won't heat up well and a larger pile can be difficult to manage.
6. Within two days, mix the layers together thoroughly.
Particle size should be varied, smaller particles hasten decomposition.
7. Cover the pile with a tarp to keep rain away and preserve moisture.
If the pile gets too soggy or too dry, it won't heat up.
8. What to add to the pile or composter: What you put in the compost pile
is up to you -- just remember that it needs to be from an organic material.
Here's a short list of possibilities:
• Hay, straw
• Leaves
• Kitchen scraps (egg shells, old bread, vegetable and fruit scraps)
• Animal manure, except for dog, cat, pig, or human
• Old vegetables, flowers, or trimmings from trees and shrubs
• Sawdust/Wood chips
• Marijuana shake/sticks/branch's
• Shredded black and white newspaper. (In the past, color printing used heavy
metals in the ink. Most color printing now uses soy-based inks, but it's better
to avoid them in the garden altogether to be on the safe side.)
**Remember to turn the pile when it cools down.**
Using a garden fork, remove the outside layers and put them aside. Remove the
inside layers into another pile and then switch. Place the outside layers in the
center of the new pile and the inside layers along the outside of the new pile.
Then let it cook and repeat....
**Here is a list of Carbon/Nitrogen Ratios of Various Materials.**
(Material, C/N Ratio)
Table scraps, 15:1
Grass clippings, 19:1
Old manure, 20:1
Fresh alfalfa hay, 12:1
Fruit waste, 25:1
Corn stalks, 60:1
Old leaves, 80:1
Straw, 80:1
Paper, 170:1
Sawdust, 500:1
Wood, 700:1
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Outdoor
Grow Guide
Submitted by Shaman
Finding your spot;
Finding a good spot is hard. One where the animal won't get it, "PIG's",
Rabbits, Deer, And the dreaded Pothead who will smoke your stash with out
you!!!! So finding a spot no one will go is a must!! I like Swamp's, Rugged
Hillside's(southside), And thick impenetrable brush. If you yourself don't want
to go in there it's more than likely a good spot so check it out..
Are you living in a City and think I can't do that, Just remember most City's
are surround by forest's or scattered patches of bush, SO GET OUT THERE!!
Site prep;
I like to prep my spot in the cool fall air. reduceing the chances of being seen
in the spring by reduceing the work and time spent in the bush planting.. So
right after harvest I head out to my spots. Cutting and clearing trees and
brush. And lugging in soil, I like to use your basic potting soil mixed with
sheep manure 3/1-soil/manure. Make sure those roots have lots of room to grow
threw out the year by digging deep hole's,atleased 1.5-2feet wide by 1.5-2feet
deep. Or use large grow bags burlap or plastic, Also elevated beds work well on
rocky/swamp land that is hard to dig or plant in.
Planting;
Clones are the only way to go if you want a no fuss Sensimillia Garden. I like
my clone's in cups with a good root structure, standing about 6-12 inch's tall
before they go out. Remember to get your babies ready for the hot sun, by
placeing them outside for a few hours a day till its time to plant them in their
final home. this will help to climatize them and reduce burn from the hot sun.
Seeds or the "LittleJohnyWeedSeed" way is a lot more work, you will have to keep
going back and forth checking for males. This could bring unwanted heat to your
spot, Some one could see you or the trail you will ware in to the earth..
I hardly ever plant before the May 24weekend(Canada). This will reduce the risk
of frost killing your little ones.
After you get them in the soil and give them their first drink it is wise to lay
a mulch around the base of the plant, this will help to protect the moisture in
the soil from evaporating under the hot rays of the sun.
Watering/feeding;
I only water on the driest of days, Nature does a pretty good job on her own
most of the year.
Although a few good feedings with Veg nutes threw out the season is never a bad
idea.
Once fruiting/flowering starts I like to feed my girls twice a week for the
first 2-3weeks with a bloom fert, something like N5.P10.K5..
Harvest;
It is fall and to smell of bud is in the air.
Most strains are ready in late September early October, Make sure to check the
Trich's and harvest before the bud rot sets in.
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The
Dip n' Stick Cloning Method
Submitted by btdt
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Green’s
cloning 101
Submitted by Green_Noboody
First, what is cloning?
Cloning is nothing else then a term for taking parts of a plant and making it
root so you can grow a genetic clone of a motherplant. So you take a leaf and
propagate it in some way.
What ways are there to clone?
There are many ways to clone, the simplest way is to cut a leaf of a plant and
let it sit in water till the roots grow. Now, as the human being proves to be
quit inventive if it wants something there are more ways to do it of cause, a
little list of the major methods:
-simple water cloning (leaf stuck in a cub with water)
-the elaborated form of water cloning would be that the clone is stuck into a
grow medium as a grodan plug and this then be placed into a DWC or aerophonic
misting unit.
-soil based version of cloning would be either be that the cutting is stuck in
soil or a jiffy tab.
-alternative you can clone in a fish tank by filling the base of it with a
medium as perlite or similar.
My preferred methods:
I use to clone in several ways, depending on what I want to do – but always with
the focus on the fact that I grow only small quantities of plants per grow. In
addition I’m a fan of soil based growing – I love the dirt. Due to these I manly
clone by using jiffy pellets or water-cub method. Both can be easy elaborated to
your needs by replacing the jiffy pellets by a grodan plug or instead of using
cubs the use of an aerophonic unit.
The cub ‘n’ Water method:
What you need:
-a plant to take clones from
-fresh razor blade (I use every knife I have at the moment to do it but that’s
green’s way and is knifes are razor-like!!) never us a scissors for this
job!!
-some sort of drinking cubs, they should be as light-proof as possible as light
will kill your roots.
-Water
-Kitchen wraps film and maybe some tin foil.
-Some window sill with not too much direct sunlight during the day
-If you want to kick it a heating mat and some cloning agent
What you do:
-cut clones from a plant in vegetation state – you should use only young leaves
for this. You take the blade out of the paper wrap and make a vertical cut thru
the leaf’s petiole – watch out that you have at least an inch to work with!
-If you want to use an cloning hormone/agent dip or roll the stem in it now
-Cut the end of the stem/petiole of the leaf in 45° angle to open more surface
for water to penetrated – as you would do with fresh flowers too.
-Punch a hole thru the wrap and/or tin foil over your cub that you already
filled with water
-Stick the cutting thru that hole
-Let it sit in a warm spot with not too much light
-Mist is frequently if they start to go limb
-Check from time to time if you see roots
for being planted into soil or other mediums.
The jiffy pellet method:
What you need:
-a plant to take clones from
-fresh razor blade (I use every knife I have at the moment to do it but that’s
green’s way and is knifes are razor-like!!) never us a scissors for this
job!!
-Pre-soaked jiffy pellets, let those soak over night so you can be sure that
they are ready the next day. The same goes for grodan plugs too!
-A dome to have them grow in there
-Some window sill with not too much direct sunlight during the day or a place in
your grow with a single CFL/floro tube above them.
-If you want to kick it a heating mat and some cloning agent
What you do:
-- cut clones from a plant in vegetation state – you should use only young
leaves for this. You take the blade out of the paper wrap and make a vertical
cut thru the leaf’s petiole – watch out that you have at least an inch to work
with!
-you want to use an cloning hormone/agent dip or roll the stem in it now
-Cut the end of the stem/petiole of the leaf in 45° angle to open more surface
for water to penetrated – as you would do with fresh flowers too.
-Stick the clones in your prepared medium (jiffies or grodan plugs)
- them in the dome, mist them down and let time to its work
-Frequent misting, if the look not limb twice a day, if they start to go limp
more often.
-Let it sit in a warm spot with not too much light
a piece of wire or some shashlik spits you tie together really help to keep
jiffies with the clones from falling over - killing the clone.
When the roots penetrated the medium as those here you are fine to transplant
them.
You should replant them earlier then shown here, as soon as you see 2-3 root
coming thru they are more then ready.
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Quick
cure, bud drying box
Submitted by JollyGreenGiant
(This is a simple diy project, for the small grower, but this idea can be expanded upon for a much larger harvest)
So I harvested my one plant that was in DWC and went into soil, I expect to
get about an oz after it is cured. I got some pretty nice buds from it too.
(the one with the rootrot)
I really can't wait, and want to smoke some right away! So I built this quick
drier box, check this out:
First pic is an un-assuming 12 pack of st pauli girl
2nd picture shows the fan I installed:
The next pic shows the air intake hole I cut near the bottom:
This last picture shows the divider that I place inside vertically, after
cutting some holes in it for the air to pass through:
(place the bud over the holes to force the air through the bud)
For an improved version, place a 40 watt lightbulb in front of the air inake.
However be very careful when adding any extra heat.
Test on a small bud first.
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Mrs
fred's Cloning method
Submitted by FredFarted
This is Mrs Fred cloning method. I had to make her breakfast this morning to
get her to write this!
She clones using rapid rooters. We have also cloned in the past with a homemade
bubbler. We prefer the rapid rooter!
The following is Mrs Fred typing....(I gotta go make breakfast!)
As soon as your existing plants that are in veg manifest multiple shoots that
vary in length from 2”-4”, it is time to clone. I have cloned from mothers, veg
plants and plants two weeks into bloom. The following is a list of supplies that
you will need:
A pair of clean sharp scissors
Quick Start soil cube starters
Plastic six pack plant holders
Plastic plant tray with clear dome lid
Rooting hormone (powder or gel)
Cloning solution (water with b’cuzz root added to it)
Spray bottle
A warm environment (70-75 degrees)
When looking at your plants you will notice fan leaves. Just above the fan
leaves is where the shoots originate from.
(The plant in this pic is not quite ready to clone yet but you get the
idea!)
I try to choose the longest strongest looking shoots to clone. Using your
scissors carefully cut at a 45 degree angle removing the shoot from above the
fan leaf without disturbing the fan leaf.
All but the top 2 to 3 leaves are cut from the clone to focus the energy and
nutrient uptake. Some use a razor blade to cut and I have also tried this but I
prefer scissors. As long as the equipment is sterile, I think it’s a matter of
personal preference.
In Fred’s never ending quest to make improvements to the operation, he has
suggested that the base of the clone be either cut or scarified using a razor
blade to encourage root growth. Although I have tried this, the time investment
never really paid off
