This is a collective compiliation from all of our members.
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.
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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.
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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:
1. Soil: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 in noticeable root growth.(He’s really good at suggesting
extra work for someone else)!
Take the shoot and dip the end in cloning solution immediately as this seals and
ensures that no air can infiltrate it. If this happens the clone could die.
Next, dip the clone into the rooting hormone.(1/4” coverage at the base of the
shoot is good) We use Schultz rooting powder its cheap at Home Depot. We have
use more expensive stuff too but the end result is the same so just go cheap!
Place the shoot into the soil cube at the hole site. Make sure the shoot is
seated firmly in the cube. Place into the six pack plant holder. Repeat this
process until you have taken all the clones you need. Place the six pack plant
holders into the plastic plant tray.
Water thoroughly with the cloning solution then put some cloning solution into
the spray bottle. The last step is to spray the clones and the inside of the
clear dome lid of the plant tray. Place the clear lid on top of the plant tray
and walk away. Return daily to mist both the plants and the dome lid.
Here are a few tips that I have learned from experience:
We have a cloning station That Fred built me. It has 2 4' shop lights mounted
and shelves for supplies.
After the clones root we place the rabid rooter in a rock wool cube place a
light cover on the cube
and
sit it in the Veg flood tray.
Within 2 weeks they will be over 14" high and ready to be place into the bloom
rooms.
Thats is folks! I will have to admit the Mrs gets very good results from her
methods. We have been growing the same plant for 3 yrs now.
Well there it is and it’s not nearly as intimidating as some would have you
believe. Just give it a try and Happy Cloning!
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CFL
Tutorial
Submitted by thenoffya
I am a CFL grower by necessity, and I have done
a bit of research on them as a result. I hope you will find the following
information helpful. This is merely for informative purposes.
Pros and cons of CFLs
Pros
Cheap - most regular size bulbs cost less than $9
Low heat per bulb - most bulbs can be touched
while lit, and can be moved closer to plants
Maneuverable - plants can be literally surrounded
by cfls
Available - can be bought in almost any large
retailer and many supermarkets and drugstores
Simple - no exterior ballast needed, fits into
most regular incandescent sockets
Cons
Medium amount of lumens – multiple bulbs are
needed to equal output of HID lights
More heat per watt than HID, albeit possibly
spread out more
Depending on the setup, possibly complex wiring
issues
No standard color temperature language yet
Background
The compact fluorescent was originally invented at
GE in 1973. However, they were not really mass produced until 1980, and have
only gained popularity as of late, due to being "green" or environmentally
friendly. CFLs work the same way that regular fluorescent lights work. A sealed
glass tube containing an inert gas, usually argon, and a small amount of
mercury, is kept at a low pressure. The glass tube is also coated on the inside
by a phosphor powder. On each end of the tube is an electrode. When a current is
sent through the tube, it shoots from one end of the tube to the other in the
form of free electrons, the basic unit of electric current. When these free
electrons collide with a mercury atom, the electrons revolving around the
mercury atom gain a relatively huge amount of energy, and jump up to another
energy level. However, it cannot stay at that energy level for long, and when it
drops back down, it emits a photon. In this instance, the mercury releases a
photon in the ultraviolet wavelength. This photon strikes the phosphor coating
of the glass. The phosphor atoms do the same thing as the mercury atoms, in that
one of their electrons absorbs the energy from the photon, and spits it back
out, this time in a wavelength that we can see. The light spectrum depends on
the type of phosphor used to coat the glass. Since the light produced is usually
of a narrow wavelength depending on the phosphor, most fluorescents have more
than one type of phosphor. Using different phosphors varies the light emitted.
Wattage
One common mistake is not knowing what a bulbs
actual wattage is. A few months ago, on another site, I saw a post that was
titled something like "Check out my new grow, 800 watts of cfls". When I clicked
on the link and began reading, I noticed that the person had mistakenly thought
the INCANDESCENT EQUIVALENT of the cfls was important to growers. The person
only had about 200 watts of power, and got verbally abused for not knowing the
difference. The producers of cfls are the ones who are really at fault here,
because almost all packaging has the incandescent equivalent of the bulb marked
prominently. That number is not important for growers, though. The important
numbers are the actual wattage and the light output, or lumens. The actual
wattage is what you will pay each month in your electric bill to run the bulb.
In general, the actual wattage is about one fourth of the incandescent
equivalent.
Because of differing efficacies (see next
section), watts per area do not make sense as a general rule of thumb. Instead,
it is the lumens per area that is important.
Lumens
Without getting too scientific, lumens are what
make a plant grow. In general, the more lumens shining on the plant the better.
Much of what I have read says 1000 to 2000 lumens per square foot for vegging,
and 3000 to 5000 lumens per square foot for flowering. In general, most cfls
have a lumen/watt ratio, or efficacy, somewhere around 65, but usually between
55 and 75. Smaller cfls general have lower efficacies, and larger cfls have
slightly higher efficacies. This is great compared to incandescent bulbs, which
average between 8 and 20 lumens/watt. However, it doesn't hold a candle to hps
and mh lights, which usually get between 100 and 150 lumens/watt.
So cfls are fairly efficient, but you need
multiple cfls working together to grow.
Cost
To calculate the cost of using a cfl, or anything
that draws power, divide the wattage of the cfl by 1000. Next, multiply that
number by the number of hours per day the light is on. Then, multiply by the
number of days in your billing cycle. Finally, multiply by the cost of
electricity in KWHr (Kilowatt Hours), which should be stated on your bill. This
is what it costs to run that single bulb for a month.
Example: My current grow has 6 30 watt bulbs = 180
watts running 12 hours a day. December has 31 days, and I'll assume my cost of
electricity is 14 cents per KWHr. I then have a bill of 180/1000*12*31*.14 =
$9.38.
It is simple, really. Note that since cfls save
electricity and therefore, money, putting cfls throughout your house or
apartment can completely eliminate the spike in the electric bill from growing!
Heat
Just because you can grab a fluorescent tube
without being harmed, does not mean you can do it with cfls. Because the tube is
coiled around itself, it creates more heat in a much smaller space than a four
foot tube. That is not to say that it gets even close to as hot as an
incandescent bulb. But for safety, I would recommend letting any bulb over 25
watts cool a little before touching. Also, I wouldn't let my plants touch any
bulb larger than 13 watts. Remember, ventilation is extremely important.
What the heck is color temperature?
Technically, color temperature means the
temperature of an ideal black body radiator at which the color of the light
source and the black body are identical. (A black body is a theoretical radiator
and absorber of energy at all electromagnetic wavelengths.) Thus, for a 2700K
light bulb, the blackbody would be 2700 Kelvin, or approximately 4860 degrees
Fahrenheit. What does this mean to a grower? A plant in nature is used to
different having a cycle of light throughout its life span. Beginning in spring
(fall in the southern hemisphere), the plant is subjected to many long days of
light at a high temperature, usually between 5000K and 6000K. This light is very
white, and somewhat bluish. Later in the plants life, it sees more and more red
light, which helps it to know when to flower. The scientific reason for this is
that during shorter days, the sun is not directly overhead, and due to the
wavelengths of light, more blue light is bounced off the atmosphere than red
light. Some people think backwards (helped in part by the producers of cfls, see
below), that a red color is hotter than a blue color. If you light your lighter
(I'm sure most people reading this have a lighter), you'll notice that the flame
is blue at the bottom, where it is warmest, and yellow at the top. The reason
you won't see any red is that the gas burns too quickly for the flame to be red.
However, the red can be seen in a fire. Note that in the picture below, the top
of the list on the right coincides with the bottom of the color scale.
So which bulbs should I get?
For vegetative growth, you will want bulbs which
are at the high end of the spectrum (5000K to 6500K). For flowering, you will
want bulbs at the low end of the spectrum (2700K to 3500K). Unfortunately, some
manufacturers think that the color spectrum is too confusing for people, so they
came up with other words to describe the color spectrum of the bulb. The typical
incandescent bulb is 2700 Kelvin and produces a "Warm white" or "Soft white"
light. At 4000 Kelvin, a "Cool White" fluorescent light is sometimes called
"neutral". A "daylight" fluorescent light is rated at 5000 to 6500 Kelvin and
provides cool light with a blue tint. Notice that a "cool white" bulb emits
light at a hotter temperature than a "warm white" bulb. Confusing, huh? Note
that the light temperature does not affect the temperature of the bulb itself.
Also, be aware that the phrases used above are not standard. For example,
Sylvania "daylight" bulbs are rated at 3500 Kelvin. This confusion will be
coming to an end soon, though, since Energy Star 4.0 guidelines will require
labeling all cfls with the color temperature
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You will need:
1. A five gallon bucket
2. A "muffin" fan, or a round fan of some sort that has the motor built into the
compact frame of the fan. (See pics and you will understand.)
3. A drill
4. A one pound container of Soil Moist, which is a water absorbing crystal. You
can find it at almost all nurseries and gorw shops.
5. ONA, or Odor Neutralizing Agent. YOu can get it at most grow shops or "baby"
shops for new mommies.
6. A 5 gallon bucket lid, which may be optional.
Step 1.
Get yourself a muffin fan, or a Durex brand or Holmes brand circular fan with
base. They are very common at Wal-Mart and can usually be bought for less than
$8 US. The reason you should get this brand of fan is because after you have
removed the base, it fits perfectly into a five gallon bucket.
Step 2.
Using a flat screwdrive, pry of the nubs on the base and remove the screws.
Step 3.
Remove the fan from the base. Keep all the parts in case you might want the fan
again someday.
Step 4.
Place the fan into the five gallon bucket, frontside up. If you boght the holmes
brand fan pictures here it will fit VERY snugly. You don't even have to secure
it in place.
(If it is smaller than the opening, then cut a hole, smaller than the diameter
of the fan, into the bucket lid. Use some floral wire and secure the fan to the
lid so that you can place the lid onto the bucket.)
Step 5.
Drill about 8 or 10 holes around the bucket.
Step 6.
Remove the fan/lid and put about 9 cups of water into the bucket. Then put about
1 cup of the ONA into the bucket and mix it up. Be careful, it can smell pretty
strong at first
Step 7.
Put about a cup or two of the soil moist into the bucket. Make sure that all of
the liqued is absorbed. You don't have to use alot! The crystals expand to about
50 times their size.
Step 8.
Set the fan on the lowest setting and put it back on the bucket. Plug it in and
put it somewhere in the corner of your grow room. I don't actually have mine in
the closet itself...
You will notice a difference in about 5 minutes!
You may need to tweak it for your own grow room, but that's the basic design.
Thanks!
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If your pondering that old saying right about now.....
If it's yellow let it mellow, or if it's brown flush it down
Your obviously in the wrong forum!
Moving on, I've read lots of discussions on flushing. One side of the fence says
you have to flush. Simple as that.
Another says that if you are growing organically, why flush?
As I think about the last statement, that makes the most sense at first glance
to me. I mean to have a need to do a periodic flush when growing organically is
like admitting that there is something in the soil that shouldnt be in there.
There cant be anything bad in my soil! I mean I mixed it myself. Too much bone
meal maybe?
Two points, first flushing is actually the wrong term here, a flushing is
something you do right before harvest, and we'll leave that for another
"discussion".
What we are talking about here is called leaching, and it is so important to me,
that when I do a soil grow, I leach, when I'm in the 2nd, 4th & 6th week of
flowering.
As you grow, your soil changes, as does your root system too.
We are worried about both ph and nutrient lockout. The plants ability to buffer
your ph changes as the plant ages, and you've been adding all those nutes.
Nutrients have a limited window of opportunity to all be available to your
plant. Meaning the ph range that you have to be in, is very small. 6.3 to 6.8 is
proper ph range for soil.
While were talking about adding your nutes, they also have a salt build up
around the roots and lockout your expensive new nutes that you bought for them.
Starting to feel unappreciated yet?
Well it does happen, and you can easily fix this, and increase your yeilds.
While you may be able to get away without leaching, I've done it both ways
myself, I can certainly tell you that I have always noticed a pronounced growth
spurt after the leaching.
All you need to do is, determine the size of your grow pot, and triple it.
So if you flower in a one gallon pot, you'll want 3 gallons of room temperature,
PH'd water. Pour this through your growpot, let it run out the bottom, and your
all done.
Do not use the hot water side to adjust the temp of your water, as these pipes,
typically have heavy metals built up indside of them, these metals will kill
your ladies. Also if you have a public water supply, let the water sit for a day
prior to using.
Don't over complicate this, it is easy to do, and by far, the easiest & cheapest
thing you can do to increase your yeilds.
Heres hoping you have a very merry harvest!
Peace
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The
Closet DWC Grow Guide
Submitted by ClosetDWC
Aka “Gorilla in the closet”
In this guide we will go through how to make your own DWC growing system setup
for your closet or other small areas
INDEX
I. Preparing the grow room
II. Gathering supplies
III. Building the systems
IV. Lighting in a small space
V. Finding your strain of marijuana
VI. Providing the essentials – (air, nutes, temp, humidity)
VII. Wisdom
So you want to grow and don’t have the money time or space well I’m going to
tell you how you can grow in a small area in this case a small hallway coat
closet, using a minimal amount of time money and space.
I. Preparing the grow room
The first thing I look for in a grow area is how stealthy it is.
Things to think about are ventilation, stealth, and heat.
The first thing you want to do is clean the grow area very well with either a
diluted bleach water mix (1 cap per gal) or Lysol disinfecting wipes use these
to clean walls, door, ceiling and everything else in the closet.
Next concentrate on the floor vacuum, mop whatever you can do to get it clean.
This is imperative to help stop bugs and mites and fungus and all the other
nasty stuff you do not want in your grow room.
II. Gathering Supplies
Here is the supply list and where to get them.
5 gallon buckets (1 for each plant you want to grow) 2-3 for small closets. Buy
the darkest color you can find if white is all you can get then grab some black
duct tape or spray paint.
Air pumps – best way to go here is to the local pet shop and get the biggest one
you can afford usually under $30 you will need 1 per bucket. Duel outlet
diaphragm is recommended.
60 gallon pump from petco
Air line for air pumps about 4’ per pump outlet.
Air line from petco
Air stones and one way check valves
Air stones
Check valves
Light socket / reflectors (on this one get from Wal-Mart or petco) clamp lights
are good for versatility
Light socket / reflector
Humidity / temperature gauges (these are usually pretty cheap under $20 for a
good one)
Humidity temp combo gauge
Fans – if you don’t already have some small fans or a big one then time to go
get one I bought two from wall-mart for $4 each and they work great.
Nutrients – for nutes do some research and find one you like I know a lot of ppl
that use three part fox farm and love it.
HID Hut Discount Gardening Supplies, Hydroponics, Digital Ballast, Carbon
Filters, Grow Lights is a site to look for them.
Net pots – these come in a variety of sizes but for this grow 4” and 6” is best
avail at most hydro stores these can also be found online from
HID Hut Discount Gardening Supplies, Hydroponics, Digital Ballast, Carbon
Filters, Grow Lights
Grow media – this is what you will be growing. Most people I come across use
Hydroton but small cleaned river rock will do the trick as well. and if you want
you can use rock wool cubes or rapid rooters
III. Building the system
Ok this is how we are going to make this grow come to life!
Take your 5 gallon buckets (in this case it will be one just repeat for all of
them same process.)And clean them well with soap and water, if you have hydrogen
peroxide it will help disinfect.
After they are clean and very well rinsed out and dried then set it aside and
grab the lid ,you are going to cut a hole in the center of the lid just big
enough to set your 4”/6” net pot into so it hangs from the lid then set it
aside,
Next grab the: air pump, air stones, check valve, and air line.
Cut a length of line long enough to reach from where your air pump will be to
the bottom of the bucket, now take that same piece and attach it to the pump at
one end, about 3-4” from the pump cut the line again and insert the check valve
make sure the arrow points towards the bucket end not the pump as this valve
only works in one direction, now reattach the air line, and at the bucket end
attach your air stone it will look like this
{AirPump}----[check valve]---------------------------[air stone]
Now you need to put a hole in the side of your bucket just big enough for the
air line you can use a drill or heat up a screw driver on the stove and push it
right through the bucket, you want to make this hole somewhere near the top of
the bucket above the water level. Place the air stone at the bottom of the
bucket in the center.
Ok now you need to get the lid and net pot, fill the net pot with your grow
media and snap the lid on. DONE … not so hard was it?
IV. Lighting in a small space
Lighting is one of the most important things you will need to grow and there are
all types of light for growing but for a closet grow that requires stealth we
will be using CFL lighting as it has advantages in confined spaces and are very
cheap and use little energy. Of course HID lights will produce better but will
heat up your small area way to much, so go down to home depot or Wal-Mart or
anywhere you can get light bulbs in your community and look for 23w and
150w/100w and get a mixture as this will give you different light spectrums and
a better grow set them in the closet on the sides and above the DWC systems this
will give you good coverage and produce very little heat and with a fan or two
you will have plenty of circulation and low heat levels .
V. Finding your strain of marijuana
Well if you’re a first timer then I recommend Northern lights or a hybrid with
northern lights as this strain was developed to be the perfect indoor grower
with good bud and good yields. But the choice is yours just remember get
something made for indoor growing.
VI. Providing the essentials
Well we are all set up now, we have our bucket fully assembled and our seeds
have germinated (check germinating
here)
Now put you seed into the grow media close to the bottom / middle with root down
you will need to water lightly from the top of the pot for the first few days
till the roots grow past the bottom of the net pot. When they do fill the bucket
up with nutrient rich ph balanced water about 1” to ½” below the net pot with
air pump running the plant will soon reach its roots into the bubbly water and
the grow like crazy. Give them a fan that is blowing on them from day one as
this will help in overall strength of the plant. And keep it cool in the room.
keep your humidity and temp as stable as possible low to mid 70’s is good with a
humidity of no more then 50% and in late flower no more then 35% and you should
be good to grow!
VII. Wisdom
Ok before you go getting all farmer john there are a few things I have learned a
lot came from the people at
greenpassion.org.
Always keep your secret because if you can’t don’t expect others to. And always
look at the FAQ then ask the question because believe me it has already been
asked and answered, and please don’t be one of these people I see on TV
overloading circuits and causing a house to catch fire!!! We are here to help
learn and heal not to burn down the block so always SAFTY FIRST!!!
And above all remember Just try and act NORML!!!
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FAQ about
Hydroponics Answered
Submitted by Hobo
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Build
your own Ebb & Flow System
Submitted by Hobo
How it works:
You have a reservoir with a nutrient solution filling it about halfway or more.
Inside you have an air stone with a hose leading out to a pump that pumps air
through it, this helps keep the reservoir oxygenated. Also inside is a
submersible pump that is linked to a timer to go on 4 times a day for 15 minutes
at a time. This pump will pump the water out through a hose connected the bottom
of the basin, and acts at the entrance for water while the pump is on, and also
the exit line when the pump is shut off. While the pump is on, the water level
will continue to rise inside the basin until it reaches the overflow hose level.
At this point the water will drain out, and the water level wont go above this
point. (unless your water intake exceeds how much can drain). When the timer
shuts off and the pump is turned off, all the excess water will drain through
the same opening the water came in, back into the reservoir.
Materials:
1 20 Gallon or larger Rubbermaid Tote
You can find at any home center
4 1" male to half inch garden hose coupling
Can be found and any hardware or home center
3 1" female garden hose coupling
Can be found and any hardware or home center
10 Feet of 1/2" inner diameter black vinyl tubing
50' roll 1/2" poly mainline @ FUTUREGARDEN.COM
1 - Under a bed storage container (or any wide open plastic container)
17 Gal Underbed Box Hawaiian Blue - 5334 at The Home Depot
1 Tube of Aquarium Silicon
1 Roll of Teflon tape
1 low profile framed work table (to raise up basin)
Can find at any home center, or build your own out of 2x4s
1 Air pump and airstone kit.
12" AquaFizz Air Stone @ FUTUREGARDEN.COM
Elite 801 single outlet a pump @ FUTUREGARDEN.COM
1 ~100 gph water pump with a half inch adapter
1 Pack of mini zip ties to use as clamps.
1 24 hour timer
24hr. x 15 min. Interval Timer @ FUTUREGARDEN.COM
Other Tools:
Scissors
Channel lock Pliers
A power drill
a 1" drill bit
latex gloves (to protect your hands... use vinyl if your allergic)
You will also need some sort of medium to put the plants i use pond rocks, but
you could use the more popular LECA stone aka expanded clay pellets.
Instructions: more pictures coming soon
1. Set your table up with precut holes for each of the tubes for
your basin(s) to fit through, your tubes will connect right to the basin from
the bottom.
2. Drill 2 1" holes in the bottom of the large plastic basin for your entrance
and exit lines.
3. Apply a small layer of teflon tape and then silicon around the edges of a
1" male to half inch garden hose
adapter and screw in till its hand tight with the adapter end facing out. Then
take you pliers and use the tiniest bit of force to screw it lock tight. Repeat
this on however many basins you are using and let dry.
4. On one of the 2 protruding male threading attach a 1" female adapter onto
that with some teflon and silicon and screw it hand tight. Then put a piece of
1/2" inner diameter hose on to that so that the hose is 1 inch from the top of
the basin. (this will be the point where water is drained back out)
5. Drill 2 holes on the side of your 20 gallon
rubbermaid tote about 2 inches from the bottom.
6. Apply a small layer of teflon tape and then silicon to a 1 " male to half
inch garden hose coupling and screw it in hand tight with the half inch end
facing outward. Repeat on the other hole.
7. Apply a small layer of teflon tape and then
silicon to a 1 " female coupling garden hose adapter and screw it onto the
protruding male end coming through on the inside of the rubbermaid tote. Repeat on the other hole and let
it all dry.
8. Attach a small piece of 1/2" inner diameter hose from the female coupling to
the pump thats inside the reservoir.
9. Carefully place the basin down on the table with the drain plugs going
through the hole you made in your table. Attach a piece of 1/2" inner diameter
hose from the male coupling protruding out of the outside of the reservoir (the
one that then leads to the pump) and connect it to the line in the basin that
doesnt have the extra overflow tube. This is your entrance/exit line. Use a
ziptie to clamp the connections. Place a small piece of screen over the drain
hole. Repeat if you are using more than a 1 basin
system.
10. Attach a piece of 1/2 " inner diameter hose from the other protruding male
coupling out of the reservoir, to the overflow coupling on the basin, secure
connections with a ziptie. and attach a piece of screen over the overflow line
so pebbles dont fall in and then fill with stones or
pellets
11. Place airstone in rubbermade tote and fill with water and nutrients.
12. Set the timer and watch it grow!!!
You may want to run a test run and check for leaks. If you spot a leak, empty
out the system let it dry, and reapply silicon to the area and let dry. That
should fix a small spot missed in the first application of the silicon
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Here’s how you can calculate the amount of ventilation you need. If for
instance you wanted to keep you grow room temperature from getting any more than
5° warmer than the intake air temperature, and you were using 400 watts of
power, you’d make the calculation below in blue. The chart is based on the
following formula. It is a well-established heat transfer formula.
(3.2 × 400) ÷ 5 = 256
---------------------------Calculating the passive
intake.-------------------------
The Home Ventilating Institute recommends one square foot of open air inlet
per 300 CFM of ventilation fan capacity.
If you were going to use 256 CFM, you’d want 256/300 square feet of intake area,
which is 122.88 square inches.
Here are some options for the intake area for a 256 CFM ventilation fan:
1 hole - 12.5 inches in diameter.
2 holes – 8.84 inches in diameter.
3 holes – 7.22 inches in diameter.
4 holes – 6.25 inches in diameter.
5 holes – 5.59 inches in diameter.
6 holes – 5.11 inches in diameter.
Here is how to calculate the hole sizes:
1. Take the total area in square inches needed, in this case 122.88 square
inches, and divide by the number of holes you want.
2. Then divide by Pi (3.14).
3. Take the square root of that value.
4. Then multiply by 2.
The answer is the diameter that each hole would need to be to make up the total
area needed for intake.
A large number of small holes will create more backpressure than one large hole
of equivalent area. This would be negligible unless you’re using a huge number
of holes or you’re using ducting to supply the air to each intake hole. If
you’re just cutting them in a wall you should be fine using 8 or less holes
without having to take into account the extra backpressure.
Let me spell it out for you all, if you have a 400 watt light, multiply that
times 3.2 which equals 1280 than divide by the cfm of your fan, lets assume a
500 cfm fan for this scenario, so we have 1280 divided by 500 equals 2.56
This means that using a 400 watt light and a 500 cfm fan your temp will rise
2.56 degrees above ambient temperature.
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Nutrient availability is pH dependent so it definitely matters. Cannabis can
tolerate a wide pH range, but does best between 6.2 & 6.8 in soil/less media and
5.8 - 6.0 in hydroponic media. There are two pH's that matter; that of the water
going into the system and that of the root zone. Measuring the pH of the root
zone can be difficult in soil/less media since the probes often require that a
media-water slurry be made. The pH of the runoff water is often measured as an
estimate of the actual acidity/alkalinity of the medium. In my experience, this
estimate is good enough.
How do I measure pH?
The best way is a wateproof digital pen. These are typically accurate to 0.1 or
better and cost anywhere from $20 to several hundred dollars. Hydroponic growers
need this accuracy as the pH range is much more narrow than that of soil/less
media.
Dipsticks can be had that change color for comparison against a chart. They
typically have an accuracy of about 0.5. pH paper, also sold as nitrazine paper
measures by color change as well and is also accurate to about 0.5. They are
sold for around $10.
Kits that use a sample of water into which a couple drops of "developer" are
added are the least desirable devices. They depend upon comparing the color of
the water sample to a chart and are often only accurate to 1.0. If the water
sample is not colorless before adding the developer, the kit's accuracy will be
skewed from the beginning. These are available for about $5.
Do I measure pH before or after adding nutrients, etc to
the water?
Add everything to the water and mix it well, then measure the pH. Nutrients,
growth stimulants, etc will alter the pH, so it's best to adjust it right before
the water is applied to the plants.
I've added all the stuff to my water and the pH is x.x,
what now?
If growing in a soil/less medium the pH should be approximately 6.5 and in
hydroponic media the pH should be about 6.0 before application.
To lower the pH an acid must be added to the water and to raise the pH a base
must be added. There are products available on the shelf called "pH up" & "pH
down". They work well. There are also household products that will accomplish
the same goal.
Household "pH downs"
Vinegar (white distilled, apple cider, wine...)
Lemon juice
Household "pH ups"
Tap water (my preference) Municipal water is often pH'd above 7.0 to improve
palatability (taste).
Baking Soda (NOT baking powder)
WARNING
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Its use can cause problems so I advise
against it. It works well in a pinch AND when used infrequently. Increased
sodium concentration in the medium displaces K and may cause a condition
appearing as K deficiency. There is a maxim in chemistry which states "water
follows sodium"; if the sodium concentration in the medium is high, water can
actually be wicked AWAY from the roots causing wilt.
How much pH up or pH down do I add to change the pH of my
water by 1.0?
That all depends upon the quality of the initial water sample. Quality is
determined by ppm/tds/ec measurement. Water samples with lower ppm/tds/ec
measurements will require LESS acid or base to change the pH of the sample as
compared to those with higher tds/ppm/ec numbers. "Hard water" will have high
tds/ppm/ec.
Regardless of what a product's label states, some trial and error has to
occur. The manufacturer can't know the purity of any given water sample.
Add a little of the product, mix well, and measure the pH. Once you get the pH
in the proper range note the amount of product you added. Next time add that
amount to your water and measure to see if the pH comes out in the same range.
Once you've reproduced the pH several times you can safely put the pH meter away
until the plants shows signs of distress. That said, any time the source of
water changes OR the additives change (different brand, new additive, etc) the
same procedure will need to be performed.
I wouldn’t recommend using a probe that you place in the soil. The pH pens are
much more accurate.
Here are the methods of testing your soil pH. I’ve put both methods here, but
the one I use and the one you’ll most likely want to use is the runoff method
because it’s much faster and easier to do. After you get a handle on what’s
happening with your pH you can dial in your soil and nutrient regiment so you
won’t need to test the pH very often.
Both methods below will work. I put the “collecting soil sample” tutorial
because it’s considered to be the only real scientific way of testing the soil
pH. I’ve found the runoff method to be very reliable if done correctly, and
again, it’s the one I use.
Collecting soil and mixing with distilled water method:
Soil Sample Preparation
1. Calibrate the pH pen.
2. Scoop up loose soil samples with a clean, dry plastic
spoon. Avoid touching the soil with your hands to prevent contaminating the
sample. Take soil sample as deep as possible without affecting roots.
3. Remove any stones and crush any clumps of soil.
4. Fill up your sample soil up to 3/4 and add distilled water to the jar. Cap
the jar tight and shake it vigorously a few times. Let the mixed sample stand
for 5-10 minutes to dissolve the salts in the soil.
5. Dip the pH pen electrode into the wet soil slurry. Take the reading when it
stabilizes.
6. Rinse your pH pen thoroughly in clean water between each use.
Soil pH Data
The pH test value in this procedure is accurate to ±0.5 pH or better (usually
±0.2 pH). The soil sample preparation and test procedure is adapted from
accepted laboratory methods. Most soil pH measurement cannot achieve ±0.1 pH
accuracy, even with elaborate laboratory procedures and expensive pH
instruments.
Recommendations for Best Results
Prepare and run at least three tests of the same soil sample to confirm results.
Minor (< ±0.2 pH) or no differences between readings indicate good technique and
high confidence in results. Larger differences (> ±0.5 pH) require more testing.
Testing runoff after watering method:
1. Use distilled or reverse-osmosis water. This is inert water that will readily
take on the active soil pH.
2. Do not adjust the pH of the water being used for the test, as that will
buffer the results in the direction of the pH adjustment.
3. Scuff the surface of the soil to allow for uniform wetting and drainage of
the soil.
4. Poor water in slowly until the soil is saturated with water. You may get a
small amount of runoff, but its best to just saturate the soil.
5. Wait 30 minutes. Chill out and smoke one.
6. Add the amount of water that will give you a small concentrated amount of
runoff.
7. Test the runoff.
I like to see that the runoff, for my soil anyway, is rust colored. That lets me
know that there are a lot of constituents of the soil present in the sample as
opposed to a more clear runoff that would be indicative of the water running
down the side of the pot or not filtering nicely through the medium. In other
words, get that water dirty.
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Items Required:
* 10lb. white sugar
* 5 gallon clean bucket W/lid
* 4 1/2 gallons of water
* A piece of toast browned and hard
* A table spoon of dry active yeast (for baking bread)
First boil the water, (this will ensure clean water) remove from the heat and
add the sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Let cool until water is room
temperature (if you don't let it cool down it won't work).
After the sugar water has cooled, float the piece of toast on top of the water.
Now, empty the tablespoon of yeast over the toast. After a few days, the yeast
will take over the toast and start making bubbles (CO2) in the bucket. After a
week, the amount of bubbling (CO2) will increase.
Keep the lid airtight on the bucket. CO2 travels up the dispersion tubing, and
due to it being heavier than air, falls directly onto your plants. Timing your
exhaust, is essential in maintaining an effective level of CO2.
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