Yet Another Revamp

[Sherlock]

Hello All,
As I have been a grower for easily over a decade now, my grow room(s) has had many different looks, technologies, philosophies, etc. And now, I have once again decided to turn the grow on its head and make some changes!!

Current:
I run two 600 W MH in a large open veg room. Have seedlings or clones on a shelf with a four tube four foot flouro above em. Room is manual fed on a pretty strong veg mix. I start in solo cups, half sunshine advanced #4 mix and half coco pearl, then transplant to 2 gal coco pearl root pot. They veg for about 8-9 weeks from clone. By end of veg they feed about two times per day. Nutes are my own blend of too many Cutting Edge and Cyco bottles. Flower is five 1000 HPS in a room just large enough for those and a walkway all around plants. Plants are trellised day one and then a second goes on to let buds finish. All pots are fed on irrigation controller four times per 12 hours. Results very as I never monocrop but have been just over two per and been under as well. I mix my nutes into a 50 gal resi for bloom, 20 gal for veg.

Changes:
I would like to test the Veg+Bloom program. Have heard it does great things alone, no shine or life needed. Have heard from others that the life is key, or gotta use the booster. But still I would like to try it myself so first test run is just the base alone at 4.5 grams per gallon for entire run. I see no need to bump the veg to 5 grams as I can always add a foliar feed if needed. If this works it opens up the possibility of a basic nutrient dosing system that could run my entire grow. Therefore a custom built dosatron system would be in the plans. Also, looking at upgrading the 1000's to 630cmh. Not decided on brand yet but may go sun system just to get the air cooled option.

What do you guys think? Ever ran the VegBloom program? Ever built a dosatron setup? Ever ran the 630s? Give me your harshest feedback. I can take it. I will post plans for the dosatron setup later on as well as schematics of the grow room.

Sherlock

 

[DemonTrich]

I'll chime in on the cmh route. Plain and simple, DO IT! In veg i went from 3x600mh to 3x 315cmh (940 philips cdm elite bulbs), and went from 3x600hps to 4x315 cmh (Philips agro elite 930 bulbs). I knocked 2 weeks veg time off by using cmh vs mh. In flower I use 1260w cmh vs 1800w hps. I get the SAME weight returns, but i get more colors, more frost with cmh. And i save about 200/mo on my.poerr bill. And a Philips cmh bulb is rated for 20,000 hrs.

 

[Sherlock]

I'll chime in on the cmh route. Plain and simple, DO IT! In veg i went from 3x600mh to 3x 315cmh (940 philips cdm elite bulbs), and went from 3x600hps to 4x315 cmh (Philips agro elite 930 bulbs). I knocked 2 weeks veg time off by using cmh vs mh. In flower I use 1260w cmh vs 1800w hps. I get the SAME weight returns, but i get more colors, more frost with cmh. And i save about 200/mo on my.poerr bill. And a Philips cmh bulb is rated for 20,000 hrs.

I appreciate you chiming in @DemonTrich . I have watched your grows since you started posting on the farm and really like what you are doing with the ceramics!! You are someone who actually already had me convinced on this one. Maybe you can help me with a question though on the ceramics. I know setup wouldn't be same, but what do you think the 315 light and ballast produce as far as BTUs? How about the 630 units? Sun System is double ballast for 630 so more heat there, nanolux is single ballast 630 so I assume less heat. Essentially I have a 12K window AC that cools a room that runs 5K all air cooled hoods. Do you think the current AC will be able to cool 5 630s that are not air cooled such as the nanolux or still go with the air cooled option of the sun system? Appreciate your opinion on the matter. Other than figuring out that option, I am sold on these guys and currently saving up to buy five of some 630 model.

Sherlock

 

[Sherlock]

I also forgot to mention in my first post, another change I will test is 2 gallon coco to rockwool cubes. I would love if my plants were rooted enough to fill the 6 stacked on the 8, but we will see. I think that's the last thing I am going to change and make hard on myself.

Sherlock

 

[DemonTrich]

I couldn't tell you honestly. I do know my a.c. doesn't run as often with 1260 cmh vs 1800 hps. All my cmh are air cooled with lung room air (between 75-82*).

I wouldn't change too many things. Otherwise if 1 new thing fails, and your trying 4 new things, how do you know which new thing failed?

 

[Sherlock]

I couldn't tell you honestly. I do know my a.c. doesn't run as often with 1260 cmh vs 1800 hps. All my cmh are air cooled with lung room air (between 75-82*).

I wouldn't change too many things. Otherwise if 1 new thing fails, and your trying 4 new things, how do you know which new thing failed?

Hey that helps, I bet i end up going air cooled, have just always wanted that ability to have each at a varied height without connection, but using the trellis now this kinda goes away anyway.

I hear ya on the changes, learned that many years ago spinning my wheels trying to make sense on my journals etc. Luckily lights are expensive so awhile out. Testing the nute program on my proven media and feed schedule etc as well, so should be able to compare how it does vs the rockwool and vs the new nutes. And the dosatron setup will only be built if the whole shebang works. So each goes in stage or in trial with proven methods.

I only say this is the way im going because after this long I also know myself and know I WILL make the changes eventually. I have grown about every way I can think of, always curious, so much so I cannot help myself and I give it a whirl, and I make it work, some more than others of course. Coco was an absolute failure my first time many years back but now with gained exp and knowledge of the science of the plant, I am excelling with it. Rockwool was a similar experience but I believe I will too do well with it after understanding its demands along with the plants.

Sherlock

 

[DemonTrich]

I use cinder blocks, milk crates, and dish pans ($.89) from wally world to raise my plants up. I have fixed hoods and can not move them. Been rocking it this way for 5+yrs.

 

[Sherlock]

YES! Been a plant mover and not a light mover myself for a long time, downgraded from 7 gals to 5s? You got yourself 5 gal risers now!

Here is a VERY rough sketch of what the dosatron setup will be. I am building exact schematics based on these and will post them later in case anyone wants to copy or build off them.

And before anyone starts, the flush??? comment is for flushing lines with fresh water, etc. I haven't "flushed" my plants since I gave an earnest try to correctly feed instead and have never really looked back. Now that I am in coco I for sure never add just water to the plants and would not with rockwool either. So ya, just need a way to get that fresh water to the room, through the lines, etc. Flushing is for toilets, not your plants.