Durban Poison with Vivosun self feeding pots in coco/perlite

[T_Dub]

Glad you got your SE4500 hooked up to the Controller 69!!!
So the actual Spider Farmer dimmer box will let you adjust in increments of 1%?
So you could set it to 3% or 28% or 74% or any percentage you want?!

My older SE4500 as well as my VS4000 and HLG all have 5 dimming options on the light itself and the Controller 69 gave me 10, which was awesome.

Your light is the first I've seen with 1% increments, very interesting.


I should of mentioned the cleaning on self-watering bases......
I do a cleaning every 1-2 fills, depending on how long it took the plants to use the water.

Idk if getting an air pump and air stones would keep everything moving and therefore requiring less cleaning?

I think synthetic or organic will make a difference as well, organic would probably clog the wicks faster and leave more residue then the salts from synthetic.
At least that's the case for drip irrigation.

Hey Newty! good day! Yes, the new Spider Farmer SE4500 can be set to any number between 11-100. (It turns on at 11). Pretty cool light I must say, but it’s definitely less power than your SE 4500 model. I’ll bet your LED is an absolute monster in a 2x4, especially with your supplemental red lights!

I will follow your lead and start cleaning these bases and wicks much more frequently.

Next grow I’m going to attempt my first DWC using the Spider Farmer DWC system, so I’ll be taking a break from these self watering bases for a while. Next time I do use them, I want to try ProMix HP as my medium.

I’m growing synthetic with general hydroponics Flora series.

 

[T_Dub]

i swear by the mantra: "if in doubt, flush it out"... i would recommend at least 3 x the pot volume of ph adjusted water if ur able to

Thanks! That’s a lot of water. Do you use any additives like Florakleen when flushing FloridaMike? Florakleen looks like a citric acid product that dissolves salts…..not sure if it’s just snake oil or a legitimate product for a coco grow.

 

[Florida_Mike]

Thanks! That’s a lot of water. Do you use any additives like Florakleen when flushing FloridaMike? Florakleen looks like a citric acid product that dissolves salts…..not sure if it’s just snake oil or a legitimate product for a coco grow.

i use rockwool so it's completely dif for me. 3 x pot size is just what i've heard people swear by over the eons i've been around

 

[Newty]

Hey Newty! good day! Yes, the new Spider Farmer SE4500 can be set to any number between 11-100. (It turns on at 11). Pretty cool light I must say, but it’s definitely less power than your SE 4500 model. I’ll bet your LED is an absolute monster in a 2x4, especially with your supplemental red lights!

I will follow your lead and start cleaning these bases and wicks much more frequently.

Next grow I’m going to attempt my first DWC using the Spider Farmer DWC system, so I’ll be taking a break from these self watering bases for a while. Next time I do use them, I want to try ProMix HP as my medium.

I’m growing synthetic with general hydroponics Flora series.

I've been wanting to try DWC, I'll be watching out for your thread when you start!

I usually use Fox Farm but I won some Pro-Mix HP-M on Grow Diaries.
The Pro-Mix is by far superior to the Fox Farm I was using.

My Autos with the Self-watering bases are in the Pro-Mix HP-M that I won, first time using it.
The biggest difference with my care between the Fox Farm and Pro-Mix is the Pro-Mix does not have nutrients in it so after 7-14 days from sprout, had to start feeding low doses of nutrients.
I use Flora Series nutes as well.

Idk if I'll ever go back to Fox Farm.

 

[Florida_Mike]

"cleanses" just coming out & we didn't use it

 

[Florida_Mike]

w/ my style in rockwool use this theory:

every drop of water that flows thru it is heavily layden w/ h2o, o2 and nutes
due to intense light and co2, the roots are able intake whatever the plants need without burning

 

[T_Dub]

I've been wanting to try DWC, I'll be watching out for your thread when you start!

I usually use Fox Farm but I won some Pro-Mix HP-M on Grow Diaries.
The Pro-Mix is by far superior to the Fox Farm I was using.

My Autos with the Self-watering bases are in the Pro-Mix HP-M that I won, first time using it.
The biggest difference with my care between the Fox Farm and Pro-Mix is the Pro-Mix does not have nutrients in it so after 7-14 days from sprout, had to start feeding low doses of nutrients.
I use Flora Series nutes as well.

Idk if I'll ever go back to Fox Farm.

If it weren’t for the fact that I just found a case of coco coir bricks in my basement, ProMix HP was my next medium of choice for these self-watering pots instead of coco. I have a feeling that it’s superior. I believe they’re treated very similar, but I’ve seen amazing results with the ProMix. Same feeding schedule between both I suspect since there’s no nutrients in the medium.

I grew with Ocean Forest and Happy Frog for a few years before switching to coco in 2019. Haven’t looked back. Love it with the self feeding pots.

Do you have a journal? I’d love to follow along with your ProMix HP grow.

 

[Florida_Mike]

w/ my style in rockwool use this theory:

every drop of water that flows thru it is heavily layden w/ h2o, o2 and nutes
due to intense light and co2, the roots are able intake whatever the plants need without burning

dote, accidentally hit wrong button, i'll start over. (i'm very slow and clumsy typing bc i only have one good hand to "hunt and peck" with with
mouse)

 

[Florida_Mike]

w/ my style in rockwool use this theory:


every drop of water that flows thru it is heavily layden w/ h2o, o2 and nutes (the liquid pulls the o2 in)

due to intense light and co2, the roots are able intake whatever the plants need without burning

 

[Florida_Mike]

w/ my style in rockwool use this theory:


every drop of water that flows thru it is heavily layden w/ h2o, o2 and nutes (the liquid pulls the o2 in)

due to intense light and co2, the roots are able intake whatever the plants need without burning

grrrrrrr

 

[T_Dub]

w/ my style in rockwool use this theory:

every drop of water that flows thru it is heavily layden w/ h2o, o2 and nutes
due to intense light and co2, the roots are able intake whatever the plants need without burning

Your grow is very interesting FloridaMike! Never really worked with rockwool but I have some small cubes on order to use with a cloning experiment. I’m going to try to clone in rockwool for the DWC test for the first time ever using one of these.

I didn’t want to clog up your journal with questions, but I have several. You have a 4” rockwool block sitting on top of a huge rockwool block which then rests on a DWC bucket, right? Does your DWC bucket constantly circulate water through the rockwool? Are the roots primarily going to grow in the rockwool, or will the bucket fill with roots too? Is this design to allow you to grow a monster plant from a small bucket?

Are you running CO2 too?

I need to go back and read your journal…..very interesting indeed.

 

[Newty]

If it weren’t for the fact that I just found a case of coco coir bricks in my basement, ProMix HP was my next medium of choice for these self-watering pots instead of coco. I have a feeling that it’s superior. I believe they’re treated very similar, but I’ve seen amazing results with the ProMix. Same feeding schedule between both I suspect since there’s no nutrients in the medium.

I grew with Ocean Forest and Happy Frog for a few years before switching to coco in 2019. Haven’t looked back. Love it with the self feeding pots.

Do you have a journal? I’d love to follow along with your ProMix HP grow.

I've never used coco personally,
Happy Frog for seedlings and 2 parts Ocean Forest to 1 part Happy Frog in final pots, exclusively until I won the Pro Mix.

Here is my diary to the Auto Pro-Mix grow, these are the plants with the root issue from not top watering enough.
They are doing good now though, I would think that should say something about the quality of the soil itself.

Thread 'Newty's Fast Buds Blackberry Auto, feat. Spider Farmer SE4500' https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/newtys-fast-buds-blackberry-auto-feat-spider-farmer-se4500.163301/

This is the thread to the 1 gallon challenge,
Link takes you to my latest submission post, the plant is in a 1 gallon Air Pot in Pro-Mix HP-M.

Post in thread '2024 ONE GALLON CHALLENGE PHOTO SUBMISSION TOPIC' https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/2...ge-photo-submission-topic.162167/post-3217405

Both Flora Series nutrients and ran at same dose as I do with Fox Farm soil.

 

[T_Dub]

I've never used coco personally,
Happy Frog for seedlings and 2 parts Ocean Forest to 1 part Happy Frog in final pots, exclusively until I won the Pro Mix.

Here is my diary to the Auto Pro-Mix grow, these are the plants with the root issue from not top watering enough.
They are doing good now though, I would think that should say something about the quality of the soil itself.

Thread 'Newty's Fast Buds Blackberry Auto, feat. Spider Farmer SE4500' https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/newtys-fast-buds-blackberry-auto-feat-spider-farmer-se4500.163301/

This is the thread to the 1 gallon challenge,
Link takes you to my latest submission post, the plant is in a 1 gallon Air Pot in Pro-Mix HP-M.

Post in thread '2024 ONE GALLON CHALLENGE PHOTO SUBMISSION TOPIC' https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/2...ge-photo-submission-topic.162167/post-3217405

Both Flora Series nutrients and ran at same dose as I do with Fox Farm soil.

Those autos were one heck of a test for you…..I never tried to grow an auto. I’ve found that the salt buildup in these self feeding bases can get bad quickly without flushing when using coco. You did a nice job saving them! I don’t recall running into that problem when I used them with soil…..(could be a bad memory though)

I usually only grow in winter because I vent into my home. Venting warm humid air in the house works fine in winter but not so good in summer. I’m hoping the new Spider Farmer dehumidifier will allow me to grow in late winter/early spring. That’s when I’ll attempt my DWC. I think the DWC kit arrives today so I’ll be evaluating the components later today. Looks like a nice kit.

 

[Florida_Mike]

w/ my style in rockwool, this is my working theory:

every drop of water that flows thru it is heavily layden w/ h2o, o2 and nutes
due to intense light and co2, the roots are able intake whatever the plants need without burning
salts don't really get a chance to build up bc they are constantly awash in fresh nutes (we use dirt to crean dirt grasshopper, there is no mystry in this)
if salts do build up the 2ed rule of fight club is kick their ass with a good flush every 7 days. at min 1 hr. this makes things much easier to spot, diagnose and try to correct
in this mom bucket set up i'm using now, the roots love the highly oxygenated water in the bucket (up to 8-10' tall with similar setup with hydrton rocks). i think they also like the slightly dryer "wings" of unislab not directly under the flow. the 4 way feeder manifold is nice bc it helps w/ o2 and circulation, plus prevents back pressure on the pump prolonging it's life (it was happy accident, as i was using spare parts from main build). last, flushing is a breeze. just get 2ed bucket with ph h2o, transfer her over, clean and reset main bucket while other is flushing.
rockwool is extremely clean. i have never had root bugs or problems. i"m a firm believer in "cleanliness is godliness" in grow rooms. cuts down on many probs w/ gnats etc. also makes the gosh damn son a bitchen little bastards easier to spot (sorry, bout of touretts syn)
they claim the new rockwool can be used and sanitized several x (not sure if i'd risk it tho)
you don't have be real hung up on numbers, rather use ranges. i/e i just topped up with 3l of nutes, i try to shoot for 1400, i hit 1300 so i ran with it, especially since i'll be flushing tomorrow anyway (i try not to ever exceed 1500 tho i've had friends that ran 1800ppm (they can take it as long as every other parameter is met
lastly this is all an expriment to see if an old man still has it. i may well be pissing in the wind. i may well straight up crash and burn. if i do, don't laugh and beat me up over it; instead, see it as lessons learned and thank me for it
thanks for listening -peace-
ps. more to come as i remember stuff

 

[Florida_Mike]

Your grow is very interesting FloridaMike! Never really worked with rockwool but I have some small cubes on order to use with a cloning experiment. I’m going to try to clone in rockwool for the DWC test for the first time ever using one of these.

I didn’t want to clog up your journal with questions, but I have several. You have a 4” rockwool block sitting on top of a huge rockwool block which then rests on a DWC bucket, right? Does your DWC bucket constantly circulate water through the rockwool? Are the roots primarily going to grow in the rockwool, or will the bucket fill with roots too? Is this design to allow you to grow a monster plant from a small bucket?

Are you running CO2 too?

I need to go back and read your journal…..very interesting indeed.
View attachment 2331752

haha! lmfao... yes, yes and yes (remember tho, this is all an experiment for me) it has constant water pump and dbl air stones

 

[T_Dub]

Midway through week #3 of flower and I’m trying to read the leaves. I believe I have a Phosphorous deficiency. I checked reservoirs and my ph is 6.1 (ok ) and ppm is 950. So I topped off with RO water and added a small amount of Liquid KoolBloom (0-10-10) to the reservoirs. I suspect my flushing over the course of two weeks also flushed the good stuff out of the coco.

No additional vertical growth this week…..I think the stretch is over. I’m tempted to remove the top scrog net unless that will be needed to support the colas. It would make harvest much easier.

 

[T_Dub]

A few more quick posts regarding the garden. Note that the phosphorous deficiency is only in Plant #1….the plant that I flushed more thoroughly than the rest this week. Once I added Liquid KoolBloom to her reservoir, the ppm climbed to 1100 and I adjusted the ph to 6.0. I then ran 1 gallon from the reservoir through her coco to increase the available nutrients in the root zone. Runoff ppm was 1100 too, so I don’t plan to replace the reservoir. She just needed some food.

Daytime Tent conditions shown below. Running at a VPD around 1.25.

The wicking system on the Vivosun isn’t quite enough in my opinion. Their 1/6 inch wicks are small too. I’m only running 3 gallon fiber bags, so perhaps I would do better with 5 gallons. In the interim, I’m going to run two more 1/4 inch wicks across the center of the pot to see if I can get more nutrients to the medium.

Before and After Vivosun wicks on 1.3 gallon reservoirs

 

[Newty]

Midway through week #3 of flower and I’m trying to read the leaves. I believe I have a Phosphorous deficiency. I checked reservoirs and my ph is 6.1 (ok ) and ppm is 950. So I topped off with RO water and added a small amount of Liquid KoolBloom (0-10-10) to the reservoirs. I suspect my flushing over the course of two weeks also flushed the good stuff out of the coco.

No additional vertical growth this week…..I think the stretch is over. I’m tempted to remove the top scrog net unless that will be needed to support the colas. It would make harvest much easier.

View attachment 2332695View attachment 2332696View attachment 2332697View attachment 2332698

Is that an app you take pictures of your plants or something and it tells you the possible deficiency or toxicity?

A few more quick posts regarding the garden. Note that the phosphorous deficiency is only in Plant #1….the plant that I flushed more thoroughly than the rest this week. Once I added Liquid KoolBloom to her reservoir, the ppm climbed to 1100 and I adjusted the ph to 6.0. I then ran 1 gallon from the reservoir through her coco to increase the available nutrients in the root zone. Runoff ppm was 1100 too, so I don’t plan to replace the reservoir. She just needed some food.

Daytime Tent conditions shown below. Running at a VPD around 1.25.
View attachment 2332783

The wicking system on the Vivosun isn’t quite enough in my opinion. Their 1/6 inch wicks are small too. I’m only running 3 gallon fiber bags, so perhaps I would do better with 5 gallons. In the interim, I’m going to run two more 1/4 inch wicks across the center of the pot to see if I can get more nutrients to the medium.

Before and After Vivosun wicks on 1.3 gallon reservoirs
View attachment 2332781View attachment 2332782

Do your wicks only cover the middle of the pot or do they extend to the edges of the pot also?

Here is a pic of how my ACI wicks are ran in my bases, 3 gallon pots also. Where the wicks go into the bases is where the outside edge of my pots sit.

I use two 16" pieces of wicks per base.
Idk if thay helps with anything lol

 

[Florida_Mike]

the ap just has buttons of dif symtoms, just click a button of

what you think is your symptoms and it'll spit up a bunch of

possible causes with pics. there is also tons of info on there

 

[Florida_Mike]

there will usually be multiple suggestions, just look thru them

and try and find the thread that is same in most different suggestions

(they have a beginners guide on there but i don't consider

myself these days, so i promply skipped it although i still learn

something new every day. it's really honing my sword up just

researching and helping others. hope it helps -peace-