First DWC Grow - Godfather OG / Spider Farmer 7g. Bucket System

[Brother_Antioch]

Hi, folks!

It's that time of the year again for me, that being, time to start a new grow now that the trailer is closed for the season...and I have the time to do something. Last year I tried my first indoor grow using Promix HP and GH Flora trio nutes in a 2x4 tent with a Phlizon 1200W full spectrum LED light, and minimal ventilation. I made my share of mistakes, and learned TONS right here on the forums (thanks all!) and by the end of it, came away with around 9 oz's of some good bud.

Well, this time around, I've decided to sacrifice myself on the altar of frustration try my hand at a DWC hydroponic grow. Here's what I'm using this time around:

2'x4'x60" tent (not sure the brand)
Spider Farmer 7 gal. bucket system w/2"x4" cylindrical air stones and the air pump supplied with the kit. (I'm only using one bucket for the grow, so running both the air stones in the single bucket for max. oxygenation...is that a good or bad idea???)
Spider Farmer SF1000 (the new one)
4-inch inline variable speed duct fan with a 10" charcoal filter exhausting outside the tent.
Vivosun 6" grow tent clip fan (G2) oscillating above the canopy
I also have a 3-speed 6" desk fan sitting directly in front of a bottom vent opening to bring fresh air into the tent and provide air movement below the canopy.
GH Flora Trio nutes and GH CaliMagic, pH up/down solutions.
I have a decent testing pen for ppm, pH and temperature, and a temp. probe with a digital readout that goes into the solution in the bucket. I will be using distilled water for all steps of this grow. ($1.24/4L is "dirt" cheap!)

Since I'm only running the single plant in this grow, the second bucket that came with the kit will be my "get your solution ready for switch" bucket, making nutrient/water swaps easy as can be (in theory...). I've ordered a seed starter kit with a heating pad, humidity dome cover with built-in LED lights, and have the rockwool cubes and hydroton clay balls already. I'm going to start with the seed tomorrow after work, since the kit will be here sometime during the day. So here's my plan. And PLEASE!!!! if you see any flaws in it, let me know, thanks.

I'll soak the seed for a few hours in distilled water. I'll pH the water, but do I really need to just to soak the seed? Then, I'll transfer the seed to the rockwool cube and place it in the starter tray on the heating mat, follow the directions re: watering, light (it has a 4/8/12/16 hour setting, and I've read that 16 on/8 off is good for the seedlings too. Any confirmation would be great!) Once I've got a good tap root I can transfer the cube over to the net pot in the DWC bucket top, put the hydroton pellets all around, blocking all the light out, and setting my light to the appropriate height/intensity using my light meter. From what I've read, I should start out the nutrient solution quite weak (about a 1/4 of recommended) for a week or so, then gradually increase the ppm until I'm in the 450-550 ppm range (again, if I'm off, please let me know...). Not sure if I've missed anything (although yes, I don't have a heater/water chiller/ac/humidifier/dehumidifier but I can get those things as we go along week by week for *ahem* affordability issues *cough cough*)

So, I think that's it for now, and I'll add photos of everything in the next couple of days as I get it all set up. Once I've got it going, I'll keep this diary going once a week with new pictures and a description of what's been done since the last update. Hopefully, those of you with more (read: any!) experience with a DWC hydroponic grow will chime in and chastise me for my errors, and gently correct me in my ways. I appreciate any advice, encouragement or simply the shared experience.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

Hi, folks.

So, it's been a few days, here's a brief update and a quick question.

Update: Not much, really. Seed is now germinating in a rockwool cube in a seed starter kit with a heating mat. LEDs are off until I see the first real leaves spring forth. Humidity dome is on it with the vents sealed until she breaks through. Tent is all set up for when I transplant, will just need to fill the bucket with a proper distilled water mixed with mild nutes. Currently running it with regular tap water and nothing in the net pot just to see what the "normal" temps and humidity are sans plant. In short, trying to dial in the environment so when I do transplant it in a week or so things will be all set up.

The question is, ventilation: should my inline duct fan be running all the time or only when the lights are on? I have an oscillating fan above the canopy, a stationary fan under the canopy and a small desktop fan (4") blowing fresh air in all on. (Canopy denotes height, obviously, as I haven't even achieved seedling stage yet!). I've read the opposite information on various sites (as in, one site says run it 24/7 and another says run it timed to your lights) so thought I'd ask here, since the info I've previously gotten from you fine folks has never steered me wrong yet.

Opinions? Advice? A softly worded mocking of my lack of knowledge? All are welcome and thanks in advance.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

Hi, folks!

So, I noticed while doing the dry-run (so to speak...it does have water in it) that my humidity levels were waaaaay too low, as in maxing out around 30%. Not ideal for transplanting a seedling into a DWC system from what I've read. So, bought the Vivosun AeroStream H05 humidifier. After running it for a couple of hours, my VPD is down to 0.8 and my humidity is around 66% with temps varying from (day) 70-72F to (night) 62-64F.

I have to say, having the app on my phone really opened my eyes to what a difference they make! It live monitors VPD, humidity and temperature for me, and I don't have to get off the chair. I'm now looking at their tent heater that's also app controlled, and can also be tailored for my needs. I guess what it really opened my eyes to is the ease of automation (if you ignore the costs, that is...). If I have to get a heater for the tent this winter run (being in eastern Ontario Canada) I think I'll check ahead and see what would work with a more complete automation system, and over the coming summer I'll start putting together the components to make as much as possible completely automated.

Would you fine folks suggest assembling various components to custom fit my needs, or rather buy a complete setup that's ready to go, but not necessarily exactly the size/shape/whatever that I'm looking for? Food for thought.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[pnwbluntman]

Hi, folks.

So, it's been a few days, here's a brief update and a quick question.

Update: Not much, really. Seed is now germinating in a rockwool cube in a seed starter kit with a heating mat. LEDs are off until I see the first real leaves spring forth. Humidity dome is on it with the vents sealed until she breaks through. Tent is all set up for when I transplant, will just need to fill the bucket with a proper distilled water mixed with mild nutes. Currently running it with regular tap water and nothing in the net pot just to see what the "normal" temps and humidity are sans plant. In short, trying to dial in the environment so when I do transplant it in a week or so things will be all set up.

The question is, ventilation: should my inline duct fan be running all the time or only when the lights are on? I have an oscillating fan above the canopy, a stationary fan under the canopy and a small desktop fan (4") blowing fresh air in all on. (Canopy denotes height, obviously, as I haven't even achieved seedling stage yet!). I've read the opposite information on various sites (as in, one site says run it 24/7 and another says run it timed to your lights) so thought I'd ask here, since the info I've previously gotten from you fine folks has never steered me wrong yet.

Opinions? Advice? A softly worded mocking of my lack of knowledge? All are welcome and thanks in advance.

Cheers,

BA.

I always run my fans and exhaust. To fully control your rh% and vpd. Usually having a dehumidifier and humidifier for certain times of the grow to adjust for what phase the plant is in. You always want a constant air exchange to prevent mold and disease and for additional help of controling the vpd. You will see the correlation between your temp and you kpa, and how the vpd reacts. It's something that takes time to dial in. If you have an ac for the room that can help as well with a heater.

 

[amneziaHaze]

Hi, folks!

It's that time of the year again for me, that being, time to start a new grow now that the trailer is closed for the season...and I have the time to do something. Last year I tried my first indoor grow using Promix HP and GH Flora trio nutes in a 2x4 tent with a Phlizon 1200W full spectrum LED light, and minimal ventilation. I made my share of mistakes, and learned TONS right here on the forums (thanks all!) and by the end of it, came away with around 9 oz's of some good bud.

Well, this time around, I've decided to sacrifice myself on the altar of frustration try my hand at a DWC hydroponic grow. Here's what I'm using this time around:

2'x4'x60" tent (not sure the brand)
Spider Farmer 7 gal. bucket system w/2"x4" cylindrical air stones and the air pump supplied with the kit. (I'm only using one bucket for the grow, so running both the air stones in the single bucket for max. oxygenation...is that a good or bad idea???)
Spider Farmer SF1000 (the new one)
4-inch inline variable speed duct fan with a 10" charcoal filter exhausting outside the tent.
Vivosun 6" grow tent clip fan (G2) oscillating above the canopy
I also have a 3-speed 6" desk fan sitting directly in front of a bottom vent opening to bring fresh air into the tent and provide air movement below the canopy.
GH Flora Trio nutes and GH CaliMagic, pH up/down solutions.
I have a decent testing pen for ppm, pH and temperature, and a temp. probe with a digital readout that goes into the solution in the bucket. I will be using distilled water for all steps of this grow. ($1.24/4L is "dirt" cheap!)

Since I'm only running the single plant in this grow, the second bucket that came with the kit will be my "get your solution ready for switch" bucket, making nutrient/water swaps easy as can be (in theory...). I've ordered a seed starter kit with a heating pad, humidity dome cover with built-in LED lights, and have the rockwool cubes and hydroton clay balls already. I'm going to start with the seed tomorrow after work, since the kit will be here sometime during the day. So here's my plan. And PLEASE!!!! if you see any flaws in it, let me know, thanks.

I'll soak the seed for a few hours in distilled water. I'll pH the water, but do I really need to just to soak the seed? Then, I'll transfer the seed to the rockwool cube and place it in the starter tray on the heating mat, follow the directions re: watering, light (it has a 4/8/12/16 hour setting, and I've read that 16 on/8 off is good for the seedlings too. Any confirmation would be great!) Once I've got a good tap root I can transfer the cube over to the net pot in the DWC bucket top, put the hydroton pellets all around, blocking all the light out, and setting my light to the appropriate height/intensity using my light meter. From what I've read, I should start out the nutrient solution quite weak (about a 1/4 of recommended) for a week or so, then gradually increase the ppm until I'm in the 450-550 ppm range (again, if I'm off, please let me know...). Not sure if I've missed anything (although yes, I don't have a heater/water chiller/ac/humidifier/dehumidifier but I can get those things as we go along week by week for *ahem* affordability issues *cough cough*)

So, I think that's it for now, and I'll add photos of everything in the next couple of days as I get it all set up. Once I've got it going, I'll keep this diary going once a week with new pictures and a description of what's been done since the last update. Hopefully, those of you with more (read: any!) experience with a DWC hydroponic grow will chime in and chastise me for my errors, and gently correct me in my ways. I appreciate any advice, encouragement or simply the shared experience.

Cheers,

BA.

More airstones more water movement at some point you got a tornado in there and it breaks roots.if your doing sterile they stay there and rot away if your doing benies something eats it

Fans should run allways you can change speed but frrsh air should be supplied all the time.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

I always run my fans and exhaust. To fully control your rh% and vpd. Usually having a dehumidifier and humidifier for certain times of the grow to adjust for what phase the plant is in. You always want a constant air exchange to prevent mold and disease and for additional help of controling the vpd. You will see the correlation between your temp and you kpa, and how the vpd reacts. It's something that takes time to dial in. If you have an ac for the room that can help as well with a heater.

Thanks, bluntman. I was planning on running the intake, oscillating and bottom circulation fan full time, just wasn't sure about the 4" inline duct fan as I'd read a few articles that contradicted each other on that point. Hence me asking here, as you folks have never steered me wrong yet! So, that settles it, all fans running, and I'll dial in the speed of the exhaust fan to control the environmental variables.

Appreciate the help and the input. I'll be posting some pics in the next week or so as the seedling starts to grow and I transfer over to the net pot in the DWC system. It's JUST starting to poke her head out of the rockwool cube as of this morning.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

More airstones more water movement at some point you got a tornado in there and it breaks roots.if your doing sterile they stay there and rot away if your doing benies something eats it

Fans should run allways you can change speed but frrsh air should be supplied all the time.

Thanks, aH.

As for the two air stones, they're a decent size and put out a fair amount of small bubbles, but they are stationary at either side of the bucket so it's not creating any type of vortex or violent bubbling, just a steady stream of small air bubbles. For sure, though, I understand your point. Too much movement of the water due to bubbling could potentially damage the root system of the plant and destroy her before I even get the chance.

For the fans, as both you and bluntman pointed out, I'll be running all of them full-time. In total that'll be 4 fans of varying size: the vivosun oscillating fan clipped on above the canopy, the 6" desk fan under the canopy to circulate the air under and around the plant and tent, the 4" small fan that is acting as an intake fan nestled into one of the duct openings in the bottom of the tent, and the 4" inline duct fan with the charcoal filter exhausting the tent that I can speed up or down as needed. Between all of them, I should have a really good air exchange, but not strong enough of a current to damage anything.

Appreciate your help and input, to be sure. Pics will be forthcoming as soon as there's something worthy of taking a picture of!

Cheers,

BA.

 

[amneziaHaze]

If you read how much air a dwc can or need its an overkill so your probably not gonna make much problems.

Oscilating fans should be super weak just enough to move a leaf
If you have one that doesnt move usually leafs in front of it no matter how strong will have problems.i usually use it at the bottom to mix air under the canopy.

But yea you look to be ready good luck

 

[Brother_Antioch]

If you read how much air a dwc can or need its an overkill so your probably not gonna make much problems.

Oscilating fans should be super weak just enough to move a leaf
If you have one that doesnt move usually leafs in front of it no matter how strong will have problems.i usually use it at the bottom to mix air under the canopy.

But yea you look to be ready good luck

Hi, aH.

The oscillating fan I have in there has 6 (I believe) settings, so I'm going to be on the lowest to start for sure, and aimed a few inches above the seedling top. With the two other fans (6" and 4" on the intake) at either ends of the tent and blowing in opposite directions (intake at front right blowing straight in and 6" at back left blowing straight across at a very slight upward angle) I figure the plant won't get direct "wind" action for now, but I'll get plenty of circulation both above and below the "canopy" level. As for the volume of air in the water, the pump I'm using is the stock air pump from Spider Farmer that came with the kit, rated for around 50 L per minute, so I think it's safe enough.

As always, I really appreciate the input and advice. It's a constant learning curve with this being only my second indoor grow and first in a hydroponic setup. Will follow up with pictures in the next week or so as something starts to actually sprout leaves.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

Hi, folks!

So, here's the first of (hopefully) many many updates on my first attempt at growing in a DWC system. I've gone ahead and purchased a Vivosun humidifier and it's working perfectly at maintaining a VPD of 0.8 as per the settings. I've lowered the intensity of my SF1000 light to about 20% which gives me a reading of 6500 LUX. I've ordered a proper PPFD meter (YIKES! They aren't cheap, are they???) to truly dial in the system and it will arrive tomorrow, so long as the Amazon Gods are in a good mood (as in, if the driver doesn't drop my package off at the wrong address AGAIN...).

My seed has a tap root about 1-1/2" long inside the rockwool cube, so I've transferred the cube with the seedling over to my Spider Farmer DWC system, along with all the cleaned and sterilized hydroton pellets. You can just make out the top of the seedling breaking through the rockwool cube. I'm running the top-water drip system for now but will disconnect it from the system once the roots reach the water level. With the pellets in there, it seems to diffuse the water quite well. Prior to putting them in, it seemed all the water was being directed directly at the centre of the net pot and would drown the seedling. Crisis averted!

I'm running the lights on an 18/6 schedule for now. Put all fresh room-temperature distilled water in the reservoir (about 5 gal. or so) until it's roughly an inch above the bottom of the net pot, and will reduce the level as the roots start to grow. I've added about 2.5 ml. of CaliMagic to the distilled water (about half the recommended dosage) and then pH'd it to 5.9.

Here's a few pics of the setup so far. I'll keep an updated journal here throughout the grow, so any advice or criticism is quite welcome and actively encouraged!

Cheers,

BA.

 

[delps8]

Some feedback and advice?

The SF1000 is a 100 watt light. Input wattage can be used as a rough guideline and 30 watts per square foot is about the minimum with 40 watts being enough to get the most out of a cannabis plant for most grows.

6500lux is low light. If you grow seedlings at that level (that's about 100µmol), they will be "leggy", meaning that they will be tall and slender. With so little light, they will have to expend a lot of resources to grow toward the light so they won't have much energy left over to create branches and leaves.

The first few days are extremely important. I'd start at 200µmol and ramp up quickly.

Re PAR meter - which meter did you go with?

The SF1000 is designed for a 2' tent and it generates a modest amount of light. The maximum size of a cannabis crop is a direct function of the amount of light that it gets so, if you're not giving your plant that much light, it simply can't generate enough energy to grow very large. If you're on board with that, the SF1000 is OK. If you're looking to grow larger plant or want a plant with higher quality buds, your plant will need more light.

And since you're using Spider products… My light of choice in the 2' x 4' size is their G/SE4500. It's about $240 (USD) and, if I had to replace my lights for my 2' x 4' tent, I'd pick that over a Mars, a Migro, or a GrandMasterLED, hands down. Spider did a great job with that light.

FInal note—seedlings like warm and wet. Warm because plants grow better in higher temps (up to about 85°) and wet because seedlings are just starting to develop their root system so the high RH helps stop transpiration losses. The difference between 70° and 85°, in terms of photosynthesis, is huge—at 250µmol, the rate of photosynthesis pretty much doubles between 70 and 85°. It's all connected, though. If you increase the temp of the plant, RH needs to increase, as well, so VPD of 0.6 to 0.8 for seedlings will do fine.

 

[pnwbluntman]

Hi, folks!

So, here's the first of (hopefully) many many updates on my first attempt at growing in a DWC system. I've gone ahead and purchased a Vivosun humidifier and it's working perfectly at maintaining a VPD of 0.8 as per the settings. I've lowered the intensity of my SF1000 light to about 20% which gives me a reading of 6500 LUX. I've ordered a proper PPFD meter (YIKES! They aren't cheap, are they???) to truly dial in the system and it will arrive tomorrow, so long as the Amazon Gods are in a good mood (as in, if the driver doesn't drop my package off at the wrong address AGAIN...).

My seed has a tap root about 1-1/2" long inside the rockwool cube, so I've transferred the cube with the seedling over to my Spider Farmer DWC system, along with all the cleaned and sterilized hydroton pellets. You can just make out the top of the seedling breaking through the rockwool cube. I'm running the top-water drip system for now but will disconnect it from the system once the roots reach the water level. With the pellets in there, it seems to diffuse the water quite well. Prior to putting them in, it seemed all the water was being directed directly at the centre of the net pot and would drown the seedling. Crisis averted!

I'm running the lights on an 18/6 schedule for now. Put all fresh room-temperature distilled water in the reservoir (about 5 gal. or so) until it's roughly an inch above the bottom of the net pot, and will reduce the level as the roots start to grow. I've added about 2.5 ml. of CaliMagic to the distilled water (about half the recommended dosage) and then pH'd it to 5.9.

Here's a few pics of the setup so far. I'll keep an updated journal here throughout the grow, so any advice or criticism is quite welcome and actively encouraged!

Cheers,

BA.

I have that same fan in the floor in my tent it's a nice low powered fan

 

[pnwbluntman]

You should clean it though it's pretty dusty
Don't want mites

 

[Brother_Antioch]

Some feedback and advice?

The SF1000 is a 100 watt light. Input wattage can be used as a rough guideline and 30 watts per square foot is about the minimum with 40 watts being enough to get the most out of a cannabis plant for most grows.

6500lux is low light. If you grow seedlings at that level (that's about 100µmol), they will be "leggy", meaning that they will be tall and slender. With so little light, they will have to expend a lot of resources to grow toward the light so they won't have much energy left over to create branches and leaves.

The first few days are extremely important. I'd start at 200µmol and ramp up quickly.

Re PAR meter - which meter did you go with?

The SF1000 is designed for a 2' tent and it generates a modest amount of light. The maximum size of a cannabis crop is a direct function of the amount of light that it gets so, if you're not giving your plant that much light, it simply can't generate enough energy to grow very large. If you're on board with that, the SF1000 is OK. If you're looking to grow larger plant or want a plant with higher quality buds, your plant will need more light.

And since you're using Spider products… My light of choice in the 2' x 4' size is their G/SE4500. It's about $240 (USD) and, if I had to replace my lights for my 2' x 4' tent, I'd pick that over a Mars, a Migro, or a GrandMasterLED, hands down. Spider did a great job with that light.

FInal note—seedlings like warm and wet. Warm because plants grow better in higher temps (up to about 85°) and wet because seedlings are just starting to develop their root system so the high RH helps stop transpiration losses. The difference between 70° and 85°, in terms of photosynthesis, is huge—at 250µmol, the rate of photosynthesis pretty much doubles between 70 and 85°. It's all connected, though. If you increase the temp of the plant, RH needs to increase, as well, so VPD of 0.6 to 0.8 for seedlings will do fine.

Hi, delps8.

Thanks for the reply and the information. The meter I got is the Quantum PAR Meters for LED Grow Lights by Elaphodus. I ordered it from Amazon for $171 CDN. The G/SE4500 light goes for between $425 and $485 CDN here, so I might have to hold off until the next grow for that purchase. I'm a tradesman (tile setter) and January to March is notoriously slow for the industry around these parts. The light levels currently are dialed right back due to reading that between 5000 and 7000 LUX was the ideal range for a seedling just emerging from the rockwool, but it seems I might have gotten some bad information there. Once that meter arrives this afternoon, I'll be able to check the PPFD properly and will adjust the intensity to the proper levels. Humidity I can raise, no problem! The issue last grow was keeping it low enough, but I was using a different light (Phlizon 1200W full spectrum) that put out a bit more heat. I still have that light, so perhaps I could hang it in conjunction with the SF1000? Any thoughts on that would be appreciated. For the temperature issue, I can pick up a small tent heater in the next day or so and pop that in there, no problem. I'll make a point of doing so after work today and nip that potential problem in the bud, so to speak.

Again, thanks a ton for the detailed breakdown and explanations. It's one of the reasons I love this site so much! I'll post an update in a week with the changes (heater, possible extra light) and readings/pics again. It's in the very beginning stage right now, so hopefully I can learn in time to make it a great grow with help like yours and others.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

You should clean it though it's pretty dusty
Don't want mites

lol. I KNEW I was forgetting something!!!

I'm going to pull that fan apart when I get home from work this evening and thoroughly clean it up. My bad. Everything else (fans, etc.) is brand new this grow so it figures...the one piece that isn't didn't get cleaned. Although you can't see it in the pictures, there's also a USB powered fan (about the size of a computer fan) set up to draw air into the tent in the bottom front corner duct opening. (it's clean though...lol)

Cheers,

BA.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

Some feedback and advice?

The SF1000 is a 100 watt light. Input wattage can be used as a rough guideline and 30 watts per square foot is about the minimum with 40 watts being enough to get the most out of a cannabis plant for most grows.

6500lux is low light. If you grow seedlings at that level (that's about 100µmol), they will be "leggy", meaning that they will be tall and slender. With so little light, they will have to expend a lot of resources to grow toward the light so they won't have much energy left over to create branches and leaves.

The first few days are extremely important. I'd start at 200µmol and ramp up quickly.

Re PAR meter - which meter did you go with?

The SF1000 is designed for a 2' tent and it generates a modest amount of light. The maximum size of a cannabis crop is a direct function of the amount of light that it gets so, if you're not giving your plant that much light, it simply can't generate enough energy to grow very large. If you're on board with that, the SF1000 is OK. If you're looking to grow larger plant or want a plant with higher quality buds, your plant will need more light.

And since you're using Spider products… My light of choice in the 2' x 4' size is their G/SE4500. It's about $240 (USD) and, if I had to replace my lights for my 2' x 4' tent, I'd pick that over a Mars, a Migro, or a GrandMasterLED, hands down. Spider did a great job with that light.

FInal note—seedlings like warm and wet. Warm because plants grow better in higher temps (up to about 85°) and wet because seedlings are just starting to develop their root system so the high RH helps stop transpiration losses. The difference between 70° and 85°, in terms of photosynthesis, is huge—at 250µmol, the rate of photosynthesis pretty much doubles between 70 and 85°. It's all connected, though. If you increase the temp of the plant, RH needs to increase, as well, so VPD of 0.6 to 0.8 for seedlings will do fine.

Hi, delps8.

Just thought I'd let you know, my PPFD reader arrived and is really helping a ton. I've got my lights now running at 300µmol now with the light set fairly close to the seedling and set at 40%. There's no heat coming off the light whatsoever so I don't think burning will be an issue. I can dial back to 200 or up to whatever I need to as my needs evolve.

To combat the temperature issue, I went ahead and ordered the AC Infinity Thermoforge T3. It will arrive in the next week or so. In the meantime I'll use a little space heater set on low. I want to look into full automation next year, so figured I might as well buy the heater that is pre-made to integrate into such a setup. (Buy once, cry once right?) From what I've been reading on the two units (humidifier and heater) they can both read, and adjust to, VPD readings on the fly. I'm sure it'll take a bit more research and a little trial and error, but I have no doubt I'll be able to dial in the system (with the help of such good souls as yourself and the others here at The Farm).

Once again, thanks for your advice. As you can see, I do listen, learn, and make the acquisitions as needed. Your help and support certainly isn't going to waste.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[pnwbluntman]

Hi, delps8.

Just thought I'd let you know, my PPFD reader arrived and is really helping a ton. I've got my lights now running at 300µmol now with the light set fairly close to the seedling and set at 40%. There's no heat coming off the light whatsoever so I don't think burning will be an issue. I can dial back to 200 or up to whatever I need to as my needs evolve.

To combat the temperature issue, I went ahead and ordered the AC Infinity Thermoforge T3. It will arrive in the next week or so. In the meantime I'll use a little space heater set on low. I want to look into full automation next year, so figured I might as well buy the heater that is pre-made to integrate into such a setup. (Buy once, cry once right?) From what I've been reading on the two units (humidifier and heater) they can both read, and adjust to, VPD readings on the fly. I'm sure it'll take a bit more research and a little trial and error, but I have no doubt I'll be able to dial in the system (with the help of such good souls as yourself and the others here at The Farm).

Once again, thanks for your advice. As you can see, I do listen, learn, and make the acquisitions as needed. Your help and support certainly isn't going to waste.

Cheers,

BA.

Eventually you should get a bar light to be able to fill that tent up with light. For now that light will do the trick. I try to start seedlings off on the lowest setting at 24" and adjust accordingly to how the strain grows. Some genetics are slower than others. After you do a few runs you will get a better hang of it.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

Eventually you should get a bar light to be able to fill that tent up with light. For now that light will do the trick. I try to start seedlings off on the lowest setting at 24" and adjust accordingly to how the strain grows. Some genetics are slower than others. After you do a few runs you will get a better hang of it.

Hi, bluntman.

I totally agree. For the next grow (if not sooner) I'll upgrade the light. It's only a single plant running, so I'm keeping it centred under the light, although with wanting to do a manifold and scrog, I can definitely see the need for a bigger light for more even distribution. It all comes down to money, tbh. I definitely needed a heater, so spent the $275 CDN to get something that will fit the future plans instead of $75 on something that won't. Same with the humidifier. If I pick up a nice little plum job on a weekend, then for sure I'll upgrade much sooner than planned. A simple backsplash or small bathroom floor can make me a quick grand on a side-job. Bonus money equals improved gear!

Thanks tons for the advice, as it is after all my first kick at doing a hyrdo run. My grow in ProMix HP last year gave me a ton of knowledge and experience, mostly from here truth be told. I'm feeling a lot more confident this time around, even though it's a totally different medium.

Cheers,

BA.

 

[pnwbluntman]

Hi, bluntman.

I totally agree. For the next grow (if not sooner) I'll upgrade the light. It's only a single plant running, so I'm keeping it centred under the light, although with wanting to do a manifold and scrog, I can definitely see the need for a bigger light for more even distribution. It all comes down to money, tbh. I definitely needed a heater, so spent the $275 CDN to get something that will fit the future plans instead of $75 on something that won't. Same with the humidifier. If I pick up a nice little plum job on a weekend, then for sure I'll upgrade much sooner than planned. A simple backsplash or small bathroom floor can make me a quick grand on a side-job. Bonus money equals improved gear!

Thanks tons for the advice, as it is after all my first kick at doing a hyrdo run. My grow in ProMix HP last year gave me a ton of knowledge and experience, mostly from here truth be told. I'm feeling a lot more confident this time around, even though it's a totally different medium.

Cheers,

BA.

No rush on the light, you should be fine with one plant, you should have about 3'x3' of coverage with that light. One plant with a decent scrog will fill the 3'x3' area no problem. When you want to fill that whole space up and are ready to do that is when I would get a bigger light. And its similar to coco just not as forgiving, once you get the hang of it you will love how much easier and the vigor it give plants. The things I would suggest to get before a bigger light is spare pumps for the just in case. Idk how many pumps I have gone through, but after years ago on my first setup, I had to learn a hard expensive lesson that felt like a wasted 14 weeks of my life because of pump failure.

 

[Brother_Antioch]

No rush on the light, you should be fine with one plant, you should have about 3'x3' of coverage with that light. One plant with a decent scrog will fill the 3'x3' area no problem. When you want to fill that whole space up and are ready to do that is when I would get a bigger light. And its similar to coco just not as forgiving, once you get the hang of it you will love how much easier and the vigor it give plants. The things I would suggest to get before a bigger light is spare pumps for the just in case. Idk how many pumps I have gone through, but after years ago on my first setup, I had to learn a hard expensive lesson that felt like a wasted 14 weeks of my life because of pump failure.

Hi, bluntman.

Indeed, a second pump was my first (second?) purchase. It's just a smaller air pump but will move enough air in a pinch. I will most likely get a better air pump than the one that came with the kit in the new year (Boxing Day sales, perhaps) and switch them around to use the better one on the system and the SF air pump that came with the kit as the backup. The third (smallest) will be relegated to "Emergency Back-up Back-up" status.

As for the light situation, thanks. You've confirmed what I thought, that being, my light should be okay for a single plant in a 2x4 tent although far from ideal. Like I said from the start, this grow is more of a test for me to see if I can manage it properly. Assuming everything works well (or well enough...) then next year I'll most likely go fully-automated, and upgrade all the equipment that I haven't already done (such as my new heater and humidifier).

As always, thanks for the input. It is really appreciated and I do take all information seriously and act accordingly.

Cheers,

BA.

PS: the small fan on the floor is now cleaner than it was coming out of the factory.