APE's Swinging from the Trees (Vertical of Course!)

[TrichromeFan]

Ape,
Looks like you got the hang of getting the pics up. Those 30 gal smart pots look large and in charge. Looking forward to the progression here.

-TF

 

[ape]

1 week later 7/13

The last pic is that of a Digimax Ballast. Doesnt it look like a Blue Quantum? Well it is...I picked these up at my local hydro store for 238$ to replace the Xtrasun Ballasts that had gone bad in the attic space.

So I've notice in one week of Veg in the Vert room the following:
1. Once in the Vert room the plants look like they "relax" within 48 hours and begin to open up and go toward the side lighting.
2. Dormant Nodes do become active sooner turning into what will be additional flowering tops.

Also, largest plant is 55" tall and about 50" wide. Large green plant stakes were added because I wanted plants stationary before I move them into their final resting place with the cages around them.

I will take more pics...

 

[ape]

update

Trichrome-just one week later and the 30 gallon smart pots look a lot smaller! Plants have become enormous. These are easily the largest cannabis plants I have ever seen. Growth is so strong a fast that I will be considering 45 gallon size next time if I end up using all the 30 gallon size.

UPATE:Plants are about 4.5' tall in smart pots. Leaving me only 2.5' till the roof is hit! I have turned the temperature down in an effort to slow them down until I here from my natural gas installer who is supposed to hook up the Co2 Generator in two days.

 

[ape]

DAL? Duel Axis Lighting???

Jalisco...i ended not getting the 1500 master blaster bulb and ballast as it is out of my budget. But 3 nights ago I was looking at the largest girl and just wondered if they would be to wide after the 12/12 stretch. As I left the growroom I looked down on the floor and noticed the 4 600 watt ballasts I had on the shelves.

So....I thought, "hmmmm, it wouldn't be that expensive to simply add 4 600 watt halides over the garden." And you can see in the bottom pics.

The current configuration is:
5 1000 watt hps VERTICALLY
4 600 watt halide (conversion lamps) horizontally

Not sure if many others than Jackmayoffer has done this. I call it Duel Axis Lighting (DAL) for the fact the the bulbs are oriented on the X and Y axis (well all learned that in middle school math right???)

So, why mixed spectrums? Well I always think Blue light is best while HPS has larger yields. I figured something like this setup would be ideal to text the blend and see what kind of yield numbers could come out of this.

What do you all think? :-)

 

[ape]

pics...

First ones are various veg shots. Pics don't really these just in pure size. Plants that were topped when small clones are obiviously much more squatty with substantially more tops.

Horizontal 600s will be aircooled as not to interfere initial configuration. I decided to hang them now because tomorrow the cages go up and I didn't want to be contortionist getting them up with even more equipment in the room.

 

[GG4LifeB]

Looking forward to the end of this grow and the results.

 

[swisscheese]

How much does that strain stretch? Everything looks good but you're about to have a mess of green with those beastly ladies!

 

[ape]

update

@swisscheese-this plant has moderate stretch in a flat garden. I am sure I would see less vertical stretch from the side lighting. So I don't plan to turn on the horizontal reflectors until after the first 1-2 weeks of initiation of 12/12.

Last night plants received a "Flush" of just pH balanced RO water from my Merlin. Each container takes about 4-5 gallons of liquid to achieve a good run off. On a normal feeding they get about 3 gallons of nutrient solution. I always pay close attention to the foliage and growth rates as a way to give me feed back on my feeding/watering schedule.

My natural gas hookup guy will be here tomorrow. I'll also mount the 600 watt ballasts and hang the ducting and fans for the air cooled horizontals. Once fired up there will be a total of 7400 watts in mixed spectrum. I'm not totally concerned about yield, but after the crap I've gone through a home run would be nice!

also, sorry guys for the typos as I was falling asleep last night while posting. I felt like I had to make it up to you all after finally figuring out a way to get the pics off of my EVO.

 

[QleanerQuest]

Hey Ape, Derekb! Welcome back. Youve obvously made an impression in the past around here. So I cant wait to see them in late flowering !!!!!!!
You have a nice setup and plan of action for your masterpiece! Blackberry Kush has been on my want list for a while now! So youve got me subbed!!
30 gal pots are NUTS!! I love it!! Im using 15's now and wouldd go bigger if I had the room!!!!!

 

[ape]

Hey DerekB! Good to hear from you. The Blackberry Kush (Blackberry Rhino) lost its appeal in Socal about 2 years ago. In Socal everyone was cutting it down at 7 weeks because of the trich production and they swore, "man, it was done...I looked at the trichs!". I always wondered...how could a plant that had Blackberry (9 weeks), Pre 98 bubba (10 weeks), and White Rhino (9-10 weeks) finish so early???

In the meantime I've seen some super fabulous samples up here in Nocal. It starts to turn dark purple and almost black the last couple of weeks. I've also seen others get it close to 1.75lb/1000 watt letting it go 10 weeks. Next time I'll probably go 4 different strains if I like the coco/perlite hand watering setup. Ill see if I can find a pic of a 10 week flower of her.

 

[ape]

Fyi...

So why vertical?...well obviously yield and plant numbers are the biggest advantages. But for me it went like this...

As a clone vendor I started meeting people that asked me for plants that would be good for such a grow. My first reaction was, "What??? you get plants to do what? Growing them how???". It blew me away when I started meeting people getting better than average yields growing top shelf OG or Bubba stuff using this method.

So I started doing the consulting end of the deal. I would suggest strains that I thought were fast vegging, branchy, and fairly good yielders. From then on I kept in contact with these folks. Most of you have to realize I have donated cuttings to somewhere around 4000 different med patients over the over the last 6 years. So I hear a lot and see a lot.

So here I am taking my solo swing for the fence. Everything you see is hours of blood, sweat, and tears of my own labor. I'm alone and recently left what I consider home because of some Bullshit. I've had to make do with what I could barely afford or scrape together to get this going. Haha...

Also, I'd like to than Jalisco and Invictus for their consultation work and their patience with my questions and asking for advice. Their are many others that have influenced the way I do things. So stay tuned and lets see how big these B I A T C H E S get!!!

 

[QleanerQuest]

Sweet, sounds Dank!! Cant wait to see the 10 week pic!! Im a purple nut!!! Just got some Pre98 cuts, along with The White. Cant wait to pull a fat garden of those!!
I appreciate thebackground on the Blackberry Ape. Knowledge is priceless. Would love to get ahold of a cut one day. Goodluck Ape, see y around!!

 

[ape]

looky here...

This is what 10 week BBK looks like:

 

[mrdizzle]

nice ape, I like the 600's over head. Im planning a 6plant. 14-600's grow, 8 vertically and 6-600's overhead, one over each plant. I think it cant miss

Ill be watching,I only seem to be interested in vertical tree grows

and no doubt about the BBK, people pull it 2wks too soon, its actaully pretty strong if gone 9.5-10wks

 

[ape]

Thx Dizzle

thanks for stopping by Dizzle! I hope to do some booty clappin' when this is all said and done.

One reason as a newbie to VERT i added the 600s was I looked at the enormous size of these girls before 12/12 even started. And I just thought it a natural to chunk up the middle area of the plant while the vertical bulbs to their jobs. Also, I figured running them this way I could mix spectrum AND use more effiecient light use than if I would've got 5 master blasters which alone would cost $2000k retail. Meanwhile I had the 600s sitting on a shelf being unused. All brand new bulbs are used for the grow so that I can get a good quantative number on yield.

5 master blasters would be 7500 watts, while this setup gives me 7400 watts and I get the bonus of using a mixed spectrum.

 

[MakinGoo]

Sorry 2 here about ur problums with the pigs.. I hate those basterds.. But great comeback.. U got a nice mega grow going great job & good luck.. Stay Safe ill b watching this super grow.

 

[Chef_Flaco]

Lookin good G. hoods over each plant has got me thinking... Hope u hit a homerun dawg, you deserve it. I'm dying to see how that BBK turns out.. from what ive seen of her come thru its always been All show no blow. But thats been all from commercial growers, "if it looks done, its done." But i could go on for days about that. Good luck homie! U already know im here if u need anything.


Flaco

ps - hows the babies comin along?

 

[JAHGYDI]

atk gots me high ape. good job buddy

 

[ape]

babies...

@Chef-all is good man. The babies look good. I probably have about 10 strains that I hatched from beans. I'm rearranging the whole mother room, so I'll add pics of it and a list of the 60 or more strains I have.

I've got a HA OG x Shrom cross tentatively named "Worf". haha...

 

[sticky icky]

Freakin sickk ape you know your shit homie that bbk looks mouthwatering I'm subbed keep on slayin be ez peace!