Current Culture 8xl grow journal

[ken dog]

and so it begins...

I took some tongue and groove two foot wide by 8 foot long by one inch thick, pink foam insulation panels and cut them in half.
then I used the appropriate foam panel glue to glue the tongue and grooves together, and then glued and taped the top of the seams with blue painters tape.

I will use this as a base for the water proof containment area in case of a catastrophe.
I will glue 12 inch foam panels to the perimeter after I install the unit.

 

[ken dog]

first of the smaller box, then a picture of the larger box... send a picture of the first layout, to get all the buckets level.

 

[outwest]

Bring it! Look forward to the show. What kind of genetics are going into the system?

outwest

 

[ken dog]

a couple of cherry berrys a couple of Maui Blue Dreams, maybe a Grape Ape and a Lemon Skunk. also an Indica Grapefruit, and an East Coast Sour Diesel...
I have 16 clones ready, I will use the best 8... and make new mothers out of the rest.

 

[neverbreak]

nice setup bro, lookin forward to the show. pullin up a chair for this one.

neverbreak

 

[ken dog]

level and hooked up... Almost ready to fill with water.

I cannot emphasize the importance of having a level base... I had to raise one end up, over 3 inches.

 

[ken dog]

so I finished all the connections, and added 50 gallons of water... Got to the bottom of the net pots.

I had two leaks... The first one was when I didn't seat the connecting pipe properly in one of the buckets.
the second one was at the exit of the epicenter, I'm telling you right now, once you get it set in place, do not move it back and forth at all.
it took me a while to find the sweet spot, but I finally stoped the leak... I can't imagine doing it on anything less than a perfectly level base... plus or minus 1/8 inch, maximum.
here's a pic.

 

[ken dog]

by the way, I put a tarp underneath the entire thing... I highly recommend it.:)

 

[UCMENOW]

Float valves upside down.

 

[ken dog]

Float valves upside down.

thank you, I will fix it right away:)

 

[monkeymun]

That's a nice setup. Are you using LEDs?

 

[ken dog]

That's a nice setup. Are you using LEDs?

yes on the flower, however on the veg, I will be using half and half, T-5 10,000K, 4 foot fluorescents (6 bulbs per light, 1 light for 2 plants), and LEDs (1 240 watt Super Veg per plant).

 

[cephalopoda]

just wondering why u are going fluro / led over hps for flower? is it to save on electricity? how u used that combo before for flower and if so how did u go?

 

[ken dog]

I've only grown with LED's... & I love the results.
to be fair though I have been using around 60-70 watts per square foot.

I have also flowered with 7 band LED lights that are designed primarily for veg, with excellent results.

I have not tried fluros before... this is an experiment, because my partner, (who has a grow of his own), has had excellent results with vegging and flowering with fluros...however, he uses primarily HID's for flowering, and does both hps and fluros for veg.

for him and I, I want to put the debate to bed... and see if there's any difference at all.

my partner and I went different routes for lights...I did not want to deal with heat, and I am a big fan of efficiency and high performance.
that said, LED's put out their good share of heat as well.:)

 

[reloader]

Great set up ken, I can't wait to see this running like a Swiss watch. I am an hid guy, but I am interested in Led's. I have to admit I don't know a lot about them, so I'm interested to see how they do. You said you have only grown with led: What is your average gpw?

 

[ken dog]

Great set up ken, I can't wait to see this running like a Swiss watch. I am an hid guy, but I am interested in Led's. I have to admit I don't know a lot about them, so I'm interested to see how they do. You said you have only grown with led: What is your average gpw?

I average about .4 grams per watt, every 47-50 days... in ebb and flow.

not the greatest, but at least it's quick.:)

 

[ken dog]

I'm not happy at all with my install... I need to redo it.
I am NOT confident that the leak in the epicenter will not return, due to my inability to make three points exactly level... two rows of buckets, and one epicenter.

I am a very skilled carpenter, and I am NOT happy with the results..

I have drained the system, disassembled everything, and started over.
I constructed a 43 inch by 10 foot 1 inch long base.
I will waterproof the inside with a tarp, and attach sides to the base to contain the water... in case of a catastrophe.
I also plan on setting the top off reservoir inside the base.

I will post some pictures later today, and show you the progress..

 

[ken dog]

... so here's what I did... I framed the base, squared it up, leveled it, and attached it to the floor.
I also moved the unit over to the right of the room, and moved my Maui Blue Dream recirculating bucket plant over to the far center of the room.
I did that so I could fit another unit in the same room, and so the lights will not interfere with the overhead fan as it is turning.

 

[neverbreak]

awesome bro, lookin forward to seein what ya pull off with these leds. how much was the outlay for 'em? they get pretty exy, right?

neverbreak

 

[ken dog]

awesome bro, lookin forward to seein what ya pull off with these leds. how much was the outlay for 'em? they get pretty exy, right?

neverbreak

the ones from HTG Supply are really not too bad... If you get the 240 watt lights.

it's around $3 a bulb (for a 3 watt bulb)... Which is better than the average of about $4-$4.20 for other bulbs.

I have about 2,000 dollars worth of lights covering this unit....960 LED watts.