Enter the Monolith: Under Current 10 meets Home Box

[TrichromeFan]

BL,
How you doin?
Plants are looking pretty sweet! I wish mine looked that good. Next run maybe. :thinking

Did I read right in that you have only done one res change so far on those ladies? I don't quite know the deal on the UC stuff, but I have always been used to swapping nutes every week or 2. I truthfully don't know how the whole under current thing goes with the rez that tops off the control tank. What the strength of the nutes in it is, or is it just plain water?

 

[Boylobster]

Doin' well, thanks, man! Gave my all my cells a perhaps too-lengthy alcohol soak this weekend, but other than that... :itwasntme

Yeah, you read that right - just one res change, somewhere around day 35 - a little bit after halfway. I'm no pro, but it's really hard for me to justify sending that much RO and nutrient down the drain every week.

On this run, I've done both plain RO and nutrient solution in the top-off tank. Until the res change, I was filling the top-off tank with a balanced nute solution with and EC around .7 or .8.

Since the change-out, I've just dosed nutes directly into the system and adjusted pH there as well, and let the top-off tank just fill with plain RO. I'm not sure that one is necessarily any better than the other, though with a nute solution in the top-off tank, you could leave the pH low, and it would drop the pH of the system down as it trickled in, which was nice.

I hope I'm explaining that well enough - let me know if I wasn't clear... it's been known to happen. ;)

 

[Shady]

I'm absolutely amazed at the UC system and the fact you only did one res change... Can you post some Picts of the control res? I think I need to better understand how that works... :thinking

 

[Lokes]

Updizzle!


Mo' room, mo' bettah'... This is much more reasonable spacing.

Flowers! Sweet flaming Jesus, actual flowers! :party

I'm still surprised by the amount of stretch here, but what are you gonna' do?

The stretch was part of what alarmed me so much; this strain is normally the shortest, most compact of those I grow. I've never seen it get this lengthy before, but it seems to have slowed, and the flowers look fairly normal. That's all for now, but if anyone has any advice, it's still more than welcome.

Peace,
BL

Hey Lobster,

I gotta say, well done and I love the way you write. A pleasure to read, and I've read a lot.

Now about the stretch. I read an interesting article the other day on stretch, keep in mind the thread was about Sativa's but my have some relevancy here.

As you know Sativa's love to stretch, so the way growers get around that in the indoor garden is to restrict the root ball. This also creates more energy into bud development rather than root development.

Now in your system the roots can go ape shit, and on some varieties with no restriction to roots growth or N, the plant just keeps stretching and will actually throw new growth on top of flowers, and drag out the maturation process. So the reduction in nutes is what causes maturation in some strains from warm climates, more so than days of flowering.

That's the only thing I can think of here, is I'm sure that your lights are in proper distance, as not to cause it.

So you may want to just cut back on the N, to reduce the stretch, and get Indicas known for their shorter stature and node lengths.

Very nice grow!

 

[Boylobster]

Shady, the control unit actually functions in a very simple manner - the entire UC system is pretty simple, really, and that's part of the reason I like the design so much.

Anyway, here are some pics:

The RO system fills the top-off res, which is that big blue container on the left...

...and is controlled by a float valve.

The bottom of the top-off res is placed above the UC system, allowing it gravity-feed the control unit...

...which is also has a float valve to automatically maintain the water level.

For all the splashing going on, there's really not much to explain about the control unit. It houses a diffuser (basically a big airstone), which is why you see those bubbles, and the water flowing through the top is simply the pump pulling water back to the front of the system. The bucket itself is identical to the buckets that house the plants.

Go back and peek at the diagram on page 9; that's really all that's happening in the system. It may look complex because of all the air lines running around, but it's really not. :)

Lokes, that's really kind of you to say so! :blush I try to be as clear and engaging as I can, so I'm glad that at least somebody's enjoyed reading all this. :itwasntme

As for the stretching, that's some interesting info! Now that I'll be starting the next round with adequate spacing and have a better handle on the H&G nutes, it'll be interesting to see if their growth patterns are any different. Update tomorrow! :sun

 

[Shady]

Thx for the pics BL! Makes sense... :cool It's so simple that it's beautiful.

 

[moses]

nice set up best i have seen yet. what's your recipe for your nutrients. because I'm starting up an aeroponic set up an you look like you got it down pack .....I'll be watching

 

[TrichromeFan]

Wassup there BL?
It looks like you got your water situation all set up there!
Is the filter in your picture on the left some sort of a pre-filter to your RO?
I am going to invest in a water filtration system, but just one that removes sediment, chlorine, & chloramine.
Do you have one of those digital water flow meters?
I was thinking of getting a couple. One for my water filter, and one for my main rez, so I can keep track of the top off water consumption.:cool0041:

 

[Dulce]

Wow!!!
I've just finished reading this thread from the start and all I can say is HELL YEAH MAN!! I am a soil guy myself, but that doesn't mean I don't respect or enjoy seeing other grow styles. This thread is a great teaching tool for all others that will be attempting Under Current for the first time. I imagine it's not easy to invite people along to see the "warts and all" of a first run, but your tenacity to keep attacking problems as they happen, and to not be afraid to ask for help or take criticism, has been admirable.
Much respect on your grow so far and wishing you a HEAVY FREAKIN HARVEST!!

~D~

 

[Boylobster]

Moses, the nutrient regimen has been H&G Aqua Flakes plus additives, as recommended on their site. I threw in a few extra additives, but I suspect that they aren't at all necessary. I'll know more after a few more runs.

TricrhromeFan, chillin'! :) Actually, you have it exactly backwards: the filters on the left are de-ionization canisters that remove the last few dissolved ionic compounds from the water *after* it leaves the RO unit. It comes out of the RO at about 3ppm, and leaves the de-ionizers at 0ppm. The RO unit I bought is really, really nice, and came with a volumizer (flow meter) pre-installed. It's quite handy.

Dulce, hey, thanks very much, mon frére! :D Documenting this mess has proved a more demanding task than I'd anticipated, but I hope that someone out there can benefit from my fuck-ups. :itwasntme And it is a little nerve-wracking to lay your inexperience bare in front of the crowd, yeah, but... well, I guess I'm just another manatee as far as you guys know, huh? :rofl Really, thanks for the praise, man. Anonymity or no, I do appreciate it. :heart

And now, at the start of week 8... On with the show!

Slowing dowwwwwn:

...but still plenty fat enough for me. :yes

I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts about these last two:

...see that late stage gnarly-ness? Why is that? They're hardly taking up any food at all, even though pH is stable and optimal. Loke suggested that in the presence of too much N, some strains will try to keep pumping out new growth rather than finishing. What do we think about that? Will dropping out the nutes entirely encourage them to get it over with? EC now is ~.7.

I must say, I'm getting really, really excited about this harvest. In the full tent shots, it actually looks a bit sparser than it is because I'm having a hell of a time keeping the heaviest colas upright. I can't complain about *that*, however. And keep in mind that the tent is 8x8'. Oooo, I can't think about it anymore! Aaa! :D

 

[TrichromeFan]

BL,
How long are those babies supposed to have left till harvest? How much % of the hairs have turned so far?
What's your humidity been running?

I bet you are getting pretty antsy to harvest about now. Be patient and wait for those ladies to finish out.
I am sure you must be stoked with your results from your first time with this system. I know I would be with the size of those buds.:harvest:

I think that next time you run, you should maybe add some cages for those big girls. Kinda like a girdle.:giggle

Are those 2 plants the only ones showing that weird growth? I have had some weird re-veg spurts like that when I did something to shock the plants accidentally. :thinking

 

[TrichromeFan]

Oh, I almost forgot. Did you ever do a DIY on your fan silencer?

 

[Boylobster]

I bet you are getting pretty antsy to harvest about now.

Good god damn, you'd better believe it. It's getting to the point where I want to chop 'em just so I can stop thinking about what the weight could be! :itwasntme

And in truth, soon I'm gonna' do just that. They're collapsing under their own weight, and I've no means to keep them upright. They'll get the axe by Monday, even though they could surely go longer. I'd say about 10% of their hairs are orange, and I haven't even bothered to look for amber trichromes... ha. ;) Humidity has been between 50-70%.

Some sort of support system will have to be devised for the next run, yes. :)

Are those 2 plants the only ones showing that weird growth?

No, many of the top colas of the largest, most aggressive plants are showing those symptoms. It's happened to me even when I grew in coco, so I'd love to know what I'm doing to induce that kind of behavior. Not flushing soon enough, perhaps?

Did you ever do a DIY on your fan silencer?

Man, you *have* been paying attention! :D Some people can't be bothered to read enough to figure out the nute formula I've run, and you want to know about a detail that was mentioned only once on the very first page! I'm flattered! :blush I definitely have not done a DIY on the silencer, but I'll probably have to build another one within two weeks or so, which would be a good opportunity. You'd be interested, I take it?

 

[TrichromeFan]

Good god damn, you'd better believe it. It's getting to the point where I want to chop 'em just so I can stop thinking about what the weight could be! :itwasntme

And in truth, soon I'm gonna' do just that. They're collapsing under their own weight, and I've no means to keep them upright. They'll get the axe by Monday, even though they could surely go longer. I'd say about 10% of their hairs are orange, and I haven't even bothered to look for amber trichromes... ha. ;) Humidity has been between 50-70%.

Some sort of support system will have to be devised for the next run, yes. :)


No, many of the top colas of the largest, most aggressive plants are showing those symptoms. It's happened to me even when I grew in coco, so I'd love to know what I'm doing to induce that kind of behavior. Not flushing soon enough, perhaps?

Man, you *have* been paying attention! :D Some people can't be bothered to read enough to figure out the nute formula I've run, and you want to know about a detail that was mentioned only once on the very first page! I'm flattered! :blush I definitely have not done a DIY on the silencer, but I'll probably have to build another one within two weeks or so, which would be a good opportunity. You'd be interested, I take it?

I am not sure on the weird growth. I wouldn't bet on flushing being the culprit. I never flush till the hairs show 70% at least. You haven't interrupted the dark cycle have you?
You bet your sweet ass I would love to see that diy on your silencer. I'm sure you would help some people out with that one.

 

[bowlpacks]

Hey bro, I'd chop those asap. With RH at 70% those fat ass buds are gonna mold!

 

[UCMENOW]

Dehumificationator, I'll be back

Looking great Lob.

If you could get a HD dehum for that room it would help a lot......for sure right now to ward off mold but also for the future to help speed growth rates.

Remember plants transpire at higher rates during bloom at lower humidity, this results in faster growth as it speeds the plants metabolism.....

Keep up the good work.

BTW...it's likely your mutant leaf growth on the buds is due to the high humidity.....also high RH can inhibit resin production.

 

[Boylobster]

*Whew*! Busy, busy, busy! Thanks for all the support, guys! As to your individual comments...

bowlpacks, I had been concerned about mold, but it hasn't seemed to be an issue thus far... there's lots of air movement inside the tent, and 50-70% are the night-time humidity numbers. During their day, when the cooling fan is pulling in dry air from outside, RH drops significantly. However, I'll be mindful, as I've not had colas of this size and density before. :)

UCMENOW, actually, my humidity reading comes from the dehumidifier that's crankin' away inside there. I don't trust it's accuracy, however; I need to get myself a real hygrometer. As to humidity being the cause of the odd late growth... well, I'm not sure it makes sense, as the humidity has been pretty constant throughout the run. Why would it present such a problem now? Also, I seem to always have this problem at the end of runs, even when I was growing in coco at a much drier location. Dunno' - what 'cha think?

Oh, and I *have* taken 'em down a bit early, but not because of mold concerns. Rather, it had become impossible to help them support their weight. A couple of the plants split themselves right down the central stem because huge colas fell to either side. :D

 

[UCMENOW]

Warning...Long winded response

High RH promotes larger leaf growth (picture a rain forest plant).........especially when coupled with Aqua Fakes and it's disproportionately high N value in bloom, especially when paired with the calcium NITRATE found in Cal/ Mag products.

Nitrogen is great for helping to build larger flowers when teamed with other elements in proper ratios, unfortunately when in excess the plants will continue to produce leaf growth to store the chlorophyll encouraged by the higher N and Iron in the solution....btw H&G is notorious for having high availability of Iron which is good, but the H&G chemists are'nt accounting for the use of Cal Mags which offer an iron supp as well.

BL...are you using CO2?

 

[UCMENOW]

BTW....higher RH inhibits the production of esscential oils which among other things, is an effort by the plant to conserve water by the oils on the plant tissue retarding transpiration rates.

The elevated humidity indicates to plants that water is ample so transpire away my friend.

 

[Papa]

I definitely have not done a DIY on the silencer, but I'll probably have to build another one within two weeks or so, which would be a good opportunity. You'd be interested, I take it?

Yes. Please.

And, like you ; ) i'm dying to know yield numbers!





Papa