F1ydave's Under Current Grow 8 Gal x 8 bucket, 4 x 1000w, Cheesus

[f1ydave]

F1ydave's Under Current Grow 8 Gal x 16 bucket, 4 x 1000w, Cheesus

Here is my first grow.

I have 2 rooms. Est. $4,500 in each room (doesn't count room construction, chiller, CO2 or nutes).

Each Room Is:
- 12 ft. long x 7.5 ft. wide x 8 ft high
- Greenboard was used to avoid any potential mold/moisture issues.
- 3 coats of Kool Seal Elastomeric Reflective Roof Paint on all walls and floors (It's so bright it makes your eyes water). I recommend an oil based paint primer and at least 1 coat of flat ceiling white (85% reflective non-tinted). The Kool Seal Primer isn't need, its intended for tough surface applications like aluminium/steal and concrete.

System:
1 - Undercurrent UC8XL 8 x 8 gallon buckets

Medium:
Hail Cubes - 1 bag is more than enough for 20+ 8" netpots.

Nutrients: (Following H & G Feed Chart)
House & Garden Aqua Flakes A/B
House & Garden Roots Excelurator
House & Garden Multi Zyme
House & Garden Algen Extract
House & Garden Drip Clean
Cal Mag

Foliar:
Great White (Sprayed onto trunk ONLY, AKA Crown Feed)
House & Garden Magic Green
Dutch Master Liquid Light
Dutch Master Penatrator

Flower: (Will be)
House & Garden Bud XL
House & Garden Top Booster
House & Garden Shooting Powder


Lighting:
2 - NextGen Digital Ballasts 1000w
2 - 1000w Dual-Arc's
2 - Sun Systems Magnum XXXL8 - 8" Air cooled

Cooling:
1 - Infinite Breeze Dual Action Wall Fan Awesome! [YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykdZQoEc6RA"]Infinite Breeze Dual Action Fan[/YOUTUBE]
Inline Fan:
1 - Active Air 8" 720 CFM Inline Fan

A/C:
1 - Danby 3 in 1 12k BTU Portable A/C

Monitor:
1 - Hanna pH/TDS/Temperature Monitor

Reverse Osmosis System:
1 - Hydrologic Stealth 200 RO

Photo's taken with iPhone up to Day 1

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DAY 1, 10 days in cloner

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[RMCG]

That shirtless dude made my eyes water...

Like an onion. Or old gym socks.


Just kidding.

Room looks great. Subbed for the ride.

 

[f1ydave]

that shirtless dude made my eyes water...

Like an onion. Or old gym socks.


Just kidding.

Room looks great. Subbed for the ride.

lol.

i am at week 3, just need to add more photos

 

[UCMENOW]

Looking good....Bon Voyage.

Tuned in.

 

[jansjukebox]

I can't wait to see more! Subscribed!

 

[Aligee]

nice clean build f1 !!! what strains you got in there ???

 

[f1ydave]

nice clean build f1 !!! what strains you got in there ???

Cheesus, if I am spelling that right and the other room has a mystery tree, lol. My friend wasn't sure what it was, we are guessing Vortex, but its hard to say this early.

 

[f1ydave]

Cloner Pics

Some cloner pics after we got em. EZ-Cloner with CloneX Solution

From Left to Right, every 2 rows:
Confidential Cheese, L.A. Confidential, Cheesus, (We don't know 4th, Vortex?)

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Day 5 Roots

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Day 6 Roots

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Day 7

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Day 10

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[f1ydave]

Building a data system

A friend of mine is a mechanical engineer and I went to school for robotics/industrial technology (for fun).

We are using a PLC (Program Logic Controller). We have thermocouples that read/records the temps of the rooms at different locations that we wired during construction. We will add ph/ec sensors next grow (calibrating on a 5v sensor is so easy with fluid). It is easily expandable to do auto-dosing (we just have to write the code), solenoids and actuators are very easy to control. I am thinking in conjunction with gravity feeders will be the easiest.

Once we have a small revenue stream from this venture, I will most likely build a program off another chassis that people can buy/replicate or that I can sell in an easy package. These chassis's communicate with RJ45 (Internet Cable) and are capable of standalone operation, very cool stuff. The one we are using software is $30,000 per year license. It's intended for engine diagnostics and chassis modules doesn't support a few things we would need to add. Anyway...

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[f1ydave]

Day 4

Day 4

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[f1ydave]

Day 6

Day 6

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[deacon1503]

Lookin good. Love to see UC's rockin in Michigan!

 

[f1ydave]

Day 8

Day 8 Added Foliar Spray Liquid Light

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[f1ydave]

Day 9

Day 9

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[f1ydave]

Day 10

Day 10

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[Str8Dank]

looking really good! as a fellow geek i love that you are incorporating your technical skills to your grow room!

the nutrient lineup sounds great you got some good products going on there. didn't have the best of luck with aqua flakes myself but it may have been me or a few other variable and i see to many awesome grows with it to knock it, i'll try it again one day.

one question is what made you go with STG instead of hydroton? STG has such a bad rep there are so many mj growers that have had good grows going with it for just a short period of time then everything turns to shit. you're smart that's obvious and your nute lineup says you have some skills or are really good at research so the STG is the one variable in your room i dont get!

 

[freddagreat]

very insipiring f1! im watchin this one closely. Lookin Great!

 

[f1ydave]

looking really good! as a fellow geek i love that you are incorporating your technical skills to your grow room!

the nutrient lineup sounds great you got some good products going on there. didn't have the best of luck with aqua flakes myself but it may have been me or a few other variable and i see to many awesome grows with it to knock it, i'll try it again one day.

one question is what made you go with STG instead of hydroton? STG has such a bad rep there are so many mj growers that have had good grows going with it for just a short period of time then everything turns to shit. you're smart that's obvious and your nute lineup says you have some skills or are really good at research so the STG is the one variable in your room i dont get!

Great question!

I haven't seen anyone have a bad experience with it. I looked all over and not many people run it from what I can tell. The previous cubes got soggy and collapsed. The Hail Cubes are designed like a strong styrofoam that should hold there structure. People never venture into new mediums or try anything new. My main concern with STG is its ability to not be effected by the acidity from some of the nutes, which is not something I didn't initially anticipate. They seem to look fine tho. I will do a test sample in a bucket in the next month and see what a strong dose of Cal Mag does to it. If you can post examples of bad experiences that would be greatly appreciated. I would have no problem changing out the medium if it is indeed lacking in some regard.

I have designed/made my own oxygenating filters systems for large scale aquariums using packaging peanuts to aerate the water and my own reservoirs, creating a thriving beneficial bacteria colony. Not just for fish tanks but for turtle tanks too, which crap about 10x as much as fish. Years ago, I cultivated underwater plants (most commercial plants are not natively underwater plants).

I was already designing my own DWC with air-stones before I knew the Undercurrent even existed based on my research of drip systems, Ebb/Flow and hydroponics.

I was telling a friend of mine what I was planning and he said yeah, that is what I am going to buy and informed of the of Undercurrent. I didn't know a system like this already existed. It is much easier to just buy it already done. It is a little pricey, but it has been fabricated very well and that is the price you pay for convenience.

Saved me from calculating volumetric flow rate and a reservoir (designed similar to an oil cooler with channels to redirect the flow). You can find oil coolers like this in hydraulics and racing car oil pans. I may still consider designing a reservoir that cools, though the flow may be too high to be effective. Something for me to figure out later on. I may have to crack open an old fluid dynamics book for that.

Hydroton:
While I have no personal experience in using Hydroton, I know people who do. Obviously it works great for everyone. I just don't like the idea of it.

It requires you to wash it twice just to use it. It absorbs more water/nutes than I would like for an oxygenated area. I don't like the idea of nutes collecting inside the pellets and not washing out, or bad bacteria flourishing inside. After viewing Ben Derdundat and JACKMAYOFFER builds with Hydroton, I don't think the Hydroton is doing much to support the plants anyway. Using a feather light medium is better IMHO. It seems the roots and trunks get so big they push there way around anyway. I'd rather it push lightweight styrofoam cubes than rough edged clay pellets. With tomato cages added I don't think there will be any leaning issues.

You can clean both STG Hail Cubes and Hydroton the exact same way. Soaking them in hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours. Will STG Hail Cubes be too dirty to reuse? I don't know yet. Some people say they tear or fall apart. They are so cheap and 1 bag goes so far I am not worried about it at all.

 

[f1ydave]

Looking good....Bon Voyage.

Tuned in.

Thanks!

I can't wait to see more! Subscribed!

I will post more!

very insipiring f1! im watchin this one closely. Lookin Great!

Let me know if you have an questions!

 

[jansjukebox]

This is my first time seeing the stg cubes in a full grow. I am also looking to see how they hold up over the whole grow. I'll say this much..they are growing like weeds!