Fader's sex dungeon

[Darth Fader]

Well that got your attention. It's more of a tent really.

Darth Fader here. Mr. Fader if you're nasty.

Time for a new journal. This is another seed grow, but I'm going back to my buckets and the SCROG technique. Hand-watering was a great learning experience, but it requires dedication and a lot of time and it isn't practical for my set-up. I was having to feed with runoff every or every-other day and clean-up the run-off daily from the tray in my tent w/ a turkey baster. Not a big deal, but not something you want to have to do at every feeding. This also led to 70% RH. Bottom-feeding w/ buckets & smartpots cuts that RH level down to the 30% range.

Starring in this grow are: (2) Larry OG S1's from 44 seed supply and (2) OGR WiFi, both from fem seed.

We're currently in flower at day 13 and the girls have been under a screen now for 3 wks w/ a digilux 600w MH overhead. Just pruned sucker branches off this morning and will let them thru the screen for the last wk of stretch.

I like to use these small coco cups from the hardware store for transplanting rooted clones into. They're great for keeping bonsai moms in.

Here's a few getting way too big. These were from seed & are perfect for big cuts but I'm going to flower these out & make bonsai mom's from cuts I took a couple wks ago.

Hand watering every day, or even every other day is a chore, and what if you need to go away for a few days? The simplest way to deal w/ this is by using a wick. I set up these coco cups w/ microfiber strips for a little passive-hydro wick-fed system. You just need to set them on a reservoir of some type and they'll feed themselves. The plants in the first photo actually all have styrofoam cups of solution under the (upside-down) plastic container.

Just put a little slit in the bottom of the coco cup & pull the wick thru. I put a knot about 2-3 from one end of the wick so that it doesn't get pulled out for whatever reason.

You can use a marker to label the coco pots and then you're ready to pack them w/ loose coco and add your rooted clones.

These clones were rooted w/ Root Riot plugs, but I've also used rockwool cubes. Pretty soon your coco pots will have roots aplenty poking out. You can then either transplant to bigger pots or cut down your plants, shaping them into bonsai moms. The coco pots will air-prune the roots, so no need to worry about those.

 

[sincethe80s]

why dont you just flood and drain that tray since you already have both the tray and resevoir? all you need is a digital timer and a pump

 

[kes5480]

....all he needs is a timer???

from what i see in this thread he would need alot more than a timer. unless im missing something?

i always wanted to do a flood and drain.......someday i will
peace ya'll

 

[kes5480]

ahhhhhh... u edited it bro....now i read ya loud and clear.lol

 

[sincethe80s]

....all he needs is a timer???

from what i see in this thread he would need alot more than a timer. unless im missing something?

i always wanted to do a flood and drain.......someday i will
peace ya'll

flood and drain is easy to do. he said he had a resevoir already and you can see by the pictures he has a tray. all you gotta do is do the plumbing and add a pump to a timer and if your res is big enough you can go on a 2 week vacation. or you can add drippers instead

 

[Darth Fader]

why dont you just flood and drain that tray since you already have both the tray and resevoir? all you need is a digital timer and a pump

The short answer is ... Vertical space. My plants usually end up closer to the light then I'd like. The tent is a std 6' tall. If I had to raise up the tray to have room for a res plus enough space to access it, and considering the light takes about another foot, that only leaves 2 ft for the media & plants.

FYI, the res I was referring to are really just the buckets themselves. I'll get some pics up so you can see how I put them together. Thx for the comments though. I know some folks have probably done as you suggested, but I don't know how they pull it off with that little space. Cheers!

 

[sincethe80s]

now i get what is happening. i have the same issue in my tent. i just flip earlier than usual, even thought about flipping as soon as the clones root.

 

[Darth Fader]

Day 30

Alright, I'mma throw up some pR0n right quick here in the Sex Dungeon.

But first just a bit of background.
(2) OGR Wifi (f)
(2) 44 Seed Supply Larry OG (S1) (f)

All grown from seed
-3 gal smartpots w/ coco
-wick-fed passive hydro (2 microfiber wicks per smartpot)
-Feeding around 750-800 ppm on avg
-trying to finish up some bottles ...
-Veg nutes: H&G Coco (7ml)/ Roots Excel (1ml)/ Botanicare CalMag (7ml)/ Liquid Karma (10 ml)/ Hygrozyme (6ml) / Drip Clean (.5ml)
-used up the last of my H&G base nutes & CalMag around second wk of stretch
-Flower Nutes: PBP Bloom (10ml)/ GH CaMg+ (7ml) / H&G MultiZen (4ml)/ Budswel (15ml) / Drip Clean (.5ml)
-couldn't find the same wire fencing I used on my last SCROG w/o having to buy a whole roll. Went with the plastic stuff.
-Plastic netting is not firm enough IMO. The plants just push it up out of their way.
-left a cfl on inside the tent during dark period once in stretch. I noticed this right before my on cycle was to begin. Went dark 24 hrs in an effort to get back on track.
-Plants stretched for 24-25 days.
-pushed growth back under the screen until day 15 of stretch
-Plants finished stretch about 6" taller than ideal. Lesson learned
-600w digilux/Cooltube is against the ceiling w/ about 10-12" clearance above canopy.
-Environment is running hot - avg 84-86F. Will try some other circulation configs in the next wk.


All pics @day 30

-Very happy with the feeding, leaves look perfect. No pests/pm/drama of ANY sort. No pesticides/neem etc. Feeding everyday, no runoff.

Canopy shot. I just raised the light 2-3 inch! No room left. Thank God the stretch finally stopped.

Buckets sitting in a 3'x3' tray. Buckets, acting as reservoirs, are cut down w/ smartpots on top. Smartpots are wick fed. Front bux are a diff design that the rear bux. I can get into the details if anyone is interested.

WiFi

Larry OG S1 - #2 is the standout w/ a very strong sweet lemon odor.

Thanks for stopping by!:rauch08:

 

[dankworth]

Hey dude that is a badass solution you have devised with the wick. Is the solution's ph stable over say a half week? And that 600 mh is rad. But I have owned that sunlight supply cool tube (sun tube) and that bitch-ass built in reflector is only 86% reflective, not Sunlight Supply's standard 95% that you get with almost every other reflector.
I don't know if the external wing you can buy is 95% reflective, but if it is, you could get a lot more light. And i noticed that the shorter arc tube of a 6 causes it to not be centered in the reflector, throwing an asymmetrical light footprint. The NGW catalog shows a socket extender that would center your lamp. Super cheap. It might be useful.
Oh and Northone said his 1000w lamp dimmed to 50% was noticeably outperforming his 600w lamp that was powered by a 600w ballast. And Northone is never boastful or incorrect. I think there may be some advantage with the longer arc tube. More like a line source than a point source and all. If you have a dimmable 1000w lamp and ballast laying around, that is.
I think that socket extender and a 95% reflective reflector, if available, could bring some more weight to Operation Darth Fader's Personal Jar.
Badass tent sir.
Awesome use of passive hydro sir.

 

[Darth Fader]

Thx Dankworth, it's a very good question and as a matter of fact, when I ran the buckets in the past without a center control res, I would end up top feeding everytime and ppm concentrations in the res would spike up to 2500+ before I'd notice either clawing or lockout. Was probably feeding to strong. Even then over a week was not a problem.

I must not learn too quickly because I've only checked the res once this whole grow (but it was in spec). Thx for reminding me to check it again.

I'm currently still doing some top feeding but only because the coco is drying out (at least on top) on a couple buckets in the rear. This is because I'm keeping my res level low atm and because the tray is tilted to direct runoff down to the front (ergo rear bux sit higher than front bux). I am feeding a bit lighter but not much. Moreover, I'm not paying so much attention to ppm, just reading the plants. But it seems there's something about bottom-feeding that just works - lol, could be precipitate fallout in the res for all I know. I also use drip clean which definitely helps, but won't prevent lockout. Don't really care what the magic is, they're looking good and that's what matters. The only issue I'm having is that I do get some nasty film in that res. A drip system might fix that. But I'm switching over to Jack's as soon as it arrives and that should be muck-free. The stuff I've been using goes in looking like coffee and a lot of it ends up at the bottom of the res.

The wick system and the res have some great benefits. Automatic watering (the media uptakes solution as it dries), very low RH compared to any solution with runoff, no wasted nutes, no pumps to fail or clog, and ... If I fill up the res I can leave them for 3-5 days no prob. The bux are sitting in a tray so that I can pull the hoses and pour water straight thru while leaving the bux in place.

Thx for the notes on the light. I do have the wing attachment and think I'll throw it on. That inner reflector is a bit jacked anyway. I had to clip it to remove it when I hung it vertical. Now it's ... Not really attached As much as it is wedged in place, and not very well at that. I need one of those extenders too. Thx, I had no idea about those, but I had noticed the bulb was not centered.

Peace, DF

 

[Surfr]

Lookin good Darth! Keep up the great work!

 

[Darth Fader]

Lookin good Darth! Keep up the great work!

Thx amigo! I appreciate the kind words. I was just drooling over your current grow the other day. Good Times!

 

[619ster]

I've been looking into Whick setups! And I found much more!!! Got some ideas already, as ive been pondering how to rid myself of dealing with rootpot runoff and trays (yea i still have to suck out excess with a baster/syringe lol). Thanks for journaling this. Looks like killer buds on the way.

 

[Venom818]

fucken sweet bro they look so nice and healthy never actually seen a wick system being used nice

 

[Darth Fader]

Thx guys

I've been looking into Whick setups! And I found much more!!! Got some ideas already, as ive been pondering how to rid myself of dealing with rootpot runoff and trays (yea i still have to suck out excess with a baster/syringe lol). Thanks for journaling this. Looks like killer buds on the way.

Thx 619ster! And you're welcome. LOL - yeah, last run I wanted to try handwatering w/30% runoff. Was a good learning experience but now I'm back to the bucketz. Way easier and no turkey baster required! Wick-fed buckets are butt-simple and fairly foolproof. Just keep an eye on ppm concentration in the res and never worry about overwatering. It's really as simple as a Hempy but more flexible and less watering requirements. It's a great system for new growers or for peeps who just like to keep it simple. I took ideas from all over the place, but a main source of inspiration was the PPK thread at i c m a g.

fucken sweet bro they look so nice and healthy never actually seen a wick system being used nice

Thx for stopping by and the kinds words V. Must spread the rep before I can give it to Venom818 again! There are actually 2 diff bucket designs in there. One has a shelf for the smartpot and has holes drilled for air and attaching a modular scrog screen and the other (simple design) is just a cut-down bucket w/ wick holes drilled in the top. Take 'er easy bro & I look fwd to seeing what you got going on right now.

 

[dankworth]

I think that wick system with the control bucket is the answer to a self-maintaining bucket system that you can manage twice weekly. Getting two days between irrigations at periods of peak growth is all that hempy buckets can manage unless the hempy containers get seriously oversized. Because otherwise I'd need a bigass res, ph management, cycle timer, pump, etc. and top drip. Well, I'll do that anyways, but it would be really cool to have a few buckets in the room that could run okay without a whole separate set of res, drippers, ph management, etc.
Drip clean is awesome with coco. I have had very good luck with CNS 17 for veg(3-1-2) and flower(2-2-3), and it is cheap compared to a lot of stuff, and a 1-part nutrient. I feel it is a little short on magnesium, so I supplement with 1-2 grams/gallon of epsom salts. More money left over for extra digital ballasts and fresh lamps and stuff.
I have run overdrive, shooting powder, and the infamous hammerhead/moab combo. The overdrive was underwhelming and expensive. The shooting powder was narsty and chemmy and hormone-based, judging by the plant's physiological response within 1 hour to the shooting powder.
But the hammerhead/moab combo for 4-5 gal containers(cut base nutes in half, 2.5ml/gal of hammerhead, 5 tbls/100gal of moab) is the best I have found for quantity and quality. But not enough nutrition at those ratios for much bigger containers.
That has been my experience anyways.

 

[MarijuanaBaybee]

damm fader i wish i would seen/known about this a year agooo this wouldve helpd a grip thank a millil for posting this up i think in the future once i get my own spot i will try somethin out like this keep up the great work!

 

[MitchyNugz]

whats up fader looking really good bro those stalks are nice and thick and those suckers are lil bushes very nice!

I like that wick system to very good idea if your away for a bit and can't water your babies,nice thread Im keeping posted!

 

[Darth Fader]

Thx Gents

I think that wick system with the control bucket is the answer to a self-maintaining bucket system that you can manage twice weekly. Getting two days between irrigations at periods of peak growth is all that hempy buckets can manage unless the hempy containers get seriously oversized. Because otherwise I'd need a bigass res, ph management, cycle timer, pump, etc. and top drip. Well, I'll do that anyways, but it would be really cool to have a few buckets in the room that could run okay without a whole separate set of res, drippers, ph management, etc.
Drip clean is awesome with coco. I have had very good luck with CNS 17 for veg(3-1-2) and flower(2-2-3), and it is cheap compared to a lot of stuff, and a 1-part nutrient. I feel it is a little short on magnesium, so I supplement with 1-2 grams/gallon of epsom salts. More money left over for extra digital ballasts and fresh lamps and stuff.
I have run overdrive, shooting powder, and the infamous hammerhead/moab combo. The overdrive was underwhelming and expensive. The shooting powder was narsty and chemmy and hormone-based, judging by the plant's physiological response within 1 hour to the shooting powder.
But the hammerhead/moab combo for 4-5 gal containers(cut base nutes in half, 2.5ml/gal of hammerhead, 5 tbls/100gal of moab) is the best I have found for quantity and quality. But not enough nutrition at those ratios for much bigger containers.
That has been my experience anyways.

D-Dub! :-) I've always wanted to try CNS, esp after sen obs pic thread. I'm not sure I'm going to use any bloom booster this round. Always wanted try try Hammerhead/Moab, and I even have a jar of Moab, but no Hammerhead. I also have KoolBloom (powder) and some ChaChing. Might use the Cha-Ching, i dunno, whadd'ya think?. Not sure I'd want to buy HH since I'm about to switch out my regimen to a simple 2-part (dry) ferts. Again, tribute to Delta-9 @ the PPK thread. It's a worthy thread. Just received my Jack's Hydroponic ferts today and I'm planning on switching right over. ...had been trying to finish bottles to this point, though it's gone well in retrospect. Simp-Li-Fy. Thx for checking in!

damm fader i wish i would seen/known about this a year agooo this wouldve helpd a grip thank a millil for posting this up i think in the future once i get my own spot i will try somethin out like this keep up the great work!

:joint: I look fwd to seeing your grow journal when you do MarijuanaBayBee. They've been a great tool for me in becoming a better grower. And cool to go back and read it later. Thx bro, It's really pretty cheap if you do it right the first time. $3 for a Homer bucket and $5 for the smart pot, couple bucks for hoses and fittings. if I had my own spot the center bucket would be a control bucket for a big-ass feeder res, set-up a dripper, and hang vertical lamps just like D9. Ha! - someday, soon I'm hoping. I thought of a nice new mod to the bucket design just today. You'll might see them the next round.

whats up fader looking really good bro those stalks are nice and thick and those suckers are lil bushes very nice!

I like that wick system to very good idea if your away for a bit and can't water your babies,nice thread Im keeping posted!

What up MitchyNugz!? Right on! These were under a Digilux 600w MH until stretch finished and now the Digilux 600w HPS is giving the love. This is really only my 2nd horizontal scrog, and they look good, but I think I could squeeze another 10-15% out of them in the next year if I keep dialing them in at this rate. These were flipped a bit late, and having a wire scrog would have helped given me a thicker and more level canopy at the right height, but I guess I'm dialing that in too. The plan to use plastic fencing was to be able too, at some point, cut them apart - into modular scrog units.

The ladies were topped twice and stripped down of everything but two set of nodes on each branch. In retrosect it may have been a better to only leave one, but I'm still getting a feel for this kind of thing and always trying to be a better grower by experimenting. At any rate, they've been pruned aggressively now to get rid of sucker branches and also super-cropping the hell out of them thru day 21 of stretch.. Getting better at that too - only broke two stalks :shake:

 

[Darth Fader]

Here are the 3 gal smartpots w/ (2) microfiber wicks. I think I'd prefer 3.

I left about 3" of microfiber up inside the pot.

Extended wicks - had to tie together (2) 10" to get a 20"