First UC grow! could use some help

[Coloradofrost]

Hook a garden hose up to the gray fitting coming into the epicenter from the output of the pump. It came with a slip fitting to do this.

You need to drain the system out every 3-4 weeks minimal, no sooner than every 10 days though.

Didn't get the slip fitting but i'll figure something out. Got these rigs 2nd hand so I am missing a cpl pieces here and there. Thanks

 

[RollinEndough]

It's a standard part at the plumbing store. Garden hose screws onto it and it slips over the 3/4" pipe.

 

[UCMENOW]

Your pump out put looks a bit whack. Check your line for blockages.

 

[Coloradofrost]

Your pump out put looks a bit whack. Check your line for blockages.

Will do, but I think it's just because of the chiller I'm using. The flow was much stronger b4 I ran it through the chiller.

 

[RollinEndough]

Remove that screen inside the black filter on the return manifold, it probably has dead roots or a piece of hydroton stuck in it. Also remove the line on the pump's intake and check for issue there.

Even with a chiller it should be a stronger flow.

 

[desertsquirrel]

Properly in your case is 1kw lights (plural), CO2, Temperature, RH, EC and pH all being dialed.

Take away the abundance of light, CO2 and not having the best temperature or humidity and you're closer to the setup most of us are using as basement dwellers. You will not have similar growth rates or water usage.

I would be needing an extra month of veg, maybe more to get my cuttings to the size yours are and even then my stem girth wont match up.

There is no question that enviornmental conditions are going to be a huge factor, however i feel like your giving too much credit to them. Our lights are at 50-75% all the way up until the pics were taken, and we use floros and T5's all the way till they are put in the UC. Same goes for Co2, it just got turned on (550ppm) the week prior.

Nothing is going to effect plant health and growth the way a proper or improper nutrient profile will. After that its just staying out of the plants way - they know what to do, its us who are holding them back.

Ill post some pics of that room again in a day or two, its been doing 4-5 inches per day.

 

[RollinEndough]

There is no question that enviornmental conditions are going to be a huge factor, however i feel like your giving too much credit to them. Our lights are at 50-75% all the way up until the pics were taken, and we use floros and T5's all the way till they are put in the UC. Same goes for Co2, it just got turned on (550ppm) the week prior.

Nothing is going to effect plant health and growth the way a proper or improper nutrient profile will. After that its just staying out of the plants way - they know what to do, its us who are holding them back.

Ill post some pics of that room again in a day or two, its been doing 4-5 inches per day.

I invite you to come over to my house and tell me WTF I am doing so wrong then because I can't get insane growth like that - no matter the light source or how well fed they may be.

 

[tipper619sd]

Ya i would say drain it every 10 to 14 days i have seen a better result so far with doing that. I have a shop vac also to clean out the very bottom of the buckets. sorry that was in to reply of changing out the water in the system.

 

[desertsquirrel]

Besides from what i already mentioned, I think it may simply come down to space. Big yields require big spaces to put them in... (I hope this isn't jacking your thread)

Please excuse how bad the girls look i have been running this place basically by myself "in my spare time." Anyway it has no climate controls at all, and no co2.

Temps range from 80-86 with lights on and are in the low 70s at night. Everything is in 25 gallon coco mix and was vegged for 2 months for the smaller ones and 3 months for the larger ones. Pics are at week 4 and most plants are 6-10 feet tall and 4-12 feet around. (Stakes in the pics are 6 and 8 feet tall for size).

 

[desertsquirrel]

Weekly change outs are your friend.

 

[RollinEndough]

I must have microscopic bugs causing issues, that's all I can think of.

 

[SoCalChlln]

Do yourself a favor and order some UC roots. It will preempt any rot issues your may encounter (and typically on your first run your going to overfeed and see some rot). The hundred bucks or so it will cost you could save you thousands.

Use that with any of the bases you mentioned. Like rollin said, a booster is going to help too (mostly to keep your time clock in check - they like to take their good ole time in the UC because of the amazing health and nutrient availability they enjoy.) And, don't forget the epsom and some cal-mag. Good luck man!

PS: forget about additives (silica, sugars, bio-stimulants, etc) are all going to not just be unnecessary in the UC, but will wreck your water chemistry.

So you now recommend the entire CS line as your choice of nutes for today???

 

[desertsquirrel]

My official stance on nutrients and nutrient products is that any line or product can be properly manipulated for success in nearly any media.

However, there are several reasons why i like using CS over other lines (especially in water culture) as detailed here:

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/cultured-solutions-filthy-filthy-porn.50143/

 

[Coloradofrost]

Just transplanted into the system. Day 1

H&G 50ml
Calimagic 25ml
ph to 5.5

 

[RollinEndough]

Nice! And we're off to the races. My money is on the one in the middle-rear.

 

[Coloradofrost]

Thanks man I had a question for you guys. How often are you having to adjust ph? and how much does it normally take to achieve the desired ph? Typically

I'm asking because at first no matter what I did I couldn't get the PH to stabilize I would adjust come back 30 min and it maybe dropped a 10th or so. So I went out and bought a more concentrated PH down(advanced) and now it seems to be stabilized.

 

[RollinEndough]

AN pH is all I use. It's normal to see small changes like 5.6-5.8 while the solution balances out, sometimes it's not done for hours. A balanced solution should stay that way for a few days without tinkering.

Your results may vary.

 

[Coloradofrost]

So after the first night in the room everything went really good except I couldn't get the water temp below 74 degrees. So I'm thinking about insulating the buckets to try to help keep the water temp down. Have you guys had any success with insulation and if so what did you use? I saw the UC hoodies on the CC website anybody have any experience with those?

 

[Coloradofrost]

Over night I saw a ph rise from 5.5 to 6.0 is this typical? No roots in the water yet

 

[tipper619sd]

are u hand feeding i like 2 to 3 times a day until roots are in water