My Weed Growing Operation in a hybrid soil/pertlite system

[hilbert]

Hello. I have been growing weed for a while now. Here is my current setup.

Pic 1 is my 2.5x5 tent with 2 Blue Gelato from clone and 1 super silver haze from seed.

Pic 2 is my 4x4. These are 2 Cherry Gar See Ya, 2 Gorilla Zkittlez, and 2 Mandarin Cookies X Ethos Haze. The one in the back right is looking pretty promising.

Pic 3 is my 5x5. I have 1 Super Lemon Haze (back right), 2 Blue Dream (back middle and back left), 2 Cotton Candy Cookies (middle left and front left), 2 x Frostette and 2 Snow Drift middle front and right front rows. These are still in veg. The previous two tents are in week 3 of flower.

I run a soil hybrid system with a LOT of perlite. I run Jack's 321 slightly modified with additional Mr. Fulvic, Continuum, and some Recharge now and then. I have also been adding Dune as a stabilized monoslicic acid. My PK boost is a bit of Beastie Bloomz once at about week 4 flower and I also use some Tundra for the first couple weeks of flower at half strength.

Floraflex drain and watering system. Pretty much automated everything.

 

[Greenadian]

How goes it hilbert!

Thats some sweet tent set ups man!!

Have any issues with the Flora Flex system?

Id love to give those a try, take some of the work out of my room

 

[Tumbleweed375]

Hello. I have been growing weed for a while now. Here is my current setup.

Pic 1 is my 2.5x5 tent with 2 Blue Gelato from clone and 1 super silver haze from seed.

View attachment 2100738

Pic 2 is my 4x4. These are 2 Cherry Gar See Ya, 2 Gorilla Zkittlez, and 2 Mandarin Cookies X Ethos Haze. The one in the back right is looking pretty promising.

View attachment 2100739

Pic 3 is my 5x5. I have 1 Super Lemon Haze (back right), 2 Blue Dream (back middle and back left), 2 Cotton Candy Cookies (middle left and front left), 2 x Frostette and 2 Snow Drift middle front and right front rows. These are still in veg. The previous two tents are in week 3 of flower.

View attachment 2100740

I run a soil hybrid system with a LOT of perlite. I run Jack's 321 slightly modified with additional Mr. Fulvic, Continuum, and some Recharge now and then. I have also been adding Dune as a stabilized monoslicic acid. My PK boost is a bit of Beastie Bloomz once at about week 4 flower and I also use some Tundra for the first couple weeks of flower at half strength.

Floraflex drain and watering system. Pretty much automated everything.

I like your style, hilbert! Big fan of all of those hazes and the blue dreams.

Looking forward to seeing this run

 

[Bilber]

Flora flex.....

Interesting......

Down the 🕳 I go.....

 

[Bilber]

Floraflex brand.......

And now I know....

Looks great hilbert.....you had me at automated.......

 

[hilbert]

My complaints on the FloraFlex system is that the kits are a little bit leaky. I recently picked up a BUNCH of stuff from some place that was dumping their Floraflex products for like, 90% off, so I picked up a bunch of new bubblers and the Matrix cap system. That's the round caps that the watering system discharges into on the top of each pot. I probably wouldn't have invested without that deep discount.

I originally purchased 2 of the FloraFlex kits that they have online. If you look at their website, its the catagory at the far right that says "kits". I bought two of the cheapest ones originally. The pumps that come with those kits are kinds junky but they do the trick. I am probably pushing it with how I am using them. I really need to invest in a 1/4-1/3 HP pump and a proper water reservior but right now I am using a plastic bin from LOWES. Don't even want to imagine the plastic that might be leeching into my water...BUT I DON'T LET WATER SIT UNLESSS I AM ON VACATION SO NO WORRIES.

I added the drain kits because I got tired of having to wet vac all the trays every time I watered. All those pots drain into a pair of those Little Giant sump pumps, then the waste water gets pumped out to a bucket. Works great when it works. Once I get the watering system upgraded to 3/4" PVC and a better pump, I'll have that part locked in.

It helps a LOT with watering, especially when it comes to getting to that back row in the 5x5. I just measure out my nutes and dump them into the bin and turn on the water pump. Handy. Really though, I would recommend using the kits to get started and then adding as you like. I wouldn't have paid for the MATRIX stuff if it weren't for the deep discount. I am also in the process of building out a new grow room and will probably be dumping the tents soon in favor of an open grow room plan in the near future.

A drain table probably would have been easier and comparable in price, but I am in a situation where getting such an item to my house was not in the cards, especially with how many I would have needed so I went with the Floraflex drain system out of need but it works great.

 

[hilbert]

Jeez I misspelled Perlite in the title...

 

[SchwiftyGrower]

Wow, awesome setup man!! Definitely following along!

 

[hilbert]

So here is my 30"x60" with the three plants. Closer shot to the underside...

I run this drain to the next tent (the 4x4). Here is a shot of the pump that I use to move the drain to waste water out of the tent.

Sorry a little messy there. I have a platform in each tent that raises everything a couple inches but these are the "LOW PROFILE" pumps from Little Giant. Oh, and they aren't sump pumps. They are condensate pumps.

Here is a closeup of the top round things. There is a felt pad underneath the plastic round bit that supposedly spreads the water around. Dunno first time using these. I used the square caps from the kits before. Square ones were called Quick Fill and these round deals are called Matrix.

I have been using and reusing soil every grow. Basically, I just rip out as many roots as I can and toss last runs soil into the next runs soil. Every so often, I add a bag of whatever is on sale at the plant store. Usually Coast of Main but I am not above tossing in a bag of Miracle Grow Organics (dunno if that means organic or not. Don't care really) into the "MEDIA" bin.

I am about 40-50% perlite in my grows. Like I said earlier, soil hybrid. I water and feed every watering with my Jack's concoction. So far, so good. Oh, almost forgot. I add a crapload of Diatomashious Earth (I know I spelled that wrong but I like my spelling better). Ill add a solo cup of that stuff per 5 gallons of "MEDIA"

My lights are 2x Spider Farmer SF2000 in the 30"x60". 2 x HLG RSPEC 260W XL kits in the 4x4 and 2 x HLG RSPEC 320W xl kits in the 5x5.

Gotta run. Turkeys are making some crazy ass noise outside so I have to check on them.

 

[hilbert]

False alarm. These assholes were supposed to be Thanksgiving, Christmas and Soup but I couldn't do it after they chased me around the yard all fall...

 

[Trustfall]

Tuning in! Love the setup..

 

[Otto Bonn]

I like your style, hilbert! Big fan of all of those hazes and the blue dreams.

Looking forward to seeing this run

Oh man, just jumping onboard, looks fantastic! The 5x5 Tent is loaded with a couple of my faves!
So help me out, if coco holds no nutrients why am I being told I need to buffer my coco before using it?
I had good success on a few grows when starting out going 60/40 coco and Frog but I never buffered and assume it was not suggested because f the soil holding the needed nutes?
I love the fast growth with 100% coco but I can't imagine doing it without watering automation!

 

[hilbert]

Oh man, just jumping onboard, looks fantastic! The 5x5 Tent is loaded with a couple of my faves!
So help me out, if coco holds no nutrients why am I being told I need to buffer my coco before using it?
I had good success on a few grows when starting out going 60/40 coco and Frog but I never buffered and assume it was not suggested because f the soil holding the needed nutes?
I love the fast growth with 100% coco but I can't imagine doing it without watering automation!

I have ZERO coco in those pots. like 50% soil/50% perlite.

 

[BearWater]

Hilbert, how concerned are you about unwanted growth of “things” in your feeding and draining tubing? Do you have a cleaning regimen? very new to indoor and all that comes with it. Your tents are amazing! Love the PVC, and the plants of course! : )

 

[Otto Bonn]

I have ZERO coco in those pots. like 50% soil/50% perlite.

my bad , I was thread jumping too fast!

 

[Captspaulding]

Badass rig homie. Nice scrog setup.

Balling In total control

 

[hilbert]

Here we are with a little update. 30x60 is in week 6 flower. I had some stupid-cold days and like a dummy, i forgot to plug in the space heater so it got pretty cold and caused some early color but it's all good.

Same with the 4x4. Got a couple shots of the Ethos Mandarin Cookies X Ethos Haze phenos. They are VERY different.

I think the frostier one is the one with promise but what do you guys think?

Last is the 5x5 with the local seed artist's shit.

Middle two front are Frostette from Tunguskoo or whatever the name is seeds and the right two are Snowdrift. Hang on, gonna open another tab and get the name right..Tenguseedco. HAHA leaving it cause that's funny shit. Anyway, little bright on the top of these girls but might be from the same cold snap that colored up the flowering ones. These ladies are in week 0 of flower. They got flipped 5 days ago.

 

[hilbert]

Oh, and the back one in the corner is a Blue Dream, just like the one next to it. I have no idea why that one is going beastmode but I have my eye on it.

Oh and check out my radical-catical, monchin the nip.

 

[hilbert]

Hilbert, how concerned are you about unwanted growth of “things” in your feeding and draining tubing? Do you have a cleaning regimen? very new to indoor and all that comes with it. Your tents are amazing! Love the PVC, and the plants of course! : )

Oh, hey bro. What I do is I yell at the fucking emitters every couple weeks, disassemble a couple and blow all the nasty gunk out. Sometimes I have to hit the bubbler as well. But the REAL fucking culprit is these little plastic "T" barb thingies that you use to split the feed lines. Those damn things are a gigantic pain my my butthole.

I will probably replace them with the copper aquarium fittings.

I clean out everything between runs. Basically soak the whole thing in the bathtub and give them a good cleaning. Pisses off the wife but it keeps the pumps running.

 

[hilbert]

or are those fitting made of brass...? I don't know.