Omerta

Omerta · Dec 29, 2018

Dear Diary, (and all the farmers who may read this) this is me bettering myself as an act of self-discipline and pursuit of knowledge and wisdom from those who have it. I will be posting daily pictures for my memory, it is pretty bad... please give your advise or insite as applicable.

I am growing 2 plants currently. a Canna-tsu and a Crunch Berry. The Canna-tsu is in a 1gal pot of fox farm soil. The temp ranges from about 70 deg to 80... humidity is unknown. I do have snow melt in solo cups "dehumidifing" but no meter/gauge yet.
I dont have any nutrients but I do have DIY compost tea. I haven't used it yet but I will soon.
I use tap water that I aerate 24/7 with an air stone. I have been setting ph to 5.5 - 6.5.
I'm using a mixture of led and florescent lights ranging from 2300k to 5000k. also I have a t5 4x4'. All told I can scrounge around 800 watts of light... I'm thinking of configuring my lights for about 700 watts.
If I added it together right. I have 2x 54w actual use led shop light, equivalent to 250w is what it says... so 2 of those plus my t5 54w HO x4 bulbs = 216w... I think. So 216 + 250 + 250 is 716w... I think... and I have a 4x4 grow tent... 16sq ft. Soo 716w ÷ 16 sq ft. =44.75 watts per square foot. I think. Please advise... I flunked math in hs.

Thank you... any of you who read my ramblings.

Respectfully,
Omerta.

Fangthane · Dec 29, 2018

Omerta said:
I have 2x 54w actual use led shop light, equivalent to 250w is what it says

As far as I can tell, the so-called equivalent wattage is pretty much meaningless. It seems to be little more than a disingenuous ploy to make the lighting seem more powerful than it is. You'd probably be best served to use the actual total wattage - 324 watts - when deciding on how much lighting to use.

I've read that a single 315 watt CMH bulb will work for a 4x4 space, but that seems to be a good bit lower than most people like use for that amount of square footage. I'm running 315 watts in a 3x3 and I'm wondering if that'll ultimately be enough if I'd have more than a few auto plants in there at any given time.

Omerta · Dec 29, 2018

Thank you fangthane, I will keep that in mind in my planning... so if I used my 2x shop lights plus t5 plus 125w CFL grow light I should be around 400-450 actual watts?

SoLowDolo · Dec 29, 2018

IMO, you shouldn't set your pH that low in soil. Personally, I never go below 6.2 check out this chart.

Fangthane · Dec 29, 2018

Omerta said:
so if I used my 2x shop lights plus t5 plus 125w CFL grow light I should be around 400-450 actual watts?

Assuming that the CFL has an actual draw of 125 watts, your total wattage would be ~449 watts with all the lights you've mentioned.

I've never used CFL bulbs for growing, so this would definitely need to be confirmed by those with actual experience, but I'm not sure a single CFL would be a huge help for the entire grow space. It seems that CFLs need to be pretty close to the plant for greatest efficacy, so wouldn't that close proximity also limit a single bulb's spread and make it more of a spot light - not something that would benefit the entire area?

Omerta · Dec 29, 2018

Thanks @SoLowDolo,
I didn't realize the soil should be higher. Thank you. And how should I test the soil. I have a hanna ppm/ph grochek and ph solution... do I trap the water after watering and test the runoff? Or do I need to save for a soil ph checker thing? Lol.

SoLowDolo · Dec 29, 2018

Omerta said:
Thanks @SoLowDolo,
I didn't realize the soil should be higher. Thank you. And how should I test the soil. I have a hanna ppm/ph grochek and ph solution... do I trap the water after watering and test the runoff? Or do I need to save for a soil ph checker thing? Lol.

Some people use a probe you stick into the soil. Some people just test the runoff like you said. Some people do a slurry test. Personally, I just set my ph before I water them, and I don't check anything else. I really haven't had any issues. pH isn't as important in soil as it is hydro. Some people say they don't pH in soil at all. I just play it safe I guess.

Fangthane · Dec 29, 2018

Omerta said:
Thanks @SoLowDolo,
I didn't realize the soil should be higher. Thank you. And how should I test the soil.

A slurry test seems to be the most popular method for testing soil pH.

http://blog.hannainst.com/soil-ph-testing
How to Test Soil pH

The two primary ways to test soil pH from field samples are slurry testing and direct soil testing. It is important that the soil samples and tests take place in the same spots and the same way every time.

Slurry pH Testing
The slurry method allows you to get a representative sample and measurement of an entire area with just one test. Because soil pH can vary within a small area, be sure to take a representative sample. The soil should be taken from the same depth below the surface each time you test.

When using the slurry method, take soil from next to the plants, as well as some from further away. (Keep these two samples separate.) While this means a little extra work, you will get measurements that are more accurate since the amount of nutrients, types of soil, and moisture content can vary across a planted area.

All these things affect the pH of soil, so it's important to track your pH at many points.

How to Test Soil Using the Slurry Method

Gather some soil from the test area.
Take the homogeneous sample and add equal parts of soil and distilled or deionized (DI) water in a 1:1 ratio. So, for 25 grams of soil you would add 25 mL of water.
Stir the sample for 5 seconds.
Let it sit for 15 minutes.
Start stirring the sample again after 15 minutes, and take your measurement.

Omerta · Dec 29, 2018

Here's my CFL in use at about 9" distance as of now

Omerta · Dec 29, 2018

Thank you Fangthane for that how to. I will test and adjust accordingly.

Omerta · Dec 29, 2018

Well I've made some adjustments to my setup... I put the t5 and 2x led shop lights into my grow tent in place of my CFL which I put over my desk top garden. My newly hung lights are approx 14 -15 inches from top of my plant. I feel very little heat on the back of my hand when I put it between the plant and the light. And pushing 324 actual watts, that's only 20.25w per square foot. Not great but about all can do for now. Should I raise or lower the lights?

Ok, over in my clone cabinet my Crunch Berry is covered by 1 each CFL 23w, and a 19 watt led strip and a 24w duel antennae led grow light. I think that's right. I have a circulation fan in place and a heating pad to help keep things warm.

I'm sure I have forgotten something...

Omerta · Dec 30, 2018

Goodmorning all,

I checked my plants this morning and the crunch berry seems to be doing well on day 2.
Watered day 1... and rule 1 dont over water!
So with that in mind I won't water until the plant says its thirsty. Whenever that is idk.

Checking in on mother, (lol makes me think of Ripley talking to mother at the end of the first Alien movie.) And I dont see anything wrong idk... but my spidey sense is trippin. Oh wait, I changed the light yesterday. Sorry just another case of bad memory, lol, anywho I've attached some pics, Mother canna-tsu and crunch berry.

Should I raise or lower my lights? They are at about 14" from the plant.

Respectfully,
Omerta

Omerta · Dec 30, 2018

Sorry idk the best angle to best represent accurate distance.

Omerta · Dec 30, 2018

These started appearing on my plant today... this is my clone, crunch berry.

SoLowDolo · Dec 30, 2018

Omerta said:
These started appearing on my plant today... this is my clone, crunch berry.

U check for bugs?

jumpincactus · Dec 30, 2018

scope your leaves for pests. Be sure to scope the underside as well.

Omerta · Dec 30, 2018

I have been checking. All I have is a 20x eye piece from a microscope. I saw a bug but I wasn't able to ID it or get a pic. and I haven't been able to find any more since this morning.

Omerta · Dec 30, 2018

SoLowDolo said:
U check for bugs?

I have been checking periodically through the day.

Ina · Dec 30, 2018

If you notice them(you got to be sure first but I see the very beginning of infestation here) act realy fast, check and clean all of your other plants and keep them separated for now , also clean your grow space/s and everything you get in there(like that table and these..boxes,may be they are infected if you forgot to wash them with hot water first and they were in the basement for example) and equipment while it is on this early stage.Usually they live in dusty,dry places with lots of junk and old clothes,curtains and such,sometimes they come from your other house plants......They like dry air and drought.You can see them with naked eye, really small moving dots on the under side of the leaf.You can check "spider mites".

Omerta · Dec 30, 2018

Ina said:
If you notice them(you got to be sure first but I see the very beginning of infestation here) act realy fast, check and clean all of your other plants and keep them separated for now , also clean your grow space/s and everything you get in there(like that table and these..boxes,may be they are infected if you forgot to wash them with hot water first and they were in the basement for example) and equipment while it is on this early stage.Usually they live in dusty,dry places with lots of junk and old clothes,curtains and such,sometimes they come from your other house plants......They like dry air and drought.You can see them with naked eye, really small moving dots on the under side of the leaf.You can check "spider mites".

Thank you, Ina for posting that with urgency, and sharing with me. I cleaned the other day with distilled white vinegar. I've read that vinegar is a good way to kill off thrips. 1:1 is a good water/vinegar ratio for cleaning but to spray it that strong onto plants infected with thrips is like dropping a nuke on a city. Everything dies. I tried it on a dandilon... I threw it out yesterday. I dont have the funds to buy chemicals beyond what I buy for the house if that makes sense. What would you reccomend for a household cleaner that might work? I am going to reclean my GR with vinegar but if there is something better that I have why not use it? Lol. I might have bleach. Should I cut my sun leaves getting chewed on or leave them alone?
Thank you,

Respectfully
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