Psychedelic Anti-Bolshevik Rail Disaster (Closetmaid, CFL, 3 strain grow)

[Dogwap]

Can you guess the three strains from the title? No? Then read on.

Let me start by admitting that I don’t know anything about growing weed that I haven’t read on the internet. Or, to put it more succinctly, this is my first grow. But I’ve spent the last several months researching, designing (steeling and adulterating other people’s ideas), and building my grow-cabinet. I think it came out pretty nice, and would like to share the details with y’all.

In summary:

This journal will chronicle my experience, stealthily growing three clones (Train-Wreck, White Russian, and LSD) in a highly modified cabinet, using CFL lighting and aeroponic techniques.

The Setup

30” Closetmaid Wardrobe (30” X20” X72”) available at HD for $95, and modified as follows:

The cardboard back replaced with slightly sturdier 1/8” hardboard.

The top structural shelf was moved up a few inches to make more room in the grow chamber. There is now just over three feet of useable space between the top of the root chamber to the bottom of the CFL lights.

Pieces of ¾ X ¾” hardwood are drilled to the cabinet sides in place of the weak-ass peg-style shelf supports.

A second shelf is set about 9.5 inches above the cabinet’s bottom so there’s just enough room for the Centrex 10 gallon tote/reservoir to fit below it.

A PVC Scrog frame is set about 19 inches above the shelf so that it will be 15” above the root chamber.

Two cheap 16” X 6” louvered vents are affixed to the back of the cabinet, one in the top (exhaust) compartment and one in the bottom (reservoir) compartment.

Locking hasp added for security.

Liberty Double Roller Catch with Spear Strike assemblies added at the top and bottom of each door to pull them tightly closed.

Shiny Mylar added to walls and doors of the grow chamber.

Strips of weather stripping to keep light from seeping from the grow chamber to the reservoir and exhaust compartments.

A strip of wood screwed to one of the doors to prevent light from escaping.​

Lights:

Six, 30 watt CFLs and two 42 watt CFLs in a PVC fixture provides 264 total watts of light..​

to be continued...

 

[Dogwap]

Setup Contiued...

Ventilation:

Passive intake through the 16” X 6” vent in the Reservoir compartment and a 16” X 3” cut out in the bottom shelf.

Exhaust venting provided by two Lian li 140 mm (6 inch) computer fans (60 cfm each) mounted on the top shelf. The fans suck hot air from the grow chamber and blow into the top (exhaust) compartment. The air then passively vents out through the 16” X 6” louvered vent in the back. Fans are extremely quiet. Purchased from www.coolerguys.com, great resource.

Have experienced the following cooling performance over the past week: with garage temps between 69 and 72; both computer fans running; filters ON; oscillating fan set at low; 264 watts of light… grow chamber runs 15-16 degrees above garage temp. With filters OFF, grow chamber temp was 12-13 degrees above ambient. When the two 42-watt bulbs are disabled, leaving 180 watts of light, the temp inside is consistently 9 degrees warmer than the outside.

Internal ventilation provided by an Oscillating Holmes Mini Desk Tower Fan..​

Odor Control:

Carbon filter cloth over homemade wood and dowel frames above each fan.​

Monitoring system:

Hanna Continuous pH/TDS/Tmp - HI981507 monitors the pH, ppm and temp of the reservoir.

A La Crosse Technology wireless weather station monitors the garage temp, grow chamber temp, and grow chamber RH.​

Pump Controler:

Art-DNe timer​

Aeroponic System:

The root chamber is a 4” X 4” by 16” long vinyl fence post Stink Buddy-style system, that’s fed from a Centrex 10 gallon tote reservoir. The reservoir is located below the bottom shelf to isolate it from the heat in the grow chamber.

Inside the reservoir are two Ecoplus 160 gpm pumps. One supplies four EZ Clone sprayers in the root chamber and the other is used to circulate the solution and for pump-out.

An Ecoplus two-outlet air pump is connected to a 12” inch stone at the bottom of the reservoir.

Nutrients are added and pH adjustments are made in a Home Depot 5 gallon pale with a third Ecoplus 160 gpm pump, and then pumped into the reservoir.​

Strains:

Train-wreck (http://wikiweedia.co/strain library/Trainwreck.html)- from PR Collective

White Russian (http://wikiweedia.co/view-all-strains/serious/white-russian) - from PR Collective

LSD (http://wikiweedia.co/view-all-strains/barneys-farm/lsd)- From PR Collective. This free sign-up clone lived in its little baggy on the bathroom counter with no nutrients, minimal water and light, and nothing but love for six weeks. Somehow it still managed to flourish. Although it’s looking pretty rough as this journal starts. About four days ago, it was transplanted to a small pot and is really just here because we don’t want to see her die. Not to be mean, but this plant is expendable. Since she’s been under so much stress, and now going to a 24/0 hour light cycle, there’s a good chance that she will turn hermaphrodite and pollinate the other girls. Bottom line is that she probably won’t make it to maturity.​

Next up... Day 1

 

[Dogwap]

The Journey Begins...

Day .5- October 25, 2011 @ 11:00 PM
Removed Blue Dream and Blueberry clones that were in terrible shape. They looked fair-at-best when purchased from Clone Queen six days earlier, and only got worse. Although the BD was growing nice roots and would probably have made it, I didn’t want to invest any more time in this runt. The BB was all-but-dead and would really need to be nursed back to life.

Then I set the Train-Wreck (TW) and White Russian (WR) clones into two inch net pots with neoprene covers. Note that I snipped a little off of the neoprene’s center so that they clones won’t be so choked.

The new clones look great. They’re big and leafy with dark green foliage and tons of roots, and barely resemble the last raggedy clones. Now I know what clones are supposed to look like.

Since these clones are in such good shape, I’m starting them right off on ¼-strength Lucas Formula.

One flaw of the current system design is that it’s difficult to completely empty the reservoir. As a result, 1.5 gallons of water remained from my aborted 6-days-old grow. The water was approx 40% tap and 60% RO. The pH was about 6.1 and there were about 120 ppm of salts. No nutrients were added, but the pH had been chased using GH pH UP and DOWN.

So, I added 4 gallons of RO water to the 1.5 that remained in the reservoir. I then pumped 1.5 gallons out and disposed of it. The idea was to further dilute the 1.5 gals of RO/tap water. The 4 gallons left in the reservoir showed 20 ppm, so I was happy that almost all of the leftover 1.5 gallons were removed.

Next, I added 10 ml of GH Flora Micro and 20 ml of GH Flora Bloom to 4 gallons of RO water in a bucket and pumped it into the reservoir. This equates to ¼ strength 0-5-10 Lucas ratio for the vegetative growth stage. There is now a total of 8 gallons of solution in the reservoir.

I then ran the circulation pump for about 20 minutes to mix up the reservoir.

Finally, I lower the light so that it was about two inches above the tops of the WR and TW clones.

The LSD was placed on the rail so that its top was inside the light fixture, but not touching anything.

Unfortunately, I lost track of which clone was which. I’ll call the dispensary and ask if they can tell me which clone was the tall one.

Before knocking off for the night, I recoded the vitals:

Outside Air Temp: 70
Cabinet Air Temp: na
Rez pH: 6.9
Rez pph: 250
Rez Volume: 8 gal
light (height from rail): 10" to 7"
Left Plant Height: 9
Right Plant Height: 5
LSD Hight: 6

Day 1- 10-26 @6:15 AM

The LSD got too hot and didn’t look good. Took it off the rail. Also moved the lights up a couple of inches to be safe.

pH was 7.2 when I got to the cabinet. Added about six drops of pH Up. pH was 6.9 when I left.

To add the six drops, I siphoned about 2 gallons out. Added the UP and pumped it back, and then ran the circulation pump for a few minutes to mix. This will be standard procedure for adding nutrients or pH adjusters, so I won’t mention it again.

Vitals when I left:

Outside Air Temp: 70
Cabinet Air Temp: 82
Rez pH: 6.9
Rez pph: 250
Rez Volume: 8 gal
light (height from rail): 3" to 10"
Left Plant Height: 9
Right Plant Height: 5
LSD Hight: 6

 

[Capulator]

+ 1 for DIY skills.

Your ph needs to be a point lower. (5.8 ish).
Light doesnt matter. Dont expect much yield or potential from the flourescents.

ppm of 250 is too low.

res temp? IMportant for you in this high performance set up.

 

[Dogwap]

Thanks for stopping by Cap. And thanks for the +rep for DIY skills, but in reality, my skills as a craftsman suck. I put more effort into the design end.

Yes, pH is too high. But I'm trying real hard not to chase the pH UP and DOWN. So I'm making my adjustments slowly. Probably too slowly.

Rez temp is holding steady at 69. I have a weird problem with my Hanna meter. When I add the temp probe to the rez, my pH and ppm goes wacky. Must be a short or grounding issue. I'll call the manufacturer when I get the time.

Regarding ppm. Judging from the photos, do you think the plants are ready to go to 50 or 75% Lucas? I want to get these babies juicin' as soon as possible.

 

[Dogwap]

Day 1 Continued @ 7:25 PMGarage Temp: 70.5

Grow Chamber Temp: 79.8
Reservoir Temp: 69
Reservoir pH: 7.1
Reservoir ppm: 250
Reservoir volume: 8 gals
Light Distance from Plants: 4
Left Plant Height: 9”
Right Plant Height: 5”
LSD Height: 6”

Burn spots noted on both plants. Moved the light up so that it is approx 4” above each plant.

Added 14 drops of pH DOWN. pH down to 6.6 by 11:00 PM.

Day 2: 10-27 @ 6:20 AM

Garage Temp: 68.5
Grow Chamber Temp: 82
Grow Chamber RH: 38%
Reservoir Temp: 69
Reservoir pH: 6.6
Reservoir ppm: 250
Reservoir volume: 8 gals
Light Distance from Plants: 4
Left Plant Height: 9”
Right Plant Height: 5”
LSD Height: 6”

Plants look good.

Added 10 drops of pH DOWN. pH when I left was 6.5.

Worried the RH is too low, but not sure how to get it higher. Suggestions?

 

[Dogwap]

Day 3: 10-28 @6:20 AM
Garage Temp: 69
Grow Chamber Temp: 82
Grow Chamber RH: 33%
Reservoir Temp: not measured
Reservoir pH: 6.8
Reservoir ppm: 250
Reservoir volume: 7.25 gals
Light Distance from Plants: 4
Left Plant Height: 8”(note: new measurements with tape measure)
Right Plant Height: 5.8”
LSD Height: 6”

Added 1 ml of pH DOWN.

When I left, the pH was 5.5 and the turbidity had increased to 260 ppm

Plants look good. All the long leaves on the LSD are dying but the center is green.

 

[Dogwap]

Photos from Day 1 after a night of having the lights to close:

 

[nMEEKS]

Hanna makes great meters. The one you have I have not personally owned, but i do have a friend with one. The way Hanna has made their technology work is very practical. pH and ppm and both affected by temperature of the water when taking a digital reading. So hanna has calibrated their pH and ppm sensors to take the temperature into the equation before giving you a reading. I would make sure the temp probe is in the res before you trust any numbers that it gives you for pH or ppm. If your still having problems once the temp probe is in the res, try recalibrating the pH and ppm probes based on the specific instructions that came with your meter. There appears to be the start of some pH twisted growth going on with your plants, not just light burn. And if that is the case, you will be in full on nutrient lockout very soon in a aeroponic setup.

On a separate note, the grow cabinet is very clean and well designed. The method you describe for adding nutrients and adjusting pH does seem like a hassle tho. maybe that part of the design needs adjusting so that you can easily adjust ppm and pH without spending a long ass time. Good luck, and I'll be watching.

-Meeks

 

[Dogwap]

Hey Meeks,

Thanks for reading my journal and giving up some good tips.

Regarding the Hanna, I went back and re-read the instructions. They indicate that the pph and pH probes work together, but don't mention that it's important that the temp probe is used in calculations.

In any case, I re-calibrated both pH and ppm. The ppm was off a little (40 @ 1500). The pH was way off (reading .4 high @ 7.0).

Good catch on the twisted leaves. And now I noticed that the leaf tips are bending downward on one plant.

Today I added a lot more nutrients. It brought the pH down to 5.4 and the ppm up to 700. I'll let it settle out for a day and make more adjustments.

Regarding the system in general, I'm finding small flaws in the design as I gain experience using it. But so far I'm pretty happy.

When I designed it, I did everything possible to maximize vertical height in the grow chamber. To this end, I sacrificed access to the reservoir. Probably a mistake. But I'm just learning, and growing each day.

Again, thanks for the input.

 

[Dogwap]

OK,

It's now Day 7.

A quick run-down of days 2-6. Plants burnt on day one, and then nutrient starved, probably because high pH for days 2-4. Between days 5 and 6, I added 30 ml of Micro and 60 ml of Bloom. This brought the pH down 5.6 and the ppm up to 700. Plants started to recover.

Have determined that the left plant is the White Russian and the left plant is Train-Wreck.

Day 7: 11-1-11 @6:10

Garage Temp: 69
Grow Chamber Temp: 84
Grow Chamber RH: 40%
Reservoir Temp: 68.5
Reservoir pH: 5.6, then 5.7 after running the circ pump for a few minutes
Reservoir ppm: 720-710
Reservoir volume: n/m

Light Distance from Plants: 4"

Left Plant Height: 10”(note: new measurements with tape measure)
Right Plant Height: 7”
LSD Height: 7”

Added 10 ml Micro; 20 ml Bloom
Added 0.5 ml pH UP

Moved the lights down a little.

Light Distance from Plants: 3"

New pH: 5.6
New ppm: 870

Plants continuing to look better.

 

[Dogwap]

Day 8: 11-2-11

Garage Temp: 68
Grow Chamber Temp: 81
Grow Chamber RH: 37%
Reservoir Temp: n/m
Reservoir pH: 5.6
Reservoir ppm: 880? May have been 780.
Reservoir volume: 7.5 gal
Light Distance from Plants: 3
Left Plant Height: n/m
Right Plant Height: n/m
LSD Height: n/m

Plants look good. The LSD is starting to come back from the dead.

But I can see that more light is needed on the sides of the plants. So I ordered more lights to hang at the right and left edges.

Tomorrow I will top off the water and up the nutrient level.

 

[Dogwap]

Day 9: 11-3-11 @6:00 AM

Garage Temp: 70
Grow Chamber Temp: 82
Grow Chamber RH: 33%
Reservoir Temp: 68
Reservoir pH: 5.6
Reservoir ppm: 900
Reservoir volume: 7.0 gal
Light Distance from Plants: 3
WR Plant Height: 11
TW Plant Height: 8
LSD Height: 7

Added 1 gallon of Ralphs purified (RO) drinking water (6.5 pH; 0 ppm)
Added: 15 ml Micro; 30 ml Bloom; 0.75 ml UP

Final pH: 5.5
ppm: 1010

Plants looking good.

According to the RH readings, the humidifier didn’t work. But about half the water was gone. So that means about 20-24 ounces were released into the air during the 10 hours since adding it, which is pretty good. This morning I refilled the container (rez) and moved the unit closer to the fan. Yesterday we had a major Santa Ana conditions (dry eastern winds) and RH in the area averaged in the 20s.

Somehow I’ve got to get the humidity up to around 75%.

 

[Dogwap]

Day 10-13

Day 10 Started at:
Garage Temp: 70
Grow Chamber Temp: 82
Grow Chamber RH: 41%
Reservoir Temp: nm
Reservoir pH: 5.5
Reservoir ppm: 1030

Added a second wet rag under the Train Wreck to help get the RH up. It helped a lot.

Added an additional 10 ml of micro and 20 ml of bloom.

Added an additional 5.8 ml of pH UP.

On Day 13, I recorded the following readings:

Garage Temp: 64
Grow Chamber Temp: 75
Grow Chamber RH: 40%
Reservoir Temp: n/m
Reservoir pH: 5.7
Reservoir ppm: 1250
Reservoir volume: 6.5 gallons
Light Distance from Plants: 3
WR Plant Height: 12.75
TW Plant Height: 8.75
LSD Height: 7

White Russian is looking great. Very bushy. The train Wreck is looking much better as well. Although I'm still worried that the main stem is not being real strong. The LSD is barely alive but there's some new green here and there.

It's been cold for the last few days with garrage temps in the mid 60s and grow chamber temps below 80. So on Day 13, I fitted the carbon filters over the exhaust fans to slow the ventilation.

The following photos are miss-marked. They are actually from yesterday, Day 12.

 

[Dogwap]

Day 14: 11-8-11

Garage Temp: 64
Grow Chamber Temp: 75
Grow Chamber RH: 41%
Reservoir Temp: 62
Reservoir pH: 5.7
Reservoir ppm: 1280
Reservoir volume: 6.0 gallons
Light Distance from Plants: 3
WR Plant Height: n/m
TW Plant Height: n/m
LSD Height: n/m

Added 2 gallons of RO water (50 ppm; 6.4 pH)
Added 10 ml Micro and 20 ml Bloom
Added 3 ml pH UP

Final readings:
pH 5.8
ppm: 1140

Notes:
The new leaves on the train wreck are emerging squiggly but may be straightening out as they get older. Not sure if this is just like a baby that looks ugly at birth but gets cuter with age.

Doesn't appear that adding the filters has slowed ventilation down enough to warm up the chamber. It could be that the evaperation from the two wet dishcloths is adding some cooling.

Also, I’m concerned that salt concentration is inching up over time rather than declining as I expected. I think this means that the plants are using more water than nutrients.

 

[Dogwap]

Two Weeks of Growth

Day 1 vs Day 14

Note that the plant in the middle is the same size in both pictures.

 

[bloads]

Hey man, I hope you get some more help on this project of yours, looks like the farm's neglecting you a bit.

My thinking/suggestion is some sort of lockout, either it's just overall too many nutes, or one or a few are too high causing a cycle of problems.

I suggest just flushing the shit out of the plants with plain water, use at least 2x the amount of water as the container size. Flushing is like a giant reset button, as far as buildup/lockout issues are concerned.

 

[Dogwap]

Thanks for the tip Bloads.

Since the last photos, the plants have grown quite a bit.

I'm hoping a 2X flush at this point would be overkill. The one plant is digging the pH and nut levels. The other is having some issues but still growing vigorously.

But I think you're right, either something's being locked out, or the Train Wreck is getting burnt by excessive nutrients. So, I'm gonna try to up the pH to around 6.0 and lower the nutrient concentrations into the 800-900 ppm range to see if that helps.

I took the first step this morning by adding 2 gallons of RO water without adjusting pH or adding nuts.

When I finished, pH was 5.9 with 950 ppm. Lately, the plants have been using almost a gallon of water a day. So tomorrow, I'll add another gallon of plain RO water. Hopefully after adding plain RO water for a couple of days things will be back to normal.

Wishful thinking? Maybe. But I’m trying not to overreact.

In any case, thanks for the advice.

 

[Dogwap]

Bloads,

Took your advice and flushed (at least did a quick-empty of the rez) and refilled with RO water and 75% of the recomended dose of HydroponiX (X Nutrients) three part.

Will keep a close eye on the plants over the next couple of days and adjust as needed.

Thanks.

 

[Dogwap]

Day 23: 11-17-11 @ 5:45 AM

A Major Turning Point; or Too Little Too Late

Garage Temp: 69
Grow Chamber Temp: 81
Grow Chamber RH: 48/66%
Reservoir Temp: n/m
Reservoir pH: 6.3
Reservoir ppm: 1,000
Reservoir volume: 6.0
Light Distance from Plants: 3-4
White Russian Plant Height: 15.5 approx.
Train Wreck Plant Height: 15.5 approx.

Observations:

• 
  Over the past three days, salt concentration has risen from 950 to 1,000 and pH has gone from 5.9 to 6.3. To me, this means that something is the solution is being rejected by the plants and falling back into the rez. And the something is causing the solution to become more basic/alkaline. So. The locked out nutrient is probably basic.

• 
  More mottling is showing up on the older leaves of the White Russian. And I’m seeing a few leaf tips that look burnt.

• 
  The Train Wreck has caught up with the White Russian in the height race.

• 
  The White Russian needs some major pruning. I just don’t know where to start.

• 
  Bugs! I’m noticing some flying around and dead in the humidifier ponds. No damage to the plants yet noted. Need to take action ASAP.

Goodbye Lucas, it’s been fun.

After taking the above readings, I removed 6 gallons of solution from the reservoir (all that I could siphon). The marking on the Tote show that 1.25 gallons remain. But the math doesn’t quite work (6.0 gals - 6 gals = Empty. But there is some left).

Then to six gallons of Ralphs Purified (RO) Drinking water, I added:

85 ml HydroponiX (X Nutrients) Grow
67 ml HydroponiX (X Nutrients) Micro
4.5 ml pH UP

This equates to approximately 75% of the recommended dose (20 ml Grow and 15 ml Micro per gallon).

Readings after the big change:
pH: 6.1
ppm: 1050
Reservoir volume: 8.25 gallons (questionable)