1600 watts in 32 cubic feet. Blue Mystic just transplanted.

RoughGrows

Well-Known Member
So, I'm fairly new to Hydroponics; having done just one other hydro grow before this and one soil grow. I bought a 1000 watt ,switchable, magnetic ballast setup from a friend moving away from here(A medical state) to Texas(boo.) I already had in my possession a 600 watt switchable electronic ballast. Long story short I decided I wanted to pack em into my tiny ass grow tent and hope......

To cool these bad boys I'm using (2) 4 inch inline fans connected to carbon filters. I also have cut a hole in the top of my tent above the 1000 watt light and "CUSTOM" fit a centrifugal fan to it to act as an extra exhaust vent. For intake I am using an 8 inch "chimney" fan. I'm not sure the CFM of this badboy, but it feels powerful through eight inch tubing........ I got it from a recycling store for 5 bucks, cleaned it up and it works like a CHARM.

I'm doing a DWC system in a 17 gallon tote with a fairly good sized 6 spicket air pump (I forget LPH but I'll check when I update; which should be tonight with Video) and airstones attached ofcourse.
The airstones are positioned directly under the root masses( Is this a problem? ) as well as two in the "center".

I have 2 small water pumps, one in either corner circulating the water. I did 4 feminized blue mystic seeds from nirvana, germinated them in paper towel and switched to hydroton and vegged them under 2 65 watt 6500k lights; My "babybox as I call it." It has 1 top mounted light and 1 side mounted light, same as my grow room downstairs. I have vegged them under that light for a few weeks now and I switched them under the 600 watt hps for 2 days then added in my 1000 watt MH yesterday. I plan on vegging them for a few more days upwards to a month if need be in attempts of maximizing all the floor space that I have.

I also have a 25 pound Co2 tank with an electronic regulator which I will use to supply Co2. I need to get a timer set up for it or something still because I am unsure of the "proper" way to distribute Co2 and to test my levels. Any advice would much appreciated and I am open to suggestions; but remember, this is the space I have to work with, its the only space I have except for this 2x2x2 box next to me in my room which is for clones. At this point it would be kind of difficult to take apart my room and put it back together, so, hopefully there is nothing fundamentally wrong with it when you guys see the video... *gulp*

Oh; and I guess you guys are curious as to what "water" and nutrients I am using. I have a water filter that connects up to my washing machine spicket and filters to ".5" microns. It was a 50$ filter, so it better do work! I am using the entire House and Garden nutrient line and following them feed schedule at a "10 gallon" mixture which netted me 889 PPM and I was at 5.89 PH the last time I checked. Let me know if you want anymore info! Ill be back with a video update sometime tonight! Happy toking; and; if you made it this far into my wall of text, I love you...
 

RoughGrows

Well-Known Member
Sounds good man cant wait to see it, have you done a 24 hour temp test on the set up yet?
Im about to go downstairs and take a look at the temps. As of now the project has been completed for about 24 hours. I HAD TO transplant the poor girls outta the baby box as it was not large enough for them! heheh. Anyhow, im gonna go downstairs and take a video! Back in 30 minutes or so.
 

KushCanuck

Well-Known Member
Can`t wait to see how this goes down (or up should I say :p). That is some serious exhaust by the sounds of things, get noisy? Keep em green mate,

KC :weed:
 

RoughGrows

Well-Known Member
Can`t wait to see how this goes down (or up should I say :p). That is some serious exhaust by the sounds of things, get noisy? Keep em green mate,

KC :weed:
Actually, its completely silent outside of the room once the door is shut. I'm pretty sure the guy that had this house before me was using this space to grow and he insulated the walls, etc. Lucky me!!
 

RoughGrows

Well-Known Member
Hell yeah! All the better for you :). I`ll be subbed for the duration :mrgreen:

KC :weed:
Sweet! Did you watch the video? Happen to see the roots? Have you had your roots change color due to nutes before? I have a pretty heavy supply of oxygen but I'm concerned about rootrot. Also, is the agitation from the airstones going to be harmful to the roots? It doesn't seem to be very violent so I can't imagine it really causing any harm.
 

KushCanuck

Well-Known Member
Are there organic nutrients being run in this system? Did watch the video, room looks sweet but the root should NOT look like that. Not rot persay but the brown film has a nasty name I can`t recall. There is a post in the Hydro section that will outline this and the steps to take to remedy it. If it IS the brown film, it`s tough to give rid of apparently. I`d recommend using strictly synthetic nutrients for DWC since the method of growing IS NOT natural. Synthetics are tailored to a hydro plants`requirements.

Otherwise don`t worry about the airstones, you`ll notice your root balls will be in the shape of the bubble pattern when you`re done. Your plants experiencing any wind burns? That plant on the right in the video was getting beat on pretty bad, haha

Keep us updated

KC :weed:
 

RoughGrows

Well-Known Member
Are there organic nutrients being run in this system? Did watch the video, room looks sweet but the root should NOT look like that. Not rot persay but the brown film has a nasty name I can`t recall. There is a post in the Hydro section that will outline this and the steps to take to remedy it. If it IS the brown film, it`s tough to give rid of apparently. I`d recommend using strictly synthetic nutrients for DWC since the method of growing IS NOT natural. Synthetics are tailored to a hydro plants`requirements.

Otherwise don`t worry about the airstones, you`ll notice your root balls will be in the shape of the bubble pattern when you`re done. Your plants experiencing any wind burns? That plant on the right in the video was getting beat on pretty bad, haha

Keep us updated

KC :weed:
I had a strange feeling about it as well so I dumped all my water and cleaned the res. Washed the roots in the sink and got all the filmy shit off. Filtered fresh water. Checked the Ph of my filtered water pre nutes and it was 6.99 according to my PH meter. YAY FILTER WORKS!! Added my house and garden part A and B. PH'd the water down to 5.8 and added some Great White Mychorrhizaeaiejeeerie (sp). Added the rest of my nute blend according to the feed chart and switched off the HPS to give em a little break from the intense light. Ill post updates tomorrow, thanks for your input!
 

psilocybindude

Well-Known Member
After watching that video i just have to say it,,, "Holy fuck its the return of the gigantic aluminum octopus monster, RUN!" lol just had to do it, looking great though man, i was wondering what happened with your last thread but i guess you must have been busy constructing this monstrosity, i cant believe how much light you've got crammed into that tiny tent man that's pretty impressive, I'm quite surprised that you are maintaining the temperature glad to see you go some centrifugal fans before you tried though lol, don't forget to check the temps at the warmest ambient temperature of your house during the day if you don't have a mix max hygrometer... As far as the as the brown roots go your water temps sound fine, also i don't believe there is much point in adding "Mychorrhizaeaiejeeerie" to a hydro system, you are using synthetic fertilizers which don't need to be broken down by beneficial micro organisms and besides that I'm pretty sure synthetic fertilizers kill microbes anyways, my guess would be you have a very bad algae problem or that you have some other type of micro organism problem i don't believe your water should be frothy unless you are growing in a hydro organic system. Also you know those white lids are not light proof right, you need to cover that with something that's light proof or paint it with a coat of black and then a coat of white paint.
 

KushCanuck

Well-Known Member
I had a strange feeling about it as well so I dumped all my water and cleaned the res. Washed the roots in the sink and got all the filmy shit off. Filtered fresh water. Checked the Ph of my filtered water pre nutes and it was 6.99 according to my PH meter. YAY FILTER WORKS!! Added my house and garden part A and B. PH'd the water down to 5.8 and added some Great White Mychorrhizaeaiejeeerie (sp). Added the rest of my nute blend according to the feed chart and switched off the HPS to give em a little break from the intense light. Ill post updates tomorrow, thanks for your input!
CalMag ... You NEED this. A Silica Blast or equivilant would also be nice to keep the plants `happy`. Otherwise you may have caught this early mate. Nice job, keep it green (or white in the roots case ;))

KC :weed:
 

KushCanuck

Well-Known Member
synthetic fertilizers which don't need to be broken down by beneficial micro organisms and besides that I'm pretty sure synthetic fertilizers kill microbes anyways, my guess would be you have a very bad algae problem or that you have some other type of micro organism problem i don't believe your water should be frothy unless you are growing in a hydro organic system.
This is not completely accurate either .. beneficials like Myco`s will NOT be harmed by synthetic nutrients since they are merely CONCENTRATED PURE ELEMENTS disign to breakdown quickly in hydro. Will not at all affect the way the myco work. Also in DWC, there is NO organics. Since the method of growing is anything but, it would be wise to use nutrients accordingly. My 2

KC :weed:
 

psilocybindude

Well-Known Member
This is not completely accurate either .. beneficials like Myco`s will NOT be harmed by synthetic nutrients since they are merely CONCENTRATED PURE ELEMENTS disign to breakdown quickly in hydro. Will not at all affect the way the myco work. Also in DWC, there is NO organics. Since the method of growing is anything but, it would be wise to use nutrients accordingly. My 2

KC :weed:
"Synthetic fertilizers do not support microbiological life in the soil. The application of a synthetic fertilizer actually kills a significant percentage of beneficial microorganisms. These tiny creatures are responsible for breaking down organic matter into a stable amendment for improving soil quality and fertility. Some convert nitrogen from the air into a plant useable form. Others are disease organisms which keep cutworms, chinch bugs and grubs, to name a few, in check."

"Impacts on mycorrhizas

High levels of fertilizer may cause the breakdown of the symbiotic relationships between plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi"

sources
http://www.themulch.com/index.php?id=152&option=com_content&task=view
http://www.northernlakeswormcastings.com/syntheticvsorganic
http://www.ottawahort.org/organic.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilizer



As far as hydroponics not being organic goes i disagree, hydroponic growing has been around a lot longer than synthetic fertilizers the medium may be unnatural but that doesn't change the fact that if you are fertilizing with organic matter its organic and if you are fertilizing with synthetic fertilizers it is synthetic...

http://www.generalhydroponics.com/blog/2011/07/19/hydroponics-in-history-part-1-ancient-hydroponics/
 

KushCanuck

Well-Known Member
"Synthetic fertilizers do not support microbiological life in the soil. The application of a synthetic fertilizer actually kills a significant percentage of beneficial microorganisms. These tiny creatures are responsible for breaking down organic matter into a stable amendment for improving soil quality and fertility. Some convert nitrogen from the air into a plant useable form. Others are disease organisms which keep cutworms, chinch bugs and grubs, to name a few, in check."

As far as hydroponics not being organic goes i disagree, hydroponic growing has been around a lot longer than synthetic fertilizers the medium may be unnatural but that doesn't change the fact that if you are fertilizing with organic matter its organic and if you are fertilizing with synthetic fertilizers it is synthetic...

I don`t need a lesson on soil and nutrients my friend. Firstly, you don`y use synthetics in soil, just not a good idea if you`re growing medicinally or taste in my opinion, and that discussion`s not even on the table to begin with. The myco`s feed from YOUR soil additives or soil components that will feed them through their lifecycle.

And have you have grown DWC before? Try mixing true organic solutions in that and let me know it goes for you. The `synthetic` fertilizers used for this type of water culture are designed SPECIFICALLY to that grow method. Organic fertilizers NEED to break down in soil, they simply do not have the means to properly break down and be absorbed by roots until after being assimilated by soil first.

**EDIT - You`re right that synth. nutrients won`t completely support the myco`s, but all they Myco`s nned to be able to do is colonize on the root zone (hence the `fishbone`like stems you see in some systems, the result of mycos at work) **

Do a bit of reading on my journals, you may learn a touch about beneficials and micro organisms :)

KC :weed:
 

KushCanuck

Well-Known Member
but that doesn't change the fact that if you are fertilizing with organic matter its organic and if you are fertilizing with synthetic fertilizers it is synthetic...
Just think on this a second ... They are produced theat way for a reason grasshopper, organics for soils, synthetics requiring quick break-down via hyroponics. As `Nut-Shell` as I can make it

KC :weed:
 

RoughGrows

Well-Known Member
After watching that video i just have to say it,,, "Holy fuck its the return of the gigantic aluminum octopus monster, RUN!" lol just had to do it, looking great though man, i was wondering what happened with your last thread but i guess you must have been busy constructing this monstrosity, i cant believe how much light you've got crammed into that tiny tent man that's pretty impressive, I'm quite surprised that you are maintaining the temperature glad to see you go some centrifugal fans before you tried though lol, don't forget to check the temps at the warmest ambient temperature of your house during the day if you don't have a mix max hygrometer... As far as the as the brown roots go your water temps sound fine, also i don't believe there is much point in adding "Mychorrhizaeaiejeeerie" to a hydro system, you are using synthetic fertilizers which don't need to be broken down by beneficial micro organisms and besides that I'm pretty sure synthetic fertilizers kill microbes anyways, my guess would be you have a very bad algae problem or that you have some other type of micro organism problem i don't believe your water should be frothy unless you are growing in a hydro organic system. Also you know those white lids are not light proof right, you need to cover that with something that's light proof or paint it with a coat of black and then a coat of white paint.
Yeah, I added the "great white" mychorhizaeaiejeeerie to "compete" with the non beneficial bacterias; if anything. I noticed that when I added the hygrozyme to my water it frothed up fairly quick so I think this may be the cause of my frothyness. I'm going to run this system for a week and see whats going on. When I washed off the roots yesterday they were nice and strong and very few were weak enough that I could break them without applying unreasonable force. In a week I'll dump this res and do another round of maintenance. In the mean time, I'll just cover the white lid with some thick black plastic, thanks for the heads up, I totally thought it was lightproof. I probably have a huge algae buildup, eh?
 

RoughGrows

Well-Known Member
This is not completely accurate either .. beneficials like Myco`s will NOT be harmed by synthetic nutrients since they are merely CONCENTRATED PURE ELEMENTS disign to breakdown quickly in hydro. Will not at all affect the way the myco work. Also in DWC, there is NO organics. Since the method of growing is anything but, it would be wise to use nutrients accordingly. My 2

KC :weed:
On my "feed schedule" that my local grow expert recommended to me with this house and garden line, it says to use the Great White Mychorblahblah beneficial bacterias as they are not allowed to ship their beneficial bacterias into the states.
http://issuu.com/humboldtwholesale/docs/h_gaquacocohydrofeedchart/2
If you look on the second page of the "aqua flakes" feed chart, at the bottom it says, "We at house and garden highly recommend you inoculate your hydroponics/soil grow media with beneficial bacteria. Outside the US we offer house and garden Bacto Force unfortunately we cannot import this product into the united states therefore we recommend Great White..."
 

RoughGrows

Well-Known Member
I'm not really an expert on much of this, but it seems to me that there is a difference between water soluble nutes and non water soluble nutes. I notice that on these House and Garden bottles on the "guaranteed analysis" it says "Water Soluble nute x" whereas my general hydro bottles say "chelated nute x"

Chelated; Fertilizers
Metal chelate compounds are common components of fertilizers to provide micronutrients. These micronutrients (manganese, iron, zinc, copper - are required for the overall health of the plants. Most fertilizers contain phosphate salts that, in the absence of chelating agents, typically convert these metal ions into insoluble solids that are of no nutritional value to the plants. EDTA is the typical chelating agent for this purpose.[SUP][14][/SUP]
Source: Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelation
 
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