First Hydro 150 Watt HPS 5 CFL

alarictinkerton · #1 04-16-2008, 06:38 PM

All right. Well. This is my first time putting up a grow journal, so i better make it count.

I'll start off with a nice story.

I couldn't get clones from anyone after seriously trying for about 2 months, but thankfully a friend of mine had a few plants that were not being taken care of to the extent that the could have been, so i offered to take them into my newly constructed grow cab that wasn't being used. I saw the perfect opportunity to get some cloning skill in.

As soon as I got the plants, I got rockwool, and literally decapitated the top of the healthiest plant in the group.

To be honest, i was so sloppy and careless I really didn't think it was going to survive the event, especially after practically microwaving them under too much light and heat.

but i put them into my bubbler i created out of like 2.5 gallon buckets, that I put aluminum tape all around to protect from light, and then into hydroton. It looked beautiful but i was sure I needed more skill.

Thankfully, it survived, and started rooting after a week that I was gone on vacation.... probably one of the most exciting moments in a father's life; coming home to what you half expected to be a dead clone, just to find it healthy and pumped, with roots just spitting out the bottom of the net!

Since then, I've had only one real problem

There was this intense white slime growing on the roots that were hitting the water. I was pissed because I had just changed the water, and assumed that it would be happy to be in the clean new environment. I'm positive the white slime was the beginning of root rot, since after about one day, it started turning the roots brown and making them really sad.

Don't fret.

The problem has been fixed by a number of different solutions:

1. I lowered the PH, since it was far too high for too long (around 6.

2. I lowered the temperature of the water in the bucket (we had a scorching weekend that probably brought the room temperature to about 90-95º. bogus.)
3. I added a bunch of peroxide (regular, walgreens brand) into the bucket to help fight off more fungal issues. I can't say exactly how much i added, but it was a solid half cup, i'd say.

Since I did these (and the temperature hasn't been so high) the problem has ceased and the sweet clone looks like a delicate angel. or more like a really buff demon, cuz it is growing like a mother fucker. I mean seriously. I saw it actually fuck this guy's mom... unbelievable.

Needless to say. I will now regularly update this journal with pictures and fun time stories to share with everyone... Feel free to comment, because it makes my life more exciting and less lonely. I really have nothing else to live for.

Forever yours,
alaric.

daisy2687 · #2 04-16-2008, 11:06 PM

Sounds like a good start to a grow and its awesome that clone worked out and no more root problems! Maybe the only problem now will be waiting for them buds

How much did a 150w HPS set you back?

alarictinkerton · #3 04-17-2008, 10:14 AM

only about 50 bucks... on ebay.

it wasn't created specifically for growing, but because my grow room is so small, i didnt need too much power, along with the fact that I had those cfls, i feel like i should have enough light, but either way, i'm sure i'm goign to upgrade next grow and so on.

alarictinkerton · #4 05-16-2008, 08:37 PM

okay new pictures.

a little less than week 3 flowering, and some pictures of the grape ape and sour diesel clones that finally started to root a little bit.

I should take some new pictures tonight or tomorrow, and post them eventually.

Any questions or suggestions, please comment.

alarictinkerton · #5 06-17-2008, 09:26 AM

Okay, so.... SOME HUGE CHANGES!

I got a 400 watt HPS online for 135 with shipping. i'm pumped.

so here are some new pics.

am I ready for harvest?

The baby two (Sour D and Grape ape) are looking good minus some nute burn.

I just received a digital PH meter and a digital EC meter so things should be going a lot smoother for me now.

notice how sweet my plants reacted to some topping!