Harvest a Pound Every Three Weeks!

P

petersonscott79

Member
I wanted to let anyone building this system know that they need to look at the specs of the rubbermaid unit and make sure the measurements are in line with the pvc measurements. I think rubbermaid has made the unit higher and thinner. I cut to specs and H frame is very very tight (wont sit properly). Everything still works great just a heads up.

The thing I am running into is PH inconsistencies. I will get it to 5.8 and next morning it is higher or lower again. I have already cleaned the unit with bleach and rinsed thoroughly. I also had to cut a bigger hole in the bottom veg unit top for the mist water to drain properly. The top was warped a bit and the water was building up.

Another thing for any newb starting this system, be careful how much you clean around the 2" holes on the top. I used a dremel to sand and clean up the left over plastic left from drilling the 2" holes. Yeah, I made two of them a bit big... :(

Off to check the PH again...

later
 
R

RobertInAz

Active Member
petersonscott79 said:
I wanted to let anyone building this system know that they need to look at the specs of the rubbermaid unit and make sure the measurements are in line with the pvc measurements. I think rubbermaid has made the unit higher and thinner. I cut to specs and H frame is very very tight (wont sit properly). Everything still works great just a heads up.

The thing I am running into is PH inconsistencies. I will get it to 5.8 and next morning it is higher or lower again. I have already cleaned the unit with bleach and rinsed thoroughly. I also had to cut a bigger hole in the bottom veg unit top for the mist water to drain properly. The top was warped a bit and the water was building up.

Another thing for any newb starting this system, be careful how much you clean around the 2" holes on the top. I used a dremel to sand and clean up the left over plastic left from drilling the 2" holes. Yeah, I made two of them a bit big... :(

Off to check the PH again...

I agree about Rubbermaid totes -- there are a bunch of different sizes, and not only will some of them not fit the sprayer specs but if they aren't the kind with the indented lid, they will leak. Re: the PH inconsistencies, I was getting the same thing until I realized that you can't use the same dropper or baster or bowl to check your PH and to administer PH up or down -- trace amounts from your implements will throw the reading way off. Bob
Click to expand...
 
P

petersonscott79

Member
RobertInAz said:
petersonscott79 said:
I wanted to let anyone building this system know that they need to look at the specs of the rubbermaid unit and make sure the measurements are in line with the pvc measurements. I think rubbermaid has made the unit higher and thinner. I cut to specs and H frame is very very tight (wont sit properly). Everything still works great just a heads up.



Another thing for any newb starting this system, be careful how much you clean around the 2" holes on the top. I used a dremel to sand and clean up the left over plastic left from drilling the 2" holes. Yeah, I made two of them a bit big... :(

Off to check the PH again...

I agree about Rubbermaid totes -- there are a bunch of different sizes, and not only will some of them not fit the sprayer specs but if they aren't the kind with the indented lid, they will leak. Re: the PH inconsistencies, I was getting the same thing until I realized that you can't use the same dropper or baster or bowl to check your PH and to administer PH up or down -- trace amounts from your implements will throw the reading way off. Bob
Click to expand...
I usually just pour what I think will do the job into the top of the up/down bottle and then mix it with a paint stick and let pump run a cycle or two and then check it. The thing I do that I know I probably shouldn't is check the cloner with the same meter as the veg.

errg...

I just found white sediment stuff on the top growth of the clone I have going. It is only a day old and there was very small white buildup on the top of where it was cropped (at least that is what it looked like). When I wiped off the white stuff, it felt granular (reminded me of salt sediment).

Luckily I have had better luck with a more consistent PH level today but it still has required adjusting. I thought I had read StinkBud say that he didn't have to check or adjust PH after he got it to 5.8. I also noticed that the res water is very warm (72-74). I have added ice cubes for now and tomorrow I will get those plastic ice packs that contain water that you can freeze and just reuse. Does anyone think that will leech or product unwanted chems?
Click to expand...
 
R

RobertInAz

Active Member
petersonscott79 said:
RobertInAz said:
I usually just pour what I think will do the job into the top of the up/down bottle and then mix it with a paint stick and let pump run a cycle or two and then check it. The thing I do that I know I probably shouldn't is check the cloner with the same meter as the veg.

errg...

I just found white sediment stuff on the top growth of the clone I have going. It is only a day old and there was very small white buildup on the top of where it was cropped (at least that is what it looked like). When I wiped off the white stuff, it felt granular (reminded me of salt sediment).

Luckily I have had better luck with a more consistent PH level today but it still has required adjusting. I thought I had read StinkBud say that he didn't have to check or adjust PH after he got it to 5.8. I also noticed that the res water is very warm (72-74). I have added ice cubes for now and tomorrow I will get those plastic ice packs that contain water that you can freeze and just reuse. Does anyone think that will leech or product unwanted chems?
Click to expand...
Another thing to try re: PH is the brand -- I think I read in here somewhere that some of the various brands of PH up/down don't last very long, and that the Advanced brand was the best. I use GH and I have to check and adjust every day. I don't know what your white stuff is, but if it developed in one day I doubt of it's a disease or excess nutrient buildup. If your res water is getting too hot, it's often because the pump is heating it up -- are you on a 1/5 minute on/off schedule?
Click to expand...
 
R

r1tony

New Member
petersonscott79 said:
Another thing to try re: PH is the brand -- I think I read in here somewhere that some of the various brands of PH up/down don't last very long, and that the Advanced brand was the best. I use GH and I have to check and adjust every day. I don't know what your white stuff is, but if it developed in one day I doubt of it's a disease or excess nutrient buildup. If your res water is getting too hot, it's often because the pump is heating it up -- are you on a 1/5 minute on/off schedule?
Click to expand...
I use GH PH up and down.. stays right where its at when I set it..
 
andrewcovetsall

andrewcovetsall

Active Member
the ph swings in your rez are from living bacteria. if your rez temps are high then more microbial activity goes on. i use gh ph up/down and it stays set. actually at the moment my ph has been right on the money. try cleaning your rez next water change real good with bleach and getting the temp down to like 65 -68. i promise that it makes a big difference from 65 - 70's.
 
P

petersonscott79

Member
andrewcovetsall said:
the ph swings in your rez are from living bacteria. if your rez temps are high then more microbial activity goes on. i use gh ph up/down and it stays set. actually at the moment my ph has been right on the money. try cleaning your rez next water change real good with bleach and getting the temp down to like 65 -68. i promise that it makes a big difference from 65 - 70's.
Click to expand...

Robert, I am on a 1/5 pump time. Andre, I know that my res temps have been terribly high. I'm talking almost up to 80 at one point. I am going to empty both the clone and the veg tonight bleach and refill. How do I clean the net pots and the plants of the bacteria? I will have to check to see what brand the PH is. I just bought and applied the Raid Earth Options. It says that it will take care of mites, thripes, fungus gnats among other things.

I wish I had a better camera but will post the pics I have. I did not start with a fan in the tent but do have one now and my water temps are right around 70 or so. I had to bring the AC in the room to get that. The room temp is only about 70-74 now and the humidity has always been low. It was 30% when I checked this morning.

I really hope that after the cleaning things go to normal. I have spent a shitload of money on this Aero/NFT setup thinking that it was going to be a good system to start my first grow with but not sure now. I have had to adjust the PH multiple times a day and now that I am seeing the white gritty stuff on the clones, I am worried!

Thanks again for the help and please if you have any other suggestions or advice, I AM ALL EARS!

The first and second pic is of Headband that has yellowing leaves. It is blotchy and just starting. The 7th pic is new to veg and has light patches of green appearing on the leaves. They are dark green and have lighter green coming from the middle of the leaf. Just two days ago all of these were perky and looked to be doing good. Now they are appearing limp and in trouble. :(

I also included the AirBox and fan I am using. I smoked in the tent the other night to see if odor would be a problem and when my wife came up she could not smell anything, even inside the room with the tent so that was a good thing.

DSCI0008.jpgDSCI0010.jpgDSCI0002.jpgDSCI0007.jpgDSCI0004.jpgDSCI0001.jpgDSCI0009.jpgDSCI0006.jpg
 

Attachments

andrewcovetsall

andrewcovetsall

Active Member
usually nft is not the first choice of beginners. hydroponics is for people who have the time to constantly check on their crops,(i sometimes hang out with em twice a day), or its for people with money to spend on atmosphere controllers. a total hydro controller can cost upwards of 400 dollars. but it will automatically adjust and monitor everything in a growroom.
My advice to you is to buy an ec/ppm meter, single greatest purchase i ever made. look on amazon for a cheap one. i got a blue cheap one. like 30 bucks after shipping and handling.
Second bit of advice, take it from me, i lived in vegas and had a dwc going. worst idea ever. your rez temps are the most important thing when you have no growing medium(such as nft).
now i have my rez at 65 and i went 4 weeks without changing my rez at all. i dont get algae at all. i have my rez buried in the ground of my basement though.
:) Photo01022108.jpg :0
 
P

petersonscott79

Member
andrewcovetsall said:
usually nft is not the first choice of beginners. hydroponics is for people who have the time to constantly check on their crops,(i sometimes hang out with em twice a day), or its for people with money to spend on atmosphere controllers. a total hydro controller can cost upwards of 400 dollars. but it will automatically adjust and monitor everything in a growroom.
My advice to you is to buy an ec/ppm meter, single greatest purchase i ever made. look on amazon for a cheap one. i got a blue cheap one. like 30 bucks after shipping and handling.
Second bit of advice, take it from me, i lived in vegas and had a dwc going. worst idea ever. your rez temps are the most important thing when you have no growing medium(such as nft).
now i have my rez at 65 and i went 4 weeks without changing my rez at all. i dont get algae at all. i have my rez buried in the ground of my basement though.
:) View attachment 1387994 :0
Click to expand...
Oh man that would be sweet! I have looked at water chillers and they are just to much money! I do have an EC meter and a TDS meter on the way. I cleaned both the clone and veg rez today with bleach so hopefully it will get back to normal. I bought a dozen of these ice packs that can be refroze and will start testing them tonight. I went with Aero/NFT because I don't have access to places that I can dispose of soil without drawing attention. There has to be a chiller that will work that doesn't cost $300 or maybe a chemical that will kill the bacteria that grows when the temp is to high???

I don't know, I am so discouraged right now...

I did also put the fan pointed right towards the rez and also running the room at 70F to help keep the rez temps down. Does anyone think that will hurt or stunt the plants? I know that 75-80 would be more ideal but can I get away with 70?

Well, I know the plants have had a tough day so I'm gonna let them be for tonight and check them in the morning.

Thanks again for all the insight andrewcovetsall!

Oh yea BTW I use GH PH also.
 
sittin

sittin

Member
silly question but i couldnt find the answer anywhere, do you just put the bottem of the clone threw one of the little holes in the bottem of the netpot? and thats what holds it up?
also my netpots dont have covers on the top, do you just make your own out of something that light cant get threw?
 
supaleeb

supaleeb

Active Member
petersonscott79 said:
How do I clean the net pots and the plants of the bacteria? I will have to check to see what brand the PH is.
Click to expand...
I put the pots and covers in the dishwasher (or washing machine). Just don't let them touch the heating element or they will likely melt. I sterilize plant roots with a strong H2O2 bath, sometime with Physan 20 as well.

petersonscott79 said:
Thanks again for the help and please if you have any other suggestions or advice, I AM ALL EARS!
Click to expand...
Have you put any thoughts into beneficial bacteria? If you can't keep your rez temps down, you could give it a shot. Here's the thread I used to get started on beneficials:

https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/361430-how-breed-your-own-beneficial.html

Works REALLY, REALLY well.
 
L

LVsFINEST

Well-Known Member
sittin said:
thanks mate, another question in the flowering unit do all the roots sit along the bottem of the pcv fence post? i thought the idea was to have them hanging to let them breath as much as they can
Click to expand...
The cloner and veg'er are aero while the flowering unit is NFT/aero hybrid. So yes, the plants do sit at the bottom of the fence post, all the roots grow together to become a big "mat". This is why if you have to pull a male or hermie, you have to pull all plants in that fence post.
 
sittin

sittin

Member
LVsFINEST said:
The cloner and veg'er are aero while the flowering unit is NFT/aero hybrid. So yes, the plants do sit at the bottom of the fence post, all the roots grow together to become a big "mat". This is why if you have to pull a male or hermie, you have to pull all plants in that fence post.
Click to expand...
thanks buddy, im just going to copy everything haha. seeing how well its worked for everyone. everyone found this to be the best veggy system?
 
P

petersonscott79

Member
Well, rez temps have gotten the best of me. I had to chuck 4 clones and my 2 babies in the veg are looking rough.

I am getting ready to insulate the rez with foamular insulation and curious the best route. I am going to use the black liners for the rez like SB does so would the insulation be better on the inside or outside of the rez? Also, the insulation is going to block the chilling effects that my fans have right?
 
P

petersonscott79

Member
I am waiting for the products to get here early next week. I did insulate the outside of the rez with reflectex (sp) and start using black garbage bags inside the rez to help with light control and cleanup and that has helped stabilize the temps some and the ph but I am running the room temp at 68-70F. With that room temp, I am seeing 68-70F rez temps and that was without the fan blowing directly on them. I did turn the fan so now it points right at the clone unit so hopefully that helps too.

I would like to run the temp in the room at 75-80 since I am running CO2 and would get some great growth but I just don't see how I could do that and keep the rez temps down. I guess we will see how the beneficial tea works out.

I just hope I can use the tea with this setup with no problems.
 
supaleeb

supaleeb

Active Member
muchogood said:
Just curios, have you used it in the Stink system?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm using it right now in my cloner/veg systems. Keeps algae at bay and allows me to run higher temps. I don't use Stink's suggested nutes anymore, which some of them, like LQ, really fueled the algae and made it nearly impossible to control anything in the rez.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top