WaterFarm GO BioThrive "Jack Herer" Hydro SCROG - 200W T5 / 600W HPS

Bought these, and they were in pretty bad shape. The stem seemed to have some rot, and they were dormant for almost the first 2 weeks I had them under my veg lights:

July 7:


After a month, they seem to have taken off! I was surprised to see how well the vegan organic GO box kit has worked. The maintenance is much easier (so far.) I haven't one problem in the last 2-3 weeks.

August 6:


The SCROG was hobbled together, but seems to be doing the trick. When ever I push all the branches back and the leaves under, it seems so wrong. Then I check on the a few hours later and they are blasting upwards again!

good save!!

cacamal said:

good save!!

Click to expand...

Thanks! I was really close to trashing them. They seem to be doing well now though, for sure.

August 13:

I love the GO line. Although I did discover that you can fix that PH drift problem by using a different brand of Cal/Mag to buffer the solution. Also, have you noticed that Biomarine can be used as a Bloom-Base-Nutrient? It's the only non vganic bottle, but it has a kick ass ratio for flowering or at least early flowering. I have incorporated the go line into tea brewing also. here is a rough/highly concentrated formula that I started working with. Would you mind sharing your recipe for your water farm? And is there an airstone in your waterfarm?

Three Simple AACT Recipes (All for 5 Gallon (19L) brewers)
Bacterial Dominant Tea
1.5 pounds (700g) bacterial compost or vermicompost [EWC]
3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) liquid black strap molasses [Honey ES / Plantation Organic Molasses]
4 teaspoons (23g) dry soluble kelp or 2 tablespoons of liquid kelp [BioWeed]
3-4 teaspoons (15-20ml) fish emulsion [BioMarine]

Equal Ratio – Fungi : Bacteria Tea
1.5 pounds (700g) 1:1 fungi to bacteria compost [Ancient Forest/EWC]
3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) humic acids [Diamond Black]
4 teaspoons (23g) dry soluble kelp or 2 tablespoons of liquid kelp [BioWeed]
3-4 teaspoons (15-20ml) fish hydrolysate [BioMarine]

Fungal Dominant Tea
2 pounds (900g) fungal compost [Ancient Forest]
3-4 tablespoons (50ml) humic acids [Diamond Black]
2 teaspoons (10ml) yucca extract
4 teaspoons (23g) dry soluble kelp or 2 tablespoons of liquid kelp [BioWeed]
4-5 teaspoons (20-25ml) fish hydrolysate [BioMarine]

Recipes from ‘The Compost Tea Brewing Manual’, 5th Edition by Dr Elaine Ingham.

Hey ClosetSafe! Thanks for the comment. I am just using the standard recipe that came with the GoBox this time around, and it does not include any Black Diamond or BioMarine. My goal is just to get a basic feel for the difference between organic and chemical. Last round I used Technaflora's Recipe For Success kit, and the GoBox seemed to be the organic alternative. But I will definitely keep what you have in mind for future, more complex grows! I didn't include an airstone, because doing so would kill the beneficial bacteria that gets the roots what it needs. Additionally, the pH is not supposed to affect the plants uptake, or at least not lock out nutes like a chemical grow.



Thanks again for the comment! Looks like you have some pretty good recipes locked down!

Here is a weekly picture update:



Unfortunately, I have been noticing some fungus gnats. I need to relocate the tent anyways (new roommate) and decided to take a scorched earth policy. So, for the next 4 days, its 4 ml per gallon 35% H2O2. After 2 days, gnats are gone, but I will continue just to make sure the larvae and eggs are toast. If this happens again in flower, I will probably use an organic solution that doesn't involve killing all my microbes. I figured it would be good for my roots anyways.

With the scrog working so nicely, I was thinking about buying a table and dividing my tent into a veg and flower chamber.

Once the tent has been disassembled, moved and reassembled (a pain in my fucking ass) I will probably go another week or less in veg, and then switch.

Day 3 of flowering... fuck fungus gnats.



Got rid of the gnats, but they showed up again. Had to buy some organic gnat solution. It works slowly and poorly, but they are almost gone.

Almost got these gnat-bastards out of my life. The SNS-203 did an decent job when I used it both as a spray application, and mixed into my reservoir. I also hung a fly strip underneath the canopy to catch the adults. It never got rid of all of them though, and didn't start making a big impact until the bottle I bought was used up (big surprise!) So as a final precaution, I employed the experience of some seasoned indoor farmers at the local favorite hydro shop, and they hooked me up with Monterey Spinosad:



It is organic certified by OMRI and the USDA, fungus derived, and is supposed to be non-phytotoxic. It's a spray only, but it is supposed to basically tweak the bugs' nervous system until they dry up and die. It's very thorough, and completely safe to mammals.

Despite being assured that it is completely fine to use on these ladies (allowing 7 days minimum before harvest), my goal is to use this once now while they are still stretching, and then ride the rest of the flower phase with preventative measures for a relapse. My worry is that they are coming from the GO box nutrients, but we will have to see. Worst case scenario, the SNS-203 is very safe and relatively effective in the tanks, and doesn't seem to interfere with my bacteria.

Needless to say, this whole experience will have taught me a lot without seeming to have effected my plants too much. I figure that 2 months of vegging has equipped them with a lot of roots, so I feel pretty confident that this will end well. If anyone has any experience with this (the hydro/organic combo makes finding solutions pretty hard haha) I would love to hear! Otherwise, I will update as the process comes to an end.

Here's how they are looking now, 5 days after switching to flower:

Lookin' good!

So, turns out I bought clones from an amateur. I grew this shit out a couple of months in the scrog, and when I flipped the lights, they were 100% male. I was pretty pissed, and when I called the guy, he immediately threatened me, so I am assuming they were for sure males he clipped them from. That, and it was like ALL male, not a hermie.

I feel like a dick for abandoning this shit, so I will post some pics of a Purple Arrow/DJ Short Blueberry grow when I harvest!

sounds like an assassin got you. bummer wasting a lot of time.
The General Organics is mostly for soil but you got it to work in
the bubbler which is good but I bet the Ph had some wild swings
and the Ph in hydro is more important but try Gnatrol for fungus gnats.
It's biological and should
solve gnat problem.