# Pyro's Vertical rdwc



## iPurpleSticky (Apr 30, 2012)

Welcome! 


I went with the corrugated pipe. It works great. It's rigid enough to support a plant, so I'm happy. Plus, the stuff bends super easy and was only $35 for 50'. 

Right now I've got 3 and a half levels to this system. I'm hoping I'll be able to run Lucas formula until I run out of GH nutrients, so I can run a perpetual for now.

The first top two rows are Pizzurp, it's a purple bagseed that I came upon. I'll throw a picture in at the end. I've grown it before and I'm growing it now, and I like it. The lowest row is another row of Chemdog. Once my seedlings become mothers, I'll have Eva Jamaican Dream, CH9 Jack, and CH9 Cluster. I've got a bunch of others I'll run in the future too.


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## drolove (Apr 30, 2012)

nice! got pics of the whole setup from the inside?


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## Stonetech (Apr 30, 2012)

That is pretty cool, I never would've thought to use that kinda pipe. I hope it holds up for you, I know its pretty thin. How much water are you pumping thru that thing?


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## iPurpleSticky (May 1, 2012)

Drolove, I'll grab some later today if I get a chance. It's all symmetrical. The frame is simply four 20'' diameter, side-to-side not corner-to-corner, octagons that have 2 legs on 4 of the sides. I used 2x3's for it. I did have a problem with the system leaning, but that's what the bungees in the photos are for. 

Stonetech, I tried starting with 4'' pvc and bending it into a circle with heat, but it didn't work. Even with a heat blanket and plugs designed for PVC, it just kept caving in on itself. I haven't seen anybody use corrugated pipe either, so I was a bit skeptical. Although, this stuff is way more rigid than I thought it was. I was under the impression that the rigidity of the pipe wouldn't be enough to support the plants, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that it's strong enough. If you get a chance, hit up the big-box DIY store and feel some corrugated pipe. Plus, this pipe is designed to be underground, so it's designed to be fairly rigid.

Here's a video. Don't mind the music, it didn't even get to the good part. But that's your's truly on vocals 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmdDLOUYUaU


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## Whatstrain (May 1, 2012)

Looks good and really interesting use of that type of pipe. Might want to wrap those tubes in some type of reflective material to keep temps down though.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 1, 2012)

In the basement I'm constantly running a reservoir temp of 68 and the air temp is around then too. The black doesn't heat up like you'd probably think, plus it's got cool water running through it 24/7. I did think about it though, but I can't figure any way to neatly wrap the corrugated pipe. It's not straight, and it's corrugated.... it'd be a mess. I even thought about buying a reflective spray paint but decided it's not worth the hassle.

I hope everything goes well for me and the corrugated pipe, it may be a cost effective way for people on a budget. Plus, if it's available in 6''..... expect vertical TREES.


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## Stonetech (May 1, 2012)

Wow talk about doin alot on a low budget, good job!

Yeah I use that pipe alot with the work i do so I know it can take alot of pressure when its buried, when its not tho it can be cut and torn pretty easily. Thats the only reason I asked, the more I think about tho I'm sure it will be fine. It sure would be easy to work with. The reflective spray paint sounds like a good idea to me, my friend used some that was made for plastics to spray his buckets with, worked like a charm. I guess if your not having issues tho...

So are you gonna flower those clones as soon as they root?


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## iPurpleSticky (May 1, 2012)

I plan on flowering when they are hopefully around 6 inches. The Purple plant stretches like crazy. I flowered one that was roughly 8-10 inches and it's over 30 inches now. Crazy amount of stretch. I'm hoping I don't have any issues with that. I can always throw them all on the bottom rack. 

For what it's worth, the corrugated pipe was 35, the wood was 35, and the pump was 40. I figured this would be the most cost effective way. Everyone else seemed to use fittings. Fittings are incredibly expensive!


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## iPurpleSticky (May 6, 2012)

[video=youtube;tB6S798qH4k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB6S798qH4k&amp;feature=youtu.be[/video]


Try that out. That'll give everyone an idea of what I'm working with. It's photo's always looks confusing because of my room setup. Plus now, you can be soothed by my smooth voice! 

Enjoy.


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## tokeintuckz (May 6, 2012)

wont let me see the vid


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## iPurpleSticky (May 6, 2012)

Try that. I had it set to private.


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## FilthyFletch (May 6, 2012)

So your tubes are completely flooded drowing the plants do you have it set on intevals to give the plants roots time to get some Oxygen as you cant keep them submerged all dayy evryday. Maybe like 15 minutes on 30 off?


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## iPurpleSticky (May 6, 2012)

Yeah, you've pretty much got it! 

It seems as though water that's moving rapidly is already oxygenated enough to support plant life. RDWC follows the same concept, and it seems to be working.


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## FilthyFletch (May 6, 2012)

Just curious as I have run aero and NFT type grows along with basica flood drain systems and over the years worked out the time needed for roots to be out of the solution and have seen first hand roots stuck in water even if moving. I was just curious as your plants shoulded over water signs so wanted to hear more on you on off settings.


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## Wogtaz Ryder (May 6, 2012)

NIIICEE and simple ! awesome job , subbed .


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## iPurpleSticky (May 7, 2012)

FilthyFletch said:


> Just curious as I have run aero and NFT type grows along with basica flood drain systems and over the years worked out the time needed for roots to be out of the solution and have seen first hand roots stuck in water even if moving. I was just curious as your plants shoulded over water signs so wanted to hear more on you on off settings.


Well, this is a first for me also, so I'm learning as I go. I'm running a 600 GPH pump 24/7. The return water from the end of the tube falls into a 5 gallon bucket. 

Me 'theory' on how it'll aerate itself was through the pump constantly pumping water from the bucket. I figure the water pouring into the bucket will cause plenty of aeration in that water. Also, where the corrugated pipe falls down to the next level, the water goes over the corrugation and turns into mini rapids. I'm pretty sure that contributes to the total dissolved oxygen content. Each loop of mine only holds a few gallons. Each one of the loops also has a way to put dissolved oxygen into the water (where the loops drop). I'm hoping this waterfall effect is enough DO for at least the loop after the drop. 

I do see your concern though. I'm taking a leap of faith. It seems as though most of the 'Heath Robinson' inspired builds work on the same concepts. Keeping the water moving quick enough keeps air dissolved fairly well. 

I haven't seen any overwatering signs, but it's very early in the process. If it becomes a problem, I've got enough air pumps to rig up some air stones. If it made it into the video, I actually have one pumping into my lower level about where the bucket is. No air stone, just the tube bubbling in the water. 

I haven't had any issues with roots furthest away from where the oxygen is being dissolved either. All the clones on all parts of the 'loop' have rooted just about the same day. The ones that are doing the best are the ones in that are furthest from the drops in the loops. Once again, I didn't attribute this to anything other than they were the biggest healthiest clones. The ones that rooted last were actually mostly towards the drop. 


Have any of you guys heard of the 12/1 lighting schedule? 

In short, for veg you do 12 hours on, 5.5 off, 1 hour on, 5.5 off. Flowering is something like 11 on 13 off then slowly change to 9-15 in the last few weeks. 

I'm debating trying it. It is a little odd. But the power savings means I could totally move up to a 600 or 1000 watt light in flowering since I'd save a ton in veg. I was just wondering if anybody had any experience. I haven't done a ton of research, but I think I may start.


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## dirty1 (May 7, 2012)

looks like a sweet setup, but wouldnt running that veg lighting schedule just stress ur plants possibly causing them to hermie?


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## cowell (May 7, 2012)

I like the choices you made in materials- for whatever reason when I was building my set up I thought of using the corrugated pipe, but thought it wouldn't stand up to the weight - nice to see it works, and you're set up is great - I'll be following along.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 7, 2012)

Dirty1, I'm not sure what your talking about. I have a metal halide in the room with the vertical setup. Right now I'm using it as a cloner. In the future I will constantly run a flowering light in there and have a cloner setup out of that room under the veg light.

Cowell, in my head I thought it'd be too thin and collapse also. If that was the case, I was just going to build a set of collars that would hold the plant up. I was just going to use some thinwall 4'' PVC with a slice down the bottom so it'd slip over the corrugated pipe. From there, I'd drill the 2'' hole into the collar and I'd have something rigid for the plant to sit on. Luckily, the stuff is more rigid than I had anticipated!

All my clones are rooted as of today. I bumped the EC to .6 ish.


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## Stonetech (May 7, 2012)

Hey Pyro, in heath's tube he flooded constantly but he was also able to adjust the level of the flood on each level. I think this was one of the keys to his success. Even in my ebb/flo I adjust the flood heights to make sure the roots get adequate O2. 

Do you have a way to adjust this in your setup? I think you said somethin bout it in the vid but I can't figure out how.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 7, 2012)

At the ends of each loop, I bumped up the tube on a shim. I just used extra cuts of a 2x3. It sets the ends of the loops so the bottom of the high end is around the middle of the non shimmed end. I'm babbling, but I'm kind of stoned. If you look in my photos, you may be able to see one of the shims. To adjust, I'd have to get a smaller shim and tie my tubes down, but I'm unsure if I'll need it.


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## O*G* (May 7, 2012)

iPurpleSticky said:


> Drolove, I'll grab some later today if I get a chance. It's all symmetrical. The frame is simply four 20'' diameter, side-to-side not corner-to-corner, octagons that have 2 legs on 4 of the sides. I used 2x3's for it. I did have a problem with the system leaning, but that's what the bungees in the photos are for.
> 
> Stonetech, I tried starting with 4'' pvc and bending it into a circle with heat, but it didn't work. Even with a heat blanket and plugs designed for PVC, it just kept caving in on itself. I haven't seen anybody use corrugated pipe either, so I was a bit skeptical. Although, this stuff is way more rigid than I thought it was. I was under the impression that the rigidity of the pipe wouldn't be enough to support the plants, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that it's strong enough. If you get a chance, hit up the big-box DIY store and feel some corrugated pipe. Plus, this pipe is designed to be underground, so it's designed to be fairly rigid.
> 
> ...


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## Stonetech (May 7, 2012)

Of course that makes perfect sense, (forehead slap). I think I could learn a thing or two from you Pyro, I tend to overcomplicate things and overlook the obvious. + rep.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 8, 2012)

O*G*, me and my dad used a heat blanket with 2 plugs made specifically for bending conduit and PVC. The problem we were having was the pipe kept collapsing on itself. I'm confident in the rigidity of this corrugated pipe though. The cost of corrugated pipe as compared to PVC is insane too. Figure a 10 foot section of 4'' PVC sch 40 is around 15-20 bucks, the thinwall stuff is 10-15 I think. The Corrugated pipe just seemed like a better idea. It's seamless, and easy to deal with. If I ever need to disassemble, I'll be able too without having to cut stuff apart.


Stonetech, my way to figure out things is incredibly simple. I get really baked, and think about it. When I'm baked I seem to make less 'educated' decisions that turn out to be more economical and functional. I thought of all these extravagant ways to put damns inside the pipe when I realized I didn't have to. It all came together pretty well, and it's incredibly simple. I guess the only thing that I maybe will add in the future is air stones, but it's not looking like I'll have to. 

With the cost for one of these vertical setups, I could easily build one or two more and run them all. If a 400 watt light works out well, running 2 wouldn't be very difficult. That'd be a harvest every 4-6 weeks..... That'd be wonderful!


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## noptical (May 8, 2012)

bad ass setup bro


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## MYWhat? (May 8, 2012)

Nice job on the set up iPurpleSticky. That style pipe comes in a wide array of sizes, which is a nice feature. 

I had actually thought of using it for a patients system back a couple years ago. The only reason we didn't end up using it (after a smaller test run was done using it) was because of sediment build up. Just like gold running through a sluice box, sediment and even worse bacteria can build up in the corrugation. With that said I'm sure it would depend on what nutrients you run through it.
We had a heck of a time trying to get it cleaned out and ended up having to use a pressure washer.

By no means am I trying to discourage you, just sharing our experience.

I really do hope you have a bountiful harvest and better results then are test run did.


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## Saldaw (May 8, 2012)

+ rep for the brilliant cost efficient setup and the brilliant answers and info!

happy growing!


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## iPurpleSticky (May 9, 2012)

Thanks for the support guys!

MYWhat, I never thought about that... I suppose if it gets too bad, I could probably use a shop vac through the holes when the tube is drained and dried. Did the sediment cause any problems with the plants? 

I'll grab some pictures today, I suppose the clones will be larger since the last time anybody has seen them.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 9, 2012)

Bumped my EC to 1. I had some hungry plants! They are definitely starting to grow. Some are behind others. One of the strains in the vertical is a stretcher. I flowered a plant that was well under 12 inches in coco, and it's a 36" plant now. It was an 8 or 9 inch plant when it started 12/12....


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## MYWhat? (May 9, 2012)

iPurple,*

Yes we ran into a couple lockout issues during the test run. *(only 6 plants) *Due mostly to excessive salt build up. We ended up running straight water through the system, if I remember correctly, 3 times. (if you do this you should pull out your 2 by3 shims at each level to ensure it flushes good) Using a separate bucket we pumped water (40 ppm) through the system for a couple hrs. And ended up having a ppm of 500-600. Then put the pump back into the nutrient tank, and continued as normal.*
The plants did fairly well, just had to stay on top of it. We kept the nutrient temps low of course. It seems the more chemical the nutrients are the more the issue will arise.*
To be honest even in my bucket system, I find myself having to flush a couple times per run or I'll lock up in that too. Using GH 3 part. Though now we've been running flora nova series and have found that there is way less salt build up. It does cost a little more but makes alot more nutrient solution per gallon, and haven't had anywhere near as much salty residue.

I hope this will aid you and your quest for a bountiful yield !*


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## iPurpleSticky (May 9, 2012)

Hm. If I see any problems, that's the first thing I'll do for sure! It wouldn't be very difficult to run RO water through every 2 weeks, I think that's what I may do. 

I'm planning on getting away from these nutrients, and stepping up to a better nutrient line. I'd like to run a simple 2 part nutrient mix, or even a 1 part. I'll have to see what my budget looks like and what the hydroponics store carries. Botanicare is in my head for now. Chances are it won't take me long to get rid of these, this system holds quite a bit of water. It took 20-30 ml of Micro and I'm running Lucas formula just to get to 1 EC. 

My nutrient temperatures stay relatively low. This weekend I'm going to do some ventilation work since I can finally switch the vertical to flower. Right now, my res temps are sitting in the low 70s, which is good enough for me. Hopefully in the winter the temps don't get too frigid down there.


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## MYWhat? (May 9, 2012)

I'm sure you'll do just fine man. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

I'm sure you've seen that white residue on the walls of your resivour. I get it in my tank too, running GH 3 part. Their 3 part does give the plants everything they need to thrive and produces a good harvest. Just have to be a little vigalent is all. 

Peace and Happy Growing !!


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## Derple (May 10, 2012)

Some chunky looking bud at the end, great job man.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 10, 2012)

MYWhat?, I have noticed salt buildup on my hydroton already, but I wasn't sure what it was. I wonder why this stuff is so...salty.

Thanks Derple! I think I'm giving it an extra week or two, but I'm excited to get a dry and cure and start smoking it! This chemdog is my sleep medication, the high is intense but the come down is almost impossible to fall asleep unless you keep smoking.


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## NnthStTrls (May 10, 2012)

I like the info on Jamaican Dream so I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Nice looking setup.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 10, 2012)

I'm kind of hoping the Jamaican Dream really has that short of a flowering period. It's roughly half of what my other strains are. I'd like to have something quick that I can roll joints out of so I don't feel guilty putting a 10 week flowering bud in there. 

I'm personally a fan of gutting a Black and Mild and filling it with pot. They fit a gram perfectly, and they smoke fantastically. Plus if you please, you can mix in tobacco and it really kills the smell, but makes it taste like Black and Mild wine hahaha. I like smoking a gram in one sitting, it's usually pretty damned nice!

This weekend I'm going to do a flush for a few hours, I can't imagine the salty buildup inside. 

My room mate's fiances car is having issues though, and she said she'd pay me to fix it. If that's the case, I hope it's not just the fuel filter and it's the pump hahaha. That way, I can get enough to go grab some different nutrients!


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## jaxl (May 11, 2012)

Hey I have a question for you.this will be my first vert grow, I made a setup kinda like yours but with just 2 rows gonna be running a 400 watt light how many plants would you suggest I put in it?


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## iPurpleSticky (May 11, 2012)

As many as you can! I put mine on 8'' centers. Since I do no topping, these plants will grow basically as single colas. I figure fan leaves need about 4 inches of room, and that makes it pretty roomy as you can see. 

For the most part, go big or go home. The only real concern I would think, is the root masses ganging up and clogging your tube. Figure if your plants were only 2 inches on center, you'd have so many plants that the roots would probably slow down the flow and cause back ups. 8 inches is a comfortable medium for me as I'm going to flower clones that are about 6'' tall.


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## jaxl (May 11, 2012)

iPurpleSticky said:


> As many as you can! I put mine on 8'' centers. Since I do no topping, these plants will grow basically as single colas. I figure fan leaves need about 4 inches of room, and that makes it pretty roomy as you can see.
> 
> For the most part, go big or go home. The only real concern I would think, is the root masses ganging up and clogging your tube. Figure if your plants were only 2 inches on center, you'd have so many plants that the roots would probably slow down the flow and cause back ups. 8 inches is a comfortable medium for me as I'm going to flower clones that are about 6'' tall.


thanks for the help thats what i was kinda getting from some of the grows ive seen im going to be doing mine from seed dont really have room for a mother room right now, but its on the list to do


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## iPurpleSticky (May 12, 2012)

I think going from seed would be Difficult. Having mother plants makes getting large numbers of plants possible. I can't imagine germinating 50-60 seeds! You could germinate a seed, and grow a mother plant. Then, take all the clones you can from the mother for your system. Then you could flower what's left of your mother plant in the bottom of your vertical setup. That's how I would do it. It may take more time to grow a large enough plant for that many clones, but then you would save on seeds. 

I find a lot of convenience when using mother plants. This setup proved to be a wonderful cloner. I didn't lose any clones.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 13, 2012)

[video=youtube_share;ALdlA6ET4WA]http://youtu.be/ALdlA6ET4WA[/video]


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## O*G* (May 15, 2012)

proper procedure for pvc would require a solid jig with straps. And if pvc is collapsing you need to fill pvc with 5-10 psi compressed air prior to making bend. You will need cap ends and intstall quick connect with ball valve. If you dont have large volume tank to fill pipe without cycling you may need gauge on cap. I have bent large diameter pvc without it collapsing. but if you are not familar with pvc it would be best to air it up. cause pvc is a little $$


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## iPurpleSticky (May 15, 2012)

We had the PVC plugged and did apply some pressure. I think a culprit could have been that we were bending around something that wasn't so sturdy. The problem I felt that was an issue was just the fact that we could only heat maybe 2-3 feet at a time to get flexible. It made it difficult. 

This corrugated pipe was a $35 experiment. If it works to par, then it really puts the numbers of a PVC system to shame I guess. If flushing every 2 weeks is all I have to do, I'm happy. 

I wish I could have gotten good results from PVC. I think the finished result would have been cleaner, and a little easier to work with. I would have loved a perfectly bend and tilted spiral with the flares on the pipe. It'd require no glue and could be disassembled pretty easy. 

I'm currently smoking the Chemdog I've harvested in some 1 gallon soil buckets. It's pretty rad. My tolerance has dropped.


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## ballin174 (May 19, 2012)

iPurpleSticky said:


> Have any of you guys heard of the 12/1 lighting schedule?
> 
> In short, for veg you do 12 hours on, 5.5 off, 1 hour on, 5.5 off. Flowering is something like 11 on 13 off then slowly change to 9-15 in the last few weeks.
> 
> I'm debating trying it. It is a little odd. But the power savings means I could totally move up to a 600 or 1000 watt light in flowering since I'd save a ton in veg. I was just wondering if anybody had any experience. I haven't done a ton of research, but I think I may start.


Running a 12 hours on, 5.5 off, 1 hour on, 5.5 off light schedule will cause your plants to hermie. That technique is normally used during the flowering cycle by growers who want there plants to create seeds.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 19, 2012)

Hm. Alright. 

I didn't know how I felt about it, but we shall see. Maybe I'll run a test for education.


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## iPurpleSticky (May 21, 2012)

[video=youtube;8CcYEnM2058]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CcYEnM2058&amp;feature=youtu.be[/video]


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## iPurpleSticky (May 26, 2012)




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## TheBoy (Aug 20, 2012)

I've built a 40" long "oven" with a pair of long rollers to facilitate evenly heating enough 4" PVC to do 1/4 of a 4' diameter circle. I've also built a pair of jigs that interface together to "sandwich" the PVC into the quarter circle with enough straight pipe left to couple or otherwise join the lengths together. I've had problems with;

-bringing the PVC up to temp
-the PVC kinking when I'm trying to bend it

I'm heating the oven with a heat gun, and I just acquired a second gun so I'm hoping I'll be able to get the oven hotter. I was switching the one gun from one end to the other, now I can run the two guns simultaneously and hopefully get better results. I've also added some insulation to the outside of the oven in an attempt to keep heat loss down. I wasn't inflating the pipe enough to keep it from kinking because the removable endcaps kept popping off once it was pressurized and I don't have access to the purpose-built plugs. I'll try simply taping the endcaps and see if that helps. Glad to see I'm not the only one recoiling from the prospect of buying all those PVC unions but love the flooded tube look.


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## drekoushranada (Aug 20, 2012)

I plan on doing this in a 5x5 tent. What length do you think I would need for 4 levels? I was going to use 1 inch pvc to make holders to support the pipe.


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## TheBoy (Aug 21, 2012)

drekoushranada said:


> I plan on doing this in a 5x5 tent. What length do you think I would need for 4 levels? I was going to use 1 inch pvc to make holders to support the pipe.


Not to hi-jack PurpleSticky's thread but...

Wood and fasteners like PurpleSticky uses are probably less expensive and more versatile than making your supports with PVC. Adjustable spur and bracket shelf supports could perhaps be used as well; these would provide a means to tweak the height and angle of your tubes without having to rebuild or shim your support frame.


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## iPurpleSticky (Aug 21, 2012)

TheBoy, I tried PVC too, and it's just tough. I didn't ever build a jig or anything though. It'd be nice to have this out of PVC, but this stuff works. The only downside is the corrugation. I had issues with algae growing in the corrugation, but it didn't cause any harm. It seemed like it couldn't grow out of the corrugation, because it'd get swept away. I had no issues with my roots either[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif].
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Drekoushranada, I used a 50 foot length, but my last 4th row only made it about a quarter of the way around. That's with a 4 foot diameter. Wood will definitely be cheaper like TheBoy mentioned. I'm not even sure if I'd be comfortable with all that weight on PVC. Even my setup could use some bulking up. If I were to rebuild, I'd definitely put 4x4s in the 'corner's for some support. There's quite a bit of water in those tubes, and they get super heavy.


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## drekoushranada (Aug 21, 2012)

Cool I figured that I read the whole thread but I'm not sure if I over looked how you did your frame. Could you explain how you did it for me? I seen something about it on the first page but I don't understand really. I'm sure I can tweek it for a tent and with a 4 foot diameter I can just pop one of my 600 hps in there and start a good perpetual grow with the money saved from the change of pipe to purchase another tent.


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## iPurpleSticky (Aug 22, 2012)

All I did was make octagons. I just cut all my sides of the octagon to length, then clamped a block onto my miter saw so I could shove them on, and cut them without measuring. The octagons became the shelves for the pipe to sit on. I used bailing wire to tie it down in some places, but it'll sit there on it's own pretty well. 

From there, I just put legs on it. 

I personally used 1x3s for the cost, and they work just fine. I ended up building the entire system (wood, corrugated pipe, and pump) for 135 bucks. The pump was 60, so the setup really isn't all that expensive.

Now I just need to get cloning working again, it's starting to put me really far behind.


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## drekoushranada (Aug 26, 2012)

How many mother plants were/are being used to fill the system with clones?


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## iPurpleSticky (Aug 27, 2012)

Well, I've got Cluster, Jamaican Dream, Jack, Chemdog, Hawaiian Snow, and Vanilla Kush. I'd bet a or two in 5 gallon buckets of coco would be plenty. Once they start getting big, taking 4-5 clones a week isn't a big deal.

I'm slowly getting it filled as we speak. I was having issues with cloning in a DWC , so I am kind of behind. Right now I've got 3 clusters flowering, and I've got 5-6 assorted strains going in, mostly cluster but I've got a Vanilla kush and a JAck in there too. 

I think what I may do with these incoming clones is keep them in a bubble bucket the first week or two of flowering and run high N nutrients. The size of the previous plants that had high N ferts through the beginning of flower were almost twice the size of the plants I'm growing now. Either a bubble bucket or I could convert the top row to run different nutrients and the bottom rows to run flowering... That would work too, I could even clone in it.


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## drekoushranada (Aug 27, 2012)

Well right now I just started 5 mother plants from seed. I was thinking of getting a 8 long x 7 high x 4 wide tent and set up two octagons so I can do a perpetual run. I would like to make one big one and just connect the pipe in the tent. I only have one chiller so they would use the same rez anyway. The lighting would be two 600w on each side of the tent. How does that sound and do you have any ideas of how to set up the tent?


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## iPurpleSticky (Aug 28, 2012)

I think running 2 octagons instead of one would be more efficient. You lose 2 'sides' if you make it one big oval. 

What you could do, is just make a single octagon, but make 4 full rows and run your 600 watters stacked on top of each other. That'd save some room and would still have a huge yield. Then you'd have room inside the tent for a veg chamber.


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## drekoushranada (Aug 28, 2012)

Understood. I like the 2 octagons better. I have a 5x5 tent for my mother and cloning chamber. Yeah I expect a good yeild for sure this go round.


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## Jelly Pepper (Sep 6, 2012)

hey i purple sticky, i have considered using corrugated pipe but wanted to use fittings. you came up with a simple answer with the shims in making the dams. the simplest things seem at times to be the most profound. i am building an octagon unit right now and was looking up info when i came across your thread i am glad i did.


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## OGEvilgenius (Sep 7, 2012)

If you wrapped up your ducting you'd probably kill the algae problem. It won't grow without light, so your material is probably not completely opaque. It's the only thing I can think of. Seems it would be a fine line between "enough light for algae growth" and "enough light to kill roots" so I could be wrong.


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## OGEvilgenius (Sep 7, 2012)

iPurpleSticky said:


> [video=youtube;tB6S798qH4k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB6S798qH4k&amp;feature=youtu.be[/video]
> 
> 
> Try that out. That'll give everyone an idea of what I'm working with. It's photo's always looks confusing because of my room setup. Plus now, you can be soothed by my smooth voice!
> ...


The curling is from excessive nitrogen. It's actually called clawing.

Also your res temps are on the high side, especially for a flooded tube setup. The water temps I mean. You might consider picking up a cheap igloo cooler to replace your bucket. Add frozen water bottles once a day, should maintain well. Given your ambient temps are good even just having the cooler will maintain the temps quite a bit better.

Don't think it would break your budget and I think you would see significant improvement in your overall end product as well as any problems you might have relating to root health will disappear.

I really like your setup though and I might more or less copy it as I do not have the proper tools to build a nice PVC setup. It's a future project though, for now my lazy ass is growing a few trees.

How do you regulate the water levels in your tubing?


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## daturabuzz (Sep 7, 2012)

Thats fucking cool man!


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## Systema (Sep 7, 2012)

iPurpleSticky said:


> [video=youtube_share;ALdlA6ET4WA]http://youtu.be/ALdlA6ET4WA[/video]


I would recommend to put a bit more light in there and cover the wood with white plastic or reflectiv material ... because with the space you have you run low in light and your plants are like on a '' diet '' of light. 

But the Set up is really great tho! Keep up and have a good one!


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## OGEvilgenius (Sep 7, 2012)

I'd suggest some of that reflective insulating material you can get at home depot. Insulation of the entire setup will help with your res temperatures.


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## iPurpleSticky (Sep 9, 2012)

OG, I alter the levels by sticking 'shims' under the pipe before it goes down to the next level. It just humps it up over, and raises water level. I couldn't ever figure out a better way, and this way I don't have to build something that'll fuck up. 

I've been working on just getting this working before I get down to the small things I need to do. The reflective stuff is next on my list. The black pipe has to be converting a ton of light into heat. I'm pretty sure they'll be impossible to actually wrap with the stuff from the Depot. I'll probably just staple the stuff to cover the insides of the pipes, to deal with the direct light. 

I've been running high reservoir temperatures for a few harvests, and it doesn't seem to be causing any issues at all. I know it's frowned upon and such, but it's something I'll take care of later. I can't afford a chiller at the moment, and I'm still growing decent pot. I want one really bad, but I can't take spending 300 bucks on a chiller. I'm tempted to gut my dehumidifier and go that route, but I really don't want to fuck up. 

Maybe I'll throw a picture or something up here, I haven't updated in months.


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## OGEvilgenius (Sep 9, 2012)

I don't think you need a chiller. Just better insulation should do the trick IMO.

Even if you don't wrap your tubing (and it can be done, just a PITA), you could probably lay down some reflective insulation flat, cutting holes where plants pop through, pretty easily.


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## iPurpleSticky (Sep 10, 2012)

I'm not very concerned about the temperature. It caused some algae growth early on, but that was solved with plugging the holes with aluminum foil to keep the light out. Even then, the algae wasn't causing any issues with my plants. 

I'm going to try and consider some alternate ways to put reflective stuff everywhere. I was thinking of trying to find something like panda film so I could stretch it around and try to get it looking nice. I think the stuff from Home Depot is a little too rigid.


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## iPurpleSticky (Sep 10, 2012)

Here's the cluster mother \/







Jamaican Dream mother \/ to the right






Fucked up JAck mother. Been flushing for a week now, so I'll get it back to nutrients.


















































And here is how I change my levels. I've had a few people ask and I think everyone's been thinking too hard!


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## birdmananyweather (Sep 17, 2012)

you're plants look so droopy, whats the deal-E-O with that?


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## BLOCKER (Sep 18, 2012)

they do have couplers for this pipe you could do what heath did to control the level but are they water tight?, i know you just use a bit of wood.. also would be best to add reflective before setup, rolling the full tube up in it and taping it down..

also do you have to have levels, couldnt you just do one contious spiral, and use a valve to control water level?.


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## iPurpleSticky (Sep 18, 2012)

birdmananyweather said:


> you're plants look so droopy, whats the deal-E-O with that?


The jack just had some stress earlier in veg, but the rest aren't really droopy. I'm not sure if you have any vertical experience, but the leaves tilt to the light. That might be what you're seeing. 


Blocker, corrugated pipe and fittings aren't meant to be water tight. I went with the design for a simple reason; it's simple. The more shit you start implementing, the more shit you end up having to fix. The block of wood isn't pretty, but what the fuck do I care? 

You could do a continuous spiral, but the corrugated pipe will only let you wind it so tight. You won't be able to wind it into anything much smaller than maybe 2-3 feet in diameter. 

I've come to a conclusion that everyone on the internet is obsessed with reflective tape. I've got some 4'' flexible ducting left over. I think I may try to slip it over my pipes. I'll just cut a slice along the bottom of the ducting, and slip it right over. 

I'll have more pictures soon. Last night I filled 2 more rows with clones. I did a test and had a clone root into 1 EC solution, so I figured I'd pump a ton more in. I'm kind of curious to see what weight will come off this 400 watter. If I get the cash, I'm going to buy a 1k watter and toss it in there.


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## BLOCKER (Sep 18, 2012)

hehe, i was always told if you want to stay cool on a summers day wear a white t-shirt not black it absorbs the heat and light - white reflects, whats the distance from your light to your main stems?


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## iPurpleSticky (Sep 18, 2012)

Good thing I'm not having any heat problems . 

It's a 4 foot diameter octagon. The plants tend to grow towards the center so there's about a foot to a foot and a half.


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## BLOCKER (Sep 19, 2012)

about the flood level, is it easey to get right flood level doing it that way ie, just touching the bottom of cup, flood level very important, trying to rack my brain for a different way


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## iPurpleSticky (Sep 19, 2012)

As long as the roots and stuff are touching the water, it really doesn't matter as much as you'd think. You can run this like a big NFT system if you wanted. 

If the plant has contact with water, it'll be okay.


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## Cali Cali (Nov 13, 2012)

Awesome!
way to go!!!

reflectix would be an easy way to "reflect" more.. I believe that is what Heath used originally... No need to follow the corrugations...

either way bomb set up!!!

Ps. I kow it says Cali Cali up there... But this is GypsyBush here....


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## GypsyBush (Nov 14, 2012)

Ok, back in my own skin again, dont want to loose this!


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## stitchyjack (Nov 15, 2012)

fantastic stuff.


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## iPurpleSticky (Nov 16, 2012)

Thanks. I'll have to get some newer pictures of it. I'm finally getting it all running nicely.

Although, the worst of worst kind of came up. For some reason the city I'm in needs to inspect the gas line pipes in the house. They do it every three years. So I'm going to have to move my entire grow up into my bedroom for a day, and hope my carbon filter will clean the smell out of the basement in an hour or so. I've got a lot of shit to do, that's for sure.


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## greenghost420 (Nov 16, 2012)

fucking figures!


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## GypsyBush (Nov 16, 2012)

Oh nooo... Bummer man...
I wonder if you could remove the clones and stick some tomato plants, or other veggie in the slots and just go with that..


Set your girls in tubs with airstones for the day...

not sure of your situation, but that's the first thing that came to mind...

best of luck bro!


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## iPurpleSticky (Nov 17, 2012)

Gypsy, you're close.

Basically, the big room I have up I'm going to keep up. I'm also a guitar builder, so I'm going to grab a few unfinished guitar bodies and bring the up. On the day of the inspection, I'm going to hang them up and stage the plastic room as a spray booth. Certain finishes and stuff stink super bad, so I'll probably spray one to give a good smelly effect. They won't need to go into the room, so I'm leaving my RDWC set up, and keeping it in there. 

I'm going to take all my plants in flowering and chuck them into 5 gallon buckets with air stones for the day. It's going to be a major fucking bitch, but I hope to any God I don't believe in that I get away with it.

I hate growing illegally, it's a serious stress source.


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## GypsyBush (Dec 1, 2012)

How did it go?


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## Evo8Emperor (Dec 18, 2012)

Hey Man just read through your grow and the set up is nice and innovative. I liked the vertical scrog on that plant you did also. Im more of a scrog guy myself. 

I did want to point out or ask about that tri-meter though. It seems like I have the same one and I personally would not trust it. I have a blue lab truncheon and a eco ph testr before hand and i seen that for a good price so i bought it. I calibrated it and everything else and it just does not give any where near accurate readings to my other testers which i do trust and have been growing with.

I just say it because you had some problems with those plants and I wouldn't go and think its something else when its a meter giving you in accurate readings.


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## iPurpleSticky (Dec 19, 2012)

Yeah, I've been making due with it for a long time now. It's definitely on my to-do list behind a carbon filter and a bigger light. My room is starting to get a little skunky.

The problems I was getting is because I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. 

I've gotten to a point that I know the system, and I know what the plants need. I had some issues with dyna-gro recently where it was getting solids in the bottom and causing Mg deficiencies. I've since gone back to CNS 17 for flowering. I use CNS 17 for veg all the time. 

I calibrate my tri-meter probably around once a month, and it's usually only off around .1 PH at most. Also, the CNS 17 contains PH buffers that work excellent with RO water, producing 5.8 pretty reliably for me. 

Maybe I'll snap a few pictures of the current plants I've got going. It puts the rest of my posts to shame fo sho.


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## DEEPBOI (Dec 19, 2012)

yea dude cos they way you dissapeared i thought you got busted.. glad to see your around, the way youve done it with the corrogated pipe is sweeet dude!


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## iPurpleSticky (Dec 19, 2012)

Haha, not busted. Not yet at least. Luckily, the state of Ohio is pretty easy on marijuana. I can have up to 1k grams before it's considered a felony. 

Taking pictures and stuff is a bitch, especially with this setup. I dug around and found my charger, so I'll get some pictures soon.

I'm not sure what all I've posted in this thread, but I'm running different genetics from when I started. 

I'm running these:
CH9 Cluster
This one is my best yielder. Super frosty as well, but they all seem to be that way. Has a hybrid high, probably 70/30 indica/sativa type highs. The smell isn't anything special in my opinion. It just smells like dope to me.

CH9 Jack
This one is interesting. Grows really dense nugs, but they tend to be leafy. Really piney smell. I haven't really had a good harvest with this one yet. I've only run it a few times. Was growing really weird in veg so I've been flushing for a while now. Really large broad leaves. 

Eva Seeds Jamaican Dream
This one is nice. Super hairy, christmas tree nugs. The high is a fantastic sativa high. Best part is it's relatively short to flower, but the yield is average. Smells like cherries, it's pretty nice. I enjoy this strain a lot. BHO out of this stuff is nice, really psychedelic. 

GHS Hawaiian Snow
I haven't ever had any of this stuff done yet. Supposed to be a 13-14 week sativa. During the inspection, this'll be one of the few flowering plants I'll carry over. 

GHS Chemdog
This is one of the first plants I started growing, ever. It's got an amazing taste and an amazing high. If it didn't have such a shitty yield, I'd run it more. Stretches a lot in flower, and likes to fox-tail a lot. I can't wait to have some more of this around. If you open a bag of this stuff, the entire room smells like weed. 

Barney's Farm Vanilla Kush
This one has been interesting. I haven't harvested any yet, but have some in flower. So far, these bitches stretch like crazy, have incredibly large internode spacing, and seems like the yield is going to blow. The buds smell like black licorice. I've got a mother in a 5 gallon, so I'll probably run it a few more times and try to dial it in. 
I had some issues in flowering with the dyna-gro, which is a real bummer. I emailed dyna-gro and they said ''we are working on it'' and suggested I buy some of their magpro-plus or some shit. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever purchase dyna-gro again. I really liked it when it worked, but both bottles of the stuff I bought ended up with solidified magnesium in the bottles. CNS is 11 bucks a quart, and I like the results in veg.

I wasn't familiar with the cal-mag additive that I bought a long time back, so there was a 2-3 week learning curve of trying to figure how much I actually needed to add. It could be worse, but it's something that I wish wouldn't have happened. 

It affected most my strains with the exception of the Cluster, which only had some spotting on lower fan leaves. The rest lost a few fans in the process, but they are looking alright now.


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## greenghost420 (Dec 19, 2012)

stay on it! cant wait to see more pics!


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## iPurpleSticky (Dec 20, 2012)

I really blow at taking pictures.


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## Evo8Emperor (Feb 14, 2013)

Hey IPurp I wanted to pick your brain real quick on that black drainage pipe. 

I have drew up and have my vertical designed and i decided to go with the drainage pipe like you. For the money it should do the job. I was looking and read that the drainage pipe connects to any 4" pvc connector as well.

Have you tried this at all ? Im just trying to figure out how Ill keep it continous. Like you and just loop the pipe or I was thinking of using connectors and reducing and then just letting it fall into the one below. Kind of hard to picture I guess it will be a work in progress to see how it goes.


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## iPurpleSticky (Feb 15, 2013)

I bet it'd fit in the connectors, but it definitely wouldn't seal. I'd suggest not trying to put any fittings in or anything, it just increases the chance of a leak. 

Also, beware that the corrugations will pick up salts and keep them from your nutrients. It works just like gold panning. I'd suggest either shaking the shit out of the system about every week, or filling the bottom of the corrugations. Right now I'm not running my system because of this. I was thinking about getting some floor epoxy, the self leveling stuff, and pouring it in each level to fill the corrugations. Downside is, if I ever have to disassemble, it's going to be a bitch.


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## Evo8Emperor (Feb 15, 2013)

Hmm... I see. I didn't buy anything yet. 

I can get 6" sch40 pvc but its so dam expensive for the fittings. I've been looking for other alternatives still but not looking to good. I seen 4"pvc done so I just might have to try that out.

There's the green sewer pipe as well but you would probably have to go through a supplier and not a HD or Lowe's. Not sure on what the connections go for either.


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## vostok (Jan 13, 2015)

*I'd still be adding some more light grunt to this grow,
Still that said
she looks grand indeed!*​


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## MuckyDucky (Jan 13, 2015)

vostok said:


> *I'd still be adding some more light grunt to this grow,
> Still that said
> she looks grand indeed!*​


Looks good!! What kind of medium are you using in that setup?


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## a senile fungus (Jan 14, 2015)

Guys, Vostok bumped a pic that's over 2yrs old...


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