Roto-Grow Journal

Welcome to my Grow Journal.

Here I will document my attempt at using a Rotary hydroponic system. I provide this information so that many of you can learn from my success and mistakes and not have to 'reinvent the wheel' should you decide to try your own hand - yeah, pun intended.

About me:
I have a background in marine biology and earth sciences, although not what I do for a living - just for fun. I carry multiple degrees and am somewhat a lab nerd who gets off on experimentation. I am a medical patient who uses the good stuff for persistent muscle spasms and sleep insomnia, but I only use it when I absolutely need to. My real passion lies with perfecting the art of the grow and the therapeutic effects that actual growing has itself. A select few buddies who help me out from time to time with some of the heavy lifting end up taking on most of the end product - I tend to the science.

I have been growing only for a year, but I have spent countless hours of research and own an entire library on the biology of the plant, and have spent many evenings pouring through countless forum posts before even picking up my first clone. To date, my growing experience has been completely organic soils and nutrients. I have great success in terms of weight, potency, taste, aroma, and overall usability with a variety of strains. That being said, it is an art - and with an art, there are many ways to make it beautiful. Mine is but one of many.

Much of this journal will consist of notes of my grow logs and observations. Please keep in mind I am a very busy professional with a family and a demanding career, so I will try my best to keep you current on happenings and answer your questions the best I can.

My methods involve well controlled variables and consistency as key ingredients to success.

Rotatory Setup:
I have purchased and installed the Roto-Gro model 312
http://www.rotogro.com/modeldescriptions.htm

Location:
The Roto is located in a two story 1800 sq ft building that is equipped with 240 volt power, plumbing, ventilation, and air conditioning. The location is used exclusively for my hobby purposes and is not shared for any other use. This will allow me to retrofit and control the environmental variables as needed. Downstairs is the Rotary grow operation, while upstairs is where I run the organic soil grow operation.

Nutrients:
After some research and balancing cost, availability, quality of the product, and specific needs of the operation, I have opted to use the House and Garden line for hydroponics.

Strain type:
The essential thing to consider on choosing your strain type is to realize that at most, you will have 18" clearance between the base of the tray and the 1000w bulb tube. That is not a whole lot of room, so Sativa heavy strains are likely not going to fare so well if they are left to stretch. Given this is my first run with the Wheel, I have chosen to run a gambit of strains that have proven hardy in soil to validate help this assumption. Here are my strains:
MrNiceGuy
Green Crack aka Dream Queen
Afgooey
Purple Kush
Grand Daddy Purple
Blue Dream
Lavender purple
Icecap
White Widow

I am fully expecting that some will likely need to be tied down or other way of controlling the inward vertical growth patterns, but I wanted to use this round to observe and not necessarily give into too much 'conventional' wisdom just yet. I am also expecting that due to the different flowering times, some may be done sooner than others, but again - I want to observe for now.

cool cant wait to see this ,im about to grow some white widow to

Environmental variables:

Temperature: 68 - 78 degrees F (ambient)
Air movement: 600 cfm through the wheel, and an additional 400 cfm through the light tube for cooling
Co2 saturation: 250 - 325 ppm (ambient)
Reservoir: 74 degrees F; ph - 5.5 to 6.0; O2 (dissolved oxygen) - 9-11mg/L; ppm - changes based on weekly nutrient regiment
Relative Humidity: 65%

Preparation:
I have prepared 100 gallons of 5.5 ph adjusted RO water (less than 10 ppm TDS) and placed 216 rockwool cubes (4"x4"x2.5") into the bath. They remained for 24 hours to saturate, where I adjusted the ph every 4-6 hours to ensure consistency. Once soaked, I tossed out the bath and prepared Week 1 nutrient regiment.

I have prepared 240 clones 2 weeks prior and placed them in 1"x1" rockwool cubes with a rooting hormone and a mix of 5.5 ph adjusted RO water, mixed with 12 drops/gal of Root Excelurator. The clones were placed 24" from 10k T5 bulb (8x 54w) in humidity controlled hoods and warming mats set at 74 degrees. Humidity was maintained at 90% inside the domes.

Planting:
I placed one clone per 4" cube and evenly spaced them out in the grow trays at 9 per row (max is 10 per row using 4" cubes). I only planted clones that showed signs of rooting to reduce the mortality rate.

Reservoir (100 gallon) - Week 1
550 ml of Aqua Flakes A
550 ml of Aqua Flakes B
110 ml of Root Excelurator
40ml of Drip Clean
Ph: 5.5; DO - 9.1; Temp: 74 degrees

Light cycle:
24x7

(sorry no pictures this week - I will take pics first week or flowering)

Preparation:
I have prepared the following nutrient solution for Week 2 -
600 ml of Aqua Flakes A
600 ml of Aqua Flakes B
110 ml of Root Excelurator
40ml of Drip Clean

Ph: 5.5; DO - 9.1; Temp: 74 degrees

Notes:
I have noticed approximately 10% of the clones withered due to apparent light shock from the powerful 1000 watt bulbs. I kept about 20 clones in reserve and have replaced the dead clones with new ones. In the future, I will need to light acclimate to reduce the mortality rate. I am noticing visible leaf sets emerging from the base of the plants. I have also noted visible roots poking through the rockwool cube. Interesting side effect. Gravity does not seem to be keeping the plants' rooting hormones anchored at the base of the stalk and the roots do not grow downward toward the bottom of the tray as is the case in traditional grow operations. They seem to grow in every direction regardless of what is up or down. This may promote fuller root mass in the rockwool cubes, which could lead to healthier plants and easier ability to uptake sufficient nutrients as compared to more traditional grow techniques.

No noticeable accelerated growth was observed on any strain. Likely still establishing the root system and adjusting to the nutrients and light. No discoloration in leaf sets were noted either.

(no pictures this week - I will post on Week 3)

Preparation:
I have prepared the following nutrient solution for Week 3 -
650 ml of Aqua Flakes A
650 ml of Aqua Flakes B
110 ml of Root Excelurator
380 ml of MultiZen
40ml of Drip Clean

Ph: 5.7; DO - 9.1; Temp: 74 degrees

Light cycle - adjusted to 12/12 (4PM to 4 AM to coincide with night to help reduce power needed for temperature control)

Notes:
All plants are experiencing massive growth in terms of % change in mass. Some strains are quickly developing similar traits as their soil counterparts in terms of leaf patterns, vertical vs. horizontal growth, etc. I have noticed more compact leaf sets, with little vertical stretching so far. I believe this may be due to the light intensity and the relative distance from the light source. All plants are exhibiting signs of solid chlorophyll saturation, with notable new plant growth at the internodes. Expected dropping of the initial leaf pairs was noticed while the new sets took their place. No additional plant deaths this week. An unknown dark green organic material was noted developing at the base of the cubes - possible algae? I will observe for now as it does not seem to be affecting the plants.

Upon further examination under the microscope I have noted a limited spider mite infestation on the Blue Dream clones. Must have come from the mothers, but not definite. I have applied 1/6 oz of Azatrol per 32 oz RO water to all plants via foilar spray to control the infestation with the lights shut off to avoid leaf burn. I will check next week on new samples to verify control. No notable leaf stress or damage for any strain. Noted a substantially larger main stem on all plants as compared to their soil counterparts, assuming this is due to the distance to the light source and the intensity. All plants appear to be very healthy with no signs of necrosis or nutrient deficiency.

I am adding approximately 2grams of Organic Ph down to the reservoir on a daily basis to keep the Ph within parameters. This seems to be consistent regardless of the light cycle. I will need to install a Ph/temperature controller to the reservoir attached to a premix of organic acid and heating rod to ensure volatility of Ph/temp is minimized.

Pictures added below. (all caught up on the journal, so I will update in 'real time' going forward)

Finally a grow journal with one of these. Cant wait keep us updated

Hotsause said:

Finally a grow journal with one of these. Cant wait keep us updated

Click to expand...

Will do! If you all have any questions, comments, etc. - I will do my best to answer regularly. I know there is not a lot of credible info out there using a rotary grower like this, so please jump in if you have something to add that would help everyone better understand the process.

Very exciting stuff! Happy 4/20!

Subscribed! Ive always wanted one of these! Lookin good so far, good luck!

Tomorrow is the beginning of Week 4 (2nd week of flowering). I will be taking measurements and new pictures to show current progress. I will also be preparing a new 100 gallons of hydro mix for the reservoir.

I am tossing out a lot of mix that is only a week old (approx 40 gallons remain) - seems rather wasteful. I am thinking that if I ran a smaller hydro setup a week behind the Wheel, and use this extra to feed it, I could stretch my nutrient dollar even further. Thoughts?

For your viewing enjoyment...

Preparation:
I have prepared the following nutrient solution for Week 4 -
750 ml of Aqua Flakes A
750 ml of Aqua Flakes B
110 ml of Root Excelurator
380 ml of MultiZen
40ml of Drip Clean

Ph: 5.6; DO - 9.1; Temp: 72 degrees

Light cycle - 12/12

Notes:
All plants continue growth trend where total mass is approximately 100% increase from measurements last week and verified by pictures. Strain characteristics heavily influencing overall height and width parameters as expected.

Avg height - 7"
Avg width - 7"

If the current growth trend continues, anticipating a 14" height cap (avg). This may pose possible issue with distance to light source at full maturity, will observe for heat damage carefully and increase air flow to reduce local temperature.

No pistil development noted on any strain. Branching occurring at the mid level internodes. New leaf sets are being added almost daily.

Observation under microscope indicates previous spider mite infestation is under control with no new leaf damage noted, nor any live specimens found. Will continue to monitor. Chlorophyll saturation heaviest on bottom leaf sets, where newer leaves showing signs (slight) of lighter nitrogen concentrations. Will need to increase nitrogen levels to sustain current growth patterns. Noticeable less waste water this week ti dispose of - likely due to increase in absorption rate from the plants, still well within the capacity of the 100 gallon reservoir.

The Roto-Grow is emanating a light clunking noises on some of the rotations - mostly when the trays have been flooded. I believe it is due to weight. Need to schedule a maintenance routine this weekend to lubricate all gears and tighten all bolts.

I will also retrofit one of my water controller systems that I built to maintain a reef tank to act as an automatic Ph adjuster and temperature controller. If evaporation becomes an issue, and water levels in the reservoir drop below the minimum threshold for the pump, I can adapt an automatic top off system to keep the levels within range. Automation is paramount to keeping parameter fluctuations minimized, which I believe is essential for consistent and repeatable results.

Pictures attached in previous post

I have been monitoring some algae development on top of the cubes and some of the nuisance brown algae in the reservoir. I have also noted DO level dropping significantly throughout the week, likely due to organic material in the water stream breaking down.

Although not an critical levels yet, I am anticipating it to get worse. Completely blocking the light from the reservoir does not seem to be an option given the Roto-Grow' design. The cubes are encased in plastic that prevent light penetration to the roots, save the top portion that is exposed to the center lights. I will likely need to either add a UV sterilizer to the intake pump or combat it chemically with an oxidation reagent (H2O2). The UV, while effective, will be indiscriminate on what organic material it will destroy, including any beneficial bacterias. This should not affect the root systems given it will be placed inline with the pump before the flood tray. H2O2 in high concentrations will also have a similar effect, however it will come in direct contact with the root mass. Given the relatively quick conversion to DO, it will likely be best to have the H2O2 added in between the flood cycles so that it has sufficient time to break down before being exposed to the roots. I will continue to monitor for fungus gnats or signs of pathogens and nematodes in the grow medium due to the presence of the algae.

Any hydro experts out there, feel free to weigh in with practical experience in this area.

Picture attached.

I never use rock wool or really any medium other than hydro ton for my systems, but i would suggest getting a non toxic organic cleaner and spray it on the cubes or try the beneficial bacteria although i am pretty sure the bacteria is more for the root system if I am not mistaken. I thought they basically broke down dead tissues on the roots and crapped out new root matter or something along those lines. Hope this helped although it probably didn't lol i am a wee bit too baked to be giving any advice. Great thread so far!

CaptainW said:

I never use rock wool or really any medium other than hydro ton for my systems, but i would suggest getting a non toxic organic cleaner and spray it on the cubes or try the beneficial bacteria although i am pretty sure the bacteria is more for the root system if I am not mistaken. I thought they basically broke down dead tissues on the roots and crapped out new root matter or something along those lines. Hope this helped although it probably didn't lol i am a wee bit too baked to be giving any advice. Great thread so far!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip Captain. I typically like to plan ahead, but will wait and see before making any decisions so that I am not overreacting and inadvertently make things worse. I will definitely keep this in mind.

It is getting to that point where I need to seriously consider if I am going to crop these ladies. They are very compact (as the pictures show), and light penetration does not seem to be a problem. If I crop it would be for increasing air flow, and maybe controlling any unwanted side growth. I think the idea with the smaller form factor is that you capitalize on the main cola and make up in quantity what you lose in size.

Thoughts?

subbed. DO IT! CAPITALIZE THAT MAIN COLA!

awesome, just breathtaking, ive wanted to see one in action so bad, totally subbed, +rep