NL#5 - Old habits and new toys

[ricard0]

Thank you........ i'll be here all week.

Don't forget folks, Friday night is know-it-all night. Bring your MENSA card or your proof of proteus and show it at the door free kick in the teeth. Ok, i really was just joking. Nothing we like more than tearin' down our neighbors to look 'em in the eyes.

[amoril]

its way off topic, but since youre an electrician I just wanted to know how likely you thought this was

there was a dude a week ago or so who was having radio frequency interference on the cable line, resulting from hooking up his 600w digital ballast. in trying to figure out what it was I learned that the digital ballast can cause the bulb filament to vibrate, which I can understand

what doesnt make sense is how this is then reverberated through the houses electrical system and into the cable network, causing an internet outtage throughout the neighborhood, but thats the only way i could rationalize it.

i would think the interference would be weakened / stifled as a result of the regulations on the flow of electricity? you have any thoughts?

[ricard0]

I am a journeyman and a lowly one at that but i'll take a stab. First, 1st generation digital ballasts are notorious for causing interference. The newer ones seemed to have solved this as documented by my lumateks' being very close to my friends' modem.

There is an induction principal at play with all wires carrying a current. An electromagnetic field is present in a powered line and can interfere and/or impede the signal of other wires causing fluctuations in an otherwise clean signal.

There are codes for wiring (just like there are for all trades) that govern the tolerances of the build materials. By code, i must maintain a minimum of 18" between line voltage wires and low voltage wires to prevent the induction/interference. Running multiple parallel lines presents a greater opportunity for the induction to occur. Perpendicular runs are allowed, but are to be kept to a bare minimum.

I wish i could think of a clever analogy or something, but wiring never had my full attention, despite my choice of careers. Got dragged into it by family.

Also, Line voltage systems must adhere to much more stringent regulations with the whole death by electrocution thing. Cable, phone etc./low voltage guys can get away with murder (in terms of codes) and not have to worry about causing a blackout with a self-BBQing. LOL. Hope that sheds some light on the subject.

EDIT: If there was some accidental transfer of line voltage to a cable system via the cable-wire and the spike was a solid enough to push the current to the cable companies transfer station, you bet it could fry that gear. It makes sense that it would take out a neighborhood, just like a power line would as they also have breakers on their gear to protect the individual sectors of the grid.

[amoril]

thanks man, that makes a lot more sense. Ive had my share of physics courses, and should probably have been able to decipher that on my own, but I was kinda in my own world during the electrical material... e&m was kinda cool, but never paid attention to wiring much

im much more of a 'big picture' physics kinda guy...which is why I wanted to know

[White_Widow_Man]

Originally Posted by ricard0

The CMH is a 1st for me. I'm an old Blue & Orange boy myself. The space where the cab initially needed to go, was lacking in height. Heat was a big issue. One of the cool tubes i ordered was cracked. Took forever for the UPS claim/RMA thing to get taken care of. In fact, the replacement arrived just last week, 2/3's into the grow. CMH bulbs offer more than just a full spectrum. I've got the tops appx. 8" from an open bulb and i've never had an HPS that close without severe heat damage. The CMH simply throws the heat differently allowing for a tight canopy.

Now i have noticed the rather leafy traits of this grow, but that could be more of a genetic disposition than the influence of the bulb type. However, 1 day shy of 4 weeks in and roughly 3-4 weeks left, i already have one bud as big around as my wrist (i'm 6'5" & 240 lbs. - not small) still packing on the weight. But you're right, these bitches are bushy. I don't mind though, just more trim for the B-Bags.

The decisions governing the details of this grow have largely been beyond my complete control. It is what it is. These are all seed plants, and can tell me little in the way of environmental influences. I consider this grow more of a dialing in of the cab. Some factors can only be addressed after the project is in full swing.

I've got 12 rooted clones from three of the 4 NL#5's and 3 more trying to root. I gave up on three others showing no signs of roots after 3 weeks. The next round should give me more to go by in terms of comparative analysis. Then we'll see if the CMH is more of a reward.

Next update will be in about a week.

Thanx for droppin' by. Look forward to seein' ya 'round here soon. C'mon back now, ya hear.
BTW: Rumpleforeskin has plenty to say about bulb types, brands and results. If you're using MH and HPS, he recommends the cheapo's. Check his threads.

Right on, ( answers ). I'm 6"5 as well, HA. but only 228 pounds, of a lean mean fighting machine .
So you know, I've tried the cheaper bulb, Philips, Silva, and I see the light, before and after. The cheap light lasted 28% less ( I know math ) and that almost sums it up with all 3, I've tried. Also, the light spectrum in the cheaper bulbs, I can see, with my own eyes, and there supposed to be there "deluxe" lamp. i don't think so. I did this, I have two independent ballets for 1000 watts. Now I took 1 bulb, screwed it in one, the same with the other. Turn 1 on and timed how long it takes to get at the final light level. Then turn it off and do the cheaper bulb, What do you get, The Sunmaster lit up in 7.13 min. The cheap one took 11.44 min to be loaded. And the color diff, No way I buying the cheap ones again.

See ya around Hulkster

[ricard0]

- They grow up so fast

Just a quick update.
Day 30 of flower, day 89 total. Roughly 30 days left.
NL-24.jpg
NL-25.jpg
NL-26.jpg
NL-27.jpg
NL-28.jpg
NL-29.jpg
Enjoy.

I made myself a halfway proper sig pic out of the last one.

-ricardo

[amoril]

imo, ditch the cfl in the first pic and get a HPS






.....lmao

you know whats BS? HighGrade not taking orders til mid April. i think that means you have to give me one of your ladies, right? If I get a choice, ill take whatever I can see in the third pic, thank you kindly in advance.

[leao]

Awww, they do grow fast. Next thing thing ya' know they'll be off to college.... ending up in some guys bong

Looking picture perfect man, I can only hope to get close to the same results.
Thanks for the update!

[Mr. Farmer]

I don't know for sure what happened, but all 5 of my Northern Lights went male on me. Part of it might have been they were cheap seeds from weed-seeds.net. Maybe, maybe not. I still have 5 more seeds to mess with down the road. Another thing was that I pushed them to flowering as fast as I could. Transplanted at 8 days old, fed them their first nutes at 11 days then flipped them at 25. They were looking so green and lush though. Now they are sitting in my spare bathroom, haven't been watered in a week but still thriving. Soon they'll be compost.

Anyway man, your plants are looking tight. Can't wait to see the final nuggage and what I'm missing out on.

[Lethargic]

I would like to see more of this grow, let me know

[FrostAie]

I also have grown NL#5 from the same breeder as you out side it was such a great plant the taste and smell is so unique and great It brings me happiness just smelling my jars months later. enjoy it once its done the high is good hits you in waves and is a good sleep helper if your into indicas this is the shit

[ricard0]

Originally Posted by amoril

imo, ditch the cfl in the first pic and get a HPS

lmao, brave words coming from someone with similar lighting.
I saw your pics over on the UVB thread. I use the 6 x 42w, 2700k CFL's to supplement the 1 x 400w CMH for a total of 652w of lighting in the flower box. At this point, i or someone else has to manually switch out a couple of those CFL's for the UVB bulbs on a strict schedule. Still going with 4hours off, 4hours on, 4hours off for the UVB schedule. Now that i'm appx. halfway into flower, i was thinking of increasing it to 3.5 off, 5 on, 3.5 off.

You could probably see more similarities in our setups if you could see more of my grow/vise-versa. Maybe we were separated at birth. LOL

I would add a 400w HPS if i could deal with the heat. I got a new 6" vortex 452 cfm and a speed controller, a new 6" x 18" filter and the replacement for my cracked cool tube. After another round or two, i'll be making some upgrades.

you know whats BS? HighGrade not taking orders til mid April. i think that means you have to give me one of your ladies, right? If I get a choice, ill take whatever I can see in the third pic, thank you kindly in advance.

That sucks, i guess i barely caught that bus.

Thanx for making my little grow the exception to your rule. Your presence is a constant reminder of why i like to frequent these boards.

As for parting with one of my ladies, i can only say...... you 1st. lmao.

[ricard0]

Originally Posted by Mr. Farmer

I don't know for sure what happened, but all 5 of my Northern Lights went male on me. Part of it might have been they were cheap seeds from weed-seeds.net. Maybe, maybe not. I still have 5 more seeds to mess with down the road. Another thing was that I pushed them to flowering as fast as I could. Transplanted at 8 days old, fed them their first nutes at 11 days then flipped them at 25. They were looking so green and lush though. Now they are sitting in my spare bathroom, haven't been watered in a week but still thriving. Soon they'll be compost.

Anyway man, your plants are looking tight. Can't wait to see the final nuggage and what I'm missing out on.

Not sure what you started them under but, HID's stress seedlings IMO and the wrong spectrum can influence male traits (ie. create more males) so i've heard. Make sure to use the cool bulbs for seedling through vegetative maturity before switching out to a different spectrum bulb for flowering.

Also, it sounds like you may have rushed them a bit which may have stressed them out. That's potentially good pollen though, something you may want to save.

I got one male, trapped its' pollen and carefully applied it (ask for details about this process before attempting it if you have any concerns) to a lower branch of my best plant. In a matter of days i had seeds forming. They're swelling quite nicely and i'll post pics @ harvest. Hope that helps.

Love the plants, ricard0! Awesome job!

[amoril]

Originally Posted by ricard0

Not sure what you started them under but, HID's stress seedlings IMO and the wrong spectrum can influence male traits (ie. create more males) so i've heard. Make sure to use the cool bulbs for seedling through vegetative maturity before switching out to a different spectrum bulb for flowering.

Also, it sounds like you may have rushed them a bit which may have stressed them out. That's potentially good pollen though, something you may want to save.

I got one male, trapped its' pollen and carefully applied it (ask for details about this process before attempting it if you have any concerns) to a lower branch of my best plant. In a matter of days i had seeds forming. They're swelling quite nicely and i'll post pics @ harvest. Hope that helps.

mmmmm....unlocked white widow phenos....delicious variations and combinations....like a freezer full of ice cream?