My attempt to simplify transplanting. By lining all planters with plastic bags all I need to do is lift and cut away the bag once they move into a larger container.
I use fabric pots that have a flap built in them, they work very well I feel, and have no issue with water or dirt coming out flap, I just use a black binder clip to hold the two flaps together #flowerpower
An untested method; in theory, it should ease the mess and potential damage to the root mass during the process.
While the idea is sound, the execution requires two people; a solo attempt this morning on four proved frustratingly difficult. Two boys eliminated so far from the sluggish group in flower and five or six shy girls beginning their dance. So with a two week window for sexual identification this leaves ten for serious budding; still far more than I've afforded anything so hopefully I'll find the patience to follow the schedule.
Equal proof of potential and neglect; cal/mag to the rescue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B4aJMsVf98
Worth a read; trying not to editorialize, so make of it what you will http://isaaa.org/resources/publications/pocketk/13/default.asp
A productive morning tightening up loose ends; unavoidable overflow will put the shelves to use for the next two months, but this design can handle things full time / the Clown Car is now decked out to work as a drying station from the first to the 15th and for sprouts and sexing until the end of every month with racks below the lights for hanging buds. sprouts and sexing (last two weeks of every month) racks below lights for drying buds (from the first til the 15th) downstairs only full speed
The system is coming to life; new wave of eight has begun sprouting and transplants made to the modified SIPs for four of the six kids that will remain in the Vegetarium for the next month. Topped yesterday, the ones in the smaller blue containers will move onto the shelves next week to sex before upgrading to 2 gal then will trade places with some of the smaller ones downstairs to give them the benefit of the HID. Since I've been forced to offer an extended veg period, the resulting larger contestants will actually offer the opportunity to more fully realize the greater potential of my Fortress of Solitude.
Excellent work my friend; everyone's efforts always outshine mine but still offer clues which help strengthen my game. Although I resisted upgrading to HID for far longer than I should have, I went the CFL route with much the success you're showing. My tendency to continually add lighting eventually tipped the scales as my circuits couldn't handle everything my greed could cobble together. Currently quite satisfied with my 4 x 4.5 flowering room running a 400 watt HID augmented by 210 downstairs and 184 upstairs of CFL; veg space is a 2 x 4 with 90 watt UFO and three small LED spots. Have organized the schedule to run 2 months in veg followed by three in flower; successive waves allowing for havest of 4 to 5 individuals each month. My first batch is just about the same stage as yours above with two months to go and the second has just been transplanted and moved in.
Destined for a landfill, my reuse of all these CDs at least serves to assuage my guilt over a shamefully large ecological footprint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNhl3MuIxo8
With both the new 2 tube T5 High Outputs on one side and dead over the latest bunch of plants destined for the summer run I'm very pleased with the way things are looking.. Nice tight nodes and bushy growth.. I'll have to do something about exhaust venting the shed as temps are already high mid day prompting me to leave the door open when I can..
Were I to reconfigure my operation from scratch, I'd employ a quartet of those to augment my 400 watt which would offer more uniform coverage than the various methods I've employed. Actually well pleased with the results I'm seeing from the LED for veg (the combined 114 watts @18 hours is almost negligible as far as power consumption). Would that I had your freedom to populate my backyard; just can't see the move by the Federal to reschedule which would speed the individual States acceptance, my State looking less than likely to allow anything for broad usage without overly restrictive and cumbersome bureaucratic entanglements.
I dunno if i ever showed you guys this or not. But these are my homemade cfl fixtures. http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1359900-Beanpopper666-Indoor-Grow
I'm not quite that confidant of my wiring skills; I've opted for putting three prong cords on the wall units I've re-purposed. One three bulb unit holds a set of 8 watt LED spots (@2700k) to augment my 90 watt UFO for my Vegetarium (a 2 x 4 ft closet). This is a scaled back version of my Plug Daddy, newly positioned to handle additional veg duties above the main area Twin three bulb units compliment an eight bulb strip to handle transitioning new plants and any overflow on the shelves in my 4 x 4.5 ft flowering room. And a four bulb unit outfits another station with an extra power strip with plug ins for the shelf above .
Despite issues plaguing current efforts, the system is proving it's viability as the promise of future waves with proper topping and training already point to a brighter future. Going to be a confusing tangle at the end of the month when I fit four new faces into an already crowded flowering room. Looking ahead to the harvest by the end of May which will free up all of the 5 gal for giving my new girls a better home, the challenge becomes constraining myself to a workable plant number for each wave. Six fresh beans (selected from the most recent run of shorties) are soaking and will hopefully form the pattern of what it takes to achieve that goal.