Hey guys. Figured I should start a journal with my new grow and some pics on my buildout. Here's some pics! -growtender
Yeah I'm keeping it small I don't really need that much bud. Currently started a veg of Dark Star, Headband and Afgooey in what will be the flowering room while I finish off the veg side. Once they're ready I'll install my 1k HPS over them and move the t5 to the veg side and get another crop going. I got 1.5lbs off my last grow under that HPS. More than I can use for now and don't want my power bills too high yet. I do plan to get a second HPS in the flowering room soon. The system is a top drip recovery hydroponic system. I use RO water, Botanicare Pure Blend Pro and their Cal Mag Plus with Fox Farms Big Bloom and a recirculating pump. I do like the whole mainlining approach as it keeps the canopy nice and even and I lollipop at the beginning of flowering to focus the development into the four top colas of each plant. I'll probably end up doing eight tops when I get a second HPS, but for now that suites me. Going for high quality and not quantity -growtender
My last indoor run was flowered under 2,000 watts of HPS and it was the best. Like having two suns in the sky, Very hard to find a shadow or dark spot.
This was my last grow. Vegged in my old place. Had to move those guys into the new right when they were ready to flower. Set up the flower in my boiler/ water heater room. This is a pic of them about a week before harvest. -growtender
Yeah I'd love to get a second HPS in there. Last grow was twelve plants with four colas each and I think I'd like to do two HPS with six plants under each and do more colas , but I gotta make sure my power bills aren't too high while me and my girl get financially stabilized with the house. At least I have the room for growth -growtender
Here's a few more pics of the setup. These guys perked right back up after I trimmed and binded them. Amazing how resilient this plant is. I've seen people quote Benjamin Franklin's saying that beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy, but I think weed is that proof -growtender
Well I got the grow's door painted. Now to install an intake air filter. I was hemming and hawing about building a new one based on a design using a standard 20x20" rectangular air filter for furnaces, but I like my old one so much. I built it from my own design. It uses reusable filtering material you simply rinse out with water. This will sit snug right on top of the intake port. Had to modify it by shortening the length because of a clearance issue. A little duct tape to keep the sharpies from ripping stuff . Then the view up through the intake. Very happy I could reuse this guy because I was so proud when I first built it. And I could use any filter material on it. Yay! -growtender
Had a few people ask me about grow room energy costs, so I figured I'd through this spreadsheet I made a while back up for you guys. If any of you want the actual spreadsheet feel free to email me at growtender@gmail.com Divided the breadkdown into three sections: veg, cloning/mothers, and flowering. Spreadsheet calculates kilowatthours based on use per day, use per year, and local cost of a kilowatthour from the utility company, which you get from running averages on your bill. It was really useful for making sure I wasn't going out of my budget. -growtender
And I swear I'm just a dork who likes to grow stuff, not some Ego trying to garner attention via Internet forums. Just thought I'd share cuz I ain't got nobody to dork out with around here. -growtender
So I finally got a decent amount of time to get these ladies into flower. Hung the carbon filter, HPS lamp and fan, got the ballast, surge protectors and timers up, vacuumed and wiped down the room with bleach spray, setup the tray, drip lines, rez, airstones, and pumps with the nutrients I used last time (Big Bloom, Pure Blend Pro Bloom, Botanicare's calmag, and some Superthrive), trimmed and lollipopped the ladies and got them situated, and set up the T5 with my two mothers and clones for the next round in the veg room. Whew! That was a solid five hours of work after a solid eight hours of work. Time for a bowl.... Here's a few pics: -growtender
Just checked the ladies out and it's day two of flowering, which is when I usually fuss about...switching plants around until I feel I've got a nice even start to the canopy. These girls look pretty much set now: What's really surprising to me is that I've been using the same HPS bulb for three flowering cycles, and when I bought the hood the bulb came with it previously used. The guy told me he ran one cycle with it. So that's four cycles or around 3500 hours burn time this bulb has gone through and now I'm starting the fifth and it doesn't show signs of ware at all. Still banging out consistent light. Thought that was interesting. -growtender
Buy a $30 light meter and it will likely show you otherwise. I did that test on a used bulb vs brand new and the results were just.... wow! From the naked eye the bulbs looked the same. Things are lookin great over there!
Yeah that's the thing I've got a meter and it's showing solid results... I have a new bulb on the way because of common sense (as an HPS bulb is simply controlled destruction) and word on forums dictates regular replacement. Having an issue with heat though. The room stays pretty hot at around 80-85 degrees F, so it looks like my ventilation within the shed is to going to work in the hot months. Probably will work really well in the winter months, but tomorrow I'm gonna cut a vent in the back of the shed (wall of the flowering room) and vent out into the brush back there. Got a carbon filter but that's conveniently the most stealthy side to do it. That way I can switch between venting within the shed for cold climate and out for hotter months. -growtender
Got a new veg crop up and running. Gotta hand water them for now while I wait for my new Little Giant NK-2 pump to arrive. Then I can set up the hydro system and also hang my other T5 and set up another little hydro system for the mothers. I hate hand watering. You can tell, can't you? I just wanna be able to set it and let it so I can go out of town for a weekend or just be lazy and smoke a bowl -growtender
Trying to stay legal. Got a potential patient other than just me and my girl, so hopefully I can use the additional 12 plants for mothers and clones. -growtender