Money Maker Super Lemon Haze In The Autoyielder Grow Box

Discussion in 'Hydroponic Grow Journals' started by The Green Surfer, Sep 7, 2014.

  1. #1 The Green Surfer, Sep 7, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2014
    Hellooo GC!

    Long time reader, first time doing a grow journal.

    After weeks of research I decided to purchase the Autoyielder grow box from FullBloom Hydroponics. I know a lot of you guys on here are huge on custom hydro builds, but the AutoYielder seemed like an affordable box with high quality parts, an unbeatable warranty and support, and when it comes to discretion, this one checked all the boxes for me. Plus, I'm one of those people that would rather focus my efforts on growing knowing that everything else is built to a quality standard (ok, maybe I'm just lazy :)). Below is the link to the specs if you're unfamiliar or interested in what I'll be working with.

    http://www.fullbloomhydroponics.net/autoyielder-grow-box/

    I'll also give a "brief" overview here:

    Dimensions: 36" tall x 21"wide x 13.5"deep.

    Lights: Fluorowing with 2, 125 watt TRUE watt CFL's, 6400K for veg and 2700K for flowering, the main light is adjustable in height. I also sprung for the supplemental T-5 side lighting upgrade for an additional 48 watts of under canopy production.

    Hydro gear: Basic 2.37 gallon DWC (I think?)set up with air pump, air tube, air stone, 6-2"net cups and rockwool (why do people hate rockwool, I'm curious?)

    Nutes: Geneal Hydroponics, FloraGro 2-1-6, and FloraBloom 0-5-4 (am I gonna need a little more diversity here or do any of you guys have success with these "catch all" nutes? I have a feeling I already know the answer there, lol).

    Exhaust system: 110 CFM exhaust fan with DUAL carbon filters.

    Security: Dual lockable latches that keep the box light and odor tight, and a reflective infrared blocking liner.

    Also included: light timer, trimming scissors, beginners guide and product manual. (I hear they throw in some other goodies too, you know, since you paid $700!)

    Purchasing myself: PH up and down, PH reader, PPM reader (it's not called that I know lol), what else guys!?!

    Not gonna lie, I'm a novice at best when it comes to actual experience with growing, but a complete NOOB when it comes to growing hydroponically! I've done 3 small grows in the past (the last about 2 years back)all soil, all with under 6 plants and all with relatively small yields. A landlord got involved on my last, most serious run at it, I had to move the plants, stressing them out beyond belief because it was wintertime (I don't live there anymore FYI). I've certainly paid a few dues and learned a few hard lessons when it comes to growing (I know, I still have many more ahead), so with that being said, I'm ready to have a harvest that I'm actually proud to have cultivated myself!

    As far as technical knowledge and internet research, I have been interested in cannabis cultivation for years now and would say that I know a lot about a little when it comes to growing. Reading these forums, I'm confident in the great community that this site has accumulated and look forward to sharing my experiences with you and getting a wealth of support and knowledge in return :)

    Let's get down to the nitty gritty. I'm using seeds bought from Herbies. 3 Strain Hunters Money Maker and 3 Greenhouse Super Lemon Haze. Both claim to be feminized.

    Money Maker link:
    http://www.herbiesheadshop.com/mobile/strain-hunters-money-maker-feminised-seeds-4596

    SLH link:
    http://www.herbiesheadshop.com/mobile/green-house-super-lemon-haze-feminised-seeds-1851

    I know, I know, genetics wise this is a stupid idea but I plan to use LST to counteract the Sativa dominant haze. Plus, I like a challenge anyway and who wants to smoke the same bud until next harvest!?

    Seeds are in the mail and the box is being built to order as we speak! I know this post is a little premature but I'm just so damn exited about my investment that I HAD to start this thing. Will post photos very soon of the box and seeds when I get them in, I appreciate you reading and hope that you continue to follow me as I share this new experience with you all! Any and all comments, questions or advice is very much appreciated. Cheers!
     
  2. Rockwool is hard to get right.

    You've got to soak it shake it keep it moist but not to moist. Too much bla bla bla for me when it comes to rockwool.

    There should be a micro bottle also in that line. You will want that one as well and you shouldn't need any other nute.

    But you definitely want the grow,bloom, and micro.


    The box looks neat and makes me think I'm in the wrong damn business.

    6 plants in a 2 gallon tub is going to suck. If you get seeds start simple.

    I'll follow along! Subbed up.


    "Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now."

    1000 watt Scrog Journal
     
  3. Thanks for the info! I'll definitely be buying that third bottle of nutes! I did notice that compared to other grows my res is a bit small! What do you recommend? Shorter growing cycle? Less plants? What kind of issues should I expect with the smaller resavoir and what actions should I take to minimize said issues? THANK YOU!
     
  4. A small res is fine but youre going to need to be on top of your grow all the time.

    I've got a single plant that's taking up about 3 gallons of water a day.

    I'd go through the micro grow journals to get some ideas.
     
  5. On top of my grow how? Do you mean regarding PH levels and nutrients? And replenishing the water? I will definitely be doing my research in micro grows, thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction!

    While I have you.. as far as my fill-up of the reservoir, I've heard many people using rainwater, others use tap water, and some do some sort of purification of tap water. I worry with rainwater there might be enough time for outdoor bacteria to get in there, which may cause root issues in the future (I could be dead wrong here), I like the idea of using natural water but have my fears. What do you recommend?
     
  6. rockwool can host similar problems as soil.. bugs and mold... it makes a nice home for them where if the plant is in plain rocks you can move rocks and get rid of infections and insects easily.
     
    also you don't need the grow part of that nutrient lineup, all you need is micro and bloom, take the grow back and exchange it for the bottle of what you need.
     
    use the lucas formula to feed your plants, it says if you use a how powered HID and your plants are mature your nutrient levels with the general hydro set should be 0-8-16 ml per gal. so if you have a 2.4 gal res you need zero grow, 19.2 mL of micro, and 38.4 mL of bloom.
    basic rule of thumb is 2x the bloom as you use micro. 
    for a baby plant under CFLs you may want to use 0-2-4
    for a bigger vegging plant under cfls maybe 0-5-10
    for a bigger vegging plant under HIDs maybe 0-6-12
    and finally for your big girl under the flowering HID light you would want to be around 0-8-16
     
    remember to start with a small amount of nutrients and work your way up as you notice the ppms dropping. if she drank 25ppms last time, add 50 this time, and see if she drinks 35 now. ya dig?
     
  7. Yes. The smaller the reservoir the faster things will fluctuate. This includes having to add back water.

    I use tap water at the moment but its not bad. Mine comes out around 180 ppms. It would be about 167 if I let the chlorine gas off.

    But I don't do that anymore lol. That's because I use dutch masters root zone conditioner. Its a sterilizing agent that kills bacteria.

    I'd like to get a reverse osmosis system some day.

    "Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now."

    1000 watt Scrog Journal
     
  8. So you're saying just use the rocks and not rockwool? What if the water and the grow environment is completely sealed off? Is there no advantage at all to Rockwool? Should I just throw it out?

    As far as the Lucas formula, I just briefly looked it up, I like what I've read so far, it seems simple and light on the nutes! It's saying that the FloraMicro and FloraBloom have enough nitrogen between them to warrant you not needing to use the FloraGrow nutes. Do I understand that correctly? I wish I could exchange the nutes, unfortunately, they came with the grow box as a set so I'm just gonna have to get the micro additionally somewhere. Do you recommend using a very small, proportional amount of nutes at first or are you for letting it do it's thing naturally for the first 2 weeks?

    Should I be using RO (reverse osmosis) water?

    Thank you so much for your help, like I said I'm a total hydro noob so any info I can soak up before the grow begins, the less info I'll have to beg you for when I'm freaking out later! :)


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  9. #10 Neon PhD, Sep 8, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 8, 2014
     
    yea man rockwool isn't necessary, you can just put the plant straight into hydroton ( the clay pebbles).
    I wouldn't even bother with it even in your sealed room its just not useful and can hold mold and bugs so theres no point in it, ya dig?
     
    yes lucas formula will set you straight with your nutrient levels with the GH set... and its not just the fact that there is more nitrogen with less product but since there is less product in the water the water has a lower EC rating.. you should look up a thread somewhere called "ph and ppms what it means for you" or something like that, it talks about how PPMs and EC are related and thats basically why if you use the general hydro set as they recommend you provide your plants with a toxic EC level. 
     
    If you are just starting babies for the first week they can be in plain water, once their first leaves start expanding you should  add a tiny bit of nutrients and keep raising your PPMs as she lowers them, if you put too much nutrient in she will spit nutrients back out and your ppms will go up or stay the same, you want them always dropping slowly, it just takes practice to hone it in.
    like for a week old plant you could use 0-1-2 mL/gal then you take your ppm reading.. say it says 150 now.. test it again tomorrow/2 days from now.. if it says 120 then it dropped 30.. add 50-60 ppms so it will now be 200.. etc..
     
    there is a ratio for how to calculate how much mL you need to bring your water back to a certain PPM, I believe it is also in that thread I told you about earlier. if you can't find it private message me and I will search for it and send you the link.
     
    and you water should be reverse osmosis water with natural minerals retained. you can get this easily at a grocery store or maybe a gas station from a reverse osmosis water machine you bring your own water container to. they generally cost 25-35 cents per gallon.
     
    be aware of the difference between some of these machines, some will have natural minerals retained others will be over-filtered and retain nothing. you want the natural minerals because your girls will love them.
    a good example is, at most Circle K gas stations they have an over-filtered RO machine, it has like virtually zero PPMs, where as the grocery stores have the Fiesta drinking water machine, which is the same RO machine, looks the same, but it retains natural minerals.
     
    do yourself a favor and invest in a 5 gallon water container or two (depending on how much water you use)... never use the tap water it is nasty in 99% of places in the world and who knows what bugs or bacteria you may introduce into your system and what kind of sulfur and salt and crap is in there. simply put if you can't haul the nice water for your girls then they probably can't haul the nice buds for you.
     
    http://foryourwater.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/5_Gallon_Water_Bottle_lg.jpg
     
  10. subbed in
     
  11. Word, I've read a lot of stuff where people talk shit about it but no one really explained why, so thank you, I'll stick to the hydroton, I just hope they include it!

    "yes lucas formula will set you straight with your nutrient levels with the GH set... and its not just the fact that there is more nitrogen with less product but since there is less product in the water the water has a lower EC rating.. you should look up a thread somewhere called "ph and ppms what it means for you" or something like that, it talks about how PPMs and EC are related and thats basically why if you use the general hydro set as they recommend you provide your plants with a toxic EC level."

    I will definitely try! I have been researching like crazy and I think I have a solid understanding of PH and the workings of hydro, the only thing I'm having trouble grasping is the PPM concept. As much as I research and look stuff up about it, it still isn't fully clear to me what the hell people are talking about. What is it measuring, the parts per million of a specific nutrient, or just the parts per million of any particles in the water? Some grows have these huge PPMs and their girls are drinking it up and then theres these other grows where people have really low PPM numbers but their plants look great! I know different conditions and strains take different nute levels, it's just PPM is so subjective and vague at this point I guess I'll just have to dive in and learn by doing, as you said!

    "and you water should be reverse osmosis water with natural minerals retained. you can get this easily at a grocery store or maybe a gas station from a reverse osmosis water machine you bring your own water container to. they generally cost 25-35 cents per gallon.

    be aware of the difference between some of these machines, some will have natural minerals retained others will be over-filtered and retain nothing. you want the natural minerals because your girls will love them.
    a good example is, at most Circle K gas stations they have an over-filtered RO machine, it has like virtually zero PPMs, where as the grocery stores have the Fiesta drinking water machine, which is the same RO machine, looks the same, but it retains natural minerals."

    I will definitely look into getting RO then, I've never noticed those machines around here but that could be due to the fact that I've never been in the market for RO water! Lol. If I can't find those machines there is a hydro store near me, do you think they'll have it? Can I buy it in jugs?

    "do yourself a favor and invest in a 5 gallon water container or two (depending on how much water you use"

    How much grow room am I compromising by upgrading to a bucket twice the size of the one that comes with the box? Remember, my grow space is only about 3x2x1, would a res that large even fit in there and have it able to close? Are they expensive? If I'm able to check my plants at least 3-4 times a day is it okay to use the small res?

    THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have no idea how much your advice is helping me, a big part of getting this thing off the ground definitely will have something to do with your words! You da man! :)

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  12.  
    ppms -
    a TDS reader will give you your ppms. TDS stands for total dissolved solids. this test includes all of the stuff in the water, and gives you a reading based on parts per million of the water.
    PPMs directly relate to your EC rating.
    on your TDS meter you should see (or in its book, or look online) if it does x700 or x500, if you can't tell just go in the middle of the values. an EC of 2.0 is toxic for MJ.
    <span style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;">PPM ec x 700</span>
    140 = 0.2
    280= 0.4
    420= 0.6
    560= 0.8
    700= 1.0
    840= 1.2
    980= 1.4
    1120=1.6
    1260= 1.8
    1400= 2.0
    1540= 2.2
    1680= 2.4
    1820= 2.6
    1960 = 2.8
    2240 =3.2
    2520 = 3.4



    <span style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;">PPM ec x 500 </span>
    100= 0.2
    200= 0.4
    300= 0.6
    400= 0.8
    500= 1.0
    600= 1.2
    700= 1.4
    800= 1.6
    900= 1.8
    1000= 2.0
    1100= 2.2
    1200= 2.4
    1300= 2.6
    1400= 2.8
    1600= 3.2
    1800= 3.4
     
    As far as the water..
    no no no brother man... the 5 gallon jug is to fill with water from the machine to add into your res (whatever size you choose to work with) as you need it.
    you can sometimes find pre-packaged RO water that is up to par, but buying water in a new plastic container every time will cost you a lot of money over time.
     
    say your girl is drinking 5 gallons per week right?
    if you buy 5 gallons of water prepackaged from the grocery store it may run you 6-9$ per week for that water.
    if you buy a 5 gallon water jug for 5$ once, and fill it at the RO machine outside, it will only cost you 1.25$ per week for the same water. it cost you less to buy the entire jug and fill it one time than it did to buy 5 individual bottles.
     
    the local hydro store is unlikely to sell RO water by machine. just go to the grocery store its easy and cheap delicious and already cold water.
     
  13. Thanks! That makes so much sense, I'll definitely grab one of those TDS meters along with a PH one, are they relatively cheap do you know, is it vital to have a good one or do they all kind of work the same?

    WOW! I totally misunderstood you there, the 5 gallon jug is a transport jug! And yea buying it by the gallon would be a really dumb idea! So by RO machines you're talking those machines that refill water coolers, for like offices?? If so, then everything is clear now! How do I know whether or not the water is the good kind of RO, do I only purchase a little and ensure that the machine is giving me some minerals in the water with the TDS?

    I had another question, since I have the FloraGrow, and can't return it anyways, does it have any use? Or is it still recommended I stick to the Lucas method until I know what I'm doing?

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  14. They can be cheap or really expensive. The pH pen and TDS meter I got were 20 bucks each.

    I think Walmart has the water machine and some of the bigger grocery stores do to.

    You could also invest in a home RO water system.



    "Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now."

    1000 watt Scrog Journal
     
  15. I'm running low on investment funds at the moment :S lol do it's gonna have to be the low end pens and jugs of water for now! But I'm pretty sure I've seen those machines at Wal-Mart so there we go! Thanks man.

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  16. #17 Neon PhD, Sep 8, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 8, 2014
     
     
    I got my Ph meter for 20 and my TDS for 40 with an additional 20 for expedited shipping. i bought them from Milwaukee instruments they are not a weed based company so they are more trustworthy. generally any hydro shop or online hydro store has more expensive equipment that doesn't work as well. If i can buy equipment from another more established company I generally do. Milwaukee is a good example because all they make is meters and testers and crap like that so you know they know about Ph meters even when you buy the cheapest one, ya know?
     
    Yes those 5 gallon jugs are used for office water coolers, but offices and places like that just get someone to come fill all their jugs from a water truck usually or send them all in to get filled at once.. i doubt they fill them themselves from an RO machine at a grocery store.
     
    You can tell if it is over-filtered or if it has minerals retained by the machine itself. for example:
    at the circle K gas station here, they have a machine (I believe the brand name is Glacier on this one) that boasts about its like "372 step filter systems" (over dramatized obviously)
    and when you get the water it will read 0-3 PPM and be virtually empty
    but if you go to the local grocery store they have a Fiesta (fiesta is one of the local cheap food alternatives.. like 'food club' you know?) brand RO machine and it says right on the machine "some natural minerals retained" and that it goes through reverse osmosis only and no extra filters. if you PPM this water it will read 5-10 once you get it, just slightly higher than the "empty" water.
     
    so you could also buy that same exact Glacier or Fiesta brand water in a 16 ounce drinking bottle, in a 1 gallon sized jug, and even in some places you can buy 2,3, 5 gallon jugs. but it will obviously be more expensive buying new plastic container every time so the machine is just better when you use a lot of it...
     
    and i know since I started drinking this water I do not use Tap water for me, or my family including my pets anymore, I haul additional water from the machine for us to drink too. its very yummy clean water.
     
    if you can't find info on the water machine by you, look up the brand online because they typically have the same water no matter how they deliver it. ie. if you buy glacier in a 1 gallon jug, you will get the exact same water as if you payed 25 cents for a gallon of it from the glacier machine. so if it has a brand name its usually easy to find out what kind of water it is.
     
  17. #18 The Letter 3, Sep 8, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 8, 2014
    The hydroshop that I use carries Milwaukee brands for guys like me and the blue lab stuff for folks with deep pockets.

    Just be smart and don't buy it if it was made in China. Lol

    "Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now."

    1000 watt Scrog Journal
     
  18. #19 Neon PhD, Sep 8, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 8, 2014
     
    pretty much this...
     
     
    PS when you get your TDS meter, look on the box or inside the manual, it will say something like "ec factor" or "Tds factor" or something followed by a number like .5 or .7... or it may say 500 or 700... either 5 or 7 will give it away. you take that number and look at the EC chart I posted before.. if your meter says .5 then you use the chart that says 5, not 7, ya dig?
    its either 5 or 7 so it doesn't get that confusing... one or the other. if you can't find it ask the person you bought it from what the ec factor is.
    but your EC won't matter until flowering anyway because your PPMs should never even be close to a toxic range with baby/vegging plants... but it is surprisingly easy to hit a toxic EC level if you follow the GH feeding instructions... so just bare that info in mind... it won't neccesarily be affecting you this early in your grow but you really need to know WHY you are testing what you are testing... we use PPMs to determine 'how much she is eating" but in reality the PPMs are FOR determining that she isnt in a toxic environment with far too much STUFF in the water..
     
  19. I will be visiting the hydro store tomorrow to get FloraMicro, TDS meter, PH meter, PH up & down. And Wal-Mart for the water jug. (Should I wait to get water until I'm ready to use it or does it not matter?) After all that, I should be set right?

    I'm all for knowing the "why" of things, so I appreciate the knowledge, the PPM thing was kind of the last thing I was clueless about so now I'm a ton more comfortable going into this thing! Big thanks to both of you guys!! (PhD & Letter 3), I don't even have seeds popped and I'm already thankful you guys are following along! I won't let you down!! haha

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