This is going to be my record of how well this all works out. Just some background I'm relatively new to growing, having only done it for the last 2 years or so. Ever since it became legal in my area. This new system has just been set up and is just now getting started. I'm really hoping everyone enjoys watching this project develop. The veg room is operational, while the flower space is still under construction. My goals here are to produce a harvest roughly every 3-4 weeks. More on that later. Lets get into the breakdown. The Veg System - The above diagram is not to scale of course, but it should give you a very clear idea of how my veg space is set up. My veg space is a room my father and I built in our garage. It is completely up to code. The room measures roughly 5'6" x 11'6". The system holds approx. 84-86 gallons I believe. On initial filling the system held exactly 84 gallons, however after installing the float valve the level raised about half an inch across the system. The goal of the system was to maximize the efficiency of my time and labor as well as my pocketbook. I may be relatively new but I'm of a scientific mind. I have done some research into Cannabis' nutrient profile, and using the "Lucas Formula", plan on maintaining a ppm of approx 900-1000, PH of 5.5-6.5, and Solution Temp of 18-20C (My temp controller is DIY, and I can't seem to find the main unit in F.). I am using plain tap water. My tap water is around 150-200 ppms with most of that being calcium and magnesium with traces of copper. The water is dechlorinated in my 55 gallon reserve barrel. This is where I add Silica. I add 18ml of silica blast every time I refill this barrel. It has 2 lines at approx. the thirds of the barrel. Doing the math this is about 18 gallons and I let it swing between the two before adding water. This system was first setup on 12-14-14. It has been running since, being topped off with tap water and 1ml/gallon of Silica Blast with no issues and staying in that range. I'm experimenting to see how long I can keep this system stable without rez changes. So far, so good. For lighting in this room I'm using two custom built 4 fixture/8 bulb light bars. There are 2 of them one over each "pod" of 3 veg sites. I built these myself in a weekend for about $80/fixture and since I have 18 weeks to veg, I don't feel the slight reduction in veg speed from lower light output will hurt me, and I assure it will hurt my wallet less considering I veg 24/0. I'm using 6500k bulbs. I've used a similar fixture for my last grow, however it used 4 fixtures/8 bulbs to cover twice the plants and twice the area. I got adequate growth from that fixture, but wanted to push for a bit faster veg growth to reach that harvest every 3 weeks. At this point, we have two Blurple clones I had survive the hiatus between grows in the system. They can be seen up above. I have more recent pics I will upload later. We also have 3 baby chem dawg clones that have rooted, but are awaiting transplant. This system will eventually hold a total of 6 strains. My rotation should allow me to keep a nice variety on hand. Speaking of...... Rotation - I've taken some time to work out simple charts describing the planned life cycle of my plants. Now I fully understand that depending on the strain, and even the individiual plant that they may not all fit perfectly into my wheel house. I just like having a plan to work from. For now, that's where I am. I plan on updating weekly unless I get a sudden influx of questions or comments.
Picture Overload!!!! Here are all the pictures I've taken up until now. From here on in I plan on including the pictures as part of the posts. I just couldn't think of a better way to just feed them all to you at once.
My apologies for such a late update. Personal life issues got in the way, but I'm ready to get back started keeping this journal updated. So here goes another vomit of pictures. Afterwards, I'll discuss some of the issues I've ran into along the way. So, as promised lets discuss some of the issues I've ran into so far. For starters, I've been having some trouble getting new genetics to take to the veg system. The root systems were amply developed on the clones, however they never seem to take off and die within a few weeks. My solution for this has been to dilute the lucas formula by 50%. I think the issue may be coming from a discrepancy between my clone supplier and myself. Depending on what they clone at their clones may not be able to handle the full strength formula. In either case, I've been having great success with them in the cloner at 50% mix for the last week or so. I plan to give them a few weeks maybe a month to aclimate before moving them into the veg system. I don't forsee future clones from these plants having this issue as none of my current self cut clones do. My largest issue by far however is the SPEED that these plants are growing at and the size. I'm realizing if I follow my originally intended schedule that my veg space is going to quickly become crowded. I may be able to compensate with some creative re-arranging of the plants to optimize, but for the most part I'm thinking I am likely to have to cut down on my veg times. In reality, I most likely need to rethink the entire rotation, but that may just be the perfectionist in me. Lastly, the DIY chiller I made is working wonders, however due to lack of funds I haven't been able to fix the major issue I'm having with it which is controlling when to turn on the actual unit. I find using a timer to be too subtle or heavy handed in either direction I go. Honestly, I know I can fix this issue easily with a 30 DIY temp controller just haven't had the money nor time to do it yet. SOOOOOOOON........ As you can see, we have the first plant in flower. I'll explain how I built the flower unit in a later post. The plant we are flowering there is called "Ole One Arm" cause I broke her in a "Mainlining" technique failure. LOL. Honestly, I don't care what she weighs in at, as she's just an experiment, however I'm thinking at least 4 ozs. maybe 6? who knows, we'll have to wait and see. Again, sorry for the horrendously late update. I hope to be a bit more vigilante in the future. I hope anyone still reads this.......... P.S. - In case you're wondering, that pvc frame on the floor is 4 foot square....That plant measure 3 ft in diameter easily.
So once again I'm late with the updates. I'm going to just put some pictures up for now, it's been a long night and I need sleep will detail it all out tomorrow.
Okay folks, so we've been busy here. I now have the blue dream and Neville's Abusive Wreck clones in the veg system with the Chemdawg clone. Both of the blurple plants are in flower. One scrogged and the other not. We also have 6 cuttings of the blurple in the cloner. Here are a few pics of the flowering plants Blurple 1 - Blurple 2 - At the moment the veg system has been running for a total of 107 days. I'm starting to feel like the plants may be losing some growth speed. Even though readings are fine I may refresh 50% of the water in the coming weeks. Flower pod 1 24 days and Flower pod 2 just 2 days. Readings are all within previously stated ranges. I'll get some pics of the clones and vegging plants tomorrow. Please I would love to answer some questions if anyone has any.
Hiya Druntar! Plants are looking great. I'm enjoying your posts. Can't say that I have questions, but am curious about the strains you've got there. I'm only somewhat familiar with Blue Dream and really curious about the taste & smell of the others. Especially curious about the Blurple... Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing!
Okay, so at the moment we have 4 strains. I'm looking for 2 more to fill the system with, but trial and error will decide which strains stay. So here's what the farm I got them from has to say. Our current members are : Blue Dream - THC Level: 19.6% THCA: 22% Plant Type: S/80%,I/20% Terpenes: Myrcene .75% for sleep aid, sedative, and muscle relaxant. Flowery odor. Plant Height: Very Tall, Very Bushy. Flowering Time: 6 Weeks, odd their website listed closer to 9 I will have to check on this. Description: "Blue Dream is a cross of Blueberry and Haze and was bred to provide the body high of an indica and the cerebral high of a sativa. Blue Dream is highly effective for pain management without the sedative effects of a pure indica. Effects are long lasting and she has a pleasant fruity taste." Chem Dawg - THC Level: Very High (whatever that means) Plant Type: S/80%, I/20% Plant Height: 6+ ft. Flower Time: 9 weeks Yield: High (Again, whatever that means) Description: "It is HIGHLY POTENT and great for organic growing. Chem Dawg is a powerful medicine with a strong smell of Pine-Sol and jet fuel. It is great for stess, pain, and relaxing at home. This is a very euphoric high. As the progenitor of many Kush and Diesel varieties, Chem Dawg is the proud parent of many popular strains." Neville's Abusive Wreck - Plant Type: I/60%, S/40% Flower Time: 60+days Yield: High(....) Description: "This plant is a cross between the infamous Abusive OG and the Haze dominant Nevil's Wreck, and is one trichome covered beast. There is a great yield of dense, crystal covered golf ball that make trim time a snap. The flavor is heavy on the lime haze side of things, but piney, hashy kick is there from the Abusive mama." Blurple - Plant Type: S/60%, I/40% Flower Time: 8-9 weeks Description: "Blurple is a cross between Purple #1 and Blue Dream. The buds are highly crystalized and have a pink/purple hue. Strong, pleasant smell and taste. This strain doesin't stretch as much as the original Blue Dream, which means it may need longer veg." The Blue Dream and Neville's Abusive Wreck are both new strains to me. So far they seem to be responding well to my setup. I've flowered both of the others at least once before now. They both match those vague descriptions pretty well I guess. I can tell you though that Blurple is the real star of the two. The Blurple I harvested last time was amazing the most beautiful smell. It makes my mouth water thinking about it. If you're local maybe we can meet up and trade gifts of bud after harvest.