3 week cycle perpetual grow

Ok, so this is my first journal but my fifth serious attempt at growing. To give a quick background my first grow was Dutch Treat in a RDWC under 1000w, yield was about 1 ounce after being plauged with heat and root aphids; my second grow was Berry Widow, Black Rhino, & 707 Headband in Warrior Pots with a mix of Peralite, Vermiculite, & Coco top fed drain to waste under 2x1000w, yeild was 3-4 ounces per strain; my third grow was a random bag seed in a DWC under 4x62w coil floros, yeild was about 4 grams; my last grow was Northern Lights in a RDWC under 1000w, yeild was just over 1/2 lb.

This current grow I was attempting to make a system that allows for one day per week maintenance where every 3 weeks you are harvesting. I start in my veg room with a homemade bare stem cloning bucket. When the clone has a suitable root system (about 3 weeks from cutting) I plant it in hydroton in a net basket bucket lid on a 3 gallon bucket. When the net basket lid has plenty of roots reaching out down to the water in the bottom of the 3 gallon bucket (about 3 weeks) I move the whole net basket lid, plant and all, to a 5 gallon bucket. When the 5 gallon bucket develops a root ball under the basket (about 3 weeks again) I move again the whole net basket bucket lid to a 7 gallon bucket this time. When the roots have reached for the new space in the bottom of the 7 gallon bucket I move the net basket bucket lid to a 20 gallon garbage bin that I have cut a hole in the lid of. The plant gets 3 weeks in the 20 gallon garbage bin until moving to the flower room.

To review, thats 3 weeks in the cloner, 3 weeks in the 3 gallon, 3 weeks in the 5 gallon, 3 weeks in the 7 gallon, then 3 weeks in the 20 gallon. Thats 15 weeks of veg, the plant should be about 2-2.5 feet tall. To start the system you need a new clone every 3 weeks until you have filled all the buckets. At the time the plant goes into the 20 gallon garbage bin (12 week old plant) I take clones to refill the cloner. I top the plant and use that for my prefered clone (the plants can get a little tall, and I want them to bush out), I also trim up the bottom a bit for a few backup clones. If you can maintain the rotation you will get a 15 week old plant every 3 weeks that you can then flower.

The flower room has 3 places for 20 gallon garbage bins with room for a fourth if needed. The 15 week old plant that has just spent 3 weeks in a 20 gallon garbage bin recovering from being topped gets put in the flower room under a screen. 3 weeks later you will add a 2nd 20 gallon garbage bin with a 15 week old plant in it to the flower room also under a screen. 3 weeks later you will add a 3rd 20 gallon garbage bin to the flower room also under a screen. 3 weeks later, when you are ready with the next 20 gallon garbage bin and 15 week old plant, your first 20 gallon garbage bin will have been in the flowering room for up to 9 weeks. The "if needed" fourth spot in the flower room will allow you to stretch out your possible flower time to 12 weeks, which should be more than enough.

Now, I am growing using 3-part GH +cal/mag & superthrive, I always Ph the water last. I don't let the water touch the bottom of the net baskets in any of the buckets while the airstones are running. I chill the air lines. The veg light is a dimmable 1000w MH turned all the way down. The flower light is 1000w HPS for each 20 gallon garbage bin. All of the lights are vented hoods to an exhaust fan pulling air out. The flower room is a non-vented room with an A/C unit, and Co2 regulation. The air pumps are not in the room so they are technically bringing in fresh air through the air stones.

So that is my projected plans for how I would like to grow this time. However, as with every grow, I have had hiccups in my system from day one. Most promenantly in my opinion is that the room was not finished being built before it started being used. Coming in a close second is there is more than one person tring to make decisions about how things should be done. At this point I have too many plants for my setup that are too big and mixed strains in single DWCs. All of those issues are managable though. I am just about to start flowering.

The one and only confusing problem I am experiencing is that it is taking my cloning bucket more than a month to produce roots. I am not losing any clones, they look healthy enough, they are just taking forever to spit out a root. It only takes them 1 week tops to develop a substantial spikey mass on the bare stem, then they just seem to stop for 3ish weeks before throwing out a root. Once the clone has at least one root the roots start growing like crazy, lees than 1 week and I have foot long roots. The only thing that I can think of is a possible light leak to the root zone, but no algee or rot are developing. I could band-aid this by adding a second cloner bucket to give them another 3 weeks (six weeks total to root now) before I plant them, but I would like to avoid adding another station.

Once I have some better pictures I will add them, but for now I will at least wait until I start flowering.

 

J.C. it has become expensive due to my own setback faults. The initial setup cost is 4x 20gallon garbage bins @~$60 each; a 7, 5 & 2x 3 gallon buckets >$10 each; a net basket for each bucket (except one of the 3 gallon buckets) @~$6 each; a normal bucket lid @~$5; 2x air pumps @~$65 each; air tubing for it all @>$16; Veg light @~$250; 3x flower lights @~$250 each; an exhaust fan @~$150; ducting to connect it all @~$15-30; Co2 setup ($ dependent on personal preferance) I went with a tank, regulator & controller @~$300; and last an A/C unit @~$200
 
That is probably the minimum equipment setup, still need to account some stuff, but I was trying to keep the cost list to items specific to my setup as opposed to items that are required regardless of how you intend to grow.
 
So it will cost at least about $2200. I know it sounds like a lot, but if you're in this game you are going to be spending a decent amount of money anyway, so why not get a standard harvest for all eternity. Set it up once and all you have to do is maintain.
 
 
 
Earlier I was talking about my bare stem cloner taking a long time. This is what they look like at about 1 week in, but they look like that for weeks before putting out an actual root. I am at a loss as to what to do to speed up the root production.

Other than that, here is part of my flower area with a few plants ready to start flowering to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. I apolgize for the color tint, I just snapped a quick pic.

 

This was 2 weeks later, still vegging.
 

This is ten days after that, still vegging.
 

This is two days later, the first day of flower.
 

This is after one week of flowering.
 

This is the end of the second week of flowering. As far as I am. If I recall correctly my net is 4'8" across.
 

Here is a stem shot, same day as the previous picture. The can is a little larger around than your standard 12oz can.
 

Here is a close-up of one of the tips, same day as previous two pictures.
 

Finally a shot of my current equipment panel.
 
 
More updates to come.

 

Well, I can't get pictures to upload. If I can figure out what I am doing you will see pictures in the previous post unless it doesn't let me update it, in which case there will be an update after this post with pictures in it.
 
So I figured it out, drag and drop does not work, I had to "use full editor" to upload pictures.