Bubblelicious X5, 400W Mh/hps Cooltube, Scrog, Gl60 2X2X5 Tent, 4Inch Inline W/ Carbon Scrubber

Welcome to my new grow Journal.
 
This is going to be my second grow using the following:
 

• 1- 400 Watt Dimmable Electronic Fan Cooling Ballast; Acceptable input: 110v - 240v. Dimmable Option: 50%, 75% & 100%
• 1 - HPS Bulb: Lumen - 53,000 & 1 - MH Bulb: Lumen - 36,000
• 1 - Cool Tube: 25" x 6" Duct Size: 6" Made of Glass and German Aluminum
• 1 Gotham Hydroponics Inline 4inch fan + Scrubber
• Grow Lab 60 2x2x5 Tent
• Ducting 4 & 6 inch
• 1 additional 6inch clip fan

Media

• Fox Farm Ocean Forest
• Fox Farm Light Warrior

Nutes

• FF Grow Big
• FF Big Bloom
• FF Tiger Bloom

 
Ambient room temp is about 72 degrees and my tent is located in the corner of my room and is very silent.

----------------
THE SETUP:
 
I have my Ventilation set up as follows:
 
FILTER(SCRUBBER) > INLINE 4INCH > 4INCH DUCT > DUCT INCREASER 6INCH > 6INCH DUCT > COOLTUBE > 6INCH DUCT> OUT(through the top)
 
Ambient temps 72 outside of box roughly, inside temps with MH on is roughly 84-86 degrees.  I have a fan in the middle of the plants aiming at the cool tube. I have a speed controller on the inline and i rarely have to move it above medium to cool in such a small area.
 
The Cool tube is actually to big to fit horizontally across the 2x2 tent so i hung it diagonally as show in the pictures below.  Light coverage is 100% for the area that i have provided.
 
 
 
THE GROW:
 
As you can see i started these guys started out under a 150 sun systems hps and i was not happy with the heat and power consumption that comes with that unit.  I'm currently selling this thing on craigslist for 40 bux lol and i have repaired the hole in my closet.
 
 
 

 

The Plants:
 
A,B,C,D,E
 
All Bubblelicious from Nirvana Seeds.  Extremely fast 10 day shipping.
 
All 5 Germed.
 
A,B,C are roughly 8 days old from seed
 
D,E
 
they are just sprouting and they are 2 days from seed.
 
 
They are currently under the 400 watt metal halide, 18/6 cycle.  Way better than the HPS for veg.  After 1 day, growth increased significantly.
 
 
I currently have them planted in Fox Farm Light warrior and i have been proving them with Fox Farm Liquid Bloom Nutrients.  A lot of people say that you shouldnt give nutes to seedlings, Blah. The feeding directions say so and i am seeing good results with no burn what-so-ever.  I'm providing them with 100% strength of Liquid Bloom.  I will start Grow Big in 2-3 Weeks at 25% strength after transplanting to their final smart pots.  
 
Here are photos:

 

 
Here is pretty much a list of everything that i have ordered along with the price:
 
1. GrowLab 2x2x5 Tent: $130  (purchased from my local hydro shop)
2. Gotham Hydroponics 190 CFM 4 Inch Inline with carbon filter: $110 (Amazon.com)
3. Apollo DIgital Balast 400W Dimmable, 400W MH Bulb, 400w HPS Bulb, Cooltube, Timer, and ratchets: $140 (Amazon.com)
4. Ducting + Duct Increaser and Aluminum Tape: $50 (home depot)
5. 3 Gallon Smart Pots $14 (for 4, local hydro shop)
6. SE Speed Controller: $15 (local hydro shop)
7. FF Ocean Forest & FF Light Warrior & Nutrient Trio & PH Up and Down $50
8. Central Clip Fan: $10
 
Total:
 
$445 dollars total for just the tent and ventilation components.
$509 dollars including the soil media and pots
 
I think its FUN!!! and cheaper to customize your own box by far.  Most of the kits that i see on amazon or so include everything that you need to grow, but there is no customization.  For example, emily's garden 499 dollar kit includes an HPS/MH but its a model with a built in ballast which = HOT.  If you wanted to change this down the line, there goes another 140 dollars.  You can definitely get a better deal and a package more suitable for your growing environment by piecing it together.
 
Although i'm only on my second grow, I have wasted tons of money building cabinets, boxes, DIY things and ultimately I would just do it right the first time.n  I have at least 100 dollars in CFL's laying around and a sun systems 150W HPS just sitting there not doing anything.  If i could start over again, i would have just went straight to a tent/cool tube setup. END RANT lol

 

UPDATE
**********************
So its day 10 for A,B,C (3 days int he new system).
 
Plant Growth slowed a bit so i decided that it was time to transplant these ladies into their new 3 gallon smart pots.  This is my first time using smart pots and after all of the reviews, it seemed pretty well.
 
I mixed 60% Fox Farm Ocean Forest and 40% Light warrior into the 3 gallon smart pots and then mixed it up really well with a giant fork.  While mixing the soil, i used a spray bottle to add moisture.  Once completed, i dug a hole in the center for the plants to be transplanted.
 
Before transplanting, i watered my existing pots, flipped them upside down, and plopped them into their new home.  I topped off with fresh soil and watered them. 
 
You can see pics of A,B and C below.
 
**********************
Plants D and E are on their 3rd day and have popped.  see pics below.
 
 
Due to space i will only be able to keep one of the new seedlings and i will be giving one away along with my 150w hps to a friend.
 
 
A couple of little things that i noticed that may help others go a long way with their future setups is that the fan in the middle blowing directly on the glass of the cool tube is helping my temps out A LOT!!  Not only is it cooling the glass, but because it is cooling the glass, the air being pushed through by my inline fan is also staying noticeably cooler which leads to cooler exhaust!!
 
Enjoy the pics!  I'm open to suggestions.

 

Heh, Soccer mom busted in 3000 plant operation.
 
"Sanderlin is accused of running the grow operation under the name "Fantastic Enterprises," officials said. Consolidated Edison told law enforcement authorities the location used an unusually high amount of electricity."
 
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/05/police-ny-mom-ran-3-million-pot-growing-operation/2391313/
 
 
Just shooting the shit until the plants wake up for a Day 14 Update.

 

Little Update:
 
Plant D was removed from the setup due to it growing in all messed up and i didnt have room for it anyways.  The other plants are responding quite well to the new pot as they are pointing up to the Metal Halide.
 
A,B,C are on Day 12 Veg.

 
E is on Day 5 Veg(growing kinda slow, but once i transplant it into a bigger pot it should caught up to the rest eventually)
 
I've been giving A,B,C 100% dose of big bloom, twice a week, on days 2 and 4, with waterings in between as needed.
 
Plant E will receive its first dose of big bloom in 5 days.

 
Enjoy!

 

Update
************
 
Ok so we are on Veg day 15 for plants A,B,C and that puts them at the 2 week mark.  I'm going to introduce 25% Grow Big and 100% Big Bloom as their dinner for this week, every other watering.  Ill be watering them lightly today, but tomorrow they will receive their first dose of Grow Big.
 
They have been growing beautifully under the 400W HPS running at 75% and in their new 3 gallon smart pots.  Very vibrant green color:
 

 
Update:
***************
Plant E is coming on along.  I'm going to give plant E about 3 more days before moving her into the week 1 feeding schedule cause she is growing a little slow due to the small ass container i had her in.  Transplanted her to a 6 inch pot and she grew a tad bit.
 
In 3 days, she will receive her first 50% dose of big bloom.
 

 
I also added a small fan to blow air across the tops to start getting those stems nice and healthy cause im going to scrog the shit out of them:
 

 

i plan on using the trio along with bud candy.

 

I dont really have that much of an odor that i can really notice due to the carbon scrubber, but i can tell you that i touched one of the leaves and my fingers smelled like good bud, very strong.  I can only image what actual flowering is ganna smell like.

 

Vegetative growth is explosive!!!
 
****************
Gas Lantern Light Schedule
****************
 
I'm getting ready to change my light cycle from (400w Metal Halide)
 
18 on 6 off
to
12 on 5.5 off 1 on 5.5 off
 
I performed mad research on this technique and seen 100% positive testimonies.  Hopefully ill be able to add to that stat.  Not to mention, saving a little bit of mula during veg.

 

***********
The Gas Lantern Light Cycle Explained In Greater Deatil
***********
Observing Natural Cycles
During the course of my observations growing cannabis, I have noticed that factors such as
clone burn-out seem to suggest that overexposure to light is adversely affecting the
hormonal balance of the growing plants and causing the genetics of the cuts and seedlings
to degrade over the course of several generations. Cannabis seems quite happy when the
hormones are allowed to properly build up more during a natural outdoor vegetative cycle,
and this may contribute to more balanced levels of THC and CBD, resulting in a more
positive response to triggering, and better-quality medicinal cannabis being grown.
I turn to the conditions of nature to find the solution, and in a natural model, I can see that
from the point of view of the plants, the sun gradually moves past, casting sunbeams and
shadows of objects and trees in front, beside, and behind the plant successively across photo
surfaces during the course of the day. This clearly shows that in the natural environment,
the play of light and shadow are significant to the natural progress of the plant.
Even in a northern climate, there is no such thing as 18 hours of direct and intense lighting
anywhere to be found, and most areas where the summer is short, the lighting is no longer
than 16 hours in total.
During a recent discussion with other growers, we rediscovered a rumored century-old
technique that proves that the direct and intense application of light for longer than
necessary can be more stressful to the plant than previously known, and could even degrade
the plant's genetic strength.
Now that cannabis growers are starting to grow specifically for medicines, the health of the
plant needs to be properly considered so that the full natural potential of the plant can be
realized and the fullest expression of the plant's medicines be produced. The margin for error
is becoming smaller as the mistakes of the past are revealed and medicinally specific
growing is gaining importance.
The Old Cash Cropping Method
The commonly used cash cropping method of cannabis cultivation wastes energy. People use
this method by rote, since they simply don't know what the real requirements of the plants
are. It is stressful to the hormonal systems of cannabis, and not necessary to produce fully
healthy and productive plants. It does not recognize that overexposure to light is harmful to
the plants, and so they underperform in terms of taste, yield, quality, and potency of the
medicine, or require supercharged fertilizers to reach their potential. It is surprising that
these techniques are used with profits in mind, since they are clearly expensive and
counterproductive.
The Gas Lantern Routine
This information will seem quite revolutionary to growers who have been using the standard
cycles to produce cannabis, seemingly with little or no trouble at all. Actually, in a grow that
more closely mimics the outdoor growing environment under indoor lighting conditions, the
plants may be maintained in vegetative cycle using only a total of 13 hours of light daily,
which dramatically reduces the cost of production.
The less is more approach of the Gas Lantern Routine provides the growing plant with
adequate darkness to promote health, and by inserting a full hour of light in the center of
the dark period, the plants are tricked, and neither flower nor express hermaphrodites. The
growing plants get more than the average amount of rest, thus reducing stress, and
improving plant yield, overall performance, and medicinal quality.
Seedlings and Cuttings
The Gas Lantern Routine is applicable in seedling phases of plant growth. As stated before,
nowhere in nature does the springtime ever provide an 18-hour photosynthesis length;
rather, the growing spring light may in fact be 12 hours or less. Lighting for seedlings and
cuttings needs to be bright, but compact fluorescent or T5 lighting may be used while in the
seedling phase. Rooted mature cuttings can immediately light with HID lighting.
The Vegetative Schedule
This method is quite simple: 12 hours of light, followed by five and one half hours of
darkness, a single hour of light exactly, and then a second period of five and one half hours
of darkness. Placing a full hour of light in the very center of a 12-hour dark period tricks the
plant and interrupts the buildup up of sensitive floral hormones, which would normally
trigger flowering by destroying them. The grower simply raises the plants to the desired size
before switching to the fall schedule to bloom.
Using this method, vegetative duration may be also reduced, and with a shorter growth cycle
comes more frequent and better production. Vegetative cycles can be shortened by one to
two weeks, and flowering may also be shortened a week or more using this method in conjunction
with a diminishing light schedule.
For patients growing their own medicine or for compassionate cannabis providers, production
turnover may be increased from four to five crops per year or more using rotation, and
power consumption can be reduced even further by the use of high-intensity fluorescent
lighting during vegetation, and overall, power consumption savings can be 50 percent or
more.
The Flowering Schedule
Plants that have been grown up using the Gas Lantern Routine are now supercharged with
floral hormones, and ready to go into flower with the slightest provocation. The interruption
of the dark period has been destroying enough of the naturally building hormones to keep
the plant from expressing sex, and the well-rested plant now has plenty of stored nutrients
and energy to finish its life cycle and flower. Triggering the plants is essentially just a matter
of removing the interrupting light period, so the plants may now experience the full buildup
of hormones that will trigger blooming.
In keeping with providing all the correct organic biological and environmental needs of the
plant, the diminishing fall schedule should be employed to take full advantage of the
hormonal preparation created by using the Gas Lantern Routine. The diminishing hours of
light in nature trigger acceleration in the production of hormones in the plant, making it
flower with increasing speed and power.
The Diminishing Lighting Schedule
The diminishing fall schedule begins with an evenly halved light schedule, using 12 hours for
the first two weeks to trigger the plant into bloom, and then further reducing the lighting for
increasing darkness time by one half hour every week.
The final week of flowering will provide the plants with a mere nine hours of light, with 15
hours of darkness, forcing a resulting final explosive hormonal buildup. This sends the plant
into blooming overdrive and produces resin far beyond the normal plant's limits.
When the Gas Lantern Routine and Diminishing Light Schedule are used together, they
create healthier, more naturally robust plants. These important and historical botanical
techniques are soon going to become very important techniques in the coming years as
medicinal cannabis research continues to advance. When viewed from cost of production,
organics, and medicinal needs, the methods currently being promoted can be seen counter
to the interests of growing healthy plants. Understanding your plants is the best way to grow
the best medicine, and looking for solutions to growing problems by observing nature always
provides the right answers.
*******************
I do not take any credit for this what so ever, i just found this information through researching online.
 
One of the reasons i took interest to this is because summers are hot where im at and I dont want to put my plants through 88-95 degree temps when its a blistering 100+ outside.  It was recommended to me by a friend of a friend who grows killer sh*t.  Anyways, we will see how this works out for me.  I'm hoping for explosive growth and high yields just like every other grower and the only way to learn is through trial and error.

 

*************
Update
*************

Day 18 from seed Approx Day 11 Veg
 
Plants A,B,C
 
Huge growth after the first day of 12 on 5.5 off 1 on and 5.5 off.

A lot of plant growth at the nodes.  I lightly watered them today as im f4llowing the following water schedule:
1.Light water
2.Feed
3.No water
4.Water
5.No water
6.Feed
7.No water
 
Plants A,B,C are currently being fed 1/4(25%) strength Grown Big, 6/6 (100%) Big Bloom.
 
 
 
Plant E

I have not moved this girl into week one veg schedule yet because i'm still awaiting the first set of 3 bladed leaves.  I still have it marked under the seedling stage with just a water schedule.
 
With plant E looking to be 2 weeks behinds, that just means that all other plants will stay in veg for roughly 2-3 weeks longer once the SCROG screen is installed so that it can catch up before flower!
 
Enjoy!

 

Plants look way healthier and less stressed under the 12/5.5/1/5.5 Light Schedule than the 18/6!!  Growth at nodes and node spacing is damn great.
 
I dont think im going to go with the diminishing light schedule for flowering, instead i will keep that standard 12/12!!!  Im confused as to why people dont talk about this light schedule.... beats me.

 

Hey bro,
 
I was wondering, should i even attempt to scrog 4 plants in a 2x2 tent?  Ive done a ton of research and most people scrog less plants in bigger areas, for example most 2x2 scrogs ive only seen 2-3 plants.  Do you think 4 plants is going to be overkill?