Personal Solo Cup Challenge

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by Radicali, Sep 24, 2016.

  1. #1 Radicali, Sep 24, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2016
    image.jpeg image.jpeg I have been wanting to grow a plant in a 16oz solo cup for years. While I was doing a clone to veg transplant this time I finally decided it was time.

    All plants live in a room that runs at 50% RH, 74 Degrees, 1600+ ppm CO2.
    Clones were taken Tuesday 9-6-16. At this time I had no idea that one of them was destined for "Solo" life. Clones go into a 128 site Classic EZ-Clone machine. It seems to hold about 18 gallons of water. Nutes are 80ml Clonex Liquid Solution, 80ml House & Garden Aqua Flakes A, 80ml House & Garden Aqua Flakes B, and 40ml House & Garden Multi Zen. This brings EC to 1.0 and pH is balanced to 5.8. Water heater runs at 83 degrees. Clonex rooting gel is used. Clones are taken about 2.25" tall with about 1" sticking below the neoprene collar. Two 4' T5 bulbs above the cloner on 24 hours a day.

    Veg transplant took place on Monday 9-19-16. Clones with roots longer than 3" get their roots cut back to 3". I rip a Rapid Rooter cube in half, sandwich the clone between the two pieces, and drop it and a handful of hydroton into a 3" coco pot. It lives in an ebb and flow tray with waterings every 3 hours. Eight 4' T5 bulbs on 24 hours about 6 inches above the plants. H&G Aqua Flakes A&B + Multi Zen. EC 2.2, pH 5.8.

    After 1 day of veg I decided to do 1 solo cup in the spinner. At this point I began taking photos.

    9-20-16 Several images of the plant one day into veg and sitting among its peers. The red tag denotes the strain and the green tag marks it as destined for the solo cup. image.jpeg image.jpeg
     
    • Like Like x 2
  2. #2 Radicali, Sep 24, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2016
    image.jpeg On Tuesday 9-20-16 I decided to cut the spinners one week ahead of schedule as they were looking especially big and ripe. Mostly in this situation I worry about bud rot and would rather cut early then "reap" the consequences. The plants finished at 6 weeks into flowering.

    This is a quick look at the general spinner system set up. It is a luxurious amount of space for two 600 watt bulbs. It currently runs on ebb and flow from the 32 gallon trash can. I picked these two spinners up about 5 years ago. They were used in their original configuration for 7.5 cycles before the gears went down. I found out when the plants stopped rotating part way through their cycle, they didn't need the rotation to do well. They didn't burn and finished awesome as always. After they stopped acting like "spinners" and became "stills" I did a little redesigning of my own to correct aspects of the system which I viewed as imperfect.

    Originally, there were 12 plants per spinner sitting inside moving gears so that every plant rotated 360 degrees one way and then back again. Overall it was nice but cleaning and some other things were just not the way. The original spinner also had two little computer fans moving air. One in the center blowing air up at the bulb and one exit port on the top side.

    Now there are 8 plants in orange Superoots Airpots. I cut the airpots in half to reduce their height. The computer fans were removed and 6" Max Fans replaced them. Each of the two 6" Max Fan was split into two 4" ducts. One fan drives the intake on both spinners and one fan runs the exhaust. If one fan dies, both spinners still have the other fan moving air for that important redundancy. I also extended a piece of 4" duct from the exhaust port to the light bulb. Now instead of all hot air moving past the top of a single plant, it is properly removed right next to the heat source.

    A note about the spinners. In their current configuration they are Amazing! I generally run cycles at 6 or 7 weeks. I have found that there is something magical about nug quality that must revolve around getting pounded by light a mere 8" from the bulb. Usually it is hard for me to equal the nug quality growing horizontally on tables in the same room. For this reason the spinners (stills) are where I put my personal plants. The yield seems to be spot on every time as well. When I do my job correctly, one spinner will rock out a pound or even a bit more on call every time. That translates to be an average of 2oz per plant. I expect my "solo" plant to do near that.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg

    For many years now I have only put my flowering plants into Superoots Airpots. So of course I was on a mission to do the best duplication possible for my cherished solo plant.
     
  4. Looking forward to seeing this at the end. Nicely done.
     
  5. #5 Radicali, Sep 24, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2016
    image.jpeg image.jpeg Thursday 9-22-16.
    After 60 hours of veg under the T5, I transplanted everything into coco in flowering pots and put the plants into the spinners for a few more days of veg. Now the plants are exactly 12" away from a 600 watt Hortilux Eye bulb that is on 24/7. This is currently the 4th round on these bulbs. Flipping to flower will be determined by how tall the plants are. I only know when to do this by experience from trial and error.
     
  6. #6 Radicali, Sep 24, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2016
    image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg

    Friday 9-23-16.
    24 hours of veg in the spinner. Every plant in this spinner is of the strain, Radicali. It happens to be one of my favorites and came from a cross of White Rhino (male) and something I know as SD (female.) SD was given to me under the name of Sour Diesel. It's not Sour Diesel and I don't know what it is (besides being bad ass) so I just use the initials. SD is a very tall grower while WR is much more squat with super short length between nodes. Both SD and WR grow super dense nugs to the point of being my two bud rot queens and Radicali continues this tradition. WR has a very strong smell while SD is much more faint.

    Radicali has a smooth medium power smell maybe a little similar to juicy fruit. The dominant strain in Radicali's case was the SD and so the nugs remind me more of that then the WR, but still takes on WRs short stature. Perfect for the spinner. I don't have SD any more but there are two WRs in the spinner next door.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  7. #7 Radicali, Sep 24, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2016
    image.jpeg image.jpeg

    Friday 9-23-16
    A few more notes.

    When plants are put into the spinner they begin their life in coco. At this point I begin adding Botanicare Cal/Mag to the reservoir and switch from House and Garden Aqua Flakes A&B to House and Garden Coco A&B. At harvest and turn around I pull the Rez, pumps and irrigation apart for cleaning. It starts with brand new water the day plants are put in but is not changed or cleaned until the next harvest and turn around. For this reason I choose to run the Rez off of EC, pH and a specific RATIO of nutrients. Plants drink water. I add water to desired level, add nutrients to desired EC, generally add GH pH UP (base) to proper pH.

    Nutrient Ratio:
    Base.
    House and Garden Coco A = X
    House and Garden Coco B = X
    Botanicare Cal/Mag = 1/4X
    Additives.
    House and Garden Multi Zen = 1/2X
    House and Garden Bud XL = 1/2X (for the first dose of BXL, X = the dose it originally took to bring the Rez from 0 EC to 2.5 EC)
    House and Garden Top Booster = 3/4X (TB is only given one time and X = the dose it originally took to bring the Rez from 0 EC to 2.5 EC
    House and Garden Shooting Powder is usually added at about 1/2 the H&G recommended dose.
    Multi Zen = All veg (clone, veg, mother) and flower for week 1,2&3
    Bud XL = Flower from the start of week 4 until death.
    Top Booster = One dose approximately 4 weeks before the planned finish date.
    Shooting Powder = last 3 weeks of life.

    At the first mixing of the current reservoir, this is what was added:
    32 gallon H2O
    400 ml H&G Coco A
    400 ml H&G Coco B
    100 ml Cal/Mag
    200 ml Multi Zen
    pH UP was required
    Rez settled in at EC 2.6 and pH 5.9
    A 400 gph pump stirs the Rez 24 hr/day

    Finally, something I do consider to be important in my cloning system. The pump is attached to an adjustable continuous timer. Simple and effective. 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off. I "feel" like this time off from the shower gives the clones a chance to breath and they seem to take the veg transplant better because of it.
    image.jpeg
     
  8. What would be the point of the spinner? It looks like the plants would rotate around the bulb but that they would always have the same side of the plant facing the bulb...as opposed to individual plants spinning so that every side gets some facetime with the bulb.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  9. At this time, the only point is to continue using the well designed shell. I remember paying about $3.6K for the 2 new and functional spinners but the company is now out of business and they will never "spin" again. Knowing what I know now, I think I could build a similar (the doors and ebb and flow Rez wouldn't be as nice) shell unit for $200-$300.
    The spinning process was nice (every plant thinks the sun revolves around them) but had its own drawbacks. As the plants spin, the outer branches have to "mesh together" to complete the rotation. This never ending process tends to beat up and greatly degrade every nug on the outside of the plant. That's probably just under half the nugs that have to endure this process. The plants also get top heavy and are very difficult to support if they are under the rotational process. When they do fall over, the base keeps spinning. I have found plants both sawed in half by the twisting and burned in half by the bulb. Imagine the fat cola of your perfectly ripe and ready to cut tomorrow plant leaning against the 600 watt bulb until it is burned in half; for however long that takes. Very impressive and very not the way to do things. These two spinners are earlier models. Later improvements by the company saw the addition of a hook point directly above the plant for support proposes. I drilled holes in mine but is more like strangling the plant. In that instance I have come back to find a plant so completely wound up in the support cord that it and been ripped and lifted out of the basket.
    Non spinning (the eventual life of all manufactured spinners) spinners are the way. You will see as this progresses and they get big enough that everything gets spread out and engineered with wire tie to take up all available light. The nugs all grow at the light and the plants look more like they were grown on their side then strait up. Later the mess of wire tie adds support to keep the top heavy plants from falling over. This wire tie engineering is the only work I have to do during the entire flowering cycle except for Rez maintenance. It usually takes about 2 hours per spinner starting about 2.5 weeks into flower and finishing when they stop growing vertical at 3.5 weeks.
    Long answer but especially relevant.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  10. This is a really cool setup. I've never even seen a spinner before. The res setup with the bluelab monitor is kickass.


    White Widow autoflower x4
     
  11. image.jpeg

    Well that was quick. Less than 48 hours after transplant into the solo cup, I noticed there are 4 roots being air pruned.

    image.jpeg
     
  12. Sounds like a terrible original design. So, to be clear, the plants would spin around the central bulb. Is that correct? If that's correct, I still don't see the purported benefit . That's what it looks like it would do based on what I see in the picture.

    I've spent some time looking for powered lazy Susan's for my plants in the tent. So that they could individually rotate slowly to get better exposure all sides. Maybe I'll just make one someday.
     
  13. A central large lazy susan that is slowly spinning and then other smaller lazy susans attached to that like the tea cup ride at Disney

    New and open to any suggestions from the masters.
     
  14. Ok, I understand now what you think the original spinner did. It never operated similar to a lazy susan. Yea, that would be totally pointless.
    Let's just say that there were originally 12 plants. For ease of speak let's say that the plants are arranged around the bulb like numbers on a clock. Plant one sits at 1oclock, plant two on 2oclock, and so on around the circle. Each plant sat in a basket with gears around it and the gears all mate up. The motor would turn one gear and all gears move in unison. The plants do not rotate left or right as you stand in front and look at them. They spin as if each individual plant is on a lazy suzan. Plant 1 turns clock wise, plant 2 turns counter clockwise, plant 3 turns clockwise, plant 4 turns counter clockwise and so on. The motor turns plant 1 360 degrees, stops, reverses direction, and turns 360 degrees back to the starting position. It must have taken a lot of money and time to get the gearing properly spaced. A few years ago their motor manufacturer stopped making the motor and they went out of business in an attempt to redesign the system to fit some new motor.
    I actually think it was a brialliant idea and love that someone spent the effort to produce the spinners. However, my new configuration happens to be much more efficient for turn over time and better for nug quality. Knowing that the spinning quality is the expensive part of the system and also irrelevant, anyone should be able to duplicate the shell and this experiment.
    For a little further information I would reccomend doing a Google search for "Marijuana Spinner." There are some vids on utube to check out.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  15. image.jpeg

    Less than 8 hours after I spied 4 roots sticking out, I looked again and counted a total of 14 visible roots poking out. No roots yet to make it out the bottom of the cup, but that won't take long to matieralize.
     
  16. #16 Radicali, Sep 24, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2016
    image.jpeg image.jpeg

    Saturday 9-24-16.
    5th day in veg. 3rd day in the spinner. Light on 24 hours a day. Growing strong.

    Something to take notice of already: the new growth leaves are starting to curl a bit. This is a normal trait of new growth in the spinner. The light is not above the plant and to pick up all available light leaves must photo orient themselves. Instead of drooping the turgid leaf stem, the leaf grows a little curled and remains perpendicular to the bulb this way. Normally I would look at leaf curl like that and either think of nutrient burn or improper pH. Fortunately everything is normal and on track.

    image.jpeg
     
  17. image.jpeg
    Near max watering level.


    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
     
  18. Wish I could see all the pictures

    Sent from my SM-G360T1 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  19. #19 Radicali, Sep 25, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2016
    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg

    Sunday 9-25-16
    36 hours after the first roots showed, one has broached the bottom cuts and I counted 51 exposed root tips around the cup. This will be the last time I bother to count roots. It's going nuts at this point. Probably within 24 hours of flipping to flower.

    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg

    Yesterday I cut the rest of my room down. Today all the lights are back on and my AC has its usual workload. The part that's missing are all my big flowering plants using water and boosting my humidity. I don't have anything set up to boost humidity except for big plants so it will run a little low for a couple weeks.

    image.jpeg

    First Blue Lab pic is before adding a 5 gallon jug of the following.
    5 gallon H2O
    50 ml H&G Coco A
    50 ml H&G Coco B
    10 ml Botanicare Cal/Mag
    25 ml H&G Multi Zen
    The second Blue Lab pic is about 5 minutes after the jug was added.

    The two spinners have used about 5 gallons from their trash can since the last pic. EC went up 0.1 and pH stayed the same. Usually I let the spinners drink 5-10 gallons before I add more water and nutes. I mixed up a 5 gallon jug of nutes (nutes only, no pH UP) and dumped it in. Couldn't fit a little less than a quart in the Rez. After 5 minutes the Rez settled in by dropping pH by 0.1.
    Of course pH up was then added to achieve a final pH of 5.8.
    image.jpeg
     
  20. #20 Radicali, Sep 26, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2016
    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg image.jpeg

    Monday 9-26-16. Flowering starts today. Day 0.

    One of the most important pieces of the flowering process is proper pruning. This reduces the number of nugs grown and allows the plant to focus on those that are left over. Instead of finishing with some measure of worthless "larf," every nug is big, beautiful, and easy to trim. Yes, weight stays the same. Actually, weight and quality goes up when you strip plants properly, and trim time goes down. Triple Win!

    Generally, I strip every flowering plant of every node except the growing tip on the day they go into flower. All fan leaves stay.

    This is a quick sketch of a diagram that came with the spinner on how to properly prune your plants when you put them into flower inside the spinner. This is also what I now do to all my plants that flower under horizontal lights.
    image.jpeg

    This is what I have graduated to for the spinners specifically.
    image.jpeg

    This is what they should look like the day they start flowering in the spinner. 3 total growing nodes in which to funnel all growing power.
    image.jpeg

    So here is the solo cup before it was stripped.
    image.jpeg

    This is after being stripped.
    image.jpeg

    Of special note are the two bottom branches. They both had their own two node and fan leaf combinations down below the tip. I really only want the very last node or growing tip of the branch so I stripped the low branches as well. The nodes are small and some care must be used during their removal in order to not damage the fan leaves and stem.

    Here is a pic of the nodes removed. The top row came from the plants main trunk and the bottom row came from the two lowest branches which were kept.
    image.jpeg

    Finally, the fully loaded spinner with plants properly spaced about one hour away from the first time they will have ever seen darkness in their lives. I think after 12 hours of night they will get the point.

    Solo cup front and center.

    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
     

    Attached Files:

    • Like Like x 1

Share This Page