Need Your Grow Questions Answered? Come On In!

[Mike Sativa]

great questions

 

hopefully i can take a vacation soon and you can just answer them all in my absence

 

 

Hah, i wish i had the knowledge to answer them all. I think im soakin some up tho

 

Just walked in the door with some LVPK and im goin to my corner.

[BubbleBerryKush]

so I experienced a total loss in my room over the last week, not sure what did it (probably bad water but not sure how), but everything up and died on me....I am going to construct a new system...basically a RDWC like BG, but I need to know a few things first.

 

1) how do I design it to be compatible with a top off rez?

2) how do float valves work and how to hook them up?

3) where do I get a black 55 gallon drum on 3 days notice???

 

I hope I can keep my patients happy in the mean time....I am now 5 weeks behind!!!!

[Nix]

3) where do I get a black 55 gallon drum on 3 days notice???

 

I hope I can keep my patients happy in the mean time....I am now 5 weeks behind!!!!

 

I think the other guys can answer 1 and 2 better than I, but one easy solution for a large reservoir can be a large Rubbermaid garbage can from a home supply store.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/Cleaning-Trash-Recycling-Trash-Cans/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbqqi/R-100061889/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

Or you can go cheaper and get something like this 44 gallon container.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/Cleaning-Trash-Recycling-Trash-Cans/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbqqi/R-100642789/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[Grow Thread]

i know that royal smoke wanted a diy on the big rez, so i will whip one up tonight. with or without pics i will figure something out (im far awy from the grow rooms)

even if i have to get the crayons out and draw i will explain it tonight.

[BubbleBerryKush]

sidenote to my previous questions, my buddy is running a bubble system much like me, and he is experiencing yellow tips and some downward bending leafs (drooping??)....any ideas as to what would/could cause that???

Edited April 1, 2011 by BubbleBerryKush

[Grow Thread]

sidenote to my previous questions, my buddy is running a bubble system much like me, and he is experiencing yellow tips and some downward bending leafs (drooping??)....any ideas as to what would/could cause that???

 

how old are these plants?

got pics??

 

and i am typing/uploading pics for the 55gal rez right this second..... should be up within the hour.

[Grow Thread]

ok... real simple here. believe me..... it's MUCH more simple than it looks.

 

basically there are 2 types of floats. the pressure-fed float and the gravity float.

 

the pressure-fed float is one that you would mount inside a tote/tank/rez/whatever and then hook hook up to a r.o. filter. once your container is full.... the float trips and the r.o. filter shuts off. that would be this float: http://www.4hydropon...ssureFloatValve

 

that's NOT the float we want for this cause. for this big rez add-on we want the gravity fed float found here: http://www.4hydropon...avityFloatValve

 

gravity float = good.

 

we are now assuming that you are running this type of system:

 

ok....... at exactly 1:00 in that video i take the lid off the control bucket/tote.

 

that's where we mount our float valve. inside the control tote.

 

after you get your system built, and dialed in.......... that means filled up with water to the correct level and you have your return pump (also located inside the control tote and attached to the big blue tube coming out the top of the tote) dialed in you are ready to mount your float valve.

 

draw a line at your water level inside your control tote. this is going to be the level at which we install the float valve.

 

the float valve connects to the control bucket much like the 1/2" grommets and straight connectors do to the buckets/totes.

 

all the necessary hardware comes with the float kit. drill your hole in the side at your line and insert the float. then use the provided washers and nuts to screw/seal it in place.

 

this would be a top view of your control tote.... looking down inside with the float valve mounted. as shown in the video, there would also be a water pump and an air stone in the bottom of the tote as well. but here's a top view:

 

much like in the tank of your toilet.

 

there will be a part of the float sticking through the outside of the tote. this is where we attach tubing to our 55gal drum.

 

the 55gal drum needs to be on a platform or something to raise it at least 6-8" off the ground in order to let gravity drain the entire 55gal drum...... otherwise, it will only drain to a level equal to that inside the control tote.

 

so raise your 55gal drum a few inches and make an "entry point" near the bottom of your 55gal. i make this the exact same way as i do for the 5gal grow buckets. 1/2" grommet and straight connector. then run a tube from that straight connector to the part of the float valve that is sticking outside of the control tote:

 

notice the blue line (1/2" tubing) is slanted down from the 55gal to the control?? you MUST have a slight incline or the gravity will only get you so far. this is one of the reasons that raising your 55gal up 6-8" (a full foot is best) off the ground is necessary.

 

so basically what is happening here is this........................

 

the plants drink some water/nutes and the control tote gets a bit more empty. this lowers the float and opens it up. when it is open, the float will allow gravity fed water/nutes from the 55gal to drain through the tubing and into the control tote. once the control tote has reached our "proper level" the float will close up and the flow of water/nutes from the 55gal will stop.............. until the plants drink more water and the process starts over again.

 

so now, instead of filling through the control tote.... we are filling through the 55gal drum.

 

you must still obviously do all of your ph/ppm/temp checking from the control tote though.

 

i also recommend having more than one airstone in the 55gal to help keep things mixed/stirred.

 

i hope to be headed out to the larger rooms this afternoon, and if i do, i will get some actual pics instead of my stick drawings........... but there's the plans for you

 

also.... the barb that comes out of the tote from the float valve is 3/8" and the connection i make at the 55gal is the normal 1/2" so somewhere along the line you will need to either reduce the 3/8" side to 1/2" or vice-versa.

 

if you are like me, you have tons of 1/2" stuff laying around so i just reduced it coming off the float to 1/2". lowes has the correct barbed fitting for just a couple bucks:

http://www.lowes.com...52F2%26page%3D5

(they have the poly fitting as well..... just not on the website)

[Inepsa]

Is that one pump good enough to run all 8 buckets? I think I have the same pump, 80 watts i think. But I have it running only 4 buckets, could I cut that down to 8 buckets and be safe?

[Grow Thread]

Is that one pump good enough to run all 8 buckets? I think I have the same pump, 80 watts i think. But I have it running only 4 buckets, could I cut that down to 8 buckets and be safe?

 

air pump or water pump?

[Grow Thread]

oh sorry.... duh.... 80 watts

 

i have had that pump connected to 12-5gal buckets AND 4-10gal totes.

 

or 16-5gal buckets.

 

actually........ at the moment, that exact air pump is powering 2 systems just like the one in the video.

[Inepsa]

oh sorry.... duh.... 80 watts

 

i have had that pump connected to 12-5gal buckets AND 4-10gal totes.

 

or 16-5gal buckets.

 

actually.... that video is older.... at the moment, that exact air pump is powering 2 systems just like the one in the video.

 

Wow. I guess i underestimated that pump then Now I know I dont have to buy another pump to expanded to more buckets.

 

Can a 5 gallon bucket have to much air?

[Grow Thread]

Wow. I guess i underestimated that pump then Now I know I dont have to buy another pump to expanded to more buckets.

 

Can a 5 gallon bucket have to much air?

 

if it blows the lid off the bucket, or starts spitting water out the sides..... i call it "too much"

 

but other than that...... not really.

 

but there is no need to pump air at them like a mad-man..... its not going to help them grow faster. they are only going to take so much oxygen...

 

also, i have NEVER been a fan of beating your roots to death with super high powered bubbles or undercurrent system.

roots are fragile and should be treated as such

[David1946]

sorry i missed this

 

look at him grow folks!!

 

 

 

 

this is probably going to be your way: http://michiganmedic...t-bubblebucket/

 

but you should probably read through this one too just to help solidify the concept of whats going on: http://michiganmedic...bbletote-build/

 

same idea, different containers.

 

in your situation, i would just go with the 5gal buckets for now. later on down the line if you decide to grow multiple plants in bubbles, you may find it more space conserving to start them in the 10gal totes @ 2 per tote and then either move them into 5gal buckets..... or if going big.... moving each plant into its own 10gal tote.

 

but for your first go at it, id stay with the 5gal.

 

since you already have the expensive stuff, your cost is going to be minimal. that 5' ceiling may become a problem though.... maybe you could veg in there and then just move the bucket to your normal flower room? just a thought.

 

after you get the idea, feel free to come back at me with any new questions and we'll get ya going

 

We got everything put together and found out I have an electrical supply issue and keep popping the breakers. My brother is going to have an electrician he knows come over and fix the problems, will keep you posted on progress.

 

Thank You for all YOU do for us!

[Les]

Hello. It's been quite a while since I've bugged you all with a question. Had to veg for WAAY to long for numerous reasons I don't feel like discussing.

 

Just flipped to flower 2 days ago, and I have some questions.

 

Hot Shots. . . should I use them ALL the time? And. . . is it safe for my cat to be in the same barn as my grow room with a Hot Shot in the veg tent and one in the grow room??

 

Is there anything wrong with trying to take clones from a plant in flower? I pruned and had some nice cuttings, started them in rockwool. . . is there any reason why this is a bad idea with the moms in day 3 of flower?

 

How much pruning should I be doing in preparation for flower, and is it OK to prune during flower?

 

 

 

Les thanks you for any and all advice.

 

[Grow Thread]

 

Just flipped to flower 2 days ago, and I have some questions.

 

Hot Shots. . . should I use them ALL the time? And. . . is it safe for my cat to be in the same barn as my grow room with a Hot Shot in the veg tent and one in the grow room??

 

Is there anything wrong with trying to take clones from a plant in flower? I pruned and had some nice cuttings, started them in rockwool. . . is there any reason why this is a bad idea with the moms in day 3 of flower?

 

How much pruning should I be doing in preparation for flower, and is it OK to prune during flower?

 

 

i only use the hotshots a couple/few days at a time and then put them in ziplock bags for a week and then bust them out again for a few days. i wouldnt be having a cat around though..... thats just me.

 

if its a problem, switch to some neem oil. much safer and it will stay with your plants as a preventative.

 

taking clones from a plant that is in flower is not a royally bad thing. if the plant is only a few days in flower you should have no problems at all. if it is a couple weeks or more into flower your clone will probably take longer to root, and it will grow all kinds of crazy growth for awhile.... one bladed leaves ......ect....... but it will eventually grow out of it and be normal again.

 

pruning in flower? thats like red apples/green apples.

 

i really need to go back and re-do this diy with a prettier/bigger plant but here's what i do: http://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/topic/18150-need-your-grow-questions-answered-come-on-in/page__view__findpost__p__256837

[Les]

i only use the hotshots a couple/few days at a time and then put them in ziplock bags for a week and then bust them out again for a few days. i wouldnt be having a cat around though..... thats just me.

 

if its a problem, switch to some neem oil. much safer and it will stay with your plants as a preventative.

 

taking clones from a plant that is in flower is not a royally bad thing. if the plant is only a few days in flower you should have no problems at all. if it is a couple weeks or more into flower your clone will probably take longer to root, and it will grow all kinds of crazy growth for awhile.... one bladed leaves ......ect....... but it will eventually grow out of it and be normal again.

 

pruning in flower? thats like red apples/green apples.

 

i really need to go back and re-do this diy with a prettier/bigger plant but here's what i do: http://michiganmedic...post__p__256837

 

 

 

Thanks as always. Am I reading that correctly. . . you did the final pruning about 3 weeks into flower? What's the latest you'd prune a plant in flower?

 

 

 

 

 

[Grow Thread]

Thanks as always. Am I reading that correctly. . . you did the final pruning about 3 weeks into flower? What's the latest you'd prune a plant in flower?

 

 

 

 

 

 

2-3 weeks into flower is the latest i will go. others will say different ..... but thats how i do it.

[The Digital Nomad]

Another problem with trying to clone a flowering plant, by this time the main stem and much of the lower stems are woody. It seems that clones with a woody stem does not root as well as cuttings with the softer, green, new vegetative growth. I am not sure the cellular structure of this woody stem has enough of the cells to produce the rooting action. Thoughts?

 

-DN

[engineered_excellence]

I left town for two days, and long story short, I found that my flowering light was on the whole time! My plants had only been in flower about 10 days and were barely starting to show before I left. After two days of non-stop light they are really starting to show some flowers and looking great... But, will this have a huge effect on my plants? Did I totally screw up?

[Grow Thread]

Another problem with trying to clone a flowering plant, by this time the main stem and much of the lower stems are woody. It seems that clones with a woody stem does not root as well as cuttings with the softer, green, new vegetative growth. I am not sure the cellular structure of this woody stem has enough of the cells to produce the rooting action. Thoughts?

 

-DN

 

oh you are 100% correct. the "rule of thumb" is the longer you wait after they hit flower, the longer rooting time is.

 

if you take clones from a plant that is 2-3-4 weeks in flower you will more than likely have to wait at least twice the time for most strains for clone rooting

 

I left town for two days, and long story short, I found that my flowering light was on the whole time! My plants had only been in flower about 10 days and were barely starting to show before I left. After two days of non-stop light they are really starting to show some flowers and looking great... But, will this have a huge effect on my plants? Did I totally screw up?

 

i would resume normal lighting right now, and pray.

 

thats all you can do.

 

that first couple weeks in flower is a very sensitive time.... so the only way to know for sure is to get them back on a 12/12 schedule and keep an eye out for hermies.

 

there is just no way to say "yes or no" for sure after that crazy of a lighting change at that stage in flower.

[Nix]

Good pruning tutorial. The Lucas Method is making my two DWC test plants grow enormous leaves and lots of em! I've never seen the like. I'm doing a SCROG with them that makes it a bit harder to prune, but it's definitely essential.

 

I've taken developed buds off of flowering plants (that I just had to save and propagate) and they rooted just fine. BG is correct that they take forever. The two I revegged were White Widow. They showed roots the same as a vegetative cutting but after they took almost a month to start growing leaves again. Totally worth though to save the traits I liked.

[engineered_excellence]

 

i would resume normal lighting right now, and pray.

 

thats all you can do.

 

that first couple weeks in flower is a very sensitive time.... so the only way to know for sure is to get them back on a 12/12 schedule and keep an eye out for hermies.

 

there is just no way to say "yes or no" for sure after that crazy of a lighting change at that stage in flower.

 

Thanks, I corrected the problem last night. My flowering light is normally on from 7am to 7pm, so the lights were on from friday 7am until sunday 7pm, or so, when I realized that they were not going off! Luckily I only had two plants in flower, but it sucks because these were going to be my first harvest!

 

Hopefully everything is alright, I'm pretty optimistic, and I think that helps..lol.

 

If these were to hermie, when would they start to show that?...Is there really no telling when? When I first got home sunday and checked on them, I was pumped because friday they were barely showing flower, and on sunday the calyxes were really starting to pop.

[Grow Thread]

 

 

If these were to hermie, when would they start to show that?...

 

within the next week or 2 at most

[ToadInCan]

Greetings BubbleGrower! I've achieved success with the budget bubble grow. Granted, it's my own level of success... being able to satisfy myself and my patients. But, as the pebble drops into the pond and the rings grow larger, my desire to grow better grows stronger. Thank you for the inspiration! What I am thinking about now is "Do I need mother plants?" I've determined the strains which I want to grow, and I have clones enough to perpetuate them. Is there an advantage to having a mother plant? Is there a reason why I wouldn't be able to keep cutting clones at the end of veg? Thanks again for all the guidance!

[Grow Thread]

Greetings BubbleGrower! I've achieved success with the budget bubble grow. Granted, it's my own level of success... being able to satisfy myself and my patients. But, as the pebble drops into the pond and the rings grow larger, my desire to grow better grows stronger. Thank you for the inspiration! What I am thinking about now is "Do I need mother plants?" I've determined the strains which I want to grow, and I have clones enough to perpetuate them. Is there an advantage to having a mother plant? Is there a reason why I wouldn't be able to keep cutting clones at the end of veg? Thanks again for all the guidance!

 

glad to hear things are going well!!

 

mother plants ...... do i or dont i??

 

many folks believe that a plant/genetics will "lose its luster" if you just take clones from vegging plants cycle after cycle.

 

i am on board with that idea ....... but i feel its more strain specific than anything else. i know people who have 20-25th generation clones and swear up and down it's just as good as the original. on the other hand, i know folks that swear their strains arent the same after just a few generations.

 

keeping mother plants ends all confusion and avoids the possibility of the strain getting "watered down" after a few cycles (or a few years of cycles)

 

mother plants are also a way to keep genetics around without actually growing them out.

 

mother plants double your chances of keeping the strain around as well. if you have a disaster in the grow room and lose everything..... you still have the mother plants..... or vice versa.

 

many people with larger grows keep mothers because its a way to take 20-30-40 clones all at once and know that they are "all the same" as far as age and strain and everything else.

 

with the popularity of fem seeds these days, i see 12-24 plant growers going without mother plants more and more often.

 

i guess that one is totally up to you. if you KNOW that you are going to keep the genetics around for a LONG time ...... i'd keep mothers.

 

if you are just going to make a couple/few runs and then switch out genetics for new ...... i'd save the plant count and go without mothers.