From my Asian brothers....
- Thread starter Will Thayer
- Start date
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
Yeah I know what you mean. When I defoliate next week I will prop her up if she has not sorted herself out by then. I spread all the top out with the net should look a bit more tidy next week.Perhaps raise the pot of the problem child a bit?
Cheers,
Will
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
UPDATE:
Heading into week 2 of flowering. stripped all growth beneath the canopy and rearranged a few tops here and there. Not scrogging this run was a bad decision on my part. The canopy is scruffy for lack of a better description. I managed to get some shots of the Far red flood with and without camera flash. Some nice early trichomes on the SLH. These plants have been cloned for the next fixture that will be going up along side this one. I do not keep mothers, plant numbers affect sentencing where I live. I am a hobbyist not a commercial grower. The pineapple express has decided to behave and is catching up with the rest of the canopy. I am going to swap out the Super Lemon Haze with a Medical glue I have on the next run.
Cheers,
Will
Heading into week 2 of flowering. stripped all growth beneath the canopy and rearranged a few tops here and there. Not scrogging this run was a bad decision on my part. The canopy is scruffy for lack of a better description. I managed to get some shots of the Far red flood with and without camera flash. Some nice early trichomes on the SLH. These plants have been cloned for the next fixture that will be going up along side this one. I do not keep mothers, plant numbers affect sentencing where I live. I am a hobbyist not a commercial grower. The pineapple express has decided to behave and is catching up with the rest of the canopy. I am going to swap out the Super Lemon Haze with a Medical glue I have on the next run.
Cheers,
Will
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
UPDATE:
Week three is finished and I am happy with the progress these four young ladies are making. I must admit the uneven canopy still bothers me. I am just preconditioned to expect uniformity. Never mind, things could always be better with anything I suppose. I am quite surprised by the lower bud development with the CXB3590 run at 700ma. Could be the extra Himalayan yak semen I am using as a bloom booster.
I did notice some sort of critter helped themselves to bit of fan leaf. Nothing too serious as of yet, some sort of leaf mining bug. I left it a note and asked for it to be on it's way. That is fair warning in my book. Anymore leaf damage and I will open a can of whoop ass. Just ask the fungus gnats they got a good dose of nematodes last week. All God's creatures have a right to life but if they get greedy I have to assert my authority with violence of action.
Cheers,
Will
Week three is finished and I am happy with the progress these four young ladies are making. I must admit the uneven canopy still bothers me. I am just preconditioned to expect uniformity. Never mind, things could always be better with anything I suppose. I am quite surprised by the lower bud development with the CXB3590 run at 700ma. Could be the extra Himalayan yak semen I am using as a bloom booster.
I did notice some sort of critter helped themselves to bit of fan leaf. Nothing too serious as of yet, some sort of leaf mining bug. I left it a note and asked for it to be on it's way. That is fair warning in my book. Anymore leaf damage and I will open a can of whoop ass. Just ask the fungus gnats they got a good dose of nematodes last week. All God's creatures have a right to life but if they get greedy I have to assert my authority with violence of action.
Cheers,
Will
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
Sure thing UKP,
The room is stud walled and insulated with Kingspan. A layer of white/white plastic over everything including the floor which also has pond liner in case something were to go amiss. On top of the plastic is a layer of Orca film (over kill and bloody expensive). This flower area is 2.4 x 2.4m.
I use a tiny 140cm x 70cm x 70cm grow tent for vegging clones/seedlings. I try to keep plant numbers down because I am a hobby grower and if the worst should happen I do not want the old bill to think I am commercial. So when a clone/seedling is ready to flower (4-6 weeks) I take two cuttings before she goes into the flowering room. the best of the two gets vegged until a spot opens up in the flowering room. Rinse and repeat.
I make my own soil and the ingredients change depending on what I have available at the time. I learned to grow hydroponically in the Netherlands back in the 90's but I prefer to dance with microbes and minerals now. There is something about building a soil that is beautiful to me. The synergy between the grower and soil is like a microcosm of the whole universe. Goodies and baddies all vying for supremacy, cause and effects,decisions and consequences. I love it. I balls it up sometimes and that is part of the fun.
I run my flowering room from 23:00 - 11:00. This keep temps within range and I can do my garden maintenance in the morning when the kids have gone to school and my partner goes to work.
I move fresh air in from a small room on the "cool" side of the house during the day when the lights are off. At night when the lights are on the air is enriched with CO2 from my sleeping family. I know it sounds daft but I have had readings of 1300 ppm during the night with a CO2 monitor. I have a CO2 generator but have not used it in years.(Hydrogen rusty piece of crap) My family supplies lots of CO2 for free as they sleep.
The exhaust goes through a mountain air carbon filter/hyper fan outside of the flowering room into the loft and goes through another carbon filter(Rhino Pro) that is mounted to a positive pressure ventilator system back into my house. I have a set and forget dehumidifier just in case but it is rarely on. The air is exchanged constantly and the positive pressure ventilator covers up any noise from the loft. (My family is not aware of my hobby) Scheduling and logistics can be a nightmare sometimes with the family not knowing what I do but it keeps me on my toes and focused.I have another little grow cabinet that I use as a test bed for new strains and techniques that interest me. This area can be accessed more readily during the day without raising any suspicion from my family.
Efficiency of LED also helps me to avoid awkward conversations with my other half about power bills
Sorry to ramble on but you did ask.
Cheers,
Will
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
Yep I love my little soil assassins. Neem oil, Diatomaceous earth, yellow sticky traps. So many tools to help a gardener out.
Cheers,
Will
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Your recommendation for fungus gnats in coco?
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
Hello ttystikk,
You are an experienced and intelligent grower so a lot of this you already know I am sure.
We have had fungus gnats bad this year. The weather must have suited them because they are everywhere. I treated the rest of the house first.
I made some traps with apple cider vinegar, washing up liquid (dish soap) and sugar. I have these placed about the house and everyday for about two weeks there seemed to be new "floaters" in each trap. I have the yellow sticky traps in the grow space because I am accident prone and the vinegar/sugar/dish soap makes a mess when I inevitably knock them over.
Some say diatomaceous earth helps but I think it is better against spider mites. I spray my vegging plants with a neem oil/soap concoction and do not see any in the veg tent. I have topdressed flowering plants with perlite but I think sand would prove more effective. Having witnessed the little buggers crawling out of the perlite laughing at me. I have used the product linked below with HMA filtered water. The population definitely took a hit when the nematodes were introduced.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004R2GQ2S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1,
If you are growing hydroponically in coco perhaps you could try a root soak. Gnatrol or mosquito dunks but I have only read about these and have no real world experience to offer about them. I try to stay away from stuff that might make my wee wee turn a funny colour.
I think a multi prong attack is your best defence. Mechanical, biological and as a very last resort chemical. I do not think I ever get rid of them completely in the summertime but I lower their population to a point that they do not present a nuisance.
Hope you find a solution that works for you friend.
Cheers,
Will
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Much appreciated. My gnat problems multiplied when I switched substrates, and now you have me thinking about nematodes.Hello ttystikk,
You are an experienced and intelligent grower so a lot of this you already know I am sure.
We have had fungus gnats bad this year. The weather must have suited them because they are everywhere. I treated the rest of the house first.
I made some traps with apple cider vinegar, washing up liquid (dish soap) and sugar. I have these placed about the house and everyday for about two weeks there seemed to be new "floaters" in each trap. I have the yellow sticky traps in the grow space because I am accident prone and the vinegar/sugar/dish soap makes a mess when I inevitably knock them over.
Some say diatomaceous earth helps but I think it is better against spider mites. I spray my vegging plants with a neem oil/soap concoction and do not see any in the veg tent. I have topdressed flowering plants with perlite but I think sand would prove more effective. Having witnessed the little buggers crawling out of the perlite laughing at me. I have used the product linked below with HMA filtered water. The population definitely took a hit when the nematodes were introduced.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004R2GQ2S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1,
If you are growing hydroponically in coco perhaps you could try a root soak. Gnatrol or mosquito dunks but I have only read about these and have no real world experience to offer about them. I try to stay away from stuff that might make my wee wee turn a funny colour.
I think a multi prong attack is your best defence. Mechanical, biological and as a very last resort chemical. I do not think I ever get rid of them completely in the summertime but I lower their population to a point that they do not present a nuisance.
Hope you find a solution that works for you friend.
Cheers,
Will
Ttystikk,
I use nematodes on my seedlings grown in coco. I had great success knocking out fungus knats. Takes about 3-4 days & I see no more knats. I wouldn't expose them to UV light while you water them in. I've very little success with the apple cider vinegar.
Good Luck & Good Growing...
Phpatrick
I use nematodes on my seedlings grown in coco. I had great success knocking out fungus knats. Takes about 3-4 days & I see no more knats. I wouldn't expose them to UV light while you water them in. I've very little success with the apple cider vinegar.
Good Luck & Good Growing...
Phpatrick
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
Man this is all making me so thankful I use RDWC.... all these bug, fungus, and bacteria issues are all foreign problems to me, thankfully.
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
When I ran out of apple cider vinegar I used white instead and it seemed to work better. Do not know why. I also tried some balsamic but that did not seem to be very good.
With nematodes I like the idea of releasing a herd of assassins into the soil. MUAWHAHAHA.
Cheers,
Will
klx
Well-Known Member
Hey mate, could I trouble you for a bit more info on your ventilation system? When you say the positive pressure ventilator covers up any noise from the loft, do you mean that it is louder than your flower room exhaust or is it related to having positive pressure in the house? Did you install the house ventilation system yourself?I move fresh air in from a small room on the "cool" side of the house during the day when the lights are off. At night when the lights are on the air is enriched with CO2 from my sleeping family. I know it sounds daft but I have had readings of 1300 ppm during the night with a CO2 monitor. I have a CO2 generator but have not used it in years.(Hydrogen rusty piece of crap) My family supplies lots of CO2 for free as they sleep.
Cheers,
Will
I am always looking for ways to improve my stealth and if your missus doesn't even know what you are up to in the loft you must have it sorted!
Cheers.
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
Hello KLX,
What I did in my situation is complain about condensation to my other half and then explained the benefits of a positive pressure ventilation system to her. The system causes a positive pressure in your home like inside of a balloon. It draws air from the loft and instead of drafts coming in the pressure reverses the the flow. You know yourself we get a lot of moisture in our air in the U.K. Double glazed doors and windows attract condensation. The air is constantly turning over in our house, which is healthy for people and plants.
I installed this bit of kit:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kair-Kalahari-Positive-Ventilation-Pressure/dp/B004VW51TI/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1469016733&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=positive+pressure+ventilation
It comes with a switch with "boost" and "trickle" options. You set it on boost for a couple to three days and then leave it on trickle which uses 40 watts.
I mounted a rhino pro carbon filter on top of the unit where you see the intake arrow. This vents out of a flange from the ceiling over the stairs and landing. I needed a reason for fan noise and this is the best I could come up with. There is fan noise (quiet hum) but the family is used to it and the house air stays fresh.
So CO2 enriched air is actively drawn from our bedrooms into the flowering room. It is then depleted of CO2 and dehumidified and exhausted through first carbon filter out of the flower room into the rest of the loft. From there the unit above draws it through another carbon filter and back into the house. The second carbon filter is just for redundancy. If the first filter fails the second helps me to avoid uncomfortable conversations with the wife (screaming and name calling). It also filters any nasties that might be in the air from loft. Not the cheapest solution but my situation warranted some extra money spent to insure myself a quiet life.
This is my hobby and I do tend to spend a bit here and there if needed. Even if I did not grow I like the system for what it does. The house stays warmer in winter and the air is drier. You do get some warm air in the summer from solar gain of the roof but is not too bad.
The active intake fills the flowering room with warm air in the winter from our house central heating so no electric heaters are required up there in winter. More watts saved.
You could make one of these unit easily with a filter and fan. I needed to buy it and make a show of reading the instructions so the wife was happy.
If you would like to give me details of your situation we could put our heads together and maybe come up with a viable solution to suit your needs. I am always happy to help my secret interweb Canna Buddies.
Cheers,
Will
Will Thayer
Well-Known Member
I am happy that your system is working well for you.
All systems have their pros and cons. I think the best system is the one that the grower is most comfortable using. Whatever system is being used there will inevitably be problems at one point or another. Knowing your particular system inside and out and how to react to any issues that arise is the path to Zen. I have grown hydroponically with quite a variety of active and passive systems. They were fun and I enjoyed the mechanical tinkering involved. Organics hold my attention now because there is a bond between humans and the soil that spans throughout our existence as a species. I may sound like a tree hugger but when I run my fingers through good life giving soil it is a spiritual thing, kind of completing the circle like coming home after a long journey.
"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
Whatever your belief system is, we are all stardust.
The soil and the grower are one and it is a beautiful thing.
Cheers,
Will
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
All very true, but in all honesty, it is H2O Water, that stems and supports any and all life. It is the essence of existence.I am happy that your system is working well for you.
I have grown hydroponically with quite a variety of active and passive systems. They were fun and I enjoyed the mechanical tinkering involved. Organics hold my attention now because there is a bond between humans and the soil that spans throughout our existence as a species. I may sound like a tree hugger but when I run my fingers through good life giving soil it is a spiritual thing, kind of completing the circle like coming home after a long journey.
"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
Whatever your belief system is, we are all stardust.
The soil and the grower are one and it is a beautiful thing.
Cheers,
Will
Will,
I must say I like your setup for C02. Allot of growers don't realize the C02 a family of humans can create. Unless you have humongous grow I really don't see wasting energy to create it. Although, I do understand each grow room is different & it is not always feasible to pull air in from ones living quarters.
My luck it would break down & my whole home smell like Peppy Le'Pue got lost Up In Here.
Phpatrick
I must say I like your setup for C02. Allot of growers don't realize the C02 a family of humans can create. Unless you have humongous grow I really don't see wasting energy to create it. Although, I do understand each grow room is different & it is not always feasible to pull air in from ones living quarters.
My luck it would break down & my whole home smell like Peppy Le'Pue got lost Up In Here.
Phpatrick