MrHowardMarks' experienced grower journal.
- Thread starter MrHowardMarks
- Start date
You know, not just because of this grow but, I was wondering how most people set-up the electricity for their setups. I imagine some people (I bet that it's a very small percentage of people here) have the ability/expertise to install sub-panels for their setup, but others are not so lucky or do not have those kinds of skills.I have space like that... all I need now is an electrician to come set up the electrical to handle what I want to have going in the space... your not an electrician are you???
What do most of you do about your electrical solutions...
?
MrHowardMarks
Well-Known Member
About electricity;
I used to work with a group of growers, I was the construction/drywall guy, we had an electrician, two distributors and three gardeners. Seven gardens in total.
I learned electricity from automotive applications, which is DC, so it didn't help me at all with standard AC, like in all US homes.
Working closely with the electrician, (we also rehabbed homes), I learned all the basics of setting up a subpanel, and running new lines.
If you aren't going to pull tons of juice, ie more than 4 x 600W, I'd recommend splicing into an already existing line, installing a junction box and running a new line to an outlet.
If you have a line that goes to a bedroom, where there isn't a lot of energy being used, turn it off at the panel, find the lead wire, and cut it in half, and splice another line into it making a 3 way connection. Use wire nuts and keep the connection inside a junction box. Run the newly installed line to wherever you want the outlet, and voila.
It's really not that hard to splice in a new line, if you only are running a couple lights, this is your easiest solution.
Tips;
-
when messing with lines that may be live, only use one hand. Keep your other hand free, away from any ground. Reason being, if you get shocked, it will look for the easiest way of traveling out to a ground, if your other hand is grounded, the electricity might pass directly over your chest (heart) and out the other hand, possibly stopping your heart. If you keep your hand free, you'll just get a little jolt to just your hand, and forearm. 
- :s give yourself a little extra wire, you'll need to trim off for connections, and more is better than less so you don't run out of length.
-
get youself a voltage meter/tester, and a nice wire stripper, Kline tools are the best imo.
- get a do-it-yourself guide to electricity, it explains almost everything. 
I used to work with a group of growers, I was the construction/drywall guy, we had an electrician, two distributors and three gardeners. Seven gardens in total.
I learned electricity from automotive applications, which is DC, so it didn't help me at all with standard AC, like in all US homes.
Working closely with the electrician, (we also rehabbed homes), I learned all the basics of setting up a subpanel, and running new lines.
If you aren't going to pull tons of juice, ie more than 4 x 600W, I'd recommend splicing into an already existing line, installing a junction box and running a new line to an outlet.
If you have a line that goes to a bedroom, where there isn't a lot of energy being used, turn it off at the panel, find the lead wire, and cut it in half, and splice another line into it making a 3 way connection. Use wire nuts and keep the connection inside a junction box. Run the newly installed line to wherever you want the outlet, and voila.
It's really not that hard to splice in a new line, if you only are running a couple lights, this is your easiest solution.
Tips;
-
when messing with lines that may be live, only use one hand. Keep your other hand free, away from any ground. Reason being, if you get shocked, it will look for the easiest way of traveling out to a ground, if your other hand is grounded, the electricity might pass directly over your chest (heart) and out the other hand, possibly stopping your heart. If you keep your hand free, you'll just get a little jolt to just your hand, and forearm. - :s give yourself a little extra wire, you'll need to trim off for connections, and more is better than less so you don't run out of length.
-
get youself a voltage meter/tester, and a nice wire stripper, Kline tools are the best imo.-
get a do-it-yourself guide to electricity, it explains almost everything. 
VictorVIcious
Well-Known Member
And what any book will tell you is always turn off the power at the control panel first.
And that may be the easiest solution, it is not a good one. Working with electric wiring is easy as abc and sometimes d. Black, white, green and sometimes red. The black (hot, power) wire goes to the gold screw, the white (nuetral, return) wire goes to the silver screw and the green (grounding) wire goes to the green screw. This color coding will get you thru 110Volt circuits. Splicing of a power wire is only to be done with a pigtail drop, in a workbox. In addition to being safer its also easier to remove and get rid of.
It would be better to install a new breaker in your power panel and run the wiring from there. Always over power your circuits, use 12 wire not 14, use 20 amp circuits not 15 and get receptacle that are 20 amp not 15. The extra dollars will be well spent. Buy a few good tools with the money you save doing it yourself, Howard has mentioned the best ones, Klien, they have some kits that are reasonable priced, they are good tools, not cheap tools, money well spent again. VV
And that may be the easiest solution, it is not a good one. Working with electric wiring is easy as abc and sometimes d. Black, white, green and sometimes red. The black (hot, power) wire goes to the gold screw, the white (nuetral, return) wire goes to the silver screw and the green (grounding) wire goes to the green screw. This color coding will get you thru 110Volt circuits. Splicing of a power wire is only to be done with a pigtail drop, in a workbox. In addition to being safer its also easier to remove and get rid of.
It would be better to install a new breaker in your power panel and run the wiring from there. Always over power your circuits, use 12 wire not 14, use 20 amp circuits not 15 and get receptacle that are 20 amp not 15. The extra dollars will be well spent. Buy a few good tools with the money you save doing it yourself, Howard has mentioned the best ones, Klien, they have some kits that are reasonable priced, they are good tools, not cheap tools, money well spent again. VV
MrHowardMarks
Well-Known Member
Yep, she's a big wuss, her name's Kaya. Scary looking, but a total baby.
Nahasapeemapetilon
Well-Known Member
You have my attention MrMarks.
Subscribed.
Subscribed.
MrHowardMarks
Well-Known Member
Here's a couple better pics of her, and two I just took, if you broke in my house, she'd run and get a toy to play with.Attachments
MrHowardMarks
Well-Known Member
-----ON TOPIC-----
Back to buisness.
Today all 6 Mango seeds hatched
I was waiting for someone to question my abilities on germinating seeds
Even I thought that I might be doing something wrong, but I put the Mangos in on Monday, and they are all done 100% success rate. Whew.
I guess seeds have a limit on how long they keep, but my DJ short seeds were both good, and they are 7 years old. Oh well, I now have 12 live plants.
None of the 9Mile has hatched
Back to buisness.
Today all 6 Mango seeds hatched
I was waiting for someone to question my abilities on germinating seeds
Even I thought that I might be doing something wrong, but I put the Mangos in on Monday, and they are all done 100% success rate. Whew.
I guess seeds have a limit on how long they keep, but my DJ short seeds were both good, and they are 7 years old. Oh well, I now have 12 live plants.
None of the 9Mile has hatched
MrHowardMarks
Well-Known Member
Gotta rollitup and head out to a disc golf tourney 
Edit* I won the tournament, -16, 50 bucks
Edit* I won the tournament, -16, 50 bucks
HookedOnChronic
Well-Known Member
props on the win!
hows are the sprouts?
hows are the sprouts?
MrHowardMarks
Well-Known Member
-----ON TOPIC-----
ONE 9Mile hatched!!!
Out of twenty.
Both Blueberries are starting their second leaf set.
One Super Skunk is starting it's second leaf set.
Two Super Skunks are being stupid and further establishing roots, but the seed are just above soil line.
The Silver Diesel is like the 2 Super Skunks.
All six Mangos are peeking out of the soil.
I think old seeds might lose some rigor, the Mangos are from a year ago, and I just bought the Super Skunk, but who knows how old they are.
Still the DJ Short Blueberries are the best so far, and they are 7 years old.
ONE 9Mile hatched!!!
Out of twenty.
Both Blueberries are starting their second leaf set.
One Super Skunk is starting it's second leaf set.
Two Super Skunks are being stupid and further establishing roots, but the seed are just above soil line.
The Silver Diesel is like the 2 Super Skunks.
All six Mangos are peeking out of the soil.
I think old seeds might lose some rigor, the Mangos are from a year ago, and I just bought the Super Skunk, but who knows how old they are.
Still the DJ Short Blueberries are the best so far, and they are 7 years old.
theloadeddragon
Well-Known Member
so good so far.... I'll have more to say in a few weeks Im sure...
CantHelpIt
Active Member
pretty nice garden you've started, hopefully the 9mile is a lady gotta rep bob marley
MrHowardMarks
Well-Known Member
-----ON TOPIC-----
A second 9Mile hatched and both have sprouted and started their first leaf set.
The blueberries are on their third set.
One Super Skunk is on it's second set.
Four Mangos are on their first set, two haven't dropped the bean.
(Two Super Skunks, and the Silver Diesel are being retarded and haven't fully sprouted yet)
I might hatch the rest of the Super Skunk seeds if they don't sprout soon. Someone's about to get a bad seedbank review.
A second 9Mile hatched and both have sprouted and started their first leaf set.
The blueberries are on their third set.
One Super Skunk is on it's second set.
Four Mangos are on their first set, two haven't dropped the bean.
(Two Super Skunks, and the Silver Diesel are being retarded and haven't fully sprouted yet)
I might hatch the rest of the Super Skunk seeds if they don't sprout soon. Someone's about to get a bad seedbank review.
theloadeddragon
Well-Known Member
Be patient, a seed will wait for optimum conditions to crack.... I had a seed take over a month once, but I just kept watering it, after it sprouted it grew faster and stronger and danker than any of the other six plants... was AK47 about six years ago.
raiderman
Well-Known Member
Be gad wen you get up and runin , on top wat you were born to do.Got my mr. nice g13 hashpant seeds, got ah 20 goin in one grow room , got 9 adies about to fini. in one ,thanx for hep and encouragement , i need it. gonna seed a coupe branches, B.moonshine crossed w/hashpant , two hashpant crosses, a wite and bue.potent.
MrHowardMarks
Well-Known Member
-I was about to buy some AK47, great strain, the Mango I have looks/grows kinda like it.
I though I mentioned the Mango's lineage, but I guess not since I wasn't sure if I was going to sprout it, and I did it later than the others.
The Mango I have isn't exactly Mango. I was growing Mango and Silver Pearl at the same time, and the Mango takes longer to finish than the Pearl.
One Pearl developed a couple of male flowers, I didn't notice til I was harvesting. It was the plant that sat right in front of the entry door. I assume light was leaking under the doorway, and it caused the slight hermie.
I'll know for sure when it starts to flower, the mango is a ridiculous streatcher, and the Pearl is short and squaty.
Plus these are feminized, so they should be all female, and the mother pearl wasn't a normal hermie, it was forced from a light leak.
I guess this could be another strain? Anyone know of a similar cross?
(Somango)x(Silver Pearl)
Soma's Seeds, Somango= (Jack Herer)x(Korean Big Skunk)
Sensi Seedbank, Silver Pearl= ((Early Pearl)x(Skunk f3a)x(Norther Lights #5))
Essentially, it should be a mix between the fruity Jack Herer, the pungent Skunk, the fast flowering trait of Early Pearl, and the frostyness of NL#5. That's if everything goes like I want it. I'm not sure what traits will be dominant. The both have a Skunk lineage, so it'll definately be skunky.
I though I mentioned the Mango's lineage, but I guess not since I wasn't sure if I was going to sprout it, and I did it later than the others.
The Mango I have isn't exactly Mango. I was growing Mango and Silver Pearl at the same time, and the Mango takes longer to finish than the Pearl.
One Pearl developed a couple of male flowers, I didn't notice til I was harvesting. It was the plant that sat right in front of the entry door. I assume light was leaking under the doorway, and it caused the slight hermie.
I'll know for sure when it starts to flower, the mango is a ridiculous streatcher, and the Pearl is short and squaty.
Plus these are feminized, so they should be all female, and the mother pearl wasn't a normal hermie, it was forced from a light leak.
I guess this could be another strain? Anyone know of a similar cross?
(Somango)x(Silver Pearl)
Soma's Seeds, Somango= (Jack Herer)x(Korean Big Skunk)
Sensi Seedbank, Silver Pearl= ((Early Pearl)x(Skunk f3a)x(Norther Lights #5))
Essentially, it should be a mix between the fruity Jack Herer, the pungent Skunk, the fast flowering trait of Early Pearl, and the frostyness of NL#5. That's if everything goes like I want it. I'm not sure what traits will be dominant. The both have a Skunk lineage, so it'll definately be skunky.
raiderman
Well-Known Member
i'm not sure exacty wat you want but i grew B.moonshine 6 years straight with an ave.22% Thc wt. high yied ,toxic .extremey strong . i'm very fond of it ,haha. havent found nuthin stronger and yied.under 600 watt. optim.con 2dry oz.+ in ony 2 ga.con.fini.dark bue. and purp. soaking w/resin , never seen nothin ike it.Got this new wedge head siamese kit."{qite the tawker}ha, i raise wedge head siamese cats and high quaity marijuana.happy growing.