Al B. FAQt

[Al B. Fuct]

Just a side note... I've been out browsing other forums on RIU today. After about 2 years of pounding on some basic concepts, the general quality of advice that RIU posters are sharing with peers is seriously improving.

While I don't want everyone to simply parrot stuff I say just because I say it, that's better than people sallying forth with wives' tales and supporting those by Chinese whispers.

When I signed on to RIU, there was a plethora of really sad info floating around. Far too many CFL & LED grows running on molasses... I really thought that the RIU community might well have been beyond help. In fact, I moved off of RIU and used other boards for a while after putting up https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/6592-get-harvest-every-2-weeks.html.

We've now reached something of a critical mass, where people I know I've never talked directly to are citing info from https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/6592-get-harvest-every-2-weeks.html, https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/15030-batch-clones-rockwool.html and also from this thread (which recaps pretty much everything) in response to other people I know I've never talked to. That's a good thing. If someone is going to merely regurgitate stuff they've heard from someone else in reply to posters' queries, it is MUCHO better that the recitations be good, useful data than the wives' tale du jour.

Bravo RIU readers- as long as you keep up your rising standards of making sure what is posted here is based in replicatable botanical science instead of nonsense, it's a much better place for all concerned.



A BIG round of applause for all of you who care enough to get it right.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

im curious in nature, not a cop.

While you may not be a cop, LEO almost certainly does read RIU.

what was your career before the accident, journalist or engineer.

I was a natural born techo, got my ham radio license before I was 10. Always worked in electronics in one way or another.

and how the fuct did you go from an engineer to a journalist.

By way of radio broadcasting. I already was a decent techo, was lucky with the DNA & got some great pipes , so went to work in commercial broadcasting, where I shifted into news reporting. Then I went to uni for it all. Count on me to do things ass-backwards. I'd love to do podcasts for RIU but my voice would be instantly recognisable by about 2.5 million people in the midwestern USA.

from seed, whats the earliest you can take a clone off a little guy.

It's 6-8 weeks for a seedling under veg lighting to show preflowers at the nodes. Once showing preflowers, the plant can be sexed. Sexing can be done by taking a cutting, rooting it & flowering it or by covering a branch on the unknown sex vegging plant for 12h/day for a week. Once sexed, you can then take cuts & flower away. From wetting a bean to your first batch of clones going in to flower is about 8-10 weeks, depending upon how proficient you are with cloning.

 

[sparkafire]

Just a side note... I've been out browsing other forums on RIU today. After about 2 years of pounding on some basic concepts, the general quality of advice that RIU posters are sharing with peers is seriously improving.

While I don't want everyone to simply parrot stuff I say just because I say it, that's better than people sallying forth with wives' tales and supporting those by Chinese whispers.

When I signed on to RIU, there was a plethora of really sad info floating around. Far too many CFL & LED grows running on molasses... I really thought that the RIU community might well have been beyond help. In fact, I moved off of RIU and used other boards for a while after putting up https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/6592-get-harvest-every-2-weeks.html.

We've now reached something of a critical mass, where people I know I've never talked directly to are citing info from https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/6592-get-harvest-every-2-weeks.html, https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/15030-batch-clones-rockwool.html and also from this thread (which recaps pretty much everything) in response to other people I know I've never talked to. That's a good thing. If someone is going to merely regurgitate stuff they've heard from someone else in reply to posters' queries, it is MUCHO better that the recitations be good, useful data than the wives' tale du jour.

Bravo RIU readers- as long as you keep up your rising standards of making sure what is posted here is based in replicatable botanical science instead of nonsense, it's a much better place for all concerned.



A BIG round of applause for all of you who care enough to get it right.

AS members in the RIU community we have the moderators, know its all's, if you don't grow my way your an idiot, and of course the tried and true "dude i pissed on my plants will it kill them?" And yet there are a few of the members like yourself here that really know what they are doing and are willing to give their time and knowledge to anyone that will ask. EVEN IF THE SAME QUESTION WAS ASKED ON THE PRIOR PAGE!!!

I know you don't get paid for your time here ( or do you?) LOL but I for one would have given up and quit if you were not here for there is a big difference between one plant and multiple numbers.

I will agree that just since June when i joined the boards they have been getting way better with at least more thought and less nonsense even if it is parroting.

There are not too many others like you here and the RIU community owes a great deal to you. You have helped make this a community one where you really can get great knowledge and understanding of what Growing should be.

I am still only on 1 knee not 2 Sir Fuct But just wanted to say thanks.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

I know you don't get paid for your time here ( or do you?) LOL

No, I'm not paid per se. rollie did gift me the elite features recently, which is a compensation of sorts, but that's the lot.

I will agree that just since June when i joined the boards they have been getting way better with at least more thought and less nonsense even if it is parroting.

I type at about 90-100wpm, but I have other things to do and can't possibly interact on every thread. When people are getting it right, it saves me a lot of keystrokes and minutes.

There are not too many others like you here and the RIU community owes a great deal to you. You have helped make this a community one where you really can get great knowledge and understanding of what Growing should be.

I am still only on 1 knee not 2 Sir Fuct But just wanted to say thanks.

Thanks much for the thanks.

The thanks that I like the most is when the lights come on for a new grower. They start to independently get regular successes and solve their own problems. All that 'teach a man to fish' stuff.

 

[holmes]

what can you do with the "elite" status?

now harvesting and curing, you put your freshly cut buds right into a dryer right?, one that you made
do they sell such things?

now i just read that its best done hanging and drying in paper bags and then placed in jars to cure.
it seems like a real pain in the ass, is it a big deal how you dry and the traditional method

 

[Al B. Fuct]

what can you do with the "elite" status?

https://www.rollitup.org/payments.php

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now harvesting and curing, you put your freshly cut buds right into a dryer right?, one that you made

yep

do they sell such things?

yes, there's a commercial outfit I heard of not long back which is trying to get $350 for a box with a fan, $1500 if you want a heating element.

now i just read that its best done hanging and drying in paper bags and then placed in jars to cure.
it seems like a real pain in the ass, is it a big deal how you dry and the traditional method

Hang drying is a security problem as you have buds literally hanging around for a couple of weeks. The buds remain damp enough for long enough to go to mould. A bud dryer which controls temp to 29C and has a lot of airflow eliminates that risk. We've been all over curing top to bottom a few times; it's not a necessary process.

I just use the bud dryer to get the buds dry on the outside, close to crispy, but still have enough moisture inside so there's a bit of stem flexibility. Then I chuck them in a sealed plastic container so the moisture in the innards wicks to the outards, takes a day or so.

 

[holmes]

so you dry in the bud dryer till crispy on the outside while the stem is still flexible, then you vacuum seal them and let them cure for about a day, then into ziplock baggies?

what is the max amount of cuttings you can take from a mother plant?
i ask because im curious to know how many mother you would need to fill up something like the colliseum or one of those turning gardens
Hydroponic Grow Systems, Nutrients & Everything Hydroponics!

congrats on the upgrade

 

[Al B. Fuct]

so you dry in the bud dryer till crispy on the outside while the stem is still flexible, then you vacuum seal them and let them cure for about a day, then into ziplock baggies?

yep

what is the max amount of cuttings you can take from a mother plant?

depends on the mother plant. A healthy, vigorous mum may deliver 8-10 thick stems (>5.5mm, often 10mm dia).

I have space for 10 mums, but some of them are not used for cuttings- they are young replacements which are being vegged up in anticipation of taking cuts from them in the next few weeks. There's usually 8 plants that I am actively using for my 30 cuttings every 2 weeks.

 

[ldnsharkkid]

Hey Al i hope all is well in ur neck of the world lol, i was hoping you might have a look at my diary quickly and let me know what you think... im still having temp probs with the cooltube but ive managed to get it down to a constant 26celcius and im waiting on an 8 inch fan arriving tomorrow, but like an idiot i didnt transfer the plants into solid pots straight away, so the roots have grown through the bottom of the net pots and onto the flood table, meaning they are under the light.....

Im gonna transfer them tomorrow into solid pots which will sort it out but is it gonna do any lasting damage to the plants??? Also will the 10 days of 28celcius cause me big problems later???

As always Al you give the best advice which is hy i come to you, without bein an arselicker.....kiss-asskiss-ass

AL B ROCKS

Sorry i aint got the chair but im gonna find a new one for ya.......thanks again bro

 

[LuckyLou]

"Also, the cooltube should push air through the cooltube instead of pulling it. It is more efficient for the fan to draw in denser cool air than shift warmed air. A pusher arrangement allows the fan's motor to be cooled by the airflow instead of being heated by the waste heat from the lights, which could conceivably shorten its lifespan."

Thank you - this is very useful. I have mine hooked up backwards.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

im still having temp probs with the cooltube but ive managed to get it down to a constant 26celcius and im waiting on an 8 inch fan arriving tomorrow

Better. Hope the 200mm blower brings the temps down. Make sure that the path for intake air is not restrictive.

but like an idiot i didnt transfer the plants into solid pots straight away, so the roots have grown through the bottom of the net pots and onto the flood table, meaning they are under the light.....
Im gonna transfer them tomorrow into solid pots which will sort it out but is it gonna do any lasting damage to the plants???

Wrats. If there's not a lot of escaped roots (10mm or less outside the pots), you can trim them off, pull the plant out of the netpot and drop them into std pots- but if there's significant development of the roots outside of the pots, don't try trimming the roots off. You will give the plant a case of transplant shock, slowing it way down. Just get through this grow and use the solid wall pots next time.

Also will the 10 days of 28celcius cause me big problems later???

The plants may show some mainstem elongation later on, but hopefully you will get the temps down to 24-26C for the remainder of the grow, which should prevent your buds from bolting or becoming 'runny,' where long strands of bud material are formed instead of tight, dense nugs.

Thank you - this is very useful. I have mine hooked up backwards.

Easy fix, just turn it around.

 

[BigBudBalls]

"Also, the cooltube should push air through the cooltube instead of pulling it. It is more efficient for the fan to draw in denser cool air than shift warmed air. A pusher arrangement allows the fan's motor to be cooled by the airflow instead of being heated by the waste heat from the lights, which could conceivably shorten its lifespan."

Thank you - this is very useful. I have mine hooked up backwards.

I think (could be wrong) but its also at a slightly higher pressure but offers more air mols to absorb heat. (but then compressing air heats it up too. Probably a wash/splitting hairs)

 

[drynroasty]

Hey Al, I was hoping you could stop by my thread and see my grow. I have just noticed a deficiency that I am unfamilar with. I belive I saw a photo you posted of the same sort of problem, but I cannot find it.

It would sure be appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[Al B. Fuct]

I think (could be wrong) but its also at a slightly higher pressure but offers more air mols to absorb heat. (but then compressing air heats it up too. Probably a wash/splitting hairs)

Yes, true, there's more air molecules per litre in cooler air, which would indeed be able to pick up more joules of heat per litre of air.

However, an axial blower will not compress air enough to change its temp significantly. Boyle's law will tell you just how much the air temp of compressed air will rise, but since axials are designed to move large volumes without developing much pressure downline, any air temp increase measured from the output of an axial blower is more likely to be caused by heat from the fan motor.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

Hey Al, I was hoping you could stop by my thread and see my grow. I have just noticed a deficiency that I am unfamilar with.

You're shooting the pH too low at 5.3.

Needs to be 5.8. At 5.3, you are locking out N, P & Mg.

Keep in mind that deficiencies caused by an actual absence of certain elemental nutes are extremely rare when using a commercially made hydroponic nutrient. It's much more likely that a pH error is locking out certain nutes.

 

[BigBudBalls]

Yes, true, there's more air molecules per litre in cooler air, which would indeed be able to pick up more joules of heat per litre of air.

However, an axial blower will not compress air enough to change its temp significantly. Boyle's law will tell you just how much the air temp of compressed air will rise, but since axials are designed to move large volumes without developing much pressure downline, any air temp increase measured from the output of an axial blower is more likely to be caused by heat from the fan motor.

Now is that to say that an axial fan with a down stream restriction will stall the blades of lift before compressing the air to any degree of temp significance? (sorry, tend to think inside the box next door at times.)

But I do like the push vs pull. (as a side note: The original PC power supply's fan was an exhaust by mistake. It worked, so it stuck as de facto standard. Same holds true for the twist in the floppy drive data cables A-B. Am I dating myself here? )

On another note, I have an sealed air cooled hood almost ready to go in. Is a cooltube that much better then a hood? Its a narrow .2m D x 1.75m W x 2.5m H grow room/closet. But only plan on 6 smaller plants under it (400W) in a 2x3 config, currently under 2 150W (I like the spread of the pair)

(also in soil, so need a little more floor real estate, but in general.)

Also planing on one of these for the hood:

Soler & Palau Commercial Centrifugal, Axial, Propeller, Exhaust and Supply Fans - Soler and Palau - HVACQuick.com

The TD-150. They are claimed to be a hybrid of axial/blower. Seems a good contender. The Pano's are just too expensive for a house I don't plan on dieing in. See any downside to them? (the S&P's)

 

[ldnsharkkid]

Thanks for your advice Al, im gonna get some solid pots tomorrow and see if i can still transpant them, however if i have to cut any roots ill just let them be, but any advice on what i should do with the roots, ie, cover them up somehow??

Also i dunno if you looked at my journal but the flimsy cololtube reflector jumped off the other day, and broke a fan leaf at the stem, however its still half attached, should i cut it off, also the first set leaves that grew havent grown for 10 days and are a lime green and look wilted, in my opinion dead, should i cut them off?? As a noobie im a bit anxious about cutting my babies, but i trust your advice so if you could lend an opinion would be much appreciated....

Just 1 last thing, in fact 2.....when you clean your res what do you use? Can i use a household cleaner as long as its rinsed properly, or will this be detrimental to my plants if some stays in the res???

And i saw a link a while ago for H202 in the uk as its hard to get, ive searched through loads of pages looking for it and i ust cant find it, if you have the link could you post it....

Thanks again Al, i like many others would be very worried without some of your input, and if i could make any sort of donation for your advice i would, not that you need it from the sounds of it you got things tickin over very nicely, and hopefully 1 day ill have the same success you have....keep up the good work bro

 

[Al B. Fuct]

Now is that to say that an axial fan with a down stream restriction will stall the blades of lift before compressing the air to any degree of temp significance? (sorry, tend to think inside the box next door at times.)

zackly. They stall, but any significant pressure generated will vent backward between the blades as well.

Am I dating myself here?

Possibly. I understand that dating yourself is still legal in Alaska, though.

On another note, I have an sealed air cooled hood almost ready to go in. Is a cooltube that much better then a hood?

Cooltubes tend to flow air a bit better than hoods. The metal body of a hood also can heat up easily from radiant IR; that heat can then convect into the room's airmass. The biggest problem with hoods is that they don't usually employ a double parabola reflector, meaning a fair amount of light is reflected right back at the lamp tube instead of being directed at plants.

The TD-150.

Looks fine to me. Axials of any flavour are fine for cooltubes or hoods. There's no need for a carbon filter inline with ducting for air cooled lighting, so there's relatively little restriction to contend with.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

Just browsing through the S&P sales lit. Very complete specs and some good installation tips. I have a 150mm axial on my cooltubes and another 150mm blower on the shelf. I think I'll have a play with putting the spare inline with the existing 150 and see if the increased pressure drops the exhaust temp. Thanks for the linkage.

 

[BigBudBalls]

zackly. They stall, but any significant pressure generated will vent backward between the blades as well.

But at a cooling loss.

Possibly. I understand that dating yourself is still legal in Alaska, though.

I am my own grandpappy and sister.

Cooltubes tend to flow air a bit better than hoods. The metal body of a hood also can heat up easily from radiant IR; that heat can then convect into the room's airmass. The biggest problem with hoods is that they don't usually employ a double parabola reflector, meaning a fair amount of light is reflected right back at the lamp tube instead of being directed at plants.

The dual parabola wouldn't work well in my space: skinny. But since I only need a single or maybe 2 grows a year, I can work with in the limitations.

Looks fine to me. Axials of any flavour are fine for cooltubes or hoods. There's no need for a carbon filter inline with ducting for air cooled lighting, so there's relatively little restriction to contend with.

No filter here. Strain is near smell free. I got lucky. First seed I tried was a girl and a *very* nice genetics, tight nodes, loves to be bushy, smell free (though I think is in part the reason for less taste. But haven't smoked in 10 years prior to buying seeds, so taste is secondary). Glad I took clones. All seeds since have been lack luster compared (but done just fine).

Do you buy into the clones of clones of clones, etc degrades the results?
Do you go clones of clones, or seeds, for mums or a mix?

(I'm into the mother/clone/perpetual grow style, and trying to settle in to a groove.)