Northern Lights Waterfarm

[JohnDee]

Lovely plant DAT...perfect for scrog,
You mentioned not cutting down drip ring to bury in rocks. This is the first time I have done that. I like the no-splash aspect...but they don't put out as much lift when they're shorter. Wish I hadn't done it.
Cheers,
JD

 

[boybelue]

I like canna coco. Good luck with your aero !
I have it as well,
The plastic cover that is.
I don’t submerge my drip ring under the pebbles because I prefer to have it sit just right above the pebbles so that I can see the movement of the water and see that the tiny little air holes are not being obstructed. It is also easier to wipe the drip ring clean if the dark grungy buildup that the nutrient leaves behind. I wipe it off daily. I don’t see salt build up on my drip ring . I was only using the plastic cover for protection when I trim the leaves and do clean up work and so I do have daily splatter on my tent doors and floors. It’s easy to clean off but since you mentioned it I am placing it back on top to see if I like it better then cleaning the splatter. It’s sitting very loosely on top , getting good airflow with the fan which is important to me because I don’t like the idea of moist trapped buildup which could possibly promote algae and mold and muskiness, all horrible attributes . Thank you for your input. Have a nice day.

She is already getting trichomes on her fan leaves which is a really great sign.
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I never ran mine untucked, does the nute splatter run down the underside and drip to the floor any? Main reason I tucked mine was fear that it might. It does help keep algae off the hydroton by blocking the light. Also the leaves like you said and any other debris. Many pros to it but the only cons that I've noticed is tha lack of visibility to make sure its dripping good all the way around. I can usually tell mine are pumping by the sound, even over the noise of the air pumps. I really like the water farms, just hate cleaning the xtra hydroton it takes to fill the 2 gal upper bucket! Haha, big difference between a 6" net pot!

 

[JohnDee]

I really like the water farms, just hate cleaning the xtra hydroton it takes to fill the 2 gal upper bucket!

Hi guys,
Somewhere along my path...I learned the best way to clean hydroton is: let them dry in open air outside if climate allows. All the root fragments just dry up and blow away...then a good soak/rinse and they're ready for reuse.
JD

 

[Dr.Amber Trichome]

Lovely plant DAT...perfect for scrog,
You mentioned not cutting down drip ring to bury in rocks. This is the first time I have done that. I like the no-splash aspect...but they don't put out as much lift when they're shorter. Wish I hadn't done it.
Cheers,
JD

Thanks JD . It’s easy to replace those pieces so you should be able to get back on track in kno time. Honestly this particular beast of a plant is not as bendy as I like from a plant to scrog . This light is making the fan leaves poke up like a warriors headdress.

I never ran mine untucked, does the nute splatter run down the underside and drip to the floor any? Main reason I tucked mine was fear that it might. It does help keep algae off the hydroton by blocking the light. Also the leaves like you said and any other debris. Many pros to it but the only cons that I've noticed is tha lack of visibility to make sure its dripping good all the way around. I can usually tell mine are pumping by the sound, even over the noise of the air pumps. I really like the water farms, just hate cleaning the xtra hydroton it takes to fill the 2 gal upper bucket! Haha, big difference between a 6" net pot!

No dripping onto the floor. After the first couple weeks when she is a small plant I might get some algae on the pebbles if not covered but once the pebbles are covered by fan leaves i did not see any algae build up having no plastic cover.

 

[boybelue]

Hi guys,
Somewhere along my path...I learned the best way to clean hydroton is: let them dry in open air outside if climate allows. All the root fragments just dry up and blow away...then a good soak/rinse and they're ready for reuse.
JD

Same hear, I guess if you use waterfarms and enough of them at some point your going to let your hydroton set long enough in hot weather to figure this out. If it's cold you can throw them in the oven for a while. I cut the bottom out of a 5 gal bucket and replaced with corrugated mesh wire and with the hydroton dry( has to be super dry, like dusty dry) I can throw a big double handed scoop in there and give it a good shake for 5 or 10 seconds and it comes out clean as a whistle. I tried the double bucket deal where you hook a shop vac to the bottom bucket (like the mini root devil) but you cant shake it like a single bucket so I just stick to the single bucket, works like a champ.
Also wanted to add the humidity plays a big role on this too. If you have a small room you can throw a couple space heaters in so the humidity with drop down into the 20s or 30s, let the hydroton sit in that room overnight and it's ready to clean.

 

[Laughing Grass]

Thanks JD . It’s easy to replace those pieces so you should be able to get back on track in kno time. Honestly this particular beast of a plant is not as bendy as I like from a plant to scrog . This light is making the fan leaves poke up like a warriors headdress.
View attachment 4426135
No dripping onto the floor. After the first couple weeks when she is a small plant I might get some algae on the pebbles if not covered but once the pebbles are covered by fan leaves i did not see any algae build up having no plastic cover.

Trippy garden. I had the same issue with northern lights. It really didn't like being bent. Are you using silica?

 

[JohnDee]

It’s easy to replace those pieces so you should be able to get back on track in kno time. Honestly this particular beast of a plant is not as bendy as I like from a plant to scrog . This light is making the fan leaves poke up like a warriors headdress.

lol...I see what you're talking about. Never grown NL ...but have grown full-on Affies. Lots of leaves. My comment was based on that lower shot showing branchiness. I'm sure you'll tame her. Break out the whips and flogs if needed.
Cheers,
JD

 

[Dr.Amber Trichome]

Trippy garden. I had the same issue with northern lights. It really didn't like being bent. Are you using silica?

No I’m not using silica. What is it for?

lol...I see what you're talking about. Never grown NL ...but have grown full-on Affies. Lots of leaves. My comment was based on that lower shot showing branchiness. I'm sure you'll tame her. Break out the whips and flogs if needed.
Cheers,
JD

yes the branching below is quite impressive . In fact the budding down under is also quite impressive! They are not getting a direct hit with light and they are really swelling up nicely.

Day 30 flowering today!

 

[Axion42]

How come you didnt take advantage of the entire net? Could have scroged it out more.

 

[Dr.Amber Trichome]

How come you didnt take advantage of the entire net? Could have scroged it out more.

I’m not done yet . But I’m not sure I will fill the entire screen because of a couple things. The first being that the seedling was over stretched because I had the light too far away. It’s a new light for me. Secondly this plant is not very bendable and I broke a large branch a while ago so I know that she can not take the kinda of bending I would have liked to do to stretch her more. Trust me I know how to scrog . Here Is a sampling of my precious scrog grows. You can’t win em all.

 

[Axion42]

I trust ya, I've seen it, that's why I asked

 

[Laughing Grass]

No I’m not using silica. What is it for?

From the GH website: It helps strengthen cell walls, guards against environmental stress, improves the uptake of water and minerals and adds an extra level of protection against fungal diseases such as powdery mildew.

I noticed my stems were rock hard and prone to snapping using it. I dialed it back in flower last grow.

 

[boybelue]

I’m not done yet . But I’m not sure I will fill the entire screen because of a couple things. The first being that the seedling was over stretched because I had the light too far away. It’s a new light for me. Secondly this plant is not very bendable and I broke a large branch a while ago so I know that she can not take the kinda of bending I would have liked to do to stretch her more. Trust me I know how to scrog . Here Is a sampling of my precious scrog grows. You can’t win em all.

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What strain is in that pic with the bike in the background, super job on that one.

 

[Dr.Amber Trichome]

What strain is in that pic with the bike in the background, super job on that one.

That’s Casey Jones from seed grown under 600 watt HPS.

 

[horribleherk]

Hey doc , new light & tent dimension pose new challenge I'm sure you'll get things dialed in for the holidays , that being said things are looking good , I've got a strain in one of my tents that is just not liking my scrog seeds for her replacement should be here this weekend Happy Thanksgiving to You

 

[Dr.Amber Trichome]

Hey doc , new light & tent dimension pose new challenge I'm sure you'll get things dialed in for the holidays , that being said things are looking good , I've got a strain in one of my tents that is just not liking my scrog seeds for her replacement should be here this weekend Happy Thanksgiving to You

Thanks Horrible.happy turkey day to you too! Good luck with the replacement.

this beast I have is so strange with those fan leaves pointing straight upwards like that. She is a total freak. She is out of control and buds are everywhere in such a dense area.

I placed a concerning message in with Timber lights in their chat room and a very nice gentleman who did not know about it passed along to a senior level. then a phone call was delivered to me from a very nice gentleman who thought everything looked and sounded perfect But he was unfamiliar with the leaves acting like this and the dense canopy . He though possibly defoliating some top leaves might be a good idea but could not say for sure so he is forwarding my concerns to some senior level growers he knows and I should hear something back soon.

 

[boybelue]

Are you considering defoiliating? It looked crowded and I was gonna ask a while back but I seen you had plenty prior experience so I figured I'd pull up a chair and watch.

 

[Dr.Amber Trichome]

Are you considering defoiliating? It looked crowded and I was gonna ask a while back but I seen you had plenty prior experience so I figured I'd pull up a chair and watch.

I have never had one like this. Never had to ever think about defoliating the top. She appears to be wiggling her way up and out a little more every day.
I am completely bewildered by her strange demeanor. A part of me says just let her be wild and do her thing then the other part of me says start cutting leaves out. I will wait until the weekend to make my final decision.

 

[DustyDuke]

I have never had one like this. Never had to ever think about defoliating the top. She appears to be wiggling her way up and out a little more every day.
I am completely bewildered by her strange demeanor. A part of me says just let her be wild and do her thing then the other part of me says start cutting leaves out. I will wait until the weekend to make my final decision.

I would defol and send some energy into the buds but not to much until the stretch has stopped. It’s a hard one though there is no easy way to go

 

[DST]

Oooh. The old defoliation debate simmering away. Defoliation is a practise commonly used in growing tomatoes. I know I lop off about 50% of mine. But I am not that extreme with my ladies. For air flow and light penetration I think its required, after all we are growing indoors under restricted conditions. But people are taking defoliation to the extreme sometimes. I am not sure about the science behind diverting energy to flowers....(when the leaves are the solar energy panels for the plant). Fan leaves grow but in flower I don't see a.massive change once at optimum size.
All looking tickety boo Ambs!!!