Waterfarm closet grow [first grow] CFL's/250w HPS

[usagiakui]

Hey everyone, I just joined and would love to know how to give +rep points....

Anyway, I just got back from my local hydroponics store and purchased a Waterfarm "complete kit"!(the one that comes with the hardware, air pump, hose, Hydroton clay pebbles and all three 8 oz nutrient bottles... Yeah, im excited).


*Pics coming soon* ****SEE ATTACHED****

I picked up these items to go along with it:

NGW Mylar roll 25ft
GH pH control kit
Hydrion Papers pH test roll dispenser
60-120 gallon dual port air pump (used for $6!!!)
4" disc air stone
NGW Ecolplus small round airstone
10' of 1/4" plastic tubing

*Pics coming soon* ****SEE ATTACHED****

I was wondering what to buy for an EC or PPM meter??? to measure those ppm levels... like a "dissolved solids" meter or nutrient meter..?? hmmm torn, torn. suggestions pls.

Now, what I already have setup right now is:

45"L x 22"W x 60"H of grow space (portion of closet) ****SEE ATTACHED****

Since this is my first time, I germinated 8 old seeds from some great "sinsemilla" (sometimes you'll find one or two in a large quantity... if you're experienced with final products and consuming mass amounts of the final products like I am you'll know that you will come across a seed in a dank BAG every once in a blue moon. anyway sry im high lol) batches that i've been throughout the past couple of years or so.. . I also get them from buddies, too. Always Dank shit.
Ok so they're good seeds.
Four were germed in 3.5" pots and the rest in jiffy cubes.
A bud who "helped me" sow the seeds apparently threw a couple of more into a pot and didn't think of telling me.

Had them on some for-shit T12's during first couple of days

As soon as they were geminated and I saw sprouts, I transplanted them into 8 5" black nursery pots. I believe they're all about 2.5L each. I had to seperate three seedlings that were growing in one pot They were stretching hard with those lights but they grew SO FAST.. I left for work came back and they stretched like 2 inches))))) I mean the bad type of stretching.. yeah it sucked. But I added more light and Txplanted em and buried them a bit. A couple of them are still recovering from shock and they happen to be the ones who I had to seperate. Go Figure.

*Pics coming soon* ****SEE ATTACHED****

They sprouted and grew into beautiful babies really quickly and as of now they stand at a WHOPPING
4". Ha. But hey they grew to that size in a matter of 12 days or so. They love this organic soil, I tell ya!


Soil
BIOCANNA BIO Terra Plus (BIOCANNA :: The Bio Solution for growth and bloom ::)
Amendments - very little perlite

Nutrients
As of now, excluding the nutes that come with the WF kit, I have BIOCANNA BioVega.
I actually included a 1/4 strength dosage of this in my irragation water for the first time today! (We'll see how they do, i'll keep you posted.)

*Pics coming soon* ****SEE ATTACHED****

Lights
Hydrofarm System Comp Fluorescent 125W Daylight [FLCO125D]
(heres the direct hydrofarm link just in case you arent directly familiar with it: Hydrofarm - Hydrofarm FLCO125D System Comp Fluorescent 125W Day)

8 26w daylight 6100k CFL ****SEE ATTACHED****


For now, since I am using CFL's, i'm not really getting any heat issues at plant level whatsoever.. they love this light. I have the light 2-5 inches from the plants at all times, and I have the 26w twistys on dual sockets that I have mounted onto the Hydrofarm reflector itself so they are adjustable on two different joints it makes sense when you see it (man my camera has water damage )

I also have a Hydrofarm Sunburst 250W HPS/MH Convertible [SBC250]
(Hydrofarm - Hydrofarm SBC250 Sunburst 250W HPS/MH Convertible)
just laying around waiting for flowering time. I know that with this model of reflector I have the capability of coverting to a MH during vegg, but i'd rather not deal with the heat issues for now considering the fact that it gets hotter than hell out here during the summer time (in the SW), of course. SOOooOO, throwing that all aside..

Climate
I have the temp at a constant 76F / RH 40-55% at plant level during the day...

At night, the temps drop to as low as 66F / RH 40%.

Plants like it, but im going hydro, yo..

I'm going to cull out the weakset links little by little over the course of this week. I will buy a camera before I decide to cull any at all and ask for opinions and suggestions based upon pics and whatnot. After that, I will rinse off soil and transplant to my WF that will already have pH'ed water running in it.....
airstones and all....

WELL, ACTUALLY I was wondering about that. I have heard different things about having the airstone in play during the early stages of vegg growth.. "Early stages" in this case would be classified as: before the roots directly come into contact with Res. water.
Now what's better, running the 4" disc airstone and all from the get-go OR running only the drip ring while the roots haven't reached the res... or does it even matter.
My guess would be it does really matter as in life or death for the plants, lols, but I would think more aeration and oxygen in the res water at any given point of growth is good. Especially considering that fact that when I was at the actual "hydro store" itself they had a display WF going with the same 4" disc airstone mod I got. He lifted the growing reservoir and all I saw was this whirlwind of bubbles in the solution. It actually increases "visible" circulation in the reservoir... what a ROOT MASS, too.
But hey, i'm just guessing.
Another thing about the number of plants per Waterfarm... How many plants do YOU reccomended for a ScrOG setup on on Waterfarm?

I wanna know how many I should cull out, or just pick ONE favorite.


I have been reading this forum amongst others for months and months on end. I carefully decided to pick out the forum I wanted to register for. (I dont want to be on every damn forum for parnoia sakes) I chose THIS forum because all of the "high rep, high contributing" peeps don't seem to be assholes and I enjoy that. So i'm hOping I can get some decent input and suggestions down the road.

I will keep you updated. I WILL BE POSTING STEP BY STEP PICS ASAP ( camera got wet, buying a new one sometime very very soon... maybe tommorow if i get the chance
BUT my memory card is drying out and by tomorrow I will have uploaded the pics I have already taken. Hence, "*Pics coming soon*")

So yeah, once again.... REP POINTS: HOW DO YOU GIVE EM?

Great thread by the way.. I'm glad I found it.
Thanks for reading! Hope I didn't bore you! Tried to keep it as simple is i could explain it. and im hi. lol
time to fill in my profile info..
[/QUOTE]

 

[usagiakui]

Alright, So my climate has been fluctuating a lot lately...

RH is getting down to as low as 38% and my temps are going down too. 73F. Yeah... I really wanna get to enclosing this space...

Actually thats one of my top priorities right now. Does anybody know of any cabs or DIY cab plans that might fit my space??

So.. I will soon upload two pics of each plant labeled by numbers or something so you all can comment on them. Thanks.

Please ask questions. Provide suggestions.

Lata... it's about that time...
.....

 

[Shackleford.R]

if you intend to go hydro you may have missed the boat... those plants, and yeah the last few are looking more like young plants, given the number and size of the leaves. Best advice, grow a little bigger take a cutting from each and put it under 12/12 to find a female, and replant that as a mother in the waterfarm... then just keep snipping clones and plugging them into your soil pots.

 

[iloveit]

Im looking forward to the end results Ill have my eye on this one.
Im going to begin a new organic grow in Biobizz soil (light mix & all mix) I just cant decide if I should go with the Biobizz nutes or Biocanna nutes. What do you reckon.

 

[usagiakui]

if you intend to go hydro you may have missed the boat... those plants, and yeah the last few are looking more like young plants, given the number and size of the leaves. Best advice, grow a little bigger take a cutting from each and put it under 12/12 to find a female, and replant that as a mother in the waterfarm... then just keep snipping clones and plugging them into your soil pots.

I have just this limited amount of space to grow in. I'm also planning on enclosing the space very, very soon decreasing grow volume as well..

soo yeah, i am going to let them grow out a bit more for sure, but what if I have all of them flower in a few weeks and just replant the best female (*says this with fingers crossed)??

Would that work?

Anything on an EC or PPM meter???
Gotta measure those ppm levels...

Should I even set-up my Waterfarm yet? lols

 

[usagiakui]

Im looking forward to the end results Ill have my eye on this one.
Im going to begin a new organic grow in Biobizz soil (light mix & all mix) I just cant decide if I should go with the Biobizz nutes or Biocanna nutes. What do you reckon.

Hey, iloveit. Thanks for joining this thread! I will keep the updates as up to par as possible, fo sho.

I'm going to go CANNA for hydroponics, straight up....well, Maybe... still up in the air with all that. As for organic soil and soil nutrients: BIOCANNA

Well, I originally walked into the store with the intention of purchasing a bag of Fox Farms Ocean Forest soil, but the guy at the local hydro store swore by it: said he's been growing for years and years, this product came along and hes had consistent, virtually care-free, high-yielding crops with this soil n nute line (BIOCANNA). The only thing he warned me about was pests... since this SOIL ITSELF is all organic it is highly susceptible to pest and disease if not kept in a controlled sterile environment and/or sprayed with organic pesticides. Dirty, dirty soil.

And to be honest, As soon as I pick up a used camera from this dude on craigslist (hasn't got off work!! lol) I am going to upload two pics of each plant labeled by numbers or something so you all can comment on them and show you a particular plant that I think is under a mite attack. Which scares me. And I saw a gnat flying in my kitchen today. F&%k.

It seems as if growing hydroponically is a bit more tidy.

The cool thing about the BIOCANNA nutrient Bio Vega you see here in this attached pic, is that they are for both open soil and hydroponic setups. So i'm not sure whether to use these for my Waterfarm setup or just buy a whole new set of "Aqua CANNA" nutes..... The difference is organic -vs- non-organic I believe. But hey, I say if you are going to flush before you harvest, which is the way to do it, then i'm not too concerned with the salt-build up effecting taste or anything. There's Bio Vega for vegetative growth, Bio Flores for flowering and BioBOOST for micro nutes....

I think soil organics are still a great choice...

Are you going organic all the way, iloveit?

I'll keep you posted

 

[iloveit]

Hey, iloveit. Thanks for joining this thread! I will keep the updates as up to par as possible, fo sho.

I'm going to go CANNA for hydroponics, straight up....well, Maybe... still up in the air with all that. As for organic soil and soil nutrients: BIOCANNA

Well, I originally walked into the store with the intention of purchasing a bag of Fox Farms Ocean Forest soil, but the guy at the local hydro store swore by it: said he's been growing for years and years, this product came along and hes had consistent, virtually care-free, high-yielding crops with this soil n nute line (BIOCANNA). The only thing he warned me about was pests... since this SOIL ITSELF is all organic it is highly susceptible to pest and disease if not kept in a controlled sterile environment and/or sprayed with organic pesticides. Dirty, dirty soil.

And to be honest, As soon as I pick up a used camera from this dude on craigslist (hasn't got off work!! lol) I am going to upload two pics of each plant labeled by numbers or something so you all can comment on them and show you a particular plant that I think is under a mite attack. Which scares me. And I saw a gnat flying in my kitchen today. F&%k.

It seems as if growing hydroponically is a bit more tidy.

The cool thing about the BIOCANNA nutrient Bio Vega you see here in this attached pic, is that they are for both open soil and hydroponic setups. So i'm not sure whether to use these for my Waterfarm setup or just buy a whole new set of CANNA nutes..... The difference is organic -vs- non-organic I believe. But hey, I say if you are going to flush before you harvest, which is the way to do it, then i'm not too concerned with the salt-build up effecting taste or anything. There's Bio Vega for vegetative growth, Bio Flores for flowering and BioBOOST for micro nutes....

I think soil organics are still a great choice...

Are you going organic all the way, iloveit?

I'll keep you posted

Thanks for the info mate.
Im going TRY and keep it organic all the way the only thing thats non-organic is the PH up/down (growth technology), I just want to achieve grate smelling & tasting buds & potent of course so hopefully the PH balancers wont affect that.

As for keeping everything pest & mould free you may wanna take a look at the following:

Hygrozyme [Canadian Grozyme]: Basement Lighting Hydroponics and Plant Grow Lights

Bud Rot Stop: Basement Lighting Hydroponics and Plant Grow Lights

Im going to be using both and they are both organic.

I did consider the Canna soils but believe it or not they are not 100% organic so I went with Biobizz.

 

[usagiakui]

Thanks for the info mate.
Im going TRY and keep it organic all the way the only thing thats non-organic is the PH up/down (growth technology), I just want to achieve grate smelling & tasting buds & potent of course so hopefully the PH balancers wont affect that.

As for keeping everything pest & mould free you may wanna take a look at the following:

Hygrozyme [Canadian Grozyme]: Basement Lighting Hydroponics and Plant Grow Lights

Bud Rot Stop: Basement Lighting Hydroponics and Plant Grow Lights

Im going to be using both and they are both organic.

I did consider the Canna soils but believe it or not they are not 100% organic so I went with Biobizz.

Hey NP, iloveit!

Those seem like really good products, but I didn't see anything for pests though man... Although that root rot stuff seems like it would be a "must-have" on your list for sure if your going Biobizz.

Anyway, this whole thing about BIOCANNA not being 100% organic raised an eyebrow. Reason is cause the guy at the hydro store was confident that it was all organic. So, I went to their website and read that they are "LEGALLY" 100% certified organic.

There are always multiple types of certifications when it comes to being certified organically in different countries. USDA is my country's main one. Once you get certified organic through them you're "good". But wherever they make this BIOCANNA nute solution, I believe it originated in the Netherlands correct me if im wrong, they have different certifications with different standards for "Organics".

Truly 100% organic ferts are fine but after time they wont hold the same claims of nutrient content. They have a higher risk of causing your roots to decompose and remember when I said the guy at the hydro shop warned me about pests and disease susceptibility with the BIOCANNA line? Well, the BIOCANNA line isn't in essence %100 organic, but it has the bare minimums of "bio-balancers" or "bio-fertilizers" for horticulture in terms of withholding nutrients, resistance to residual buildup, not pest or disease prone, ect.

See if you find this interesting, iloveit.

They say this:

[[[ "Biological or organic products are said to be good for you and healthy. Many companies cleverly use this fact and call their products biological or organic. However, a critical comment must be made here: not all products bearing a 'bio' label are biological or organic and these products are not by definition harmless. BIOCANNA fertilizers have been legally tested on these criteria. Therefore, always cultivate in an honest and sustainable way!

Organic fertilizers can contain fertilizers that are harmful to the environment and to crops. Research has regularly confirmed that heavy metals, soil pollution and toxic substances from pesticides build up in ecosystems. This means that when these substances end up in the environment, they will be absorbed by plants or micro-organisms. Due to the fact that the toxic substances are often soluble in fat, they are not secreted - they build up instead. The plants and micro-organisms are eaten by other organisms, which in turn are eaten again. Eventually these substances end up in our food in concentrated form and therefore also in us. In concentrated form, these substances are harmful to our health. Toxic substances always end up being digested by us. BIOCANNA fertilizers are legally tested on these criteria. Therefore, always cultivate in an honest and sustainable way!

This is possible by using legally-certified bio fertilizers.
Growth problems can also arise when too much organic material is present in the root environment. This is a problem with many organic fertilizers. In such cases, the nutrients combine with the organic material, resulting in the plant being no longer able to absorb them. BIOCANNA fertilizers contain the exact proper combination of nutrients and organic material and therefore do not cause these common problems.

Besides these immediate positive effects from the use of BIOCANNA products, you are also less exposed to pesticides, which are in general very harmful to your health. Your final product will not contain any pesticides, which is why consuming it does not carry any extra health risk. BIOCANNA products can reduce the use of such toxic substances, so that we keep ourselves and our environment healthy."]]]] - BIOCANNA :: The Bio Solution for growth and bloom :: Biological Always Logical?
Guess I got sold. lol Na, its good shit.

I don't think i'll be going soil though either way... Does Biobizz do a hydroponic line for DWC/ Bubbleponic/Drip-feed systems?? Where'd you hear about them?

Please, if you (or anyone else reading this) have re-enforcing thoughts towards why you prefer Biobizz cause of its 100% organic purity, let me know. I'm very curious about this because I haven't found too much material on the subject. Correct any info I may have mixed up in your opinion.
Thanks, iloveit!

 

[usagiakui]

Pictures 1 & 2: Backups 4 Fuck-ups. ("Pretendo" bag seed. I never save my "decent" bag's seeds)

Pictures 3 & 4: Dank babys.

 

[usagiakui]

***********************UPDATE!!*****************


Ok, so that guy on craigslist finally got off work and I got a working camera.

Here are the pics as I promised.

Pics 1-2: Plant A - This plants doing ok, I guess. Thick foliage yet curled.. Is that a sign of heat stress or "cold?" stress? something....

Pics 3-4: Plant B -Remember those pics with three sprouts in one pot? Well, this was the tallest one from those pictures... But it was still one that got separated during the transplant, hence the shitty size and appeal.

Pics 5-9: Plant C - for "Cickly" aka mite ridden fuck? This was one of the ones I had to separate during transplant. This one seems like its been like this forever and only getting worse. Don't have high hopes for this one. If you look closely at Picture 7 you will see some mite residue or something under the leaf. I'm pretty sure thats either some kind of mites, particullarly spider mites... hope not.. possibly a nute problem?? I dunno i'm guessing now lol

Pics 10-12: Plant D - Doing good other than those little yellow streaks on the foliage. They could be Leaf Miner larvae.. See if you can see what I see, lol (<--that was funny to type) This plant is an overall bad-ass so far, too.

Pics 13-16: Plant E - (also deformed growth... Bad genes + XXXXXX?) Another one I had to separate...

Pics 17-19: Plant F - This ones pretty meaty. Besides the fact that its leaves are droopin down like that, its a good plant so far.

Pics 20-22: Plant G - CHECK OUT THE GNATISH BUG THING! I moved my hand over it, put the cameras lens hella close to it, took pictures, it just skitted around the leaf. I got so close that I just slowly squished it between my fingers. Dumb bug. It had wings though... FUCK Other than that.. this plant is steady on goin. Not too flashy, not too bad. Just there kinda.

Pics 22-25: Plant H - My fav so far I think. the most progression IMO. hands down in comp with Plant D.

Picture 26 provides you with a scale comparison. The tallest plant, Plant H, is 4.1". It's in linear order like this: Back row from left to right - Plants A-D and Front row from left to right - Plants E-H.

Lately, the temp has been from 74F-79-F. The RH has been hard to keep above 50% and i've basically said: "F- it. They've been growing fine all this time." I know that isn't good, but i'm not gonna put myself through hell trying to maintain temps and RH levels for something that's temporary. And I also still may have a potential pest problem.

I want to clean all this shit out, build a cab or enclosure, sterilize EVERYTHING spray it with some organic pesticides THEN get my Waterfarm going and transplant SOMETHING!! lol I think i'm starting to get impatient with this. Anyway


Alright guys! On with the opinions, thoughts, suggestions and concerns!

Thanks!

 

[iloveit]

You could use Neem oil for pests

Your right everyone has their own opinions on organic & synthetic nutes even the manufacturers. I got off the phone with Growth Technology who said "No nutes are 100% organic" Im beginning to wonder if I should use biobizz now. At the end of the day the discussion is just conjector we would probably need a scientist to break down the nutes & give us a real answer.

I read only great reviews on Biobizz here on RIU so Ill give it a go...I think.

 

[usagiakui]

You could use Neem oil for pests

Your right everyone has their own opinions on organic & synthetic nutes even the manufacturers. I got off the phone with Growth Technology who said "No nutes are 100% organic" Im beginning to wonder if I should use biobizz now. At the end of the day the discussion is just conjector we would probably need a scientist to break down the nutes & give us a real answer.

I read only great reviews on Biobizz here on RIU so Ill give it a go...I think.

I say Fuck it. IMO, Everyone should try different nutes and mediums anyway. I'm just gonna buy the most generic worst quality shit i've heard of and go from there.....lol
It is a WEED for a reason.. It'll grow with a lil' TLC and you'll still get high. but ju kno dis

Let me know how it turns out down the road mate.

 

[iloveit]

I say Fuck it. IMO, Everyone should try different nutes and mediums anyway. I'm just gonna buy the most generic worst quality shit i've heard of and go from there.....lol
It is a WEED for a reason.. It'll grow with TLC and you'll still get high. but ju kno dis

Let me know how it turns out down the road mate.

Will do & good luck with the grow mate.

 

[usagiakui]

What about these suckers I bought in my early splurge stages.....Are these any good? Or should I just get rid of em??

 

[usagiakui]

More goodies for my trees... intending to use ScrOG method hence the nifty little trellis I picked up at Lowes for $6!! I was like


Alright.... i'm starting to get bored here..

::

 

[iloveit]

More goodies for my trees... intending to use ScrOG method hence the nifty little trellis I picked up at Lowes for $6!! I was like


Alright.... i'm starting to get bored here..

::

This has nothing to do with your grow but itll keep you entertained for a while:

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/149998-heaths-flooded-tube-vertical.html

 

[usagiakui]

This has nothing to do with your grow but itll keep you entertained for a while:

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/149998-heaths-flooded-tube-vertical.html

Thanks mate!

 

[usagiakui]

Hey people!


What did you all think of this mock journal?


Wasn't it convincing??????

I really wish I actually had the money and time to do this project, but all i've been doing is posting pictures that aren't even mine. I found them on the internet!!!!!

I'm sorry and I feel like a fool, but I was just fantasizing about this for a while so much that I wanted to live it a bit.
Oh well, I'll move to the Netherlands someday.....
Once again you all..
I am sorry for trying to make you all believe something that isn't true.

But if I ever do move to the Netherlands i'll be sure to post some REAL pictures of my OWN grow journal!!!

And it will be so much better than this random grow I found, for sures!!!

Sorry everyone

 

[Shackleford.R]

Hey people!


What did you all think of this mock journal?


Wasn't it convincing??????

I really wish I actually had the money and time to do this project, but all i've been doing is posting pictures that aren't even mine. I found them on the internet!!!!!

I'm sorry and I feel like a fool, but I was just fantasizing about this for a while so much that I wanted to live it a bit.
Oh well, I'll move to the Netherlands someday.....
Once again you all..
I am sorry for trying to make you all believe something that isn't true.

But if I ever do move to the Netherlands i'll be sure to post some REAL pictures of my OWN grow journal!!!

And it will be so much better than this random grow I found, for sures!!!

Sorry everyone

ummm what!? why did you waste my time?! who the hell are you!? what is your end game?? shady people make for shady situations and events.

stay away from journals.. i shun you!!

 

[RoyalSociety]

You Can Get Rid Of Insects From going in Your Soil Medium By adding Diatomite