250w cab, 36" tall stealth grow.

[cues]

The tube runs to just under the main stem but with so much air-exchange, I doubt it makes a difference.

 

[Matchbox]

LOL!
I'm now at day 31 of 12/12 with 32 days left (hopefully). It got 36hrs of dark going into 12/12 and started flowering about 3 days after lights back on. I stopped training (pulling them to the next hole) after 14 days 12/12. I,m getting worried about how close it's getting to the light now. I'm at about 8-9" as it's closest, about 4" above the screen. It definitely doesn't stay as tight to the screen as violator kush. How that will translate into yield, we will have to see.

Pleh, been off here for a good few days, got some catching up to do...

If your getting a bit close to the light keep an eye on them for burning and heat stress (leaves pointing up) it looks like it's heat stressed, you can just tell

Might be worth seeing if you can get a small clip on fan blowing between the bulb and the plant tops. Just started my Berry Bomb grow, popped the seeds yesterday, I'm a bit paranoid about 1st time DWC but hey I'll see how it goes.

 

[cues]

Cheers MB. I have hit a problem. A few tops have started to go funny, mainly directly under the light. The leaves are showing inter-veinal yellowing, like mg deficiency. I have just added some epsom salts. More worrying, on the same tops that have yellow leaves, the new flower growth is pure white, just at the tip. I am unsure whether it's a mag def or light bleaching. It's too late to get the light out to put the heat-shield on. Just cut a bud off to show you.

 

[budballer]

I'm curious about this as well.. From everything ive read (which isnt that much) it seems to be bleaching. How close was that bud to the light?

 

[Matchbox]

yeah that looks like a very bleached bud. If the heat is okay, the light intensity sure isn't XD

Which is why I use an edited regular reflector, you'll get better spread, you can keep the bulb further away as well, something to consider for your next grow perhaps.

 

[cues]

I just measured and the bulb is just over 7" away from the closest buds. Also checked pH last night and it had crept up to 6.5. Do you think that could be it? I have a better reflector for my 600 but don't really want to strip the 250w security light down for the ballast. Ideally I want to keep them as they are so when I move somewhere more suitable I can go back to doing a 250 veg/600 flower grow. However, if I do go vertical, I may have no choice.
On a plus note, I fast-dried and smoked that bud and it was wicked!

 

[Matchbox]

never seen PH do that... my tap water is well out of wack, about 7.6 with nites added and they seem fine so far (still seedlings so)... Just get a new reflector when you come to doing your next big grow, chances are no matter what you do it'll end up paying for itself in the end, that's my justification when I need to waste money on random crap to improve my grow lol.

 

[cues]

O.K. So today, it looked worse but only the tops under directly the light. pH is down to 5.5.I've done something a bit weird. I've tried to do a kind of simple LST on the top ot the screen. I've 'twisted' the taller affected buds onto the shorter ones.

 

[cues]

never seen PH do that... my tap water is well out of wack, about 7.6 with nites added and they seem fine so far (still seedlings so)... Just get a new reflector when you come to doing your next big grow, chances are no matter what you do it'll end up paying for itself in the end, that's my justification when I need to waste money on random crap to improve my grow lol.

Yeah, no profit in mine though (obviously with 1 plant!). Just enough for my nightly smoke
Still going to push the chilis though. Definitely most successful so far. My plans are to grow 2 year old Bonsai chilis in summer outdoors, overwintered and trained in the first year under HPS and take them into winter under the 600, with the stems twisted together and extend the growing season to sell them as Christmas presents.
Pulled the biggest Basil leaves you have ever seen today and ate them with lunch!

 

[Matchbox]

Still pays for itself, that's your nightly smoke that you didn't have to buy from some shady dealer XD I have some Serano Chilies in 1l airpots in my garden, and always have a basil but I never eat it, the bloody snails get to it 1st

 

[cues]

I use beer traps.just a small plant pot inside a an old cottage cheese container filled with beer. Works great. Would love to do an outside hydro chilli grow one day.

 

[Matchbox]

you'd have to do passive hydro, I run a few hempy's with vermiculite and perlite and whatever plants I feel like putting in... unless your looking to run cables and the like for timers, pumps etc... I'm in the process of investing in a decent pump for my pond, which will then go to a drip irrigation system round my whole garden, as my pond has a fair amount of nitrogen and fish mix in from, well... the fish XD Aquaponics!

 

[cues]

I already have drip irrigation in the back garden. It's based on an old Gardena system but it's run off the mains water. There's about 70 drippers, of various sizes plus some adjustable ones. I love it. I've had it years and it's never let me down. Cost me about £150 but the time it's saved me is well worth it. I once made a home-made 'feeder-unit' that slowly introduced Miracle grow over the season but since broke it
I have a 2x4 table unused and a correx cover to match. I was thinking dig, sharp-sand, frame and line for a res. Get a pump. Do NFT with a solar panel running the pump. Either that or a battery and timer and flood/drain. It's something I need to look into more. I could also do a tiny 'cold-frame' mini greenhouse type thing over it.
Mains electric is not an option. I just don't like water and electricity. I even unplug my pump before I put my hand in the res!
Unfortunately, money is tight at the moment so any projects have to involve what I've already got

 

[cues]

Slight change of plan on the Big Bang grow. Have started smoking the buds that are getting too close to the light. Was so impressed at the effect plus my mate who picks up for me has vanished. I know people will knock me for it but at the end of the day, that's what it's being grown for. Only bad side is the hit on yield so comparing final weight probably won't be a good idea. Plan on flipping to vert for the next one.

 

[Matchbox]

Awesome solution, smoke the shit out of it lol

Money is always tight so I just bodge stuff out of any crap I can find, usually works, made a nice NFT system out of a 1m x 40cm drip tray, an old dirty washing basket and a fish tank filter, using loft insulation as rockwool... worked very well until I scrapped it for hempy. I'd like some sort of solar powered grow, it just seems so unfeasible with how much the panels would set you back.

 

[cues]

I love stuff like that! Money wasn't an issue for me until I left my job last year . I've literally gone from living in a mansion (had over 20 rooms to myself) to living in a flat! Mind you, the job was killing me (I would often do 100 hour weeks) so at least I'm living! Put 2 badly needed stone on since I left. (am over 6 foot and got down to 10 and half stone). Some things are more important than money I guess. One day I just realised that what's the point of having a mansion you crawl into at 11pm and stuggle out of at 7 am, 7 days a week?
My first hydro kit was made with 6" soil pipe, rockwool (although I bought the horticultural stuff), gravel and a washing machine drain pump!
The 2x4 table I just got was a gift from the local hydro shop (for so much money spent in the past!). It's the tray of a massive propogator that the top of got broken. Just need a pump and res.
Maplin do good deals on solar panels. There is one in Slough (or there used to be).
I figure if you can match the output to the pump, it could be 'self-compensating'. i.e. On hotter days, more water. The correx would keep rain out of the res.

 

[Matchbox]

Yeah I know the feeling, was made redundant last year, had a decent sized 400w closet grow before that, now I'm stuck in a lil 1 bed flat :/ but life is chilled now lol (gets boring though) Work to live don't live to work... At least I brought the expensive shit when I had the money, especially my 1st 90w LED, they were expensive back when they were brand new to the market

I think there's a big Maplin down Enfield way not sure though, theres one at Tottenham Hale but that's not that big, still... as nice a some solar powered goodness would be, it's gonna have to be mains electric for me at least 'til I get a better place, but hey if you can get a decent deal on em go for it! XD

 

[cues]

Maplin are wicked. I bought a wireless thermometer there so I can check temps at a glance from my front room.
Waiting to see led prices drop before I go down that route.
"Work to live". I like that.

 

[Matchbox]

Maplin are wicked. I bought a wireless thermometer there so I can check temps at a glance from my front room.
Waiting to see led prices drop before I go down that route.
"Work to live". I like that.

It's a good philosophy lol so long as I can buy food and pay rent, enjoy my job, I don't really care how much I'm earning XD

 

[Matchbox]

I think there's a big Maplin down Enfield way

I meant Edmonton XD

Waiting to see led prices drop before I go down that route.

I've just re-done my finances :/ can't afford an LED this grow, as much as I want one! Just booked a long bank holiday weekend in 'Dam and my LED money is now spending money lol, haven't been before and I want to go just in case they pass all those dodgy laws Got me a cool tube and some acoustic ducting instead for 1/3 the price of an LED, managed to get my fan running at a reasonable sound level with stable temps... All set for the next round!