3x600 watt, bare bulb bucket system vertical grow diary (Jack Herer and Blue Dream)

Hey folks- long time viewer, first time poster. Hope you enjoy my upcoming experience as much as I do

I made this thread to document my new grow room setup. I am using an 18 site CAP ebb and gro bucket system, (3)600 watt bare bulbs hanging vertically, and a vertical trellis. I have co2, a verified badass nutrient regimen, excellent circulation, and my temperature and humidity are DIALED in at 72°F and 40% rh. The lights and co2 tubing are strapped to a board, which is suspended by ratchets for raising and lowering. All node sites should be exactly 2 feet from the light source, utilizing the trellis to achieve this accurately.

The plants have been topped weeks ago and vegging for over a month on a 24/0 cycle. Im switching into flower today. Photos attached. I am about to add the vertical trellis, but wanted to post before then so you can see the unadulterated plants. I plan on letting the plants stretch into the trellis, utilizing both sides of the bulb for optimum efficiency. My goal is to achieve 1 gram per watt.

Feel free to shoot questions, comments, and concerns my way! That's what its all about!

Drop your bulbs into the action. Elbow to knuckles away.!

600W MH? Is that what the pic shows?

The point of vertical is to hang the lamp down in the midst of the plants, thus giving them more light.

Yeah, those are MH 600's but I just popped in the HPS 600s after the photo. One of my HPS's started leaking and flaming like an arc welder as soon as I plugged it in! Scary.

To answer your concern, I had raised the bulbs for the photo/installing trellis. I also wasn't too concerned with getting the bulb down inside the canopy for veg, I'm hoping that with the stretch (usually 2-2.5 times the height for these strains) the canopy will 'wrap' itself around the bulbs as it climbs the vertical trellis. I'm trying to keep the bottom and sides of the bulbs exactly 2' from the canopy. You think I can go closer? This is my first bare bulb AND my first vertical. So any input is appreciates

ttystikk said:

600W MH? Is that what the pic shows?

The point of vertical is to hang the lamp down in the midst of the plants, thus giving them more light.

Click to expand...

Yes circle the bulbs with the plants think Olympic rings... Welcome to Riu..

Cheers

ThunkLogic said:

Yeah, those are MH 600's but I just popped in the HPS 600s after the photo. One of my HPS's started leaking and flaming like an arc welder as soon as I plugged it in! Scary.

To answer your concern, I had raised the bulbs for the photo/installing trellis. I also wasn't too concerned with getting the bulb down inside the canopy for veg, I'm hoping that with the stretch (usually 2-2.5 times the height for these strains) the canopy will 'wrap' itself around the bulbs as it climbs the vertical trellis. I'm trying to keep the bottom and sides of the bulbs exactly 2' from the canopy. You think I can go closer? This is my first bare bulb AND my first vertical. So any input is appreciates

Click to expand...

That sounds dangerous. What sort of bulb are you using? Can it be hung vert? I've heard some cant be run vertical

ThunkLogic said:

Yeah, those are MH 600's but I just popped in the HPS 600s after the photo. One of my HPS's started leaking and flaming like an arc welder as soon as I plugged it in! Scary.

To answer your concern, I had raised the bulbs for the photo/installing trellis. I also wasn't too concerned with getting the bulb down inside the canopy for veg, I'm hoping that with the stretch (usually 2-2.5 times the height for these strains) the canopy will 'wrap' itself around the bulbs as it climbs the vertical trellis. I'm trying to keep the bottom and sides of the bulbs exactly 2' from the canopy. You think I can go closer? This is my first bare bulb AND my first vertical. So any input is appreciates

Click to expand...

I think your numbers are on point, HPS is good, thumbs up!

They are Hortilife iPower bulbs all around. That's a very good point and I'm going to research it now! (Edit: yes they specify they can be hung vertical on their website) good looking out!

Upon further inspection, there was some sort of arc that was formed that burned through the metal of the threads. It looks like someone tack welded that spot. The other bulbs are seemingly OK with being hung vertical.

Here it is with the trellis installed and the HPS in place (two out of three that is).

I'm very excited to do it this way, I just helped a friend harvest who did the vertical trellis with horizontal hoods (dutch style) and achieved 8 lbs off of only 12 plants under 3600 watts (6x600w). If I can get half of that, I'll be ecstatic!

Also, his nutrient regimen has been used for over 12 years and has successfully circulated throughout my circle of friends, almost all of us have started using his mix (we hold no secrets!) And I'll be posting that mix on here later, once I get a digital copy. Its the most bonified, verified, badass nutrient regimen I've ever seen and I'll be happy to share with you all (since it was so freely shared with me). Spread the success!

ThunkLogic said:

Here it is with the trellis installed and the HPS in place (two out of three that is).

I'm very excited to do it this way, I just helped a friend harvest who did the vertical trellis with horizontal hoods (dutch style) and achieved 8 lbs off of only 12 plants under 3600 watts (6x600w). If I can get half of that, I'll be ecstatic!

Also, his nutrient regimen has been used for over 12 years and has successfully circulated throughout my circle of friends, almost all of us have started using his mix (we hold no secrets!) And I'll be posting that mix on here later, once I get a digital copy. Its the most bonified, verified, badass nutrient regimen I've ever seen and I'll be happy to share with you all (since it was so freely shared with me). Spread the success!

Click to expand...

Man unless you have used chicken wire in the past and have a great method I think you are going to hate it.
I did a scrog with chicken wire, at harvest I had to cut the chicken wire out of the buds, what a pain in the ass.
Good luck on your grow, will hang around if that's ok with you.

GR

Interested in hearing about the nute program, going to straight coco, can it be used there?

Definitely, stick around! I'm realizing already that chicken wire is going to be brutal. I wanted to use 4'x8' rebar sheets, which have 4" gaps, but I couldn't afford it. I'm alredlady starting my "next time" shopping list

I'm not sure if it can be used in coco, I assume it can be but I've never actually SEEN it work. I've witnessed its power in rockwool as well as chum/hydroton mix, but no coco. I'd have to check the bottles to see if any of them say to avoid it. I'll get back to you on that

gr865 said:

Man unless you have used chicken wire in the past and have a great method I think you are going to hate it.
I did a scrog with chicken wire, at harvest I had to cut the chicken wire out of the buds, what a pain in the ass.
Good luck on your grow, will hang around if that's ok with you.

GR

Interested in hearing about the nute program, going to straight coco, can it be used there?

Click to expand...

Thunk,
It doesn't look too late to make the change, look at building your trellis with twing or plastic fencing. Have seen both of those used.

GR

gr865 said:

Thunk,
It doesn't look too late to make the change, look at building your trellis with twing or plastic fencing. Have seen both of those used.

GR

Click to expand...

Wish I had the funds this is bare bones, I'm hardly making rent right now (I didn't do a run all winter)

ThunkLogic said:

Yeah, those are MH 600's but I just popped in the HPS 600s after the photo. One of my HPS's started leaking and flaming like an arc welder as soon as I plugged it in! Scary.

To answer your concern, I had raised the bulbs for the photo/installing trellis. I also wasn't too concerned with getting the bulb down inside the canopy for veg, I'm hoping that with the stretch (usually 2-2.5 times the height for these strains) the canopy will 'wrap' itself around the bulbs as it climbs the vertical trellis. I'm trying to keep the bottom and sides of the bulbs exactly 2' from the canopy. You think I can go closer? This is my first bare bulb AND my first vertical. So any input is appreciates

Click to expand...

keep the middle light mh with hps on both ends... trust me. That's a magical spectrum mix.

Awesome to see another person running bare bulbs. Like others have said drop those lights down into those plants, it's amazing how close the plants can actually be to a bare bulb before they burn.

And when you get some cash, throw some Panda film up on those walls. You'll reflect a lot more light back into the garden.

Welcome to riu

love this shit......i wish you many pounds of lovely green gold

Keep in mind the majority of power coming from your bulbs will be from the middle and base not the tip even though you see it casting a beam. Sinkem deep

Subbed

Week three update!

Just started week three, and the stretch was brutal! Very labor intensive. You gotta spend an hour a day at least just dressing this crap into the trellis. I am finding the chicken wire very effective though and am no longer intimidated by it, it provides a lot of options however hard to cut down it will be.

Me vertical growth isn't quite what I wanted yet, but I figure it will still go quite a bit higher before its done. I am considering hanging the bare bulbs horizontal, or at least the middle one, and switching a MH into it as was mentioned by 'thexpress'. I have also installed some reflective walls I cut from an old tent and a panda wall too.

Just did the lollipop, these things are looking dense! I cut out pretty much everything below the canopy. What made it to the canopy is dressed in hard and packed sense, I'm going to have to keep a serious eye on my air flow and humidity. Right now I'm at about 40% RH and I have a cieling fan right above everything with a stand fan on high shooting right down the middle and a window mounted AC shooting down the middle from the other way. I also have a 440 cfm scrubber going for 15 minutes every hour, synched to alternate with 30 minutes of CO2 production followed by 15 minutes of stewing in the CO2 before the scrubber kicks back on. That should be very sufficient air flow.

Here's some pics. Enjoy!

Ok this took a weird turn. I thought we were going vertical? Dude you totally fucked yourself. Those plants should have been grown about 3 foot tall and then tied to the walls of your pvc frame. So I thought we were going to put chicken wire around that then scrog them to the walls of it. I was so on board in the first post. What happened?

So in vertical growing the Canopy is vertical. You got the right set up. now just grow those plants halfway up the height of that pvc frame you got there then flip and grow them to the top. keep the center open and make it so you can lift the lights and walk down the center of that and tie plants back to the walls. Them harvest them lbs.

You got the makings for some serious shit here my man. just need to make a tweak and get that chicken wire off those plants and we'll be in pound heaven.

Also this is all just my opinion. Keep growing.