Dave's First LED Grow Using Area 51
- Thread starter daveroller
- Start date
daveroller
Well-Known Member
Every day I adjust the pH to be around 6.0 and during the next 24 hours it drops to around 5.5. Is that another clue?
My water pump might not have been working real well. I noticed today that some roots got pulled inside and stopped it from pumping. So I had to take a tweezers and pull the roots out of it. (PAIN IN THE ASS!) I think I fixed that problem now:
The foam filter got lost a long time ago, so had to make a quick fix.
I have one airstone like this one. I got the 6" version. Air pump is just fine. It's a Rena model, FWIW. Anyway, the roots in the bucket full of Perlite get aerated between pumps of res water (about 90 min in between pumps).
hyroot
Well-Known Member
they sell net bags for pumps really cheap to filter out debrisEvery day I adjust the pH to be around 6.0 and during the next 24 hours it drops to around 5.5. Is that another clue?
My water pump might not have been working real well. I noticed today that some roots got pulled inside and stopped it from pumping. So I had to take a tweezers and pull the roots out of it. (PAIN IN THE ASS!) I think I fixed that problem now:
The foam filter got lost a long time ago, so had to make a quick fix.
I have one airstone like this one. I got the 6" version. Air pump is just fine. It's a Rena model, FWIW. Anyway, the roots in the bucket full of Perlite get aerated between pumps of res water (about 90 min in between pumps).
greatbranch
Well-Known Member
Is it sorted out? Hope all is well!
daveroller
Well-Known Member
That screen obviously wasn't fine enough, because the next day my pump stopped working again. I should have just zip-tied a piece of cloth over it. Right now I'm just pouring the res water over the top of the Hempy bucket manually, using a funnel taped to a long plastic tube (from the vacuum cleaner!). I'm doing this about 3 times a day while I wait for my new pump to arrive tomorrow. Luckily, there's a nice root ball in the res feeding from there.
Anyway, the plant looks a little better now after giving her a fresh batch of nutes. I doubled the amount of Cal/Mag from last time, back up to 17 ml where it was during veg. And I raised up the Sensi Bloom slightly as well.
It's looking like she's done stretching for sure now, unless she has an unexpected growth spurt after getting this new 7-course dinner. I wonder if I should get rid of the SCROG screen and maybe just tie some individual branches to spread them apart. I think that might open up the bush better and let more light in. Next time I'll veg longer to let the plant get bigger before flowering and also start topping earlier than I did this time.
The Dawg
Well-Known Member
Good Morning Brother Dave.I See Your Experiencing Pump Problems.At This Stage Of Your Grow I Wouldnt Worry Too Much.You Have An AirStone In Your Lower Res Thats Providing Enough Oxygen To Your Roots.Ive Ran This Type Of System Before Both With The Pump The Whole Way And Once Only In Veg.I Didnt Notice Any Difference In Root Growth Or Plant Health.Now I Do Perfer To Run My Pump 24/7 The Whole Way Because It Keeps My Res Circluating And Im Also A Oxygen Freak.My Moto Is The More The Better 
Also As Far As A Pump FilterBag I Use Pantyhose.Walmart Has These For .39cents.They Also Work Well As Dust Filters For Your Passive Air Intake
Also As Far As A Pump FilterBag I Use Pantyhose.Walmart Has These For .39cents.They Also Work Well As Dust Filters For Your Passive Air Intake
PetFlora
Well-Known Member
Particularly with smaller pumps with no pre-filter. My 160 gph I have to rap as it seems some nutes collect on the shaft. Leaves a muddy looking puddle, so rasaap it in something a bucket, or clean it up BEFORE it dries
daveroller
Well-Known Member
No worries, guys! I got a new pump delivered today and hooked it up:
I had to make a new watering ring because the one I was using got clogged with roots. The new one works like a charm. Just needed a tee, a piece of plastic tubing and a hole puncher. Now that the new pump has a filter, I shouldn't have any more problems with it, knock wood.
The upper leaves are no longer fat like the older leaves were. Now they're skinny and dark green:
I've seen this in all my previous grows during flower, but I used to think it was from heat damage. Now I don't know whether it's bad or just normal. I'm not worried right now, but if anyone recognizes it as a problem, please let me know.
Still got the curled leaf tips:
but the plant drank a ton of nutes during the past couple of days and she already looks a little better. tds went from 1505 ppm on Tuesday down to 1304 ppm tonight.
She didn't have so many trichomes last week. Now she's getting a little frostier looking:
I noticed some colas forming. Most of them are hiding under the screen:
but some are sticking out through it:
I never had real colas to speak of in my previous grows using all fluorescent lights. The node spacing was always too far apart. I just had a lot of isolated buds. I'm already seeing densely packed buds, so I think that's a good sign that the yield should be better this time!
Just a couple more closeups:
I had to make a new watering ring because the one I was using got clogged with roots. The new one works like a charm. Just needed a tee, a piece of plastic tubing and a hole puncher. Now that the new pump has a filter, I shouldn't have any more problems with it, knock wood.
The upper leaves are no longer fat like the older leaves were. Now they're skinny and dark green:
I've seen this in all my previous grows during flower, but I used to think it was from heat damage. Now I don't know whether it's bad or just normal. I'm not worried right now, but if anyone recognizes it as a problem, please let me know.
Still got the curled leaf tips:
but the plant drank a ton of nutes during the past couple of days and she already looks a little better. tds went from 1505 ppm on Tuesday down to 1304 ppm tonight.
She didn't have so many trichomes last week. Now she's getting a little frostier looking:
I noticed some colas forming. Most of them are hiding under the screen:
but some are sticking out through it:
I never had real colas to speak of in my previous grows using all fluorescent lights. The node spacing was always too far apart. I just had a lot of isolated buds. I'm already seeing densely packed buds, so I think that's a good sign that the yield should be better this time!
Just a couple more closeups:
daveroller
Well-Known Member
At the next water change I'm going to remove the SCROG screen and just tie branches to spread them apart. I think I probably didn't let the plant grow big enough for it and she's not getting much taller now.
I'm also planning to put the whole system on top of a furniture dolly to give it some wheels!
The top of the screen is about 22" away from the light, so raising it up a few inches on the dolly will put the canopy around 18" from the light which is ideal. The wheels will make future water changes MUCH easier for me!
I'm also planning to put the whole system on top of a furniture dolly to give it some wheels!
The top of the screen is about 22" away from the light, so raising it up a few inches on the dolly will put the canopy around 18" from the light which is ideal. The wheels will make future water changes MUCH easier for me!
goatlicker
Well-Known Member
Hey Dave, been a while since I've posted but been checking in now and then.
Grow is looking superb! Lights obviously working great.
My area 51 XGS 190 arrived 4 weeks ago and been over my one girl for 4 weeks now, find the light awesome.
Check it out if you want.
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/769589-2014-xgs-190-led-1-a.html
Grow is looking superb! Lights obviously working great.
My area 51 XGS 190 arrived 4 weeks ago and been over my one girl for 4 weeks now, find the light awesome.
Check it out if you want.
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/769589-2014-xgs-190-led-1-a.html
daveroller
Well-Known Member
I was worried that she didn't look good. Skinny, dark leaves... not a lot of trichs... Maybe I'm too demanding as a parent.
daveroller
Well-Known Member
Hey goatlicker!
Looks like you were growing under CFL before? NICE looking buds there.
PetFlora
Well-Known Member
greatbranch
Well-Known Member
My Man! Taking this "roller" thing to the extreme, aren't you?At the next water change I'm going to remove the SCROG screen and just tie branches to spread them apart. I think I probably didn't let the plant grow big enough for it and she's not getting much taller now.
I'm also planning to put the whole system on top of a furniture dolly to give it some wheels!
The top of the screen is about 22" away from the light, so raising it up a few inches on the dolly will put the canopy around 18" from the light which is ideal. The wheels will make future water changes MUCH easier for me!
Balke Buds
Member
Dave,
That plant is happy.
Great job!!
That plant is happy.
Great job!!
supchaka
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't recommend adjusting your res PH every day. Mix your nutes at 5.8, you can top off with 5.8 but don't go testing whats in the res because it just makes you crazy. Res changes at 2 weeks if things are looking good, sooner if necessary. In your previous pics where you were concerned about the tips turning I would lean towards overfert on that since you were in the 12-1500 range leading up to it. You can see now as well with how dark green they are that they're still getting too much N. With various brands of nutes in the past I've always been happy somewhere in the 8-1200 range. I don't know if you said you were running tap water or filtered or RO but with tap cal/mg should certainly not be an issue. Good luck.
daveroller
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I thought that dark green color might mean too much nitrogen, but wasn't sure. From all the comments I get the idea that my nutes are too high in nitrogen and too low in phosphorus. Not sure how to lower one without lowering the other.