For my first grow, I'm attempting to tackle the beast that is HPA. I call it a beast because there sure are a lot of parts and complexities (at least, that's what I've read and experienced so far). I don't know if I'll get the setup working just right to get these plants to grow but here is my journal.
I welcome advice or suggestions, especially if you have experience with HPA.
I start this journal about 3 weeks in. My seeds started in an AeroGarden and I moved them into my (experimental) HPA setup about 2.5 weeks from germination.
This is the current state of affairs:
My tent. 2.5 x 2 feet, 7 feet tall.
You can see my 30" high dual tote stacking. I bought a new tote which has not arrived yet. It will eliminate some minor leaks I've been getting where the totes connect.
My LED light (red/blue turned off for photo). Runs at about 130 W draw. Not sure how well this light will work yet. It is the CREE XML 150 from AdvancedLEDLights.com.
The ventilation, no carbon filter yet.
Aquatec 8800 pump with 150 micron filter. Pushing about 120 PSI to two mister heads.
The 6 sites I drilled into the tote bottom. I currently have two plants (one didn't survive transplant)
A peak into the tote, the sprayer is currently pointed at the root.
The simple design, I use neoprene to block out light and hold the plants. I'm not currently using any net cups although they fit perfectly into these openings. I may need net cups if the plants get bigger and heavier.
The smaller of the two plants, it has got some spotting which I hope will go away. I added some more CalMag to the res as I think that was low since I'm using distilled water.
The larger of the two plants, it has got some burnt edges but in general seems to be doing pretty good.
I'm hoping to see more roots growing (today they had some great new root growth since being transplanted) and the leaves to hopefully start looking better.
I'm using pure blend pro (veg), calmag, and hygrozyme in the res currently. The res (bottom tote) has around 5-8 gallons of liquid. I'm PH balancing it daily.
My plans for the near future are to add an accumulator tank to the system. Introduce a better cycle timer (from 15 seconds min to 1 second) and see if those additions help. If so, I might also try and implement a drain to waste setup.
I welcome advice or suggestions, especially if you have experience with HPA.
I start this journal about 3 weeks in. My seeds started in an AeroGarden and I moved them into my (experimental) HPA setup about 2.5 weeks from germination.
This is the current state of affairs:
My tent. 2.5 x 2 feet, 7 feet tall.
You can see my 30" high dual tote stacking. I bought a new tote which has not arrived yet. It will eliminate some minor leaks I've been getting where the totes connect.
My LED light (red/blue turned off for photo). Runs at about 130 W draw. Not sure how well this light will work yet. It is the CREE XML 150 from AdvancedLEDLights.com.
The ventilation, no carbon filter yet.
Aquatec 8800 pump with 150 micron filter. Pushing about 120 PSI to two mister heads.
The 6 sites I drilled into the tote bottom. I currently have two plants (one didn't survive transplant)
A peak into the tote, the sprayer is currently pointed at the root.
The simple design, I use neoprene to block out light and hold the plants. I'm not currently using any net cups although they fit perfectly into these openings. I may need net cups if the plants get bigger and heavier.
The smaller of the two plants, it has got some spotting which I hope will go away. I added some more CalMag to the res as I think that was low since I'm using distilled water.
The larger of the two plants, it has got some burnt edges but in general seems to be doing pretty good.
I'm hoping to see more roots growing (today they had some great new root growth since being transplanted) and the leaves to hopefully start looking better.
I'm using pure blend pro (veg), calmag, and hygrozyme in the res currently. The res (bottom tote) has around 5-8 gallons of liquid. I'm PH balancing it daily.
My plans for the near future are to add an accumulator tank to the system. Introduce a better cycle timer (from 15 seconds min to 1 second) and see if those additions help. If so, I might also try and implement a drain to waste setup.
