First Time DWC/Grower Longtime Smoker

R

rLLZORS

Member
Thought I'd post a diary here in-case I need help or if I'm doing something wrong. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

Got a 600Watt Dual Spectrum HPS Bulb
20Liter Pot
Ambient Temp: 35c
Water Temp: Not really sure kinda warm, not too warm
Nutrients: Canna Hydro Vega A+B/Flora A+B
PPM: At the moment around 700
About 4/5 weeks in
Weekly change of nutrients
Currently running 24/0
World of Seeds Northern lights X Big Bud AutoFlower
The only concern I have for my plant at the moment is the height and span of the plant it seems quite compact? I have recently bought some Cal-Mag to help with the deficiency, the slight curling of the edges of the leaves could mean heat stress? but I'm sure the plant should be able to grow fine in those temps.

Germinated on the 29th of October

Week 1
http://localhostr.com/file/1c1O80htoC6i/20121101_183048.jpg
http://localhostr.com/file/BWVvcjwnbHTS/20121104_184723.jpg
Had a little nute burn at the start.
Week 2
http://localhostr.com/file/XygmFwWHb1gx/20121113_112628.jpg
http://localhostr.com/file/dUEkxIy9vpQI/20121116_074619.jpg

Week 3
http://localhostr.com/file/b7XbW5gDXO6t/20121117_132848.jpg
http://localhostr.com/file/DgFc3skdkmr0/20121117_132858.jpg

Week 4
http://localhostr.com/file/pWWpdf9dc4xp/20121121_202218.jpg
http://localhostr.com/file/HBulX1BsJkyD/20121121_202215.jpg

End of week 4
http://localhostr.com/file/GQh0MfVXOG86/20121121_202210.jpg
http://localhostr.com/file/1EAmARVtsTh2/20121121_202207.jpg
 
redi jedi

redi jedi

Well-Known Member
Its pretty safe to say if your grow room is 35c, your water temps are the same....which is pretty hot. 25c is the ideal air temp and your res should be 20-18c.
 
R

rLLZORS

Member
I moved my exhaust fan around and managed to get it down to 32c :/ should I get a intake fan? or would it be better to get a air cooled reflector?
I pretty much have a simple intake/outtake going across the bulb so a air cooled reflector would just fit in place but the main reason I didn't get a intake fan was that it pulled so much air in by itself.

Though the res seems to be a lot cooler now.
 
J

Jalamar

Member
sounds like you got way too hot in there, and from the pictures its growing pretty slow, i would just go for soil grow to avoid major problems in long run at those temps but. if you can get like 20-25 ambient air before it goes in tent you shouldnt have a problem+ you should insulate the hole container top to bottom with several layers of panda plastic or eguilevant so you get layers of air between the bucket and outside world, it will make huge difference on how long the water stays cool. now you are warming up the container with light, and if you get the airpump out of tent or protected from light it wont get heated up so bad and it wont send hot air to the bucket
 
J

Jalamar

Member
oh i just soo from the pic that you have ballast right next to the bucket, get that out of the tent too its heating things up.
 
R

rLLZORS

Member
After redi jedi said the temps were too high I moved my setup to a different room, a lot smaller but cooler also close to a window which I keep slightly opened to let cool air in. I've put the ballest and the pump outside the tent and the temps are down to 28c, the roots seems to be fine as I think root rot would be a symptom of the heat + the warm water in the old setup. Why do you think it could be growing so slowly?

Current Setup
http://localhostr.com/file/eqe0KT7reRj8/20121123_1933392.jpg

Im also thinking to use the panda plastic to divide the tent into two(horizontally) Im thinking to put it just above the plant pots but to cover the whole area therefore blocking all light from reaching and warming up the bucket/res
 
redi jedi

redi jedi

Well-Known Member
Your plant is growing slowly due to the high temps. Once your roots hit the water (if they haven't already) you'll be in a constant battle with slime and rot.
 
R

rLLZORS

Member
dtischerd said:
damn straight!.

i just upgraded from a 400w winged unit to a 600w air cooled unit,and i LOVE it!

no more heat issues for me.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that bit of info, I will definitely buy one. What were your temps before and after? Can you put your light closer to your plant?
 
D

dtischerd

Well-Known Member
the temps in my grow tent are the same as my room which is at 68 degrees.

yes you can have the light much closer to the plants..it can touch the plants,but i wouldn't suggest that..as i had some bleeching on the top growth.
 
TheGreenHornet

TheGreenHornet

Well-Known Member
when i first took the leap, i also was planning on using a 600w winged reflector, in my closet. long story short my closet heated up to like 110 Farenheit within a matter of minutes..
An air cooled hood is a must in my opinion, and if you want to do it right, you should also find an area that you can vent the hot air in to. when i lived in a high rise building, I could vent it out the window without much concern as the smell and the heat were lost in the wind quickly. If you are living closer to the ground, then a carbon scrub filter will be needed to cleanse your ventilated air of odor before venting it outside, to your attic, or to another room. (this is the safest way)

if you choose to go ahead and attempt a grow with high temperatures like you have now, which is highly discouraged as reservoir temperatures are a major limiting factor in DWC grows, then you might consider investing in a high output air pump.
I say this because I have been through exactly what you are right now. warm reservoir temps will encourage algae growth, root rot, fungus gnats, and slime, all of which will inhibit nutrient absorption and eventually lead to your plant looking like shit, if it doesnt die outright.

so - if temperatures continue to become a problem you should do three major things.
1) get an air ventilated hood
2) if you cant get a hood, MAKE SURE THERE IS NO LIGHT REACHING YOUR RESERVOIR. on top of warm temperatures, any amount of light exposed to your reservoir will create an explosion of algae growth, which will lead to root rot, which leads to insects trying to find out where that delicious rotting organic matter is.
3) *** Get a high output air pump, and weighted air stones. I use a 45 LPM for a 10 gal reservoir (which is only filled to like 6 or 7 gallons) or I use two 7.8 LPM air pumps for a 5 gallon DWC bucket (filled to like 4 gallons).

The high output air pump will do multiple things that will help you, exponentially.

First, the more dissolved oxygen you put into your water, the harder it will be for algae to grow, because algae hates turbulent, well oxygenated water.
Secondly, this will greatly improve nutrient dispersion and circulation throughout your reservoir.
Thirdly, it will provide your plants with more dissolved oxygen ( duh ), which is the main reason why yields and quality are generally better in DWC/hydroponics than in soil.
Lastly, the flow of air through the reservoir will residually cool the water, lowering your water temps.

so, as you see, the amount of air you pump into your reservoir can have a HUGE impact on your grow.
stop by my current "JackBerry Grow" thread for evidence proving this if you like, and I have a few previous other threads illustrating this as well. ( it is always a good idea to check the credibility of your advisors )

In closing, one can never have too much Dissolved Oxygen in the reservoir.

Happy growin mang, and best regards.

TGH
 
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