Hydroponics Question and Answer NewGrowth Style

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
Hey NG, I'm trying vert for my first time and i got a question. How high do you keep your light in relation to your canopy? I think I kept my light too low in flower, didn't get any stretch at all. The center of my bulb was about level with the tops of the plants, the buds (even the lower ones) are nice an compact, but no stretch. Do you raise your light to encourage stretch? if so by how much and at what stage?

Thanks in advance.
I think you will really like vertical lighting! Bulb placement can be tricky, I try to drop them down into the canopy and any tops that get too tall I just break over. The main issue is light burn, there is literally a 6" space between having the bulb to far or too close. The goal with this style of lighting is to have the light completely surrounded by plant so that no light is wasted.
As far as stretch goes I try to limit it and much as possible, raising the light above the cannopy would probably cause a little stretch but I've seen better yields when the plants stay bushy and compact. It's hard to explain the placement in words so I'll post a few pictures of a vertical grow we recently started setting up. Pics shortly . . .:peace:
 

eli1

Active Member
Hey, whats up? I think I have a rather dumb question. Is it bad to smoke cigs around the plants?
 

eli1

Active Member
[video]http://iphone.dailymotion.com/video/k78Cqc9qawZYfM1X1TP[/video]

Those r me babies. They rnt much but tell me what u think. The ppm is 950 temp 77 and rh around high 35.
 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
Eli1 I'm sure cigarettes are not good for the plants but I doubt you would notice an effect.
Your plants look a bit nutrient burned, I think your clone
may have died as well. Rockwool can be a little tricky to clone in be sure not To overwet it. Also make sure you don't squeeze it either just shake it out to remove excess moisture. Good luck mang :D
 

Stonetech

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the help. +rep.

So you never raised it higher early in flower to encourage stretch? Not that your plants look like they needed any encouragement LOL. I guess i did something else to stunt its growth. Not surprising really, everything i'm doin right now is new too me except the strain. Hopefully soon there will be a vert section at riu.
 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
I like the long mist cycle you mentioned but it's more dependent on how much water stays in your system or how fast/slow it drains. Early on with my wall experiment I misted more often; when the plants and roots got bigger they tended to grow down into the drains, so it took longer to completely drain. You can buy a decent adjustable cycle timer from CAP it's called the ART-Dne. I've got a genesis high pressure aerosystem that only comes on for 3 sec every 20min so cycle time is also dependent on the type of aero system you're using.
Stonetech-
Nope I just adjust the lights in relation to the plants and vice versa. There is not much room to move around in there, raising it above the plants will just waste it in a vertical set-up. Best luck to you!:peace:
 

4 the love of ganja

Active Member
this is a little off subject but i am fairly new to all this but i have been thinking about purchasing an aeroponic system. i have done alot of research and im debating on which on would be better for me i am in a 4x4 closet with a 400 watt hps.

botanicare aeroponic system
3x3 1 tray with 9 5" pots

or C.A.P 8dwc hydroponic aeroponic system
4"x26"x16" with 8 3.75" pots

any information would be very helpful..
 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
Cap makes good products, I've heard that the botanicare power cloner is quite leaky too. Botanicare does have a gooD line of other products but I'm not sure about the unit you mentioned. I'm sure it's possible to grow fantastic hydro with either.
 
When a website gives a yield "Yield : up to 15.5 ounces / 400 grams m2" I know that is only appx, but is that "dry weight'?

What can you do with male plants if you don't want to produce more seeds with a female plant? Do they have anything in their leaves that you can use or do you just toss them? I understand male plants often have a higher level of THC, but what good is it if you can't use the plant?
 
First Post... Long time reader....

100% organics in hydroponic systems, I get mixed thoughts and opinions on the subject, some say its best of both worlds and some say its a nightmare slime city, do to aeration of nutrients in the res... throwing off the fungi to bacteria ratio and making ph adjustments a nightmare?... I know most folks that use hydroponics use salt based "chemicals" or a mix of chemicals and bio derived nutrients, nothing wrong with other non organic nutrients, just would like to go the natural route

I would like to get going on a flood and drain system in hydroton, and go 100% organic with all the beneficial microbes, strengths plants immune system and make nutrients uptake more efficient.

Do you think I might run into these problems, erratic PH fluctuation, Microbial overload, nutrient lockout, rancid smells, clogged pump ect..... I was planing on using Blue Mountain Organic Nutrients, <---- if that makes a diffrence, price is great and a few folks say they love the stuff.

If it did cause some problems my only thoughts were to time the duration of oxygenating the solution (only when flood cycle start) in the Rez or leave it stagnant as roots get amble amount of oxygen in the hydroton. The Rez will be light tight and chilled with frozen water bottles to around 65f and be made out of portable insulated cooler.

Any input and feed back from you or any experienced member would be great....thanks, keep it safe, fun and enjoy!!
 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
When a website gives a yield "Yield : up to 15.5 ounces / 400 grams m2" I know that is only appx, but is that "dry weight'?

What can you do with male plants if you don't want to produce more seeds with a female plant? Do they have anything in their leaves that you can use or do you just toss them? I understand male plants often have a higher level of THC, but what good is it if you can't use the plant?
I think seed companies are talking about the yield indoors with a well managed canopy, and yes this should be dry weight. The yields claimed are often 'master grower' status or someone who has grown cannabis long enough to understand how to properly prune and manage a canopy.

Male plants are best for pollen :wink: You can extract some THC from them by drying out the plant matter grinding it up and soaking it in Iso Alcohol. Strain out the plant matter and evaporate the alcohol you'll be left with a low grade hash oil that I would not recommend smoking. The oil can be eaten (tastes horrible) but I would recommend using it topically for sores, acne, ect. The extraction is only worth it if you have a good amount of pant matter or are really hard up :wink:
 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
First Post... Long time reader....

100% organics in hydroponic systems, I get mixed thoughts and opinions on the subject, some say its best of both worlds and some say its a nightmare slime city, do to aeration of nutrients in the res... throwing off the fungi to bacteria ratio and making ph adjustments a nightmare?... I know most folks that use hydroponics use salt based "chemicals" or a mix of chemicals and bio derived nutrients, nothing wrong with other non organic nutrients, just would like to go the natural route

I would like to get going on a flood and drain system in hydroton, and go 100% organic with all the beneficial microbes, strengths plants immune system and make nutrients uptake more efficient.

Do you think I might run into these problems, erratic PH fluctuation, Microbial overload, nutrient lockout, rancid smells, clogged pump ect..... I was planing on using Blue Mountain Organic Nutrients, <---- if that makes a diffrence, price is great and a few folks say they love the stuff.

If it did cause some problems my only thoughts were to time the duration of oxygenating the solution (only when flood cycle start) in the Rez or leave it stagnant as roots get amble amount of oxygen in the hydroton. The Rez will be light tight and chilled with frozen water bottles to around 65f and be made out of portable insulated cooler.

Any input and feed back from you or any experienced member would be great....thanks, keep it safe, fun and enjoy!!
I think organic hydroponics is rather silly but if you are tempted to go for it choose your medium well.. Hydroton is probably a poor medium choice for 'organic hydro', I would try CoCo coir or a peat based mix. You want a medium with good porosity and the ability to support a good population of microbes. Recirculating hydroponics and organics have no place unless you like unreliable set-ups and funky smells. Earthworm casting are also a staple they will provide you with an army of nematodes to eat the baddies, you can make a tea by steeping the castings in a 5gal bucket of water with 2-3ml molasses and then aerating for 12-24hrs. Keep everything aerated and watch for funky smells should smell like fresh soil or compost.
Good luck! :peace:
PS- Earthworm casting tea worked really well in my ez-cloner
 
I think organic hydroponics is rather silly but if you are tempted to go for it choose your medium well.. Hydroton is probably a poor medium choice for 'organic hydro', I would try CoCo coir or a peat based mix. You want a medium with good porosity and the ability to support a good population of microbes. Recirculating hydroponics and organics have no place unless you like unreliable set-ups and funky smells. Earthworm casting are also a staple they will provide you with an army of nematodes to eat the baddies, you can make a tea by steeping the castings in a 5gal bucket of water with 2-3ml molasses and then aerating for 12-24hrs. Keep everything aerated and watch for funky smells should smell like fresh soil or compost.
Good luck! :peace:
PS- Earthworm casting tea worked really well in my ez-cloner

Thanks for the insight, seen Stinkbud use a NFT or Areo for his organics seems he does well, for simplicity i should go with soiless mix with added guano and castings and use organics in buckets, that way when weather and coverage in my favor i could put plants outside to get real light, Boost my results but could bring unwanted pest into my tent, Catch 22 i suppose, all said...until i get a few grows under my belt and get a good feel for what I am doing, going to keep it simple and frugal, thank you again NewGrowth
 
[FONT=&quot]I looked at a "kit" http://www.stealthhydroponics.com/product.php?xProd=2&xSec=54&jssCart=a13fc67cb532827ce4e6b17d1ccfa9be the price seemed a little high so I did not go this route, but I notice they have a "Veg light" and a "Bloom light" on at the same time, I emailed them to see if this was correct or if this was just the pic, they said it was correct, so I have set up my system in the same manner.

I have been at this for a week but I am wondering if the "Bloom light" should really be turned on now??[/FONT]
 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
Looks like stealth hydro is still successfully ripping people off. :lol: what they're selling on their website for $189 I could build for $30. Their lighting is 'dual spectrum' AKA a warm CFL and cool white CFL :lol:. You should be able to run both lights through bloom
and veg. Take note of what they give you in the kit I assume even if you bought all those components from a retailer it would still cost you $50 or less.
 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
:lol: guess my estimate was pretty close then. Not sure about that seed company, I look for reputable breeders when seed shopping. If you want cheap quality go with Nirvana, you'll get a little souvenier from them too. Attitude has a good selection and seem to be reliable as well.
 
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