cackpircings
Well-Known Member
Nice grow man!
LUCAS FORMULA - Hydroponic Grow Journal
- Thread starter GreenThumbSucker
- Start date
green freak
Member
good grow looks great
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
UPDATE:
Well, tomorrow will be 5 weeks. I have some updated pictures.
I somehow over-fertilized them. I didnt go above 1300 PPM with Lucas so I suspect that my PPM meter needs a new probe. Will have to wait another week to get one.
They all spurted about four inches in one day. this is indicative of a lot of nitrogen built up. The next day they showed slight leaf curl. Only a couple of them had burnt tips.
Only three of them showed signs of overfertilizing. Very weird. that strain must be nitrogen sensitive. none of the other two strain showed anything unusual.
I flushed out the system and ran it with just plain water for about two days, then brought the PPM up to 400 and added some cal mag. I will let them idle at this PPM for one more day then bring it back up to within range. I will borrow a PPM meter from a friend until I can get a new probe.
No matter, they are still growing like gangbusters. I have 2-3 weeks left and they will be done. For the most part they have stopped growing and are now fattening.
Here are some pictures I just took.
The third picture shows one of the overfertilized plants. Any help dealing with this would be greatly appreciated. I will run them at low PPM til they look more normal. They look better than they did a couple days ago.
Well, tomorrow will be 5 weeks. I have some updated pictures.
I somehow over-fertilized them. I didnt go above 1300 PPM with Lucas so I suspect that my PPM meter needs a new probe. Will have to wait another week to get one.
They all spurted about four inches in one day. this is indicative of a lot of nitrogen built up. The next day they showed slight leaf curl. Only a couple of them had burnt tips.
Only three of them showed signs of overfertilizing. Very weird. that strain must be nitrogen sensitive. none of the other two strain showed anything unusual.
I flushed out the system and ran it with just plain water for about two days, then brought the PPM up to 400 and added some cal mag. I will let them idle at this PPM for one more day then bring it back up to within range. I will borrow a PPM meter from a friend until I can get a new probe.
No matter, they are still growing like gangbusters. I have 2-3 weeks left and they will be done. For the most part they have stopped growing and are now fattening.
Here are some pictures I just took.
The third picture shows one of the overfertilized plants. Any help dealing with this would be greatly appreciated. I will run them at low PPM til they look more normal. They look better than they did a couple days ago.
Attachments
MonsterRobot
Member
I burned my plants about a week ago... I burned them with phosphorous tho and it was a lot worse than the burn you have... I flushed with a really low strength nute solution and it seemed to fix the problem with the new growth and no new burn patches appeared... It just looks funky because the parts that were burned will never return to normal... Your burn looks minimal tho and it seems that you caught it pretty early before anything bad happened... And I would agree that it is nitrogen burn because of the leaf curling down at the tips like a claw...
Things are looking great... Keep up the good work
Things are looking great... Keep up the good work
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
They look much better this morn, I put the nutes up to 300. I will notch it up over the next few days to 1000 and keep it there for the rest of the grow. On the home stretch now.
fatguyinaliitecoat
Member
Let me start out by saying that your journal has been a great resource for me. I have the same growing area as you and I also plan on using the ebb and grow system. I do have a few questions though if you care to help.
The first is that I am starting from seeds and then from cloning mothers. Would you just start in rockwool and then transfer to the hydroton when they where the right size?
I would also like to ask about lights. I am going to be in an attic type area and I thought it would be better for me to use 3 - 600 hps lights. Should I go up to four or would you recommend the 1000 like you have?
My last question is about the height of your plants. If you where to let them grow to about 60 cm before you flower how tall would they be when complete? Lets just use AK47 for the strain.
Again, your journal has been extremely helpful and I wish you the best of luck with your grow.
The first is that I am starting from seeds and then from cloning mothers. Would you just start in rockwool and then transfer to the hydroton when they where the right size?
I would also like to ask about lights. I am going to be in an attic type area and I thought it would be better for me to use 3 - 600 hps lights. Should I go up to four or would you recommend the 1000 like you have?
My last question is about the height of your plants. If you where to let them grow to about 60 cm before you flower how tall would they be when complete? Lets just use AK47 for the strain.
Again, your journal has been extremely helpful and I wish you the best of luck with your grow.
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
As for starting from seeds in rockwool, once they begin to put out little side branches they can go into hydroton. If you give them some half strength fertilizer, this will take about two weeks. Keep them damp but not drenched.
The preferred way to go is with 600 watt lamps because you get a lot more even coverage and you get more lumens per watt. Example: 6 x 600 watt lamps give 600k lumens and uses 3600 watts. 4x1000 watt gives 560k lumens but uses 4000 watts, so the 1000 watt lamps cost more money for less light and the coverage (lights directly over plants) is a lot less. I use 1000 watt lamps because I dont have a lot of money and it is the most bang for my buck. Eventually I will switch over to 5 or 6 - 600 watt lamps.
Plants in hydroponics stretch a lot more than in dirt. I would shoot for about 40 cm. My experience is that they grow 4 to 5 times bigger than their size when you turn them over to flower. My room is wall to wall bud, there isnt a spare square centimeter of room and mine were about 40 cm when I flipped them.
I have one AK 47, it is twice as big as my other plants (indicas). It also has twice as much bud on it. I would err on the side of caution when it comes to the size at which you flip them. When they are about 30 cm wide, it is a good time to flip them to bud.
How many plants do you plan to grow?
fatguyinaliitecoat
Member
I plan on growing 16. I am currently building my attic grow room. I have qot the floor down and a couple of walls. I am half way done with the insulation. I really want to post pics but I am nervous about it. It is going to be awesome, but it is a ton of work to do it right.
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
UPDATE:
I have some new pictures and stuff. Well, I had a slight case of severe nitrogen overdose. My TDS meter probe went bad on me causing me to give them way too much fertilizer. When I went to calibrate my meter, I couldnt do it. The numbers kept changing. Borrowed a meter from a friend and finally got a new probe.
I ran plain water for a couple of days to get the fertilizer out of them, then slowly started bringing the PPM back up. The plants went into a magnesium deficiency so I got some Cal-Mag and gave it half strength everytime i topped off and that stopped the deficiency.
The PPM is now up to about 950 and they are growing normally. They are using the same amount of fertilizer at this PPM as they did at 1300, about 3 tablespoons of micro every other day. One other thing I noticed is that they are using more water at the lower PPM. I am still giving them Cal-Mag and will until I get the PPM up a little higher. I have two weeks or less left so I will probably just go up to 1100ish PPM.
Had I not had the problem with the meter I would run them at 1300 ppm right up to 3 or 4 days before harvest, at which time I would drop the PPM to 200 or so. I see no reason to flush for weeks like some people do because they will use up all the systemic fertilizer in a few days.
Needless to say, the last week has been a good learning experience for me. It is probabally a good idea to replace the probes in your meters at last once a year, perhaps sooner.
Statistics:
Days flowering: 39
Air temp: 73 (night 54)
Humidity: 63%
Solution temp: 54
Fertilization: Lucas formula w/cal mag
PPM: 950
PH: 5.6
I have four Dynamites that are on the verge of being finished. this will give me a bit of breathing room, my indica's are very tightly packed together and could use a little breathing space.
I have two high powered turbo fans blowing underneath the plants and a box fan blowing straight down on them from the ceiling as well as a circulatory fan blowing air all around. I do NOT want to have mold problems which is always a possibility with plants packed so tightly together.
I am running two exhaust fans so humidity is not a problem. If anything were to be a problem on this grow it would be coldness.
I am running a very cold solution. 55 degrees is a lot lower than most people prefer, most say run it ten degrees higher but I have always had stunning results with a res at these temperatures. Water can hold a lot more dissolved oxygen at temperatures this low. I have heard that it will shock your plants but I have seen no evidence of that myself. By adding H2O2 everyday, I am supersaturating my solution with oxygen. Hydroponics is all about oxygen to the roots, IMHO.
Here are some pictures.
I have some new pictures and stuff. Well, I had a slight case of severe nitrogen overdose. My TDS meter probe went bad on me causing me to give them way too much fertilizer. When I went to calibrate my meter, I couldnt do it. The numbers kept changing. Borrowed a meter from a friend and finally got a new probe.
I ran plain water for a couple of days to get the fertilizer out of them, then slowly started bringing the PPM back up. The plants went into a magnesium deficiency so I got some Cal-Mag and gave it half strength everytime i topped off and that stopped the deficiency.
The PPM is now up to about 950 and they are growing normally. They are using the same amount of fertilizer at this PPM as they did at 1300, about 3 tablespoons of micro every other day. One other thing I noticed is that they are using more water at the lower PPM. I am still giving them Cal-Mag and will until I get the PPM up a little higher. I have two weeks or less left so I will probably just go up to 1100ish PPM.
Had I not had the problem with the meter I would run them at 1300 ppm right up to 3 or 4 days before harvest, at which time I would drop the PPM to 200 or so. I see no reason to flush for weeks like some people do because they will use up all the systemic fertilizer in a few days.
Needless to say, the last week has been a good learning experience for me. It is probabally a good idea to replace the probes in your meters at last once a year, perhaps sooner.
Statistics:
Days flowering: 39
Air temp: 73 (night 54)
Humidity: 63%
Solution temp: 54
Fertilization: Lucas formula w/cal mag
PPM: 950
PH: 5.6
I have four Dynamites that are on the verge of being finished. this will give me a bit of breathing room, my indica's are very tightly packed together and could use a little breathing space.
I have two high powered turbo fans blowing underneath the plants and a box fan blowing straight down on them from the ceiling as well as a circulatory fan blowing air all around. I do NOT want to have mold problems which is always a possibility with plants packed so tightly together.
I am running two exhaust fans so humidity is not a problem. If anything were to be a problem on this grow it would be coldness.
I am running a very cold solution. 55 degrees is a lot lower than most people prefer, most say run it ten degrees higher but I have always had stunning results with a res at these temperatures. Water can hold a lot more dissolved oxygen at temperatures this low. I have heard that it will shock your plants but I have seen no evidence of that myself. By adding H2O2 everyday, I am supersaturating my solution with oxygen. Hydroponics is all about oxygen to the roots, IMHO.
Here are some pictures.
Attachments
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
I harvested four Dynamites today. They had smallest buds of all the plants. Full done in 40 days. This is two crops in a row that I have had accelerated flowering. Last crop I had some 55 day plants finish in 42.
I am flooding four times a day now. Every three hours, FYI.
Here is a pic for your viewing pleasure. These dynamites had smaller buds on them, but lots and lots of them. Each plant had 20 or more buds.
I am flooding four times a day now. Every three hours, FYI.
Here is a pic for your viewing pleasure. These dynamites had smaller buds on them, but lots and lots of them. Each plant had 20 or more buds.
Attachments
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
MonsterRobot
Member
since you have only one res and you harvested a few plants already I am guessing you didn't flush... do you normally flush or normally not? I have heard different things from different people as far as flushing with hydro goes... What is your opinion?
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
Of course it is possible with all the conditions right. Three lights would do you even better. Seems one light for about every 15 square feet would do about right to get 4 lbs. That would be about a 4' x 8' growing area. Northern lights is very easy to grow and they dont overly stretch, very large buds and 45 days to finish. Never grown big bud.
I have ordered more cuttings for next grow. 15 Hawaiian big bud. Is a medical strain, supposedly get very heavy. Some Hawaiian strain crossed with Big bud.
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
Lucas says there is no need to flush with Lucas Formula, but I usually do the last 3 - 5 days or so. The fact that I have several different strains going makes it impossible, except with the last strain.
What I do for flushing is when I know there are only a few days left, I will drop the PPM down to 200 or so til they are completely done so they will use up whatever fertilizer they still have in them. Ive used just plain water before the last few days and ended up with nutrient deficiencies, I want them healthy til the end.
doniawon
Well-Known Member
so did you get 6 pounds????? cause while it was a solid grow.. im thinking that your 15 plants fell a bit short of 6 lbs dry weight.. ???i guess im just hatein'
i think 2.5 lbs is a safer assumption
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
Not done yet. Im at 46 days or so right now. Another week or ten days to go for most of them. It is looking like I will get just over 5 lbs. I will take some more pictures tonight.
xceptional
Active Member
Green you're the Man! can't wait for more pics!!!!! picking up a ebb n grow this week!
GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
I harvested my 'runt' plant last night. Very nice little harvest from it, perhaps five oz.
I got a total of 21 oz and change from my four dynamites. Very odd strain in that they each had a couple dozen long, but not very thick buds on them. Decent yield though, all told. Supremely resinous strain. So much resin that cutting up a bud to roll a joint was almost impossible, all the little pieces would stick to fingers and scissors. Got a marble sized piece of scissor hash from trimming the first plant alone. Got a small ball of scissor hash just from cutting the dried buds off of the stalks. Very, very potent strain and dead ripe. Will keep four zips of this for myself.
The last couple of days I have noticed that the PPM is rising a lot faster between top offs, and the PH is rising a lot slower. This tells me that they are no longer using a lot of fertilizer. Time to start my flush very soon. I will let them get a little riper before flushing. Looking like next weekend most will be done, or close to done.
I went and looked at some of the plants in the back and hairs are beginning to turn in the terminal buds, and the calyxes are beginning to swell. Time to keep a closer eye on them.
Heading out right now to take some of this wonderful Dynamite to my dispensary. Last medicine I picked up from them to smoke was basically exotic hay. The other growers that supply them never seem to know when the plants are ripe and yank them a week or two early. A lot of growers pull their plants way too early. I would suggest newcomers to growing go bye the resin glands rather than eyeballing it. I have always eyeballed them myself. Judging ripeness is something I have become very good at it over the years.
Long story short, my dispensary loves it when they see me pulling into the driveway.
I will have some pictures later.
-Peace
I got a total of 21 oz and change from my four dynamites. Very odd strain in that they each had a couple dozen long, but not very thick buds on them. Decent yield though, all told. Supremely resinous strain. So much resin that cutting up a bud to roll a joint was almost impossible, all the little pieces would stick to fingers and scissors. Got a marble sized piece of scissor hash from trimming the first plant alone. Got a small ball of scissor hash just from cutting the dried buds off of the stalks. Very, very potent strain and dead ripe. Will keep four zips of this for myself.
The last couple of days I have noticed that the PPM is rising a lot faster between top offs, and the PH is rising a lot slower. This tells me that they are no longer using a lot of fertilizer. Time to start my flush very soon. I will let them get a little riper before flushing. Looking like next weekend most will be done, or close to done.
I went and looked at some of the plants in the back and hairs are beginning to turn in the terminal buds, and the calyxes are beginning to swell. Time to keep a closer eye on them.
Heading out right now to take some of this wonderful Dynamite to my dispensary. Last medicine I picked up from them to smoke was basically exotic hay. The other growers that supply them never seem to know when the plants are ripe and yank them a week or two early. A lot of growers pull their plants way too early. I would suggest newcomers to growing go bye the resin glands rather than eyeballing it. I have always eyeballed them myself. Judging ripeness is something I have become very good at it over the years.
Long story short, my dispensary loves it when they see me pulling into the driveway.
I will have some pictures later.
-Peace