grapesnowcone
Well-Known Member
What are the actual watts of your light setup?
My super special grow room
- Thread starter carlaharris
- Start date
carlaharris
Member
About 400 actual.
carlaharris
Member
Here's a little update, transplanted into 3 dwc from the party cups.
At the moment this is also a closet grow, I am absorbing another growers plants in the next few days so I will have an actual "Grow Room" not just a closet and a grand total of 10 plants, 5 of which will be flowering. Once everything gets sectioned off anyways.
At the moment this is also a closet grow, I am absorbing another growers plants in the next few days so I will have an actual "Grow Room" not just a closet and a grand total of 10 plants, 5 of which will be flowering. Once everything gets sectioned off anyways.
Undercover Cop
Active Member
Lookin good! Just dont ever settle for what ya got, always improve 
The DWC buckets (mine are similar but homemade) will work very well, you'll see the root mass start to develop and will fill in the entire bottom of the bucket. Just get ready to add water every day, I have 3 that just started flowering recently and are already sucking up a gallon a day. I give them fresh full strength nutes with supplementals (silica/h2o2/ph etc.) every week, then top off with pure water daily. about mid week Ill spike the fresh water with about half strength nute and full strength H202. When your babies arent using up much water, the PH will slowly drift upwards and you'll have to keep checking it daily since you're not adding anything to it, but once they start really suckin up water and you're replacing it, the water you add will dilute the solution in the buckets and they'll buffer themselves naturally. The only time I bother with PH is when they're tiny, so you wont have to worry about that much longer, but you'll then have to worry about maintaining the water level. The worst thing you can do is leave a bucket un-plugged from the air-pump (can drown the roots after a few hours) or let the water go dry (roots will air prune and die off) Otherwise Hydro is the way to go! I like the Flora series, but it will get expensive as it doesnt really last that long unless you're maintaining a reservior and dont change nutes frequently. Ive considered a reservior too, but the nute levels can get off and you gotta try to figure what you are deficient in and respond to problems you see to tell you what nutes you need. I never have even a blemish on my foliage (unless I do something stupid) as long as I change nutes weekly. I switched to the GH Maxi series dry powder nutes (much cheaper, and only one part for Veg, one part for Flower, one at a time instead of blending 3 liquids at every feeding w the FloraSeries) I started w cfl's/HPS but quickly switched to PAR T5 lighting and couldnt be happier as all my watts are going to produce exactly what kind of light the plants need.
Do you start your seeds directly in the hydroton pebbles? I use hydroton but have always been afraid to start in it. I figured a tiny seedling would just lose its footing in the loose pebbles and have its roots pinched etc, so I start in Rockwool then put the cube into the pot of pebbles.
If you're gonna be upgrading your set-up, adding a flower room etc, Get with me about lighting for it, I know some good deals on T5's that will outperform HPS/MH but will produce much less heat. The plants development relies heavily on lighting just as much as nutrients. Improper lighting can cause stretch and spindly stalks. I do like the selection of CFL's you're using, they'll work for Veg but I think you'll need to step it up during flowering for decent yields (also if you're adding more plants)
Good looking tho! You'll have a fun few months coming up! just dont start anything thats gonna take up much of your time, forget your friends and family, forget about school and any hobbies you enjoy. You're a new proud parent and your little babies will be screaming for all your attention! But dont forget your Batman Cat tho!!!
The DWC buckets (mine are similar but homemade) will work very well, you'll see the root mass start to develop and will fill in the entire bottom of the bucket. Just get ready to add water every day, I have 3 that just started flowering recently and are already sucking up a gallon a day. I give them fresh full strength nutes with supplementals (silica/h2o2/ph etc.) every week, then top off with pure water daily. about mid week Ill spike the fresh water with about half strength nute and full strength H202. When your babies arent using up much water, the PH will slowly drift upwards and you'll have to keep checking it daily since you're not adding anything to it, but once they start really suckin up water and you're replacing it, the water you add will dilute the solution in the buckets and they'll buffer themselves naturally. The only time I bother with PH is when they're tiny, so you wont have to worry about that much longer, but you'll then have to worry about maintaining the water level. The worst thing you can do is leave a bucket un-plugged from the air-pump (can drown the roots after a few hours) or let the water go dry (roots will air prune and die off) Otherwise Hydro is the way to go! I like the Flora series, but it will get expensive as it doesnt really last that long unless you're maintaining a reservior and dont change nutes frequently. Ive considered a reservior too, but the nute levels can get off and you gotta try to figure what you are deficient in and respond to problems you see to tell you what nutes you need. I never have even a blemish on my foliage (unless I do something stupid) as long as I change nutes weekly. I switched to the GH Maxi series dry powder nutes (much cheaper, and only one part for Veg, one part for Flower, one at a time instead of blending 3 liquids at every feeding w the FloraSeries) I started w cfl's/HPS but quickly switched to PAR T5 lighting and couldnt be happier as all my watts are going to produce exactly what kind of light the plants need.
Do you start your seeds directly in the hydroton pebbles? I use hydroton but have always been afraid to start in it. I figured a tiny seedling would just lose its footing in the loose pebbles and have its roots pinched etc, so I start in Rockwool then put the cube into the pot of pebbles.
If you're gonna be upgrading your set-up, adding a flower room etc, Get with me about lighting for it, I know some good deals on T5's that will outperform HPS/MH but will produce much less heat. The plants development relies heavily on lighting just as much as nutrients. Improper lighting can cause stretch and spindly stalks. I do like the selection of CFL's you're using, they'll work for Veg but I think you'll need to step it up during flowering for decent yields (also if you're adding more plants)
Good looking tho! You'll have a fun few months coming up! just dont start anything thats gonna take up much of your time, forget your friends and family, forget about school and any hobbies you enjoy. You're a new proud parent and your little babies will be screaming for all your attention! But dont forget your Batman Cat tho!!!
carlaharris
Member
Wow! I was not expecting a novel, best read I've had in awhile. I appreciate the time and knowledge of your post. i've been following the lucas formula loosely, i get signs of over nueting, wait.... tone it down, then up, finding the right place as I'm adding about 1/3 gallon to mom daily and a fair amount to the little ones. I love my baby in the water farm and have my fingers crossed. I started all plant's from seed in rockwool. I've got big plans but no financing till harvest, T5 is the way to go. I've got a a 400 & 150 watt hps to flower with, my buddy is on a separate cycle, just in time for my flowering. Then after that I'll be moving to a new pad and will address the lighting situation then. Thanks again for the feedback!Lookin good! Just dont ever settle for what ya got, always improve
The DWC buckets (mine are similar but homemade) will work very well, you'll see the root mass start to develop and will fill in the entire bottom of the bucket. Just get ready to add water every day, I have 3 that just started flowering recently and are already sucking up a gallon a day. I give them fresh full strength nutes with supplementals (silica/h2o2/ph etc.) every week, then top off with pure water daily. about mid week Ill spike the fresh water with about half strength nute and full strength H202. When your babies arent using up much water, the PH will slowly drift upwards and you'll have to keep checking it daily since you're not adding anything to it, but once they start really suckin up water and you're replacing it, the water you add will dilute the solution in the buckets and they'll buffer themselves naturally. The only time I bother with PH is when they're tiny, so you wont have to worry about that much longer, but you'll then have to worry about maintaining the water level. The worst thing you can do is leave a bucket un-plugged from the air-pump (can drown the roots after a few hours) or let the water go dry (roots will air prune and die off) Otherwise Hydro is the way to go! I like the Flora series, but it will get expensive as it doesnt really last that long unless you're maintaining a reservior and dont change nutes frequently. Ive considered a reservior too, but the nute levels can get off and you gotta try to figure what you are deficient in and respond to problems you see to tell you what nutes you need. I never have even a blemish on my foliage (unless I do something stupid) as long as I change nutes weekly. I switched to the GH Maxi series dry powder nutes (much cheaper, and only one part for Veg, one part for Flower, one at a time instead of blending 3 liquids at every feeding w the FloraSeries) I started w cfl's/HPS but quickly switched to PAR T5 lighting and couldnt be happier as all my watts are going to produce exactly what kind of light the plants need.
Do you start your seeds directly in the hydroton pebbles? I use hydroton but have always been afraid to start in it. I figured a tiny seedling would just lose its footing in the loose pebbles and have its roots pinched etc, so I start in Rockwool then put the cube into the pot of pebbles.
If you're gonna be upgrading your set-up, adding a flower room etc, Get with me about lighting for it, I know some good deals on T5's that will outperform HPS/MH but will produce much less heat. The plants development relies heavily on lighting just as much as nutrients. Improper lighting can cause stretch and spindly stalks. I do like the selection of CFL's you're using, they'll work for Veg but I think you'll need to step it up during flowering for decent yields (also if you're adding more plants)
Good looking tho! You'll have a fun few months coming up! just dont start anything thats gonna take up much of your time, forget your friends and family, forget about school and any hobbies you enjoy. You're a new proud parent and your little babies will be screaming for all your attention! But dont forget your Batman Cat tho!!!
Undercover Cop
Active Member
I can get pretty long winded after I go through a few bowls 
calicatt79
Well-Known Member
"LIKE".....me too! Still as enjoyable to read as I'm sure it is to write
berkman858
Well-Known Member
While you can play fast and loose with your CO2, I intend to deploy a more scientific method. The optimal PPM for CO2 in a grow room is 1500 PPM. The air that we breathe usually has around 300 PPM of CO2 in it so we need to add an additional 1200 PPM to the air in the grow room. Say you have a 10 x 10 x 10 grow room, your cubic feet is 1000 ft3.
The formula to find out how much CO2 you need to add to your air in order to reach the desired 1500 PPM is as follows:
ft3 x 0.0012 (1200 PPM) = CO2 ft3
1000 x 0.0012 = 1.2 cubic feet of CO2
If your regulator flows at .2 ft3 per minute, you will need to open your regulator for 6 minutes.
Now you can figure out exactly how long you need to open the solenoid on your CO2 regulator in order to reach the desired 1500 PPM. You will also want to stop (or slow) your ventilation fans before deploying the CO2 so the CO2 can build up in the room and be utilized by the plants. This usually takes a nice environmental controller but can also be done with some clever timing using 2 timers, one for the CO2 regulator and one for the vent. fan.
Good luck!
calicatt79
Well-Known Member
AWESOME Berkman +rep for sharing that! Thanks 
carlaharris
Member
Undercover Cop
Active Member
Thats one thing I havent done yet. I recently installed a closed circuit AC so my room is sealed off. Ive been opening the door for a few minutes whenever I can think to, but I doubt thats refreshing the CO2 levels much. I have the jug, sugar, yeast etc and was planning to set one up whenever my lazy ass gets around to it, just havent yet.... does it make your room smell bad? like old beer? any tips?
carlaharris
Member
I have it in a jug with a air tube running to a air stone in a Gatorade bottle so I don't smell a thing.
berkman858
Well-Known Member
I guess you are right, every little bit helps. I am a little bit of a perfectionist but we all have to work within our means and that does mean monetarily. I have heard about the yeast thing but it seems too messy and smelly for my likes.
Undercover Cop
Active Member
Holy shit thats fucking genius!!! So it bubbles through water to filter the smell out and to see the actual discharged co2 bubbles... would it smell otherwise? I'm gonna do that w/ some 3gal jugs & air rocks!
DO3SHA
Well-Known Member
genius man!
calicatt79
Well-Known Member
I am totally going to be doing the same thing. Do you use brewers yeast? Sounds simple...and I like simple
DJAJGROWSTOO
Active Member
i just got 2 23 watt Bright White cfls from homedepot. i relized they say only 3320k on them once i got home... are they ok for veg?
carlaharris
Member
It wouldn't be bad for supplemental light but for veg I hear you want a light with kelvins above 5000. I only do what I've read works out and I heard from a couple sources that 3000-4500 doesn't contain as much of the light beneficial to plants. Maybe thats wrong maybe its not, but my babies have responded well to the 5000k loving they receive.
carlaharris
Member
Just walmart variety. Brewers would definitely be better because it can live in higher alcohol contents up to 18% Where as generic is 9-13% according the the hydro store guy. The air stone is a good guide too because you can see the bubbles being produced. You get an idea of how much sugar you can add and when the yeast are dying off.I am totally going to be doing the same thing. Do you use brewers yeast? Sounds simple...and I like simple