socaljoe grows

So I was tinkering a bit in the grow tent, figured I'd post a few pics.

First off, the ladies. They're doing well, overall pretty healthy. I have a couple that seem to be sensitive to something, so I'm keeping an eye on them. I need to get them into a larger area soon, I'm working on that.





On to the peppers.



So they're growing nicely. I have them in net pots with hydroton. The net pots sit suspended in the party cups, then I put enough nutrient solution in the cup to reach the bottom of the net pot to show them where the roots need to go.

This is the result I'm looking for to get them ready for the Kratky totes. You can see the dangling roots under the net pot. Next step is to get them outside and into the totes.



So that's where I'm at right now. Keeping the train rolling.

socaljoe said:

So I was tinkering a bit in the grow tent, figured I'd post a few pics.

First off, the ladies. They're doing well, overall pretty healthy. I have a couple that seem to be sensitive to something, so I'm keeping an eye on them. I need to get them into a larger area soon, I'm working on that.

View attachment 4329323
View attachment 4329324


On to the peppers.

View attachment 4329325

So they're growing nicely. I have them in net pots with hydroton. The net pots sit suspended in the party cups, then I put enough nutrient solution in the cup to reach the bottom of the net pot to show them where the roots need to go.

This is the result I'm looking for to get them ready for the Kratky totes. You can see the dangling roots under the net pot. Next step is to get them outside and into the totes.

View attachment 4329326

So that's where I'm at right now. Keeping the train rolling.

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Damn is that the leaf tip burn you were talking about? They look awful.
I think you are too hard on yourself. I had to get out my jeweler's loop to see the one pixel of something on the tips.
Something is going on though with something else. They are either in transition (mild shock) from the nute change, or it might be low humidity. Has it been dry?

Big Perm said:

Damn is that the leaf tip burn you were talking about? They look awful.
I think you are too hard on yourself. I had to get out my jeweler's loop to see the one pixel of something on the tips.
Something is going on though with something else. They are either in transition (mild shock) from the nute change, or it might be low humidity. Has it been dry?

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You can't actually see what I was referring to in the pics. It's very minor, and not even something that worries me.

I'm not sure if this is what you're seeing, but some of the plants are still showing some stress from letting the coco get too dry. Humidity is generally low here always, but I've been able to keep it at 50% or higher in the tent for the most part.

socaljoe said:

You can't actually see what I was referring to in the pics. It's very minor, and not even something that worries me.

I'm not sure if this is what you're seeing, but some of the plants are still showing some stress from letting the coco get too dry. Humidity is generally low here always, but I've been able to keep it at 50% or higher in the tent for the most part.

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Oh, ok. I was wondering, because those look great!

socaljoe said:

I noticed a small amount of burned tips on some fan leaves

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socaljoe said:

I have a couple that seem to be sensitive to something, so I'm keeping an eye on them.

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In thinking those were the pictures, I was trying to find the 'something'. The only thing I could see was some taco'ing on a few leaves, so I thought you were talking about that.
Everything looks great! What do you think of that panel after a grow and into another?
Did you notice that my Sky Lotus has gone to shit?

Big Perm said:

Oh, ok. I was wondering, because those look great!


In thinking those were the pictures, I was trying to find the 'something'. The only thing I could see was some taco'ing on a few leaves, so I thought you were talking about that.
Everything looks great! What do you think of that panel after a grow and into another?

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I'll make a mental note, if I mention something that seems off or wrong, I'll post a picture showing what I'm talking about.

Ah, yes...the taco leaves. I had assumed that was related to the coco getting too dry previously. That's a plant that I'm keeping a closer eye on. There are 2 others that seem to not like a full watering so much, they droop and look unhappy when watered to runoff. So I'm still getting used to how they behave and trying to figure out what they want...that's a lifelong battle, trying to figure out what females want.

So this is my first time using this panel actually. On my prior grow I was using my diy 4xQB 288 from Atreum Lighting. This time, I'm using an HLG-65 for veg. The diy rig will go into the 2x4 when that's ready to go. That said, I've been pretty happy with the quantum boards. My challenge, odd as it may sound, has been keeping my temps up high enough for optimal transpiration...that will change pretty soon though.

socaljoe said:

There are 2 others that seem to not like a full watering so much, they droop and look unhappy when watered to runoff.

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I think your droop might be like you said not enough transpiration. If you can get that up, it will come out of it fast, especially in coco. It takes a lot to over water coco, you'd have to be really messing up. If you can get a fan blowing on those leaves, she'll start drinking.

I'd back off the nutes more, too. She might burn coming out of it.

Big Perm said:

I'd back off the nutes more, too. She might burn coming out of it.

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or flush it

If it isn't that bad, notes for the future, lol

I've been talking about my peppers and how I'll be putting them into Kratky totes. I wanted to put together a post detailing what Kratky Method hydroponics is and how I set my system up.

So, what is the Kratky Method of hydroponics? Simply put, it's deep water culture without aeration, the main difference being that in Kratky you allow the water level to drop as the plant grows, this is essential because the roots need to breathe. As the water level drops, a humid air pocket is created between your lid and the top of the water, this is where your roots take in oxygen.



First up is the tote. I'm using Home Depot HDX brand totes, the kind with a black base and yellow lid. Basic and sturdy, they're good for holding water. I drill the lid with a 3" hole saw to hold my net pots.





I like to fill them to where the water level just reaches the bottom of the net pot. In this case 12 gallons exactly.



You can use just about any hydroponic nutrient. This time around I'm using Masterblend Tomato formula, which consists of the main fertilizer, calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt). The main fertilizer comes in at 4-18-38, calcium nitrate at 15.5-0-0 and Epsom salt doesn't have an npk, the first two are applied at a rate of 2.4 g/gal and Mag-sul at 1.2 g/gal. I'm rounding that out with a few additives: Dyna Gro ProTekt for silica at 2.5 ml/gal, fulvic acid at .5g/gal to aid in chelating micro nutrients and making them more available for uptake, and Dyna Gro Dyna-zyme at 5 ml/gal to fend off algae growth and keep the roots healthy. Nutrient reservoir pH will be set at 5.8-6.0, I will not adjust it again until I reset the reservoir.



At this point, all that's left to do is get the plants in and let them do their thing. I've already set them in the net pots and allowed them to grow dangling roots, so they don't even have to find the water. At this point, it may as well be a Ronco Rotiserie...




And this is it. I don't worry about reservoir temps as it gets warmer, I rely on the enzymes to handle pathogens for me, and they do a great job.




I'll be happy to answer any questions to the best of my knowledge.

Holy shit Joe! Look at you! That's awesome, man!
I'm obviously going to have to up my game.

Heyyyyyy.....You're not Jeb are you?
soecaljeb......can we get a mod in here.

Big Perm said:

Holy shit Joe! Look at you! That's awesome, man!
I'm obviously going to have to up my game.

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Thanks. I like tinkering, and this stuff really scratches my itch.

Big Perm said:

Heyyyyyy.....You're not Jeb are you?
soecaljeb......can we get a mod in here.

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My name is Jeb. Haha I love that guy. He's my inspiration for all things Kratky.

And after the call-out, I'm bringing in Billy Mays. It's on.

Have I got you using battery acid yet?
Give it time...

I have a few volunteer plants that came up in the garden. They soldiered on through winter and survived, and now they're thriving quite nicely. One in particular, which I've confirmed to be a female, is going beast mode.

Check out this fan leaf. For a size comparison, I don't have huge hands, but I'd say they're big.

Damn, I'd say that's big.

Big Perm said:

Damn, I'd say that's big.

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The biggest fan leaves I've grown.

I haven't done a thing for the plant aside from watering every so often. I'm going to let her go and see what happens. She's about 2' tall now, probably be a 9' tree by the end.

socaljoe said:

probably be a 9' tree by the end.

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I'll bet you're right. That'll be a good one to watch for sure. Cool that they were free but not ditch weed free.

Big Perm said:

I'll bet you're right. That'll be a good one to watch for sure. Cool that they were free but not ditch weed free.

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Haha. They might not be that far off. These seeds were thcfarmer freebies, so I'm not expecting too much. Basic Spanish bulk seeds as I understand it...but we'll see.

How are the ladies, Joe? You ever run any males for the pollen? I'm slowly getting set up to start some pollinating. Hopefully sooner than later. I'll hook you up with that rain check when I start tossing some pollen around if you want.
I went over to TnT a while back. I found out what a 'mainy' is. Now I am spotting them left and right, lol.