Sun Hut XXL, 1200w numerous strains...Here we grow!

Time for another grow journal......the specs of my grow have changed a bit since last grow if anyone followed. Feel free to comment, chime in, criticize.....make yourself at home.

The Space:
Well, last grow I built a room for the girls, problem is I live in a large open loft in a commercial building and have some inspections that are regularly scheduled (sprinkler system, alarm, fire system....) so I need something I can take down if necessary. Enter the Sun Hut Silver XXL, dimensions on the hut are 4' x 8' x 7' which should give me the space needed. I chose the sun hut due to the construction, of all the tents I looked at in person it seemed to have the best quality.

Lighting:
My last grow started with an old 400 watt and finished with a 600 watt, this grow will start off with the 600 watt with an additional 600 watt added next week (Mon. or Tue.). Both have air cooled 6" hoods and HPS bulbs. After loosing my 600 watt last grow to a bad bulb I have stocked up with 2 spares as well as a spare digital ballast.

Ventilation & Odor Control:
Both of the hoods are air cooled with 6" ducts, they will both be hooked to a 6" Carbonaire can filter. As for the fan, I am going to use the fans I currently have. Last year waldoworld was closing out Stanley blowers.....I came home with 5 of them as they were 9 bucks each. If for some reason they don't do a proper job I will order a vortex on Monday. I have 2 10" fans that will be used to keep the plants easy breezy.
In the summer I need cooling where I am at, I have 2 very large A/C units but would need to do some serious MacGyver shit to make it work.....will most likely buy a portable spot A/C for the flower room and relocate the nursery where I can tap in to cool air which is much easier. I have a humidifier and as well as a de-humidifier if needed.

Environs, Medium & Nutes:
This will be a soil grow using a mix that I prepare, will give a complete step by step with photos when I mix my next batch. My local hydro stores charge an arm and a leg for soil and the big box shops as well as local nurseries are only stocking "extended release feeding" soils this season......i have a theory about this....or rather I feel it is a conspiracy....I cannot belive how hard it is to get plain old soil these days.

Nutes will be Fox Farms again as this is what I have on hand. In addition to the FF products I will supplement with molasses as well as fish emulsion and guano as needed.

Water....precious water, I have an issue here. Last grow was fine, since then we had a water main break in front of our place. Our water is now FUBAR! I will have to break down and buy a RO system, any advice is welcome here as this is new territory for me as H2O has always been acceptable. I think they have upped the chlorine in the system as it smells like a pool all the time.....sucks. I tried to start some herbs for the kitchen last week and the seeds never sprouted.......this water is the Charles Manson of the plant world....stone cold killa.
If you have experience with RO systems I would love some advice, I would prefer a system that is somewhat portable or removable rather than permanent.

CO2: I have a 40# tank and a regulator, I am not sure that I will use them as of yet. This is really a financial issue.....I would still need to get a enviro controller as well as reconfiguring my exhaust and intake......hopefully I can scrape some funds together for this before the grow is over.....time and the economy will tell.....

Containers: Anything going in to the flowering room will be in 3.5 gallon square black pots. This will allow me to have 32 containers in the tent with room to work. I am picking up the pots this afternoon....my most exciting find as I have been searching forever for square black pots of decent quality.

The Medicine:
I currently have Tomahawk in the room and always do ( I love it for pain control, wife hates the couch lock) but I will be adding an additional 4 strains in to the mix this go around. I have the following stock and need to pick a total of 4:

• GREAT WHITE SHARK
• LEMON SKUNK
• SUPER SKUNK
• WHITE RHINO
• TRAIN WRECK
• PURPLE LADY
• CHEESE
• BIG BANG
• EL NINO
• WHITE WIDOW
• HIMALAYA GOLD
• ALASKAN ICE (gonna either get replacements for these or plant them outdoors...haven't decided)
• THAI SUPER SKUNK
• WHITE WIDOW
• TOMAHAWK
• PPP

I have the Tomahawk, PPP and Thai super skunk on hand, the rest will be here early next week barring no unexpected problems. I wont run the Thai Super skunk again, decent smoke but just worth the space/time. So, anything on the list anyone want to see grown out? I figured I would pick one, let my better half pick one, let the community pick one and run Tomahawk and Alaskan Ice.....so if you have a suggestion speak your mind

The Goal:
To provide enough medicine for daily use via oils, capsules, tinctures and consumables. I quit smoking a few months back (25 year tobacco user) and find when I smoke my herb I jones for a smoke.....so until I get a vape that I like all my end product will be processed in one way or another.

My camera is charging ATM, will have photos up this afternoon of everything. Any questions, comments or suggestions are welcome. I am off to the hydro store to pick up all the goodies but the light, be back later with pics, a buzz and a big grin
PEACE

I'm in, seems like your a pretty meticulous person. I couldnt keep track of all those different strains - but I understnand your rationale. Have you mde tinctures/oils in the past? I will be undergoing some minor (hernia repair) surgery in about a month and have a tincture brewing using the warm method. Of course my surgeon is like "oxy this and percocet that" but I won't touch any opiates if I can help it so I was thinking about applying the tincture to reduce inflamation and pain but I dont want to have any crazy shit happen.

i would be careful with the sun hut.We used to sell them and they had issues.The poles that are sold with the unit were powdercoated with a paint that gives off gas when put under light and heat.The gas's were killing everyones plants.I personally know two people that lost all of their crop.They may have fixed the issue,but i would research it.

cannaman2.5 said:

i would be careful with the sun hut.We used to sell them and they had issues.The poles that are sold with the unit were powdercoated with a paint that gives off gas when put under light and heat.The gas's were killing everyones plants.I personally know two people that lost all of their crop.They may have fixed the issue,but i would research it.

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I have had mine in there for a month with no issues whatsoever (from the tent - I have one ill plant but it is very localized and if it were a toxin in the air it would be more widespread), and have seen successful grows with them. Hopefully they've taken care of that issue.

cannaman2.5 said:

i would be careful with the sun hut.We used to sell them and they had issues.The poles that are sold with the unit were powdercoated with a paint that gives off gas when put under light and heat.The gas's were killing everyones plants.I personally know two people that lost all of their crop.They may have fixed the issue,but i would research it.

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I was aware that they had a production issue, I have a 100% guarantee that this is of newer stock since the bad production run. Not that a guarantee will help me if the ole shit hits the fan but none the same.....The shop/wholesaler I deal with is local and loves the business I give him, he wouldn't steer me wrong......at least I hope not

Yes, I make tinctures. I am still trying to perfect it but it does the job. I am still working on getting it a bit more concentrated. I carry an amber glass boston round with me during the day for pain relief. I was on oxy 100's as well as the duragesic patch for pain....tincture works as well if not better and without all the toxic side effects.
As for the numerous strains, I will only flower 4 at a time, planning a perpetual grow with sets of 4 rotating through until I get bored or find the "winner". Just got back from the shop with all my gear, will have construction photos up soon

Not much to report, new seeds will be here early this week sometime.
I got the tent set up as well as 1 600 w and the carbon filter over the weekend. The filter is huge and weighs a ton.....I may have to mod the tent a bit as I do not feel comfortable with the poles that are currently supporting it. I probably could have gone with a size smaller on the filter but this is one piece of the grow I don't mind being overkill.
Currently have 1 girl in the room (re-vegged Tomahawk girl) and about a dozen or so clones that will go in this week sometime.

Here are a few pics...not much really to show.

All sounds very insteresting. Looking forward to updates. Subscribed

Well, not too much to report. My attitude order arrived today.....from order to door 5 days.....personal best.


Pulled 6 Tomahawk clones out of the dome and planted them as well.

Will transplant again in a week or so and hold one back for a new mother as she was thrown in to flower yesterday.


The additional 600w and hood still have not arrived, no worries as I really wont need it for another 3 weeks or so. Kind of strange, ordered my light 2 days before the seeds and the light was only coming from a state away....go figure.

Finding the good in the bad:
Today's revelation....I am fortunate that I do not have to buy bleach, ever. All I need to do is turn on my tap water....

Gonna vape some of this

and look for a RO system....more updates to come.

shipinit said:

Well, not too much to report. My attitude order arrived today.....from order to door 5 days.....personal best.


Gonna vape some of this
View attachment 366534
and look for a RO system....more updates to come.

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niice looking bud your vaping there. There is no way i'de be able to grow that many strains and keep em apart. Props to you.

Ok, strains for the first run have been decided. I started to germ Cheese, Trainwreck, Tomahawk & Alaskan Ice. The Ice I was going to exchange/give to a buddy for outdoor due to all the problems that seem to be popping up with the strain. Long, real long flower times, whispy buds and the like....I am hoping that they released the strain too soon and it is just not stable as of yet....at least then there is hope. Anyway I decided to germ 5 of them now and 5 after this run is through. I will keep the best of the bunch and ditch the other 4....I will do the same with the second run of 5 seeds, hopefully I end up with a decent specimen.


I planted another 3 clones today, that makes 9 in the dirt and another 9 under the dome. Once they are all out of the dome they will go in to the tent to flower. I noticed with this strain I yield the same per sq meter regarless if I grow bushes or lolipops.....One will be transplanted in to a 3 gal to be the new mom and the others will flower in the 32 oz. cups.

Vaped a bit much this afternoon and forgot to mist them, still drooping a bit but will pull through just fine.

Still on a quest for a RO system....I cannot battle my water situation any longer.

The seeds have been soaking for 24 hours so I have moved them to plates between paper towels for the next day to week depending on time needed. The Alaskan Ice isn't impressive so far, 4 of the 5 seeds were still floating......time will tell.

The Cheese have already split the case and Ms. Taproot is well on her way


Trainwreck has split as well.


Clones are doing ok, 1 still wanting to wilt on me but she will pull through fine. In the pic below with the seeds you can see the dome in the background....notice the few clones that have the yellowing leaves? Well, the mother they were taken from decided to really show pre-flowers and I think this is affecting the clones. Normally I get roots showing in 5 to 7 days with this strain, this go around was 13 days for the first roots. Oh well.
More updates to follow

Seeds went in the soil today, 24 hours after their soak. All taproots were out except for 1 Ice seed, it was planted anyway.

And where they will reside for a day or two.

All but 3 of the clones are in soil, tally so far is 13 in soil, 3 still with no visible roots. Clones will go in to flower in the next week or so.

On a side note, does anyone have any experience with Oakton PH meters....specifically this model here.
I found one for sale locally used but only a few times....comes with case, calibration fluids....extra probe.....and 400 bucks cheaper than new.

On a side note, does anyone have any experience with Oakton PH meters....specifically this model here.
I found one for sale locally used but only a few times....comes with case, calibration fluids....extra probe.....and 400 bucks cheaper than new.[/quote]

THat's a lot of money! I just got an oakton pen (ph2) that seems to be working okay - about $90
http://www.simplyhydroponics.com/hand-held1.htm

Great work, man! I read up and subbed up. I'm curious to see how yours goes, as I've contemplated this sort of thing for my next house (moving for more space soon).

Questions.. how many full grown plants will that tent fit? Have you grown in this tent before or similar? In such a small space, will the 1200 really be that much better than a 600 or so? (I only know my CFLs and still a n00b) Is the tent really pretty light-proof from the outside or can you see light leaks pretty easily?

Thanks, man. Just hoping to learn so I can make some decent decisions as I go.. er.. grow.

overmyhead said:

On a side note, does anyone have any experience with Oakton PH meters....specifically this model here.
I found one for sale locally used but only a few times....comes with case, calibration fluids....extra probe.....and 400 bucks cheaper than new.

Click to expand...

THat's a lot of money! I just got an oakton pen (ph2) that seems to be working okay - about $90
http://www.simplyhydroponics.com/hand-held1.htm[/quote]

I was looking at spending spending around 100.00 or so on a new ph meter as mine took a dump last week. The oakton is uber expensive but I found one local with spare parts used for 110.00. I emailed oakton to see how pricey repair work would be....think I will pick it up and roll the dice as the most expensive replacement parts are the probes and it comes with a new spare.

ElephantRider said:

Great work, man! I read up and subbed up. I'm curious to see how yours goes, as I've contemplated this sort of thing for my next house (moving for more space soon).

Questions.. how many full grown plants will that tent fit? Have you grown in this tent before or similar? In such a small space, will the 1200 really be that much better than a 600 or so? (I only know my CFLs and still a n00b) Is the tent really pretty light-proof from the outside or can you see light leaks pretty easily?

Thanks, man. Just hoping to learn so I can make some decent decisions as I go.. er.. grow.

Click to expand...

The tent is actually pretty good size....8 foot wide, 4 foot deep and almost 8 foot tall. I could easily run 2 - 1000 watters in there with no problem at all. As far as how many plants will fit.....sativa or indica....how long of veg time It is all relevent.....I will be running a version of the SOG as my state laws go by plant weight and not by count (decriminalized state without med marijuana laws) so I will be able to eek out a bit more yield that way safely. I could run 80 week old clones in 32 oz containers in the tent easily.....I plan on running 32 total, 16 for each light in 3 gallon containers.
The tent construction is actually pretty good, there are no visable light leaks with the air flaps closed. With them open but down there are no light leaks in if that makes any sense. If you need the ability to break down your grow room in an hours notice then the tent is a good option. My previous grows were in a dedicated room but I live in an open loft space (with no rooms) so the room I made was conspicuous to say the least. The tent sticks out like a sore thumb, not really due to design but due to the size. If you got just the large version it could easily be passed off as a clothes wardrobe.

Will update shortly with some super exciting seedling shots.....ooooohhhhh stay tuned

If you're getting a deal on that meter then I say go for it. I was looking at the new price.

Not much to update.....

All the clones are rooted and ready to go, just waiting on my light zzzzzz


If it doesn't show tomorrow I will cancel the order and order from somewhere else I guess......at this point it is holding me up as I have 16 clones ready to go in. Was thinking of ditching the girls I have in flower now just to get these clones started....the two girls in flower now are a re-veg and a mother that started to show a ton of pre-flowers....both were flowered due to space issues....both should have hit the compost pile rather than the flower room.....oh well.

Seedlings are doing ok, bit of stretch as I forgot to lower the light back down on them yesterday....will repot if needed and throw them under a 400w to correct.


Side note: Met up with some of my wife's friends this weekend......professional types. One of them is an Attorney she works with and he happened to bring his "grade A stash" at "600.00 an ounce". Lets just say more than a little piece of me died inside.....really it did. Was good stuff I guess......but the cover leaves were not trimmed and it was not cured......all for a bargain price of 600 bones. All the way home I had a grin on my stupid face.....knowing that is the EXACT reason I grow my own....
More power to those types I guess.....he was thrilled with it....said the leaves left on shows it was grown with care

I know what you mean. I can't wait till I'm driving home with that stupid grin on my face!

what's up shipinit, im over here in california and have the newer version of the sunhut xxl 4x8. i am running 2 x 1000 watt lights but using coco and not soil. was wondering if we could help one another with venting issues? my 2 x 1000 watts is creating nearly a 90degree heat issue. i have a grow journal going also and it can be found HERE

hopefully we can help one another out.

btw, i like all those strains u got, im sure the greenhouse seed comp is quite proud to see your selection. and youve been having problems w/ the ice? i ordered some but now im scared reading what you've been writing about them

overmyhead said:

I know what you mean. I can't wait till I'm driving home with that stupid grin on my face!

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The new problem I have is when I pulled my stuff out he was like WTF, so were the others. They all asked where, who and how much......luckily they are not really people I associate with......do you tell people you grow? No. Do you lie and say you buy it from Joe Grower? Probably....but then when they ask if you can hook them up? Be a dick and so no? Dunno......think for now on my stash is my stash.....easier as there is nothing to explain.

wonderland420 said:

what's up shipinit, im over here in california and have the newer version of the sunhut xxl 4x8. i am running 2 x 1000 watt lights but using coco and not soil. was wondering if we could help one another with venting issues? my 2 x 1000 watts is creating nearly a 90degree heat issue. i have a grow journal going also and it can be found HERE

hopefully we can help one another out.

btw, i like all those strains u got, im sure the greenhouse seed comp is quite proud to see your selection. and youve been having problems w/ the ice? i ordered some but now im scared reading what you've been writing about them

Click to expand...

Thanks for stopping in, gonna drop by your thread in a sec and subscribe.
As for helping each other out....that is why I am here.....learn and share what I can.

Will update later today with photo's of the flower room when lights come on.