300w LED - Sunset Kush
- Thread starter Setting Sun
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #242
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
Hey ol hippy, thanks and nice to meet you
.
These containers I'm using are self-watering pots from WalMart. They're a bit different than hempy buckets in that they have a small separate fluid reservoir in the bottom as opposed to hempy buckets, where the res is filled with media.
I've learned a lot about these pots during this grow. They're designed for soil, and don't work well with soil-less media that don't retain as much or almost as much water as soil does. I think they would rock with coco, but perlite just doesn't retain or wick well enough, and the res, being smaller than typical hempy res, doesn't help that situation.
On the positive side, they allow me to oxygenate the root zone with air stones, and I think that is making a difference in growth rate and size.
If I use them again, however, it's going to be with coco or some other hydro medium that retains well.
I've been thinking about setting up a recirculating grow system using hempy buckets and drip lines, with the buckets sitting on top of a tub and drains in the hempy bucket holes returning the nutes back to the res.
The buckets would be the standard 10-liter buckets, so the plants could survive a pump failure for a few days.
This grow has just been too much work as regards watering. I want something a lot easier and more consistent.
Very nice grow SS , is that a "hempy" type grow bucket ? Everything looks so healthy !
Hey ol hippy, thanks and nice to meet you
.These containers I'm using are self-watering pots from WalMart. They're a bit different than hempy buckets in that they have a small separate fluid reservoir in the bottom as opposed to hempy buckets, where the res is filled with media.
I've learned a lot about these pots during this grow. They're designed for soil, and don't work well with soil-less media that don't retain as much or almost as much water as soil does. I think they would rock with coco, but perlite just doesn't retain or wick well enough, and the res, being smaller than typical hempy res, doesn't help that situation.
On the positive side, they allow me to oxygenate the root zone with air stones, and I think that is making a difference in growth rate and size.
If I use them again, however, it's going to be with coco or some other hydro medium that retains well.
I've been thinking about setting up a recirculating grow system using hempy buckets and drip lines, with the buckets sitting on top of a tub and drains in the hempy bucket holes returning the nutes back to the res.
The buckets would be the standard 10-liter buckets, so the plants could survive a pump failure for a few days.
This grow has just been too much work as regards watering. I want something a lot easier and more consistent.
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
Are there like slots or holes in the false bottom that leads to the bottom chamber? Just wondering if you could cut up an old T-Shirt into strips that when stuffed into the holes or slits and dangled into the water chamber would act as wicks that will then hydrate the perlite. The principle worked well for my Wick Cloner.
Wick Cloner: simple, cheap and effective
Don't see why it couldn't be scaled up to size. Should also impede roots from getting into the water reservoir below reducing pythium infestations. I don't know how effective aeration of the reservoir will be with the wick method.
Something to try with what you already have.
Hey ol hippy, thanks and nice to meet you
These containers I'm using are self-watering pots from WalMart. They're a bit different than hempy buckets in that they have a small separate fluid reservoir in the bottom as opposed to hempy buckets, where the res is filled with media.
I've learned a lot about these pots during this grow. They're designed for soil, and don't work well with soil-less media that don't retain as much or almost as much water as soil does. I think they would rock with coco, but perlite just doesn't retain or wick well enough, and the res, being smaller than typical hempy res, doesn't help that situation.
On the positive side, they allow me to oxygenate the root zone with air stones, and I think that is making a difference in growth rate and size.
If I use them again, however, it's going to be with coco or some other hydro medium that retains well.
I've been thinking about setting up a recirculating grow system using hempy buckets and drip lines, with the buckets sitting on top of a tub and drains in the hempy bucket holes returning the nutes back to the res.
The buckets would be the standard 10-liter buckets, so the plants could survive a pump failure for a few days.
This grow has just been too much work as regards watering. I want something a lot easier and more consistent.
Are there like slots or holes in the false bottom that leads to the bottom chamber? Just wondering if you could cut up an old T-Shirt into strips that when stuffed into the holes or slits and dangled into the water chamber would act as wicks that will then hydrate the perlite. The principle worked well for my Wick Cloner.
Wick Cloner: simple, cheap and effective
Don't see why it couldn't be scaled up to size. Should also impede roots from getting into the water reservoir below reducing pythium infestations. I don't know how effective aeration of the reservoir will be with the wick method.
Something to try with what you already have.
- Thread starter
- #244
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
Yep, there are slots in the false bottom that you could stuff wicks through, so that would be very doable, and there would be the side benefit of preventing the roots from intruding into the reservoir, although I haven't had much of that with the slots open and clear.
I considered setting these pots up like that, using microfiber cloth wicks, but I overestimated perlite's wicking ability and left them out. What I didn't think about was the fact that perlite works in Hempy buckets because they're top-watered, and that these pots are designed for the wicking qualities of soil, not your typical soil-less medium.
I'm not giving up on these pots yet. I'm going to try them again with coco, and with other media plus wicks.
thanks for the link to your cloner, I'm going to check it out right now
Yep, there are slots in the false bottom that you could stuff wicks through, so that would be very doable, and there would be the side benefit of preventing the roots from intruding into the reservoir, although I haven't had much of that with the slots open and clear.
I considered setting these pots up like that, using microfiber cloth wicks, but I overestimated perlite's wicking ability and left them out. What I didn't think about was the fact that perlite works in Hempy buckets because they're top-watered, and that these pots are designed for the wicking qualities of soil, not your typical soil-less medium.
I'm not giving up on these pots yet. I'm going to try them again with coco, and with other media plus wicks.
thanks for the link to your cloner, I'm going to check it out right now
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
i here you on that! i was mixing a 5 gal bucket every few days and hated it, so i bought an 18gal tub from home-depot for $5 threw a few big air stones on their with my pump and it works great, i just check PH now. so much more relaxing! i also bought a digi timer at was mart for around $15 and i started feeding my girls every day for 2 min and their going nuts they freaking love it so much. i swear ive never seen plants so happy.
running a pump every day and watering in one spot on my Hempy buckets is the way to go for sure IMO. i wont do it any-other way from now one. check out my pics and see how happy my girls are
Hey ol hippy, thanks and nice to meet you
These containers I'm using are self-watering pots from WalMart. They're a bit different than hempy buckets in that they have a small separate fluid reservoir in the bottom as opposed to hempy buckets, where the res is filled with media.
I've learned a lot about these pots during this grow. They're designed for soil, and don't work well with soil-less media that don't retain as much or almost as much water as soil does. I think they would rock with coco, but perlite just doesn't retain or wick well enough, and the res, being smaller than typical hempy res, doesn't help that situation.
On the positive side, they allow me to oxygenate the root zone with air stones, and I think that is making a difference in growth rate and size.
If I use them again, however, it's going to be with coco or some other hydro medium that retains well.
I've been thinking about setting up a recirculating grow system using hempy buckets and drip lines, with the buckets sitting on top of a tub and drains in the hempy bucket holes returning the nutes back to the res.
The buckets would be the standard 10-liter buckets, so the plants could survive a pump failure for a few days.
This grow has just been too much work as regards watering. I want something a lot easier and more consistent.
i here you on that! i was mixing a 5 gal bucket every few days and hated it, so i bought an 18gal tub from home-depot for $5 threw a few big air stones on their with my pump and it works great, i just check PH now. so much more relaxing! i also bought a digi timer at was mart for around $15 and i started feeding my girls every day for 2 min and their going nuts they freaking love it so much. i swear ive never seen plants so happy.
running a pump every day and watering in one spot on my Hempy buckets is the way to go for sure IMO. i wont do it any-other way from now one. check out my pics and see how happy my girls are
- Thread starter
- #246
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
I like the simplicity and efficiency of your setup, but I think I'm going to set mine up with straight hydroton in the buckets, continuous drip, and strong bubble action in the res.
I think continuously providing oxygenated nutes through a medium that drains well will give me good results, and just as important, the plants could easily be hand-watered in case of power outages, and they'll even survive a pump failure for a few days even if I'm not home.
Hybrid Hempy. It's gonna be a fun DIY.
I like the simplicity and efficiency of your setup, but I think I'm going to set mine up with straight hydroton in the buckets, continuous drip, and strong bubble action in the res.
I think continuously providing oxygenated nutes through a medium that drains well will give me good results, and just as important, the plants could easily be hand-watered in case of power outages, and they'll even survive a pump failure for a few days even if I'm not home.
Hybrid Hempy. It's gonna be a fun DIY
.- Thread starter
- #247
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
If I wasn't laughin', I'd be crying.
I go to see how the girls are doing, and Butterball, my last remaining LR2, has sprung balls. I could swear I saw a female pre-flower with pistils yesterday, but I couldn't find any today, just balls.
So much for the LR2's, lol. My apologies to those following primarily due to an interest in autos, but these seeds were in the original breeder pack and marked "fem".
Gotta roll with the punches, so I put my second VK cross back in the tent.
So we have Vicky, who sprouted more hairs today and is definitely female, and the second VK cross, sex undetermined, that I just LST'ed tonight.
The light schedule is now at 12/12 since these plants aren't autos. It could still turn into a one-plant grow if the second VK cross turns out male, but optimizing things for a single plant might be fun.
Here's the tent now with the two VK cross:
Challenging grow with lots of surprises and changes, but it's alive.
If I wasn't laughin', I'd be crying.
I go to see how the girls are doing, and Butterball, my last remaining LR2, has sprung balls. I could swear I saw a female pre-flower with pistils yesterday, but I couldn't find any today, just balls.
So much for the LR2's, lol. My apologies to those following primarily due to an interest in autos, but these seeds were in the original breeder pack and marked "fem".
Gotta roll with the punches, so I put my second VK cross back in the tent.
So we have Vicky, who sprouted more hairs today and is definitely female, and the second VK cross, sex undetermined, that I just LST'ed tonight.
The light schedule is now at 12/12 since these plants aren't autos. It could still turn into a one-plant grow if the second VK cross turns out male, but optimizing things for a single plant might be fun.
Here's the tent now with the two VK cross:
Challenging grow with lots of surprises and changes, but it's alive
.
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
Man, what a shame.
That pack was zero for infinity.
Auto = nyet
Feminized = nyet
Man, what a shame.
That pack was zero for infinity.
Auto = nyet
Feminized = nyet
HorseBadoritz
Well-Known Member
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
SS, if you ain't nothing else, you are persistent. Keep on chooglin'
SS, if you ain't nothing else, you are persistent. Keep on chooglin'
hydronewbie
New Member
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
Queue the theme song to 'My Three Sons'...Must be all that raging testosterone you exude. Glad you always have something in the hopper.
Queue the theme song to 'My Three Sons'...Must be all that raging testosterone you exude. Glad you always have something in the hopper.
- Thread starter
- #251
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
It is a real shame and very disappointing.
Those were three of the nicest plants I've grown, and had the potential to finish *very* nicely, not to mention all the love I gave them until they showed.
I was looking forward to seeing how they finished under the LED and with the Osmocote nutes, but was not to be. Until they showed, they were doing *great*, but we only got half the story.
I think that had they been female, they would have yielded far more than your average lowryder.
But what can you do? This was not something I had any control over, so there really isn't much to learn from what happened.
I'm not down on fem seeds or autos over it, because I'm almost certain I got reg seeds by mistake. Along with the fem 5-pack, I also got a reg 10-pack, which is still in the fridge. Maybe those will be fem instead of reg, lol. I'm not going to go with Joint Doctor's autos next time I grow autos. My experience with that breeder has not been favorable, and there are lots more choices for auto strains these days.
I sprouted the VK cross seeds about a week after the LR2 seeds because I wanted to have some backup in case something like this happened. I would have preferred sprouting fem seeds for backup, but at this point I'm very grateful for the one known female, and hopefully the other one will show soon under 12/12, and we'll know what we're finishing with.
I'm not giving up on this grow, and I hope everyone continues to follow despite the difficulties.
Vicky is looking good and starting her stretch.
SS, if you ain't nothing else, you are persistent. Keep on chooglin'
It is a real shame and very disappointing.
Those were three of the nicest plants I've grown, and had the potential to finish *very* nicely, not to mention all the love I gave them until they showed.
I was looking forward to seeing how they finished under the LED and with the Osmocote nutes, but was not to be. Until they showed, they were doing *great*, but we only got half the story.
I think that had they been female, they would have yielded far more than your average lowryder.
But what can you do? This was not something I had any control over, so there really isn't much to learn from what happened.
I'm not down on fem seeds or autos over it, because I'm almost certain I got reg seeds by mistake. Along with the fem 5-pack, I also got a reg 10-pack, which is still in the fridge. Maybe those will be fem instead of reg, lol. I'm not going to go with Joint Doctor's autos next time I grow autos. My experience with that breeder has not been favorable, and there are lots more choices for auto strains these days.
I sprouted the VK cross seeds about a week after the LR2 seeds because I wanted to have some backup in case something like this happened. I would have preferred sprouting fem seeds for backup, but at this point I'm very grateful for the one known female, and hopefully the other one will show soon under 12/12, and we'll know what we're finishing with.
I'm not giving up on this grow, and I hope everyone continues to follow despite the difficulties.
Vicky is looking good and starting her stretch
.
grandaddie77
New Member
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
Wow, what a bummer Man, maybe you did get the wrong package. Have you tried emailing the breeder.
Wow, what a bummer Man, maybe you did get the wrong package. Have you tried emailing the breeder.
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! They all came out male
Sorry for your waste. Sucks when things are going great, and something you have no control over, is what screws you.
NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! They all came out male
Sorry for your waste. Sucks when things are going great, and something you have no control over, is what screws you.
- Thread starter
- #255
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
I had the seeds for close to a year in the refrigerator before planting them, so I'm just going to leave it be.
I don't think the Joint Doctor's lowryders are very stable, in addition to the reg/fem issue, because one of the males looked completely different thaIt n the other two.
It would suck a lot more if it was something I *did* have control over.
I had the seeds for close to a year in the refrigerator before planting them, so I'm just going to leave it be.
I don't think the Joint Doctor's lowryders are very stable, in addition to the reg/fem issue, because one of the males looked completely different thaIt n the other two.
NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! They all came out male
Sorry for your waste. Sucks when things are going great, and something you have no control over, is what screws you.
It would suck a lot more if it was something I *did* have control over
.Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
SS, Bummer dude My last grow I had 8 out of 10 males ! Just reg AK48 seeds , still pisses you off after all the work to just have to chop em and toss em !! This time 2 fem clones and 5 fem'd seeds . Hope I have better luck with my fem'd seeds !!
SS, Bummer dude My last grow I had 8 out of 10 males ! Just reg AK48 seeds , still pisses you off after all the work to just have to chop em and toss em !! This time 2 fem clones and 5 fem'd seeds . Hope I have better luck with my fem'd seeds !!
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
High SS!
I've been admiring you work for some time now and must say I'm always impressed with both your work and postings.
I've built this diy waterfarm system that basically covers exactly what you describe. Right now it's only a two plant system but it can easily be expanded. I'll be taking mine up to three after this run.
They're made from black 5 gallon buckets with large net baskets that hold the hydroton and plant. A waterfarm plumbing kit is used to feed the plant from the top while oxygenating the solution in the bucket below the basket.
The buckets are connected to each other and then connected to an auxillary rez.
I'm using a waterfarm controller for the rez but the external reservoir can easily be diyed.
With the buckets holding three gallons each and the rez holding ten gallons I've more than doubled the water capacity of the individual bucket reservoirs.
To circulate the solution thru the buckets and rez continuously I copied the GH waterfarm 8 pack circulation kit by making one out of a waterfarm plumbing kit. It circulates at a rate of 1 gallon per 5 minutes.
The whole system only uses two air pumps to move water so the power consumption is less than 10 watts.
Using the auxillary rez makes changing nute solutions very easy. It's actually the easiest to run and maintain system I've ever used. I have a bad back so making water changes easy was paramount for me when I built this thing.
This link is to the last couple pages in my journal where you can see these buckets in action. Check post 296.
The plants are white widow clones and have been in veg since July 9th. Last night they went to the bloom cab to make some magic happen.
There's more pics several pages back when they were in veg if you're interested
Orangeblood's Grow Room-Yumbolt 47, White Widow, Air Pots, LED+HPS, SOG, & R2D2
I think continuously providing oxygenated nutes through a medium that drains well will give me good results, and just as important, the plants could easily be hand-watered in case of power outages, and they'll even survive a pump failure for a few days even if I'm not home.
Hybrid Hempy. It's gonna be a fun DIY
High SS!
I've been admiring you work for some time now and must say I'm always impressed with both your work and postings.
I've built this diy waterfarm system that basically covers exactly what you describe. Right now it's only a two plant system but it can easily be expanded. I'll be taking mine up to three after this run.
They're made from black 5 gallon buckets with large net baskets that hold the hydroton and plant. A waterfarm plumbing kit is used to feed the plant from the top while oxygenating the solution in the bucket below the basket.
The buckets are connected to each other and then connected to an auxillary rez.
I'm using a waterfarm controller for the rez but the external reservoir can easily be diyed.
With the buckets holding three gallons each and the rez holding ten gallons I've more than doubled the water capacity of the individual bucket reservoirs.
To circulate the solution thru the buckets and rez continuously I copied the GH waterfarm 8 pack circulation kit by making one out of a waterfarm plumbing kit. It circulates at a rate of 1 gallon per 5 minutes.
The whole system only uses two air pumps to move water so the power consumption is less than 10 watts.
Using the auxillary rez makes changing nute solutions very easy. It's actually the easiest to run and maintain system I've ever used. I have a bad back so making water changes easy was paramount for me when I built this thing.
This link is to the last couple pages in my journal where you can see these buckets in action. Check post 296.
The plants are white widow clones and have been in veg since July 9th. Last night they went to the bloom cab to make some magic happen.
There's more pics several pages back when they were in veg if you're interested
Orangeblood's Grow Room-Yumbolt 47, White Widow, Air Pots, LED+HPS, SOG, & R2D2
- Thread starter
- #258
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
High orangeblood!
I've also enjoyed and have learned from reading your posts.
I like your bubbler setup's ease of maintenance, and again, I think supplying oxygenated nutes continuously, or at least continuously during lights on, is going to grow plants fast and big.
My reasoning for wanting to use regular hempy buckets with top-drip and return drains in the holes is that if there's a power outage/pump failure, the plants are still in regular hempy buckets with 2-3 days worth of water.
There aren't any roots dangling down into a res full of dead water, as would happen with a typical bubbler/dwc setup.
Now, your 10" net pots hold a lot of hydroton and provide a lot of room for air roots, so your plants might do pretty well under those circumstances.
Have you experimented with that, voluntarily or otherwise?
thanks for dropping in OB, glad you're here bro
High orangeblood!
I've also enjoyed and have learned from reading your posts.
I like your bubbler setup's ease of maintenance, and again, I think supplying oxygenated nutes continuously, or at least continuously during lights on, is going to grow plants fast and big.
My reasoning for wanting to use regular hempy buckets with top-drip and return drains in the holes is that if there's a power outage/pump failure, the plants are still in regular hempy buckets with 2-3 days worth of water.
There aren't any roots dangling down into a res full of dead water, as would happen with a typical bubbler/dwc setup.
Now, your 10" net pots hold a lot of hydroton and provide a lot of room for air roots, so your plants might do pretty well under those circumstances.
Have you experimented with that, voluntarily or otherwise?
thanks for dropping in OB, glad you're here bro
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
SS you just gave me a great idea!
I already have everything I need to make it happen so i basically just need to get up and do it.
The dead water with roots hanging in it would be a problem if there was a power outage.
Since the air pumps are under 10 watts they could easily be powered with a 12 volt battery and inverter in the case of an outage.
However since the power consumption is so little they could be plugged into the battery/inverter 24/7 and I can use a solar charge panel to keep the battery charged. I already have a 90 watt solar charger!
You just woke up the hamster in my head! time to get to work!
SS you just gave me a great idea!
I already have everything I need to make it happen so i basically just need to get up and do it.
The dead water with roots hanging in it would be a problem if there was a power outage.
Since the air pumps are under 10 watts they could easily be powered with a 12 volt battery and inverter in the case of an outage.
However since the power consumption is so little they could be plugged into the battery/inverter 24/7 and I can use a solar charge panel to keep the battery charged. I already have a 90 watt solar charger!
You just woke up the hamster in my head! time to get to work!
- Thread starter
- #260
Re: 420 Consumer Reports - GrowLEDHydro Spectra 300w LED / Lowryder II by Setting Sun
There are also aquarium and bait well pumps already set up to run on 12v DC, so that may be a good option also if you got a spare battery doing nothin'.
Glad you got something out of my post that's helpful to your grows.
I love it when that happens
There are also aquarium and bait well pumps already set up to run on 12v DC, so that may be a good option also if you got a spare battery doing nothin'.
Glad you got something out of my post that's helpful to your grows.
I love it when that happens