Aberration Goes Ker Bloom! - Perpetual

[Aberration]

Man Ab, where are all the people at?? This is a top notch INFORMATIVE journal, and your flowers are among the best looking on this site....I mean, you document EVERYTHING, making this a very helpful thread for people to learn from...Just sayin

Thanks. I don't know why people don't post more, but I know I get the views. I try not to worry about it. It does get 'lonely' sometimes. Lots of other growers on here get great flowers though. I don't think I really stand out that much. I just keep plugging along.

I went to the grow shop and dropped $1K today. I picked up a Can 75 carbon filter, a couple 6" inline fans, a heat mat thermostat, spare TDS and pH meters, a bunch of nutrients and other expendables and some miscellaneous hardware.

Tomorrow I'll be back for more. I need another 6" inline fan, more nutes, a couple batches worth of soil mix ingredients, flex ducting, and other odds and ends. I figure another $500 or so.

I also need to buy a mirror. I bought a 2' x 3' mirror at Home Depot to put in the bottom of the drying cabinet, but I dropped it 30 seconds after I got it home. :sigh: Good thing it was only $30. So hopefully I'll have a chance to pick that up on the way home from work, along with some wall insulation.

Maintaining a grow is like a part time job. Doing that and doing construction on an expansion is like a full time job. Oi.

 

[preprodigy]

yeah you def do have awesome fuckin flowers!! ive stopped into this thread a few times now! i also love how wel you document everything, shit that in itself is a full time job lol, esp the way you do it! i love it though, you leave nothing to be guessed. its awesome!
keep doing what your doing, its a pleasure to be able to look in on the progress =)

until next time

 

[Aaron Quix]

I understand that completely my friend...I'm in construction myself, and have a family....leaves little in the way of time, space, patients and cash....Speaking of cash, man 15 hundred is a chunk to drop in one week! Have fun putting it to work for ya!

 

[Aberration]

yeah you def do have awesome fuckin flowers!! ive stopped into this thread a few times now! i also love how wel you document everything, shit that in itself is a full time job lol, esp the way you do it! i love it though, you leave nothing to be guessed. its awesome!
keep doing what your doing, its a pleasure to be able to look in on the progress =)

until next time

Thanks for dropping in. Visit any time! And thank you.

I understand that completely my friend...I'm in construction myself, and have a family....leaves little in the way of time, space, patients and cash....Speaking of cash, man 15 hundred is a chunk to drop in one week! Have fun putting it to work for ya!

Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to mislead you. I work in computer security in a very un-glamorous type of job and my wife and I make good money. Otherwise I could never afford to grow pot like this - I don't sell the results.

I was talking about the construction of my new bloom room - easy stuff. I'm not particularly coordinated or mechanically inclined (my wife institutes a "10-foot rule" of safety for all bystanders when I swing a framing hammer). But ...

(and here comes some light brag, because I worked my @%% off getting it right and I'm still pretty proud of myself)

... I managed to build a brand new 300 sq foot kitchen and I've done just about every job in basic residential construction as a result. I hired a man to dig the hole for a crawlspace, but I formed and poured my own foundation and went from there. I didn't install the vinyl flooring (which I now hate) or the counter-tops. I did everything else. I made up blueprints, got permits, and did my own work from framing to finish. Construction, electrical, plumbing, taping drywall - I built the best room in the house and I sweated everything. It was a lot of work and much of it highly skilled and I am a rank amateur, but it turned out freaking incredible through stubbornness and a willingness to 'do it again' until it was right.

(OK - I'm done bragging. Sorry for being so boorish.)

So having experienced the difficulties of just about every step in residential construction I can totally appreciate anyone who can make a living at just about any facet of construction.

I have a full-time job 45 minutes away, plus a 'part-time' job out here in the garden, and then I add in significant construction work on the house. I don't sleep as much as I should.

Oh!

I got the rest of the garden stuff today. It was another $600 by the time I was done. I even got a replacement for the mirror I broke. Lot's of goodies. I'll post about it all next week.

I should get to feeding. It's already late.

 

[Aberration]

TDR (Tangerine Dream) is starting to look like maybe she could come out at the same time as the MTPs (Matanuskan Th.) that are scheduled for Jan 8th or so. I see TDR starting to look mature at the bottom. It's an odd state of affairs. When I test-grow this next time I will try a simple single main cola approach instead of bushing it out.

The smallest veg plants didn't need watering. They all look fine and need to develop root before they will start drying the soil quickly. So right now they are fine. One may not make it though: GKA.1E is one of the Grape Kool-Aid clones that were done in the clone machine. She is wilting, and she definitely has enough moisture. That tells me her roots are toast or something came disconnected. If she cannot absorb the moisture around her, she will die of dehydration. I will spritz her with distilled water when I can and we will see if she is a survivor or if she is toast.

I did take pics but it is way too late for posting. In fact, with the holidays coming up things are pretty crazy here, but after Christmas I will have extra time. I'll do a full photo-layout of what I'm up to and the next two weeks should actually be really interesting. I'm excited. I want the new bloom running by New Years if I can pull it off. We shall see.

==> Bloom - Pre-harvest flush (1)

SLH (62/70 days) : 2.00 gal

-Mix (2) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 oz Clearex
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.19 @ 19.6 C

==> Bloom - Pre-feed flush (5)

TDR (62/?? days) : 0.50 gal

MTP.2G (52/70 days) : 0.50 gal
MTP.2H (52/70 days) : 0.50 gal

BD.6J (20/70 days) : 0.50 gal
BD.6K (20/70 days) : 0.50 gal

-Mix (3) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
1 T Yucca
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.15 @ 19.7 C
1 t blackstrap molasses

==> Bloom - Feed (5)

TDR : 1.50 gal
MTP.2G : 1.00 gal
MTP.2H : 1.00 gal

-Mix (4) gallons - LATE
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
1 T Biggest Bloom
2 t PGE
1 t Silica Blast
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
2 t Notrozyme
2 t Organic Supplement
1 t Soil Nute
--- t Big Foot (ord)
1 t Calcium Syrup
1/2 t Carbon sweet
2 T Amino Blast
1/2 t TM-7
Natural @ 900 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.16 @ 19.9 C
1/2 t Companion

BD.6J : 1.00 gal
BD.6K : 1.00 gal

-Mix (2) gallons - MID
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
2 T Biggest Bloom
2 t PGE
1 t Silica Blast
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
2 t Notrozyme
2 t Organic Supplement
2 t Soil Nute
--- t Big Foot (ord)
1 t Calcium Syrup
1/2 t Carbon sweet
2 T Amino Blast
1/2 t TM-7
Natural @ 1070 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.21 @ 19.9 C
1/2 t Companion

==> Large Veg (4):

GKA : 0.75 gal ea
BBX.3F
CH
L.5Q

-Mix (3) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
1 t Big Foot (3rd)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 870 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.17 @ 19.8 C
1/2 t Companion

==> Medium Veg (10):

BBX.4C, BBX.4F : water to saturation
GKA.1B
MTP.3D, MTP.3E
SLH.1A
TDR.1B

SLH.1B, SLH.1D, SLH.1E : water to saturation

-Mix (2) gallons
-Per gallon:
2 t Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
--- t Big Foot (ord)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 670 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.27 @ 19.7 C
1/2 t Companion

==> New Veg (15):

AH1.0A, AH1.0B : water to saturation
QLR.0A, QLR.0B
WW.0A

L.6A, L.6B, L.6C, : water to saturation
L.6D, L.6E
GKA.1D, GKA.1E, GKA.1F,
GKA.1G, GKA.1H

Nothing.

 

[Aberration]

==> Bloom - Pre-harvest flush (1)

SLH (64/70 days) : 2.00 gal

-Mix (2) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 oz Clearex
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.20 @ 20.8 C

==> Bloom - Pre-feed flush (5)

TDR (64/80 days) : 0.50 gal

MTP.2G (54/70 days) : 0.50 gal
MTP.2H (54/70 days) : 0.50 gal

BD.6J (22/70 days) : 0.50 gal
BD.6K (22/70 days) : 0.50 gal

-Mix (3) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
1 T Yucca
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.26 @ 20.6 C
1 t blackstrap molasses

==> Bloom - Feed (5)

TDR : 1.50 gal
MTP.2G : 1.00 gal
MTP.2H : 1.00 gal

-Mix (4) gallons - TAPER
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
1 T Biggest Bloom
2 t PGE
1 t Silica Blast
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
2 t Notrozyme
2 t Organic Supplement
1 t Soil Nute
--- t Big Foot (ord)
1/2 t Calcium Syrup
1/2 t Carbon sweet
2 T Amino Blast
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 790 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.19 @ 20.8 C
1/2 t Companion

BD.6J : 1.00 gal
BD.6K : 1.00 gal

-Mix (2) gallons - MID
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
2 T Biggest Bloom
2 t PGE
1 t Silica Blast
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
2 t Notrozyme
2 t Organic Supplement
2 t Soil Nute
--- t Big Foot (ord)
1 t Calcium Syrup
1/2 t Carbon sweet
2 T Amino Blast
1/2 t TM-7
Natural @ 1050 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.21 @ 20.7 C
1/2 t Companion

==> Large Veg (4):

GKA : 0.75 gal ea
BBX.3F
CH
L.5Q

-Mix (3) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
--- t Big Foot (ord)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 740ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.24 @ 20.9 C
1/2 t Companion

==> Medium Veg (10):

BBX.4C, BBX.4F : water to saturation
GKA.1B
MTP.3D, MTP.3E
SLH.1A
TDR.1B

SLH.1B, SLH.1D, SLH.1E : water to saturation

-Mix (2) gallons
-Per gallon:
2 t Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
--- t Big Foot (ord)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 640 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.23 @ 20.6 C
1/2 t Companion

==> New Veg (15):

AH1.0A, AH1.0B : water to saturation
QLR.0A, QLR.0B
WW.0A

L.6A, L.6B, L.6C, : water to saturation
L.6D, L.6E
GKA.1D, GKA.1E, GKA.1F,
GKA.1G, GKA.1H

-Mix (1) gallon
-Per gallon:
1 t Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
1 t Big Foot (3rd)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 570 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.26 @ 20.7 C
1/2 t Companion

 

[Prescription]

Hey Abe,
Just got caught up again and was wondering about the mirror. Is it just to catch falling trichs or aesthetic value perhaps, make it look like there is twice the bud in there?
Merry Christmas. Looking forward to the photos.

 

[Aberration]

Hey, Prescription! Good to see you. It's for catching whatever falls. The box needs a false floor to act as a baffle for incoming air anyway, and something glass is the easiest to clean. I'll use a mirror as well because I like it. I'm planning to finish the dry box tomorrow, so I'll take pics and explain it in detail then.

 

[Aberration]

Merry Christmas, all.
If you don't celebrate Christmas, then may you have it's joy anyway. If you don't want it, feel free to pass it along to someone who does.

I have some quick news before I go hang out with my wife. Those of you who have looked closely or been here long know that I use a specific nutrient line. If you have read a long ways back you know that it is a local organic nutrient line for the most part. Well, now you can get it nationally as well - or rather a grow store can if you talk them into it. I'll have details when I have more time.

The holidays are very hectic and I stay up late just keeping up in the garden. But I have the next week on holiday. Woot! So things should happen, and pictures and words too. Assuming I don't get high too early and get nothing done.

GKA.1E wilted and died despite proper watering. I'm assuming it was unseen damage during transplant.

==> Bloom - Pre-harvest flush (1)

SLH (66/70 days) : 2.00 gal

-Mix (2) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 oz Clearex
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.18 @ 18.0 C

==> All remaining - Weekly beneficials (33)

TDR (66/80? days) : 1.00 gal

MTP.2G (56/70 days) : 0.75 gal
MTP.2H (56/70 days) : 0.75 gal

BD.6J (24/70 days) : 0.75 gal
BD.6K (24/70 days) : 0.75 gal

GKA : 0.50 gal ea
BBX.3F
CH
L.5Q

BBX.4C, BBX.4F : water to saturation
GKA.1B
MTP.3D, MTP.3E
SLH.1A
TDR.1B

SLH.1B, SLH.1D, SLH.1E : water to saturation

AH1.0A, AH1.0B : water to saturation
QLR.0A, QLR.0B
WW.0A

L.6A, L.6B, L.6C, : water to saturation
L.6D, L.6E
GKA.1D, GKA.1F, GKA.1G,
GKA.1H

-Mix (9) gallons
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.24 @ 18.2 C
-Per gallon:
1/2 T Williewann Wonder Dust (mycorrhizae +)
1 t Gnatrol (Bt-i - Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis)
1/2 t Companion (Bacillus subtilis)
1 t Hygrozyme

 

[Aberration]

The Super Lemon Haze (SLH) gets harvested tomorrow. I almost have the dryer finished - just in time.

==> Bloom - Pre-harvest flush (1)

SLH (68/69 days) : 2.00 gal

-Mix (2) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 oz Clearex
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.15 @ 19.2 C

==> Bloom - Pre-feed flush (5)

TDR (68/80? days) : 0.50 gal

MTP.2G (58/70 days) : 0.50 gal
MTP.2H (58/70 days) : 0.50 gal

BD.6J (26/70 days) : 0.50 gal
BD.6K (26/70 days) : 0.50 gal

-Mix (3) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
1 T Yucca
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.17 @ 19.3 C
1 t blackstrap molasses

==> Bloom - Feed (5)

TDR : 1.50 gal
MTP.2G : 1.00 gal
MTP.2H : 1.00 gal

-Mix (4) gallons - TAPER
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
1 T Biggest Bloom
2 t PGE
1 t Silica Blast
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
2 t Notrozyme
2 t Organic Supplement
1 t Soil Nute
--- t Big Foot (ord)
1/2 t Calcium Syrup
1/2 t Carbon sweet
2 T Amino Blast
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 830 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.29 @ 19.4 C
1/2 t Companion

BD.6J : 1.00 gal
BD.6K : 1.00 gal

-Mix (2) gallons - MID
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
2 T Biggest Bloom
2 t PGE
1 t Silica Blast
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
2 t Notrozyme
2 t Organic Supplement
2 t Soil Nute
--- t Big Foot (ord)
1 t Calcium Syrup
1/2 t Carbon sweet
2 T Amino Blast
1/2 t TM-7
Natural @ 1110 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.15 @ 19.8 C
1/2 t Companion

==> Large Veg (4):

GKA : 0.75 gal ea
BBX.3F
CH
L.5Q

-Mix (3) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
--- t Big Foot (ord)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 800 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.18 @ 19.7 C
1/2 t Companion

==> Medium Veg (10):

BBX.4C, BBX.4F : water to saturation
GKA.1B
MTP.3D, MTP.3E
SLH.1A
TDR.1B

SLH.1B, SLH.1D, SLH.1E : water to saturation

-Mix (2) gallons
-Per gallon:
2 t Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
--- t Big Foot (ord)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 710 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.20 @ 19.6 C
1/2 t Companion

==> New Veg (15):

AH1.0A, AH1.0B : water to saturation
QLR.0A, QLR.0B
WW.0A

L.6A, L.6B, L.6C, : water to saturation
L.6D, L.6E
GKA.1D, GKA.1E, GKA.1F,
GKA.1G, GKA.1H

-Mix (1) gallon
-Per gallon:
1 t Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
--- t Big Foot (ord)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 490 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.24 @ 19.3 C
1/2 t Companion

 

[darkpiece]

wooooohoooo can't wait for pics!

 

[Aberration]

I have decided to harvest the Tangerine Dream (TDR) with the Matanuskan Thunderfu@k girls (MTP.2G and MTP.2H). If it isn't even close by then I don't want to waste any more time anyway, so either way it comes out in 9-10 days.

I am delaying any new bloom plants. I should have the new bloom room done by next week. All new bloomers will go in the new room when it is ready.

The AC in the new bloom room is ready. Pics soon.

==> Bloom - Pre-harvest flush (3)

TDR (68/80 days) : 2.00 gal
MTP.2G (58/70 days) : 2.00 gal
MTP.2H (58/70 days) : 2.00 gal

-Mix (6) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 oz Clearex
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.23 @ 20.9 C

==> Bloom - Pre-feed flush (2)

BD.6J (26/70 days) : 0.50 gal
BD.6K (26/70 days) : 0.50 gal

-Mix (1) gallon
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
1 T Yucca
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.21 @ 20.9 C
1 t blackstrap molasses

==> Bloom - Feed (2)

BD.6J : 1.25 gal
BD.6K : 1.25 gal

-Mix (3) gallons - MID
-Per gallon:
1 T liquid steamed bone meal
2 T Biggest Bloom
2 t PGE
1 t Silica Blast
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
2 t Notrozyme
2 t Organic Supplement
2 t Soil Nute
--- t Big Foot (ord)
1 t Calcium Syrup
1/2 t Carbon sweet
2 T Amino Blast
1/2 t TM-7
Natural @ 1140 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.19 @ 20.9 C
1/2 t Companion

==> Large Veg (4):

GKA : 0.75 gal ea
BBX.3F
CH
L.5Q

-Mix (3) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 T Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
--- t Big Foot (ord)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 740 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.20 @ 20.9 C
1/2 t Companion

==> Medium Veg (10):

BBX.4C, BBX.4F : water to saturation
GKA.1B
MTP.3D, MTP.3E
SLH.1A
TDR.1B

SLH.1B, SLH.1D, SLH.1E : water to saturation

-Mix (2) gallons
-Per gallon:
2 t Pure Blend Pro Grow
1 t Cal-Mag
1 T Yucca
--- t Big Foot (ord)
--- t TM-7
Natural @ 750 ppm
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.20 @ 20.9 C
1/2 t Companion

==> New Veg (15):

AH1.0A, AH1.0B : water to saturation
QLR.0A, QLR.0B
WW.0A

L.6A, L.6B, L.6C, : water to saturation
L.6D, L.6E
GKA.1D, GKA.1E, GKA.1F,
GKA.1G, GKA.1H

Nothing.

 

[Aberration]

I was looking at the Tangerine Dream and it seems to be bulking up a bit. It may be good after all. The trichomes are all cloudy.

Next I have PICTURES!

First, I mentioned that GKA.1E (Grape Kool-Aid) had wilted and died despite appropriate moisture. I suspect I broke a root during transplant. Here's a pic. Sad, eh? She's gone now.

Second, I mentioned that I recently bought a lot of consumables and other stuff I needed for the new bloom etc. I didn't take a pic of the Can75 carbon filter or the 3 x 6" inline fans. But I took pictures of all this stuff.

In this first image are a whole bunch of nutrients, a MilwaukeeT75 TDS meter ($78 and a decent deal at my local grow shop), an Oakton pHTestr 30 pH meter (good meter but $160), a 6" flange to adapt an inline fan to the carbon filter to make a room scrubber (I'll have pics when I assemble it), and some plant tape to tie up stems with:

In this image is the rest of the nutrients, calibration and storage fluids, rooting gel, Clearex, Companion, PBP, Azatrol (azadirachtin, a neem extract component, to defend from bugs), Monterrey Garden Spray (spinosad, biological defense against bugs), and Mykos WP (the replacement for my apparently now defunct Williewann's Wonder dust, a myco and bacterial mix). Also is a used thermostat for a seedling heat mat. I might eventually use it in the garden, but in the meantime I have an old cat that would love a slightly warm pillow up high...

Also, today I finished boxing and ducting the AC for the new bloom. I have a 25,000 Btu AC, wired for 240VAC and hot-wired by me to always stay on with the fan on high. That way I can turn it on with an external thermostat and a relay. I have boxed the part of the AC that normally hangs out the window and have ducted 2 x 6" lines in and 2 more back out to ventilate that hot-side radiator with 800 cfm of air. This allows me to avoid cutting holes in an external wall. I also try to avoid having the neighbors notice I'm using 1 or 2 AC units to cool my garage in the dead of winter and other dead giveaways like that.

So the air is drawn from the currently cold attic over the garage and through the ceiling, through the AC's hot side, and back into the attic. I will use the heat to warm the garage (bonus!) in the winter. By the time summer gets here I'll have it firmly ejected out of the attic space directly through roof jacks (the vents toward the peak of the roof).

Also the cold air was directed at the wall, so we made a simple re-direct out of foam panel bits and tape. That shoots the cold air across the room, allowing the incoming air to be the warmer upper air in that part of the room. Later, I plan to fully duct the air across the ceiling and down the far wall in the corner to dump the air low. That will assure good temp control regardless of air mixing.

Here you can see the intake air at the left on top (see the blue inline fan?) and the exhaust on the right exiting out the back. All of this is placed as close to the ceiling as possible. To avoid transferring noisy vibrations into the walls, I don't use any type of shelf or suspended platform. I use a wooden tower that stands on the concrete. It's quieter in the adjacent rooms and in the backyard that way.

I have a 50A 240VAC outlet just on the other side of the door, next to a 120VAC outlet. So I made a switch 'panel'. By the AC, I placed a proper 240VAC outlet for the AC and a 120VAC outlets. For those that understand basic residential electrical, I powered each of the 2 120VAC sockets from a different leg of the 4-wire 240VAC line. That way the inline fans can be turned on automatically when power goes to the AC outlet.

On the other end of the long board I built, I put a relay in a box, which is really a plastic container. The relay is an Allen Bradley Cat 700-HG42A1 double pole/double throw. It is rated for 40 amps at 300VAC and was about $65. I connected a regular 120VAC appliance cord to the coil and the 240VAC is switched by the relay. When the 120VAC cord gets power, the 240VAC turns on and my fans and AC fire right up:

The power to the relay comes from 1 50A 4 wire 240VAC heavy appliance cord. I plugged that into the 50A outlet in the wall, and the 120VAC switch cord from the relay coil plugs into a thermostat. The thermostats I like are the Lux WIN100. It does heating or cooling, has a programmable offset so you can 'sync' it's thermostat with an external thermometer, and does great scheduling:

This is not the first time I've done this. In fact this is the 5th or 6th... and the 2nd time I have violated warranty on a 25,000 Btu AC without even firing it up first...

OK, the rest is about the dry box, but it'll have to wait, because it's late and I need to go to bed.

 

[Aberration]

How I built a drying box:

Here's a rundown of my new drying box. First a little background. I usually harvest 2-4 plants at a time (6-10 oz per plant on average depending on strain). I cannot dry them outside my grow space, so I could choose between veg or bloom.

In veg, I tend to be lax about conditions. Temperature and humidity can vary and vegging plants are still happy. In my bloom space I am much more careful about conditions, carefully controlling temp, humidity and CO2 levels. Therefore I chose the more stable environment to site my dry box. It's slightly less convenient, but it will work (I've done this before).

In my bloom room I have an "AC tower", mentioned in the last post. Since I can't put plants under it anyway, it's a great spot for the dry box. In fact, this time around I built the tower with the dry box in mind. The tower holds the AC unit 6'4" off the floor so there is plenty of space underneath. The legs are 2x4. When I needed to brace the legs diagonally for stability I used (mostly) 3/4" plywood panels instead of diagonal braces. I built a box with a 42" x 28" floor space and 48" high. One side is open and framed with 2x4 at top and bottom. I didn't build to the floor because I want to be able to sweep and mop the space underneath without too much trouble.

I made a door out of 3/4" plywood and a piece of 1x4, and hung it on heavy duty hinges. For a latch I used a hasp and I put 1/2" stick-on foam gasket material on the inside side of the door to make it air-tight:

I needed a way to hang bud in the box for drying. Up till now I have used binder clips to attach stems to plastic hangers, but this eats up 9" of vertical space for the hanger itself, which would seriously limit how much I can dry in my box. I came up with a plan to allow me to work with 2" of overhead instead, allowing more than one tier in the box. I bought a nice piece of 1x4 hardwood 8' long. I marked a center line lengthwise and made ticks on the line every inch:

I then drilled a 5/8" hole at 71 of those tick marks. This took a while:

I used a table saw to cut the board in half along the line, bisecting the holes. I also cut the pieces into 18" lengths:

I then screwed these to the sides, with a gap at the front and about halfway back. I attached binder clips to 1/2 dowels the right length. Now I can clip the stems to the dowels and hang them in the box. This let me put an upper and lower tier. I allowed for 16" stems on the upper tier and 20" stems on the lower tier. I think I may reduce those lengths to get a third tier in there.

With this setup I can dry as much as 2 lbs at one go:

I used a 2-1/4" hole saw (meant to drill doorknob holes) to put a hole in the center at the bottom of the box:

I cut a 2'x3' piece of plywood and screwed pieces of 2x4 to one side at the corners. These will act as standoffs to hold the panel off the dry box floor:

I bought some flat black spray paint, a section of 4" duct, a 4" 'T', and a 4" elbow. I sprayed the inside of the duct pieces. This is easier before you snap the straight piece into a tube:

I also painted the center of the underside of the raised panel:

I painted the floor around the hole as well:

I shortened the straight piece of 3" duct, put the 'T' on the elbow and put the elbow on the straight. I cut a 3" hole in the back panel at the top and strapped the duct in place on the 'ceiling':

On the back of the box I sealed the duct to the panel with foil tape and attached a regular 120mm fan from a computer over the hole. The fan is turned to blow outward:

I used a computer power supply to power the fan. You can hot-wire and ATX power supply to stay on by jumpering the green wire the goes to the motherboard to one of the black wires on the same connector:

I centered the raised panel I made earlier in the bottom of the box. I then placed a 2'x3' mirror I bought at Home Depot for $30 on top of the panel:

Here is the result:

The fan stays on all the time. This draws an almost imperceptible flow of air in through the hole at the bottom. The air flows under the mirror and around the edges, further spreading the air. The air is drawn in through the two ends of the 'T' at the top and out the back. All the black spray paint prevents light from getting in. I tested this by climbing in (without the mirror in place of course) and having my wife close the door. It is absolutely dark in there. I then used a flashlight to see and hot-boxed the dry box. I watched the smoke to verify that it does not flow quickly anywhere. In fact it doesn't flow much at all. This is perfect.

I got a bucket of water and a rag and saturated all the wood surfaces inside the box, then closed the box and let it run. When it dried out I repeated this. I wet it down and dried it a total of three times. More would have been good, but I was out of time. Ideally I would repeat this until the wood suddenly takes a lot longer to dry on a cycle. Then I would open the door to help it finish drying and it would be in good shape. This saturates the wood and prevents it from absorbing moisture from the bud without the box actually being damp. This will let me avoid drying the bud too fast. I want it to take at least a week. Later I plan to line the box with spanish cedar or hemlock like a proper humidor.

Eventually I will use a humidistat to control the fan and hold a constant humidity in there, but for now this works fine. In fact, the first plant in was the first Super Lemon Haze I've grown. I have been monitoring the humidity and temps in the box and it is getting a range of 54-58% r.h. and 70-72 F, which is perfect. The temps will stay in the 70's and the humidity will drop when the room goes active, but it will be fine.

 

[shottafire]

I am just going to say that is a sweet little drying box. I havent been on this forum for too long but it looks like I have a lot to read. 120 pages holy shit I will be on here all night.

happy new year

 

[Aberration]

Thanks. This is my second such box, so I have the kinks worked out pretty much. A closet in a dark room would be easier, but I can't do that. As for the 120 pages, you will be skimming a lot. The bulk of it is my feed reports, which is boring.

Now I'm working on finishing the plumbing. Hopefully I'll start hanging lights today.

Thanks for dropping in. Feel free to post anytime.

 

[Aberration]

Happy New Year!

==> Bloom - Pre-harvest flush (3)

TDR (72/80 days) : 2.00 gal
MTP.2G (62/70 days) : 2.00 gal
MTP.2H (62/70 days) : 2.00 gal

-Mix (6) gallons
-Per gallon:
1 oz Clearex
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.18 @ 19.9 C

==> All remaining - weekly beneficials (30)

BD.6J (30/70 days) : 1.50 gal
BD.6K (30/70 days) : 1.50 gal

GKA : 0.75 gal ea
BBX.3F
CH
L.5Q

BBX.4C, BBX.4F : water to saturation
GKA.1B
MTP.3D, MTP.3E
SLH.1A
TDR.1B

SLH.1B, SLH.1D : water to saturation

AH1.0A, AH1.0B : water to saturation
QLR.0A, QLR.0B
WW.0A

L.6A, L.6B, L.6C, : water to saturation
L.6D, L.6E
GKA.1D, GKA.1E, GKA.1F,
GKA.1G, GKA.1H

-Mix (9) gallons
pH target: 6.20 (±.10) Actual: 6.14 @ 19.9 C
-Per gallon:
1/2 T Williewann Wonder Dust (mycorrhizae +)
1 t Gnatrol (Bt-i - Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis)
1/2 t Companion (Bacillus subtilis)
1 t Hygrozyme

 

[thspot]

nicely done ^^

 

[fncg]

AWESOME drying box you've built there. Love it.

 

[Aberration]

nicely done ^^

AWESOME drying box you've built there. Love it.

Thank you both. Eventually I want to line it with spanish cedar or mahogany and control the fan based on humidity. Right now, it is spot-on. It has been 6 days since I put the SLH in to dry and it is just ready to come out. 6 days is about normal drying time for me.

The humidity in the room is in the 60's right now, but when I put the new bloom room into action this next weekend the humidity will be forced down into the 40's. That means I'll probably need to cover the air inlet on the dryer with foil tape and punch holes in it to slow the air down and prevent it from drying next weekend's harvest too fast.

I also need to lift out the mirror and the platform under that and tape some filter material over the intake hole, just to keep any dust out. I'm also thinking a small window (with light-blocking cover) on the door would make it easier to read the humidistat inside without opening the door. Every time I open the door, a lot of moisture leaves at once and that's bad.

As in most things, I am trying to control my dryer's conditions as precisely as possible. I want to dry to 60% humidity. A cigar humidor averages 70%, but I believe 60% is best. If anyone has heard otherwise, speak up (I guess I could put a humidistat in a dry jar of buds and be sure). I want to spread that over 6-7 days. I do not want the moisture content of the bud to drop too quickly. Ideally, I would know what % will prevent the plants from drying and drop from there gradually, until I get to 60% a week later. I don't know what that starting % would be however and I have not read anyone addressing it. Besides, I imagine I would want to drop down a bit right off to stave off mold. So I have settled for maintaining a 60% environment all along, with a very slow air transfer rate. This worked really well when I built one of these out of 2" styrofoam panels in my existing bloom room.

BTW, I have hung two of those new Sun System Blockbuster-8" hoods in the new bloom room. I am building up the infrastructure to support 9 hoods in a 3 x 3 pattern. They will all be adjustable via rope and pullies in the corner of the room (I hate trying to adjust lights via ladder with plants under them). I am putting 2 x 4s on the ceiling to hang the lights from. I attach them with 3" deck screws to the rafters. Remember way back when I build the ceiling, I put rafters in every 12"? This is where it pays off. Each 8' long 2 x 4 "rail" has those screws going into 6 rafters minimum, so I could easily hang from one. As long as I verify that my screws all hit good wood from the topside, I have a support I can rely on.

I'm still working out the details of the ducting and can already see a way to improve the parts I have done. I'll post pics and specifics when it's under control. Right now I'm in a scramble to have everything ready to go by this next Saturday, so some things are being thrown together in inefficient ways, just to get it done. Ducting can be adjusted or replaced later very easily.

Once the lights are ducted I need to run the light cords out of the room. I also realized I don't have the outlets available on my timer panel yet to plug the new lights into. Other than that, I need to set up a fan on the new carbon filter to scrub the room's air.

I also need to clean the room. There are a few spots I would like to hit with spackle and then touch up with flat white paint. I also need to seal the cove base to the floor with silicone, and generally finish sealing things up. All of that should be done before Saturday so that I can ventilate it well before I have live plants or drying bud sharing that air.

The CO2 will stay with the old room until early February when the last bloomers come out. It's trivial to move anyway. I'll have a temporary oscillating fan in the new room. Then when I move the CO2 I'll also move the wall mounts for the fans to the new room and set up the big fans then.

What am I missing? Nothing, I hope. The next month and a half is going to involve a lot of transitional awkwardness around here.