AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal - Ebb&Flow - Bubblelicious 2013

Thanks for the support Stealth & Lavernz!

>>>are u leaving a dark period before flower? i find a 36 hour dark period speeds up the start of flowering by up to a week.

I usually allow a 24 hour dark period, but due to me having to wait to put up the trellis, I want to limit stretch until I get it on. The following days after the dark period, will allow all those built up flowering hormones to be released, so I don't mind a slower transition into flowering this time around ;)

>>>What's this blue thing? A fan?

Yes Capn, its a fan, I'm glad you got your glasses on :) I'll heed your advice. As for the resolution..:laughtwo: I have been smoking far less now to prepare me for this harvest as I can only smoke a very small portion of it. If I had no self control I would go through half a pound in 1-2 months :rofl:


>>>Question, would varying periods of darkness during veg have a negative impact on the plant?

I would assume that any dark period more than 12 hours will have a negative effect. As that is the optimal amount of time for Flowering Hormones to develop in darkness. Note the GLR, there is never a total dark period of more than 11 hours, and never a consecutive dark period for more than 6 hours. This allows the plant to never fully go into flower, WITHOUT stressing it to revert back to veg.

>>> What I really wanna know is can top light be diminished and side lighting (whatever side) be the primaries for a period?

Well this is what most users of the GLR do. They supplement the 1 hour on time with CFLs instead of overworking the HID ballast to come on twice a day. I am sure that 1 hour would not be effective, but given if you make a schedule where your HID turns off earlier you can allow the CFLs to remain on in certain favorable positions for the rest of the lights on cycle.

>>> I know what I'm about to say means more spending, but table that for a moment to consider what gains (if any) can be had in plant growth times or other possible gains. What if CFLs were used for top lighting and smaller MH HIDs used dynamically to sway the plant to grow towards the HID? Do you think this might produce a more favorable result? Or even CFL if not HID is available, had your HID been turned off, do you think the CFLs would have earned a more favorable grade? I know nixing the HID would greatly reduce overall plant gains for the time period that light is off, but if the grower could gain control of several lights simultaneously, could s/he not have a better success rate for what s/he was trying to accomplish?

So I think what you are saying here is: having the CFLs be the primary source of light and having them be on constantly during 'lights on' cycles. While using multiple HIDs similar to how I experimented with the CFLs, and use them for side lighting during certain periods of lights on. Is that the jist of it?

If so, I think that having the CFLs as a main source of light will cause the whole plant to stretch, except for the parts that are closest to the CFLs. Now when you introduce varying times of supplement HID lighting, I think the plant will stop stretching as there is a higher intensity light. The thought is kind of going against my whole experiment, but the when the HID is introduced, I assume that the side growth of the plants will stop searching (stretching) for a better source of light because exponential increase of intensity. Now the part of the plant that is directly exposed to the CFLs, based on my research (and Don Paul's experience) will remain in a stasis, and won't show any signs of rapid growth compared to the rest of the plant.

So potentially there might be something in what you are getting at, but that is way ahead of where my experiments are now :) It definitely is something worth trying out in the future though ;)
 
I recognized that you had already switched to flower, I was basically asking you to ponder these ideas (based on what you learned so far) and predict the odds so to speak. I am trying the flux technique first on the ww/skunk (probably in a couple days I'll top it), and though your veg style is different, I was hoping some of the info learned in your research can be immediately applied to promote stretch in 2 distinct areas, and also to promote a stunted growth rate everywhere else. I don't know if what I am wanting is even possible, but if you can imagine LA's current grow, well I want the same thing, just want all side branches to be held in place until they are all ready to grow straight up. Whatever can be learned to expedite all of that, I am all for!
 
In that case I would simplify your approach.

Based on what I have learned so far, I wouldn't mess with the light cycles until I can better understand intensity and placement.

You basically want to achieve a rail of symmetrical branches going along the flux, and for the first few sets of branches not to out grow the others, right? If I were in your shoes I would grow out a flux with with about 4 nodes, which is where Light Addict is at now. At that time to prevent inner sets of branches from growing at the same pace I would place CFLs on these sections, and just put the HPS above the general area of the plant. Based on what I know so far, the parts directly lit by the CFL will slow growth, while the main growth continues to reach for the HID. Now you might run into the same problems, I think I am facing, where the CFL lit branches notice that there is a more intense light above it and grow pass the CFL. In my case the twin cola branch that started reaching for the HID still shows significantly slower growth compared to the rest of the plant.

I think Don Paul's idea of light blockers will really help shade the main growth's from the HID, causing them to stretch faster than the rest of the plant. I would also top the main growth a week before I go into flower to maximize colas.

I just reread that, and I could imagine someone having a hard time visualizing what I am saying, so I will post a diagram of what I am talking about later today in your journal.
 
So today I come home to find about 8-10 Ladybugs by, on, around, and near my windowsill. Do ladybugs just naturally attract each other? I wonder if the little lady I put in there last week decided to host a Halloween Party with the Bubb and the bagseed.

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I collected them all and set 4 of them in my grow room, the rest I threw back out the window. Next thing you know, 4-5 more ladybugs appear back at my window with and endless search to find a way through the screen. I have know idea why I am attracting so much luck ;)

I just threw all of them in the tent, and they are loving it. Plus I might have had a small problem with a certain leaf-eater insect in the past so they should take care of anything else that might still be waiting for buds to form.

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No real update today, but her is a pic of the Bubb basking in the 56,000 lumen HPS :)

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I'd let'em camp out for the winter.
 
Without a doubt!
 
It's funny that they all found their way to my window during one of the warmest days this late into Fall. Last time I checked, I didn't see any of them, but then when I looked from underneath, you could see about 5 of these ladies using the underside of the leaves as a hammock. I've been just really interested in introducing carnivorous insects into my grow as a preventative method for my last couple of grows so far.
 
Thank you all for the kind words. I have been asking myself the question "when will something go terribly wrong?" and I ahve yet to face that yet! I am glad that I chose hydro this time around. Although soil is much less maintenance, I feel that I have really UNDERSTOOD the psychology of cannabis, so to speak, with this new setup. To say the least, I am highly satified with my results so far, now time for a mini update ;)

MINI UPDATE

I am still waiting on my 5 gallon nusery pot in the mail in order to finally rig up this trellis. I can estimate that the Bubb has gone through only less than then half of her stretch by the rate of growth per day so far. Hopefully I will get the lady transplanted by this Wed. in order to finally spread her out into her final position for flowering.

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In the 'bagseed world' a lot has been changed. I eliminated both the FIMMd and the LOLLIPOPd plants as they both proved to be male. The only female was the TOPd plant which I transplanted into a 1 gallon pot.

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The next update will be sometime midweek when I do the final transplant for both bagseed and Bubb ;)

Thank you to everyone who has been interested in this grow and to further reiterate, I appreciate the support :Namaste:
 
Man, those plants have really grown since the last time I checked in. They look great AG.;)
 
Thanxx for your condolences & how was your week end AG?
 
I stayed home & :blunt: & played daddy & :grinjoint: & watched B-ball & RoorRip & :420: & :bong: & house cleaned & :bongrip: & entertained company & :passitleft: & :420: & :tokin: & :lot-o-toke: & passed out... Great indoor weekend!
 
Oh yeah; & I checked my plants about 3,594 times. :high-five:
 
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