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

[Skybound]

Thanks AG! I've been using the 100ml syringe to meter out doses since I started watering. Just added the digi timer and it goes for 1 minute, 8 hours apart totaling 3 every 24 hours. I was thinking of increasing when I TP into the bigger pot.

 

[AfricanGrower]

While in the solo cups I would only water once a day, giving a really good soaking. But once you move up to you next sized pot, 1 min waterings 3x a day sounds viable! Or you can just increase the dosage and reduce the frequency to prevent them from getting fed high pH nutrients as you said your pH also fluctuates upwards. So if they are only getting fed twice a day, there is more chance for you to be around to monitor the pH before feeding time.

 

[TheCapn]

Capn, haha, you know me, stubborn as ever!

But I completely forgot about changing my irrigation times, with the transplant on my mind. But my irrigation is slightly different in time frame than yours. Since I have a 185GPH pump, it takes only 3 min to fill my buckets and 11 minutes to drain. I basically have mine in a reverse order due to the power of the pump. All together, the rockwool is being soaked 3x a day for 10-12minuntes at a time.

>>>Capn, would you recommend 3-4 times daily @ 15 mins for early veg in solo cup?

No, I wouldn't personally, and not to speak for the Capn, but I don't he would recommend it either. For the first month of veg I handwatered once a day, completely soaking the media. Towards the last month of veg I started watering twice a day, just enough so I would get drips of runnoff instead of a constant flow.

>>> plus nutes are going thin.

This is the main reason why I watered by hand at the beginning, as I was on short supply of my FF nutrients.

+1

Sorry for the confusion. That snippet I posted for AG about 3x/day, was from the "flower" part of the simple hydro article. Also, I'm using the cheap 15 min timer, that's why I go for 15 mins. One min is prob plenty, but 15 doesn't hurt. At any point in the grow, the key is to water the cubes generously, so you know the PH in the cubes, is the same as the PH in your bucket. Also, as long as everything is clean, there's nothing wrong with hand watering, collecting the run off, and using it to water again.... as long as your monitoring the ph.

 

[Skybound]

+1

Sorry for the confusion. That snippet I posted for AG about 3x/day, was from the "flower" part of the simple hydro article. Also, I'm using the cheap 15 min timer, that's why I go for 15 mins. One min is prob plenty, but 15 doesn't hurt. At any point in the grow, the key is to water the cubes generously, so you know the PH in the cubes, is the same as the PH in your bucket. Also, as long as everything is clean, there's nothing wrong with hand watering, collecting the run off, and using it to water again.... as long as your monitoring the ph.

+2 Awesome insight Capn!! I was doing that anyway b/c it seemed logical, but i thought I was cheating, hehe. I was especially glad to see you wrote that we should water thoroughly to balance the PH in the cubes as that area was kinda blank in my understanding of things. Thanks a mill again!

 

[Light Addict]

Subbed late, but hey some cool reading in store for me!

 

[AfricanGrower]

13/11/13

FLOWER DAY 14

Konnichiwa 420, it is now 2 weeks into flower and the two plants I have in here are doing wonderful! Going back and reading the first page of my journal I pulled this quote:

Certain phenotypes will actually display a distinct pink bubblegum scent and flavor.

And jeez, I must say that I'm surely glad I got this phenotype. It is REALLY starting to give off a 'pink bubblegum' scent that is simply irresistibly bubblelicious

Here are a few shots of the canopy, and some development in the flowering department has begun to take a rapid start.

The bagseed strain is catching up quickly , and already has two main branches taking over the far left of the Bubb. The pistil development on this one is a bit slower, but it is giving off a really heavy skunk scent. I have high hopes for this one in breeding as it is a quick grower, but we will have to see what we get with a little over a month of vegetative growth

Bagseed is on the left, Bubb is on the right.

I went ahead and transitioned to a full flowering nutrient schedule. Note to self, next time I grow this strain of Bubblelicious, I will only give 1 week of transition before switching to a full flowering schedule. Reason being, I started to get Potassium and Phosphorous deficiencies towards mid last week, and raising the PPM of the transition feed did not help digress the problem until added a P & K supplement.

Also to note, I have completely removed the Ebb&Flow function from my system and hooked up a top-feed-to-waste for both plants. This is to prevent my high pH swings I have been getting in as little as 12 hours. I deduced that it was because of the bacteria (good and possibly bad) that was recirculating back into my res. THIS and the fact I use tapwater at a PPM of 170 aided to a unstable pH in my res. I was basically lowering my pH every 2 days or so back down to 5.8 after it had reached a high 6.5-6.7. I normally let the pH rise to a 6.4, which is the highest I am comfortable leaving it at for more than one day. Now my pH remains at a steady 6.0!

After reading a comment on the Capn's blog last week, he noted that there is no significant difference OVERALL when he did a side-by-side comparison of the E&F and Top-Feed.

Notes:

-4ml/g of FloraBlend
-5ml/g of CaMg (will start reducing this to 3ml/g)

Per 5 gallon
-6 Parts Bloom
-4 Parts Micro
-3 Parts Gro
-2 Parts KoolBloom

PPM:850
pH:5.9

The reason I added KoolBloom (0-10-10) to this weeks nutrient solution was to bring the plant back from its deficiency as this week the Bubb will start its rapid bud development. I plan on dropping the KoolBloom come next weeks feeding, if all signs of P & K deficiencies have receded.

NOW, it is finally here....NO not my 5 gallon transplant pot that I have been patiently awaiting in the mail...not that at all, but the experiment that I have been wanting to test out for a while now. Putting Clones In "Stasis".

There is a lot of literature on the web about WHICH method is the best to use and what not, and after much reading I have come down to 2 methods I will be trying. As some of you know, or may not know, the method of putting clones in stasis can aide a grower in spacing out their vegetative and flowering cycles, especially when space is a concern. My main goal from this is to try and keep this specific pheno of Bubblelicious growing, as according to the strain info, not all Bubb phenotypes possess this trait of a 'bubblegum' scent!

First off, when I take cuttings I always have a container of water, a sterilizing agent, and a pair of scissors. The container of water is to submerge the cuttings immediately after to prevent minimal O2 into the the stem. And of course we all know how important it is to sterilize anything that is going to be in contact with 'internals' of your plant.

This time around I am cutting closer to the base of the stem on each clone to give me more room to work with if the stasis is successful.

I took 7 cuttings towards the lowest part of the plant, and will take some more incrementally in the next few weeks as not to put the plant in full repair mode. I have learned, whether you are trimming old leaves or taking cuttings (especially in flower) it is best to space these out into 3-4 sessions, instead of ONE big cutting frenzy. The plant tends not to even flinch when approaching it this way, I'm sure as most of you know.

Now I have divided the clones into 2x bags of 2 and 1x bag of 3. As for the 2 methods of stasis I am trying out:

The first two bags of cuttings will have about an inch of water (regular tapwater) covering the stems.

The last bag will have ONLY moisture in the bag (basically running water through the bag and letting it all drain out).

These are the 2 methods I deemed the most widespread and apparently successful amongst other growers. With both bags I have exhaled some of my breath (CO2) into the bags, giving each a slightly humid climate. I then put them all in a small container so all the stems are facing down and stay submerged in the water.

This then went into the crisper of my refrigerator, and will remain there for a little over 7 weeks. According to literature, I will open the bags up once a week to provide fresh CO2 and keep the humidity in check. Remember, the point of this is not to keep the cutting growing, but to provide it with an environment that will slow down the breakdown of cells just enough so that it still has enough healthy and functional ones to root when the time comes.

I will definitely be using the proven 'aerocloning' method to try and root these clones instead of rooting gels and rockwool, or anything similar for that matter.

(BTW, the 5 gallon pots are 100% arriving this Friday, with an extra order of Grodan Grow Cubes to replenish my supply. I realized after transplanting my bagseed into its final home in the 3.5g pot, that I wouldn't have had enough cubes anyway to transplant the Bubb into ANYTHING bigger. I will share my experience in removing my trellis and transplanting this weekend for all of your folk's amusement )

 

[AfricanGrower]

Subbed late, but hey some cool reading in store for me!

Welcome Light, I'm glad to see here. I was thinking to myself...."when is he going to show his face around here....any day now!"...and here you are. Please feel free to share your your expertise were you see fit

 

[Light Addict]

Wow, love that idea for cuttings, my god I have some schooling ahead of me lol

 

[LadyJane420]

Hello AG,

I'm a little late but it was fun reading your journal & seeing your set-up. Thanks!

 

[AfricanGrower]

>>>Wow, love that idea for cuttings, my god I have some schooling ahead of me lol

Light, no worries my friend, I am also in the process of learning when it comes down to stasis. If I am successful, well we will just have to wait and see in 8 weeks

Thanks for stopping by LadyJane, I really like your seed choice in your journal. Black Widow and G13 were on my list of potential candidates for my next grow. I'll be stopping by to have a look

 

[TheCapn]

>>>The bagseed strain is catching up quickly , and already has two main branches taking over the far left of the Bubb.

Nice! My biggest yielder was a bag seed. I wish I had saved it :-(

>>>Also to note, I have completely removed the Ebb&Flow function from my system and hooked up a top-feed-to-waste for both plants.

I like that idea, top feed is a little easier. But are you really watering to waste or are you recirculating it? How many times a day are you irrigating now?

Your plants are looking absolutely beautiful, and if you're smelling bubblegum, you're really lucky to have found it. I hope it is a good producer too. I am amazed how you're trained this plant into a rectangle.

>>>Putting Clones In "Stasis"

About the stasis holding thing... please tell me, even if you need to lie, that along side your stasis experiment, you'll also be sticking at least one clone in some rockwool. You know, just in the rare case the cuttings in the fridge don't make it, or your room mate thinks it's basil and cooks with it?

 

[Wickedgrower]

hey ag I must say nice grow man im impressed you doing a well job I cant wait too see those colas swell up ill be following along maybe even give capns style a go too but I might just try it out with some leds see how they perform since they are suppose to be matching up against a 600 hps

 

[AfricanGrower]

>>>The bagseed strain is catching up quickly , and already has two main branches taking over the far left of the Bubb.

Nice! My biggest yielder was a bag seed. I wish I had saved it :-(

>>>Also to note, I have completely removed the Ebb&Flow function from my system and hooked up a top-feed-to-waste for both plants.

I like that idea, top feed is a little easier. But are you really watering to waste or are you recirculating it? How many times a day are you irrigating now?

Your plants are looking absolutely beautiful, and if you're smelling bubblegum, you're really lucky to have found it. I hope it is a good producer too. I am amazed how you're trained this plant into a rectangle.

>>>Putting Clones In "Stasis"

About the stasis holding thing... please tell me, even if you need to lie, that along side your stasis experiment, you'll also be sticking at least one clone in some rockwool. You know, just in the rare case the cuttings in the fridge don't make it, or your room mate thinks it's basil and cooks with it?

>>> I like that idea, top feed is a little easier. But are you really watering to waste or are you recirculating it? How many times a day are you irrigating now?

I am truely watering to waste. Although it is depleting my res res fairly quickly, my pH is much more stable now. I have set it back to water twice a day for a minute. My top-feed releases large volumes of water so 1 minute was more than enough to completely soak the medium, AND give me about a gallon of runoff each time.

>>>please tell me, even if you need to lie, that along side your stasis experiment, you'll also be sticking at least one clone in some rockwool.

I'm not going to lie! I have been thinking of placing one clone in a mini bubbler, and sticking it in my PC case. I still have to see plan my schedule out in order for me to be able to leave the clone unattended for days at a time, when the holidays come around

>>> I might just try it out with some leds see how they perform since they are suppose to be matching up against a 600 hps

Hey Wicked, thanks for stopping by. Keep us updated on your LED buy, as I would also want to move into the trend of LED growing. I'm just still warry that the results might not be as I expected for the cost, if you get what I'm saying.

 

[TheCapn]

...I started to get Potassium and Phosphorous deficiencies towards mid last week, and raising the PPM of the transition feed did not help digress the problem until added a P & K supplement.

Let me know how the florakleen does. I used it once, just like you did. A week later I got a bunch of yellow leaves. I don't fully understand how it works but it seems to break the bond so the plant can't absorb nutrients. I would make sure you have flushed it out well with about 5 gallons of straight water after using it.

Listen to the capn and believe him later. I'm just sayin'. That florakleen is some ugly stuff.

 

[AfricanGrower]

*slaps hand on face*

What can I say, I completely overlooked that fact! This explains what I sent you in my PM just now. I am beating myself up right now for not asking in advance before using that Florakleen.

Thanks for setting me straight Capn.

 

[Skybound]

You're ok knowing that every time your pump activates, 1 gallon will be wasted?

 

[AfricanGrower]

Okay now today I have realized a few things:

1.My early P deficiency was not caused by a lack of P in my nutrient solution; rather, as Capn explained, the use of florakleen in my last flush is what may have been disrupting the uptake of essential nutrients. Also add the fact that I did not flush the florakleen out thoroughly after using it.

2.The fact that I added a P & K supplement after I noticed this last week may have aided to slow down the K problem, BUT it did not aide in a full recovery.

3.Knowing this, the fact that I added 2 parts of KoolBloom (0-10-10) to this weeks res, has shown me that I was going about this the wrong way. The plant has now locked out the intake of K, which also aides to the lockout of other micro's such as Ca and Mg.

4.No matter how experienced of a grower you are, mistakes are inevitable if research is not done prior. This was my flaw in choosing to use the Florakleen.

So fellow growers, LEARN from my mistake here, in hopes that you don't make it as well. I have definitely gotten my fare share of stress from this situation, and won't be going down this route again.

This just proves that adding MORE is not always the best step to take when noticing deficiencies.

I will be uploading a video update later today on the transplant and flush of the Bubb, and I will also be throwing out this weeks res, and mixing a new batch per the Simple Hydroponics schedule.

 

[AfricanGrower]

>>>You're ok knowing that every time your pump activates, 1 gallon will be wasted?

no Sky, I cringe at the fact that 10 gallons that used to last 1 week, is now lasting only 3-4 days. But it is the sacrifice I am willing to take in order to maintain a steady pH. I need all factors stable for the next couple of weeks, and if recovery is immanent I might consider running the E&F once more late in flowering.

But in the case I don't, the starter kit of the GH Flora series is enough to last me the rest of this grow, as I will be purchasing my nutrients in large quantities come next growing season.

 

[TheCapn]

You probably already have plans to do this, but what I would do:

Mix up a few gallons of your regular flower recipe at 500ppm (with no kool bloom) and a pump with a hose, and keep circulating that water thru your medium for a good 15 minutes to really flush it out. Throw that water away and do it again. Then tomorrow, start your regular nutrient recipe, no need to boost certain ingredients in order to "correct" any deficiencies.

From AG >>>I am truely watering to waste. Although it is depleting my res res fairly quickly, my pH is much more stable now.

Your PH is more stable now? How do you know what the PH is in the medium? It's difficult to measure accurately. If the PH was rising in your res, it's rising in your medium too.

During vegetative growth, the plant uses less water, and watering to waste is my preferred method. And you're right, it does waste a lot of nutrients. Sometimes I cheat and hand water with the same run off (if everything is nice and clean). During flower, I would strongly suggest to use a reservoir and recirculate for 15 minutes 2-3 times a day. Then, you can measure the PH in your res and be confident the PH in the medium is the same. The reason is, the plant drinks so much more at this stage, and so many changes are happening, you need to be confident of the PH and PPM in the medium. And this is the beauty of an inert medium. You can correct PH and PPM immediately, without worrying about the medium being too wet, unlike dirt or even coco. You have a lot of time invested in this bubb at this point.


From wicked >>> I might just try it out with some leds see how they perform since they are suppose to be matching up against a 600 hps
Or a known, proven lighting set up could be used: HPS ha ha ha

 

[AfricanGrower]

You probably already have plans to do this, but what I would do:

Mix up a few gallons of your regular flower recipe at 500ppm (with no kool bloom) and a pump with a hose, and keep circulating that water thru your medium for a good 15 minutes to really flush it out. Throw that water away and do it again. Then tomorrow, start your regular nutrient recipe, no need to boost certain ingredients in order to "correct" any deficiencies.

From AG >>>I am truely watering to waste. Although it is depleting my res res fairly quickly, my pH is much more stable now.

Your PH is more stable now? How do you know what the PH is in the medium? It's difficult to measure accurately. If the PH was rising in your res, it's rising in your medium too.

During vegetative growth, the plant uses less water, and watering to waste is my preferred method. And you're right, it does waste a lot of nutrients. Sometimes I cheat and hand water with the same run off (if everything is nice and clean). During flower, I would strongly suggest to use a reservoir and recirculate for 15 minutes 2-3 times a day. Then, you can measure the PH in your res and be confident the PH in the medium is the same. The reason is, the plant drinks so much more at this stage, and so many changes are happening, you need to be confident of the PH and PPM in the medium. And this is the beauty of an inert medium. You can correct PH and PPM immediately, without worrying about the medium being too wet, unlike dirt or even coco. You have a lot of time invested in this bubb at this point.


From wicked >>> I might just try it out with some leds see how they perform since they are suppose to be matching up against a 600 hps
Or a known, proven lighting set up could be used: HPS ha ha ha

Okay, After reading that, I am taking a BIG step backwards and reassessing my setup.

I just took a pH reading from some waste I collected from yesterday's watering, and it is at 7.2.

>>> Your PH is more stable now? How do you know what the PH is in the medium? It's difficult to measure accurately. If the PH was rising in your res, it's rising in your medium too.

So what you are saying is that, even if the nutrient solution going in is at steady 5.8, the runoff should also read the same as well. correct. I had the notion that the pH being fed to the plant is what is important, but obviously I need to rethink that.

Dammit, I am really getting overwhelmed with this. I am just hoping for a moment of clarity as I process all this info. I have been tgoing about this the wrong way in my head.