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

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

AG,

Just read 10 pages to catch up. Looking good so far. Wish you luck with the grow, and hope you don't run into the problems I did. THE Capn's tea is helping my babies grow new white roots after cutting them off after only 2 days. I have 1 bubb growing also, so I really hope yours make it. I'm learning so much from your grow and the others that are following. + reps!
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

I can't take any of the credit for the Tri-Meter. It would appear that The Capn has more influence in your grow than just system design and recipe. Forward the REPs to him!
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

27/09/13

Today marks DAY 36 of both ladies from germination or DAY 34 from the first sign of cotyledons. I went ahead and transplanted both Bubb's today to 1 gallon pots. This is their last transplant before I put them into their final home, the 3.5 gallon nursery pots.

Bubb A root development:

20130927_005514.jpg


Bubb B root development:

20130927_010536.jpg


As you can see the root mass size directly relates to the size of each plant. Bubb B having the larger mass correlates to it being slightly more mature than Bubb A in leaf and stalk development. I'm still not sure if the only reason why Bubb A's growth has stunted was due to early seedling stress or not. Both plants went through the same feeding regime since seed, so I would expect both to have shown signs of stunted growth. On another note, male plants are typically taller than female plants when grown at the same time. I hope this is not the case here, as I can't afford to have one of these turn out to be male.:yummy:

With these bigger pots I was able to incorporate my initial 'S' shaped PVC drip system, which cleaned up my grow space A LOT, while making the drainage setup a bit easier.

20130927_012047.jpg


20130927_012144.jpg


Today is also the day I started to train these ladies for more lateral growth. Here are some pics of the light penetration of the top bud sites before the LST:

Bubb A:

20130927_013327.jpg


20130927_013336.jpg


Bubb B:

20130927_013119.jpg


20130927_013256.jpg


Both Bubb A & B:

20130927_013709.jpg


now here are some photos after I tied down a couple of branches on each plant. This exposed 4 main bud sites on each plant that will now hopefully grow at the same rate. I will top again once these sites gain 3-4 nodes.

Bubb A:

20130927_021826.jpg


Bubb B:

20130927_021800.jpg


Both Bubb A & B:

20130927_021840.jpg


As for the bagseed, they are on their 3rd node and growing at a much faster rate than the Bubb's when they were at this stage. We will see how that goes.

20130927_013410.jpg
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

shaft09 said:
AG,

Just read 10 pages to catch up. Looking good so far. Wish you luck with the grow, and hope you don't run into the problems I did. THE Capn's tea is helping my babies grow new white roots after cutting them off after only 2 days. I have 1 bubb growing also, so I really hope yours make it. I'm learning so much from your grow and the others that are following. + reps!
Click to expand...

Thank you for taking the time to read through, I am glad to have another grower along for the ride! Thank you for the Reps as well;) I still need to get all the components to get the 'Tea' perfect, plus I feel I won't truly be able to benefit until I can preform the essential step of 'activating' the myco's by running an air stone for 24 hours. If you don't mind me asking, was pythium the cause of your problems, or something else? What kind of setup are you running?

>>>Nice new growth there sir, coming along really well.

Thank you Dank for the positive vibes :bong:

>>>I can't take any of the credit for the Tri-Meter. It would appear that The Capn has more influence in your grow than just system design and recipe. Forward the REPs to him!

Stop it man, of course I will give you credit for that. I already told you how I felt in your journal but I will say it again. We are a new type of grower, taking other people's innovations and making them our own while giving other people the opportunity to follow in our footsteps. The DIYer :;): For that even more +Reps to you Sky:high-five:

EDIT: while it seems I cannot give you more Reps until "I spread some more around" I will surely be back to do so ;)
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

your girls are looking AMAZING AG looks like your DIY hydro drip is working wonderfully.
ccould you possibly link me to a bigger box.. im thinking im going to use the PC for germ only and get a 2 sided box for veg and flower
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

dankdragon26 said:
your girls are looking AMAZING AG looks like your DIY hydro drip is working wonderfully.
ccould you possibly link me to a bigger box.. im thinking im going to use the PC for germ only and get a 2 sided box for veg and flower
Click to expand...

Thank you Dank ;)

As I have never actually technically 'bought' a PC case, I know that the Flea has towers up to 22" tall but a mere 6" wide. I think the PC for germ is a such a great idea especially with a perpetual system. Maybe you should look into making a DIY closet for flowering and you can throw away all those space constraints :highfive:
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

don't set your sites on a short box (IMO) build. the height restrictions are hard to work around, even for small plants as you'll want to be able to raise and lower the light, plus the height of the pot itself just adds to the overall space you cant use. my journal started off with a half sized box that i quickly got sick of.

AG, maybe take a clone from each bubb and flower them right after they root so u can definitavely find their genders? u don't want to open the same present i did and have all that equity into a plant u will have to chop at the beginning of flower. just a thought, and since i will do that with every seed i ever plant for the rest of my days, i figure why not suggest it.

the bubbs are looking wonderful, especially the root systems!
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

AfricanGrower said:
27/09/13

Bubb B root development:

20130927_010536.jpg
Click to expand...

I give this root mass a score of 10. Way to go, AG. For myself and your subscribers, would you mind posting your exact nutrient mix and PPM (plus beneficial bacteria) you are using right now? Forgive me if I've missed it above.

You are getting great growth above and below. Keep doing what you're doing. There are a couple things I would consider though.

You topped at the perfect time. But I wouldn't tie fan leaves down or do any "training" until the two branches (from topping) are about 6-8 inches long. Then, I tie those two branches down. And here's why I wouldn't tie it down just yet... This might sound crazy, but hear me out. When the lower branches are shaded, it causes them to grow faster. They will stretch out and get longer, and that's a GOOD thing right now. You want those low branches to get nice and long, so later, they will reach the screen, and buds on the ends will get lots of light. If those branches get light now, they will stay short, and later you will have to cut them off because they won't have any height to them.

Your PVC thing is pretty cool, and handy for when you are out of town. But unless I am away, I always water once a day by hand, and throw away the run off. Why? Three reasons... 1st. I mix up my nutrients once a week in a bucket, adjust the PH to 5.9, and then I can put my meter away until next week. I don't need to worry about the PH in the medium, I don't have to worry about the PH in the water, I don't have to check PPM. 2nd reason... the plants grow faster when I hand water to waste. 3rd and most importantly, I don't have to worry about anything funky in the recirculating water. For example, lets say you break off a little root structure when you transplant. That root dies inside the medium and rots. By watering to waste, you are flushing that crap out of the medium, instead of circulating it back to the plant (risking root disease). And one more... when watering to waste, you don't need to worry about light getting to your res water (your reservoir water is getting light from above). Nutrient rich water will grow algae when exposed to light, causing PH fluctuations and possibly slime.

When it comes to flower, I can't possibly water enough by hand... so yeah, I'm forced to recirculate.

About your two plants being different height. Take a picture now, and then take a picture in 2 weeks. If the difference in growth two weeks from now is the same, then you're right... one seedling took off a little quicker. In two weeks, if one plant is still out-growing the other, then you might really have a winner on your hands!

Last thing... I wouldn't sweat worrying about one being a male. Someday down the road you will have the luxury of space and time to cull out males and weak plants. For now, even if one of these two bubbs is a male, you will still have the other, which you can easily fill up your 2 x 4 space with one female, and get 8oz from one. (plus the bagseed plants are a bonus).

:goodjob:
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

Yep, pythium was the cause, along with high heat issues. Being in the high desert, I would routinely see temps above 90 degrees by the time I got home from work. I then moved from the garage into the house and it was a little better, but not by much unless the ac was on. Can't see running the ac all day just for plants. Had to cut the roots off 4 times now, but they are not dead yet. You could feel the slime and see it if you put your hand inside the res.

I have since found out the root discoloration does not mean there is a problem in the res for DWC with no grow medium while using tea. At least that's what I think I've understood from reading other stuff. Due a res change today or Saturday if I have time.

Since autumn is now here, res temps are much cooler and the plants are still alive and growing. I have new growth and no wilt even though there is some root discoloration. I'll clean out the res and keep going with the tea and see what happens. Later, I'll do a setup similar to yours, with the res outside the tent, and top feed to waste with the cubes since it will now be much cooler.

Your setup is looking great bro. Good luck.
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

>>>AG, maybe take a clone from each bubb and flower them right after they root so u can definitavely find their genders? u don't want to open the same present i did and have all that equity into a plant u will have to chop at the beginning of flower. just a thought, and since i will do that with every seed i ever plant for the rest of my days, i figure why not suggest it.

Yes, I tried rooting the tops I took from each with no success due to very little stem and no rooting gel at the moment. But I will be looking into taking clones in about 2-3 weeks time from the lower canopy. I think I will just go from clone starting with my next grow to completely eliminate the chance of male plants, until I start a breeding program.

>>>I give this root mass a score of 10. Way to go, AG. For myself and your subscribers, would you mind posting your exact nutrient mix and PPM (plus beneficial bacteria) you are using right now? Forgive me if I've missed it above.

Thank you Capn, I try and post a nutrient update every time I change the res or have to remix nutrients. I as well mix everything into a 5 gallon bucket which I use to hand water daily and I usually change this res every 5-6 days, but since these are newly transplanted I can probably make it last longer. The automated drip, like you said, is more for when I am not around, since the ladies had required a twice a day feeding in their other containers I used it for pure convenience!;)

As for the nutrient mix, I have been trying to slowly go from 200 to 400 PPM over the last couple of weeks and my last mix is as follows. I used tap water so CaMg was irrelevant this feeding. Tapwater PPM: 175
Nutrient Mix:
12.5ml/5gal of Grow Big (6-4-4)
8.75ml/5gal of Big Bloom (.01-.3-.7)
1.25ml/5gal of microBrew (1-.2-.03)
1.25ml/5gal of Kangaroots (.8-.1-.03)
11.25ml/5gal of pH down: brings pH from 7.1 down to 5.8
PPM:350

As for the tea, I feed it once a week during a regular feeding session.
Mix as follows:
3.75ml/gal of Aquashield
.5ml/gal of Great White Myco's

>>> 1st. I mix up my nutrients once a week in a bucket, adjust the PH to 5.9, and then I can put my meter away until next week. I don't need to worry about the PH in the medium, I don't have to worry about the PH in the water, I don't have to check PPM.

How do you get you nutrient mix to become so stable? I find that even when I get everything perfect and leave my res to sit, the pH fluctuates at least .2 a day on the alkaline side. But I also notice the PPM slightly drop between each fluctuation as well. Maybe the evaporation of nutrients is causing it to rise?

And the great thing I have come to realize about this journal is that I have a TON of pictures to reference from. I have been comparing growth between bagseed and Bubb at their correlated times and I have noticed all the differences. I will be sure to compare the two Bubbs later down the road as well just to confirm my predictions.

>>>Yep, pythium was the cause, along with high heat issues.

DAMN, 90+ temps! I commend you for getting through that whole process, I could only imagine how hard it is to grow in the desert! As for the tea, I am glad you were able to salvage your ladies ;) I would keep a very close eye on your res for the rest of your grow although you shouldn't be to worried as winter is near so temps should be dropping. I'm lucky to live at a climate of 50-70 degrees this time a year, so I just leave my window open which gives a good amount of circulation.

Can I get a picture of how your ladies look now? Just for a comparison?
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

>>>You topped at the perfect time. But I wouldn't tie fan leaves down or do any "training" until the two branches (from topping) are about 6-8 inches long. Then, I tie those two branches down. And here's why I wouldn't tie it down just yet... This might sound crazy, but hear me out. When the lower branches are shaded, it causes them to grow faster. They will stretch out and get longer, and that's a GOOD thing right now. You want those low branches to get nice and long, so later, they will reach the screen, and buds on the ends will get lots of light. If those branches get light now, they will stay short, and later you will have to cut them off because they won't have any height to them.

I completely forgot to reply to this!

I hear what you are saying Capn, by letting the lower branches 'look' for the light causing them to grow faster. My thoughts while approaching this were that the 4 tops circled in RED below would get an even distribution of light causing them to grow at the same rate. I was not worried about the 4 other lower sites circled in BLUE because I was trying to be 'selective' with my branches as you have said to me before. Theses lower branches were going to be used for cloning in the future.

tops-paint.jpg


But logically, having 8 total main tops is better than starting out with only 4 main tops, so this is what I will do. I will untie the leaves of Bubb A (the smaller of the two) and see if it can catch up to Bubb B with lower growth. Worst case scenario: In a week Bubb B and Bubb A should be relatively the same size!
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

For reference, here is a pic of Bubb A and Bubb B. B having its branches tied down, and A growing freely. Tune in next week for an update on new growth on B vs. A ;)

Bubb_B_LST-Bubb_A_NO_LST.jpg
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

Just a quick point mate on cloning.

very little stem and no rooting gel
Click to expand...

U can root successfully with just a small stem and u dont need rooting gel at all. if u use an aerocloner u should get 100% success. most people fail on cuttings because humity is too low in propogator. keep vents shut and dont even lift lid for a week. i dont use gel and i get roots like this in 10 days or so.

2013-01-11_21_54_28.jpg


obviously this has longer stem but works with very short stems too.
 
Re: AfricanGrower's 1st Hydro Journal-Ebb&Flow/Bubblelicious 2013

Shaft, I am glad you got that res cleaned out. It really looked dangerous in there:bongrip:
Is that what is left of the roots after you cut the affected parts off? On another note, I really like your setup bro, I really wish I could have gone with more width with my tent as you have! Is that an LED panel you have there? And your ladies are looking very well, how far along in flower are they?

>>>U can root successfully with just a small stem and u dont need rooting gel at all. if u use an aerocloner u should get 100% success. most people fail on cuttings because humity is too low in propogator. keep vents shut and dont even lift lid for a week. i dont use gel and i get roots like this in 10 days or so.

Duly noted Cultivator! I had not realized that aerocloning was so much easier. I mean I have read about them for growing but the price on those systems always turned me away from an aero setup. I have been scrounging the web for some DIY's and I think I found a simple enough design layout to form a sketch in my head. I really should invest my time in making one of these in the next few weeks!

One question, do you just fill the res with pH adjusted water and NO nutes until you start seeing roots?
 
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