DIY Rotary Garden Omega Garden Volksgarden Rotogro GIgrow Bonsia Bpod Odessy etc

maxximus said:
Hey mjanesjungle,

:welcome:

It's a very cool looking system isnt it? I have read some pretty good explanations on 'applied gravitropism' or 'orbitropism' as the Omega Man coined. The idea being that the plant do know which way is up (just stop the wheel for an hour and see ;)) So what you see is the end result of the plants growing against the constant pull of gravity while turning head over heals, and that is why they are not growing so tall.

Are we going to get to see pics of what you are working on? :popcorn:

Cheers,
Maxx
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I know forums like this are to help everyone learn and all,.. but well lets be honest, if say (as you call him) "Omega Man" went and gave all his prototype ideas away on a public forum (before he had a pettent or intelectual property rights at least) then a lot less folks would ever need to buy his stuff. So yes sufficed to say i plan on marketing my idea once i figure out how best to grow in it and because of that fact im not going to be entirely informative as to what im doing and how im doing it. I also wouldn't want to steal your thread here either as what im doing is similar in ways, but also quite different.

As for explanations on 'applied gravitropism' or 'orbitropism' from the Omega Man, i always question talk from the seller of a product and although ive seen someone else use an omega garden for early veg im still not sold this means of growing can work for mj all the way through flowering.

The results im having:
Maybe im just being impatient waiting for growth, but what im seeing from the plant is a little troubling,.. all be it interesting.

Sorry for the blurry pic but i think you'll get the idea. Upward growth has all but stopped it seems and leaves are almost mutant like coming out right on top of one another...
twisted_1.jpg


...also the main sets of leaves are showing cork screw like effects. Obv from this pic you can tell the plant is rotating parallel to the stem. The yellowing isn't good either obv.
twisted_2.jpg



The strain btw is a Lowlife brand seed, Auto White Russian, and although that's gonna be short i still think its too short for it's age. I have it under 3 23W CFL's (two 2700K one 6500K) on 20/4 right now.

Below is my time line so far.
March 26th
Got seeds, started germ, 1 seed

March 28th
Put in soil

April 7th
started rotating, in hydroton like an idiot

April 9th
Replanted in rockwool like a genius

So ya it's young and has had a little stress in it's first days of life but still lets grow already will ya! :yummy: When i look at the twisting main leaves I'm thinking 2-3RPM's might be too fast.

Furthermore, behind that cube of rockwool the plant is in, i have a small res filled with 200ppm 5.7pH res water. UN-oxygenated and UN-cooled res water mind you. Now i know a lot of you might very well think that's part of the problem but before you point to that does the Omega Garden cool/oxygenate its res? I don't think so and thus why i went without doing so also. Just know that there is a bigger block of rock wool cube behind the small one you see in the pics, and it rotates through res water just like the omega, all be it more often.
 
hey maxx,

i would use wood for the base and the wheels. much cheaper. even if i fan a coat of fibreglass to seal the wheels its still cheap.

scratch all of those expensive endcaps and t's, most of them were probably used on the base anyways.

so yeah, that unit may have cost 1,500 to build, but i think you COULD build one for 1/3 of that if you plan out your materials right. also i wouldnt make it 12' long, id like to go 6'diameter 6'long. they make 6' cooltubes so thats probably the best length (depth).

it doesnt look drippy or saggy to me at all. . . i like that thing alot, but i would put alot more sites in it, it doesn't look like it maximizes space to me. there would be no space between the horizontal pvc pipes if i had a say in the design.
 
mjanesjungle,

you have so many variables its hard to say what is causing what.

spin speed? who knows, i want to gear my omega down to half the speed its moving at now, i dont think the upside down plants will double over at that speed, and im interested to see what letting them turn against gravity more would do to them.

autoflowers can show wide phenotypes, your size may just be a pheno thing, my autoflowers are growing nice and big under constant rotation. . .

im still not sold this means of growing can work for mj all the way through flowering.

how can you question if it works with maxx's 3 journals and mine. you can see the pics right?

one lest thing, look at omegas site and look at the foodle thing, those plants pretty much rotate on their stem's axis. i dont like the water powered movement, but its cool because use could use it in sunlight.
 
oh yeah, most imprtant thing.

I OXYGENATE MY RES! of course i do. anyone growing hydro with/out bubbling the res is crazy.

i bet you all the tea in china maxx does too.

roots need oxygen.
 
ugh, i just cant stop myslef, lol

also, 3 23w cfl isnt exactly going to get your plants exploding with growth.

it will grow it fine, but not like HID or sunlight.

I also think that omega company states that you should give seedlings a few days or a week or something before putting them in to establish the roots. I put my lr2's in the wheel before the first set of real leaves even came in and they are growing great so far.

While figuring out why it works is cool, i think its obvious that it does work, at least in the volks configuration.
 
WheeloFortune said:
oh yeah, most imprtant thing.

I OXYGENATE MY RES! of course i do. anyone growing hydro with/out bubbling the res is crazy.

i bet you all the tea in china maxx does too.

roots need oxygen.
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Hey WheeloFortune, thanks for that fast reply. Ok first off i agree i have a lot of variables vs ur system, and also that phenotypes could be why this ONE plant im growing looks like it does. I had a few black domina seeds a few months ago that i grew DWC style that got all mutant kinda like this one. It's a learning experience and it was a cheap setup though so no big deal. As for my "im still not sold this means of growing can work for mj all the way through flowering" comment no i haven't seen your journals or pics yet! I've been looking all over the net for grow journals using an omega garden or something like it but haven't found anyone who plunked down the cash for one and had success yet, only a few failed attempt journals. I'll look for yours now using your name as a search term with great interest but please pm me links to all you know!

Now as for oxygenating the res,..
Does the Omega site or literature you got with your volks unit say you should do that? I know roots cant drown, that they need fresh air, but i ASSumed that since the rockwool cubes rotated into fresh air like 98% of there rotation that they could get it that way,.. same as eb & flow which i know some don't oxygenate.

I didn't expect 3 23w cfl to get my plant exploding with growth but from all the growing ive done i thought close to 5000 lumen's at this stage would get me more then what im getting for sure.

Thanks for the input,.. gives me more to think about and that's always good! :rasta:
 
WheeloFortune/maxximus,.. do you cool your res? Mines running at room temp (70ish)
My logic for not doing so was the same for not oxygenating, i figured the cubes rotating through cool air would make it unnecessary.


maxximus,.. do you oxygenate yours too?

EDIT: also, as for the DIY of one of these,.. which next time i need to grow (got plenty from my last) im totally building one of thees, im wondering how many gallon res does your units have?
 
Now i need to pick so maybe everyone can rate these for me please and tell me what u think of each of them?

B-pod

has max enough room for 460 plants but till is said maybe could bend in the water may not drain properly
Cost about 6200 after shiping and lights upgraded to 600 hps watters

Gi Grow

It is possible to upgrade from 144 to 240 or to 336 plants by purchasing an extra set of trays and accessories while using the same frame.

ADJUSTABLE SYSTEM
You can adjust the size of the GI Grow system's hoop to suit the size of your plants using the same frame.

IT'S A 2-IN-1 SOLUTION!

Option 1: Limited space (small hoopPlants 17" and under
Option 2 : Spacious (large hoop)Plants between 12" and 24"

I havent seen any real talk about this one yet.

GI Grow 144-Site Rotating System 65x32x60 Inches $3,669.95 Qty:
Upgrades: Upgrade the 144-Site G.I. Grow to 240-Sites + $900
Upgrade the 144-Site G.I. Grow to 360 Sites + $1600

Roto grow

Description:
The ROTOGRO garden is a flood and drain system. Plants are inserted into Rockwool type cubes, which are secured in the "quick drain trays". The garden is motorized and the trays revolved 24/Hrs a day around two center fixed HID Lamps.
It takes approximately one hour for the trays to complete one revolution. A pump is placed in the bottom main reservoir and when switched on, fills the top reservoir to desired depth. The "quick drain trays" are then revolved through the nutrient/water mixture feeding the plants. Once all the plants have been fed, the pump is switched off letting the nutrient/water mixture drain back into the main reservoir.

Model 240

48 in. wheel
2-600 W hps Sunmaster lamps and ballasts
240 plant capacity: #24/ 42 in. trays
Pump and 100 gal reservoir
Light and pump timers
Cooling fans for enclosed light tube
Plugs into regular 15 amp outlet 120 V
Dimensions: 48 in. wide x 60 in. deep x 65 in. tall

Model 312

48 in. wheel
2-1000 W hps Sunmaster lamps and ballasts
312 plant capacity: #24/ 52 in. trays
Pump and 100 gal reservoir
Light and pump timers
Cooling fans for enclosed light tube
240 V
Dimensions: 48 in. wide x 72 in. deep x 65 in. tall

Item Description Retail
RG240C Complete w/600 W Sunmaster ballast and lamps
$5,400.00
RG312C Complete w/1000 W Sunmaster ballast and lamps
$5,800.00
RG312B Bare bones/ no ballast & lamps/pump
$5,200.00

The Volksgarden

The Volksgarden® is made of precision molded plastic, with the remaining structural components made of powder-coated steel. It is designed to hold 3" root medium and accommodates space for up to 80 plants.

The cylinder is chain driven and rotates a constant 24 hours a day, taking approximately 45 min. to complete one full rotation.

2,000

Some good tips probly for all these kinda grows are
Grow Tips

When using Rockwool or equivalent cubes, they must be pre-soaked before use. Fill reservoir with water and set pH level at 5. Place cubes in reservoir and let soak for 24 hours.

Drain and clean reservoir. Refill with fresh water, setting the pH level at 5.6.

Add an air pump with air stones into the reservoir and plug into leg of machine. This is necessary to oxygenate the water.

After plants have been inserted into cubes and placed into trays, it is important to have them root into the bigger cubes before feeding them. Keep the lamps on 24 hours a day until rooted. Check the cubes daily to make sure they are still moist. Do not let them dry out! If it is necessary to flood the cubes before rooting has taken place, keep the nutrient level low, e.g. 500 ppm.

After root development, increase nutrient mix to 1500 ppm and flood only when needed (making sure the cubes do not dry out) until noticeable plant growth, then daily floods are recommended.

It is recommended that you add a bacteria/mold inhibitor to the nutrient mix.

It is a good idea to position 1 or 2 fans in the direction of the grow area to help move CO2 around the plants.

I only know of one more and thats the bonzi wheel but i cant find a place to actualy check on it or buy it if anyone has info on it please post it besides a vidoe of it working. Oh and the other omgea stuff not sure if there still sold or not
 
I thought this was a DIY thread? I wouldn't drop a dime on any of those, there all over priced and it'd be easy as shit to build just as good a one as any of those. Well cept maybe the Roto grow, that ones slick,.. but waaaay over priced.
 
ok my bad well unless if anyone gots a good detail plain to make one ill give it a try.

I plain on useing one so just trying to put it to a vote or if someone has a good idea to build one withought welding then that may be what i do. What ever u all help me chose i will in return post pics and the results and will be time lined and hopefully someone else will also benfit from it also.

Sorry if this is not the right post most the people that talk in the omega and the volks come here so i figured this would be the best place.
 
Hey if you have the money why not? if you really want to and its something you want to try why not buy it and start the grow! good luck with your decision. for some reason i like b pod!
 
inferno420 said:
if anyone gots a good detail plain to make one ill give it a try.
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that first pic of the pvc one is all anyone should need to make one,.. and i think if someone had said "plan" they would have already built it..

DIY = Do It Yourself
DWSED = Do What Someone Else Did,.. and is a really dumbass sounding acronym if ive ever heard one

99% of the fun is figuring out how to DIY, the last 1% is just dangerous time spend with power tools.

Happy 420 every1!!!

:rollit:
 
Those slick wheels could return their cost+ PDQ to the right operator. Ready to go. They cost too much because I can't buy one, and I probebly don't know enough to make it pay forthwith. They sure do have me thinking DIY. Nice post with the commercial rotors. Examination is a big step towards adaptation (theft) of ideas. Like every engineering project ever.
 
mjanesjungle said:
...and this part i seriously question
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it was a post off one the sites and air stone/pumps always are a good idea in your watter it keeps the o2 high so you dont have stagnate water.

These are examples the pvc one is good but i would like to see more examples.

Oh one thing i noticed about price wise on the pvc if you tell where ever u but the mats that your a construction worker and its for a job they usaly give u around 10% off like lowes, any hardware store.
 
inferno420 said:
it was a post off one the sites and air stone/pumps always are a good idea in your water it keeps the o2 high so you dont have stagnate water
Click to expand...

everyone always says that but no ones ever explains why that in a system where the plants are only in the water for a short period of time, and the rest in fresh air, that air pumps with air stones are really needed in the res. I don't buy it just because most say it's so or do it because a lot of others said it was so before them, and my current grow proves it a faulty assumption as the plant i posted pics of earlier has made a great turn around and is growing dare i say like a weed now. :bong: I think it looked so bad at first cuz of the stress i put it through.

Day_15_4-21-09_.JPG


Day_15_4-21-09_2.JPG

the dead looking roots in the middle are the original roots it grew when in dirt, then they got tinted brown from the hydroton i had them rolling around in like a dumbass, it had nothing else sticking out the bottom except those when i first started rotating it.

Day_15_4-21-09_3.JPG


un-oxygenated uncooled room temp (mid 70's) water obviously ain't all that bad when the plants not in it 24/7 like DWC.

:peace:
 
Id say because the roots could still drown/root rot. Keeps the water fresh and just helps all around i mean if u use proxide i guess you might not need one but why chance it. also probly keeps the nutes mixed up
 
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