DIY Stealth Cab, Hydro, LED & Multiple Strains in Small Space - Oh Boy!

[Mr. Krip]

Don't know how to make this a "Sticky" but it is great advice, not only for firet time growers, but for all growers to review from time to time. Great post Mr. Krip and looking forward to more.

Much thanks, MacG! I've received some very good response, so I just posted it in the growers forum as its own thread. I'll put a link in my signature in a few minutes.

 

[Mr. Krip]

Mr Krip......you've done it again!

Your WHAT THE GOOD GROWERS ALREADY KNOW is well written and right on for all growers new or old.

You sure have proved yourself as a valuable asset for 420, again.

Thank you, my friend! Those words mean a lot coming from you! Mahalo!

 

[Xlr8]

Mr. Krip - great job on the tips, and I agree whole-heartedly. Tried to give you +rep, but I have repped you too recently I guess...

PH is important, but I've also seen where it gets over-managed sometimes, too. There's a temptation for people to want to keep it pinned at "5.6" (in hydro) when they should be letting it wander a bit. I don't adjust mine unless it gets below 5.4 or over 6.2. In fact if there was one thing I'd add to your list, it would be to not over-love/over-manage things. Too much water, nutes, supplements, you name it. Sometimes we have the urge to overcomplicate things.

 

[Mr. Krip]

Mr. Krip - great job on the tips, and I agree whole-heartedly. Tried to give you +rep, but I have repped you too recently I guess...

PH is important, but I've also seen where it gets over-managed sometimes, too. There's a temptation for people to want to keep it pinned at "5.6" (in hydro) when they should be letting it wander a bit. I don't adjust mine unless it gets below 5.4 or over 6.2. In fact if there was one thing I'd add to your list, it would be to not over-love/over-manage things. Too much water, nutes, supplements, you name it. Sometimes we have the urge to overcomplicate things.

Thanks, XLR8! I agree 100% and I do the same with my PH. I set it low and let it drift high, then adjust it back down so the plants get to absorb nutes at a wider range. Since this drifts into "technique" I simply wanted to stress the importance of being able to monitor and control PH rather then telling people how to do it. Your point on overmanaging the plants is also a good one, and well-taken, and is very close to my points on providing the right environment.

 

[Mr. Krip]

QUICK HAZE UPDATE

I did a final trim on the haze that was harvested earlier this week, after about 4 days of drying. Final weight was 40.2g.

So, when added to the AK, that's a total of 100g from 2 plants in a 2'x2' space, using LED for flower. My goal was 2-4 oz. per harvest and I got just over 3.5 oz, so not too bad for the first harvest!

I hoping it only improves from here!

It will be interesting to compare this first harvest to the yield I'll get by just flowering the PE alone, instead of her having to share that small space with another plant.

Thanks for everyone's help & happy harvests!

K

 

[Mr. Krip]

QUICK HAZE UPDATE

I did a final trim on the haze that was harvested earlier this week, after about 4 days of drying. Final weight was 40.2g.

So, when added to the AK, that's a total of 100g from 2 plants in a 2'x2' space, using LED for flower. My goal was 2-4 oz. per harvest and I got just over 3.5 oz, so not too bad for the first harvest!

I hoping it only improves from here!

It will be interesting to compare this first harvest to the yield I'll get by just flowering the PE alone, instead of her having to share that small space with another plant.

Thanks for everyone's help & happy harvests!

K

CORRECTION!!!

The yield on the AK was 79g (not 59!) which means the total harvest was 119g or 4.25oz.!!! Much better - I thought I had more than 3.5 and actually beat the 4oz. goal!!!

 

[Xlr8]

CORRECTION!!!

The yield on the AK was 79g (not 59!) which means the total harvest was 119g or 4.25oz.!!! Much better - I thought I had more than 3.5 and actually beat the 4oz. goal!!!

Congratulations my friend! That's a really fantastic harvest -

I have to say that you really did do a great job on the "What the good growers already know". I know I commented on it already, but it bears repeating. Pretty cool that you took the time to do it - and do it so well.

What a success your grow turned out to be - great start to a great future, didn't it start with STG cubes way back when?

 

[SuKaFr33]

yea what he said lol!!! good job brotha!!!! hopefully mines turn out to be as good as your!!!

 

[shaggie-420]

great job on your journal grow and harvest
Great tips! its a great list for all growers... every one gets impatient and forgets once in a while lol
i got to tell you i think that the girl was ready to harvest when you did... remember that your Tricromes will still continue to mature during the inital dry phase as the chemical reaction is still continuing inside the plant so a 80/20 cloudy can easly become a 60/40 depending on strain just in the dry and cure..
great journal i cant wait to see more pics

 

[Mr. Krip]

great job on your journal grow and harvest
Great tips! its a great list for all growers... every one gets impatient and forgets once in a while lol
i got to tell you i think that the girl was ready to harvest when you did... remember that your Tricromes will still continue to mature during the inital dry phase as the chemical reaction is still continuing inside the plant so a 80/20 cloudy can easly become a 60/40 depending on strain just in the dry and cure..
great journal i cant wait to see more pics

Shaggie, thank you!

Actually, I felt much better about harvesting when I did after reading your thread on determining mediciinal potency.

For anyone who hasn't read it, there's a link in Shaggie's signature and I highly recommend it!

More pics should be coming tomorrow.

 

[OldMedMan]

Way to go Mr. Krip!

First grow and you set a goal. You beat the goal !
What more could you ask for?
The tips and tricks you gave us all, help to no end.
Take off that newbie handle now.
Your a full blown grower and how!

Great grow and journal!

 

[Mr. Krip]

WEEKEND PIC UPDATE

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

I don't think I've posted any pics of the veg side since I culled everything but the four PE clones, so here they are...

The veg side hasn't seen this much available space since I built the cab!

Here's close-ups of the four PE clones, all of which have been topped multiple times at this point:

The big PE is in her 3rd week of flower after almost a month of 12/12 and looking good:

Her buds are filling in perfectly and she has nice, tightly stacked nodes. Here's some cola shots:

And, the big news is that she's got nice trich development!

In the mean time, the haze is curing in jars and is at about 63% RH right now. About another 10 days until a smoke report on that!

Happy Harvests!

K

 

[OldMedMan]

Good looking clones Mr. Krip
That PE is loving the space she has now. Happy Fathers Day to you if you are one!
Bought myself a new fancy new computer case for my father's day. I buy myself more work?????

 

[Macgyverup]

WEEKEND PIC UPDATE

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

In the mean time, the haze is curing in jars and is at about 63% RH right now. About another 10 days until a smoke report on that!

Happy Harvests!

K

Great shots Mr Krip, as usual, and happy father's day to you too! Just taking a break from the squirt gun fight with the kids. Score: Daddy 1-Kids KO'd me in the third round! They always win!!! The girls are looking great! Looking forward to the smoke report.

 

[Aaron Quix]

Hey ther K looking great! Looks like you're getting geared up for another good run, I'll be for sure.

Look bud I'm gunna level with you, Im subbed, but haven't had time to go back through 80 something pages of you're grow here, and I do apologize for that. I really make an effort to read evryones grow I subb to, in its entirety, but I'm slammed with work, kids and about 20 other subscriptions.
But I had a couple of Qs about your LED, and I know I must have missed the info here somewhere, as I know you're a pretty thorough guy and must have posted it...I'm in a small (2x2) space as you are (Were...?) and thought LED would work well in my situation...Just wondering, how many ACTUAL watts is yours, and how do you feel about LEDs now that you've had a chance to run one??
Any info would be great!
Much respect
-Quix

 

[Mr. Krip]

Good looking clones Mr. Krip
That PE is loving the space she has now. Happy Fathers Day to you if you are one!
Bought myself a new fancy new computer case for my father's day. I buy myself more work?????

Thanks, OMM & congrats on the new computer. I need a new one myself. I have a bad disk and had to restore it again this weekend.

The PE is definately enjoying the space! I think if I decide to flower more than one at once in the future, I'll make them the same strains and start them together. Then, they finish together, stay about the same size, and if I decide to change light cycles, I shouldn't be adversely effecting one of the plants. But, for now, I'm enjoying not stressing over lack of space and the PE is enjoying having all the light focused on her, along with the extra room.

 

[Mr. Krip]

Great shots Mr Krip, as usual, and happy father's day to you too! Just taking a break from the squirt gun fight with the kids. Score: Daddy 1-Kids KO'd me in the third round! They always win!!! The girls are looking great! Looking forward to the smoke report.

Thanks, MacG! That squirt gun fight sounds like a lot of fun! You may not have wone the fight, but it sounds like you came out a winner!

 

[Mr. Krip]

Hey ther K looking great! Looks like you're getting geared up for another good run, I'll be for sure.

Look bud I'm gunna level with you, Im subbed, but haven't had time to go back through 80 something pages of you're grow here, and I do apologize for that. I really make an effort to read evryones grow I subb to, in its entirety, but I'm slammed with work, kids and about 20 other subscriptions.
But I had a couple of Qs about your LED, and I know I must have missed the info here somewhere, as I know you're a pretty thorough guy and must have posted it...I'm in a small (2x2) space as you are (Were...?) and thought LED would work well in my situation...Just wondering, how many ACTUAL watts is yours, and how do you feel about LEDs now that you've had a chance to run one??
Any info would be great!
Much respect
-Quix

Thanks, Quix, and no problem for not reading through the entire journal. Actually, all of the equipment I'm using is listed on the first page of my first journal, but the LED is a LightHouse BlackStar 180w. I have not measured actual wattage, but I did see another grower measure 157w actual draw on his. I also saw a side x side comparison with the BS 180w vs. a 300w from a former sponser that, from everything I've read, had quality lights. The two grows were deemed comparable. I personally thought the 180w outperformed the 300w when some other factors were considered, but even if they were the same, the costs would be lower with the 180w, which is fine for a 2' x 2' space. The 300w may be more effective in a larger space.

My personal experience is this...

First, as a disclaimer, in my flower chamber I have (4) 23w 2700k CFL's along with the BS 180w LED. Also, bear in mind I've only harvested two plants that were essentially grown together under the same conditions, and both were over 3' tall when they finished, but they were two different strains.

So, the buds on BOTH the AK and the Haze are much more airy than I would have hoped. The Haze isn't too bad, at least not as bad as the AK, but still not the nice dense nug's I would like to see. I have heard airy buds attributed to LED's, so I'm NOT ruling that out as a possible cause, but the scientist in me want more testing before making a final conclusion.

Part of the reason I'm flowering only one plant right now is so I can focus all of the light on her. I'm also keeping the lights much closer to the top of the canopy than I did on the last grow. If I still get airy buds, I may add another four CFL's and mix the spectrum a little, but that would also limit my space even more, which I'm not keen on.

So, all that being said, I did manage to pull 4.25 oz. off of those two plants in that small space, and 4.25 oz. of quality meds is 4.25 oz. of quality meds, even if it is a little airy! And, I'm not, in any way, considering going to either a MH or HPS in that small cab for numerous reasons. I'm definately happy with the LED for a first grow and pretty confident I'll be able to find the right "formula" using LED's & CFL's.

I hope this helps!

 

[Aaron Quix]

Thanks, Quix, and no problem for not reading through the entire journal. Actually, all of the equipment I'm using is listed on the first page of my first journal, but the LED is a LightHouse BlackStar 180w. I have not measured actual wattage, but I did see another grower measure 157w actual draw on his. I also saw a side x side comparison with the BS 180w vs. a 300w from a former sponser that, from everything I've read, had quality lights. The two grows were deemed comparable. I personally thought the 180w outperformed the 300w when some other factors were considered, but even if they were the same, the costs would be lower with the 180w, which is fine for a 2' x 2' space. The 300w may be more effective in a larger space.

My personal experience is this...

First, as a disclaimer, in my flower chamber I have (4) 23w 2700k CFL's along with the BS 180w LED. Also, bear in mind I've only harvested two plants that were essentially grown together under the same conditions, and both were over 3' tall when they finished, but they were two different strains.

So, the buds on BOTH the AK and the Haze are much more airy than I would have hoped. The Haze isn't too bad, at least not as bad as the AK, but still not the nice dense nug's I would like to see. I have heard airy buds attributed to LED's, so I'm NOT ruling that out as a possible cause, but the scientist in me want more testing before making a final conclusion.

Part of the reason I'm flowering only one plant right now is so I can focus all of the light on her. I'm also keeping the lights much closer to the top of the canopy than I did on the last grow. If I still get airy buds, I may add another four CFL's and mix the spectrum a little, but that would also limit my space even more, which I'm not keen on.

So, all that being said, I did manage to pull 4.25 oz. off of those two plants in that small space, and 4.25 oz. of quality meds is 4.25 oz. of quality meds, even if it is a little airy! And, I'm not, in any way, considering going to either a MH or HPS in that small cab for numerous reasons. I'm definately happy with the LED for a first grow and pretty confident I'll be able to find the right "formula" using LED's & CFL's.

I hope this helps!

Hey Mr K. Thanks a million, that was more than I was expecting, and exactly what I needed to hear! I actually picked up a 90w LED today, and I'm already skeptical of the legitimacy of the product, as it came in an unmarked box, with no brand in the light, and no product info, waranty info or anything. The guy at the hydro shop gave me a pamphlet, and a printout that came from an led distributor, which was supposedly where the light was from....I checked out the website, and the lights they have look a little different than the one I bought, and I dont know if an LED is an LED is an LED, if you know what I mean. I have no way of knowing if this light is giving off the same spectrum as the ones on the website, or if its a true 90 watts or not and so on...I paid 130 upfront, and owe him another 20. Which is cool of him, and he also said I could return it if I didnt like it, so I'm a little torn.

Now, if say, this thing IS legit, you still have raised the question of wether or not this 90 watts, (plus some mixed CFLs of course) will be enough. If you think the leds are producing airy buds, and you used 180watts....90 watts may be a waste...?

Sorry to high-jack your thread brother and I appreciate your time, feel free to do this over on mine if you dont want to take up pages on yours!!

 

[Mr. Krip]

Quix, no worries, Bro...I don't consider your questions a "high-jack" of my thread, at all!

A couple more points about LED's...

As a general rule, LED's are much more effective in veg than in flower. The BS180 I'm using happens to be specifically made for flowering (albeit, its performance is still questionable).

Also, it appears that when the auto industry collapsed, many former used car salesman became LED distributors! For every "good" LED light that really performs, there's probably 10 others that are nothing but junk made in China and being sold with false claims.

If you look on eBay, you'll see a lot of these LED panels being sold at dirt cheap prices, and I would not expect them to perform at all.

The price you're paying for the 90w seems about right for a QUALITY light (the good LED's seem to be using 2w or 3w Cree LED chipsets but many oof the 90w's still use the 1w chips) but there are many more factors that come into play, such as the angle of the individual LED's which determines coverage & penetration into the canopy, the number of "bands" of wavelengths, the specific colors used in the spectrum, etc.

The 90w should also be used to cover a smaller space. While the 180w is rated at something like 4 square feet, the 90w is probably rated for about 2-3 square feet.

So, those are just some factors to consider regarding LED's. Since you don't really know exactly what you have, there's really only one way to find out how it performs, and that's to use it in a grow!

Just be clear on the return policy so you can still send it back if you're not happy with it. If you don't think you'll be able to return it after a grow, my suggestion would probably be to return it now and put the money into some LED that you've researched, know is quality, and are fairly certain will meet your needs.

Something else to think about is who you'll be able to contact if, for example, one of the cooling fan dies and you need a replacement part. It may be tough if you don't know who the light manufacturer is!