First CFL Grow In Soil - OG Kush - Wiw!

[JB42]

Re: First CFL grow in soil, with OG Kush, wiw!

Thats amazing man, thanks for the info on it all!!! I'm defo going to give that a go.

Do you see any change after installing it?

 

[donpaul.p]

Re: First CFL grow in soil, with OG Kush, wiw!

possibly why my grow room stinks of sweet beer, smells nice to be honest,

so i need to add this extra bottle with water in to remove the smell, i have a tropical fish tank and in that i have this rubber hows thats acts like a air stone and pushes out air bubbles along the full length of the hose, so im thinking your using the same thing, im going to add the water bottle to mine tomorrow so i dont risk getting bugs due to the sweet beer smell.

@JBC420, i had my doubts at first that a co2 bottle like that would produce enough co2 to make it worth doing, as co2 is heavier than air then it will sink to the bottom of the grow room, hense the hose used in the picture above, it lets the co2 come out and fall over the plant, with mine i had the bottle behind a 12fan that was blowing upwards so this was spreading it around the room, the lid on my co2 bottle only let air out and not in so i wasnt getting any mold building up due to sugar but as this extra water bottle will stop that then ill do that instead as its a lot easier, anyway i had my doubts like i said, but withing 48 hours of using it i noticed the leaves on my plants got darker, my temps go up higher than 78f so i wanted to use the extra co2 to help the plants, and i have noticed a huge difference, the plant where the bottle is closes has got the most dark green leaves, well all the plant has gone darker and the leaves feel thicker and firmer than they did before, now over the last 2 days i have noticed the same happening on my other plants as well, plus when the lights and fans are off the co2 is still working away so when the lights come back on and the fan boots up it gives them a co2 boost when the lights come on, i have noticed a difference in the way the plants look and feel, is this going to increase yield or not, i dont know, but possibly, its cost me £0.99p for a small tin of yeast, enough to last months and months so i thought i may as well give it a try, if it works it works, if it dont then i wont use it, but i have noticed a difference so ill be adding another bottle or 2, i think if i had 2 bottles in their either side of the room with some kind of hose to get the co2 to the plants, but as air moves very easy and movement of air will move the co2 so having a fan going keeps it all around the room,

so id say it does work, and im going to continue to use it throughout my grows as it cost nothing, well next to nothing, some sugar, yeast and water and a couple of 2ltr pop bottles and some fish tank air hose, if that improves the plants health then i may as well do it

 

[Vick074]

Re: First CFL grow in soil, with OG Kush, wiw!

Definitely see a change. Plants are way darker, thicker, growing like 2 inches a day.

Thats amazing man, thanks for the info on it all!!! I'm defo going to give that a go.

Do you see any change after installing it?

 

[Vick074]

2 weeks under lights now. I topped them all 5 days ago, they all have about 12 tops now. Plants seem to be very happy with the feeding schedule. Built a DIY odor bucket yesterday after picking up some Ona pro gel. Thinking about one last week of veg, then going to 12/12.

 

[Vick074]

Little update:
Everything has been going great so far. Plants responded well to being topped. GH feeding schedule is making them very happy. Held off on flowering because I talked to a friend of mine who is donating a 1000 watt dimable digital HPS to the grow. So I hate to disappoint you CFL die hards, but I have enough space to make it work for me converting to a hps, heck why not. I can turn down the ballest to 600 or 400 if I want, and seeing as I was using 504 watts worth of CFL's it only made sense to make the switch. I can still use my CFL bank to supplement any dark spots throughout flowering. Since the HPS I'm using has a cool tube, I'm going to set it hanging low and arrange the plants around it like a mini stadium setup, then just rotate and LST when needed. I'm going to run a charcoal filter hooked up to exhaust, and today I just wiggled into the crawl space with a headlamp, and rigged a computer fan into the wall, and bypassed my downstairs bathroom fan, so now I have a nice steady flow of fresh cold air coming from outside. The only thing I'm wondering is how I'm going to pair both the cool tube fan and the charcoal filter with one fan to exhaust. Noise is an issue where I'm living, so I can't be running 3 Fans 24/7. Maybe they make 6" hose splitters then I could combine them both together into the output? I'll have to look into it. Hoping to switch right over to Flower after the HPS install.
So that's pretty much it. Sorry to sell out to HPS, but I'm sure we all would if we had the right conditions for it.
Stay tuned to see how things come along.

Photo of the sexy ladies on their last day of CFL vegging.

 

[Vick074]

So today I started setting up my room for the HPS. Got the cool tube up and stealth fan hooked up for exhaust scrubbing the room with a huge charcoal filter.. Took a rubbermaid and cut a whole in each end so I can put the fan inside screwed to a piece of plywood, then I muffled the fan with blankets. Runs nice and quiet even on full power. I went around the room airtighting everywhere. I must have got it pretty much sealed because when I looked at the intake fan, not even plugged in, it was spinning fast, pulling in cold air from the negative pressure of the exhaust fan. I almost thought it was running! Still have to do some more sealing, but it's getting there.
I was hoping to have the HPS up and running today, but it was so hot, before even firing up the light the room was 90 degrees! So I would have cooked my babies. Now I have to get an AC in order to bring my temps down.
I also noticed that I have powdery mildew showing on some of my lower leaves. Perfect! Never had to deal with mildew before. Can anyone suggest an organic treatment to nip this in the "bud" before I go to 12/12??

 

[Icemud]

Hey Vick!!! I can't believe I just found your journal, and let me say...excellent job so far on everything your doing!!! I really like the CO2 fermentation bubbling system... I have a smaller semi-version of that in my tent and it seems to help... Also if you have access to dry ice... gives off a lot of CO2 in a short amount of time... you could even put some dry ice up in your co2 jug with some water for a CO2 fogging of your plants!! I made a video of how I apply co2 on my current grow journal...feel free to check it out...

Man, that sucks you have PM... I have been fighting it since mid veg and now that I am in mid flowering, it keeps popping up and I have not found a solid solution to getting rid of it for good... I don't want to type a bunch of things that I have already typed, but if you check out the last 2 pages of my grow journal, there are a lot of good suggestions for handling PM by not only myself, but also other users... commercial products Serenade, SNS, or greencure seem to be popular... for household remedy's check out the last 2 pages of my journal for a ton of suggestions and info... Sulfur burners are supposed to be key for getting rid of PM, I haven't tried that yet or the commercial ways... I've been using a combo of baking soda, water, garlic powder, milk and cinnamon which seems to keep it at bay, but not totally resolving the issue.... I wish you the best of luck with the PM, I feel your pain!

On a good note, your journal is very impressive, and I like to see how each step of the way you are expanding and adding to your grow area.. I'm subbed for this one

 

[tommytim1888]

im in subded very impressive.like C02 bubbling system seems to do the trick think i will try that.

 

[Vick074]

So the HPS is up and running.
PM is gone, but doing a preventative blast in a few days to make sure it's licked.
Found out (after buying a portable AC unit..) that the hps is actually running cooler than the CFL's were. My temps were only reaching 90 at max. flipped them so that, "on" is at night when its nice and cool. Daytime, they sleep in a fully light tight room. Exhaust running 24/7 and intake pulling fresh air from outside still. Room totally sealed now. Co2 bubbler has just been thrown in today. ( Not sure if the bubbler will work too well with the better exhaust settup, but worth a try, 2.00? Why not.)
here's some photos from day 1 to 3 of 12/12 flip with the new hps cooltube.

 

[Vick074]

Ok, so it's been almost 30 days since my last post. A lot has happened since then, so here we go! Hope you guys are ready!
Where to begin..I originally flipped the lights to 12/12 right after I got the HPS up and running. July 13th I flipped, but only started seeing signs of flower a week later. So I started the count at July 20th started flowering. These ladies have been budding for 24 days now. It's gotten pretty hot where I am this summer, so I was forced to buy a portable AC unit. Temps were climbing to mid 90's so I had no choice. Unfortunately the place I'm living in is so old that as soon as my AC was kicking in from the cruise temp controller I was using, I'd blow a breaker. I worked my way around the house with extension cords trying different outlet locations until I found one that wouldn't blow. Man those AC's suck a lot of juice, but the problem was under control. Then I had another flair up of PM. So I bombed them again, and thought things were cool. Until it came back the week after!!!!! I couldn't understand why it kept coming back, my room humidity never got over 32% WTF? until it hit me.. Must be coming from outside. In our yard we have an old Maple tree that is "infested" with powdery mildew. I'm talking INFESTED. So my fresh air intake was just sucking the spores off this tree and blowing it into my room continually infecting them. So I plucked all signs, did one last PM spray, then plugged up my intake. My room has been running under negative pressure ever since and I think the PM is under control.
here's a pic of one of the Maple leaves infected with PM.

I was running a normal GH feeding schedule but was looking for something extra to give these buds some bang. I was running 1 tbls of molasses per gallon but wasn't really seeing much action. Also heard that can run into problems using too much of that stuff in soil. So I decided to add GH's Koolbloom, and Floralicious plus to the feeding schedule. And let me tell you, they are stacking up like crazy! getting so sticky and crystalized. Started running a "feed, feed, water" schedule because I've been worried about my soil getting too loaded. I still add molasses on water only days. Haven't had any bug problems yet except for the odd fruit fly. Guessing they are from the CO2 bubblers that I have been using up until today. That's right! I got a new toy last night. Picked up a 20lb CO2 tank with regulator and controller, so see ya later fruit flies. Still gotta get the bottle filled today and get a few interval timers so my exhaust doesn't suck all that CO2 out, but super excited to get this room enriched. I decided to pull the AC unit out of the room yesterday because temps haven't been getting high enough to warrant using it. (max 87 degrees) But I dd notice that the room was getting colder in the mornings after lights out. Sometimes falling as low as 63 degrees. That's way too cold. So I switched wires on the cruise temp controller and put an oil stand up heater in there set at 80. Now I have a nice steady room at min 78-max-86.
I just recently bought a 4ft-4 tube Sunblaster T5 for my babies and wow what a difference from using that old 4ft-2 bulb T8. Plants are really happy and blowing up now with little internode spacing. Have some awesome plans for the new veg room cuz this little crawlspace I'm using right now aint gunna hold them girls for long. Should be within a week or so.

Bring on the bud photos!

 

[donpaul.p]

amazing mate, nice update

 

[Vick074]

Thanks Don! I'll be putting up bud photos all week showing how this CO2 is gunna stack these girls.
stay tuned..

 

[donpaul.p]

cant wait, i did have a co2 set up running but never maintaned it so i only used it for a week or two, my plants are not far off finishing so i wonder if its worth putting some co2 back in the flower room, might be a way of getting bigger buds in the last stages of flower

 

[Vick074]

Don, I'd definitely throw the CO2 back in there. Last 2 weeks will fatten those babies up real nice.
If ya got it, you might as well use it.

 

[Vick074]

Hey guys, hoping someone can help me with these questions regarding CO2.
I just picked up a 20lb tank of CO2 with a regulator and controller.
I have a 7x6x6 ft space, running 1 1000 watt HPS exhausted through a cool tube. Room scrubbed through a 3 ft canister. Room is running under negative pressure intake at the moment as I had to plug up my fresh air intake due to a huge PM infestation on the trees outside.

My question is, what intervals should I be setting my interval timers to turn on and off so I can maximize the CO2 being dispensed in the room without sucking it out through the exhaust.
A friend told me to set it at 15 minutes on/off and off an hour before lights out. I imagine I'd set my exhaust to turn off as the CO2 comes on. But how long to dispense for, and when to set timer to turn exhaust back on?
And will any interval timers available at Home Depot work for this?
Is this constant on/off'ing going to raise my temperatures too high?
Oh yeah and the room is sealed..

Any direction here would be extremely helpful as I want to get this up and running tonight.

Thanks guys, eagerly awaiting your responses

 

[donpaul.p]

im not the best to ask mate, jandre is about the best to ask if you come across him or ask the question on my journal the link is below, so feel free to copy n paste the question into my journal and im sure someone that can help you, i have only ever used the pop bottle method and had it running for a couple of weeks, i did notice the leaves nearest the co2 bottle seemed a darker shade of green and felt thicker than the other leaves, ill mix up a batch and throw it back in my grow room, its got to give them a boost

all i can add is that the co2 is heavier than air so it will sink down into the bottom of the grow, are you running a tube from the tank, if you are then support this at the top of the plants and run it around the plants, this will then push the co2 out and this will fall over the plants and give them the extra boost, you dont need it when the lights are off, but you all ready know that, i dont think you will have to much of a problem with the exhaust fan sucking it all out to quick as the co2 will fall onto the plants as its heavier than air, now im not sure how much you will be pushing out every 15 min, im sure their is someone else who can help, just not me, its a bit beyond me mate, but im sure someone round here can give you the answer your looking for

 

[Vick074]

Thanks Don,
That's exactly how I had it set up in my grow before. made a ring around the tops with sprinkler hose and it cascaded down over the the plants. But this time I'm going to do it differently. The plants are too tall to build a ring now, plus it's such a pain in the ass having to take it all down every time you have to water or adjust things. I've done a bit of research and heard that the plants absorb the CO2 under the leaves so I'm going to attach the hose to back of the floor fan and have it ocalating blowing the CO2 up from the floor. Then whatever comes up must come down and it should absorb it better that way. I just picked up 2 more digi timers to set up separately to my CO2 controller and one to my exhaust fan. I think I know what I'm going to do as far as timing, I'd just like to hear from a pro how they do it so maybe Il do as you suggested and re post those questions in your journal in hopes that jondre can give me some pointers..
Cheers!

 

[Vick074]

I just spent the past 2 hours setting the timers for both the CO2 controller and the exhaust fan.
Put the CO2 in the opposing corner to my exhaust can, with the CO2 hose coiled up behind an ocalating fan placed low aiming up at the plants. This way the CO2 blasts up and all around the plants, then is blasted back by another ocalating fan at the other side of the room. Creating a circle of gas before it finds it's way back to where it started. Like a Carbon dioxide tornado.
The timers are set as follows:
-as soon as lights come on, exhaust goes off then CO2 comes on for 2 hours straight to give the room a nice awakening blast.
-then after their breakfast the CO2 shuts down and exhaust comes on.
-an hour later exhaust cuts out CO2 comes on for 15 minutes, then off, then exhaust back on.
-cycle repeats throughout the sunny day until 1 hour before bedtime where no CO2 is put out.
-exhaust comes on and stays on while they sleep until breaky.
-cycle repeats until buds are so big they need crutches to stand up..

Luckily I'll be around all day tomorrow to make sure I set the timers right.
I guess the only thing I really need to make sure this is going to be flawless is a CO2 ppm meter so I know what my room levels are at.
The guy I bought the system off had pretty much the same size room as I have, so he suggested what I am following through with now.
Is there cheaper CO2 ppm meters that I could buy to monitor my levels?

 

[donpaul.p]

so you sound like you got your co2 set up then mate, just keep an eye on it for a day or 2, i have had timers fail in the past even new timers, the digital ones tend to fail more for me than the older ones do, so keep an eye on it

 

[Vick074]

Yeah, I feel the same way about the digital timers too. But trying to find a mechanical timer that works in 15 minutes intervals is damn near impossible where I live. But the ones I got are pretty rad. A bitch to figure out all the on/off times but once figured out it runs to the second. I can be in the next room look at my watch, counting down the seconds, and exactly on the hour I can hear the "psssst" of the CO2 coming on and fan going off. With some mechanical timers the mechanism gets warn which make it lose accuracy. Not good when things "have" to be going off when others are coming on.. I had 2 mechanicals fail on me in this way losing in some cases, hours! Not good when you're trying to keep a consistent light schedule..