Sorry I couldn’t keep my promises re: post dates. I wrecked myself trying to push through the (veggie) garden completion. Seriously, for the last 10 yrs I’ve spent the better part of my waking hours in bed and in pain due to incurable conditions and the related bullshit. I honestly didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to tolerate it, but I undertook another stab at improving my life with another new diet, modified my exercises, and made some efforts to make connections with people and learn some new things. It really got traction last fall and was pretty exciting and has led to today- I’m still pointing uphill. This forum has been an important social connector for me, humble though my efforts may be, in context it’s quite significant. Yeah, things really were that bad for me!
We’re gonna wrap this build journal up today. I’ve got some finished work to show, genetics to discuss and then we’ll close her up and on the morrow begin a proper grow journal, popping seeds and giving all the grow deets on 1st entry so when I get all panicky and ask for help it will all be easily referenced. Last item for this journal will be some requests for information about the strains I have avail (you wouldn’t believe how hard it was for me to get seeds, two orders no showed) ie are they suitable for quad lining (or?), are they hungry little so and sos, are they long bloomers, any recommendations for nutrients based on what I have on hand (I stocked up), cal mag consumption, light prescriptions (DLI’s in particular) how they respond to stress events, etc.
Ok, let’s start with the non 420 garden I’ve been bleating on about. I did a lot of finish work not visible in these pics and I’ll chuck in nicer ones on my next journal for variety so don’t worry.
Got that whole parallel to the house finger “finished”. There’s a Japanese maple right in the middle of it like the birch on the other finger which is protected but this one more so. This finger is even bigger than the first and gets wicked hot. Perfect!
Sorry, I’d just mixed in a layer of leaf mould and worm castings and needed to keep it protected from the sun. I’ve got it all filled now ready for planting.
I got this 4.5ft sq. Pvc greenhouse up so I could get my 5x5 tent back and refurbed for you know, bud production, not dinner production. Is working out fine so far.
The light is a cheap Amazon job I got for 13$ from a seller who owed me a refund and had two of these that were returned for minor imperfections. They really surprised me. 20w, good bloom Color, absolutely good mother plant lights. Nice, right? My Dutch background leaves me predestined to love greenhouses. Guess I’ll just have to buy another one for my mushrooms. Actually, I’m gonna stuff some blocks in my propagation closet and siphon off the co2 into tent #1, along with co2 from a wine fermentation project. I checked and I got 350 pounds of grapes from my vines last year that are now frozen must. I know I ate and gifted at least another 100lbs. Not bad for suburbia and no pruning, pesticides or fertilizers. Anyway, we’ll be able to see with my meter just what sort of contribution they make and I’ll likely top it off with the bottled co2 I have set up for tent #1.
Speaking of, here’s my basic DWC setup. Don’t know how well it’ll work yet but looks to be decent. The pump in the reservoir is an inexpensive eco air 650lph with a manifold atop delivering nutrients to each basket on an intermittent schedule while roots have still not made splashdown into reservoir. I have two 32 w Vivosun air pumps, ones just a backup really because one has enough air pressure to feed two tanks with each housing two 5’ air stones, easily. I just saw prices going crazy and stocked up on some things while I had the funds avail. I like redundancy. Automation too, check this out… go ahead and make fun, I do it to myself!
The unit on the far left, above the AC fan controller is an old smartphone I don’t use anymore, Samsung s8plus. It is mounted with Velcro alone (the others have zap straps and Velcro) and can be removed and mounted in the tent as a monitoring camera. Mounted on the panel it’s for checking all the wifi temp/rh/VPD probes I have sprinkled around my grow. I’m going to prioritize VPD, seems like a good idea and way to simplify environmental targets and I have most of the means to do so. The green one is a co2 controller/monitor connected to a co2 tank and regulator, the next are wifi enabled rh and temp controllers connected to a fogger and dehu, the other a DIY no-light heat bulb convection heater and an air conditioner. The power bar has the timer for my 1100w Kingbrite LED array and the added cooling fans I point at them (for longevity’s sake), and lastly, far right is a watt meter helping me set my lighting power and track running energy expenses which it calculates when I enter my rate.
Back of the panel ain’t so pretty but it’s a sight for sore eyes if you’ve been dealing with nasty cable runs, random controller locations and tangled crap that eventually becomes a safety concern. I do plan to make a mounting screen of sorts at the back of my tent to mount a water temp monitor for the DWC tanks that I have. Other than that the electronics are finally where I want them and working real well together. My lung room is also my mixing room…
That’s a fogger there in the small tote piping lots of moisture into the tent on command and easily meeting my set demands up to 75% rh so far. The pump lives having from that metal scaffolding/bench as this was kills a few more decibels. The long intake hose can be even brought outside and dropped into a 3 ft hole in the ground (in the garden) where temps are always cool. It’s also concrete under that Lino and my tanks will sit directly on them, hopefully helping out the temps. That 6inch ac infinity fan will exit through that insulated window frame terminating in a dryer output. It has a backdraft blocker in it ensuring my co2 doesn’t leave through the duct until I want it to. The room is small, only another 5x5 space outside the 5x tent but I’ve sealed it up well from the outside and in with expanding foam insulation and a few tricks and some tech. I also will install a co2 monitor/alarm in the connecting living space as a safety necessity. You must do this or risk suffocating in your sleep.
Check out this 5’ fan I got on Amazon for 13$. Just had to check it out. Prob use for intake in another 5x or co2 evac for mushroom tent. Unless this system really needs a booster.
This is a better look at those cheap 25 watt grow lights in my greenhouse. Looks like I need to make another entry to keep uploading… so be it…