MicroGrowerMan's Grow Laboratory Journal

[Carcass]

That's a helluva nice setup you've got there MGM!

I haven't seen such nice box grows since @Carcass , bet he'd like this! Nice growing!

The grows are nice, the box, not so much....

You make @Carcass' box look like the $18.00 cardboard box it is.

Fixed it for ya!

I'm not so sure of commenting on @Carcass grow.

HashGirl meant it in a nice way- my box is pretty darn ugly....
it's a "don't judge a book by its cover" type of thing...

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

That's a helluva nice setup you've got there MGM!

The grows are nice, the box, not so much....

Fixed it for ya!

HashGirl meant it in a nice way- my box is pretty darn ugly....
it's a "don't judge a book by its cover" type of thing...

Thank you Carcass, I see you've had some mighty good grows no matter what you are growing in. Hope you stick around and see how this thing works.

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

I love a good cabinet grow and your's look beautiful.

Oh, thank you, Azimuth, glad to have you aboard!

MGM

 

[Carmen Ray]

@Melville Hobbes , I thought you'd enjoy this grow since you're running hempy.

 

[SSgrower]

This guy is a "No Nonsense" grower, just look at the cabinet setup and the turntable Lazy Sussan style. As for high ferti growing I have no knowledge so, I will learn watching you. Following and learning is essential and why we have "Journals" to keep records we can access and evaluate. Cheers to a serious grower. SS

 

[StoneOtter]

Thank you, HashGirl.

I'm not so sure of commenting on @Carcass grow. Looks like an old wizened soul who has been here a while.

I do appreciate your comments on my writing and photos. I was a writer before a retired. I suppose that skill, once learned, never goes away. And, I do enjoy photography. Add that to my gardening hobby, making a journal of it all makes sense.

Thank you for following!

MGM

Carcass has box grows similar to yours MGM. But I see he introduced himself.

Oh, StoneOtter, I have yet to grow with the XS 1500 Pro. I only dream of that for now. The two 1500s I'm growing with are the plain XS 1500s. They are the models without the lenses that improve the distribution of light over the whole 2x2 canopy.

MGM

I didn't know they had a model without the lenz. Well they're a fine light I'm sure!

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

Oh my, "Serious" grower. Thank you SSgrower.

I recall a time when a person needed a 600w HID or HPS light and a large room to be considered a "serious grower." I'm not sure I'm more serious about my wood working than indoor gardening, yet it is refreshing to hear from those who consider a micro grow a serious grow. Certainly I'm serious about the finer points of micro growing.

Thank you for the compliment and for following. I hope to make your time worthwhile.

MGM

 

[CaptainLucky]

Oh my, "Serious" grower. Thank you SSgrower.

I recall a time when a person needed a 600w HID or HPS light and a large room to be considered a "serious grower." I'm not sure I'm more serious about my wood working than indoor gardening, yet it is refreshing to hear from those who consider a micro grow a serious grow. Certainly I'm serious about the finer points of micro growing.

Thank you for the compliment and for following. I hope to make your time worthwhile.

MGM

I’m in the City by the Lake. Lake being Michigan so my neighbor to the North I thought I’d drop by time from time and check your progress. CL.

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

I’m in the City by the Lake. Lake being Michigan so my neighbor to the North I thought I’d drop by time from time and check your progress. CL.

Well hello, neighbor!

We are not that far apart. Too bad there is 40 miles of hostile Indiana territory between us. One day the whole nation, maybe the whole world will become enlightened about cannabis.

Thank you for following. And maybe one day our paths will cross and we can burn one together. You never know!

MGM

 

[Melville Hobbes]

Nice start to you journal. Quite the attention to detail.

Currently I am experimenting with 100% perlite in 2.7-gallon buckets

About 10 litres, nice size. It looks like they drain from the bottom?

ViparSpectra XS 1500 lights

I'm using the XS2000. Great penetration.

I do have some peculiar growing habits, which include nutes.

Very mysterious, you didn't mention what they are?

@Melville Hobbes , I thought you'd enjoy this grow since you're running hempy.

Thanks for the tag Carmen!

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

Nice start to you journal. Quite the attention to detail.

Thank you. There are some very inspiring journals written on this site. Yours among them.

About 10 litres, nice size. It looks like they drain from the bottom?

Yes, I should have been more clear they are standard nursery pots ordered out of the same place that supplies materials for my fruit, vegetable and flower gardens.

They are bottom draining. I line the bottoms with landscape fabric to prevent any perlite leakage then fill the nursery pot full of the light, white gravel.

I'm using the XS2000. Great penetration.

The updates in modern LEDs are incredible. Fewer watts, more light, better penetration. I credit my best harvest in part to the density of buds and length of colas grown under my @ViparSpectra lights.

Very mysterious, you didn't mention what they are?

Oh ... only when the children are in bed and sensitive eyes are averted. I have a nute section coming up soon where I have some questions, issues and theories to discuss.

Thanks for the tag Carmen!

Yes, thank you @Carmen Ray. And thank you Mellville Hobbes for following. Your expertise and insights are much appreciated.

MGM

 

[Greenvein]

I have a nute section coming up soon where I have some questions, issues and theories to discuss.

I have reduced the concentration of nutes now, and am keeping daily track of ph. and twice-a-week track of runoff.

Just waiting on these parts bud.. daily in and out would be ideal and possibly a permanent routine for best results.
Also tap or filtered water?

 

[VetSmoke85]

Great setup mate. Me likey.

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

Just waiting on these parts bud.. daily in and out would be ideal and possibly a permanent routine for best results.
Also tap or filtered water?

Yes, that is on my mind, the routine and runoff. Good to hear from you on that subject.

This method of growing is entirely new to me. I used to grow 70/30 perlite/peat moss in 12-gallon pots using the same drip system, only with eight emitters a pot. That was heavy and ungainly, but it produced results!

I just needed something lighter and more portable.

The way I'm running the drip irrigation now, I don't have much runoff, maybe a damp spot under the pot. I try to keep things from operating too moist, then hit the roots just as things in the perlite start to dry. More nutes to roots!

The only way to get runoff is to run more than the plants can handle.

Right now, I'm considering a runoff measure with 1-gallon of ph.-adjusted tap water twice a week, and if there is a problem, flush and/or adjust from there. Also monitor ph. and ppm daily.

As for water. It is tap water usually left to sit around for a few days. It's ph. adjusted after the cal-mag and nutes are added.

Thank you for asking and for the suggestion.

MGM

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

Great setup mate. Me likey.

Great to hear from you, Vet! I'm glad you like the setup and I hope you decide to follow the journal.

MGM

 

[Greenvein]

Yes, that is on my mind, the routine and runoff. Good to hear from you on that subject.

This method of growing is entirely new to me. I used to grow 70/30 perlite/peat moss in 12-gallon pots using the same drip system, only with eight emitters a pot. That was heavy and ungainly, but it produced results!

I just needed something lighter and more portable.

The way I'm running the drip irrigation now, I don't have much runoff, maybe a damp spot under the pot. I try to keep things from operating too moist, then hit the roots just as things in the perlite start to dry. More nutes to roots!

The only way to get runoff is to run more than the plants can handle.

Right now, I'm considering a runoff measure with 1-gallon of ph.-adjusted tap water twice a week, and if there is a problem, flush and/or adjust from there. Also monitor ph. and ppm daily.

As for water. It is tap water usually left to sit around for a few days. It's ph. adjusted after the cal-mag and nutes are added.

Thank you for asking and for the suggestion.

MGM

As any medium dries it will have salt stick to it so to stop the salt sticking you want to feed before it gets dry again then when you feed with higher fertigations you want run off this will push the old half eaten food out (fertilizer lol) and leave you with a fresh perfectly balance meal for your plants as you measured it.
Sounds pretty similar to Coco hff just without the cec.
I just reduced my pots to 1gal in my Coco grow to get higher frequency and will be setting my watering system in a week or so

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

Interesting, thank you.

At the moment, I look for the wet spot under the pot and a bit of a damp ring around the bottom. I've seen times when the trays dry out and leaves salts behind. I scream, "Eeek!" and boost either water or frequency.

Right now I'm pumping about 12 ounces through Gravel Gertie (the larger one) every three hours for an 8 times a day feed. I raise quantity when I see a dry saucer.

So, you think I could go to higher frequency? Next step on my cheap system is 12x a day, then once an hour.

Thanks again, @Greenvein.

MGM

 

[Greenvein]

Interesting, thank you.

At the moment, I look for the wet spot under the pot and a bit of a damp ring around the bottom. I've seen times when the trays dry out and leaves salts behind. I scream, "Eeek!" and boost either water or frequency.

Right now I'm pumping about 12 ounces through Gravel Gertie (the larger one) every three hours for an 8 times a day feed. I raise quantity when I see a dry saucer.

So, you think I could go to higher frequency? Next step on my cheap system is 12x a day, then once an hour.

Thanks again, @Greenvein.

MGM

I think the plants can decide on frequency but the run off is Important. So time how long untill their dry then start fertigations before that time so it never dries then when once your run off is stable it will tell you weather the plants need more or less food.
If you don't have run off though higher fertigations will still mean salt build up as there's nowhere for unused salts to go.

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

Nutes!​

By popular demand I have rushed to add a bit about the nutes I'm using and how I apply them.

But first are the children in bed? The door locked? Tender Eyes averted? The weak of heart warned?

Here is what I use:

That’s right, Miracle-Gro® Products. But notice, it’s not that crap in the green and yellow box. No, this is different stuff.

It’s Miracle-Gro Vegetables & Herbs (MGV&H). And it contains a water-soluble organic fertilizer! Just smell it and you could fall in love with it. It smells like … VICTORY!

I ran across it during the dark days of oppression when even a legal grow could get your home confiscated, and visits to hydro stores or orders of grow materials would warrant a search. And, it’s stuck with me.

What excited me was this:

Soy Protein Hydrolysates.​

Wow! Water soluble organics! Visions of amino acids, enzymes, bio-stimulants and catalysts danced in my mind. All on the shelves of my local hardware store.

And you know what? This stuff has delivered.

Here is some research on the nutrient:

Frontiers | Biostimulant Action of Protein Hydrolysates: Unraveling Their Effects on Plant Physiology and Microbiome

Plant-derived protein hydrolysates (PHs) have gained prominence as plant biostimulants because of their potential to increase the germination, productivity a...

www.frontiersin.org

This stuff works. I believe it helps build stronger stalks, improved root systems, and better-tasting bud. On that last point, that is what I get told when I share or give away my bud.

One more time:

Soy Protein Hydrolysates.​

They are what makes this Miracle-Gro® product work for me.

More about the Nute Soup

• Tap water at 7.0-8.0 ph., 180-200 PPM
• Cal-Mag at half recommended application
• Miracle-Gro® Vegetable & Herb at 1/4 -1 tsp. a gallon, depending on grow stage
• Miracle-Gro® Bloom Booster at 1/4 tsp. a gallon during bloom added to Miracle Gro-Vegetable and Herb.
• ph-Down added at end of mix to get to a ph of 6.0

Application Rate: Amount varies up to 3 quarts a day, with fractional applications up to 12 ounces made 8-times a day.

I've had some issues moving up from hand watering and mixing in 1-gallon jugs and automated watering from 5-gallon pots. The first was the worst: I just wasn't making the quantity translations up to 5 gallons properly. I was flakey, was thinking I was making measurements when I wasn't and once doubled up the nutes by mistake. Still the plants survived to thrive.

I've also had a problem with ppm and ph drifting up. I have some theories. One is that this is a water-soluble nute and all the different compounds dissolve at different rates, making my pots hotter as the 5-gallon pot is used. I ph adjust and dilute. There may also be a compound in the Bloom Booster that is causing the ph creep over the course of a week. I'm creeping about a point a day. I got myself burned and a case of crispy tips, I believe, when things went north of 6.5 up to 6.8.

Now, things are all about getting the nute schedule and mixes nailed down. They have worked wonderfully for me before, I hope I can get them working in this medium.

MGM

 

[MicroGrowerMan]

I think the plants can decide on frequency but the run off is Important. So time how long untill their dry then start fertigations before that time so it never dries then when once your run off is stable it will tell you weather the plants need more or less food.
If you don't have run off though higher fertigations will still mean salt build up as there's nowhere for unused salts to go.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!