Gosh, I know it must be getting old me saying the same thing about that mom but holy cow man wonderful, I want one. As for the teens they are looking very nice and healthy, but what else would you expect from the offspring of such a wonderful mom. Great job...
Thanks for the this "to the point" thread using the bloombox. I am looking into purchasing and this thread has made up my mind. Looking forward to more updates.
Although it's pricey, it's an almost complete turn-key way to get started. Having a background in engineering and fabrication made this a no brainer. If you have the ability to build stuff, a custom grow room is probably the most cost effective. However, if security and self containment are concerns, the BB is tough to beat. There are good examples of self-built growboxes throughout this forum with Bassplayer's easily being the coolest. Hope this helps.
No particular trick really, it's just a result of a dedicated 'bonsai mum' after six months or so, and a couple of harvests. Perhaps planning/structuring the growth initially, and always clean-up pruning back to the same starting point, encourages the basic frame growth. In this case a little extra girdth on mom looks good. Besides, the whole family's chunky.
Wk 6/Flwr starts. This crop has had an unusually early beginning of the end. Perhaps extending veg an extra two weeks has caused this? Harvested about half and left four to ripen with a fresh rinse. Sub-par to be sure yet, in the end, still worthwhile.
Mmclient you were one of the reasons I picked up a bloombox. Thanks for sharing!
Overall, I'd highly recommend one to people who are looking for a simple all in one solution with a bit of stealth. I would say this thing scores a 3/4 when it comes to stealth as there are a couple areas that need improvement for me to qualify it as a "stealth" grow, but that's just my opinion (see below)
I've had this thing for only a short while now, and here are some things to report back to the folks who are looking into purchasing their own.
Pro's:
Turn-key solution: you are up and running with virtually everything you need to get going.
Everything included: yes I know, basically the same as above, but I can't say enough about this being a very nice "all in one" solution. Well worth the cash paid. You can expect to go out and purchase a PH meter if you get the default package.
It works: simply put. No messing around, if you can read a book, you can grow hydroponic. I've done soil growing before, so I'm confident I can pick this up - plus I have some guidance from someone who has a bit more skill than I.
Con's:
Sound - definitely not whisper quiet. If you are looking to keep this thing in "stock" condition you need to be prepared to put this thing in your garage, basement or in a room that you are not always in. There are four four-inch fans running on top of an 80 watt air compressor. This thing is definitely louder than a mini fridge. If you are looking to keep this in some room that you work etc., you will want to muffle some of the noise.
Light leaks: I've found a few on the corners where the metal meets that light seeps out. I'm assuming this happened during shipping and my view is "these things happen". A little caulk/sealant can go a long way, I didn't feel this was a major issue.
You will also see orange and white light out the back of the unit out the vents and fan ports.
Heat: What can I say, running an HPS bulb definitely increases the room temperature. This thing will get a bit hot of course if you don't keep adequate circulation.
Power Usage: I guess I really can't complain here, but I was hoping to find that BC NL would offer some sort of option to have an LED bulb add-on/alternative. I've been contemplating some LED upgrades over the long term, but I'd rather play it safe right now as I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to LED. I've got a killawatt attached to this bugger and I'm seeing 600-640 watts when veg/flower are both running. This power usage is to be expected of course, just wanted to share for those who are interested.
Price: These things are not cheap, be prepared.
Size: Website says 28" deep - it's about 28.5" deep when you consider you've got a power cord and some switches on both sides to deal with. You will want to pre-measure your doorways to ensure you have clearance to wheel on through.
This is my preliminary report. I've not yet finished a cycle, will share more details as time passes.
Don't take the few number of pro's to be outweighed by the con's. I'm definitely satisfied with my purchase and would highly recommend to others if they have the cash to spare.
Awsome thread man, I have had White Rhino a few times before and it is always a wonderful strain to smoke and is perfect for getting you to bed heh.
This thread is inspirational to people looking to do the same thing roughly, cloning, mothering and flowering on a perpetual grow. I like it and I will be getting some Trainwreck and Bluedream and possibly GPD and I really want to make atleast one of them cloned into a mother for happy free times as it should be..
Thanks for the feedback and support. As for the noise, particularly the air compressor, there's no question it's a bit much. Try using an additional high volume air pump from an aquarium supply store. They're fairly inexpensive and have superior air output along with very quiet operation. Then, remove the top from the veg side to expose the stock air compressor. Using small T-connectors splice the additional air in the existing plumbing and, voila, you've now got a much quieter, higher volume setup. Oh yeah, reach behind the BB and turn off the stock compressor via the rocker switch nearby. Now you'll have the stock pump available in case of an emergency and, as an added bonus, when the noise won't bother you, run them both for a few hours to 'super-oxygenate' the roots, especially later in the flowering cycle when root rot can occur. I used to be an unapologetic gear-head with bikes, cars, etc, so it's kind of fun to do. Good luck.
Cool setup. I was able to get a hold of a Rhino x Romulan cross and I'm flowering it out right now. Leaves and branching structure look similar to yours. They could be sisters. Also added a 36,000 BTU pellet stove and a 70 pint dehumidifier. It has been raining steady for weeks and I'm not trying to lose all my work to powdery mildew. I've been pulling 70 pints out of the air every 24 hours and recycling the water back into my reservoirs. The cool dry nights have caused my plants to be able to take in a ton of water and I'm finishing a rather eventful SOG grow where I was attacked by mites, fungus gnat maggots in my hydroponics and everything else. I'm going to start flushing next week.
Past that, I'm going to work on insulated 4" ducting to pipe in fresh air, and pipe out the hot air in the summer (for now, going to keep using it to heat the house. Hey, I'm already paying for it )
MMclient, thanks again for the great pics and posting your thread. I've been lurking and noticed that you touched base with all the other bloombox users out there - would be nice to start our own thread to share tips for customizing/increasing yield etc.
I'm honestly surprised that BC NL doesn't have some link or "light reference" to forums where their users could get together and exchange ideas. It would really add some additional value to their product. But I can certainly understand the legal headaches with doing so...
The rise of the Bloombox growers continues. Even more impressive, sometimes anyway, are the DIYers using a variety of materials to build their own (check out Bassplayer's grow). That being said, it's nice to hear from users experiencing similar issues. As for BCNL, they're in a difficult position, legally at least, considering they already draw attention from those pesky types. However, the few times contacted they were quite helpful. About the only restriction was not actually mentioning marijuana, etc. Easy enough although anyone listening must laugh at all the troubled tomato growers. I did ask, via email, about any user groups but, not surprisingly, haven't heard back. So here we are. Let's keep in touch with our own owner's group.
Harvested the remaining plants after an extra week's rinse. Originally, this was intended to follow the grow, harvest, trimming, etc, all the way to it's final destination, namely, one of the cool homemade spill-resistant, unbreakable bongs or maybe some baked goods. But, that's another thread. Here are a couple last pics of Mom showing the final pruning. Most was done following the clone harvest, however, the lowest growth is left in order to make sure there's not too much shock at once. After a week, once new growth begins, then it's time to finish cutting her back and re-establish the basic shape.
Turned 90 degrees
In place, allowing visual access as well as misting of the kids from under/over her canopy and, most importantly, returning to the same starting point thereby ensuring the kids don't grow into the CFL.
Thank you to the five or so people who commented during the grow.
Hi Mmclient, Im still blown away by the mother that you have nutured, +reps to you for sure. I just wanna say for all your positive comments towards my build, Im flattered given some of the other builds and workarounds that I see here.