Nick Hardy's Skunk Works #3 5x5 - Dissertation Grow

[NickHardy]

So that’s what 3000 and 5000k maxed looks like. 2200 PPFD

Meanwhile on the right side

Its really noticeable to the eye. Not sure this photo does it justice.

Just about. Sparky should be here later. Its overnight I think. Each side of the light has a cable into the driver. One seems to have a problem.

Really hope this is quickly resolved. Meh.

 

[NickHardy]

Meh

Broken lights - the manufacturer has seen. Like my sparky we think its a cable issue. They’ll express me a replacement anything under warranty if its a problem their side. I think with the alacrity with which my Sparky responded he knows exactly what the problem is. I think when we raised the lights 2” yesterday we pulled something loose. I mean for the grow its an inconvenience. They’re still getting 950 PPFD right? I’m annoyed with the Sparky. I stressed so much yo him how his connections needed to be perfect. Got heat shrink sleeves for him and everything. Safety failure really. Anyway 5000k side looks like its grown the most today but the Tropicanna Banana’s back left and right corner in Photo #1 and left front in Photo #3 just filled that space in day. Photos #1 and #2 are like 3 hours apart.

I mean 2200 PPFD at 4” and no light burn. Crazy.

They look well though, eh?

Tomorrow I’m doing a big HVAC rejig thing.

So above - the duct into this 5x5 in the foreground is the input from the AC and the one touching it just above returns it into the AC closed off with a hood. One closed circuit. In the background you can see the output from the far 4x4

A diagram might help!

I’m using an extra inline on the return - its 4m 12ft or whatever and I want to express that air through. So hopefully the 4x4 Tailend Charlie still gets a bit of Co2 and its not too warm by the time it gets there. There are 8” swing fans in opposing corners in each tent. Keep breaking. So shit, I’ve bought cheap no name and Mars Hydro ones. They stop swinging because the fan blades come loose. Rubbish.

Anyhoo because I’m doing that tomorrow tonight is the last chance to see how cold I can get the 5x5. Normally I flip the AC from 24c Cold 75% Fan (gives me 32-35c daytime) to dry at lights out. Gives me 22-24c and 50% RH at night.

Tonight I have set to 16c full fan. As its closed loop I reckon I might hit 14c. Be interesting. After today though by the time its been through the other two tents to recycle I reckon never get that low again.

Staying on the AC front some of the cheapest things can be the most useful.

We use Sensibo AC controllers in the bedrooms and the Flower Room upstairs.

They have an infra red transmitter and temp and Rh sensors. So you can set schedules and create rules. Like these for our bedroom. 24c is freezing for me & Co - L is always hot though

But it needs line of sight to the IR input of the AC and be in the place where the temperature is being controlled. I think @Jon has bought some for his Philly grow setup.

At the moment because the Split AC is on the wall I climb up on a 100L res with the remote and manually change the settings because no line of sight.

We have this little cover to change it.

A ballache and wifi/app it better. Sensibo makes it to my actual phone homepage.

So today this arrived. With the green arrow. It was like $2. I used them for some high end AV installs when I did that for a while. Its an IR repeater powered by USB. So in the tent the Sensibo records the temp and Rh and controls the AC by firing the signals into the IR Receiver. That via a cable travels to the IR emitter I can put under the hood of the AC. Neat, non?

With the orange arrow another $10 spent (two units and two spare filters)

1/2 inch inline water filters. We have 7, soon to be 8 12 outlet manifolds. The two reservoirs get crap in over time (& Co actually fits inside the 200L one - she gets in to clean it every so often

But these filters, gonna make our watering so much more consistent. One for the downstairs feed and one for the upstairs.

For all the fancy lights and stuff its the little things like these two that really make things easier.

Best I got today.

Long post - not even had a smoke or a drink all day

Nick

Nick

 

[Absorber]

There are 8” swing fans in opposing corners in each tent. Keep breaking. So shit, I’ve bought cheap no name and Mars Hydro ones. They stop swinging because the fan blades come loose. Rubbish.

I noticed when you have your fans on swing and your tent sides suck in from extraction fan that restricts the movement of the fan and it can stuff them

A diagram might help

Nice diagram even had a Legend

 

[NickHardy]

I noticed when you have your fans on swing and your tent sides suck in from extraction fan that restricts the movement of the fan and it can stuff them

It could but no. The negative pressure tents (the 8x4 24/7 atm and the 5x5 at night) do suck in. The fans break on the brick walls of the flower room as well. They are positioned with free swing.

Was it @Greenvein or someone else, said, they’d got a new 10” Mars Hydro “Mark III” Badly made in China. The no brand ones are the exact same as the Mars Hydro ones. Just with out the logo. Same factory fo sho and 30% the price.

& Co and The Lad take them to pieces every so often and cannibalise for spares. The flower room has three full size 18” fans in now on the floor (plus two 18” and 24” on the ceiling and wall)

The tents have 6 total 8” and we have probably 6-7 8” as spares.

Just badly made in China.

 

[Greenvein]

Mine was the lights and ec/pH readers.. all went back.
My latest Mars Hydro I'd the dogs B but the model before lasted a grow.
Now I'll be back on the china shop looking for their version for under my canopies

 

[NickHardy]

I thought when I bought 6 of the Mars ones I was being smart. Ok pay 3x the price but they’ll last. Nah. 4/6 broken half way through the grows.

Plus they are the exact same fans as the cheap ones

Maybe Santa is kind to me this year and buys me something decent x8 10” sized please

 

[Jon]

Damn. Lights.

 

[NickHardy]

Ten degrees off the 14c I predicted. Inline was at Speed 5 - now 10

I gotta wake up in 3.5 hours to change it when the lights come on

 

[NickHardy]

Jon's Final Florida Journal For Real

i feel like a pussy Lol! i guess i gotta find my nads today or tomorrow to start in a smaller container, today is day 2 of some seeds i have germinating Can’t hurt to try if you want!

www.420magazine.com

We of course assume that as long as you have a light side and a dark side cuz of your light situation, you have been and will continue to rotate the plants every four hours. Right? That’s what a professional would do so I’m assuming you are as well?

From Jon’s thread - jeez you imagine we did a thread together, clusterfuck!

It was a good question.

#3 The left side had a couple of smaller plants on it already. The switch back to pure 5000k seems to *maybe have given the shorties a catch up so do nothing (but likely move them upstairs for an hour or so anyway.

This is the plan

Because:

The two outliers at the back marked orange are Tropicanna Bananas, the most Sativa and indicated tallest at 110-130cm.

The light is 130cm out the dirt so I dunno 127cm - 50” 4’2” popped up 1.5” over night (I get crazy high VPD overnight, albeit 1-10% of value to daytime seems to help.

But the orange section which has only the cold white - 5000k - typically used for veg like 315 CMH lights at 6000k is still promoting growth. The right side has caught up quite a bit.

So waiting for the Sparky to arrive, when he does if he says 5-10 minutes lights out I’ll open all three doors on that tent and they can stay in situ. Anything more then we uncollar the irrigation stuff and carry the pallet whole upstairs to the flower room which is now free. Inflicked on the three @Mars Hydro FC6500’s today to test.

Hello lightness, my old friend…

So yeah all being well and the light is fixed today it may have worked out in my favour. Pure dumb luck evening up the canopy by equipment failure.

Those Trop Banana fuckers, yeah Just stop now bastardos you got 20cm more and that is your lot.

Rich greens still.

Flower probably call later today or tomorrow.

Swear they’ve grown already today.

Nick & Co

 

[NickHardy]

Yay. Our best plumber comes at 5pm and Sparky at 6pm

Plumber knows out plumbing setup totally. He had to figure it out when we moved in. Built out first two grow rooms and the fundamentals of our irrigation system was him.

Sparky and him get on. Having them both here is a rarity. Hopefully I can fill the bathtub in 5 minutes, feed the plants with nice particle free clean water, use the jacuzzi in the pool, blast out 2200 PPFD everywhere and have a fully integrated 3 tent HVAC system in the next couple of hours.

Yay (maybe - many a twist twixt the cup and the lip )

 

[NickHardy]

This is the 200w 6000k flood light I blinded my self on. Forgot about that.

Sparky fixing light. Poor sad wilting girls.

 

[Absorber]

This is the 200w 6000k flood light I blinded my self on. Forgot about that.

Sparky fixing light. Poor sad wilting girls.

Has your sparky found the problem?

 

[Greenvein]

Anything more then we uncollar the irrigation stuff and carry the pallet whole upstairs to the flower room which is now free. Inflicked on the three @Mars Hydro FC6500’s today to test.

If this happens then the most important thing is a photo for 420 or it never happened. You know the rules! Could even be a ph-otm situation

Best of luck today

 

[NickHardy]

He fixed it one but missed the reds



Back with the 200w flood.
Scheduled lights out in 20 minutes

 

[NickHardy]

Yeah so the big purple driver box has two drivers. Cool story brah!

Reds still missing to my eye but need to test in the morning. Lights out now.

FFS

Tomorrow I’ve been waiting for for like a dozen things. Fuck weekends they mess with getting shit done.

Plumber and Pool Tank Technician allegedly coming tomorrow morning so I can have an actual proper shower.

Sparky back Tuesday allegedly to fit the new Mars Hydro light that arrives Tuesday allegedly

My HVAC changes and water filters - I’m doing tomorrow. (not allegedly - I have agency there)

The 8x4 33 plants getting topped tomorrow. Allegedly

My Amex will start working again tomorrow. Allegedly.

Thailand will stop hating on Paypal. Never.

Meh.

Fuck weekends.

(So irritated I forgot to hit post!)

 

[NickHardy]

Stage #1 Pop’em 27th October
Stage #2 Peat to sprout 29th October
Stage #3 Seedling Swicks 2nd November
Stage #4 Veg Pots 14th November
Stage #5 Top 2nd December
Stage #6 Defoliation #1 5th December
Stage #7 Flip 6th December
Stage #8 Call Flower 18th December

Day #52
Flower Day #1

So Day #1 Flower. 55-70 days to go.

Grew through the lights overnight so raised them some more. One actually burned too - doesn’t happen with our Mars Hydro FC6500’s. But then they’re a mere 730w each. These are 1000w maxed. Though I’m convinced they’re fully cabled. He re soldered them all last night though. Test a little later.

Also later going to shave their nether regions. Probably even a defol later in the week. Dunno.

HVAC and filters I’ll do this arvo.

It was that distance from the light last night. Before I raised it it was though the bar by nearly 2”

Nick (Grumpy like Monday morning)

 

[NickHardy]

I mean not gonna lie to you it could be a bit neater. But 4 Inline Fans and an AC Split can indeed create the perfect conditions for 3 tents.

Not checked the middle one with 35 plants in with anything other than skin and eyes but the metrics on this 5x5 and 4x4 either side are pretty good so assume that is too.

Trimming below later.

Nick

 

[NickHardy]

Oh the light manufacturer last week said they didn’t want to ship me the controller because “its not cost effective, perhaps you can get when we come back after New Year”

I mean it costs $85, $10 shipping what do I care.

I think its a going to be a gift. They want me to write a review for their own marketing materials. I spoke to them about sponsoring the site and Rob emailed them. Home/prosumer isn’t really their thing and they may even have a non compete on sponsoring.

My visa is fkd again. & Co just gone to see them in the office with medusa eyes.

I’ve just got off the phone to the Danish owner furious. “No I do not want to get a minibus taxi to fk’ing Malaysia for the day next Monday, and I shouldn’t have to - why does your staff seem to think I’m on a tourist visa?” There was more swearing than that.

But maybe free controller next month. Unless… better not mean Chinese New Year…. Saturday 10th February… harvest window opens.

Want to get the UV involved soon.

@Wastei how soon into flower you reckon for the UV?

Nick

 

[Greenvein]

I know your working with what you have so what you done makes sense but my brains saying to chuck a 10" on both sides of the con.. one in one out on a twin controller.

I'm probably wrong and would waste money doing that then have new fans up for sale on fleebay because I'm compulsive I think is the word.. thos medusa eyes you speak of I get for this reason

The issue is I can't smoke at work so I'll be here shopping for stuff I don't really need.. that seeded Runtz I grew makes me worse.. cheese slows my brain down and allows me to think rationally and if I smoke cheese past rationally I'm sleeping much safer option..

I could continue wishing you luck today sounds like it's needed

 

[NickHardy]

I know your working with what you have so what you done makes sense but my brains saying to chuck a 10" on both sides of the con.. one in one out on a twin controller.

I think I’m translating this correctly - you reckon instead of the 4x 6” inline just use 2x 10” inline fans? (Sure they make them but think I’ve only seen 8”)

Yeah possibly it would cost less in power. But I already had one per tent so it was easier. I actually have an unused boxed extra 6” inline too. Probably buy another tent for that

My luck is alright. Plants happy. Most all the crap over the weekend has been resolved bar the plumber. Might even get a visa tomorrow and not have to drive/fly out Christmas Day