Rifleman's - Multi-Strain Auto Grow - 600W - Hydro

rifleman said:
I'm still a noob when it comes to hands on experience with this just being my third grow, so there is still time for me to muck it up.
Click to expand...

Apparently you are a very quick learner then. I am on my 1st grow since the 1980's and stuck with soil just so I would have a better chance of not mucking it up. I commend you for going hydro. I want to start growing hydro but after months of research I came to the conclusion that soil gave me a better chance of "Not Mucking it up" 1st run back,(not counting my outdoor grow from this year which was only 2 plants.) Once I feel a bit more comfortable back in the grow game I do want to try it. I am also impressed on how detailed you have been in your journal :goodjob: Looking forward to more to come and someday picking your brain once I start running hydro myself.
 
oldergrower said:
Apparently you are a very quick learner then. I am on my 1st grow since the 1980's and stuck with soil just so I would have a better chance of not mucking it up. I commend you for going hydro. I want to start growing hydro but after months of research I came to the conclusion that soil gave me a better chance of "Not Mucking it up" 1st run back,(not counting my outdoor grow from this year which was only 2 plants.) Once I feel a bit more comfortable back in the grow game I do want to try it. I am also impressed on how detailed you have been in your journal :goodjob: Looking forward to more to come and someday picking your brain once I start running hydro myself.
Click to expand...

Thanks OG. I haven't had a job in a few years so I've had a lot of time to read, and a lot of time to devote to my plants. I keep the journal and detailed notes for future growers and my own reference. It helps me step away from the grow and see it through another's eyes by reading it. Weird I know but it works for me. :) Trust me when I say I'm not a master grower, I'm just sticking strictly to the basics. Anytime I can help just ask. I'm a big believer in passing it forward.
 
Great stuff. The care and attention you give them shows:goodjob:

Gotta be careful with autos in hydro it seems.......breeders info heights don't seem to apply. I've only done one lot so far but the ended up between 30 and 50% bigger than advertised. Ended up with a cracking smoke and plenty of it so I'm hoping to see yours go crazy too.

Fingers crossed they just keep picking up the pace for you! :)
 
rifleman said:
Thanks OG. I haven't had a job in a few years so I've had a lot of time to read, and a lot of time to devote to my plants. I keep the journal and detailed notes for future growers and my own reference. It helps me step away from the grow and see it through another's eyes by reading it. Weird I know but it works for me. :) Trust me when I say I'm not a master grower, I'm just sticking strictly to the basics. Anytime I can help just ask. I'm a big believer in passing it forward.
Click to expand...
Hmm appears I am following your lead, I have been unemployed since May and have been keeping a journal as well. Almost to darn detailed, right down to when and how often I top a branch to LST and which plant got which treatment. I have been doing it because back when I use to grow I knew of one way to grow, they did not have the internet or any of the other great information that is availble today. Now I want to play a little, back then I would be crushed if i lost a plant, now I could care less so long as I learn from it. Lost 2 nice plants this summer, and learned.. if your going to grow in the back yard, put up a fence around the plants so the chickens do not eat them down to nothing :thumb: And for the record, chickens love to eat weed, who would have guessed!
 
It appears that checking PH is going to be an everyday event. I added the lower PH water to top off this morning hoping it would lower the bucket PH enough that I wouldn't have to adjust again until maybe Thursday. No luck. All four were between 6.2 and 6.4. I adjusted each to 5.8 with ph down, then took measurements and photos again. I really like to photo-document can you tell? :laughtwo: Random thought while pulling BK out of the bucket tonight..."this is going to be a PITA when she gets larger" So, next water change the two taller plants are going to be moved to the back wall of the tent, away from the doorways and other things I might snag them on. It's going to be hard enough not breaking a branch as it is. Cannaporn below in same order as the height data. Enjoy and g'night,

Q1- 24.5" / Q2 - 30" / ST - 15" / BK - 34.5"












Evening of Day 29
 
oldergrower said:
Curious, why do you pull your plants out of the tent? I would think you could do all the maintenance inside the tent by just shifting them over a smidgen.
Click to expand...

I don't usually take them out of the tent, but if you've ever had a nearly 4' plant in a basket of hydroton with over 1500g of wet bud swinging in the air above you while you lift it out of a five gallon bucket, you'd know why I want the smaller ones up front. It is a feat best accomplished with two people, three flagmen, an an OSHA rep on site. Also what you don't see in the photos are the five other buckets of tap water distilling and a 16" pedestal fan. So if you're old clumsy and prone to tending garden while high, you take the prophylactic measures cause a smidgen can result in a broken main cola. Notice the photo above is missing a giant bud to the left of the main cola...that was bad enough. :)
 
You have to lift the plants out to flush? Or even just to check pH and EC?

Is that normal in DWC?

I run NFT so I don't have to move plants to access my reservoirs.....one of the drawbacks of NFT is you don't have the portability or scalability of other mediums but if you can work within those constraints maintenance is just pumping stuff in or out of a reservoir.
 
Kushtie said:
........You have to lift the plants out to flush? Or even just to check pH and EC?..........Is that normal in DWC?
Click to expand...

I could probably change solution without lifting them out using a pump and hose. However lifting is quicker and gives me a chance to check my roots. To check PH I just pull a sample from my buckets side hose just by removing to air line from it and pulling it below the water level.

20151028_071514.jpg
 
BTW, the whitish rings on the air tubes are rubber bands. They are set at 2, 3, and 4 gallons levels. I can quickly see how much water they have used just by pulling the air hose from the tube letting the water rise up into the tube.
 
Back
Top Bottom