Set up and general help

[peelaf]

Below is a link to my new set-up, I would like to hear your thoughts on it. Also, I have the following questions:
. How far should the light be in each stage of plant development?
. How should the PPM be in each stage?
. How should the humidity be in each stage?
. Will I need to use both a humidifier and a dehumidifier? What are there purposes and when will I know to use them? Is there something that can regulate a certain range for me, I feel like there is.
. How often should I drain and replenish the five-gallon buckets (they are filled with 3.5 gallons of water since that is where the water meets the net pod
. How important is the temperature going to be? It is probably about 74 degrees in the room the tent is in, but cooler in the tent because of the exhaust fan. The temp gauge has not come yet. It is on its way. AKA do I need to buy a portable air conditioner? I suppose in the winter I will almost definitely need a space heater as well. I kind of feel this is a fire hazard at this point lol, but serious. Going to install smoke detectors in this room.
. *** Can you please give me a feeding schedule for autoflower white widow. I am using cal-mag, and flora micro, grow bloom from now on. I have leftover big bud and overdrive too. If you give me a schedule and any recommendations to help yield (which week to LST), I will follow them exactly. I have put it in a lot of time and I want this to pay off. I am enjoying the process though and have high hopes for my next four autoflowers that I am currently germinating in a paper towel.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Below is a link to my new set-up

I don't see it.

How far should the light be in each stage of plant development?

That kind of depends on which light(s) you have, and how powerful they are. What do you have?

Will I need to use both a humidifier and a dehumidifier

Er... Are you planning to just let them fight it out, lol?

What are there purposes

The former adds humidity (moisture) to the air, and the latter removes same. (And your exhaust fan will remove air from the grow space, thereby causing a negative pressure situation, which will cause fresh air to enter through your passive vents... which will negate much of what both devices do, lol.)

Is there something that can regulate a certain range for me

They are both, to some extent, "set and forget" devices. Of course, a dehumidifier must have its collection tank emptied (unless it's a model that has a fitting for a drain hose, and you have installed one), and a humidifier requires you to fill its tank regularly.

How often should I drain and replenish the five-gallon buckets

General recommendation is to change nutrient solution once per week, and to top off with (more or less) plain water in between on an as-needed basis, adjusting pH as necessary. And that's what most newbies do. As you gain experience, you may or may not choose to follow this strategy. Experienced cannabis gardeners sometimes go longer between reservoir changes, get a feel for what it is that the plants have consumed, and choose to add that back (inasmuch as is possible) instead of adding plain water, which tends to bring the pH back where they want it while extending the useful lifetime (so to speak) of the nutrient solution... et cetera.

they are filled with 3.5 gallons of water since that is where the water meets the net pod

When I was doing the DWC hydroponics thing, I tended to grow less plants, larger - so I usually used 20- to 25-gallon reservoirs. I also skipped the net pots, and used 18-ounce (16-ounce? I forget which) Solo cups that I put as many ¼-inch holes in the bottom/sides as was possible, because the local grocery store often had them on sale in handy packages of 100 for around five bucks, and because the plant really lives in the reservoir, not the cup / net pot / inverted football helmet / 15^th century chamber pot / whatever you choose to use. <SHRUGS> Whatever works for you.

How important is the temperature going to be? It is probably about 74 degrees in the room the tent is in, but cooler in the tent because of the exhaust fan.

That's a little cool, at least if you have an adequate amount of light, IMHO. Mid-upper 80s never bothered me (or my plants). If you're running weak lighting, decrease temperature accordingly, I suppose.

do I need to buy a portable air conditioner?

If I see grow space temperatures in excess of 86-88 degrees (and am not adding supplemental CO₂, then I would like to add air conditioning for my plants. (And if it's >68F where I am, I'd like to add it for ME .)

I suppose in the winter I will almost definitely need a space heater as well.

If your temperatures are that low now then, yes, probably so. At least during the dark periods when you'll lose the benefit of the heat provided by your grow lighting.

I kind of feel this is a fire hazard at this point

Why? Faulty wiring? Running a 1,000-watt HID in a small cardboard box, lol, and without adequate airflow/ventilation? Overloaded electrical circuits? Something else? (Explain, please.)

Going to install smoke detectors in this room.

Probably not a bad idea to have those things in general. Stick one on the ceiling of the hallway by the entrance to your bedroom. If you store flammable liquids near an ignition source, well, don't do that. But if you do, stick one there, too.

I am using cal-mag, and flora micro, grow bloom from now on.

No specific recommendations. Generally, start at ¼-strength (of manufacturer's recommendations) and work your way up to ½-strength for average autoflowering strains, adjusting the strength according to your specific plants' needs. If you feel the need to use a combination calcium + magnesium product (you are running RO/distilled water instead of tap water, or you are seeing signs of both calcium and magnesium deficiencies), add this product to your water first, then add the Micro component, then the Grow one, then the Bloom one (the order of those last two isn't really important), and then, lastly, the pH adjuster (if required). Shaking each product well before adding it to your water, and shaking your water after adding each product, being sure to not cross-contaminate your nutrient/supplement components in the process (in other words, either use a clean tool to measure/dispense each product, or rinse thoroughly in between!), blah blah blah, as per usual. If you do not need to supplement with both, Epsom salt is a great source of magnesium (and some sulfur), and can be purchased in a five- or six-pound sack for around six dollars instead of however much those bottles of (rather dilute, in absolute terms) combo products cost. And, for that matter, calcium nitrate is an excellent source of calcium (with some nitrogen), and can be found in big box stores - such as Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, etc.) for, again, not a lot of money for what ends up being a pretty large amount of calcium. There is a relationship, kind of a "proper ratio" between calcium and magnesium. If you have an adequate amount of one, but lack the other... you can get into more trouble by adding more of both, since you wouldn't have corrected the ratio. And the two are sort of mutually antagonistic to some extent, so adding too much of one can cause you to see signs of deficiency of the other.

Speaking of "antagonistic elements," do a search - either a forum search or a general web search - for something called "Mulder's Chart." It's a circular chart that shows which elements, in excess, cause problems with various other elements. Very useful tool. And a few elements are... synergistic(?) with other elements, meaning they can cause a plant to require less of those other elements.

By the way, if you decide to add a silicon supplement, you'd add that first.

To some extent, the level of DO (dissolved oxygen) in your reservoir has an affect on the plants' nutrient requirements. By that, I mean that when it is higher, the plants tend to be more efficient feeders. Oxygen in your nutrient solution is your plants' friend! Consider getting an aquarium power head (available for relatively little money at pet stores, your local ChinaMart, etc.) for each reservoir, regardless of whether or not you use the usual air pump and 'stones. Those things help a lot.

I will follow them exactly.

I never follow any nutrient schedule exactly. Such things are merely starting points. Learn to read your plants! Read one or more of the many threads/FAQs here about nutrient deficiencies/toxicities. Print at least one out so you'll have a handy hardcopy reference to refer to, if at all possible. There is also a chart that has been posted here a few times, that lists pH, EC/"PPM/TDS," and water. "Water level goes down, EC increases, pH rises," et cetera, and what the various combinations mean. That's very useful, too. I'll help you out by digging up the one that @Rifleman posted. He might have some tips for you, too, if he happens to notice that I have "paged" him.

Personally, I shoot for "Falling / Falling / Rising." Plants are consuming both water and nutrients, and the pH is rising slowly but steadily due to the consumption of phosphorous. Add back a little of the Bloom component when topping off the reservoir - which adds water, nutrients, and generally lowers the pH back into the sweet spot. YMMV, of course.

I am enjoying the process though and have high hopes for my next four autoflowers that I am currently germinating in a paper towel.

Enjoyment is nice.

I have gotten (far) away from doing the "paper towel" thing. I just give them a soak and, when they open the seed cases, plant the things. But that's just the way I do it.

DISCLAIMER: The above advice cost you nothing, and might be worth approximately that much, LMAO. Read, get second (and third) opinions, read, use your head and the common sense that your God (hopefully) provided you with, read, pick out a few grow journal threads that use the same methods that you'll be using and subscribe to them, read, take a look at the same kinds of journals in the "Completed..." section of the forum so you can go ahead and see how things went all the way through the grow (including the harvest), read, create a journal thread of your own so that others may follow your grow and offer advice, read... And, in case I forgot, read.

Good luck with your grow!

 

[Stoned Ape]

Wow peelaf u asked all the right questions. And in my opinion got all the right answers. Grow forth and conquer

 

[Rifleman]

Fuck me running @TorturedSoul you wrote a book!

You forgot to warn about reservoir temps being in the mid to high 70s and needing Hydroguard or something like it to prevent root rot. I might as well drop my link to the Lazy Man's DWC just in case the charts etc will help this young grower.

Good Luck.
Lazy Man's DWC <~~~~~~click here.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Fuck me running

According to my ex-wife, you're supposed to add "...backwards" to that .

you wrote a book!

Meh... A small pamphlet, maybe, lol.

You forgot to

Just trying to keep my post short, ha ha.

warn about reservoir temps being in the mid to high 70s

That is a good point. But it's actually a debatable one, IMHO. Yes, mild reservoir temperatures are desirable. But, no, higher ones aren't necessarily a show-stopper. It's like using minnows to fish with. On a hot day, the minnows in your bucket will become "floaters" much quicker. Stick them into a live-well with excellent aeration/oxygenation, though, and they'll still be weaving & bobbing when you've given up on catching the big one and are ready to head home. Plants in DWC grows seem to be the same (minus the dodging when the fisherman tries to grab one for his hook, of course). The greater the level of DO, the higher the heat-tolerance. And, yes, sticklers for details, one must add "...within reason" to that statement. But I've had a plant (or... two) survive when the place I was living in had central a/c that failed, and the temperature peaked at around 100F before it got fixed. Notice I stated "survive," not "thrive." It's nearly that hot here right now, and I'm wilting, too .

Get the level of DO up!

and needing Hydroguard or something like it to prevent root rot.

Good old garden-variety (heh) 3% H₂O₂ (hydrogen peroxide) works pretty good, too. Tends to kill "bad stuff," helps keep reservoir sterile other than the plant living in it... and decomposes into water and oxygen, for a little booster to the roots. I used to add it every morning, whenever I'd top off the reservoir and, IDK, as and when the Spirit moved me to do so. I have since lost my little notebook, but I think I used 15ml per gallon as a general rule of thumb. Couldn't swear to it.

I might as well drop my link to the Lazy Man's DWC just in case the charts etc will help this young grower.

Might as well . I would have, but it was so late here as to qualify for "early," and I didn't think of it. Forgot you were spending time in the garden this Summer, too, instead of the usual extended motorcycle rides.

Thanks. Your journals are both educational and entertaining. OP, you could do a lot worse than to follow them.

 

[peelaf]

Thanks for all of the help guys... here is the link that I was talking about my new setup and new questions...

If the link does not work right away wait a minute I am posting this post before the video has rendered.

. How can I keep my water temps down? Without AC or a dehumidifier, I am at 64 RH and 77-degree temp, as high as 82 in last 24h.
. Should I do anything besides LST in since it is an auto flower and roughly when is it ideal to start LST.
. Is it worth is to set up an AC unit and dehumidifier, would have to run the duct work out the window which would be annoying and not ideal for my set up. I feel like the 80 degree and 65% humidity is alright...Maybe I should get silica...

 

[peelaf]

Hey all,
As always, thank you in advance for taking the time out of your day to help me- for free. It is much appreciated and I find it very cool how willing this forum is to help one another out.

With that being said HERE IS THE LINK to my next grow vid (did not forget it this time!)


Please watch that video and let me know anything and everything. I am a first time grower currently on week 2-3 of flower on my first grow (seen in the video).I am not opposed to anything. I spent and wasted money on a grow box because I was actually clueless, but after dozens of hours of research and reading, I have landed at the set up I currently have. I want to yield a pound or more on my next grow using a 4x4 grow tent. Not being greedy, but hey I started growing for a reason and that was to be self-sustaining when it comes to cannabis...

I have a humidifier coming in the mail, which I forgot to mention in the video. But other than that this is more or less my set up and any recommendations as to what to do will be heavily considered. I spent. a good deal of money with the intent of running hydro, but I can not stop thinking about Coco now because of the simplicity of it and how it is more stealth than hydro... Let me know your thoughts...

The two biggest things above all I want to know is the AC situation and the water temp situation...
And my final thought, if I want big yields so bad, should I 100% be growing photoperiod or is Auto fine to get big yields. I know photo is more but I can still get a pound out of 4 plants in a 4x4, right?

Thanks for the help guys... Cheers

 

[BirdieNumNum]

I started growing straight into DWC last year.

This is excellent

So get more better lights (next grow)
Try CO2 enhancement - next grow

You really do need to go easy on nutes over whats on the bottles

And this is brill