It seemed like a natural progression: triple-decker portascrogs.
THCBomb is supposed to be a shorter plant, so I thought the lower screen might be as important as the top screen.
Again, thanks go to 420magazine member Vick074 for the idea and basic design.
Hi Gardener, I answered in my other journal but thought I'd post my opinion here as well.
Hey Gardener,
Stoked to see someone build on my porta scrog idea!
I really like what I'm seeing, I'm just not sure having nets on every tear is necessary.
The original premise for the porta scrog was to have the perfectly even spaced out area of tops ( like a scrog gives) But more than anything, to have the ability to move the plants, take them out of the space individually when and if needed. Plus to basically have the ease of a normal single potted plant, and scrog combined. Most people who have done and do scrogs, all complain of the amount of work that is needed to maintain the underside of the canopy in a tent or small grow space. When all plants are intertwined into the same screen, it's there til the end. Crawling underneath can be a total PITA, I've helped work on a few friend's and let me tell you, it's a real work out on the ol back. ouch!
The thing that concerns me about your set up, is it looks like you're going to be running a top fed (RDWC) recirculating deep water culture system. So your pots aren't really movable anyway. Meaning you can't spin them, or even remove them from the tent unless the whole system is drained and disconnected. So my question is this:
Knowing that you had limited mobility with your pots in the first place, why wouldn't you just decide to put one big screen over top?
I like the idea of the tomato cages on each pot, but then a large screen on top of them all? You could use the cages to organize and space everything out accordingly, (pipe cleaner ties, hooks, clips etc.) then when they reach the screen, tuck and fill..
Because if you can't move them out to work on them, how are you going to get in the far back there to be tucking unless your a little ninja.
Please don't get me wrong, I love that you're trying to incorporate them into your settup.
I'm just thinking about the practicality of it all.
Does this make any sense?
Perfect sense. And of course I don't get you wrong, I'm definitely asking for constructive criticisms. But I'm hoping there are a few, very fair and reasonable, misconceptions about my system (Stealth Hydroponics' Oxyponics Six).
Though the system is not a top feed, still you are correct that it is designed to be stationary. But I've added quick-release connections to every hose so I actually can move the buckets. (Hmm... to every hose but the air hoses...)
Each scrog is separate from and independent of the others. I can move them out of the tent one by one and work on them.
While I can spin the plants in the tent by spinning the net-pot-lids, it is true that I would not be able to spin them inside the tent while these scrogs were attached to them.
And though I can remove the plants from the tent with relative ease by picking them up by the net-pot-lids, it probably would be very awkward with the scrogs attached to them. However, because of the quick-releases I added, I can remove each entire grow bucket by simply disconnecting the hose (and then screwing a cap on the line).
I have more mobility than the system style would suggest; and the tent has side windows for the rear side plants. The center rear plant would be most easily accessible if I first removed the center front plant, but that's all it would take: disconnect the hose between the grow site & the control bucket, lift two inches and remove.
No one would suspect a system like this of being as mobile as I've tried to make it. Have I been able change your view any? I surely value your input, and am grateful for it. I'll duplicate this response in your journal, for continuity.
:
Day 44
Last night when the mother's tent was moved a few feet, the light timer was accidentally set to ON. She got an extra 12+ hours of light, and this evening looks a bit droopy. Might any irreparable damage have been done?
You most definitely have changed my view with that response.
I had no idea that those systems have become so versatile!
Totally makes sense, move the one in the front middle out? and you can pretty much access every other plant in the tent, and then of course I forgot about coming through the flaps:
Now I'm more excited than ever to see how these work for you!
I'll be watching!
