Usul's Grow 2.1: Red Cherry Berry, Indoor 250W MH/HPS, 2'x2' ScrOG in soil

[mary_juana420]

MJ
I'm running out of room and wished I'd have either started flowering sooner (hint, hint or had two plants !

Usul ,
Haha, I want to flower weeks ago trust me !

But, I'm gonna re-do my room to some degree still ,
I'll be wrapping in Panda Polly , working the vents a different way , getting the Fox Farm solubles ,and I need to re-pot one more time !

I'm trying to have the room work done before I put the screen in , and I have quite a bit of room so I'm just waiting it out .

That flowering comparison is awesome, there are buds coming your way soon !

Looks Great !
MJ420

 

[usul]

Haha! Progress! Love seein' shots of that tent- it's so nicely packed it capacity: you can see why I warned against too many plants Those suckers get pretty large, quickly. Great screen too: I gave up on my scrog because I had trouble finding a screen, but I guess this proves that a little effort and some string could be all that's needed.

Would like to hear your plan for "ungrowth" removal. alot of people clear-cut under the screen, and I can see that being a good option for your lower-wattage lamp. I like to clear some undergrowth regardless of the method: I find it assists in air circulation, and makes the plants easier to work with.

Have you considered how you're going to be flushing them, all locked into the screen? No pressure, just a thought that popped into my mind....

Hi Ultra, thanks for checking in! Things are progressing indeed. I've been clearing out undergrowth a bit at a time and now have things pretty well under control. Looks like almost all side branches will make it up to the top of the canopy and, at this point training is about done - there's no where else to go!

Regarding flushing, yea... I've been thinking about that - heck, I'm just making this up as I go along. For now, it's flush "light" - I use a syringe and hose to collect water from the drip pans as it pools up. But it's a hassel so I don't use as mugh water as I might if I had a better setup. Something to figure out for the next grow...

Weekend update: bud development is well under way! All plants are looking great, the tent is full, and it feels like stretch is just about over. Here's a shot of the whole tent with plants at 64 days old, day 18 flower:

Here's a nice pic of a few buds together:

And a closeup of the most photogenic bud:

The only thing that seems odd is the tent is running much cooler than I expected - I thought HPS lamps burned hotter than MH. Lights-on canopy temps have been in the low 70s. I've unplugged the cold air intake and am just drawing in ambient temp room air so I get get temps high enough for a decent spread (7 -10F) between day and night. Not a problem I thought I'd be dealing with...

 

[usul]

I started out thinking I was going to grow 10-12 plants in my tents, lol.

Only way to do that would be a 12/12 from seed grow in maybe one-gallon pots. I could pack far more than 12 in there.

My thinking has changed though, after seeing that fewer plants can provide very nice yields.

I like your trellis screen! Looks like it's going to work great!

Ha ha! 12 plants in one of your tents would be quite a thing to see! I hear you about less being more. I think I'll try just two plants on my next grow.

Thanks for checking in!

Usul ,
Haha, I want to flower weeks ago trust me !

But, I'm gonna re-do my room to some degree still ,
I'll be wrapping in Panda Polly , working the vents a different way , getting the Fox Farm solubles ,and I need to re-pot one more time !

I'm trying to have the room work done before I put the screen in , and I have quite a bit of room so I'm just waiting it out .

That flowering comparison is awesome, there are buds coming your way soon !

Looks Great !
MJ420

You're a busy guy MJ! Thanks for stopping by and good luck with all those projects.

 

[ultrasonic]

Those plants really are looking great: good job
Isn't it somewhat... reassuring to see the flowers starting up?
Time for them to do their work! They're gonna be drinking water like madness.
I like your idea of 2 plants next grow. Even 1 plant can do wonderful things when you veg it long enough!

+rep whenever possible!

 

[Stealthy1]

The only thing that seems odd is the tent is running much cooler than I expected - I thought HPS lamps burned hotter than MH. Lights-on canopy temps have been in the low 70s. I've unplugged the cold air intake and am just drawing in ambient temp room air so I get get temps high enough for a decent spread (7 -10F) between day and night. Not a problem I thought I'd be dealing with...

I heard the MH are hotter. from what I can tell I thought it was because HPS was more efficient than MH... Thats what I think off top o me head.

 

[Setting Sun]

MH bulbs run a few degrees hotter than HPS.

In my 25 X 16 X 33" cab, an MH 150w bulb runs about 4-5 degrees hotter than a 150w HPS.

 

[usul]

Those plants really are looking great: good job
Isn't it somewhat... reassuring to see the flowers starting up?

Thanks Ultra - it really is nice to see the plants making buds. First time in my life I've seen such a thing. Lovely work mother nature.

I heard the MH are hotter. from what I can tell I thought it was because HPS was more efficient than MH... Thats what I think off top o me head.

MH bulbs run a few degrees hotter than HPS.

In my 25 X 16 X 33" cab, an MH 150w bulb runs about 4-5 degrees hotter than a 150w HPS.

My measurements confirm that HPS bulbs run about 5F degrees cooler than MH. A good thing to know, especially when the end of flowering extends into the warmer months.

Okay, here's a somewhat late mid-week update...

First bit of news is that I now have the new drying cabinet online. I'm testing it with some fresh basil and thyme I got at the market, and a few stray clippings from the garden (more about that later).

Here's a picture showing what I put together:

It's been running for three days now and I must say, it's working really well. The fan is super quiet and there's not a hint of odor from the herb - though when I pop open the door I'll get a big whoosh of aroma. So far so good.

About the plants, they are doing great. Too great. Someone get me a weed whacker. I have about 8 inches of height left and if these things don't slow down soon we're going to run out of room! Not that I'm complaining...

Here are some shots of the plants, 69 days old, day 22 flower:

Bud development is in full swing and the tops are showing the first signs of frost.

Last night the plants got a big flush of water with a normal dose of Cal-Mag Plus and Hygrozyme, but no nutrients. Setting Sun helped me realize the FF nute schedule specifies feeding at every other watering - I'd been feeding every time, for the last three in a row and a few leaves were starting to look a little funny - twisting and folding in odd ways. But it's very few and overall, I couldn't ask for healthier looking plants. Anyway, it seemed a flush was in order, and I got about 33% runnoff. pH was 6.2 (a bit low...) and TDS was 760. I'm going to lay on the nutes at full strength, and maybe a drop more, at the next watering.

One minor tragedy to report: I was adjusting the circulation/cooling fans at the back of the tent and broke off one of the flower tops in the process. It was a good one too. Oh well... she's now in the drying cabinet paricipating in the test run.

 

[Tiger Balm]

i see trichs!

 

[usul]

Yea Tiger - trichomes have joined the party! Happy day.

Here's a quick weekend update: The girls are 72 days old and are now at day 25 flower. Here are some pics, first of the entire canopy:

A closer shot of some buds:

And a closeup of one bud:

Just sitting back and watching ... The buds are getting more frosty and are putting on a little weight, though they're still rather petite at the moment. Hoping that changes soon and they start fattening up. Stretch is starting to slow, thank goodness. I have about 6 inches left before I run out of height. Looks like 4 or 5 more weeks before harvest assuming I'm able to avoid some sort of disaster along the way.

They are drinking a bit more these days and the next watering should happen in a couple days. I'll be laying the nutes on at full strength and then some. Any thoughts about what my TDS reading of the nutrient solution should be at this point? How high should it go for a soil grow nearing harvest?

 

[mary_juana420]

Looks great Usul !
Can't wait to see them fill in !

That last pic the top looks a little burnt.

Is that top close to the light ?

Awesome , Would rep if possible !
MJ420

 

[ultrasonic]

I think thats just the normal ambering of the older hairs: my plants had the same thing

Those are some beautiful plants usul: simple as that! good work!

 

[usul]

Looks great Usul !
Can't wait to see them fill in !

That last pic the top looks a little burnt.

Is that top close to the light ?

Awesome , Would rep if possible !
MJ420

Good eye MJ. That top is indeed damaged, but not from the lamp or any other sort of heat. I was fiddling around with the leaves in the back of the tent and bumped my arm into the top of that bud. I likely broke some of the pistils and now they've dried out, as Unltrasonic accurately observes.

Those are some beautiful plants usul: simple as that! good work!

Thanks Ultra They really are looking good. Can't wait to see how they do after the next feeding.

One interesting development: looks like one of the girls - Wilma - may be a hermie. I've been watching development of the calyxs and they almost always put out a batch of pistils. But on Wilma some have swelled to be abnormally large. Today I saw one starting to split open and it was just not right. It looked like it was going to produce male flowers so I plucked it off. Then I went over the rest of the plant with a fine tooth comb and found about ten others - in much earlier stages of development. Wilma is pushing up some really nice buds so I'd rather not pull her and loose one third of my harvest. So I cut off the lower branches I can't easily inspect, and will continue watch the rest of the plant and neuter any new male organs that emerge. That should give me something to do - lol.

 

[usul]

Quick mid-week update:

Just sitting back and watching the grass grow...

The plants got watered two days ago with full strength nutes. At this point in flowering the Fox Farm schedule says to add some Grow Big (veg nutes) to the Tiger Bloom and Big Bloom application. I went for it and the plants seem to be happy.

Reading for the nutes going in were: TDS: 1180ppm, pH 6.8
And for runnoff: TDS 1200ppm, pH 6.5

Looks about right to me... ?

So we're about half way through flowering. Here's a pic of the tent at 76 days old, day 29 flower:

I'm counting 18 nicely positioned buds that are showing promise, and another 5 or so runners-up. Stretch is over and now we're just looking for the buds to fatten up. Some are doing better than others. The next few week should be interesting...

 

[ultrasonic]

Oh usul i'm so happy for you after all that BS with slime! I take it with that trusty 1200ppm number you must be rockin the 8/16 lucas formula still? Notice any cal/mag issues? rusty, spotty looking leaves? perhaps only a couple? A typical issue with the lucas formula, depending on your strain. My WW requires just a TAD of calmag, especially during early veg/the stretch.

Otherwise, man, everything looks fantastic! You're nearing the point where crap went downhill for me (upon adding the molasses w/ liquid karma). Right now i'm still experimenting with the liquid karma, but I've decided I do not like it because it's so grainy. But that's info for my own thread! Funny how we both started with the "same grow" then I got ahead, then you, then me, now you laugh! Maybe next crop we'll both be rockin it hard. I should probably start flowering right around the same time you start a new crop.

Hows the smell? I found my WW didn't really smell at all: maybe it was just too early. Alot of people reprort little to no smell until the last week or two. But to me... smelly plants = happy plants.

NICE WORK

PS- regarding the slime, if you ever wanna try hydro again, I found this product called Physan 20 that kills the f out of algae: apparently the only thing that works. You are obviously doing great with soil, but if only for the benefit of the followers I'd love to pass this info on If you're having issues with recurring slime, you may want to look into this CHEAP product.

 

[usul]

Oh usul i'm so happy for you after all that BS with slime! I take it with that trusty 1200ppm number you must be rockin the 8/16 lucas formula still? Notice any cal/mag issues? rusty, spotty looking leaves? perhaps only a couple? A typical issue with the lucas formula, depending on your strain. My WW requires just a TAD of calmag, especially during early veg/the stretch.

...

Hows the smell? I found my WW didn't really smell at all: maybe it was just too early. Alot of people reprort little to no smell until the last week or two. But to me... smelly plants = happy plants.

Hi Ultra - thanks for checking in! It is nice to be seeing some success after everything that went wrong with my first attempts. I'm using the Fox Farm nutes and just following the schedule they publish. I have, however, been adding Hygrozyme and Cal-Mag Plus with each watering. Fox Farm suggests feeding at every other watering but given how strong the plants are I've been feeding two or three waterings in a row before flushing with just water, Cal-Mag Plus and Hygrozyme. As far as how the plants look, I couldn't be happier. Not a hint of nute burn or discoloration of any kind. All leaves are perfectly formed (the funny looking leaves noted earlier straightened out after the last flush) shiny looking and deep green in color. Just perfect (knock wood). And they are truly stinky. The exhaust/ventilation system is doing a great job at odor control so there's no smell unless I stick my head in the tent. But if the system ever failed the whole house would reek.

And speaking of odor control, the home-made carbon filter in my new drying cabinet works great. Of course, the true test will come in about 4 weeks when I start filling it with nugs. Looking forward to that

 

[Stealthy1]

That thing looks pretty cool whats the filter made of?

 

[usul]

Hi Stealthy, thanks for stopping by! I assume you're asking about the filter in the drying cabinet - I thought you'd appreciate that. It was inspired by the DIY filter you made for your grow: take a round thing, drill holes in it, cover with nylon stocking, fill with activated carbon then pull air through it.

My filter is made from 2" PVC pipe. Drill lots of holes in the pipe, push them in to a T connector, cover 'em with panyhose, secure pantyhose with joint clamps and fill 'er up with carbon. The trickiest part was fabricating a fitting for attachment to the fan. I crafted it out of 1/8" hardboard and used epoxy to attach it to the PVC T connector. After that it was just a matter of drilling some holes and fastening everything together.

My favorite part is the 80mm 12v DC fan with speed controller. When running at the 9V or 6V settings - which will be most of the time (may have to go to 12V for a while when the cabinet gets filled with fresh buds) you'd have to get your ear within 6" of the thing to hear any noise at all. Something I know you'd appreciate

I'm planning to upgrade my entire circulation and exhaust system with these little fans (using the 120mm versions for heavier tasks) as my next step toward a completely silent and odor free operation.

Thanks for asking brother grower.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I never saw/heard anyone mention that they were a COMPLETE failure at a DWC grow, lol. Care to elaborate a bit more (if it's not too painful a subject)?

On the "stealthing" of your grow as far as noise goes, if you cannot silence the grow, add noise to your living room. Maybe an aquarium placed beside the closet door? I've seen some noisy air pumps, and while I usually find myself recommending the quiet ones, for "cover," the noisy ones would seem to fit the bill. And aquarium air pumps run constantly, so you'd not have to worry about someone hearing the odd noise from your closet during quiet portions of a movie, for example, if you instead tried to cover the noise with your television.

Something else that might help is if that closet door is the cheap hollow ones that you can trip and fall right through... Replace it with a solid door. Place foam weatherstripping around it. You might even go so far as to buy some of the rigid foam insulation and glue it to the inside of the door and closet.

And on the "when to water" issue: If your plants get very thirsty, they will start to droop. A little bit of this is not necessarily a bad thing - certainly not as bad as a plant that is constantly over-watered. While I'm not suggesting that a grower constantly let his/her plants wilt in between waterings, a time or two of "only just starting to droop" can be beneficial in helping one to learn about their plants and grow setup. But it looks like you're doing a pretty good job of it already.

Things are looking good!

 

[TorturedSoul]

PS: If you're having trouble getting staples into those tiles, pre-drill them with a masonry bit and fill the holes with epoxy!

LMFAO! <CRUNCH> Whoops, missed the epoxy. Oh well. <CRUNCH> Missed again. Oh well. <CRUNCH>... LMFAO!

Once upon a time I helped a buddy set up a GR and he had some adhesive, think it was a 3M product but not 100% positive, that you could roll on like when you're adding wallpaper paste to cheap border. Was kind of a PITA to apply since mylar is very thin (took three hands to hold it tight and one to roll it on). But the great thing was that it wasn't instant-dry; we stuck the mylar on the wall, positioned it just right, and (ever so gently) worked the bubbles/wrinkles out with a squeegee. Result: Perfectly flat & smooth mylar walls. Well worth the effort, and AFAIK it's still there (next renters probably thought it was some freaky chick's dressing-room or something).

I'm a bit confused. I thought that you threaded the vegging plant through the net and once it was half full you went 12/12 and threaded the stretch to fill up the canopy. Out of a 60 day flowering cycle 24 will be stretch. 40% stretch, 60% fattening up.

You are correct. In a true scrog, the only things that you allow to grow up through the screen are the budding colas. And you take steps to limit (or remove) undergrowth both because your goal is to fill the screen and because with a well-filled screen you couldn't read a newspaper in the little bit of light that penetrates your canopy, let alone grow with it.

But it does look like he's getting some use out of his screen for training purposes.

 

[Setting Sun]

great job usul!

the buds are looking great, and I like your screen with the p-clamps for the tent poles.

I think the timing on a scrog is probably the hardest part to learn how to do.

I haven't done one yet myself, but it's definitely on my list.