Wheelo's 3rd run - Attack of the Holy Shoots

[The Butcher]

Re: Holy Shit happens - one day at a time!

time for another turn on the great wheelofortune cheertwo:clapping)

Love the volks and the dirtyroom.Dont remember if you did the soil next to the hydro before.did you?

 

[leonardo]

Re: Holy Shit happens - one day at a time!

WheelO, I'm trying to find the rockwool cubes I need, they have 3x3x2.5" and 3x3x4". I couldn't see any 3x3x3 so I don't know if they make them, which do you use for the Volksgarden?

Also, would these rockwool plugs work, Discount Hydroponics - Rockwool Plugs. If I got a tray for them like these, Discount Hydroponics - Propagation Trays and Domes. Or would I be better off with the Bcuzz ones?

Thanks!

 

[WheeloFortune]

Re: Holy Shit happens - one day at a time!

time for another turn on the great wheelofortune cheertwo:clapping)

Love the volks and the dirtyroom.Dont remember if you did the soil next to the hydro before.did you?

nope. im in my early 30's. i've been smoking for 13 years now, and i've been growing for 10 of them. I started with 1 plant from bag seed, when i lived in my mom's attic, and it was female nicely enough. kept growing a 3 or 4 all the time, always under flouro. later after i quit school, I lived in NYC for a few years. thats when i built that incubator, had a 250w MH in there. that thing would have been a beast if the LED technology then was as good as it is now, the mh was hard to cool. i fixed it though. anyways i grew exclusively in that thing for for 5 years, small time, but i was very good with dirt. i could scrog 150g easy. and it was very stealth. i did some regular breeding back then and grew out my own strains for a while, but now none of those seeds are viable any longer. i guess i didn't store them well enough. anyways . . .

so i grew dirt for 7 years. i was good at it. i find it much easier than hydro. but you know me, scientist at heart. I am completely determined and dedicated to getting good with hydro! i like the idea, the sustainability, the water savings, etc. etc. I am so close to putting it all together proper. a couple years late,r and i can feel it clicking. . .im really close but so far hydro has been finniky for me and 1/2 g/w is just not gonna cut it anymore (and i haven't ever even done that in the volks).

but just in case i fuck it up like every other time, lol, i am going to grow some dirt to go along with it. first time growing dirt in years.. I need a big harvest to hold me over and i know what i can do with dirt. Plus, i have the room, i have the equipment, i have the know how. . . it would be dumb not to. plus it will be nice to compare the strain side by side.

anyways the award for the longest most drawn out answer to a short simple question goes to . . . .

 

[WheeloFortune]

Re: Holy Shit happens - one day at a time!

WheelO, I'm trying to find the rockwool cubes I need, they have 3x3x2.5" and 3x3x4". I couldn't see any 3x3x3 so I don't know if they make them, which do you use for the Volksgarden?

Also, would these rockwool plugs work, Discount Hydroponics - Rockwool Plugs. If I got a tray for them like these, Discount Hydroponics - Propagation Trays and Domes. Or would I be better off with the Bcuzz ones?

Thanks!

leo,

yeah those plugs are great and the dome is perfect. i like the bcuzz maxi-plug tray because the holes are round and fit them perfect, but those square ones will probably work just fine.

the cubes you need are 3x3x2.5.

 

[The Butcher]

Re: Holy Shit happens - one day at a time!

WHEEL: HOPE YOU DONT MIND THE ACRONYM.

good answer.i love seeing the hydro and soil side by side. The only issue is pest.but those can delt with .You and are alot alike.i always have had something going on,even if its only been 1 plant at some points of my life.the side by side comp is the thing i atticipate the most in my grow.But this is about you and the great job you've done.

I've been growing since i was about 15. i'll be 30 and thats the funny thing i know this better then i know my own trade of 13 years..Its been so regular for me it been great.so if you need or have any questions just ask away i've been doing hydro for about the last 10 years the first few wear were SOLID soil grows.

The volks is unreal.thier alot of detail work from what i've noticed.Trust me with your soil experience i'll be asking away if theres any bumps in the road,hope you dont mind.Cause no matter how long i've been doing this i dont know everything and other growers always can point out that spot you dont see.the best thing to do is learn from someone outside the box.

 

[WheeloFortune]

Re: Holy Shit happens - one day at a time!

truth butch.

one of the reasons i started these journals was to get help from other people who might have different knowledge than me. my biggest problem is that i read so much and have so much knowledge, but its hard to evaluate yourself and see what your doing wrong. i've never had a mentor or anyone who could help me grow in person, so that they can come and see what im doing on a regular basis and inspect the plants or whatever and guide me.

i try to be as descriptive and accurate with everything i report, and take pics as best i can to show, in hopes that if someone more experienced than I sees an area that i can improve on, or something that i'm doing that may be counter productive, they will speak up and help me improve. so if you see anything. please speak up.

as far as pests go, it will start getting cold and pests around here will either die off or move inside. i haven't had a pest problem all summer, so i think im well enough guarded against them coming in, and they will all be dead soon outside. my dirt is really bcuzz hydro mix and has not Mycorrhizal Fungi or anything else living so i will add all that and i dont have to worry about bad bugs or bad drainage. i don't forsee any problems running the two styles at the same time other than having to prepare two different PH nute regimens.

butch what acronym? lol. am i blind?

also one added note:
i have bought a TON of equipment in the past 6 months, and have learned more since i have been on this site than any other period of my life. i feel like my hydro knowledge is still growing with leaps and bounds. i was going to take a plant physiology class this semester, but i have too much on my plate already. maybe next semester when i finish this nsf research fellowship i am doing. i wish i was a bio major, maybe that will be my next degree. i will never leave school. lol.

 

[The Butcher]

Re: Holy Shit happens - one day at a time!

wheel,
Your an insperation to us all. I love growing hydro it takes your ingenuity to another level. cant wait to see this next turn on the wheel.And the DIRTY room.

 

[CanbisMxmus]

Re: Holy Shit happens - one day at a time!

Yep, I'll be here watching your progress. I'm sure you'll do great this run, with all your experimenting put to the side momentarily. The AN nutes rock, and are what I was using, but I am trying a simplified organic regiment this time. I'm hoping to have my second Vg up and running w/in a day or so, maybe we'll be pretty close to the same shcedule!?! Let the grow BEGIN!!!!

 

[WheeloFortune]

i wont have the wheel up again for a month i don't think. i just don't have the moms to support enough clones yet. it sucks. i have been seriously considering trying a scorg, but that would be back to experimenting. lol. i just want a good run so i still think im waiting for the 80 clones.

 

[StormChaos]

I have only cloned 7 plants... but i have a 100% success rate. I am using my buddies method and he has been doing this for most of his life.

What I am doing is using Dip n Gro - inserting the cuttings into rockwoll and putting the rockwoll directly into an aerogarden. Ill cover them with plastic cups for a few days and I just keep the CFL lights on them. Has yet to fail me.

My buddy doesnt use the aero garden... he puts them in a tray with a lil water in the bottom and keeps them covered..... he swears by dip n gro.

 

[WheeloFortune]

I have only cloned 7 plants... but i have a 100% success rate. I am using my buddies method and he has been doing this for most of his life.

What I am doing is using Dip n Gro - inserting the cuttings into rockwoll and putting the rockwoll directly into an aerogarden. Ill cover them with plastic cups for a few days and I just keep the CFL lights on them. Has yet to fail me.

My buddy doesnt use the aero garden... he puts them in a tray with a lil water in the bottom and keeps them covered..... he swears by dip n gro.

yeah storm, there are many good methods out there, and if your getting 100%, i'd stick with it. many people struggle with it at first, i was like you and was pretty good at it right from the start, but it eally helps that i have such close control over the temp and environment. the best rule is, leave them alone. lol. i spray mine down once or twice a day, but thats it. i dont touch them for a week. i get 100% also. nice to be good isn't it?

dip n gro is the powder right? i've used it before. personally i like the gel the best, but i double dip with some liquid too. 20 seconds lets it take some inside before i gel it.

 

[StormChaos]

yeah storm, there are many good methods out there, and if your getting 100%, i'd stick with it. many people struggle with it at first, i was like you and was pretty good at it right from the start, but it eally helps that i have such close control over the temp and environment. the best rule is, leave them alone. lol. i spray mine down once or twice a day, but thats it. i dont touch them for a week. i get 100% also. nice to be good isn't it?

dip n gro is the powder right? i've used it before. personally i like the gel the best, but i double dip with some liquid too. 20 seconds lets it take some inside before i gel it.

I think having total control over the enviroment is Key. Personally I founding cloning to be the easy part...

The Dip N Gro is a concentrate liquid. It comes with a graduated measuring cup.

The set up is virtually idiot proof... you fill to the line that says concentrate. Then you fill to the line for the specific type of plant - in this case to the top. Take cutting and properly prepare the cutting (i take a sterile razor and cut the stem up the middle)... put in solution for 5seconds or so... stick in medium... stick in aero garden... cover with plastic cup... Viola... done.

 

[WheeloFortune]

i take a sterile razor and cut the stem up the middle

i've seen that that works well in other journals, but like to scrape the outside skin off of the bottom 3/4" of the stem. i think this exposes more surface area from which roots can grow.

 

[The Butcher]

i go the same route as far as scrapping the stem.i've done it for years and get a 100 % success rate everytime.

 

[WheeloFortune]

HS is not the easiest plant i have cloned, but its not to tough. i am hoping to see roots between weeks 1 and 2

 

[leonardo]

When you scrape the bottom 3/4", do you do it all the way around or just one strip? Any pics?

 

[WheeloFortune]

i do it all the way around. make a 45* cut at the stem too. 3/4 inch below a node, and scrape from the node down all the way around. dip dip and into the rw. i wanted to keep the nodes on the lower branches so the mom would recover more quickly so this time i took them right above the node. no prob, should still root but might take an extra couple days.

no pics, i broke my small lens, so i have to be at least 5 feet away to focus. lol. DOH!

 

[leonardo]

Thanks Wheelo, I should be ok without a pic, I get what you're saying. I'll give it a go in a couple weeks and see what happens.

 

[leonardo]

Wheelo, I went to the hydro shop today to let them know everything I'm going to need, and she really recommends I use Rapid Rooter plugs like these: GENERAL HYDROPONICS. What do you think? She also swears I only need two of them to clip 100, says I wont need to give them extra space and wont need 4. I gotta get your take on this.

 

[WheeloFortune]

leo,

I absolutely love those rapid rooters, i think it shaves time off of the rooting time for me, in my setup.

I don't use them simply because i don't know how the wicking effect from RW to that would be. you have to stick them in RW, and if it doesn't dry or wick the same, it might get too dry or stay too wet compared to the 3" cube that your gonna use.

I have thought about using them anyways, it might work great? but i'm a good enough propa gator that i should get 100% success no matter what i clone with, so i'm just keeping it homogeneous.

you could fit 100 clones in two domes, they trays come with 50 in each, i just think 4 is ideal. if they are all up on each other - and if your lucky enough or good enough that it doesn't do anything bad, it still doesn't benefit you in any way. i mean its an extra 20-30 bucks? if you have to skimp you can get by, but 30 bucks isn't much compared to everthing else you are buying, why skimp there?