Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

UrbanGrower said:
sorry for taking so long to reply brother. I shouldn't complain because other people have it worse but I'm 100% not lying that I barely have time to even tend my own plants!! I'm always doing work in the room with my green miners lamp on during dark time so I rarely get to see what they really look like :phew:



props for the huge response!!!



Yes, my city water is filled with ammonia so that's why I bought the RO, cause chloramines don't evaporate. I think I will take 3 plants of the same strain/traits/age and use my Stealth water on one, aged tap water on another, and supermarket RO on the last one. The debris stuff has eased up but I am now running into another problem. Up to date I have been manually filling the storage tank (without valve or the blue shut-off valve) so I attatched it to the float valve yesterday and soon as it reached the max, the pressure went from 60psi to over 120. Even when I turned the main tap off, the pressure was still over 100. Also, the green carbon filter is starting to get lots of brown spots, don't know if that's normal or not?

I own the Truncheon Nutrient Dipstick by Bluelab and I don't think it can be calibrated? I've had it for over 3 years though, and every time I put it in calibrating solution it reads perfect (1000 on .5)


I appreciate the tips brother, hopefully shit starts going my way soon lol. Hope you had an awesome New Year and Xmas :smoke2:
Click to expand...


No worries UG, I really do understand how busy life can be - I've been in the same boat lately. We have a very full house and a lot of company over the holidays, so I'm barely able to look after plants these days, too.

Once the reservoir is full and engages the float valve, there is some pressure there. I like to disconnect the water source slowly to let air and water pressure lighten up some first (keeps me from getting soaked upon disconnecting!). I'm at the minimum pressure so things work much more slowly for me, and as you have discovered these aren't blazing fast contraptions to begin with. It helps to shut off the water supply at the tap, first and then give it just a little turn to let the pressure bleed out some before fully disconnecting. As long as you aren't getting leakage and the valve is working, I wouldn't worry about the pressure too much. The float valve is a god-send. As long as things are connected sturdily and properly, it should allow you to hook it up and forget it. I run it overnight, then disconnect in the morning. Easy breezy!

The brown spots are normal, and indicate that the filter is doing it's job. Sounds like your meter is working fine - I didn't know those can't be calibrated...

Hope you have a great new year UG! :partyboy:
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

Bassman59 said:
All caught up after the holidays and my own harvest and busy as hell schedule of late. Everything is looking great X, even with the crowding. I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. Hope everyone's holidays were great. Here's to a fabulous 2013 to all!:thumb:
Click to expand...

Hi Bassman - I know how hectic things can get, been dealing with some of that myself, though not dealing with harvesting.


Happy New Year to you as well my friend! :partyboy:
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

Well, I've tentatively decided on my course of action for lighting the garden during bloom... somewhat! I've decided to experiment with offering the plants a "fuller" spectrum of lighting

My current lighting situation: I run two reflectors, end to end. To date, I've used MH bulbs in each for veg, and Hortilux "Super HPS" bulbs for bloom. One modification I started a while ago, is that I keep my MH bulbs in action until about 2-3 weeks into bloom to help limit stretch. HPS bulbs are more powerful, and contain high levels of reds and yellow that flowers like, but they lack much of the spectrum needed for effective vegetative growth. Plants tend to stretch more under HPS lights, partially due to a lack of blue spectrum. Even with high end bulbs like my Hortilux's (which contain some blues), running MH bulbs during the initial portion of the bloom phase still is a more effective strategy for limiting stretch in my experience.

Why I'm thinking of making some changes... Practically since I started growing, I have heard about the benefits of using MH light during flowering too (not just at beginning for limiting stretch). Plants are said to have tighter buds, closer nodes and better trichome development under MH lights. However, they are also said to have less size and weight compared to their HPS counterparts, leaving many to stick with HPS only during flower. Weight, for many is a crucial part of their goal. Not as much for me however, as I only provide for myself.

Given that weight isn't as crucial (my goal is more in line with quality), I have been pondering a combination of HPS and MH lighting for a while now during the bloom phase. Growers that I admire, like Be Irie, have been using MH to give them a more complete spectrum for a while. Also, I have the unique benefit of having digital ballasts (can run either bulb) and two reflectors - why not?

So... I decided that I would flower this round with a Hortilux Super HPS in one reflector, and a Sunmaster Warm Deluxe MH in the other. Hortilux "Blue" was another MH bulb I considered (amazing spectrum!!) but it has a very poor reputation with digital ballasts. The Sunmaster "Warm Deluxe" boasts the highest PAR values of any MH bulb of comparable size, so that's the direction I went.

Speaking of PAR values... the modern school of thought suggests that lumens are "for humans" and not indicative of a lamp's ability to grow plants well. Instead "PAR" is measured, which is meant to be a measure of "Photosynthetically Active Radiation" or how much of the light is able to be utilized by the plant. The Sunmaster bulb has a very high PAR value compared to other grow bulbs, even though it's pushing fewer lumens than a good HPS bulb. Also, this bulb has a warmer Kelvin rating than most other MH bulbs, at around 3,000k. Will be interesting to observe the effect on the plants.

My conclusions... Based on my research, combining the MH with the HPS will give the plants a much "fuller" spectrum during bloom and should reduce nodal length and stretch, while helping make flower structures more compact and resinous. I may take a hit on weight, but I'm okay with that as I'm not selling anything - it's for me. Plus, I think lighting for the appropriate stage might be able to give me somewhat the "best of both worlds". AKA, my lighting plan.

Here's what I'm considering for lighting my grows:


  • Early veg: T5 lamping (6500 kelvin)


  • Veg through week 2 of bloom: Dual 400w Metal Halide. One 6500 kelvin, standard spectrum MH and the 3,000k Sunmaster bulb.


  • Day 15 bloom through day 28 bloom: 400w Super HPS, and 400w Warm Deluxe MH (full spectrum, reduced stretch)


  • Day 29 bloom, through day 49 bloom: 400w Super HPS, 400w Super HPS (stretch is over, let's make big flowers)


  • Day 50 bloom through harvest: 400w MH, 400w MH (both 6,500 kelvin). MH is said to produce some UV light that helps maximize trichome production and aid in ripening.

Curious as to what others think of the plan. I may second-guess this or make changes, but this is the direction I'm leaning for now. Also, anyone think I should just run the Sunmaster MH next to the HPS all the way through??

What do you all think? Also, if anyone has questions, please ask! :)

 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

jon705 said:
Happy new years X,thanks for all your help bro things would'nt be looking as good as they do in my room if it wasnt for you.i hope your feeling better soon, good vibes coming from up north:)
Click to expand...

:thankyou: Jon! I'm doing okay. Today's been a good day, and I'm ever-optimistic. I'm so glad I was able to be helpful a little - by the looks of your garden though, you don't need much help! Thanks for the very nice compliment. :)
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

hey X, glad to see you contemplating the lighting. I would go with HPS and MH from day 15 on, give them the balanced spectrum all the way thru (once stretch is mostly over). It is a good control for future testing. If you like the results, quality wise, then try the more complicated plan to see if you can increase yield.
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

HPNY X!
And Congratulations on Nug of the Month!!
A very well deserved win indeed!
Cant wait to see your results with the lighting changes you've got planned.
And Like OG13 said, once the quality's there, then finding a way to increase yield?
If anyone could do it,
it'd be you..
:thumb:
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

oh you got notm?
damn i knew it was looking good gratz man
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

btw, awesome thread on your titan flow and grow system bro reps if I can.from what ive been reading its a great system.Im picturing 1 12 pot system for veg and two 12 pot systems 1 month apart in my new space with 4800 watts of led in the flower room. Im climbing the freakin walls just thinking about it!!:) as Vick would say WIW!!
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

OG13 said:
hey X, glad to see you contemplating the lighting. I would go with HPS and MH from day 15 on, give them the balanced spectrum all the way thru (once stretch is mostly over). It is a good control for future testing. If you like the results, quality wise, then try the more complicated plan to see if you can increase yield.
Click to expand...

That's exactly the other thing I'm contemplating, and exactly the reasons why. It would be nice to have a baseline of what to expect from each light a bit more. Hmm... :scratchinghead:
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

Vick074 said:
HPNY X!
And Congratulations on Nug of the Month!!
A very well deserved win indeed!
Cant wait to see your results with the lighting changes you've got planned.
And Like OG13 said, once the quality's there, then finding a way to increase yield?
If anyone could do it,
it'd be you..
:thumb:
Click to expand...

Thanks Vick - :thankyou:

I think I'm going to play it by ear on the lights... I agree it would be great to have a baseline for the effects it has on the plants somewhat. Wasn't too sure how the NOTM would go - there were some amazing nugs in there, and yours was top of the list my friend. :thumb:
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

Cronichemphog said:
oh you got notm?
damn i knew it was looking good gratz man
Click to expand...

Thanks Chronic! There were so many really good nugs - I was blown away to have won, honestly. :)
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

jon705 said:
congrats on notm X you deserved it bro:)
Click to expand...

jon705 said:
btw, awesome thread on your titan flow and grow system bro reps if I can.from what ive been reading its a great system.Im picturing 1 12 pot system for veg and two 12 pot systems 1 month apart in my new space with 4800 watts of led in the flower room. Im climbing the freakin walls just thinking about it!!:) as Vick would say WIW!!
Click to expand...

Thanks Jon!

I really like the Flo N Gro a lot. It's really easy to manage during the grow once you have things dialed in. It's a bit of a pain dealing with all the media (hydroton in my case) as it uses a lot - but not too bad (probably seems harder to me with my screwed up back). But, it's a lot less headache than most systems and good results are very achievable with it. I'd love to have the space and resources to do what you are talking about. :dreamy:

Let me know if you have any questions about the system that I may have missed since I posted that thread. I've probably changed/tweaked how I do a few things since that post... :)
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

Xlr8 said:
Thanks Jon!

I really like the Flo N Gro a lot. It's really easy to manage during the grow once you have things dialed in. It's a bit of a pain dealing with all the media (hydroton in my case) as it uses a lot - but not too bad (probably seems harder to me with my screwed up back). But, it's a lot less headache than most systems and good results are very achievable with it. I'd love to have the space and resources to do what you are talking about. :dreamy:

Let me know if you have any questions about the system that I may have missed since I posted that thread. I've probably changed/tweaked how I do a few things since that post... :)
Click to expand...

Could you share a link to said thread? Lookin into an actual system instead of using rockwoll filled containers.
 
re: Xlr8's Psychedelic Bloom Party Extravaganza

Well thank you both!!! Will look into thread as soon as I get home! I need a change in the grow room for the better!
 
Back
Top Bottom