Aerogarden problem

[Teknique70]

Well I have just run into an unforseen problem with my little Aerogarden...

I thought that I had this problem solved but was mistaken....

You see the lighting hood only can be raised a certain amount of levels (about 5-6 different heights each about 2-3 inches higher than the previous level).

Well I was going to suspend it with some strings once it reached its maximum level and then raise the strings when neccessary...

Well there is an electrical cord that spans from the lighting hood to the base of the machine and this cord is only 1 1/2 - 2 feet making it impossible for it to be raised higher than this...

I could try to find an extension cord from radio shack maybe but they might not make the style of cord that its is (it's one end is hard wired into the base and the other end has two small round prongs like that of the playstation AC cord....

I was going to start flowering in a day or two maybe sooner but when the plants grow they are not going to have much verticle room....

Could I chop of part of the top of the plant? Probobly not a good idea....
I might just have to see what happens, might have to scrap it halfway into flowering if the plants are touching the lights....

Next time I do this Flowering is going to come much sooner than a month into it. More like a week or 2....

Well this is all a little bit disapointing but I guess that is what happens when you try somthing new. I have learned a lot from this 1st major grow of mine, and can't wait to try it again....

Well thanks for listening any thoughts or suggestions would be loved....

New pics coming in a few mins....

Later
-Tek

 

[Sublime757]

can you just raise the ballast up?

 

[Teknique70]

Thats what I mean by the lighting hood, it cant be raised up any more because of the cord the connects the hood to the base isnt that long...
-Tek

 

[Teknique70]

New pics

 

[Teknique70]

New pics

 

[Sublime757]

oh you bought one of those things. the shit NASA designed and what not. yeah those are for growing strawberries and lettuce and sage, stuff like that. youll need to transplant bro, sorry to break it to ya. its a great system for clones and seedlings though so id still keep it

 

[Teknique70]

yea, trans planting isnt really an option....
Next time Im just going to start flowering way earlier...
Thanks for your advice

-Tek

 

[AllMeatNoPotato]

hey why transplant or top your plant. try some basic wiring techniques like splicing a wire. you can make that cord as long as you want it to be. if you wana learn I will teach you how to do it. peace

 

[potroast]

That's what I was going to say too, Splice! If you've got room for the light to be higher, then lengthen the cord.

If you don't want to do that, then why not cut the mainstem? Prune her to shorten the ending height. It's not the best way, but you're learning. And believe me, every indoor grower has plant height problems sometimes.

HTH

 

[Teknique70]

I was actually thinking of that today when I was walking through Lowes looking for an extension cord that would match, but none were found.....

If you could explain to me a quick and easy way to splice the wire I would love to hear it please and thank you

-Tek

 

[AllMeatNoPotato]

easist way is to turn the power off and cut the wire. using the same type of wire you got at the store (called guage and it should be on the cord somewhere). strip the ends of the coating about one inch of it. twist the two ends together and put the correct size cap on it (when in doubt of correct size ask a sales clerk). crimp it with some pliers and repeat for the other side. presto, wire extention. if you hae any questions feel free to ask. just unplug the damn thing first.

 

[Teknique70]

Thanks for the Pics

Cool sounds just like how I thought to do it...

have to figure out what gauge wire to use and make sure I connect them to the cooresponding wire.

Heres a question...

the cord actually consists os two seperate wires right? both wires look to be the same size but I'm pretty sure one is positive and one is negitive.

When I buy the seperate extension wiring is one going to be pos and one neg or it doesnt matter as long as I connect them to the same cooresponding ends...

Know what I mean?

-Tek

 

[Teknique70]

OK so I noticed that only one side of the wire has the writing on it so I assume that I just splice that side with the writing to the extension wire with the writing.

Yea that seems very easy so I cant wait to get some wire tomorrow and unplug it and goto work...

I practiced on an old extension cord earlier lol, I think I got it down just need those plastic caps and some electrical tape.

Thanks again
-Tek

 

[AllMeatNoPotato]

when purchasing the wire, remember to get the right size or as it is actually called 'guage'. if you do not know the size of the guage, cut off a little peice of it from one of the ends, and they have a sizing chart where you go. you have to have the right size so that you do not get power build-up in that area.
yes, there should be 2 seperate wires if your pics are acurate. make sure that you only splice one wire at a time so that you do not get them mixed in the splicing process.
hey ain't nothing wrong with practicing. they say it makes perfect. and dude, once you figure out how to splice shit, the sky is the limits. before you know it, you'll be splicing light fixtures so you can plug them into your timer and get more light for your grow.

 

[Teknique70]

Yea I figured out how to tell the gauge size it is 18AWGx2C

Thats off the top of my head I have it written down with the rest of the writing that was on the cord

I also checked othe cords around the house to see how they compare....

One at a time thats a good idea i was just thinking of marking them with tape or somthing.

Thats cool tho about the splicing
Thanks def much for all the help

-Tek

 

[AllMeatNoPotato]

np for the help. drop some pics when you are done so others can learn from your experiences peace

 

[Teknique70]

Wow cool I just finished the splicing of the cord and it turned out B-E-A utiful

Im so happy now I can go forward with this project....

Flowering starts in a couple days....

I'll keep everyone posted

THanks again everyone

-Tek

 

[potroast]

Did you buy extra cord, for when you have to raise the light again?

 

[Teknique70]

Yea when I bought the cord I bought 2 feet should went a little longer but it is actually just right for the amount of verticle space i have.

So I should be good to go I just have to figure out a good way to suspend it

I have some ideas in mind.....string,small chain, zip ties or a small combo of all

-Tek

 

[potroast]

Go with the small link chain, and S hooks. Cheapest and easiest.

Or for 20 bucks each, Light Hangers are the way to go.

HTH