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In case you're wondering, I'm a big fan of Paradise Seeds. I've grown many of their strains over the years, and nearly always found something I liked. For this grow I've just started to flower six Acid and two Sensi Star plants from femmed seeds. This is the first time I've grown Acid (a Diesel hybrid), and the first time I've grown femminised Sensi Star. The Sensi Star are growing well, and the Acid are all pretty uniform - though they weren't always that way. I'll start from the start in a moment . . .
It's been almost three years since my last grow, mainly due to work. I'm a bit rusty, so I've gone back to the basics that served me well for many years of indoor growing:
Straight coco
2-gallon grow pots
2-gallon catch pots (pot-within-a-pot system)
Timed drip feeders (two 4mm lines per pot, fed five times for one minute every 12-hour lights-on period)
Aerated 15-gallon reservoir
Run-to-waste (cheap garden hose that runs outside into the garden)
Organic-based nutrients
Silica additive
pH 5.8-6.3
Natural pest remedies if/when needed
What has changed for this grow is I'm using Samsung strip LEDs. 220w for vegging and 480w+ for flowering. I've always been a die-hard HPS bare-bulb vertical grower, starting back in 2003 after being inspired by Krusty's bucket grows on Overgrow. I grew in a 4x4' with 1200w (two 600w bare bulbs hanging one on top of the other) and averaged 1.3-1.4 grams per bulb watt each grow.
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11oz Catpiss Haze (grown as test seeds, now sold as "Atomical Haze" by Paradise.
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Catpiss Haze mid-flower from about 10 years ago.
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8oz Sensi Star regular at harvest.
Everyone laughed at vertical growers when we first began - much like everyone has laughed at LED growers over the years - but the results speak for themselves, and there are many advantages to going vertical (head space, columnular cooling, better use of light etc).
We tried some blurple "UFO" LEDs about seven years ago, but were really disappointed with the results. Lately, though, LEDs seem to have reached the point where they can equal - possibly best - HIDs without the prohibitive start-up costs - especially if you build your own lights.
So I knew nothing about LEDs a few months ago until I started browsing this forum and want to thank everyone who has contributed for helping me "see the light", so to speak
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I use straight coco because you cannot overwater if you have proper drainage, so there is really no point adding perlite/vermiculite or hydroton. Hydroton takes up space for roots, and perlite/vermiculite requires more waterings and doesn't hold/buffer nutrient as well as straight coco, so is not as ideal for a run-to-waste system.
The coco above is buffered with Calcium and Magnesium. It's important to use a good quality coco, as many of the cheap bricks/bags have high amounts of sea salt that need to be leached prior to use (by flushing with warm water).
Contrary to popular belief, RTW systems do not waste a lot of nutrient. In a recirculating system, you have to dump your reservoir every one-to-two weeks max. With RTW, most of your nutrient is being used by the plants, and any excess is constantly flushed out of the pots, leaving a healthy balance and very little salt build-up. Waste nutrient can also be diverted back into your garden. My system will probably go through about 15 gallons of nutrient solution a week.
I've always used Canadian Xpress nutrient, as it's made locally (Australia) and the coco blend is formulated for tap water. Most limestone-based tap water already has a decent amount of calcium and some magnesium in it. Your mileage may vary . . .
CX was the first to develope "fusion" nutrients (as far as I know), which use a mineral-based Part A (with micronutrients) and an organic-based Part B. I draw buckets of tap water and let them sit for 48 hours prior to use to dissipate any chlorine in the water. My tap water does not have chloramine.
Monsta Bud is another local organic-based product which is a one-part stand-alone flowering formula which I use as a PK supplement to the CX. I normally start off with about 3.5ml per litre CX of Part A and B, then slowly replace the CX with Monsta Bud from Week 3 until harvest.
Budlink is another local product, and one of the first commercial silica additives. It's been around for years, and I feed it as a Part C at 2.5ml/l (you can also foliar feed it). Tap water usually contains a small amount of silicic acid, but silica is an element usually missing in hydro/coco and it does provide benefits by strengthening cell walls, thus providing drought and some pest resistance.
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As we're coming into summer, it's about to get bloody hot here. That's why - despite being a sativa diva - I chose indicas to grow first up. They're more compact, won't stretch as much in the heat, and I don't have to worry about mold at this time of the year, which is when indicas are least prone to bud rot.
I started a 10-pack of femmed Acid by dropping them in a glass of water until all the seeds sank (the next day), indicating they had absorbed enough water to germinate. I then laid the seeds out on a damp paper towel, covered with more paper towel, and put them in a dark cupboard. Some seeds started showing tails the next day, and nearly all had fully germinated within three days of soaking.
One Acid seed failed to germinate - it cracked open but didn't go any further - while another was slow and got desiccated. This can happen if you place the germinated seed near the surface of the coco, and the surface dries out before the tap root can reach down into the moist coco below.
The seedling pots are straight coco soaked with 1/4 strength nutrient solution at pH5.8.
About six days after germinating the Acid, I decided to germinate two Sens Star seeds just in case a couple of the Acid didn't make it. I needed eight plants for my flowering tent. 10 seeds (8 Acid, 2 Sensi Star) made it, and I had to cull two Acid a few weeks later - but I kept clones, just in case . . .
I'm going straight coco next grow. 
