5 x 5 light set up

BCBLondesLEDGrowLights said:
Great point about c02, this is probably why I hardly ever see it, and it seems to be a fairly frequent problem on the forum. FWIW i'm in coco too.
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I've always found with coco the more you water it - and treat it like hydro (which it is) - the better the results. As long as you have good drainage. My plants are on an auto-watering schedule of one minute, five times a day (during 12/12, no watering during lights off). I also have a diversion jet inside my reservoir which circulates and aerates my nutrient solution whenever the pumps come on. I used to have air stones in my reservoirs, but the bubbling (oxidisation) used to drop some nutrients out of suspension, as I use organic-based nutes.
 
Prawn Connery said:
Remember, if the plants are deficient, they won't be able to photosynthesise as much light, which will make them more susceptible to excess light energy, which creates a stress loop. When I first started growing under LED I had a similar problem. The solution was not just to up the nutrient level, but to turn down the lights until they recovered. I discovered this after I removed one plant and put it in the shade outside. It recovered in the most part because it was no longer being light stressed and, once it had recovered, I put it back inside under LED, gave it a good feed, and it thrived once more.
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Agreed & Turning the lights off or on super low has helped recovery with this I the past.
I like the warm water flush idea. Seeing how I'm half way through & it's either try or die & I'm doing that now followed with a 3/4 strength feed.
 
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@the mad professor and crew

I am going to change my set up to something along the lines of your pump system to 4 x individual pots instead of 2 x tubs. Mine is currently from reservoir to the tubs with halo rings and using a timer (controls in seconds, 5 feeds per day in flower, 3 in veg)) which works fine for me but not practical for when I am away (for 3 -4 weeks) if timer needs adjustment as plant grows and requires more nutrients/water volume.

If I run a pump like yours with a sprinkler in reservoir and lines or halos out to the pots is it practical to be able to run a valve in the line whereby opening it will increase flow rate to pots to control run off volume. I guess my concern is how even is the distribution when valve is say closed 70% - or is this what you do before adding additional timer start times? I am guessing that the sprinkler would put enough back pressure on the system for this to work ok, may have to adjust sprinkler volume to get back pressure right?

I need a simple system for when I am away pls

If a pot is sitting say 2-300mm higher than the others is the difference in head going to be reflected significantly in a reduction of flow rate?

Just use pots from Bunnings with 10l buckets?

Other ideas welcomed also!

Thanks peops
FC
 
Yes, different head heights will definitely affect flow rates.

I run one tap from my reservoir to the main 13mm supply line, off which run all my 4mm feed lines to the pots. With a sprinkler/jet inside the reservoir, there is enough back pressure from a decent pond pump to supply all the pots even with the valve (tap) half closed or more.

First I set my timer: always one-minute intervals and then 5-6 times per 12-hour period during summer, and about 4 times in winter (to reflect the reduced evaporation).

Next, I open the tap to ensure there is enough flow to each of the pots and - more importantly - that there is enough flow to prevent salt build-up at the 4mm feed line outlets, as slow dripping can lead to salt and sediment blockages at the mouth of the line. You need a bit of pressure out of the 4mm lines to keep them clear (I do not run line cleaners in my reservoir).

Finally, I have at least two 4mm lines to each pot. This saves your plants if one line becomes blocked while you are away. Having several lives to each pot also allows you to chop and change - you might have two lines going into one pot, and three into another that requires more watering (different strain, bigger plant etc).

So timer, tap and lines are the three ways I regulate nutrient to each pot.

Adding an extra line is also a way to compensate for different head heights that reduce flow to the higher pots.

These are the reasons why I use separate lines instead of halo rings.
 
PC
  • What is the head capability of your pump, I know flow is 550 litres per hour
  • Where did you get the 4mm to 13mm manifold fittings?
  • Is the control valve a simple ball valve style or a diaphragm type?
This will make some cringe, I been measuring my run off and at the start it was close to what went in. The last 2-3 weeks it has been over 4000EC (my EC in is currently 2500 which is plus 1800 as per Canna schedule), why know signs of nutrient burn - is it as simple as the plant just takes what it wants? Am I just wasting chemies?

Under my 600HPS I would have seen alot of yellowing leaves by this stage,is this from heat stress? How come under LEDs I am not seeing any, still 2 weeks to go but even so...

With your perpetual grow how do you control the nutrient demand between the 2 sides?

This:

https://www.rollitup.org/t/strip-leds-in-the-garden-of-paradise.954799/

has to be one of the most informative threads around, this is the 2nd time I have read it, yeah I know, slow learner:bigjoint:

Thank you, that should keep those little fingers typing:)
FC
 
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Doh, me and me big gob. Is this nut burn, light burn or senescence - pH is 6.2. I'm thinking nutrient burn from salt build up from not enough flushing.
20190120_103215.jpg
 
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That actually looks like excess potassium. Coco releases potassium as it biodegrades. That's what you might get from too much PK boost.

EDIT: Also looks like a bit of calcium deficiency, which is another sign of excess K, as it locks Ca, Mg and other metals out.

Cannabis plants should not yellow towards the end of their run - that's what happens when people flush too early. I don't actually flush, and my plants are as green on the day I cut them as when they went in.

Not sure of the head height of my pump - I think it's about 1.1-1.5m.

It's not a check valve, it's a simple 13mm reticulation tap in line with the hose. Open the tap for more flow and less recirculation, close it for the opposite.

I got the 13mm-4mm adapters from a local hydro store - most have them.

It's possible for EC to be higher coming out than going in - especially when the weather is hot and there is a lot of evaporation inside the pots. If also depends how you are testing it: if you are testing runoff that has been sitting around for a while, then evaporation is going to give you a higher reading. If you are testing it as it is coming out (fresh runoff), then the reading will be more accurate. High EC coming out may be a sign of not enough runoff. Or a problem with your EC meter.

Again, I don't test much - I just look at the plant to see if it's happy. If it is, I keep doing what I'm doing. My plants all get fed exactly the same through all stages of growth. The beauty of run-to-waste is they take what they need and the rest gets flushed.
 
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Frank Cannon said:
PC
  • Where did you get the 4mm to 13mm manifold fittings?
FC
Click to expand...

Just look for Autopot 16mm to 6mm T connector
https://www.hydro-grow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/autopottee.png
]
 
Thanks guys, yeah I think you are on the money with lockout as I have been feeding PK pretty hard and runoff has dropped off a bit due to hot weather, hence my high EC out.

I might ease up on the chemies a wee bit next time.
 
Yeah, or just give your coco a flush with warm (40-50C) water and restart your nutrient regime as per normal or slightly less than before if you're worried about salt build-up. And maybe go easier on the PK. Coco already has a lot of potassium in it, and you usually don't need the high amounts of phosphorous normally found in PK boosters.
 
TBH, @The Mad Scientist, I can't wait for all my chemies to be used up and just follow you regime, far easier all round I thinks. My plants have always had yellowing leaves in the last week or 3, so obviously the last few years I have been feeding way too much PK - I thought this was normal!

Bro these nuggets are made out of lead, super dense. Again tho, colas have not filled out like I had hoped lengthwise down the plant but new clones again. I need to just settle on a strain or 2 and keep my shit together with cloning. I'm going to try and order some Wappa and Sensi Star and see how they go, learn the strains and take it from there.

My last grow was the same on different strains, colas didn't fill out down the length of the plant. Time will tell, as I will pull in the next week or so.

FC
 
You won't get the same, strong penetrating light with four (or six) different light sources (LED) compared to one intense point of light (HPS). LED will tend to give you harder, denser buds than HPS, too, as it has a bit more blue. And of course bud structure also depends on how much stretch you induced in the first two weeks of flower, as well as root structure (big roots = big buds).

What having all those different light sources will do is give you a more even canopy, so instead of getting a few big colas in the middle of your grow with HPS, you should get a lot more medium sized ones across the whole grow out to the edges. You should still get better yields.
 
Frank Cannon said:
@T-Time yeah these Aussies might not be much chop when it comes to cricket but certainly pretty helpful when it comes to growing the devil's weed:mrgreen:

PC, yeah, I did wonder about sticking with the 48V stuff for later on down the track:wink:

FC
Click to expand...

Aren’t all you guys from down there aussies?

Like, isn’t NZ an aussie out-island?














;)
 
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Frank Cannon said:
Gents, currently have a RS150 Ruck Can-fan. I would like to put a temp controller on it whereby I can set minimum speed for odour control. Is there anthing around that does this that you have found works well. Its hot here so there will be alot of times when it runs flat chat regardless but for winter it might be nice to have it dialled in a bit better.
I run it with a silencer and carbon filter, not averse to buying a new integrated unit but db needs to be considered, current operation is around 59 decibels.

As usual appreciate the constructive comments.

FC
Click to expand...

How bout just a timer?
 
 
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