Daves Aerogarden grow (with pics).

[WoldofWeedcraft]

For the CFL fixture wiring i bought a cord with a plug from walmart. It's like the type cord you would wire for a lamp (just pos and neg, no ground). Get some wire nuts and electrical tape and you're pretty much golden. Also, make sure you get at least 42 watts, and i mean REAL watts not equivalent. It's good to mix the spectrum (i.e. red/orange mixed with blue/violet) but most stores i've seen have only orange spectrum for the 42 watters. For changing the water, you can fill a bucket or a pan with water (pref. a 1 gal) and take the top off of the AG and rest the roots in your bucket/pan. Clean your resevoir good, but the top back on and add the water. I tried adding the nute tablets two diff ways: 1. Just drop the tablet in the water. 2. Crush the tablet and add the powder to the water. Crushing the tablet actually left more "residue" in my resevoir (i.e. it didn't all dissolve), and dropping the whole tablets in seemed to be more efficient in terms of solubility. You can try your own methods and let us know also, but I don't think it really matters whether or not you dissolve the tablets before adding the water. If you were using your own hydro nutrients, yes, you would do it this way to mix everything properly and take pH, but with the AG tablets, they are designed to just be placed in the water, pH gets adjusted automatically and you're good to go. You want to consider using an airstone also. As far as trimming, i'm no expert. I usually pull of the brown leaves as they die, but I really don't cut anything b/c it can cause stress that may turn your ladies into hermies. If you are using clones and you plan to top your plant, I would read up on that before doing it.

 

[daveg1i]

Wow this thread was great. I read it once thru forwards, then read it again from the back to the front, and now again front to back again. LOL. This is my first real attempt growing. I tried once a very long time ago when living with other family members, climbing up in trees and hanging the plant so I could give it sunlight and keep it out of the grandparents eyes. Those were the days and unfortunately a bad storm claimed the perty girl.

But I was lucky enough to receive an AG as a gift from my mother of all people, happened to already have the cord on hand to plug the lights in separate. Still need a timer, but not until the 12/12 cycle I gather. I'm going to try to follow your procedure as closely as I can. If it ain't broke don't fix it. And yours looks far from broke, they look like totally upper echelon budz. Seriously, my heart leaps at the possibilities when I gaze longingly at your progress photos.

So, I gotta get the mylar sleeping bags for the walls (have white garbage bags duct tapes to the closet walls temporarily. Extra CFLs...question on those, what was the wiring you had to do for the fixture? Just attach a plug to the wires of the fixture? If that's it then I am sure I can figure it out.

Would you mind elaborating on exactly how you change the water so as to not damage the plants? It looks tricky and you indicated it wasn't the simplest thing to do. I have oger hands and often accidentally crush the life out of delicate little beings. I never mean to do it and it always bums me out...

And as far as nutes, I am going to use what came with the kit. I have 2 salad green kits and one tomato, so I think I will use whatever nutes come with the salad greens kit unless that is a bad idea and someone is kind enough to let me know. It seemed like you said first 2-3 weeks go with straight up distilled water, then add 1/2 tab nutes every 2 week water change, and as the plants get bigger then use a full tab of nutes each water change. Do you pre-dissolve the tablet before introducing it into the tank or just plop plop fiz whiz into the tank?

How often did you end up trimming the plant too? Not sure I was able to figure out the frequency from the thread. Maybe reading it backwards the one time has me all confused...

OK, so I think I got it under control enough to get started, but if you'd be so kind as to answer my questions in this long ass post, it'd really help me out. Thanks in advance dudemasterz.

yea man on the fixture i bought it from home cheapo and it has 3 wires, 1 is just a ground strap(you can tell the ground by the no plastic covering on it) then you just hook the other 2 up to any wired plug, polarity doesnt matter, just hook the 2 up and your good, on the nutes i went half nutes once i had some good roots, that took a few weeks. then when they were like 6 to 8 inches i went with 1/2 a tablet every 2 weeks, and its basically a 2 man job to change the water, we took the lid off and held it over the sink or a towel just so the floor didnt get wet, then i just dumped the water out and rinsed it in the shower, nothin crazy just rinsed it out. then i put the lid with the plants back on the unit and put it back in the closet, then i added my water so i didnt have to balance it with water the walk back(alot easier) then i added my water and just threw the amount of nutes in i needed, didnt really break em up other then when i used a half a tab it was obviosly broke up.
and for trimming people say not too, and try not to. i learned the hard way i trimmed them real good one time and it set me back about a week(basically until all the leaves i cut off grew back). once the plants get into 12/12 and there just trying to grow the buds you can trim it. so basically i trimmed it once and fucked up but then i just trimmed it yesterday because its just growin bud now and the leaves are all dying anyway. i did it now just so i could get more light to the littler buds. any other questions ask a way man, and thanks on the compliments

 

[catfishrivers]

Yea thanks for the replies guys. I think I got the basics down now. I will pop in to let you know how it's going and to keep checking in on your efforts. I have to say I appreciate the thoughtful responses. Be Well!

EDIT: Oh duh! I seee now. The lid of the reservoir actually disengages from the belly. That makes it seem a lot easier to dump the old water out. Ok thanks, I reread yer guys responses and it sunk in. Splendid.

 

[daveg1i]

no doubt man that what where here for, if you have a camera you should start up a grow journal. its cool to do, its always on here and you dont have to have any pics or files on your computer. and you dont have to be home to check out and look back at pics.

goodluck bro

 

[daveg1i]

plants are fillin out good, ill have some updated pics tomorow.

 

[felix]

hey! (i'm new) =)
this is a great grow man, good pic updates too. did you ever find out what your friend does to get the better smell when drying them out?

 

[daveg1i]

hey! (i'm new) =)
this is a great grow man, good pic updates too. did you ever find out what your friend does to get the better smell when drying them out?

yea thanks man, i havent got the info yet, if anyone has good proven ways could you post... thanks, thats my next worry

 

[DGAF420]

wussup guys, i have a question i have an aerogarden going and i ended up with 5 females. Do you guys think i could finish all of them in my aerogarden ?? Im on 5th week of flowering, 9th week total. any advice would be appreciated

 

[daveg1i]

wow man, yea i mean if your only 9 weeks total and youve been flowering that long then you should be fine growing 5 plants. if you have pics i could tell ya.

 

[WoldofWeedcraft]

yea would help to see some pics. how big are those 9 week old plants? Are you supplementing with more light? B/c you'll need to.

 

[DGAF420]

Well i have some pics but i cant seem to get them on here, it says there too big but i dont know how to resize them. They are like 13 to 16 inches tall and one is 24" tall, and right know i just have the aerogarden light and two flourecent lights one on each side. I plan on hooking up one of those light fixtures like u guys are useing. Didnt u say its a bathroom fixture with four sockets and a couple y splitters ?

 

[DGAF420]

My bad for double posting, but how do i get the pictures on here ?? sorry im a newb

 

[daveg1i]

Well i have some pics but i cant seem to get them on here, it says there too big but i dont know how to resize them. They are like 13 to 16 inches tall and one is 24" tall, and right know i just have the aerogarden light and two flourecent lights one on each side. I plan on hooking up one of those light fixtures like u guys are useing. Didnt u say its a bathroom fixture with four sockets and a couple y splitters ?

yea dude thats what it is. bought at home cheapo. 14 bucks.
if you go to the newbie forum i think it is or the support forrom they have programs that can resize images for free. try it out

 

[DGAF420]

Ok heres a few pics, from earlier today

 

[daveg1i]

yea man they look good, ide try to tie that back left one down a little so its the height of the other onesn then bring the light back down a but. they look a little stretched, but they look good man.

 

[daveg1i]

i found this at radioshack 10.99, doesnt seem bad says its 60-100x magnifier.
anyone used this, or anything like it, and is that something that would help me to see the tricks?

 

[blowinbig]

dave you seem to be one of the better growers with the aerogarden, take a look at my journal and tell me what you think

 

[HippieMan]

is that tinfoil

 

[stickyicky77]

i found this at radioshack 10.99, doesnt seem bad says its 60-100x magnifier.
anyone used this, or anything like it, and is that something that would help me to see the tricks?

I have one they work great. It is just like the one they sell online for $25 that has 420 printed on it.

 

[daveg1i]

is that tinfoil

hope your jokin man