Perpetual harvest cabinet - 2x 150w hps and cfls - Grapefruit Hash & Pineapple Chunk

Pullin' weeds

Pullin' weeds

Well-Known Member
So I've been off the site for a couple years and recently came back. It's been interesting to see how things have changed in that time as we've had more and more states approve medi-pot measures. So much great info!
Anyway, I've been growing all along, improving my cab and skills. Had some setbacks here and there - but that's how we learn and get better, right?
So here goes.
I've got a semi-stealth perpetual grow in a mid sized cabinet that I built and run in the basement. This is my 5th cab I've built, each one improving on the last. Built out foil-backed insulation foam bought at Home DePOT and scrap wood from wherever. The foam is insulating and nicely reflective on one side. Easy to cut and tape to build quite sturdy boxes.
I'm currently growing a Grapefruit x Hashplant strain my good friend brought back from BC many years ago. I've been growing generation after generation for about 8 years. I just recently sprouted Pineapple Chunk from Barney's. It's vegging now (in the back there...) and I can't wait to try something new!
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Pullin' weeds

Pullin' weeds

Well-Known Member
First off we've got the clone and preliminary veg space. It's got a horticulture heat mat, keeping all those delicate babies nice and warm. After trying nearly every cloning technique, I've settled in the KISS (keep it simple stupid) technique. Clones are cut, dipped in gel and then put into small cups of plain water. That's it... I can get 4-5 per cup. Roots show in about 10 days and I've had 100% rates since adopting it. I like it cause I can imediately see when the roots develop withou disturbing them and it couldn't be easier. I don't have a "mother" plant - clones are cut from plants just before they move into the flower chamber.
After a few decent roots appear on a cutting, it goes into a 9 oz cup w/ drainage holes. They spend 3-4 weeks. I usually have more clones than I need, so I select the best for re-potting and sell/give/chop the rest. Once space opens up they move below to the main veg space.
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Pullin' weeds

Pullin' weeds

Well-Known Member
I've been using miracle grow potting soil (read the recent MG vs FF thread if you doubt) to which I add a fair amount of perlite. I also add my own sterilized garden compost and some gypsum (for calcium). I have a 30 gal water tank that I collect rain water and I toss in a handful of epsom salt into the water every time I fill it to supply Mg. Using a Bonsai technique - each time I re-pot, I pot them a little bit higher in the pot. As the soil gradually washes down, it develops a mat of roots at the top of the zone. These air-roots dry out quickly making lots of air space and provide plenty of o2.
The main veg chamber has 4x 23w cfls with DYI ghetto reflectors made from foil stove-top liners (note: in the posted photo, 2 lights have been pulled out of the way to show off the girls). I insulated the edge with elec tape to prevent shorting out, but otherwise they've worked well. They hang right off their wires, completely adjustable with a low tech, but non-damaging clamping mechanism (clothes pin). A PC fan provides circulation.
I'm running a 10 day cycle - each plant spends 10 days at each location in the chamber and then cycles to the next spot, re-potting every 2 cycles (or 20 days). At each step, I LST train - pruning and bending to provide the max light exposure and provide max number of decent colas. Holes have been drilled into each pot to provide tie down points - and I use thin insulated copper wire recovered from a quarry (blasting wire) for training. In the last position they get prepped for flower, they go into 1.5 gal containers with a little bat guano for good measure. I've been meaning to move to 3 gal containers, but I've been trying to first max out the size in what I got. Before they go into the Flower chamber, I identify and take cuttings - mostly lower branches that wouldn't grow tall enough to break above the canopy.
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Pullin' weeds

Pullin' weeds

Well-Known Member
The flower chamber has 2x 150w HPS bulbs in home-made air cooled reflectors. In the summer, I can put glass into the fixtures to act as a heat shield. To add a little spectrum variety and a few extra lumens I added a few CFLs in as well. Circulation is from a small hanging desk fan. Everything suspends from the ceiling and is easily adjustable. Air flows from the veg into the flower chamber, and finally into the utility chamber via a bathroom fan with speed control. Inside the utility chamber, I have a small ozone generator for odor. For ultimate odor control however, the vented air gets blown into my house's plumbing vent stack - blowing split out the roof and into the sewer. What better place to hide odor than in a big shit pipe??
As I said, each plant spends 10 days in each of 6 positions, for a total of 60 days in 12:12. I also try to rotate each plant 90 degrees every day (poor man's light mover). In each position, I do something different each cycle. Examples - Position 1 gets continued training as it stretches, 2 & 4 get a dose of nutes, when a plant gets to position 3 and 5 it gets a decent h2o flush . At 5 and 6 I trim out large fan leaves to get more light to the lower regions. (the plant would be starting to drop them anyway). 5 & 6 also get Molasses or sucanat.
Hanging over the last 2 positions, I have a UV-A Cfl, sold in pet stores for people keeping reptiles. There is an interesting video online I saw regarding UV-A and THC production (google it). What sold me was a map overlay naturally occurring high-THC strain lo-cals, with UV-A concentration. Highest UVA levels – i.e., equatorial and high mountain regions historically produced the strongest weed. Anecdotally, I felt it made the plants finish sooner and more potent. HPS bulbs don't put out squat UVA.

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Pullin' weeds

Pullin' weeds

Well-Known Member
Spookie - I've been making adjustments to increase my plant size and things keep getting better and better, but I can pull about an Oz every 10 days right now. Like I mentioned, I might make the jump to 3 gal pots soon.
 
L

LarryTheStoner

Well-Known Member
so many of the small set ups on this site are shit.

Im glad to see someone who knows what they are doing but keeps it small. +rep
 
grow space

grow space

Well-Known Member
Ya man, like your style, very nice stealth cabinet...do you only have the access to the basement ?





Keep up the good work..:peace:
 
Pullin' weeds

Pullin' weeds

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by and taking a look!
Here's a photo of the air-roots I mentioned. Kinda hard to see, but the very top of the soil is mostly root mat. It dries out in hours after watering, preventing any lack of O2 to the root zone.
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Pullin' weeds

Pullin' weeds

Well-Known Member
Grow Space - Just me and the Fam. My wife is cool with it so long as I'm not the obvious "pot-head". The kids don't explore the basement much yet - "spiders live down there"... I'm soon to wall off the space and put a door with a decent lock on it to keep curious eyes away.
I was kinda hoping that the politics would have played out better and I wouldn't have to be sneaking around so much... I guess I have to keep hiding and waiting (and smokin)
 
brownbearclan

brownbearclan

Active Member
Wow so much good info. here! I'm really trying to keep everything DIY/simple and I think I may just try your cloning technique. =)

How far across (width) total would you say your whole setup is?
 
Pullin' weeds

Pullin' weeds

Well-Known Member
Brownbear- it's about 5 1/2'w x 2 1/2'd x 5'h
mijola- yep, 1 plant every 10 days. Keeps me happy :)

Thanks to everyone for lookin!
 
mijola3

mijola3

Active Member
hey there just wondering what you use to move the air from clone/veg room to flower room? i can't see in the pics...maybe a PC fan or something? and another quick question; do you have a passive air intake in the clone room? just some holes in the bottom or something? thanks for your knowledge,
 
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