1st Drip Hydro Grow - (10) Bubble Ice F/ Autoflowers, EcoGrowers, 357Magnum LEDs

[DemontauruS]

New indoor grow - started April 1st. Here's the deal.

SEEDS
(10) Bubble Ice fem autoflower
(2) mystery gender White Widows

METHOD
(2) EcoGrower Max, 6" pots, air bubble drip, hydroton medium, pinch of cocotek at the top where cracked seeds grew into, GH nutrients (half the strength recommended), mylar surround

LIGHTS
(2) 357Magnum LEDS

SPACE
5.5' x 2'

TEMPS
Above seedling: 76-82 F (most of the time)
Below seedling water chamber: 64-68 (most of the time)

First time using the EcoGrower and the Magnums. As soon as the seedlings cracked a tail, I put them in the hydroton medium with a pinch of cocotek at the top to keep it moist, as I did not want to run the dripper 24 hrs.

1st problem: three days in I looked in the EcoGrow water chamber out of curiousity, smelled moldy mildew. Pulled a pot or two and found that about all of them have white powdery mildew on the cocotek liners. The water temp was to high and running near 78 deg for thre days, so panicked, and because I didnt have a water chiller, I exactoknifed a heat shield that I fit over the entire growing area that divis the heat above the seedlings from the cool air Im fanning in from the outside. Its a temp fix until I get a couple of small chillers for the 17 gal chambers.

Any recommendations or experience with anything similar here? The strains, lights, liner mildew, growing system, etc? Im gone from outdoors to indoors, and never saw much on the EcoGrower system or Bubble Ice autoflower strain, which claims 20% thc. PS - the mildew has not spread or worsened since lowering the water chamber temps to the mid to low 60's.

 

[DemontauruS]

Ran the bubbledripper all night last night - lts are on 24/7 btw - they seemed to love it and I dont see signs of overwatering. Yet. White dusty substance seems to be under control with the cool 60's temps in the water chambers. Cool nighttime air did the trick.

 

[DemontauruS]

14 days in. Had a little trouble managing temperature in the water basins, but these plants look fine so far. Strong and green. One or two seem to be growth stunted, and one has developed brown spots on the leaves (see pic 3) - but Im fairly satisfied thus far. Again - using half strength on the nutes - will go closer to full stength next week. Never dealt with Bubble Ice, so dont know how sensitive they are (think its the same as AF Bubblicious Ice? - still dont see a thread on this strain). Anyhow, pic #1 is the white widow (praying its a fem) - pic #2 and 3 are of the autos. What do you think - 14 days from germination - they look good to you?

 

[Mineralz]

Supz Demon. If you're having trouble with water temps being too high, try adding a frozen water bottle into your reservoir They look a tad over-watered and some minute nute burn, but other than that they look pretty good Thanx for checkin out my thread. I'm pretty fuckin excited to see how everything works out for me. Glad we're kinda on the same grow schedule so we can compare and contrast. Awesome-sauce. Ill be sure to check back on you BTW...how many lumens/watts or w/e are your LEDs you're using. Im seeing they're becoming pretty popular for early veg these days. Lemme know. Happy growin

 

[DemontauruS]

Hey Mineralz, thanks for reading my shit, dont think anyone else is. Im using 357MagnumLEDs - supposed to put out all 11 light spectrums, etc - theyre powerful I go blind going in there. And at first I wondered if I should put some CFL's in there (and I will next grow) but I wanted to se how the strain did under pure LED, since this is such an up in the air topic.

I raised the water to just below the pots. The roots are spaghetti'ing out with some, others are slower and havent come out the pot yet. I have everything from stunted little 2 inch guys in there to the following front runners below, which are on day 17.

These two guys are the white widows:



This NEXT ONE is an autoflower Bubblator Ice females from whitewidowseeds.com
Theyre legend is to start off slow and then take off.
She looks good, little curlage going on with the leaves, but deep green and happy it seems.
I want to see her take off and get some mass before flowering. That would be nice.
Theyre suposed to be small plants with up tp 20% THC (high for autos) but yield is a mystery.
Grr.



This is just an overview of the setup.
10 autos in there, again. 2 widows. Boy I hope theyre females.
Going to get some Tarantula beneficial bacteria for the water, and a pH meter this week.
Next week after that, a PPM meter



Go 357MagnumsLEDs!
gO eCOgROWERS bubbledrippers!
Go autoflowers!
Im routin for ya!!!!!!!!

 

[DemontauruS]

On the 357Magnums:
11 Dialed in spectrums: 420nm/439nm/469nm/483nm/3000k-3500k/642nm/667nm/680nm/720nm
Uses 3W Bridgelux diodes: While you can find good LED grow lights that use Chinese made diodes, there are two brands of LEDs that are, undeniably, at the top: Bridgelux and Cree. It is widely accepted that Cree LEDs are the best in the business while Bridgelux are a close second. Why do they use the #2 brand? Simple - cost versus benefit. While the Cree LEDs may put out 8% more light per diode, they do so at an increased cost of nearly 400%! Save your money, get LED lights using Bridgelux instead. While 1W LEDs work great for growing shorter plants like in a SOG/SCROG grow, a great benefit to having 3W LEDs in the light is increased penetration power which is key when growing taller plants.
Output: The Magnum light, built on 119 x 3W Bridgelux diodes puts out around 180W of growing strength. This can be a bit confusing as it is marketed as a 357W light, however, due to diode efficiencies, and an attenuating circuit, actual output is 180W. That fact should not be taken as a negative, just a function of how diodes work. While a 1W LED is more efficient, the 3W offers more penetrating power for larger plants.

Ive read a lot of talk about numbers etc but Im running just two of these lamps in a 6 x 3 space and Im about to post new pics from the last 24 hours of growth alone. Like Isaid, Im going to supplement next batch with multiple hiwatt CFLs but wanted to see how it did with the LED's alone. So far so good.

Here's pics of the babies. Not sure if you can see but they took of fast in the past 24 hrs alone.

Here's something weird. One of the smaller weirder plants of the group is bleaching in the middle (#2 in the pics), whereas none of the others are, so Im not moving her. Or changing the light distance. But it is odd how her color is so diffeent from the rest of the batch she came with. Light purplish green, with a blonding center. What do you thnk? The leaves a little dry in general across the group, but are deep green and healthy for the most part if not a little leathery. But this one blonde. I wonder if bleaching does more than just affect color. Can it effect yield? Potency? If so, Ill switch her out / adjust.

 

[DemontauruS]

Day 20 from seed.
Turned off the red LED's for picture only.
They are dark dark green with very wide leaves.
CO2 bag (Exhale) is hanging in the closet now.
Raised the LED's a few inches from the plant tops - now at 8-10 inches.
Water is up to an inch below the pots.
Few minor rusty looking bruns in the lower leaves.
Strain info says they start slow, and then take off. I hope so. Im happy with their health thus far, they just seem so damned smal and short for 20 days old.
On the contrast the leafs are branching of everywhere with a lot of sites being created, so Im having hope.
They just look extra short for this age. Any thoughts?
Pic #4 that bitch looks like poison ivy!

 

[Mineralz]

Looks good to me man My biggest one is at Day 21 from seed as well if you ever wanna compare or whatnot. Keep up the good growing!

 

[DemontauruS]

I cant help but compare our plants, being that their birthdays are practically the same. My little bubble ice autoflowers are looking SPRY at day 23. Since putting the lights further from the plants, theyre exploding. I think too much LED specific spectrum light does stunt growth a slight bit. Definitely discolored them. Dont have that problem anymore.

 

[Mineralz]

Awesome-sauce Demon. I did notice ur pics look purple and blue lulz. To be expected Im sure. I'm gonna get day 24 pics posted later this evening. Your girlz are looking pretty good. Keep on keepin on

 

[DemontauruS]

Day 25.
Hadnt looked in the resv's for roots since start.
Been jealous of Mineralz' roots.
Glad to say theyre are mad strange spindly creatures growing in my nute solution!
As pic'd with the night vision camera.
Other than that, my plants are blowing the F up.
I run the bubbles 24/7 and the water is almost always about an inch from pots.
Of the 13 plants in my closet, one of them is a bagseed, and Im trying to notice which is which cuz Ive lost track - all these plants including the WW are developing healthy, even the shorties.
My pH is running between 6.0 and 6.5 wil adjust that in week to come.
Dont know my PPM but my water s nice and clear with the SLIGHTEST tint of nutes, so Im sure its fine. Might top off with more water and a few more tsps grow solution.
Go Mineralz! Lets bring em home!!!
PS - my room is stankin out. They smell now. Will need scrubber.
This being my first indoor grow, period, I am so psyched.

 

[Mineralz]

Awww yea! Lookin really sexy man. Im pretty psyched as well. Once they start...its kinda hard to stop lulz. They seem to be LOVING your setup. Glad to see those LEDs working out for you. I wantz some

 

[DemontauruS]

Day 28 from seed:
10 Bubble Ice autoflowers / 2 White Widows
strictly LED lighting - bubbleponics

I have a great problem here. These little freaks are BLOWING UP!
The pH has been rising, is up to 6.8 in one container - 6.4 in the other
The temps went up - water at 75 deg for three days - plants seemed to EAT it up
Have been topping off the water as they drink, with weak nutrients preadded - havent flushed anything and dont know PPMs.

Ive heard of people pinching off the tops off their plants (mineralz - youre going to do this?)
but Im afraid of the plants bushing out to much and crowding, as theyre already quite crowded
and I want maxi colas on these suckers

The White Widows are growing fast and starting to hog up the back corner of the closet
I actually have 13 plants - one seed I put in a soil planter and just kept in there off to the side to see how it would do.
Its growing, although meekly - but its led me to think that maybe an AF ended up in the pot, and a bag seed is growing instead one of my bubble pots.
Its growing FAST, branching etc, and I may remove it if its going to crowd the little ladies.

Theres a spider living in one of my plants. This bad?

I want to trim a leaf or two so the inner stems and new stem based leaves can get more light and grow.
Judging from the pics, is this a good idea?
They seem REALLY leafy, but still seem to be getting good light penetration.

I could really use some feedback at this point.
Any advice on how I should continue to handle these babies?
Sorry the pics are mid grade - the LED wacks the coloring in them - but everybody is dark green.
There IS sign of burn (?) on some of the lower leaves - that brown burn - but Ive let everything be as is.
Cant believe the growth in the past week. Cant wait to see what happens the next month.

 

[Mineralz]

Supz Demon. First of all...your ladiez are lookin pretty me thinx. Yur right. Kinda hard to tell the colors of your plants with the LEDs, but thats ok. I also have some little brown spots on one of my back girls. Only like 3, but they look like little holes. I was kinda thinking that maybe the fan was messin them up because it sits right behind her and she's the only one that has them? Spider in the plant MUST GO brutha! I've heard stories and none of them were very good. Do what you can with some insecticide outside ur grow room. I've been taking a wet cloth with some diluted bleach and wiping down my walls and stuff when I do my rez changes just to be sure. Seems to work okay. As far as flushing....I would definately flush. 1)It'll revamp everything your girls have eaten/drank thusfar. 2)Your water temps will drop temporarily with new water 3)With every flush your roots get an oxygen/CO2 bath. Basically, when the roots are exposed to open air(also CO2)during flushing, they absorb it all directly rather than through water. So when you put them back into your bubble pots it takes that energy and acts like a minor growth boost...or so I read Kind of the same way with cloning I do believe. You cut a clone's leaves in half so it takes the energy it's stored and projects it DOWNWARD towards your root system If you dont wanna flush thats completely up to you. I hear some growers never flush and some flush every week/2 weeks. Flushing is pretty simple actually. Just let your new water evaporate a little before you use it. I sit my new water in a clean 7G bucket overnight with the lid cracked a little. This lets the chlorine and whatnot evaporate and also drops your base PPM. PPM meters are pretty cheap online I do believe. $20 or so is what I paid for mine. Handy tool for sure. As far as your water temp problem, 75F is a little too high for my taste. I hear 75F is the starting temp needed for algae growth so you may wanna try covering your lids. Then again the leaves may do that trick for you? Frozen water bottles are an easy quick-fix. You'll have to add them continuously, but you can re-use the same bottle as needed. I'm considering throwing one in my tank as well to help. Water temps between 65-70 are the awesome-sauce temps we need. Trimming I'm kind of hazy on. My girlz are fluffing up as well and I feel ill at the thought of cutting a healthy leave off. I'm gonna wait until they're on the vertical growth spurt and start mine. I'm going to top all of mine once I think. Thats coming up actually considering the growth I'm seeing. 3rd and 4th internode is what I read. Hope this helps man. You know where my thread iz Holla

 

[DemontauruS]

With every flush your roots get an oxygen/CO2 bath. Basically, when the roots are exposed to open air(also CO2)during flushing, they absorb it all directly rather than through water.

Do you use any CO2 with your system? I have this bagged CO2 cultivator called Ex-Hale and i think its the booster why my plants are blowing up and so dark green.

PS - I pinched a thick ass stemmed leaf off the white widow plant because dealerman around these parts SUCKS dry donkey assholes and leaves everyone hangin outa nowhere for weeks on end - thats why I started this - we were fiendin for days - and I felt bad taking it off like I hurt one of my kids lol. My room is STANKIN OUT hardcore. GAve me a headache because it wasnt flushed, I think.

 

[Mineralz]

I dont personally use CO2 yet. It may be a future thing tho

 

[lordjin]

The LED's look cool.

You need to get a handle on your ppm readings, though. Without it, you're pretty much growing blind.

Just like a pilot, I fly on instruments only. Invest in a meter. If you can't afford the 24-7 tri-meter, get the hand-held. It's critical to know your ppms at all times.

Peace.

 

[DemontauruS]

The LED's look cool.

You need to get a handle on your ppm readings, though. Without it, you're pretty much growing blind.

Just like a pilot, I fly on instruments only. Invest in a meter. If you can't afford the 24-7 tri-meter, get the hand-held. It's critical to know your ppms at all times.

Peace.

Youve convinced me, thanks. Would hate to see this setup ive invested in bomb because of a 20 dollar item.

 

[DemontauruS]

I dont personally use CO2 yet. It may be a future thing tho

Yeah - CO2 tanks, i dunno. But this Ex-Hale bag cost 25 bucks, and seems to be working fantastically. It cultivates CO2 for six months through a ventilation patch. Hang it above the plants and it seeps down onto the leaves. No smell - mess. Thumbs up.

 

[DemontauruS]

Day 31 from seed

new pics - growth out of control, even though not perfect - few burnt and bleached leaves again, had to raise the lights
the roots are interesting - the autos have the most rootage fluff - the taller, larger White Widows have less, but very long roots
the 17 gal basins are FILLED with weblike roots

waiting on my ordered PPM meter, fan, and pH down to arrive
trying to get my hands on a small 5000 btu air conditioner to place near the closet base t keep the waters chill
with air temps up this past couple of weeks water has toyed with the low 70's for most of that time
I checked and the water looks great, no algae signs yet, and the plants are drinking a lot of water
Ive never seen growth like this in my life, non soil wise, with my own two eyes

no tendrils yet
im wondering, just out of curiousity, if anyone thats ever run autos under 24/0 light ever needed to pull back to 20/4 to kick in flowering
the widow is hogging up space, as is the bag seed plant
when the autos are finished, im going to attempt to initiate light change for those three plants and see if I can notice sex, and kill the males / and or se the females through another month or so to fruit

going to be a nice cool week with high humidity - humidity I can control
thank you mother nature