AltarNation
Well-Known Member
Sup guy.
So yeah, my first grow was in this awkward closet, then I switched to a tent for a crop. I've since decided to work the closet again, even if it's awkward, because I don't like noise and I'm trying to get things as quiet as possible in living environment. I've adapted to it in a some ways that make it more convenient, including rolling drip-catch trays that hold five plants each that I can slide in and out of the closet. I threw them together from scrapwood and the wheels from computer chairs. I've also worked out a decent setup for those of us who have to work with a rental closet with no way to vent except the doorway. I will be putting up pics soon.
I have a total of 16 48" PAR T5's set up now. The last run was 10 bulbs, and 8 bulbs before that. I keep stepping it up, because I haven't been satisfied entirely with either of my grows... but, to be fair, lights were just part of the equation all along.
In addition to the lighting increase, I've tweaked the soil mix, bought real genetics, reworked my ventilation, and switched to organic earth juice. So far I've had a real good feeling about this run... had a stumble at the beginning when I accidentally let the seeds dry out while germinating, but I sprouted some more just in case, and some recovered nicely as well. Since then, I've had great luck with my ventilation setup, and was holding temps literally 1 degree higher than the room steady and easily with just the 8-bulb fixture on.
I now have 12 bulbs lit (will add four more sidelighting as the plants grow to take up the space they'll cover) and I'm holding steady at 3 degrees above room temp. I'm VERY satisfied with my ventilation setup this time. I'm still tweaking the sound issue, but overall this is a very effective setup and my environment is very stable. I also bought a humidifier and a good remote sensor temp/hygrometer and have paid great care to maintaining my environment this time. My plants seem to be very happy as a result.
Okay, that's enough of an intro ramble, here are the
Specs:
Media:
A mixture of ocean forest blend, peat moss, perlite, and worm castings. Added 2 TBSP of dolomitic lime per gallon.
Each plant is in a 3 Gallon Smart Pot.
Genetics:
-4 Sannies' Kolossus (Indica/Sativa mix, notorious for big ass buds)
-3 Sannies' Jackberry F3 (Pure Indica)
-2 Sannies' Anesthetic (Pure Indica)
-1 Sannies' Herijuana (Pure Indica)
The plant distribution was more equal originally, but I accidentally toasted some of the seeds during germination at first and had to crack some new seeds while waiting to find out what would survive the accident. This is what I was left with. Really crossing my fingers that the Herijuana is a female, as it is the last seed and i want to grab a clone off of it and keep the strain if possible. (Going to monster crop for serious-branching mothers.)
Ventilation:
Upgraded from Panasonic Whisperline to the "rumored to be quiet" TD mixvent series from S&P. I went with the TD-200 because I wanted to upgrade to 8" ducting for improved airflow.
Honestly, this thing is pretty loud still. I mean, it's not jet engine loud like some blowers, but it's not exactly quiet either. Little did I know S&P had a "silent" series too now... would have gotten one if I was in the know when the purchase was made. Overall, I've got this reasonably quiet by having it hung up inside the closet, wrapped in a blanket, and with a decent amount of wrapped ducting on either side of the fan... but even so, it's really louder than I want.
So I've been brainstorming, and came up with adding a plywood door to the closet in order to block more of the noise. I'm also strongly considering a box build for the fan, but I'm not quite there yet.
I've tried FOUR different types of fan controllers trying to get this TD-200 to slow down without humming. The hum is louder than the air noise I get from having the fan on, so that's useless. After three fails, i finally tracked down something that's supposed to address the hum specifically by using capacitors of various sizes to use up some of the juice and therefore slow down the fan to specific speeds. You can't set it to "any" speed, but it has a low med and high... I decided this would be my last attempt... if this one buzzes, I'll give up on trying to speed control the TD line all together. (For those wondering or facing a similar issue, the types I've tried so far that hum include the Temp-2v controller, as well as two different versions of the "solid state" types--one a 2.5a plug-through model, and the other THE ONE S&P FUCKING RECOMMENDED... the solidstate 5 amp one THEY make and sell. It STILL HUMS. BE WARNED.)
So yeah... anyway... for all the headaches I've had trying to quiet it down, the thing is plenty efficient. In fact it's so effective that I see slowing the fan down for more quiet a perfectly reasonable approach, overall. We'll see how well I can hold steady with the last 4 bulbs turned on, but I think I'll still have some headroom. If not, I'll settle for whatever muffling I can get from the plywood door addition and call it a day. (To be clear, this is less for stealth reasons and more for comfort reasons as I am working in a bedroom and would rather not hear the fan.)
Jesus, longwinded tonight.
Okay, what else...
Oh right, the LIGHTING:
-1 8-bulb 4-foot T5
-2 4-bulb 4-foot T5
Right now it's something like 8 flora suns total, with 5 6500k's, a UVL 75.25, a UVL 454, and a UVL Super Actinic. When I hit flowering time, I'll be taking out the veg PAR bulbs and a couple of the 6500k's to drop in my 2 UVL 660nm bulbs and my 2 UVL Red Suns.
NUTRIENTS:
Earth Juice organic line; but I was also gifted BioBizz products so I'm staying open minded about it. Not going to start feeding QUITE yet, as my soil is pretty well supplemented for N with worm castings, but the time is coming up pretty soon one way or another so I'll have to decide.
My options are... straight Earth Juice, with Grow, Bloom, and Catalyst, (I don't have the other additives) or straight BioBizz grow and bloom with TopMax. Or a mixture of the two lines somehow. I'm leaning towards trying the earth juice line alone. I am planning to buy a couple things at walmart so I can bubble for 24 hours before feeding.
--
So yeah, overall i have a good feeling about this op, it's going a lot smoother. Third times a charm. I will get some pics up of the setup and the plants where they're at now. I am one month from seed, but I let them sit in the solo cups a tad too long which slowed 'em up a little, maybe. They went into the 3 gals about a week and a half ago, roughly? :stoned: Mighta been 2 weeks. So like 2 weeks in solo cups then 2 weeks in 3 gals, and that gets us up to now, I think! (should have started my journal sooner!!)
These ladies look happy... I.O.y'all some pics. :0]
Happy growing, friends. This hobby is the tits.
Edit: Pics:
These two are from last week after I finished the carts:
These are today:
Drain tray on wheels, holds five plants each:
Got a G-Pen, been doing quasi-dabs through this oldschool bong...
And one more shot:
Check out my dwarf bottom left in that last pic... when I stunted the germinating seeds, this one barely survived but grew absolutely tiny, really close to the soil surface. She's still alive, but just for fun. Not sure what the plan is with that. Maybe I'll throw it in a larger container and flower it out with the others for fun... might depend on how many males I end up culling...
So yeah, my first grow was in this awkward closet, then I switched to a tent for a crop. I've since decided to work the closet again, even if it's awkward, because I don't like noise and I'm trying to get things as quiet as possible in living environment. I've adapted to it in a some ways that make it more convenient, including rolling drip-catch trays that hold five plants each that I can slide in and out of the closet. I threw them together from scrapwood and the wheels from computer chairs. I've also worked out a decent setup for those of us who have to work with a rental closet with no way to vent except the doorway. I will be putting up pics soon.
I have a total of 16 48" PAR T5's set up now. The last run was 10 bulbs, and 8 bulbs before that. I keep stepping it up, because I haven't been satisfied entirely with either of my grows... but, to be fair, lights were just part of the equation all along.
In addition to the lighting increase, I've tweaked the soil mix, bought real genetics, reworked my ventilation, and switched to organic earth juice. So far I've had a real good feeling about this run... had a stumble at the beginning when I accidentally let the seeds dry out while germinating, but I sprouted some more just in case, and some recovered nicely as well. Since then, I've had great luck with my ventilation setup, and was holding temps literally 1 degree higher than the room steady and easily with just the 8-bulb fixture on.
I now have 12 bulbs lit (will add four more sidelighting as the plants grow to take up the space they'll cover) and I'm holding steady at 3 degrees above room temp. I'm VERY satisfied with my ventilation setup this time. I'm still tweaking the sound issue, but overall this is a very effective setup and my environment is very stable. I also bought a humidifier and a good remote sensor temp/hygrometer and have paid great care to maintaining my environment this time. My plants seem to be very happy as a result.
Okay, that's enough of an intro ramble, here are the
Specs:
Media:
A mixture of ocean forest blend, peat moss, perlite, and worm castings. Added 2 TBSP of dolomitic lime per gallon.
Each plant is in a 3 Gallon Smart Pot.
Genetics:
-4 Sannies' Kolossus (Indica/Sativa mix, notorious for big ass buds)
-3 Sannies' Jackberry F3 (Pure Indica)
-2 Sannies' Anesthetic (Pure Indica)
-1 Sannies' Herijuana (Pure Indica)
The plant distribution was more equal originally, but I accidentally toasted some of the seeds during germination at first and had to crack some new seeds while waiting to find out what would survive the accident. This is what I was left with. Really crossing my fingers that the Herijuana is a female, as it is the last seed and i want to grab a clone off of it and keep the strain if possible. (Going to monster crop for serious-branching mothers.)
Ventilation:
Upgraded from Panasonic Whisperline to the "rumored to be quiet" TD mixvent series from S&P. I went with the TD-200 because I wanted to upgrade to 8" ducting for improved airflow.
Honestly, this thing is pretty loud still. I mean, it's not jet engine loud like some blowers, but it's not exactly quiet either. Little did I know S&P had a "silent" series too now... would have gotten one if I was in the know when the purchase was made. Overall, I've got this reasonably quiet by having it hung up inside the closet, wrapped in a blanket, and with a decent amount of wrapped ducting on either side of the fan... but even so, it's really louder than I want.
So I've been brainstorming, and came up with adding a plywood door to the closet in order to block more of the noise. I'm also strongly considering a box build for the fan, but I'm not quite there yet.
I've tried FOUR different types of fan controllers trying to get this TD-200 to slow down without humming. The hum is louder than the air noise I get from having the fan on, so that's useless. After three fails, i finally tracked down something that's supposed to address the hum specifically by using capacitors of various sizes to use up some of the juice and therefore slow down the fan to specific speeds. You can't set it to "any" speed, but it has a low med and high... I decided this would be my last attempt... if this one buzzes, I'll give up on trying to speed control the TD line all together. (For those wondering or facing a similar issue, the types I've tried so far that hum include the Temp-2v controller, as well as two different versions of the "solid state" types--one a 2.5a plug-through model, and the other THE ONE S&P FUCKING RECOMMENDED... the solidstate 5 amp one THEY make and sell. It STILL HUMS. BE WARNED.)
So yeah... anyway... for all the headaches I've had trying to quiet it down, the thing is plenty efficient. In fact it's so effective that I see slowing the fan down for more quiet a perfectly reasonable approach, overall. We'll see how well I can hold steady with the last 4 bulbs turned on, but I think I'll still have some headroom. If not, I'll settle for whatever muffling I can get from the plywood door addition and call it a day. (To be clear, this is less for stealth reasons and more for comfort reasons as I am working in a bedroom and would rather not hear the fan.)
Jesus, longwinded tonight.
Okay, what else...
Oh right, the LIGHTING:
-1 8-bulb 4-foot T5
-2 4-bulb 4-foot T5
Right now it's something like 8 flora suns total, with 5 6500k's, a UVL 75.25, a UVL 454, and a UVL Super Actinic. When I hit flowering time, I'll be taking out the veg PAR bulbs and a couple of the 6500k's to drop in my 2 UVL 660nm bulbs and my 2 UVL Red Suns.
NUTRIENTS:
Earth Juice organic line; but I was also gifted BioBizz products so I'm staying open minded about it. Not going to start feeding QUITE yet, as my soil is pretty well supplemented for N with worm castings, but the time is coming up pretty soon one way or another so I'll have to decide.
My options are... straight Earth Juice, with Grow, Bloom, and Catalyst, (I don't have the other additives) or straight BioBizz grow and bloom with TopMax. Or a mixture of the two lines somehow. I'm leaning towards trying the earth juice line alone. I am planning to buy a couple things at walmart so I can bubble for 24 hours before feeding.
--
So yeah, overall i have a good feeling about this op, it's going a lot smoother. Third times a charm. I will get some pics up of the setup and the plants where they're at now. I am one month from seed, but I let them sit in the solo cups a tad too long which slowed 'em up a little, maybe. They went into the 3 gals about a week and a half ago, roughly? :stoned: Mighta been 2 weeks. So like 2 weeks in solo cups then 2 weeks in 3 gals, and that gets us up to now, I think! (should have started my journal sooner!!)
These ladies look happy... I.O.y'all some pics. :0]
Happy growing, friends. This hobby is the tits.
Edit: Pics:
These two are from last week after I finished the carts:
These are today:
Drain tray on wheels, holds five plants each:
Got a G-Pen, been doing quasi-dabs through this oldschool bong...
And one more shot:
Check out my dwarf bottom left in that last pic... when I stunted the germinating seeds, this one barely survived but grew absolutely tiny, really close to the soil surface. She's still alive, but just for fun. Not sure what the plan is with that. Maybe I'll throw it in a larger container and flower it out with the others for fun... might depend on how many males I end up culling...
............I think you will like the transition to leds, very similar growth rates but at half the wattage!!!....be safe and happy growing
Ideally, what I'd like is to get into a legalized state and grow in greenhouses with LED supplementation. Maybe I'll bypass the dream room all together and go for gold. 
