Al B. FAQt

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Al B. Fuct

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
dertmagert said:
ok.. your not the first person to tell me that a cool tube would do the trick.. but you are the most reputable!..
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Thanks for that. It's a bit of an investment but you absolutely will be pleased with them as long as you can get air through them and keep that air separate from that drawn into the op.

since i planned on investing in a portable ac ( which is expensive in electricity consumption alone ) i will definately try a cool tube first...
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You'll especially want cooltubes if you have aircon. It's much less power-intensive to use an air-to-air heat exchanger (ye olde cooltooob) to transfer the lamp's heat energy out of the area than it is to put it into refrigerant, pumped with a power-sucking compressor to shift it outside. Cooltubes will make your aircon run MUCH less often when your ambient temps exceed your 25C setpoint and save you some major cash off the power bill. Yes, get the cooltubes in first!
the only doubt i have about its function is that my grow space is a room built within a basement.. the basement itself is not air conditioned and maintains a temp of about 28

so even if i have perfect ventilation and my cool tube is cooling the light enough to not allow any raise in temp, i will still be at 28.. which is by farrrrr better than 33..
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28 is much more survivable than 33 for sure, but you may still have some localised heat-induced problems near the lamp tubes. Cooltubes stop most of the long wave IR heat but some short wave IR passes through the glass and will warm nearby objects- like plants. If the ambient temp is closer to 25C, that effect is minimised as the plant can dissipate heat easily into the room airmass, coincidentally allowing the lamp to be dropped down lower. A cooltubed 1000 can be run about 300-400mm off the plants at 25C.

exhausted by a 295 cfm blower. .
i was wondering if one could "get by" with just running the cool tube off of that, having the intake end of the cool tube pulling air from inside the grow (so it could double as cooling/exhaust)
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Sorry, no. You do need a separate blower for the cooltube. The cooltube needs a constant supply of air at all times while the light is on. The cooltube fan thus can not be run on a thermostat. If you use your main exhaust blower to run the cooltube, you will not have any control over room air temp, which will be whatever ambient temp is plus a couple degrees C.

Yes, getting another blower may be a bit of an expense, but this upgrade is really worth doing. When you're shopping for fans (150mm axial), check noise ratings. Cheaper fans are usually noisier. Go to a shop and listen to them, even if you buy the same thing online later on. If your fan does wind up making objectionable amounts of whzzzzzzzzzzz, use a fan motor speed controller (not a lamp dimmer!) from Ye Locale Hardewarre Shoppe to slow it down. A fan running at 80% capacity may make 50% less noise than at full boogie yet still keep the cooltube glass from warming, which is really all it has to do.
 
Al B. Fuct

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
One more note on cooltubes... gonna treat y'all to a bit of my kindergarten artwork...




This is what is meant by a 'closed air circuit' for the cooltubes. It takes air from outside the room's airmass and puts it outside as well. Don't be tempted to draw air from inside the room for the cooltube. This will affect temperature stability. Use the extra bit of duct and get air from outside.

Also, the cooltube should push air through the cooltube instead of pulling it. It is more efficient for the fan to draw in denser cool air than shift warmed air. A pusher arrangement allows the fan's motor to be cooled by the airflow instead of being heated by the waste heat from the lights, which could conceivably shorten its lifespan.
 
CALIGIRL

CALIGIRL

Well-Known Member
Hey al!
Heres a picture of my first of four trays filled =)



Those are all mostly 2-3ft tall flowering for 20 days from 6-9in clones.

When i put in fill the next tray with clones, The light will be very far up because of those plants that are already in. Is this ok?

How far do you keep your lights up?

=) Everytime I think I have it down, I come up with more questions =\

Thanks
 
sparkafire

sparkafire

Well-Known Member
ZEN MASTER said:
before i start i want to say the this isn't a Al b. fuct ass kissing celebration, it's just a fellow smoker saying thanks.
hey what's going on dude?you don't know me cuz i'm new ot the sight,but i wanted to say that i am glad that you are ok and somewhat back in action. you know they say "you never miss your water until the well runs dry". i'm saying that to say you might not know it, but in my opinion you are a invaluable source of not just knowledge, but in my case inspiration. for the simple fact that when you are on you are always extremely helpful to the best of your ability, which to me is stellar,you may be a little sarcastic at times but never insulting, and always funny(to me), and no matter what you always make a person feel like "I can do it". Its just a good feeling to know that there are still people in this game that have not turned to cut-throat tactics, and ventured to the darkside of the weed game(thinking of themselves only)and are willing to be somewhat of a "MENTOR TO THE MASSES". because the more of us that there are out there,the stronger we become.I usually don't post alot of post,but i read EVERYTHING you post. So hey man stay up, keep bangin out that good shit, and thanks for being who you are.
Wow looks like I did kinda get my nose in there abit, huh?

P.S. i knew that the 2 wk harvest post might not last that long, because you would probably be overwhelmed by the barrage of questions from everyone that didn't read the post completly,so i added it to my favorites just in case, and for reference material.
AL B. FUCT you fucking rock dude!!!!!!!!!!!!
PEACE!!!!
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Nice Job ZEN Master I second that motion!!! Didn't write my own for the fact that I really didn't think there was room for any more "Fuct Heads" trying to get their nose brown LOL . Its bad enough I named my grow in your honor didn't think i needed to say any more other than thanks for your help.

My name is Sparky and I am a "Fuct Head"
 
Al B. Fuct

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
CALIGIRL said:
Hey al!

Those are all mostly 2-3ft tall flowering for 20 days from 6-9in clones.
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Curious, the internode lengths are a bit long. What's the temps like in there? Did you flower clones right after they set root with no veg time?

When i put in fill the next tray with clones, The light will be very far up because of those plants that are already in. Is this ok?

How far do you keep your lights up?
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Yeah, should be ok. The little ones catch up quick. I have 1000W HPS in cooltubes; they live about 300-400mm above the tops.

sparkafire said:
My name is Sparky and I am a "Fuct Head"
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hahahahah :D

Better than being fuct IN the head, I guess. ;)
 
CALIGIRL

CALIGIRL

Well-Known Member
Yep I flowered them right after they rooted from my areo cloner, they went from bout 7in. to 2-3 feet and still growing i think.
 
ZEN MASTER

ZEN MASTER

Well-Known Member
sparkafire said:
Nice Job ZEN Master I second that motion!!! Didn't write my own for the fact that I really didn't think there was room for any more "Fuct Heads" trying to get their nose brown LOL . Its bad enough I named my grow in your honor didn't think i needed to say any more other than thanks for your help.

i wouldn't say that i'm a "Fuct Head" so to speak, but i am definitly a fan no..doubt..about it. i don't know, its just that he does what he really doesn't have to do for "FREE". he not only gives advice, he gives detailed advice. not theories, but some actual"this is what i did(or what i do)an this is how it worked for me" type of shit, and can back it up.and if its something he doesn't know he'll tell you where to go, and this is in his free time. so yea, he's a pretty fucking cool dude to me, wish i knew him.
But anyway I'm out.


PEACE!!!!!!
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CALIGIRL

CALIGIRL

Well-Known Member
The temp is around 75-85 deg. Humidity is about 50%
Its a sativia/indica strain but from what i read its indica dominate
When i veg the same strain to mothers the leaves are big and fat
But when I put these clones into flower, the leaves are skinny
Maybe I should go with a different strain?
 
Al B. Fuct

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
ZEN MASTER said:
so yea, he's a pretty fucking cool dude to me, wish i knew him.
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Succeeded in making me blush, yet again. :D

Thanks. :)

CALIGIRL said:
The temp is around 75-85 deg. Humidity is about 50%
Its a sativia/indica strain but from what i read its indica dominate
When i veg the same strain to mothers the leaves are big and fat
But when I put these clones into flower, the leaves are skinny
Maybe I should go with a different strain?
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Yep, sounds like an indica dom hybrid.

Apologies in advance for my use of metric figures but I find them much easier to use.

You're looking to maintain 25C, +/- 1C (75.2-78.8F) 85F is too warm though and I think that's the cause of your long internodes. We're looking to top out at 27C (bout 80F) at absolute max, and for only a short period each 'day'. Sustained 29C (85F) will cause most if not all strains to display heat-related growth habit changes; this will be especially important in later flowering. High temps can cause not just the long internode lengths but will reduce the density of your buds. High temps will cause buds to 'bolt' or produce long strands of bud material instead of making tight, dense nugs.

If you don't have a peak memory thermometer/hygrometer in there, get one. It's a necessary bit of kit. You need to know exactly what's happening with temps & RH in there at all times, not just when you look in on it.

If you have ambient air at 25C to draw into the grow, your ventilation system should flow enough air to keep the room at 25.

Cooltubes really are the go for getting temps under control.
 
Budsworth

Budsworth

Well-Known Member
Al, I've seen growers cut all fan leaves at the last week or two. How bout you?? Also if your flushing for the last two weeks and you cut the top half to let the bottom
buds swell up do you stay with flushing and no nutes?? Will the bottom buds satill swell without fert??
 
Al B. Fuct

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
Budsworth said:
Al, I've seen growers cut all fan leaves at the last week or two. How bout you??
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No, I don't remove fan leaves. They are the food factories for the plant and should be left in place until harvest. Lower fans tend to yellow and drop in late flowering; this is normal. OK to remove the lowers that are yellowing. Leave the others alone.

Also if your flushing for the last two weeks
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I don't flush. I've tried this and don't find it's necessary- doesn't alter the smoking characters one bit, despite oft-repeated claims to the contrary.

There's some times when I have the space to allow plants to flower a bit longer than the usual 8 weeks. Plants store about 2 weeks worth of nutes. If I stop feeding at 6 weeks, the plants get a bit nutrient deficient by the end of wk 8. If I have stopped feeding, they won't continue to develop post wk 8.

and you cut the top half to let the bottom buds swell up do you stay with flushing and no nutes?? Will the bottom buds satill swell without fert??
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I don't harvest plants piecemeal. They're either ready to harvest from top to bottom or they're not. I harvest when the lower buds have developed good density, as have the buds higher up the stem.
 
Al B. Fuct

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
and you cut the top half to let the bottom buds swell up
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A better solution to poor density on lower buds is to simply not grow any lower buds. This is one of the problems that the Sea of Green method solves.

More kindergarten art, but you get the idea:




The SoG technique produces essentially just the very top cola and the few buds below it on the mainstem that you would find in the top couple of feet of an unpruned plant.

A couple of things need to be done to produce the SoG 'lollipop' style plant. In SoG, clones are put into 12/12 with no veg time post setting root, aside from time they spend in the clone box under fluoros, where no appreciable growth occurs. All branching on the lower 1/3 of the plant is removed; pruning is done in wk 1 and again in wk 3. Any branch that's more than about an inch long gets nipped off. This forces the plant to grow only the big nugs that are attached directly to the mainstem- and they will be larger and denser on average than unpruned plants- the plant will put resources into growing the top that would normally have gone into the fluffy, wispy lower buds. The top buds are denser than any other on the plant and produce the least amount of bud leaf per bud mass. This makes them a lot easier and faster to manicure come harvest time.

The SoG method depends on a larger number of smaller plants. Removing the lower branching of course reduces the per-plant yield. However, you can grow as many as 4 SoG plants per sq ft, where unpruned plants may need at least a couple sq ft just for each plant. A lot of floorspace is consumed by thin lower branches which are shaded by upper foliage, naturally limiting what they can produce. SoG plants yield between 0.5-1.5oz per plant depending on strain and grow room conditions. These poorly producing lower branches will also have a lot of leaf, which restricts air circulation around the plants. SoG lollipops can really be packed in, making best use of available lighted space. Without branches, SoG plants don't crowd each other, even at 4 per sf.

typical SoG budstalk at harvest time- about 1oz here - this one could
have been pruned more aggressively, note lowest bud on a stem

The net result with SoG is you are harvesting mainly top cola buds. SoG grows produce a much higher average bud size and density compared to styles which permit growth of the lower branches.

The downside to SoG is the high plant numbers. If you have severe penalties in your area for large plant counts or have medical grow permission for only a few plants, you may not want to do SoG. It may be better to do the 'mainstem lopped' style, which requires that the plants be vegged for a few weeks after the mainstem is clipped so that the branches will develop large enough to make some decent buddage. If you must veg plants you intend to flower later on and still want a perpetual harvest arrangement, you need a separate grow room with 18+h/day light to do your vegging.

SoG allows you to grow the best quality and highest yield per amount of lighted floorspace of all methods- and reduces work at harvest time, to boot.
 
CALIGIRL

CALIGIRL

Well-Known Member
Thanks Albfuct,
I have cooltubes through the lights, and a fan blowing in air from outside the growtent. should i invest in a portable AC?
 
Al B. Fuct

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
Depends- what is the temp of the air available to bring in the room when the room air is at 28? If the intake air is 25 and you're only getting down to 28 (and the ventilation fans are big enough for the job), there's some more efficiency to be found somewhere.

If your intake air is above 25, you can't expect the room to come down to that temp without aircon.
 
Al B. Fuct

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
CALIGIRL said:
a fan blowing in air from outside the growtent.
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Does this mean you just have a fan pointed in the tent from the outside, with no cross-flowing ventilation? You can't just pump air in without it having any way out. Warm air will just stay put.

You need an exhaust fan fitted through the ceiling or wall near the top of the tent, drawing air out. There also has to be either an intake blower or an intake vent down low so cool air can enter, as such:


 
Budsworth

Budsworth

Well-Known Member
Al B. Fuct said:
No, I don't remove fan leaves. They are the food factories for the plant and should be left in place until harvest. Lower fans tend to yellow and drop in late flowering; this is normal. OK to remove the lowers that are yellowing. Leave the others alone.



I don't flush. I've tried this and don't find it's necessary- doesn't alter the smoking characters one bit, despite oft-repeated claims to the contrary.

There's some times when I have the space to allow plants to flower a bit longer than the usual 8 weeks. Plants store about 2 weeks worth of nutes. If I stop feeding at 6 weeks, the plants get a bit nutrient deficient by the end of wk 8. If I have stopped feeding, they won't continue to develop post wk 8.



I don't harvest plants piecemeal. They're either ready to harvest from top to bottom or they're not. I harvest when the lower buds have developed good density, as have the buds higher up the stem.
Click to expand...
Thanks Al Whats your take on malasses, as everyone raves about???
 
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