BC NL Bloom Box or Producer and other questions for experienced growers

So I am planning on pulling the trigger on one of the BC northern lights systems just after the first of the year but after quite a bit of research, I still have a few questions for those of you who are currently using the bloom box or the producer.

First... I am a total noob at this. I don't say this because I feel like I am going to screw up, more so because I don't have some of the resources others may have. In particular, I don't have a source for clones.

I am looking at buying seeds and germinating for the first go 'round but want to clone from then on. My question: Is there a viable way to do this with only a producer or should I just accept the idea that I need a bloom box for the dual chamber?

Second... My main concern is yield. I know I will get more with a producer, but how much on average? I know it holds double the plants but does that double the yield?

Third... While we are on yields, what strains do you recommend that have a high THC content and good yields for the producer or bloom box? Have any of you tried White Widow in your box, and if so, how did it do?

Finally... If I am planning on adding additional units on to my system in the long run anyways, should I really worry about trying to make a producer work over a bloom box? Since a mothership is $2500, does it make since to just go ahead with the bloom box and run a few cycles and then add on a producer?

Again guys, I am not looking to start a debate as to if I could do the same thing cheaper by building something myself. I have read probably 100 pages on these forums alone precisely on that topic. I am not mr. handy man with a set of tools and I learned a long time ago to realize my limitations. I want a turnkey solution and don't mind paying a premium for it.

I really hope to hear from guys like NoDrama, nathenking, Softail, homegrow101, and anyone else who is using equipment from BC Northern Lights.

Huge thanks in advance!

bumpity bump...

First Off, Congratulations on your Producer, your gonna love it!!

now down to the nitty gritty, You can certainly grow a bunch of plants from seed in the producer, you just need the 150 Watt CFl bulb and turn it on to "veg" mode and "Flower" mode at the same time. right before you start flowering take a couple of cuttings from each and clone them in Rock Wool, you only need another couple CFL's and a shelf to do that. You won't have to build anything and as soon as they root you can just leave them to veg for a while. Once you harvest getting 1/2-1 ounce per plant is average. Double the plants about 80% increase in yield over the bloombox. The best plant you had you would use its clone as a new mother and go from there.

Recommend White Widow, Northern Lights, Skunk #1, they grow fast and are very potent.

Get the producer, it can veg and flower all your plants. A mothership just turns the producer into a flower box, you don't need the veg capability after that since you will do most of that in the mothership. Like I said a shelf with a few CFL bulbs will work almost as well as the mothership if your just needing some clones with a bit of veg on them.

I say get the producer over the bloombox, almost double the yields.

Just like you I am a noob at this, I am on my second crop as my first went horribly wrong. I have however learned a few things so I will answer what I can from a producer point of view as I do not have any experience with a bloom box or a mothership.

I made my decision based solely on yield I was going to pick up a mothership as well but I held off and am happy I did. With everything I have invested in my unit including nutes, extra pump, new ph and ppm pens a water purifier and seeds that I screwed up and I am easily over 10k. Had I picked up a mothership oh boy would I be in some serious debt......my advice is to pick up one see how it goes and add on if everything is going well but hey thats your call. You would probally save money ordering two units but again thats your decision.

The other question I would have about multiple units is space and heat. I do not know where you are from or the climate. Climate is very important as the units run fairly hot so they will need cooling, just something to consider. The only other thing is noise hopefully you are in a situation where noise is not an issue, I will get into that later though.

I am assuming double the space equals double the yield I have heard of people getting 2 pounds per cycle from the producer but I have a long way to go to accomplish that.

Seeds.....get something easy to grow for your first go around do not worry about thc levels etc, if you have friends that have seeds from a baggie they liked use them. I went all crazy bought Northern lights and killed them all as I had no idea what I was doing an expensive lesson. Your first grow is a learning experience do not pump a lot of money into it.

The producer has an add on a clone dome veg tray which works rather well. The only problem is you cannot use your producer for anything else while your seedlings grow so it seems like a lot of downtime for the machine.

I am giving a lot of thought to purchasing a cloner for say $250.00. I have access to lighting for free so my "theory" is while my plants are flowering I can use the cloner as my veg tray so when my crop is ready I can start another one without any downtime.

Okay so this is what I personally have learned from the unit. Buy rubber matting if you purchase one to go under the res. Because the Res. is plastic it vibrates a lot and makes noise the rubber will cut the noise in half. Get some type of water purifer system this is important all my problems were due to using tap water. I also bought a second pump and airstones for my res. I found the ones supplied did not create as much turbulence in the water as I wanted. My plants love the extar bubbles the roots have increased ten fold. Lastly pick up some Colossal Bud Blast maybe ask them to throw it in for free, you dilute it and spray it on your plants they absolutely love it. Get a small fan you can put in your unit to help keep it cool and the stems strong.

I would start by downloading the manuals and reading up on each one to get a head start before you receive it. Also they only ship twice a month so try to work within the window they have for shipping....the closer to the date of shipping the more free stuff you can ask for.

Once you progress you can check this site for reputable seed banks. They usually list the thc level of seeds and also the yields and if they are better for indoor or outdoor. Because the unit has restricted height you want to be careful when choosing.

I am growing feminised skunk I checked the yield, the height and the ease to grow and obviously the cost before I bought them. I have a seed bank in Toronto so I bought them in person I have issues over ordering things on the internet "hoping" they arrive hidden in a package through customs.

Lastly if you are from the States they will ask for your Social Insurance Number when ordering your producer you have no way around it......god bless Canada lol.

NoDrama has been a fountain of information for me and has helped me through some tough times.....if not for him I would have nothing growing so not only do I tip my hat to him I hope he joins your thread and chimes in on areas I have no clue about.

In any event good luck to you and your decision keep in touch and let me know how you make out.

Homegrown101

Well son of a bitch he beat me to a reply go figure...........lol waves at Nodrama.

NoDrama, White Widow is one of the strains that interests me the most. How would you rate its yield in comparison to Northern Lights and Skunk #1?

Wow Homegrow, thats quite a price tag! How did the investment end up so high?

Good info on this post! May I recommend AK47? It flowers for about 7-8 weeks and is nice and strong. Very easy strain to grow but it smells really strong. Its definately worth it though

Senator said:

NoDrama, White Widow is one of the strains that interests me the most. How would you rate its yield in comparison to Northern Lights and Skunk #1?

Wow Homegrow, thats quite a price tag! How did the investment end up so high?

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Well the WW wasn't the best yielder, but its tasty and strong. NL had pretty good yields and superb taste, but the skunk was the fastest growing and biggest yielder. The NL and WW did not smell too much, but the skunk stinks to hell. Now the Big Bud i have grown was a good yielder also, as was the blockhead, but they are a bit less tolerant than the first 3. There are so many to choose from its hard to have a favorite, although my particular strain of NL makes long time smokers say "WoW", so far its gotten the best reviews as far as taste and high. since its so potent you don't need as much to get you couchlocked and I would charge a premium over normal middie proces if i were to hypothetically sell any. Like fruity pebbles cereal is what it tastes like. Anyway, if you grow some bomb ass fire then you will be able to make more with less.

NoDrama said:

my particular strain of NL makes long time smokers say...

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Have you hybridized your strain or is it a "Brand Name Seed Bank" seed? Would it be possible to give your strain a go? I really want something potent, gives a decent yield, and that doesn't stink up the place. Your NL sounds perfect!

I still think BB is a better choice. iv heard a pound a year but for almost 4k id think a bit more then just one pound. Espcialy plants vary in yiel from 10 grams to up to 2 lbs per plant. So what do you think you get for a seed that breed to make maximum yields in one cycle. I love to hear you guys who have the BB and have used it and know how much that will be.

I did my first ever grow run of FRUITY PEBBLES from seed in a Bloom Box and got a super kick ass High THC yield - I don't have or use a scale - but I filled 16 1 Litre Mason Jars full of buds at harvest time which dried down to about 12 Jars. If you go from seed a cycle should average 3 months - once you establish mothers and can clone the average cycle should be every two months. Running Girl Scout Cookies now and curious about eventually maybe adding a mothership/producer… but can only report great results and positive feedback on BCNL and the Bloombox- the product line, manuals, phone help and user forum have all been top notch