BC Northern Lights Producer Grow #2

stillcantroll,

I'm using a "Current" water chiller model 2680. It's a 1/15th HP unit. You can find them and others like it on Craigslist. But I opted to just get a new one. I think I paid about $250 for it online. Someone on here once said something along the line "...a water chiller was on my list of additional things to buy for my grow room. Had I know how important it is, it would have been on the top of my list." It not only keeps my Rez at 67 degress, it keeps the flowering box 12-15 degrees cooler than the ambient room temperture. The room right now is 86, the flowering chamber is 73, the REZ is 67.

Water is circulated by a submersible "Beckett M250A" pump - I picked up at home depot - which sits in the tank. The chiller easily keeps up with any heat displacement the pump produces. The left hose you see in the pic is the intake. The other (on the right side) the return. If BCNL reads this, this should without a doubt be their next improvement/addition to these boxes. It's only a couple hundred additional bucks for a NO PROBLEM root system. Not everyone lives in BC Canada!

You right, my C02 only last 3-4 weeks as well. It's regulator is set at 5 PSI

Ancap,

When your time permits. Let's us know how the trichomes are looking on your grow. If I didn't mentioned it, just cut a small flower, or flower leaf into tiny pieces and view them on a flat surface. You'll never see squat holding it up to the plant like I tried to originally do!!

mrbill said:

Ancap,

When your time permits. Let's us know how the trichomes are looking on your grow. If I didn't mentioned it, just cut a small flower, or flower leaf into tiny pieces and view them on a flat surface. You'll never see squat holding it up to the plant like I tried to originally do!!

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Well, I bought that microscope from Radioshack yesterday. I opened up my Producer box today for the first time and was hit with a new wonderful smell that I hadn't really noticed before. I am at day 45 of flowering now. At this moment, it looks like 90% of the trichomes are still clear, the others are beginning to turn cloudy. I will post a new picture update either tomorrow or the next day. Thanks again for helping me identify scientifically when to harvest these guys!

did they make improvments to the light leaks? i heard some of them had a million light leaks, maybe older models?

jayww said:

did they make improvments to the light leaks? i heard some of them had a million light leaks, maybe older models?

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If the Producer is on in a dark room, there are definitely many light leaks. It is not a perfectly tight seal, but it doesn't leak enough to see lights glowing under a bedroom door or out a window or anything.

I have the same light leak problem, I just use tin tape on a bunch of the little creases to solve the problem. These boxes aren't perfect but they can be perfected

MrBill: Thank you so much for sharing that with us. The intake / outtake hoses, how are you getting those in your box? did you cut holes in the back of your panel? and how did you get them into the reservoir tray itself? I hope im not trampling on your thread ancap, stop me if I am, this is just important stuff

stillcantroll said:

I hope im not trampling on your thread ancap, stop me if I am, this is just important stuff

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You're fine... as long as the conversation is relevant to either this grow or can be helpful to others reading, particularly BCNL growers.

buds are lookin good ancap, how far are they from the glass? can we see some new pics soon

Ancap,

Did you end up using a lot of AN "additives" on this grow? I know you mentioned you'd be using "Final Phase." I used it the last two grows, and personally didn't notice any difference versus just using pH'd water. Others may have expierenced worthwhile results using Final Phase, but I didn't.

stillcantroll said:

I have the same light leak problem, I just use tin tape on a bunch of the little creases to solve the problem. These boxes aren't perfect but they can be perfected

MrBill: Thank you so much for sharing that with us. The intake / outtake hoses, how are you getting those in your box? did you cut holes in the back of your panel? and how did you get them into the reservoir tray itself? I hope im not trampling on your thread ancap, stop me if I am, this is just important stuff

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Stillcantroll,

I just drilled two holes in the back for each hose, and a small one the diameter of the Pump power cord. I cut the electric plug for the pump at the end and tossed it, and replaced it with a new removable three-prong plug. I used something similar to the pic below to attach the hoses together. Then clamped them all tight. If you do this you need to be sure you drill ABOVE the lid by about 12 inches, so you can remove or lift the tub lid. Look back on this Grow Journal of Ancap's and you'll see a couple pics I posted. You can see on those how they go into the tub. One is stationary, the other is not.

Hah, very well done my friend It appears you put one of the spaces you weren't using for a plant to good use. I'm trying to brainstorm a way to get that hose in there without sacrificing a plant spot, by possibly using a small circle cutter or something on the tub itself... I don't know how I'm going to do it though. Good thinking on the removeable 3 prong plug.

So just to be crystal clear, and sorry to occupy so much time talking about this to both you and ancap... you're using a pump to draw the nutrient solution out of the tub, into the cooler, then waterfalling it back into the tub at the other end? I'm a bit confused when you say you attatched the hoses together.

Day 46 Flowering

My nutrient ppm is right around 800. I just ran out of co2 and I'm Wondering if I should purchase another round for the last week. I've been playing around with my microscope, thanks to mrbill, and keeping an eye on the trichome development. I still have mostly clear trichomes by far. My top colas range from being 6" from hitting the glass to actually hitting the glass. However, I've tied down several branches to keep colas out of hot spots. I've sometimes found it necessary to bend a major branch to a 90 degree angle if regular tying is not drastic enough to keep the cola out of the light. The plants recover super quick and it actually exposes more bud sites to the plant. It's terrifying to bend a major branch in half, but it is surprisingly anticlimactic.

Here is a list of the Advanced Nutrient products I am using on this grow in no particular order, since someone asked...

Sensi Grow/Bloom
Big Bud
Vita Boost
B-52
Carboload
Sensizym
Piranha Powder
Tarantula Powder
VooDoo Juice
Bud Blood
Overdrive
Final Phase

And the pictures....

Those colas look great man! I've been told that Co2 isn't really necessary for the last 2 weeks or so, if that helps you make up your mind I'm trying to dial it in as well to be able to use one 20lb tank for the entire run.

Nice and crystally, almost good enough to eat.

How about some root zone pics?

Ancap,

Dang!! Those are looking sweet. I would have a tough time fighting the urge to sample a "small bud."

I agree with stillcantroll about the CO2. Especially if you think your in your last two weeks of grow.

On the AD Nutz - I believe their base products are the best out there. They're formulated for this purpose, as opposed to every plant on earth. I ran into major issues with their organic "carboload" product. Carboload exacerbated a small root rot issue into a major one. I won't ever use it again, or some of the their other "enhancement" products. But I swear by their "base nutrients," along with Big Bud and Overdrive. And White Shark for healthy root growth. That's just my experience.

stillcantroll said:

So just to be crystal clear, and sorry to occupy so much time talking about this to both you and ancap... you're using a pump to draw the nutrient solution out of the tub, into the cooler, then waterfalling it back into the tub at the other end? I'm a bit confused when you say you attatched the hoses together.

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That's correct, the pump sits in the rez tank, pumps the Nutz throught the chiller then back to the rez tank. What I meant by "..attaching the hoses together..." was two hose lengths run up to the back of the Bloombox, they get clamped onto one end of the two "couplers" (see earlier pic) The other end of the "couplers" stick inside the Box. So I clamp another two small sections of hose from there to the tub. One is the intake, the other is the return. I only need them during summer months. In the Winter months the Chiller isn't even hooked up.

I completely agree about carboload. Within a day or so, it made my clean res into a cloudy, sticky mess that stank like cheap wine. It also coated my air stones. I know people who swear by it, and theyve told me to divide the weekly dosage by 4, then distributed that dosage 4 times a week throughout the week as opposed to the total dosage at the beginning of the week, and to also only use it when a very healthy root structure is present to suck it all up. I didn't adhere to either of these criteria last time, I'm going to try to next run before tossing it in the bin.

Thanks again for the tips on the chiller!

holy shit dude, those buds are lookin delicious and oh so scrumptious....much better than your last grow, this really has me wanting to get a producer soon. looks like you should have a real good yield. damn i bet those buds are smellin nice huh? you havent started flushing yet? you should start flushing now if you have a week left.

Ancap- Lookin great. I finally got my producer a few weeks ago and just had a few questions. First of all I have a constant battle with heat. My ambient room temp is at 70 and the box will get up to 85 if the door is shut. I think it may even get to 90 with HPS and the carbon filter on. With M.H. bulbs in and the filter off maybe 82-85. So I keep the door open a bit and put frozen 20 oz. bottles of water in front of the intake fan. That keeps it 78 to 80. My rez temp is 74-75 so I put frozen bottles and ice cubes in their too. So my first question is do you think the ice or bottles could damage roots? And, what kind of temps do u get in the box and in ur rez and do you have any techniques for keeping it cooler? A water chiller seems like WAY to much extra labor for these supposed all-in-one boxes(I was mad enough that I had to add an air pump and 2 stones to cover the roots better(though a great idea!)). I don't want to drill holes or sacrifice a plant site if possible. Also, my airstones move around a bit. Any way to keep those fuckers in place? I have other questions but I don't want to bog your journal down. Thanks for any input! I'll have a detailed journal up soon as well. We grow-box owners gotta stick together and help each other perfect these things!

Hey BigBux, I'm doing a producer run and I can comment on my experience if you'd like to hear it while you wait for a response from Ancap.

I know exactly how you feel, the frustration from having to modify a turn-key machine is overwhelming, especially after the substantial initial investment, but don't worry, once you start growing something sticky you'll forget about it

Your temperature sounds almost exactly like mine when I first owned the box. My answer was an air conditioner. I strongly suggest you get one, as it could very well solve all of your temperature problems including the ones in youre res. If you can't afford one right now, keep doing what you're doing, but if your temps are going up that high my experience tells me that either you're in a smaller room, or in a room that's at ground level or higher (like me). In these sort of cases, an air conditioner will almost certainly be in your future

I currently use a air conditioner, and I still put water bottles in the res because I like to keep my temps between 60-65 to reduce any potential problems to almost nothing. If you use for example a 2 litre frozen bottle, it doesn't move around very much because it's sitting between net pods, which keep it reasonably stationary. It doesn't, from what I can tell, damage the roots at all. By the way, don't let the added work deter you. Frozen water bottles are super, super easy to change out and don't let anyone tell you other wise. If you'd like some tips, let me know i'll share what I've learned.

I wouldn't be surprised if the extra air pump is enough to ward off any potential problems you have if your res temps stay at 75 or below. That extra pump should add a good amout of extra dissolved oxygen. 75 is decent, anything above that is less than desireable, but plenty people get by with 75. I know Ancap runs organics like sensizym and piranha, which work for some, but didn't work well for me. I would suggest trying both them and h2o2, and see what works best for you. I will speak from experience, and say that organics were a nightmare for me, and h2o2 works wonders and is much cheaper once dailed in (which I can help you do). However, many people including Ancap have used them with great success, so hats off. One day I'm going to convince him to try h2o2, just watch

Ancap's products dissolve dead root matter and turn it into food. The fungi and bacteria also compete for food in the res that the pythium bacteria would otherwise eat, in essence starving it.

H2o2 serves as a massive boost of oxygen for your resevoir which is a hostile environment for pythium, and a wonderful gift to your roots. Unfortunately, h2o2 is also a very strong oxidizer (the term unfotunately is relative to its application). Simply put, h2o2 is put in the water you plan to use to mix up your new weeks nutes, and left to sit for 30 minutes. Then you add the nutes, pH it, and throw it in your tray.

I might be rambling here, but I really want to give you as much information as I can. Guys like Ancap, smokedup, and smacc did the same for me and saved me a LOT of headaches. I had a failed crop to bad res temps, and I don't want the same to happen to you.

Oh, and i'm not sure about your airstones moving around, i've never had that problem. Just work the air hoses till theyre sitting steady and close the lid. I move my air stones around daily anyways for maximum exposure, might not be a bad thing they are moving on their own

Hey no please ramble away(as long as ancap's cool with it)! Good stuff to know all around. I will try the 2 liters next. I have to change 20 oz. bottles every hr or 2 so I'm hopin a 2-liter stays cold 4 hrs or longer. Believe it or not my Producer sits in the middle of my living room because it wouldn't fit in my walk-in closet like we had planned(should have seen the look on girl's face when that fact became apparent!) It's a large open room with central AC shooting down at it from an 8 foot vent running all day long. We on 3rd floor. Temp in house set at 70 but producer edges it to 75 on a hot day. With door open and 2 20oz. bottles in front of intake fan as I type at 11 p.m. the apartment is 72 and the box temp is 80 with the temp-sensor in the shadow of a pot-cover so I think it's pretty accurate. My taller plants at 6 to 8" are starting to go sideways I'm assuming because heat. I just switched the time so the light will be off between 11 am and 5pm and 11 am and 11 pm when I switch to flower but that will only help for the daytime's even higher temps. It's very frustrating. Before I spend any more loot I'm going to try a little fan on the right side of the box or a fan straight-up blowing into the box from the outside. I just wish they had chillers for better than $300 and I haven't seen any but beyond that I don't want this crazy hose shit takin up my space. What kind of Ac do u use and would a portable unit do the trick? Maybe if i vented the AC right to the intake fan?