Dyslexics Untie! Satori|Stealth/Tent|DWC|250W HPS/MH & 180W Led|CO2@1500ppm

This will be journal numero uno for me, as well as my first full grow (hopefully). So I'm definitely pumped to use this as an opportunity to connect with the rest of you 'cannafficionados'. One thing I know for sure is that this community constantly reminds me why I'm glad I accidentally wandered into pot-culture/cultivation and jumped in head first. Without the collaborative nature of this scene, I would have been helpless. So it's in that same spirit that I hope that some of you can learn from a few of my mistakes, or better yet, catch them before they develop into problems for me. Everyone's welcome to join in as much as they feel, but let's keep the vibe positive.

I've got a freshly minted medical card and a love for nature's medicine. And while I wish it was as simple as that, unfortunately for my bank book, I'm a gadget nerd too. My hardware collection for this hobby got a bit out of hand, however the nature of my grow situation requires that a few parameters are met (that's how I justify it to myself at least).

First off, it's gotta be stealth. Yes, I am a legal grower, however, I am also a professional in a conservative field, so stealth is a necessity for when my colleagues and buddies come over. Secondly, I travel a lot with work, so the setup has to be automated, and somewhat redundant. And finally, it's gotta be safe. I'm a bit of a safety-nazi, so with that in mind, please call me out anything you deem to be unsafe.

In the mean time, a bit about the setup:

This will be a closet grow. It's an L shaped walk-in closet, about 10'LX6'WX12'H.
The tent is a DR60 by SecretJardin. 2'LX2'WX5.5'H - modified to accommodate cool tube.
It'll be a DWC hydro grow, using bubbleponics (drip irrigation applied directly into rockwool cubes)

Lights will include a 250W MH or a 250W HPS, a 180W LED (Extreme Flower by Advanced LED), and up to 100W of supplemental flouros/CFLs. I will veg using a 24/0 light sched, making use of various combos of lights, as required by the plants.

Planning to use multiple advanced training methods, including LST, fimming, and ultimately ScrOGing.

CO2 will be supplied through a COCO digital regulator

RO Water will be used

Nutes will be based on a modified Lucas Formula, using Flora Nova Bloom, with minor quantities of Advanced Nutrients beneficials and additives (because I'm new, and I just HAVE to make that mistake for myself )

The reservoir holds 18 gallons (I will keep it around 14-15g). It is chilled by a 1/4HP EcoPlus chiller which sits above the tent on a reinforced shelf, and is connected together by insulated hoses. Bad place for the chiller, I know, but I had no choice due to space and proximity to electrical wiring. The water pump that feeds it is 1800gpm, and is inline, so it doesn't contribute much heat.

So stay tuned and let's get this show on the road!

Bob

Before we get to the good stuff, a little gadget porn for those of you so inclined...

This is the entrance to the closet - under lock and key of course. The tent sits to the right of the door, so it's hidden from view until you walk in fully and close the door. On the far wall, middle of the screen, you can see one of the two DIY duct mufflers installed. This muffler was easy to build and was based on some plans I found. Big props to Cavadge over at gardenscure for the plans.


The laundry machine shares the closet space, but sits behind a wall. So to make water access easy, I tapped into the laundry machine water supply with a hose, which is draped over the wall, providing a convenient water supply for my RO machine.



It's tough to get a picture of the the whole setup - hopefully this iphone panorama conveys the gist ok. It's a tight squeeze in there, but everything fits perfectly. Keep in mind, there's a lotta shtuff inside the tent. It's not always full like that. This pic is kind of like those promotional pics of fighter jets with all the armaments laid out in front of them.



You'll see the carbon filter in the back right corner of the tent. As mentioned, this grow will be supplemented with CO2, so the filter will be used strategically throughout the grow (during germination, periodically throughout each dark period, pre harvest, and for drying the bud post harvest.

To assist with pressurizing the tent with CO2, I've equiped the tent's intake vents with modified backdraft dampers. For the construction illiterate like myself, backdraft dampers simply allow air into the tent, but not back out. In these pictures, you can see how I've draped a layer of activated carbon filter fabric over the intake, and then covered that with standard window screen. It's all heald together by a 6" hose clamp. This should help keep a fair chunk of the bugs and spores out of the tent.




The cool tube is homemade. Now THAT was a fun project! There are some good designs for DIY cool tubes out there, but nothing really good for a 6" standard sized cool tube, as it's almost impossible to find a glass tube with a 6" diameter (at least it was for me). The trick is to buy a 6" cylindrical vase from the Mart called 'Wal' ($12). Then bring it home, and cut the solid end off it. It's easier than it sounds. If anyone wants to try it, all you do is score the glass with a glass cutter ($4 from WalMart) right where the tube ends, and the base begins. Then wrap twine 5-6 times really tight around where you scored the vase, then finish it with a knot. Pour lighter fluid evenly over the string until the string is over saturated with fluid. Clean the excess drops around the edges of the string with a dry paper towel. Then, while holding the vase above a sink filled with cold water and as much ice as you can find, light that sucker on fire. It will burn for the better part of a minute. As it burns, rotate the vase by about 20 degrees or so per second, making sure the heat is distributed evenly around the vase. You'll know it's finishing up its burn when it starts to emit erratic blue flame. When you see this, quickly (and evenly) submerge the vase into the ice-water and hold it. POP!! That sound means you've made the cut. If the end didn't blow right off, you may need to prod it from the inside with a wooden spoon or something. Give it a jab or two and bammo! The rest of the cool tube is easy, just follow any of the myriad plans available on the forums.



What they don't tell you when supplementary CO2 is used, is that EVERYTHING in your setup needs to be designed with that in mind in order to maximize its benefits (see back draft dampers). Trust me, this sounds easy, but when you just finished a fatty, and you're now trying to figure out why the CO2 levels drop off every time you turn the cool tube on, it's way easier said than done! So, needless to say, I spent 3 hours sealing my cool tube up, so it's completely airtight. Turns out, the little cracks in the duct elbows which form the end caps of the tube were sucking all the CO2 out of the tent! It was a blessing in disguise - had I not been monitoring the CO2 levels, I wouldn't have found the leaks in the cool tube, which would have eventually distributed a pungent weed smell all through my building. Crisis averted.



The cool tube draws its air from a carbon filter which is placed beside the exhaust side of the chiller - this allows the cool tube to assist in drawing heat away from the chiller, as well as acting as an extra environmental scrubber.



Both the cool tube, and the tent ventilation systems are run by 4" Vortex inline fans. No pics of these guys as they're packed in a crawl space above the closet. They've been sealed in boxes filled with expanding insulating foam. When combined with the insulated ducting, as well as duct mufflers, it makes the system virtually imperceptible from outside the closet.



The environmental stuff is where I really lucked in. I have central air at my place, and one of the main ducts runs through my closet. A few little love taps on the vent and I had a fresh air source with plentiful amounts of conditioned air to keep the plants cool. I can hear my little babes collectively crying "yummy!!".



To be continued...

Bob

Every attempt has been made to keep this grow as safe as possible. At the top of the next pic, you'll see one of my favourite aspects of the setup. It's an automatically deployed fire extinguisher called a Flame Defender. It contains about 25kg of a non-toxic ABC certified fire extinguishing agent which is deployed automatically when the ambient air temperature rises above 60 Celsius. I feel good knowing this thing is on hand. I keep a portable extinguisher under my bed too, just in case.



These wires look worse than they are. Everything is tied together, and supported from above by a bungee cord. So even tho cables are hanging vertically, there is no tension on them. The power bar is rated for 1850W (well above what I'll use), and all plugs sit at least 1 ft. above the ground to protect against flooding. The bar is plugged into a GFCI socket, so it'll trip and turn off before anyone gets zapped.

Behind all the wiring, you can see where I keep the CO2 tank. It self regulates based on a CO2 sensor inside of the tent. The exhaust plugs into the back of my oscillating fan, so the CO2 is distributed evenly.



As mentioned earlier, this is a bubbleponics grow. For other newbs like myself, bubbleponcs is a hybrid system of drip irrigation and DWC. It's purported that the drip aspect assists in the very first weeks after germination/propagation, allowing the roots to have a tremendous head start vs traditional DWC. The idea is to plug the feeding tubes directly into the rockwool, allowing no more than a drip or so per second, while letting it run continuously. The rockwool cube will become saturated with water, but because it's always being replenished with fresh, oxygen-rich water from the reservoir, there's no need to worry about drowning your babes.

In theory anyway... We'll see if I get into trouble with this (foreshadowing?).

What I like about this method, is that it allows you to germinate your seeds directly in the rockwool, which means you get to germinate the babes directly in the system itself - no transplanting! This makes watering a no-brainer, and simultaneously allows you to control the tendency for rockwool cubes to gradually grow too basic over time. Bonus, and bonus.



Bob

I'll try and post as many quasi "how tos" as I can, especially if it's something I've gotten hung up on that seems to lack coverage on the forums.

The name of stealth is QUIET. And my air pump is ANYTHING but - a little too much Rammstein, and not enough Sade, to put it mildly. You could literally hear this thing in EVERY PART of my condo unit. The solution to this was pretty easy though: a silencer!

I should have taken pics while I was putting this thing together, but I had tunnel vision. Here's what you'll need:
- Tubing to connect your pump to the silencer, and then the silencer to the air stone ($10)
- Epoxy Glue ($7) - must be strong enough to create an air seal
- 1L plastic pop bottle - any small to medium sized bottle will do
- A couple hand fulls of polyfill - get it from an unneeded polyester filled pillow
- A drill, with a drill bit the size of your tubing (or something else capable of making a hole that size)

Simply put, you take the plastic bottle, and drill holes on the bottom of the bottle, and into the lid, big enough for the tubing you're going to use to fit through it (1/2" in my case).

Cut about a 1 ft length of tube, and push the end of it through the bottom hole pf the bottle, so that it penetrates the bottle by about 1", and then seal around it with epoxy (it has to be air tight under pressure). With the lid unscrewed, insert the end from the rest of the tubing about 1" into the lid-hole, and seal with epoxy.

When the epoxy is dry, fill 1/3 of the bottle with loosely packed polyfil (sterilize it by putting it in the microwave for 5 mins - it's perfectly safe and is most effective), then screw on the lid tightly.

DONESKI! (as they say in the motherland). And for added sound insulation, you can wrap towels around it like I did. In the spirit of collaboration, I should mention that this was by no means my idea. Thanks to the unknown posters who's work was amalgamated into this idea.


Note - The towel is taped onto the tube. The tape you see where the tube meets the silencer is not part of the silencer itself.

You're only half-way done taming a gnarly little air pump like this one. To get the last 50% reduction, you need to put about 6" worth of tubing into the air intake hole. It will dissipate the intake sound, sort of like an intake muffler.

And because I'm the type who presses his underwear, I also decided to go all the way and hang it from my shirt rack with a bungie cord. I then surround it by jackets on either side in order to muffle it further. To describe it's volume now, would be whisper soft... no louder than the most feminine of flatulency.



Hope this helps someone in the future!

Bob

May 6 - Day 1
Res lvl: 14.5 gal and 67 deg F, nutes at 50ppm (FloraNova Bloom - FNB), 5.6pH, with 1 tsp/gal of 3% H2O2 daily. Internal tent air stable at 75 deg F, 50% RH.

The seeds I'm growing are Mandala Satori. Planning to germ 4, with the hopes of getting two ladies. Germinating only 4 may be a bit too optimistic on my part, but I've heard amazing things about the Mandala genetics, and I've followed their extensive germination guide to a tee, so fingers crossed. It's a REALLY good read, especially for those who wish to germinate with rockwool. It's written for Mandala strains specifically, but there are some good nuggets for all newbs in there. HIGHly recommended!

I pre-soaked my rockwool for only a half-hour, knowing that they would be going into a bubbleponics setup. I used two cap-fulls of 6% H2O2 in about 2L of RO water, along with 50PPM of FloraNova Bloom (mostly just to stabilize the pH) - I will do this with the reservoir water as well. The pre-soak has been pH'd to 5.4.

Once the cubes were good and soaked, I wrung them out, making sure NOT to squeeze 'em at all. I then flipped them over and poked my own hole for the seeds on what was intended to be the bottom of the cube. I find this helps the seeds get better contact with the substrate.

On my first attempt at germinating, I succeeded in killing all 20 seedlings (I planted 20, hoping to get 2). Most of them germinated, but died for various reasons. One of the things it taught me was not to plant the seeds too deep. So this time, I kept them nice and shallow. We'll see how it goes.

Once planted, I removed the plastic from the rockwool, then put each cube into one of the 4 baskets, which I had filled with about 1" of hydroton. I then inserted the drip feeder tube into each cube at around the mid point. Once that was done, hydroton was piled around the cube, and the pots were covered with tin foil up to and around the area where the seed will come out. This keeps the light out, and prevents algae buildup on your rockwool.

Finally, I turned everything on: the bubbles, the pumps, the chiller, the vent fan, and finally the 250W MH, dimmed to 175W, and at about 18" above the cubes. This is mostly just for heat. You'll know that the feeder is working because water will be dripping off from under the baskets, hopefully around 1 drip or less per second. The rockwool cubes will also be wet to the touch.

Will hopefully have some pics on the next post!

Bob

May 10 - Day 4
50ppm, 5.7pH, and 1 tsp 3% H202/gal. Temps in tent 77F, 55% RH

Ok, it was my gf's bday, so I was at her fam's house for the weekend and wasn't able to get any pictures. Good thing I got back when I did though, as the babes were starting to sprout and needed some TLC from their pappa. Turns out I planted the seeds way too shallow, so three out of the four of them required surgery to remove their husk (seed shell). Two almost died in the process - one because its husk had been on too long, and the other because I think its husk was taken off too soon. The premature plant's cotyledons were wrapped up in a ball, and are even now still very white. Meanwhile the one that had its husk left on too long was starting to turn yellow. I gently coaxed its cotyledons out into a more beneficial/horizontal position, so hopefully some light will green it up again. Will have to keep an eye on them both.

I've put my MH back to 250W, and lowered it down to 12", as I've heard Satori is a stretchy strain. The first seed to germ has a bit of a spindly looking stem, so hopefully a bit more light will help. Hopefully it's not premature! I swear - this never happens...

Bob

May 13 - Day 7

Mea culpa... so it turns out, it was REALLY bad for these seeds to be planted so close to the surface of the rockwool. The good news is that the sprout with the yellowing cotys is greening up real nice, and is busy making its first set of real leaves, as is the sprout that germinated without assistance.

The bad news is that both the premie sprout, and the third to be operated-on sprout haven't grown at all in two days. A little observing revealed that it was because the tap roots for both plants were having a hard time getting started, as they were right at the surface of the rockwool. The premie's tap root was starting into a distinctive J shape (BAD for business), so I did my best to straighten them both out, and bury them deeper into the rockwool. I'm holding my breath.

Nutes have been bumped up to 100ppm of FNB, with 1 tsp/gal 3% H202 added daily while the sprouts get established. Once they've produced their first set of leaves, I'll wane them from H2O2 and introduce beneficials in the form of Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice at 1/8th the recommended dosage.

Now that all of them have popped, I've turned off the 250W MH, and have two 24W blue spectrum T5's hovering about 3" above the sprouts. Hopefully this will give them a good start.

Finally, when I checked the res tonight, the pH had jumped from 5.9 to 7.2 in the span of a day. Not sure what would cause that, so I did a partial res change (about half) and slowly brought the pH back down to 5.6 over the course of about 12 hrs. I'll monitor that situation closely.

Pics with the next post hopefully!

Bob

May 15 - Day 9
200ppm, pH 5.7, 80F RH 30%

So today I committed infanticide. At least, I think I did. The premie seemed like it was starting to grow a stem. It had one cotyledon facing the light, while the other was standing straight up. I decided to see if I could gently bend it back so it could get more light. Unlike when I did this a few days earlier, the cotyledons on this one were waxy and brittle (even though they were green), and one of them came right off. It was my punishment for micromanaging the babes. I'm sorry babes, I'll tone it down from here on in.

There is still a faint gleam of hope that the one coty will supply the damaged sprout with enough energy to get two adult leaves started. Fortunately, I didn't sever the top, so there is that chance. However, given the stressful start that this babe has had, I think she may succumb. Don't cue the funeral music just yet though.

On the bright side, the other three are looking healthy. They're certainly not growing as fast as I'd like them to, however I hear that's common for Satori sprouts. Not surprising either, considering how shallow they were planted. Either way, I've added the 180W LED to the mix, and will leave the two T5s on as supplements.

I'm a bit concerned about the plant that germed on its own. It's stem has a bit of a reddish tint to it, and the stem itself is kind of curvy, especially towards the top. Here's a pic:


I'm concerned because the direction it bends is not always the same as the direction of the light source.


This pic shows the premie with the damaged coty - I'm all verklempt (talk amongst yourselves). Hope she pulls through.


Here we have the sprout who's cotys were nearly all yellow by the time I pulled the shell off it. You can see it's doing ok now, although it still has two little yellow spots which seem to be getting progressively smaller. One of its coty's tips is still a bit waxy in texture tho - not sure what that is


This was one of the ones who's tap root had a tough time getting started. I had to pull it out, and bury it deeper in the rockwool. Nice to see it's recouped just fine, and is catching up to the rest of the babes.

Nutes were brought up to 150PPM a couple days ago, so today I've added 1/8th of a dose of B-52 vitamins and VoodooJuice (respectively). Res PPM is now 200, and pH is steady at 5.7, and this time no H2O2 has been added. Gotta work on bringing up the RH, but I find the internal cooling system of my LED really zaps the humidity fast.

The sun's coming up, so I should wrap this up. Going to tuck my babes in, and then hit the ole dusty trail.

"Hush little ba-abes, don't say a word... daddy's going to buy you a vapourizer..." ZZZZzzzz

Bob

Here's the info on Satori - Props to Mandala seeds website (where this info originated). It is by FAR the best seed bank website, and is a tremendous resource for the community in general. Check it out if you want factual information straight from the pros, Mandala Seeds.

Bob


Satori

Type:
sativa-indica

Contains landrace genetics from:
Nepal

Cultivation:
indoor/outdoor/greenhouse

THC:
23-28%

High:
A clear, cerebral high and strong potency sets in quickly; it supports concentration & creativity; very inspiring and stimulating. Ideal for writers, artists, musicians, or other creative people. Recommended for experienced smokers and if you have a high THC tolerance. Persons not used to highly psychoactive sativas should be cautious with the dosage.

Aroma:
Spicy, fruity, pungent, earthy.

Medical use:
Satori shows her therapeutic potential in relieving depression and anxiety; relieves symptoms of sensory motor neurologic disorders such as restless leg syndrome (RLS). Overall excellent medical-grade marijuana for a variety of uses.

Flowering time outdoor:
October

Flowering time indoor:
65-70 days

Recommended light intensity:
400-600W HPS/m2

Yield (dry weight):
550-600 gr/m2 indoor, up to 240gr. per plant in greenhouse; 850-1200gr. per plant outdoor in the ground.

Plant Height:
medium

Detailed Description:
In 2006 we introduced our new Satori. We have refined this strain genetically to produce an even more reliable and powerful cross that will delight your connoisseur heart. Satori is an exceptionally easy to grow sativa. She has shown impressive hardiness against spider mites and other pests, and she posseses a good measure of mold resistance. Her slim appearance makes it possible to plant in narrow rows, or in SOG, to maximize her typical record yields even more. The firm sideshoots provide highest quality cuttings. As with all our sativas she is heat resistant - an added bonus for small indoor environments and hot summer grows. The mainly sweet & fruity-spicy aroma is a real treat for the senses. Satori grows a long headbud with chunky flowers and does not require much feeding on soil; you can almost do without feeding provided you use quality soil and sufficient pot size (approx. 2 gallon pots for adult plants under 250-600W lamps). Keep EC levels low in hydroponics for best results. All Mandala strains are extremely efficient in nutrient uptake due to their hybrid vigor and require only low EC levels/feeding to develop huge leaf, stem and bud structure. Satori is a high yielding, powerful plant with an exceptional sativa high. The heavy buds are easy to manicure, and from the resinous bud leaves you can produce finest grade hash, comparable in quality to the famous Nepalese "temple balls".

Product Features:
- finest connoisseur marijuana
- amazing potency; suitable for persons with high THC tolerance
- high-performance strain
- bumper crops in greenhouse/outdoor
- very robust and vigorous
- long-lasting mother plants that provide exceptional cuttings
- withstands hot and arid climate up to 40°C/100°F or more

Product History:
Since it’s introduction in 2005 our Satori has become one of the most sought after cannabis strains among sativa connoisseurs. Although Satori ranks among the most potent strains ever created it is especially the quality of the high that is appreciated by so many creative and spiritually interested people. Potency without quality is simply a waste of potential. To harness the psychoactive energy and use it for positive transformation is our own personal intent when we smoke Satori. The name of this strain reflects how it can inspire the mind: “Satori” is a Japanese term in Zen Buddhism for enlightenment. The word literally means "understanding". It is sometimes loosely used interchangeably with Kensho which refers to the first perception of the Buddha-Nature or True-Nature, sometimes referred to as "awakening". Kensho is not a permanent state of enlightenment, but rather a clear glimpse of the true nature of creation in everyday life. This can be taken a step further to deeper enlightenment or “Satori”. Satori is therefore an excellent example of an entheogen that facilitates a higher level of intuitive awareness. This is how cannabis is used in ancient traditions, to open the “third eye”, dispelling the clouds of ego-centered ignorance and reuniting the mind with the rest of creation.

Satori was also created with the objective of introducing a new generation of sativa:
- easy and stress-free cultivation
- vigorous & firm growth
- perfect for any indoor space
- compact and high yielding buds
- harvests after only 9-10 weeks flowering

Before the advent of Satori most cerebral sativas were too challenging to grow indoor for many growers, they often yielded poorly unless grown in hydroponics, and had excessively long flowering times of 14+ weeks. We were convinced that it was possible to breed a very creative and inspiring cerebral sativa that combined the best characteristics usually only found in indica hybrids. The challenge was to retain the unique psychoactive sativa effect in a pure form while infusing the strain with the growth and flowering pattern of a high yielding indica. Growing Satori you will be surprised at her incredibly sized stems and leaves, the dense buds and stout growth pattern - all of this just in soil. To achieve this unique combination we selected a very rare plant which was discovered in our personal collection of Nepali landrace genetics. This extremely potent and cerebral female formed the basis for further breeding. Throughout it’s history Satori has been an ongoing project at Mandala Seeds. We continue to test seeds from the parental breeding lines to discover outstanding plants and refresh or update the genetic cross. The success of Satori relies on the strict quality control of our breeders and selecting the best parents in a large population of candidates over many years.

Apologies in advance for the wordiness of this next post. I'm keen to share this idea, as I'm still not sure if it will work.

Remember when I said that everything you do when setting up a tent for CO2 supplementation must be done with that in mind? Well heat control is an area which exemplifies this idea, and has left many people smarter than myself at a complete loss.

For the tent/closet grower, CO2 supplementation means that the environment inside my small space can't really interact much with the outside space, otherwise I'll vent all my CO2 and waste it. In other words, when the CO2 is running, I can't turn my tent vent fan on to drain the heat/bring in cool air. If I'm running anything more than a few CFLs for lighting, the temperature will rapidly rise under these circumstances. With my 250W MH/cool tube running, and the 180W LED turned on, my 22 cubic foot tent exceeds 100F in under 10 minutes. This happens when the ambient air in the closet is between 73-75 F. So as you can imagine, cooling the air inside the tent down is extremely important. Doing so without mixing it with the air outside the tent and thus losing the supplemental CO2, is tricky to say the least.

So this is my idea for getting around this problem. For most of you growing without CO2, this will be akin to attacking an ant hill with nuclear weapons. BOOOM! For gadget nerds like myself, and for those who have heat issues due to powerful HIDs in a small space, or who plan to use CO2 supplementation, maybe you can refine this idea and use it to cool your space. This isn't a guide per-se, so forgive me if it's not entirely clear to some people. Most of you should be able to figure out the concept from the description though, and then build something similar, but more tailored specifically for your needs. Feel free to ask for clarification on any of this stuff!

What this essentially is, is a tent sized air conditioner. It uses a 176W peltier chip, which is a ceramic 40mmX40mm "chip" that gets really cold on one side, and really hot on the other when electricity is passed through it. If I can effectively cool the hot side of the chip, then the cold side should be sufficient to cool the tent by 10-15 F. Easier said than done.

To cool the peltier, I have chosen to use a closed loop water cooling system. I'll make a reservoir out of a 1L stainless steel water bottle, and place it in the bottom of the DWC reservoir. Because the water in the DWC res is chilled to 67F by a 1/4Hp chiller, it will remove heat from the water cooling system reservoir while remaining at a constant temperature. This essentially amounts to transferring the heat removed from the the air in the tent to the chiller, so it will cause the chiller to run more often, however I am hoping it's not by much (as mentioned, my tent is 22 cubic feet). There is also an option to run the water cooling line through a stainless steel hose before it leaves the res, in order to shed more heat.

Remember the cooling system is closed loop, so I have to make sure it's properly sealed so that the cooling water doesn't leak out into the res.

This pic is the best I can do to show the three main components - heat sink, peltier, and water block. The peltier is only visible as a thin 'oreo filling' of the other two components. You can see the red and black wires emerging from it.



So the idea is to sandwich the peltier chip between a water block and a heat sink. The heat sink is an off the shelf model and is made by Thermaltake. The name of it is "Frio" and it's geared towards computer tweakers. I picked this one because it comes complete with two fans to blow air over the metal surface of the heat sink. The water block is visible at the top of the unit, where the two hose connectors are located. It allows me to pass cold water along the hot side of the chip, thus cooling it. The water block is the HF Supreme, by EK.

Because the heat sink and water block are designed for use with computer chips, they both have the same size attachment points, so they attach together easily. And, they just so happen to be perfectly sized for the peltier! I just used a little thermal paste on each side of the peltier, and then screwed the water block mounting points to the heat sink mounting points with the peltier sandwiched tightly in the middle. The trick is to make DOUBLE sure that the cold side of the peltier is being applied to the heat sink - this means I had to run some power through the peltier first.

Speaking of power, if you make one of these, you will need a power supply for the peltier. A computer power supply, plugged into the 12VDC line would work, as long as it provides at least 10A (for my 176W chip - consult the power requirements of your own chip before connecting it to a power supply). I opted for a dedicated laboratory-type variable power supply. This allows me to lower the power to the peltier, thus reducing the cooling effect. This model can run up to 10A, and up to 20V. I'm hoping to only use it at 50% power at most, so hopefully it will save some power. You definitely don't need one of these to make this work, but if you're interested, I picked mine up off eBay for $150.

Here's a picture of the almost complete setup required to run this thing


From left to right, there is the water pump for the closed loop water cooling system, a fan controller (intended for use in a computer) to run the two fans on the heat sink, the A/C unit itself, and its power supply. Missing is the 1L stainless steel water bottle.

The fans on the heat sink simply plug into the back of the fan controller. I took a 13V, 0.500mA power supply which I bought at a local hardware store, spliced the end off, and connected it to a 4 pin type computer power connector. It just plugs directly into the back of the fan controller, which then allows you to power and control the speed of the two heat sink fans separately.

So that's it. It's just a prototype, and won't get fired up until the 250W MH comes on well into the veg phase. The theory seems sound from what I can tell, but I cannot attest to its functionality. I'll keep you posted. In the mean time, I'd love to hear the thoughts as to whether or not this thing could work. Is there anything it's missing in order to make it better?

Bob

May 16 - Day 10
200ppm, pH 5.9, 82F, RH 40%

To my surprise, the two adult leaves belonging to the plant with one cotyledon have grown over night. Not much, but they're still fighting the good fight. I've got one set of fingers permanently crossed.

I'm a bit worried that the higher PPM (200) is a bit hot for the babes. Satori is notoriously sensitive to nutes, so I've got to be vigilant in that department.

The babes are still small for their age, but are definitely growing. The first set of adult leaves on the three healthy plants are now slightly bigger than the cotyledons. Just a guess here, but the NYC Diesel I grew to the age of about 4wks was about 4-5 days ahead of all of these ones by this time. For the scientists among us, a contributing factor to this discrepancy may have been the fact that I grew the NYCD with supplemental O2 right from germination, and have opted out of that this time around. Killing the CO2 to start gives me better control of the environment while the babes are young and vulnerable.

Here's a pic showing the tallest/most spindly of my sprouts. This is the one with the reddish stem, and it tends to bend and curve in random ways.


Notice the yellow spot at the tip of one of the adult leaves. I'm worried this may be a bit of nute burn already. There are no other yellow spots developing anywhere else on any of the plants. I'm not going to tweak anything, or change the res just yet, I'm interested in seeing if the yellow progresses. Does anyone have any input here?

Only a day has past since the last pic of this one was taken, but you can already notice a small but palpable increase in the size of the next set of leaves. The remaining cotyledon is starting to yellow up itself, so I will be amazed if it pulls through.



Bob

May 17 - Day 11
140ppm, pH 5.7, 77F, RH 55%, CO2 is ON

Hey all... ever noticed how this hobby can be like a soap opera? You just can't help but get attached to those little things and their trials and tribulations are very much your own. No wonder Tommy Chong has grey hair... no wayy mann.

Ok, down to bidness! It became apparent to me last night that I was getting too far ahead of the babes. For some reason, their progress has been EXTREMELY slow. No roots poking out the bottom yet, and the second set of adult leaves are only now slowly becoming visible for two of the plants. Apart from that, they're mostly healthy. In my rush to push the little ones into growing, I may have gotten a bit too eager on both the nutes, as well as the light intensity.

So last night, it became apparent that what was just the smallest speck of yellow on the tip of the tallest one, was beginning to look more threatening to the plant. So I drained the res and flushed with 0ppm water for 8hrs, and then topped up the nutes to 120ppm of FNB, as well a 1/8th dose of VoodooJuice, and 1/16th of B-52, for a total of 140ppm. I also turned the LED off, and dropped two 24W T5 veg lights down to about 2.5" above the plants.

Another possible culprit could be my bubbleponics feeder. The feeder lines are plugged directly into the rockwool cubes, and it is advised to keep them running all the time. I was initially skepitcal about this, but was rapidly sold after reading through some bubbleponics journals. Either way, I've turned the feeder system down to 8 1-hour feeding sessions per day. We'll see how that goes.

Finally, in a final act to improve their situation, I turned on the CO2 system. Hopefully this helps.

Here's how the worst of them looked. She's always been tall and lanky, red stemmed, and has begun to droop/develop yellow tips. This is what inspired the action.


Since this pic was taken, I clipped the yellow tips just shy of where the leave turns green again, as they were starting to wilt.


The first set of adult leaves belonging to the plant with the yellow tipped cotyledons were starting to droop as well. No yellowing though.

There is no yellowing on any other leaves either, so it's tough to say if I've nailed down the problem. I'm really keen to hear what people think could be causing this, so please feel free to post your feedback!

The big story today is that the mono-cot plant appears to be doing just fine. Those two adult leaves are starting to get big enough to make me think they'll be able to carry the show from here.


Good timing, because they sucked the life almost completely out of the remaining cotyledon. Nature is pretty amazing!


Any finally, here is the all-star. Happy as the proverbial pig in $hit. Let's hope she's a she!


A question for the community - how will I know when the babes are begging to have their nutes upped? Thanks in advance to anyone who takes a stab at this!

Bob

May 18 - Day 12
Res now at 5gal, 0ppm (flushing), 5.7pH, 70 deg F in the res, 79 deg F in the tent, RH60%

The ride continues... today finds the plants in stagnation yet again, so I'm thinking the 8 hour flush wasn't enough. I know a grown plant should be flushed for a few days, but I figured as seedlings burned from such a low dosage of nutes (200ppm was peak), they wouldn't need as much of a flush. Can't believe how nute sensitive these Satori plants are.

Today I drained the res again, and then filled it with about 5 gal of 1ppm RO/DI water ph'd to 5.6. Then I doused the rockwool cubes with the new water using a turkey baster, about a dozen times each. Pulled the tin foil off and inspected the feeder lines. The line feeding this plant was out and about 1/2" from the cube itself.


There was also a dime sized area of algae on the bottom side of the cube. No idea how that got there, as I can't imagine light getting to it. Inspected the res anyway. No leaks found. So I cut out the algae and I'm running the res with one cap-full of 29% H2O2.

The plot thickened when this one accidentally got yanked clean out of the rockwool cube by the tinfoil which was surrounding it. Amazingly, the root structure appeared unharmed, albeit way under developed for this stage in the game.


I delicately replanted it in the hydroton, minus the rockwool. Has anyone ever had a plant survive this kind of thing? Might be one of those weird things that ends up being better for it (more oxygen for roots?).


Here's the other sick little babe. She's growing out her first set of leaves ok, but the single cotyledon is almost done. She's also taking her time developing, so hopefully this flush is good for her too.


And finally, this is the one that had the tip trim last night. Lime green in colour, and stunted growth.

Lots of trouble in paradise it seems, but I still feel like there's potential here for a full grow. Hopefully these plants recover and suffer little long lasting epigenetic effects. As always, tips and suggestions are welcome. I'm craving a little education!

Bob

May 20 - Day 14
Res at 12 gal, 14ppm, 5.7pH (brought down from 6.2), Tent at 77 deg F, 50% RH. No CO2 being added (switched back to venting to help control humidity).

Ok, seems like the storm is abating a bit. The flush seems to be really helping. And not only that, but the plant that was accidentally yanked from the rockwool is finally taking off (it has a simple root structure, so it came out cleanly).


If you look carefully, you'll see the first set of leaves are still a bit droopy, but the healthy lush texture of the plant has returned and it's growing the second set of leaves much more rapidly.

So, this lead me to yank two of the three other plants out of the rockwool. I say yank, but rest assured, it was as surgical as possible in its execution. The two that were pulled came out cleanly as well, while the final plant's root system was much more entwined in the rockwool.


Here's the plant which started with one cotyledon. It now has none, but it's doing just fine, chilling to Bradley Nowell's sweet pipes and lovin life. Also noticing some quickened growth here.. Ohyeah!


This one is still quite curled up, but is looking luscious again - almost all of the lime colored pigment is gone. Its roots were sufficiently developed to make removing it from the rockwool impossible.


And finally, this one has become a science project of sorts. Doesn't seem like its odds are too good right now, so I'm using it as an excuse to learn a little bit about how this plant works. After this pic was taken, I snipped everything off, except for the part of the second set of adult leaves which were still green, and I also left the cotyledons. It will be interesting to see what will happen here. Most likely, it'll succumb to the stress, but part of me hopes its coty's will pick up and start growing out the second set of leaves. Stay tuned!

Would someone mind explaining to me what I should look for when deciding when to reintroduce nutes? As of now, they have been flushing with RO/DI water and a little H2O2 for about 36 hours.

Bob

Does anyone have any good advice for deciding when to re introduce nutes after flushing for nute burn? Also interested in knowing what people's thoughts are on adding liquid silicon to the res water.

Cheers,
Bob

i don't know much about DWC. But I would say, if they seem to be doing better at 0ppm, leave it there for a few days, see that they are growing at a normal rate (nothing like what you have had so far), then start to up it VERY slowly. I will tell you when they are hungry, I can tell

i am liking this total overkill of a grow you have here, and i'm subbed

hey asaph, great to have you. Overkill is a good word, haha! I like to tinker, so setting this thing up was where I had my fun. The only thing is, it doesn't make me a good grower, so this website is by far my most important tool.

there have been a few developments since my last post, so I'm keen to hear what you have to say. Will have a post up in the next half hour or so.

May 22 - Day 16
Res lvl @ 14.5 gal/67F, Nutes @140ppm, with a mild helping of B-52 (30ml), and the rest of FloraNova Bloom + 1.5tsp 29% H202. 5.7pH, 77F/51% RH

And now there are three. The tall straggly one didn't survive the nute burn. It was the first to have its tips turn a dark yellow and go crispy, so I'm not surprised.

'Was able to deduce a strategy for flushing, thanks to the help of a few ppl on this forum. This place is a serious resource! So the flush progressed for 2.5 days before I noticed the cotyledons on the strongest of the three remaining plants turning a pale yellow. I interpreted this as a craving for nutes, so I started with 80ppm (30ml B-52+FloraNova Bloom).

The next day (yesterday), the pale color had progressed up to the first set of leaves on that particular plant, while the (previously) second strongest plant was starting to show the first signs of turning pale as well as twist in a cork-screw pattern. Despite that, it had visibly started to take off in size, and was now considerably bigger than any of the other plants.

<just smoked my vape, so here's where the grammar goes down hill>

So today, I upped the nutes to 140ppm, and I'm hoping this will be somewhere close to the sweet spot. They fried at 200ppm before, so this is just a guess.


Here you can see what I think is a hungry plant. Interested to know what others think about this. The cotys are now totally yellow, and the tips of the first set of leaves are too. It's not the dark yellow, crispy type, which is why it seemed to be nut deficiency.


This little guy may not be strong enough for 140ppm (?), so I'm still not sure if the yellowing around the edges is nute burn of deficiency.


Here's the daddy's girl in the group, growing big and strong. The cork-screw effect is starting to reverse, and the plant has returned to a lush green color. Interesting to note that this plant is the one that was left in the rockwool. It seems like it's having a much easier time developing roots.

I'm keen to know how long it takes for nute deficient plants to respond once they are fed? And even more interested to know whether I should abandon the two runts and start fresh. Will all this stress have an affect on yield?

Thanks for reading!
Bob

I'm presoaking rockwool. Might germ 2-3 more Satori plants, and see if they'll catch up to the big one. Will see how they all look tomorrow.