Welp... there are journal entries, and then there are journal entries... This is the latter.
I was walking through the local hardware store yesterday and I saw these neat 10 gallon Brute trash cans. It made me start thinking about the 5 gallon buckets I have my girls in. I can get 3 gallons of water per bucket and the plants were taking nearly a full gallon per day. Not only was it getting to be a bear keeping the buckets full... The chemistry was getting tricky adding nutes 5-6 times per week...
So I decided to get some bigger reservoirs. I went to Lowes to with a recirculating DWC system in mind, but when I got there, I realized I hadn't done my homework well enough, lol. So instead of a RDWC upgrade, I just stuck with separate DWC reservoirs, but instead of 5 gallon buckets... Instead of the 10 gallon Brute buckets I spied with my little eye, a 14 gallon Rubbermaid tote at the modest price of $8 with lid. I grabbed two and headed off to the plumbing section where I grabbed some 1/2" tubing, a few grommets, and two 90 degree tubing elbows so I could build a level indicator on each tote. I have 6" net pots which will be a perfect fit for these totes when this grow is over, so when I cut the lids, I cut them for the new net pots... So here are my DWC reservoirs (well one anyway):
The math is
$8 tote
$1.25 6" net pot
$5 air stone
$0.50 1/4" air tubing
$1.00 1/2" tubing
$0.75 grommet
$1.00 elbo
Grand Total: $17.50... Just add water!
To keep the proper air zone between pot and water, I fill to about 6 gallons. And while I'd rather have a fitting net pot, I'll do fine with the 5 gallon net pot lid sitting down in the hole for the rest of this grow...
The other benefit these totes offer me is that they are shorter than the 5 gallon buckets. This is good for two reasons:
1. My canopy sits lower...
2. The plants still take up the nute solution at the same rate, but the water height goes down more slowly, so I don't have to add back nutes as often... I had been doing it daily to keep up with their eating habits... I should be able to go 2-3 days now.
Here's what the girls look like in their new homes
I think they look good... Oh yea... I forgot to tell you... I swapped out the MH for the HPS bulb... added my 12/12 timer, and switched to bloom nutes...
So let the countdown begin! I'm a tad nervous. First, this is my first ever flowering cycle... I've never brought a plant this far before... I'm in completely uncharted territory. Second, the GH bottles call for a transition from veg to bloom which is
2 tsp/gal FloraGrow
2 tsp/gal FloraMicro
2 tsp/gal FloraBloom
which is twice what I've been feeding them. My tap water runs at ph 8.0 and 200 ppm. Adding the nutes at the recommended transition strength brings my TDS level to 1650-1700 ppm (1450-1500 ppm excluding the 200 from the tap). That's freaking me out!
Wish me luck... Give me advice... Smite me... It doesn't matter... I love how awesome your feedback has been.
Until tomorrow night!