Roto-Grow Journal

aficionado

Active Member
Yeah its pretty crazy. With those lights on, it looks like I have some sort of nuclear reactor or captured part of the sun and stuffed it inside. I moved it all in under the stealth of darkness with a enclosed U-haul, just because it was, well...not so inconspicuous. Love the fact it has wheels!

I had to seal the cracks at the doors and all around because it was like watching that scene out of Poltergeist at night where the closet door is all lit up from the light inside. Not obvious at all ;)
 

aficionado

Active Member
so sub can you flower in that? my jaw hit the floor i need it so bad wow. how much for the setup?
God I hope so... if not, that was one expensive Xmas light. I will find out very soon.

Here is the total cost breakdown:
RotoGro model 312 - $5500 list (inclusive of lights, ballasts, and just about everything you need) - although I got lucky and found the floor model on sale for a local hydro shop going out of business, so I only paid $3k.
Nutrients for one run - $640
Grow cubes - $240
External pumps, meters, tests, etc. - $180
Playing with something this cool - priceless

The sales rep for Roto-Gro (great people by the way) told me that he has seen some folks in Canada pull 11lbs per rotation from one of these. I don't know if that was just a line from sales rep trying to sell his product, but my focus is more for experimentation and not necessarily maximum yield. This is about relaxing and having fun for me, and if I can help some fellow patients along the way, even better. :cool:
 

sickstoner

Well-Known Member
fucking amazing so worth it 11 lbs it pays for it self and then some the first time sick find i hope to see more of these in the future
 

dull1554

Well-Known Member
my buddy runs 4 1k lights over 32 plants in a drip system, he always has awe full green algae problems... last crop and this crop we cut squares out of a black garbage bag and cut a slit so we could slide them around the stem to cover the 4" rockwool cube.
 

aficionado

Active Member
Glad to have you all aboard.

I really like that idea with the garbage bags dull1554... simple, yet effective. Do you think there will be any issues with gas exchange for the cube with the trash bag over the top? I probably can set that up now and the existing algae will just die off without light.
 

aficionado

Active Member
Upon routine inspection, I noticed some leaves on the larger plants exhibiting signs of light internal leaf discoloration. I have monitored for a few days, and it does not seem to be getting worse. Possible Nitrogen reallocation in the plant? Ph imbalance? (Ph was slightly acidic - 5.0 for a day). Light intensity issues? Growth does not seem to be affected so far.

Will monitor further.

Pictures attached. Any thoughts - please share!
 

Attachments

aficionado

Active Member
Preparation:
I have prepared the following nutrient solution for Week 5 -
950 ml of Aqua Flakes A
950 ml of Aqua Flakes B
380 ml Bud Xl
40ml of Drip Clean

Ph: 5.5; DO - 9.1; Temp: 72 degrees

Light cycle - 12/12

Notes:
Growth trend has slowed as new bud development is readily evident. Plant phenotype heavily influencing growth patterns and reaction to nutrient supplements.

Avg height - 9"
Avg width - 9"

Given the stage of development, I am revising my estimates for a final height of approximate 12" (down from 14"). Light source proximity is still a concern, but does not seem to be having an adverse affect on overall plant health and growth.

Nearly all strains exhibiting pistil development and calyx formation at the internodes and colas. (pictures attached)

I have noticed the return, albeit to a lesser degree, of spider mites on a few of the strains under the microscope. I will apply a foliar remedy again this week (2nd application) to curtail the infestation.

Noted some strains exhibiting signs of nitrogen deficiency (slight) at the upper internodes and top cola. I will increase the base N nutrient additive to compensate and monitor closely.

Observed increased reduction in DO available in the reservoir towards the latter end of the week, where measurements were showing levels in the sub-2.0 range. I have tripled the O2 aeration with the introduction of a new bubbler and have added a recirculation pump to increase reservoir water movement and agitation. This will help ensure consistent DO saturation and reduction-oxidation reaction with the nutrient base to help with consistent Ph balance.

Observed significant root mass at the base of the cubes, showing signs of good health and overall saturation of the cubes. Discontinuing vitamin B series root accelerator.

Pictures below

IMG_9647.jpgIMG_9652.jpgIMG_9661.jpgIMG_9656.jpgIMG_9671.jpgIMG_9673.jpgIMG_9664.jpgIMG_9666.jpgIMG_9663.jpgIMG_9662.jpg
 

aficionado

Active Member
Regarding trimming:

As you can see, I have decided to not trim and let the plant grow 'naturally.' This was due mainly because my stated goal of just observation this round, and secondarily because with the limited height - I am not too sure how I would be trimming anyhow. I have sure learned a great deal thus far, and I hope you all have as well. Looking forward for the next half of this crazy experiment... :weed:
 
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