The Ultimate Growing Competition

[Madriffer]

This looks like DIY.
What material is it precisely? And how thick?

Home Depot 27 gal tote
Home Depot med cement mixing tub
1/4 PVC sheet Home Depot 2x4 piece
Ebb and Flow bulkhead kit hydro store
Water pump 291 gph hydro store
2 air pumps with 6 way manifolds hs
1 8 inch diffuser air stone hs
6 small 2 inch air stones hs
70 2 inch net pots and foam collars is

Set over flow for the bulkhead So the water level is 1/4 inch up the net pots and run 24/7 . It's a bubble cloner that keeps perfect water level and needs no maintenance during a cloning session.

 

[Madriffer]

It's old news and was nothing anyway. I did hear that megacrop changed their recipe and pissed off the cult, so I don't know what happens now.

Now I have to reorder and see what the new formula is all about. I've loved their stuff so far. Easy, cheap and great results.
The meltdown was a hoot to watch though, conspiracy theorist are very entertaining.

 

[Keesje]

1/4 PVC sheet Home Depot 2x4 piece

Thanks, this is what I was looking for.
Sadly there are some (known) problems for many non-US countries to get on the Home Depot website.

 

[Madriffer]

Thanks, this is what I was looking for.
Sadly there are some (known) problems for many non-US countries to get on the Home Depot website.

HDPE

Thanks, this is what I was looking for.
Sadly there are some (known) problems for many non-US countries to get on the Home Depot website.

Try HDPE sheets online. they can be a bit pricey for full sheets, but come in many thicknesses. I've used it a lot in commercial retail trim applications, counter tops and cutting boards. not sure of non US availability.

 

[Keesje]

Yes, HDPE is widely known (I think, at least where I live in Europe)
I will go check it out. Following your perpetual grow with great interest.
May I ask how much you yield every time?

 

[H.A.F.]

@Pa-Nature I dropped a side pic of mine right below your post-14842173. Dang son! That is definitely a hearty strain. I though mine looked good, but that's already a shrub!

Don't often reply to myself - but - in the interest of this being a competition my stoner butt just remembered that I already pruned the bottom two nodes LOL. My appreciation still stands because your upper-node sprouts look much farther along.

Remember people, you can't vote for yourself...

 

[Madriffer]

Yes, HDPE is widely known (I think, at least where I live in Europe)
I will go check it out. Following your perpetual grow with great interest.
May I ask how much you yield every time?

Not fully dialed in yet. Haven't gotten consistent clones due to cool temps. That said, the last tray harvested was 23 plants for a total of 8 zips of dried bud and 2 of trim. Had a 45 plant tray yield 14 zips bud and 6 of trim. Next 2 tray up are both over 40 plant count and looking better than past performance to date, hoping for a pound of bud each tray. My competetion tray is 63 plant count and shooting for 1.5 pounds. That is what I am striving for as an average. Will be sealing the room up and adding C02, then I will be shooting for 2 lbs a tray.
Initially was striving for 2 week stages, but the GG#4 doesn't finish 4 weeks after 12/12 flip closer to 9.5, so now I am modifying my time schedule to run this thing like a German train schedule.

 

[H.A.F.]

That said, the last tray harvested was 23 plants for a total of 8 zips of dried bud and 2 of trim. Had a 45 plant tray yield 14 zips bud and 6 of trim.

In the pic above, 2 plants, I had over 9oz. I thought you guys that were growing 100 plants were growing bulk for sale or medical supply. I am interested to see if there is a time factor that you taking advantage of or something, because 1/3oz of bud per plant, or up to three seems OK, but not what I was expecting from a 23 or 45 plant grow.

Not bashing - watching and interested.

 

[H.A.F.]

One thing I have noticed is that my harvest weight has been suspiciously close to my pot-size every grow. I have been within 1/2oz of one ounce per pot-gallon regardless of what technique I use.

 

[Madriffer]

In the pic above, 2 plants, I had over 9oz. I thought you guys that were growing 100 plants were growing bulk for sale or medical supply. I am interested to see if there is a time factor that you taking advantage of or something, because 1/3oz of bud per plant, or up to three seems OK, but not what I was expecting from a 23 or 45 plant grow.

Not bashing - watching and interested.

I agree that the system is not running efficient at the moment. Although pulling a pound off a 1k is .5 gpw and not bad by most standards. Looking for 14 grams per plant average. That gives me 2 lbs per tray at a 63 plant count. That is 1 gpw. I will live with that. Now that I have my cloning going better and my feed schedule is getting dialed in this time of year I can maintain near perfect temps and RH I fully expect my competition tray to be pushing 2 lbs from a 1K HPS and ZERO veg time. That is the kicker. I have to grow more plants to reach sufficient yields with this op but, I don't have to pay for the 2-6+ week of 18 hours of 1K MH burning while I train larger plants. Efficiency of space and resources is what I am after.

 

[H.A.F.]

I agree that the system is not running efficient at the moment. Although pulling a pound off a 1k is .5 gpw and not bad by most standards. Looking for 14 grams per plant average. That gives me 2 lbs per tray at a 63 plant count. That is 1 gpw. I will live with that. Now that I have my cloning going better and my feed schedule is getting dialed in this time of year I can maintain near perfect temps and RH I fully expect my competition tray to be pushing 2 lbs from a 1K HPS and ZERO veg time. That is the kicker. I have to grow more plants to reach sufficient yields with this op but, I don't have to pay for the 2-6+ week of 18 hours of 1K MH burning while I train larger plants. Efficiency of space and resources is what I am after.

I guess that is why I am wondering why you have so many plants, rather than fewer plants in bigger pots. I mean, it is going to take roughly 4 months for a plant to get to harvest, whether it is 20 small ones or 5 big ones. So is there a "mechanical advantage" in there somewhere? Or is it just a preference?

I was just picturing 3-4oz per plant and wondering what you would do with it all I just grow for me, and friends/family. So it might just be different preferences. I mean, you have the possibility of a monster harvest. Mine will (hopefully) be reasonably within my expectations of about an ounce per pot-gallon.

 

[Big Perm]

I guess that is why I am wondering why you have so many plants, rather than fewer plants in bigger pots. I mean, it is going to take roughly 4 months for a plant to get to harvest, whether it is 20 small ones or 5 big ones. So is there a "mechanical advantage" in there somewhere? Or is it just a preference?

I was just picturing 3-4oz per plant and wondering what you would do with it all I just grow for me, and friends/family. So it might just be different preferences.

He's growing sog 12/12 from seed

 

[Big Perm]

I just grow for me, and friends/family.

Me, too. I still try to pull as much as I can as often as I can. I figure jars are cheaper than weed, and I have room for a lot of jars.

 

[H.A.F.]

Me, too. I still try to pull as much as I can as often as I can. I figure jars are cheaper than weed, and I have room for a lot of jars.

I can reliably pull 3oz from one plant in a small 3 gallon pot In 4 months. Might be the lights, who knows, but that has just been how my growing style works. I have harvested 3oz of big fat flowers, and 3oz of nickel-to-dime size nugs, but it has always been close to the pot size. So a seed a month, at 3oz/seed (cured bud of any size, I just enjoy the larf, I don't count it) I think that is pretty efficient. I can adjust it by how many I plant, but I think that 'tending' 4 plants is much easier than wrangling 20. Again, it might just be preference.

 

[Madriffer]

I guess that is why I am wondering why you have so many plants, rather than fewer plants in bigger pots. I mean, it is going to take roughly 4 months for a plant to get to harvest, whether it is 20 small ones or 5 big ones. So is there a "mechanical advantage" in there somewhere? Or is it just a preference?

I was just picturing 3-4oz per plant and wondering what you would do with it all I just grow for me, and friends/family. So it might just be different preferences. I mean, you have the possibility of a monster harvest. Mine will (hopefully) be reasonably within my expectations of about an ounce per pot-gallon.

It's an electrical advantage. No veg time. Easier to trim by far as well.

 

[H.A.F.]

It's an electrical advantage. No veg time. Easier to trim by far as well.

Where I live, electricity is cheap

So you have maybe one fat cola per plant, then weight? Or is it evenly distributed nuggies?

 

[Madriffer]

I can reliably pull 3oz from one plant in a small 3 gallon pot In 4 months. Might be the lights, who knows, but that has just been how my growing style works. I have harvested 3oz of big fat flowers, and 3oz of nickel-to-dime size nugs, but it has always been close to the pot size. So a seed a month, at 3oz/seed (cured bud of any size, I just enjoy the larf, I don't count it) I think that is pretty efficient. I can adjust it by how many I plant, but I think that 'tending' 4 plants is much easier than wrangling 20. Again, it might just be preference.

I've seen your technique, it's cool but you wll do way more work on your 4 plants if you manifold them than I will on my 63.
As they stand today they will get lolipopped once their mid stretch, then...
Not a damn thing. I will top my reservoirs every couple weeks and watch them grow.
Past trays I have defoliated again mid flower, but my current tray at 7 weeks looks much better by leaving the fans.
As stated it's pure efficiency of lights/electricity, space, time and labor both in less training and less trimming. The Dutch Masters Sea Of Green!

 

[Big Perm]

Where I live, electricity is cheap

So you have maybe one fat cola per plant, then weight? Or is it evenly distributed nuggies?

He can do two grows in your one. I bet in the same time frame he could yield more.

 

[Madriffer]

He can do two grows in your one. I bet in the same time frame he could yield more.

I of course only have one tray in the comp but am hoping to harvest my comp tray and 2 more from the same light by the end date of comp. Effectively tripling the output per light versus big plant growers.

 

[H.A.F.]

I've seen your technique, it's cool but you wll do way more work on your 4 plants if you manifold them than I will on my 63.
As they stand today they will get lolipopped once their mid stretch, then...
Not a damn thing. I will top my reservoirs every couple weeks and watch them grow.
Past trays I have defoliated again mid flower, but my current tray at 7 weeks looks much better by leaving the fans.
As stated it's pure efficiency of lights/electricity, space, time and labor both in less training and less trimming. The Dutch Masters Sea Of Green!

I can dig that. I'm retired and actually like the pruning and LST. Kind of therapeutic.