MARS HYDRO CUP - Lilac Diesel & Birthday Banger -Mainline Grow w/MARS HYDRO TS2000W & Home Assistant Automation

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
Okay so here we go! First mainline grow, I started this thread in the Grow Journals section originally but I LOVE feedback so I'm gonna keep it here instead...more traffic :-D

4x Lilac Diesel RBX2
2x Birthday Banger

Grow space:
Crappy Topolite tent cloth (frame broke so using DIY PVC frame - see pictures)
Mars Hydro TS2000W - Drivers outside tent
6" fan with homemade muffler on ducting
Using 5 Gallon cloth pots
Currently hand watering, picked up parts but haven't built drip irrigation yet.

Monitoring:
Custom Home Assistant environment with video/temp/humidity monitoring and smart outlets to control every appliance in the grow space. (see picture)

Soil/nutrients:
80% FFOF
10% Biochar
10% Fresh worm castings (my vermicompost)

Compost tea foliar feed 1x/week during veg
1/2 strength (from recommended dosage) Terp Tea Bloom (Roots Organics) during flower

I'M RUNNING A TIME LAPSE THIS TIME!!!! WILL UPLOAD MONTHLY!!!!!!

Here is the one from the beginning of September until today:


Currently on week 7 from seed- already defoliated heavily. I will work on uploading some of the early notes from this grow eventually.

Comments/concerns/questions always welcome- feel free to post on here.
 

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SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
Mars hydro cup?

Will anyone actually make it to the finish? Without starting a fire or having to contact support?
I'm two harvests in with my TS2000W and no issues. Last harvest was almost 1.5G/Watt and that's with a massive root aphid/fungal gnat infestation.

For me it's a quality product & for way less $$$. Saving to start my commercial light dep op so I can't spend too much on personal smoke right now.
 

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The Gram Reaper

Well-Known Member
I'm two harvests in with my TS2000W and no issues. Last harvest was almost 1.5G/Watt and that's with a massive root aphid/fungal gnat infestation.

For me it's a quality product & for way less $$$. Saving to start my commercial light dep op so I can't spend too much on personal smoke right now.
I was just poking fun, extremely bored. I am going to get off the forum for a few days. Plenty to get done.
 

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
Well I figured drumming up views for the contest/keeping the thread active is as good a reason as any to finally get around to projects. Upcoming DIY work/guides:


Soldering Sonoff smart plugs to a Serial-USB adapter to flash the firmware to integrate into Home Assistant (so I can turn any appliance on/off based on triggers with any of my sensors/timers/weather forecast/etc).

Building my own DIY drip irrigation system (bucket reservoir, tiny aquarium pump, 1/2 inch poly, 1/2 inch emitter tubing hoops around each plant)

At least one of these will be done this weekend unless something gets in the way....

 

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
Based on the water dumped on the floor by pouring too fast last time (see the end of my first timelapse) I'm going with the drip. I don't have any way to rig up an emergency cutoff so it will be a manually triggered schedule for now with automation coming later once I make a flood/cut-off switch.

Parts being used:
Vivosun 120 GPH aquarium pump
1/2 inch poly tubing & matching fittings
1/2 inch poly emitter tubing with 3x 1.0 GPH pressure balancing emitters built into each section (wrapped around each plants base)
5 gallon bucket (reservoir- temp). Will replace with a 20-30 gallon reservoir once I have the emergency cutoff in place. For now I don't want the system to be able to spill more water than my drip tray can catch.

Will be assembling today and testing/uploading video tomorrow if I do this right. Just finished running the drip for my raised bed out back so it should be fresh enough in my memory to knock it out quick. Should be able to get the flow rate to max- 18 GPH total between all emitters max and a 120 GPH pump w/2' rise in the line...

UPDATE: Will be making the drip system tomorrow and uploading it after.... Tried to bend my emitter tubing into a small enough hoop and it just wants to bend- too rigid. Will be swapping that idea for 1/4 inch 1/2 GPH emitters (thinking 2 per plant). Have to go out and grab some 1/4 inch distribution tubing later on, totally out from my last project.
 
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