so i built a small bubble cloner, then realized, i have nowhere to put it!
then I realized that i never really get into the importance of keeping things clean when im posting, so in this entry i will make a point to go into a little detail showing some of the precautions i take to avoid infestations.
enter the germination station, my latest addition to the grow room.
it slices, it dices,
it even makes julieanne fries!
complete with 200w halogen spotlight and magnifying stand for up close and personal looks up the skirts of your ladies!
also included is 2 lamp 4' f40t12 light fixture, featuring research grade horticulture multispectrum germination lamps. the lamps were part of a case of lamps that landed in my lap one day that were ahhh... 'liberated' from a local university bio-medical research building. i dont know how i got them occifer... they mustve fell off the truck
also pictured is my passive NFT propigator.
the bubble cloner, my latest DIY. i made the inserts by using 2 hole saws, one smaller(1 7/8") than the other(2 1/8"). the smaller hole saw was used to drill the holes in the tupperware lid, and the larger holesaw was used to drill holes in some craft foam i stole from my old lady. (sorry honey, but some things
are important, babe
) i then cut a a slice in the insert for stem removal and enlarged the hole through the center with a 5/16 drill bit.
bubbles galore! you can never have too many bubbles, IMHO. here i am running a solution of bleachwater and hydrogen peroxide for 48 hours as a sterilization technique. cuttings are vulnerable to infection, and i take no chances-
keeping the rez clean is important. microscopic organisms like algae, bacteria, mold and even some insects can get in through the tiniest of openings.thats why i dont plan on making it easy for them. here i have used duct tape to act as a membrane for the airlines passing through the lid. quick, cheap, and easy, its worth the extra effort in the long run and takes only a few seconds.
one of the things i have learned during the 25 years i played around with aquariums, is that water
will siphon out of a tank via an airline in the event of a power failure or extended period of time being shutdown. nothing like ruining a 30$ airpump. manufacturers recommend using a check valve to prevent air line siphoning from damaging your pump. i know better, however, because adding a check valve to the airline not only greatly reduces airflow, (bad) it also adds a great deal of
backpressure to the line coming from the pump; (even worse) this greatly reduces the working life of the diaphragm inside the airpump. (25 yrs exp
) to overcome this, the hobbyist simply has to mount his/her airpump
higher then the water level of the rez, to prevent siphoning from occuring.... this completely eliminates the need for a check valve, and eliminates a point of failure from the design.
the propigator, 5 LSD on the left, and % Vanilla Kush on the right, both barney's farm.
birth of beautiful baby girl. i shall nema her after her mother, LSD-
and since i am a frisky bastard, here is the birth of another one of my daughters from another baby mother. she shall be named Vanilla Kush-
Currently Vegging In The Cab Under 250w of MH Goodness
2 The Pure, 2 Aurora B, 2 8 Ball Kush, 1 Sensi Star, and 1 Local YokeL
notice how
white it is in there. this is not for reflective purposes.
I keep that fucker cleaner than my old ladies coochie, and she's a fanatic.
Id have no problem eating off of any surface in there, besides the fact i would be pissed about having to sterilize again.... the moral of the story here is- plants grown indoors are more vulnerable to disease for a variety of reasons, much in the way a wild cow would be stronger than a domestic cow. Dont give the germs a home, and they wont infect your ladies with nasty things like budrot and powdery mildew. fungus gnats also dislike bright surfaces.
also, like a hospital, the ambient temp, or actual temp of my grow room stays at 69 deg f. this makes life difficult for molds and bacteria. normally, i also try to keep Rh at about 50- 60%. keeping it so cold and dry also cuts down on the chance of cross contamination between cabs, if one cab developed budrot, for example, the airborne spores would have a hard time surviving to get into the other cabs in the room**. i also use commercial grade hypersonic insect and rodent repelling devices. often imitated by cheap manufacturers like 'As Seen on TV!' that put out a inferior, underpowered product, these commercial grade devices drop flying insects out of the air in a matter of minutes, if not seconds, by way of powerful ultra sonic emmision. tho pulled off of the shelves a few years ago due to interference with bluetooth devices, i pulled mine out of a building that was being demo'd downtown a few months ago.
i also maintain a rigorous cleaning schedule of the entire area, and leave no corner unturned, and in between grows, i even move the cabs and wipe down the walls behind them and make sure the floor is clean before moving them back. i take my shoes off at the door, and avoid the place like the plague if i think im to dirty to go in. such is the routine of a successful grower.... loose a crop to budrot and youll be doing it too!
**edit:
let me phrase that better. keeping the temps and rh low isnt going to kill any mold spore, but what it
does do is keep any invading spores from becoming active and germinating. by keeping it cool and dry, the spores remain dormant.