20,000 Watt Medical Grow Op Construction

[vilify]

Hey CG. I want to say that I'm a big fan of your work and philosophy(I sound like a fanboy....I'm not a fanboy...). For a long time now I've been struggling with the idea of moving to hydroponic grows but I'm scared to death that I'll be losing something if I switch from organics. I know it's a myth but I come from a family of farmers and it's been kind of pounded in my head. Please convince me that the weed isn't gonna taste like crappy chemicals.
A friend of mine want to invest in me and my grow and a big part of the budget is going to soil and organic amendments, but idk because I just wanna go hydro but I don't wanna grow crap. Please help me.

you can do organic hydroponics. problem solved

 

[Beansly]

you can do organic hydroponics. problem solved

I've heard that organic hydroponics is a lie being used by the nutrinent companies to sell bottles. I thought hydro should be all chemical? The beauty of it is the amount of control you have.

 

[collective gardener]

Hey CG. I want to say that I'm a big fan of your work and philosophy(I sound like a fanboy....I'm not a fanboy...). For a long time now I've been struggling with the idea of moving to hydroponic grows but I'm scared to death that I'll be losing something if I switch from organics. I know it's a myth but I come from a family of farmers and it's been kind of pounded in my head. Please convince me that the weed isn't gonna taste like crappy chemicals.
A friend of mine want to invest in me and my grow and a big part of the budget is going to soil and organic amendments, but idk because I just wanna go hydro but I don't wanna grow crap. Please help me.

First off, I prefer organic weed. I can taste a difference. When I grow outdoor, I grow organic. I've grown many live soil indoor grows, as well.

Weed grown with chem nutes should not taste like chemicals. Many growers jam nutes down the plants throat and never flush. This would result in a poor tasting product. It doesn't have to be this way. Properly grown and flushed, chem plants can taste absolutely wonderful, with zero residual chemical flavor. The real difference between a live soil organic plant and a properly grown chem plant is complexity of flavor and smell. The organic plant just has more complexity. It's like the difference between a pasta dish made with 5 ingredients and a pasta dish made with 10 ingredients. Both dishes could taste absolutely wonderful. In fact, both dishes could be world class. But...the 10 ingredient dish will have more flavors working and will therefore have a more complex taste. An organic plant is much the same. But, there's nothing to keep you from growing world class weed with chemical nutrients.

We will soom be testing various liquid organic nutes, and there effect on flavor. I will be trying to determine if that organic complexity can be had without actual live soil. Can we use refined organic nutes to give us that organic flavor in, say, a sterile rockwool media? Can we use 300-500ppm chemical base nute and another 500-700ppm organic nutes to produce organic flavored weed? Basically, can we have the control and predictability of chemicals with the outcome of organics? Or, is it the "live soil" component that provides that organic kick? The next question is naturally, can we generate a micro-herd in rockwool and grow live soil in the Hugo Blocks? I will attempt to answer all of these questions over the next year or so. I would invite other growers to help me and participate.

That all being said, Beansly, large commercial ops are easiest to run using chemical nutes. Actual live soil would be a nightmare in an operation my size. I'm sure you can produce some outstanding buds using chemical nutes. In the end, it's still strain strain strain that determines 95% of the quality of your smoke. The grower determines how much of it you get. Granted, you can fuck up the quality, but it's still imperative you start with killer genetics. Not anything you can order online...for the most part.

With all that being said, if you feel strong toward growing organic, I would be the last person to talk you out of it. Shit, I want to buy some. If you are comfortable growing live soil in a good sized grow, fucking do it, Killer. I'm sure with sound planning and layout you could design an op that keeps the mess to a minimum. If you have the skills to make a live soil grow produce great yields, and don't mind the mess, you should do it. I know I'm supposed to be talking you into chemicals. Sorry.

 

[collective gardener]

i just started wandering throught this thread and will be at it for awhile.

it's a very impressive set up and grow! Well done!

i always found it odd, that from the day we start to grow, we hear to keep the lights as close to the plant as possible, yet whenever i see a large grow, the lights always appear to be 3 or more feet above them. is this just to cover more area? does the cluster of so many lights, produce so much light, that 3 or 4 feet off the plants doesn't noticeably reduce the bud weight?

I'm not sure which pic you're refering to. The pair of lights against the wall are raised up because those plants just went into bloom. The HPS lights are quite a bit brighter than the MH's, and I like the plants to have a couple days to get used to being in the bloom room under the brighter lights before I give them full strength. The typical distance I use is around 24". The Tahoe X Chem Dawgs seem to like a little closer. I use a light meter to adjust the light distance. If you lower too close to the plants directly under the light, lighting suffers on adjacent plants. I try to find a nice balance between all the plants. Even with that, I still move all the plants every few days, and ratate in position every day.

 

[tommyo3000]

CG,

I study commercial hydroponics operations to get my techniques from...
As far as adding organics to hydroponics is concerned, you will need to culture the microherd in the hydro system. This is easier said than done - depending on your type of hydroponic medium. Coco will colonize with fungi, bacteria, etc... Hydroton- not so much. BUT there is a way that people grow with medium-less hydro or hydroton AND grow beneficials. You can fill a stocking with perlite and innoculate with your powdered fungi and bacteria and drop this into your rez. That will give them a place to grow.
Alternatively, you can make a biofilter with a bucket full of bioballs which are plastic balls that your spread your innoculum on... You fill a one gallon bucket with these, sprinkle on innoculum, and then have your rez return splash over this bucket on it's way back to the rez.
In Europe, GH sells a biofilter like this to use with their subculture B.

 

[Beansly]

First off, I prefer organic weed. I can taste a difference. When I grow outdoor, I grow organic. I've grown many live soil indoor grows, as well.

Weed grown with chem nutes should not taste like chemicals. Many growers jam nutes down the plants throat and never flush. This would result in a poor tasting product. It doesn't have to be this way. Properly grown and flushed, chem plants can taste absolutely wonderful, with zero residual chemical flavor. The real difference between a live soil organic plant and a properly grown chem plant is complexity of flavor and smell. The organic plant just has more complexity. It's like the difference between a pasta dish made with 5 ingredients and a pasta dish made with 10 ingredients. Both dishes could taste absolutely wonderful. In fact, both dishes could be world class. But...the 10 ingredient dish will have more flavors working and will therefore have a more complex taste. An organic plant is much the same. But, there's nothing to keep you from growing world class weed with chemical nutrients.

We will soom be testing various liquid organic nutes, and there effect on flavor. I will be trying to determine if that organic complexity can be had without actual live soil. Can we use refined organic nutes to give us that organic flavor in, say, a sterile rockwool media? Can we use 300-500ppm chemical base nute and another 500-700ppm organic nutes to produce organic flavored weed? Basically, can we have the control and predictability of chemicals with the outcome of organics? Or, is it the "live soil" component that provides that organic kick? The next question is naturally, can we generate a micro-herd in rockwool and grow live soil in the Hugo Blocks? I will attempt to answer all of these questions over the next year or so. I would invite other growers to help me and participate.

That all being said, Beansly, large commercial ops are easiest to run using chemical nutes. Actual live soil would be a nightmare in an operation my size. I'm sure you can produce some outstanding buds using chemical nutes. In the end, it's still strain strain strain that determines 95% of the quality of your smoke. The grower determines how much of it you get. Granted, you can fuck up the quality, but it's still imperative you start with killer genetics. Not anything you can order online...for the most part.

With all that being said, if you feel strong toward growing organic, I would be the last person to talk you out of it. Shit, I want to buy some. If you are comfortable growing live soil in a good sized grow, fucking do it, Killer. I'm sure with sound planning and layout you could design an op that keeps the mess to a minimum. If you have the skills to make a live soil grow produce great yields, and don't mind the mess, you should do it. I know I'm supposed to be talking you into chemicals. Sorry.

Thanks for that CG. I guess I was really asking you to talk to me about hydroponics. I agree organic is better, but I guess I'm confused about your operation. You grow in rockwool yet you consider you grow organic? Are CES nutrients considered organic?

 

[fatboyOGOF]

I'm not sure which pic you're refering to. The pair of lights against the wall are raised up because those plants just went into bloom. The HPS lights are quite a bit brighter than the MH's, and I like the plants to have a couple days to get used to being in the bloom room under the brighter lights before I give them full strength. The typical distance I use is around 24". The Tahoe X Chem Dawgs seem to like a little closer. I use a light meter to adjust the light distance. If you lower too close to the plants directly under the light, lighting suffers on adjacent plants. I try to find a nice balance between all the plants. Even with that, I still move all the plants every few days, and ratate in position every day.

yeah, i keep the light up higher the first couple of days in the flower tent too. 24" is good for a typical height. it could also be that a lot of the pics i see, have lights up higher to better show the grow . i watched pineapple express and i was thinking someone should have pointed out that their lights were too high! i used to rotate my plants but i only move them a little bit while watering these days. i've picked up some sloppy habits over the years.

 

[collective gardener]

Thanks for that CG. I guess I was really asking you to talk to me about hydroponics. I agree organic is better, but I guess I'm confused about your operation. You grow in rockwool yet you consider you grow organic? Are CES nutrients considered organic?

If I gave the impression that I consider my grow organic, I'm sorry. I consider my grow hydroponic with chem nutes. I will be trying to colonize a microheard in rockwool in the future. I do add some organic teas to my nute solution to broaden the nutrient source. The organic nutes I use are highly refined.

I aplogize if I didn't address your question well enough. I'm not quite sure what you want to know. As I stated, you can grow some very high quality meds hydroponically. By weekly flushing and a thorough flush the last 2 weeks of bloom, you can remove any potential chemical taste. It's ot really a chemical taste so much as incomplete burning.

If you can grow live soil organic with good yields, you'll find hydroponic/soiless gardening very easy. For larger commercial gardens, I prefer coco/perlite or rockwool. Hand watering drain to waste everyday minimizes any chances of serious plant problems. It also forces you into the garden everyday. If you see a plant is not taking as much water as the rest of the grow, chances are it has a problem that needs addressing. Only by hand watering can you detect these issues early on, before any signs appear.

 

[Beansly]

If I gave the impression that I consider my grow organic, I'm sorry. I consider my grow hydroponic with chem nutes. I will be trying to colonize a microheard in rockwool in the future. I do add some organic teas to my nute solution to broaden the nutrient source. The organic nutes I use are highly refined.

I aplogize if I didn't address your question well enough. I'm not quite sure what you want to know. As I stated, you can grow some very high quality meds hydroponically. By weekly flushing and a thorough flush the last 2 weeks of bloom, you can remove any potential chemical taste. It's ot really a chemical taste so much as incomplete burning.

If you can grow live soil organic with good yields, you'll find hydroponic/soiless gardening very easy. For larger commercial gardens, I prefer coco/perlite or rockwool. Hand watering drain to waste everyday minimizes any chances of serious plant problems. It also forces you into the garden everyday. If you see a plant is not taking as much water as the rest of the grow, chances are it has a problem that needs addressing. Only by hand watering can you detect these issues early on, before any signs appear.

I should be apologizing, I didn't ask the right question, but somehow you intuited what I wanted to ask and answered my questions lol. Sorry about the confusion lol.
My issues were that I wasn't sure if you could get good tasting and smelling bud from hydroponics. There's a lot of arguing about it online and I thought I'd just ask someone who I know has experience with it. Thanks for clearing up my doubts about hydro.

 

[dmo123]

dats crazy we need to talk

 

[withoutAchance]

We thought about dogs. It's just if someone every poisened them, or killed them however to get in, I would never forgive myself. I just love dogs way too much to put them in harms way. My alarm guy is setting up this deal where we will be texted if an alarm is tripped. No cops. Unfortunately, my lawyer says that it pisses the cops off big time if you're broken into and they are not called. My fantasy is still to have the place rigged to trap them inside. "Put the fucking lotion on your skin!"

I did not read the entire thread yet bit it is the state law enforcement officers job to protect your grow op and this is something we need to stress and fight for more as basically we are powerless agaist theaifs at our grow op as we can't have weapons on the grounds. Yet despenceries have atleast 1 armed gaurd.

 

[tommyo3000]

I did not read the entire thread yet bit it is the state law enforcement officers job to protect your grow op and this is something we need to stress and fight for more as basically we are powerless agaist theaifs at our grow op as we can't have weapons on the grounds. Yet despenceries have atleast 1 armed gaurd.

Can you have nonlethal weapons like Guns that shoot rubber bullets or beanbags, tazers, etc?

 

[collective gardener]

Can you have nonlethal weapons like Guns that shoot rubber bullets or beanbags, tazers, etc?

I'm a firm believer that keeping the grow location as secret as possible is the best weapon. That, and the polar bear cage we have protecting our storefront door. It is a shame we're not afforded the same protection as other businesses. I would never call the police short of some sort of life threatening event. There is insurance available for theft. I looked into it, The problem is, a police report is needed to collect on any claims. Fuck that.

We do have a security system that will text me and Commercial J should a break in occur. It will also film the entire event. It's come down to a few grow ops banding together to provide our own threat response team. I can be at my shop in 5 minutes. It's just one more reason for grow ops not to compete, but support eachother. Imagine what we could do with 20 or 30 ops all banded together in a loose organization. Everyone could toss a few bucks into the hat and actually create something greater than the sum of the group. It wouldn't even be necessary to know the location of the other ops. Other businesses do similar things...why not us?

 

[collective gardener]

dats crazy we need to talk

Ok. Talk. I'm all ears.

 

[Beansly]

I'm a firm believer that keeping the grow location as secret as possible is the best weapon. That, and the polar bear cage we have protecting our storefront door. It is a shame we're not afforded the same protection as other businesses. I would never call the police short of some sort of life threatening event. There is insurance available for theft. I looked into it, The problem is, a police report is needed to collect on any claims. Fuck that.

We do have a security system that will text me and Commercial J should a break in occur. It will also film the entire event. It's come down to a few grow ops banding together to provide our own threat response team. I can be at my shop in 5 minutes. It's just one more reason for grow ops not to compete, but support eachother. Imagine what we could do with 20 or 30 ops all banded together in a loose organization. Everyone could toss a few bucks into the hat and actually create something greater than the sum of the group. It wouldn't even be necessary to know the location of the other ops. Other businesses do similar things...why not us?

There's always the mafia?? I hear they do insurance...
lol

 

[withoutAchance]

I still don't get it no police report no insurance no gun no protection and even if I hqd one u go to prison for murder so in all reality it is grow at ur own risk and grow for ur self not profit/donations. What if u catch a person or 4 in a cage then what who do u give them to not the police, alps I'm saying is the star needs to step up and back the legal grow ops and make it clear to the local LEOs that it is legal. Otherwise yes hide but u have how many people in it with u and more to come u will piss some one off evemtully they might even have a key. Ok to much speculation but I lived in places were ur not allowed to call the police and things only get worse escalated. And of growers can't use the officers there taxxes pay for then its going to become grower Vs theifs to the death to no no end.

 

[collective gardener]

I still don't get it no police report no insurance no gun no protection and even if I hqd one u go to prison for murder so in all reality it is grow at ur own risk and grow for ur self not profit/donations. What if u catch a person or 4 in a cage then what who do u give them to not the police, alps I'm saying is the star needs to step up and back the legal grow ops and make it clear to the local LEOs that it is legal. Otherwise yes hide but u have how many people in it with u and more to come u will piss some one off evemtully they might even have a key. Ok to much speculation but I lived in places were ur not allowed to call the police and things only get worse escalated. And of growers can't use the officers there taxxes pay for then its going to become grower Vs theifs to the death to no no end.

I've always said "it's not a problem if there's no solution". It seems you're kind of on a negative, no one wins, just stop growing trip.

 

[PotPower]

I am looking for a JOB or to become part of a collective also and you seem like the right "BUD" to get to know?!
Check out my Sig link and tell me if I have anything to offer.

 

[collective gardener]

I am looking for a JOB or to become part of a collective also and you seem like the right "BUD" to get to know?!
Check out my Sig link and tell me if I have anything to offer.

Your buds look very nice. I like the electrical settup and the RDWC, as well. Unfortunately, I'm not looking for any help right now.

 

[PotPower]

Your buds look very nice. I like the electrical settup and the RDWC, as well. Unfortunately, I'm not looking for any help right now.

Thanks for the mention tho, would love to try some of your ladies!