3x1000 watt indoor medical grow

Yeah, you guy's are right, I'm an old schooler, and used to specialize in more the contruction aspects of growing. I was part of a pretty sucessful group years ago, and was exposed to the techinques of the day. I have led a legit life since then and now work an office job with engineer types.

Now the kids are gone and my spouse has developed a medical need for the product. I am not a regular user but want to help her out, and like the idea of approching it as a hobby(of which I already have several). I am looking forward to re-applying the knowlege I have, but alot has changed.

Back in the day genetics were simple, you either had Indica or Sativa, and Indca was definately preferencial. We were producing skunk with Indica and it was like fricken gold.

Anyway, I potted today and put them in a negative preasure vented enclosure, I am currently showing 38% humidity and 80F. I plan to start with 18/6 cycle and am watering with tap water.....................thinking every4-5 days. Sound like a winning strategy so far?

Any advise/discussion is appreciated.
 

Friedrice

Active Member
Okay I've sub'ed, please allow me to introduce myself I'm Mr.Green Scene, but you can call me "G". I have been out for 25 years now, and am getting back in, at a small hobbiest type level. I have constructed a sealed/vented enclosure; 6x3x7, with 900w of LED "grow" type light. Static running of the room shows I can maintain a temp. of 80F with lights on, this drops to 70F with lights off. My humidity is 35% without augmentation, I have a humidifier and can boost to 45-48%.


I have obtained 10 Purple Kush clones, which I am about ready to introduce into the room. I plan to veg. them for a couple of weeks, then pull 4 for future mother stock, and flower the rest. I have purchased some secret soil mix from the local grow shop, and will follow thier direction to cut 50/50 with sunshine mix. I have 4 gallon pots for use on this project, they include large trays.

I have been lurking here for a couple of weeks, and have realized that the knowlege I once had is either irrelevant, or forgotten and I'm glad someone is offering to answer questions. I had arrived at this thread by following a search for best temperature, which really has not been discussed so far. That is my first question, is my room going to work at a lights-on temp. of 80F ?


The grow shop advised me that the soil will work un-amended for several weeks, and I have no idea what to ammend with thereafter, so I'm really interested in this area of disscussion. Thanks for posting this good information, and for helping out newbies such as myself.............................awesome resource.
Thanks for joining in man and thanks for the good words! Im glad you decided to participate.
I hope I and others in this thread can help you out as much as possible.

Well lets dive right into your questions.
Your temperature is looking good, just try not to go any higher then 80F.
70F is a very good night time temperature.
I personally try to aim for 68F at night time.
As far as your humidity levels; they are fine when your flowering.
For vegetative state I would aim a little higher.
Think about nature and what a good "jungle" biome would be.
That is what you want to give a plant that is in vegetative state.
Minus the hot temperature:)
45%-48% is probably just fine and you wont see much of a difference if you even do see one.
I dont have much knowledge about LED lights so maybe someone can around here can help you if you have some questions about that type of lighting.
I personally run 1000 watt High pressure sodium lights.
How big are the clones that are about to start veg?
I have never worked with secret soil, but im sure we can work around that.

This is where you as a grower are going to have to make a choice.
Do you want to go completely organic? or do you want to use chemical fertilizers?
When your hydro shop told you that the soil will need to be amended means that your plant will need to start being fed at that point.
Meaning your soil is hot. Mine is too. Im running Fox Farms Ocean Forest.
Ill be revealing the nutes that i used (under $30 for two cycles!) in a few posts.
We will be needing them around the same time
I can PM them to you if you plan on following my method, but i better see some posts from you about it if you do;)

All in all though, you need to find what is accessible too you.
Do you have any knowledge about PPM's?
Sorry if that is a stupid question

My method is a happy medium i found between chemical ferts and organic ferts.

Like I said though, im not bringing up anything too specific. Like temp and humidity because i assume if people arent asking about it, they already know.
I will answer any question tossed my way to the best of my ability.

Hope this helps and welcome to the thread:)


Yeah, you guy's are right, I'm an old schooler, and used to specialize in more the contruction aspects of growing. I was part of a pretty sucessful group years ago, and was exposed to the techinques of the day. I have led a legit life since then and now work an office job with engineer types.

Now the kids are gone and my spouse has developed a medical need for the product. I am not a regular user but want to help her out, and like the idea of approching it as a hobby(of which I already have several). I am looking forward to re-applying the knowlege I have, but alot has changed.

Back in the day genetics were simple, you either had Indica or Sativa, and Indca was definately preferencial. We were producing skunk with Indica and it was like fricken gold.

Anyway, I potted today and put them in a negative preasure vented enclosure, I am currently showing 38% humidity and 80F. I plan to start with 18/6 cycle and am watering with tap water.....................thinking every4-5 days. Sound like a winning strategy so far?

Any advise/discussion is appreciated.
Good thing about the negative pressure.
In conjunction with my previous question what is the PPM of your tap water?
So far everything sounds good.
Watering is not something that will be on a schedule with soil(usually).
Some people have their systems dialed in so well that waterings are like clockwork.
Generally though, to tell when too water lift the pot and feel the weight or check the top soil and when the top inch is dry, its watering time.


Now I have a little question for you mr. green scene.
Do you think these plants absorbs nutrients every time it rains in nature?
"If" these were outdoors?
The reason I ask is because this will lead me onto a topic I want to discuss about watering.
Like I said,our goal is to give it the best mother nature can give it. With a little human intervention.
As far as a winning strategy, this road can be had by many different paths.
PPM in your tap water is very important.
Also before using tap water let it sit outside for 24 hrs first.

Hope to hear back from yah
 

Friedrice

Active Member
BTW, sorry everyone I havent mixed up some of my soil or posted pictures yet.
Been pretty busy today... My mom had surgery and I gotta fill in for her and her normal daily chores.
Ill be up and running 100% soon!:)
 
Okay, this am I have figured out how to remove the geotag info on digital photo's enabling me to post this picture showing the clones as of 5:00am this morning.
clones.jpg

Do you want to go completely organic? or do you want to use chemical fertilizers?
I am indifferent, which ever will yield the best result.

I can PM them to you if you plan on following my method, but i better see some posts from you about it if you do
Sound fair to me!

All in all though, you need to find what is accessible too you. Do you have any knowledge about PPM's?
In my world at work, I administer testing to commision new water distribution systems and such. In this context PPM is an abbreviation for "parts per million", which is a standard unit of measure. I am not sure what it means to the marijuana cultivation discipline, however.

In conjunction with my previous question what is the PPM of your tap water?
I guess I don't understand, PPM of; coliforms?/inorganic particulate?

Now I have a little question for you mr. green scene. Do you think these plants absorbs nutrients every time it rains in nature?, "If" these were outdoors?
I think thier geographical location would have a lot to do with what the plant absorbs/synthisizes, per cycle. I watched a documentry recently called Earth from Space, in it they showed how fine nutrient rich material from the Sahara Desert in Africa, was blown on a daily basis across the Pacific Ocean, to combine with rain and fall on the South American rain forests. As a good percentage of the worlds O2 comes from the rain forests, the whole deal is dependant on the trade winds to carry 20 000 tons of this fertilizer per day. Interestingly, they also show how it is not the jungle plants that contribute the majority of this O2, to the world, but the plankton bloom that occurs when the majority of this fertilizer is washed out to sea through the rivers and streams.

I think a plant in this overly fertile enviroment will absorb nutrients much differently than the same plant growing on the island of Guam say, where nutrients don't come its way in abundance every day.

Thanks again for bringing me up to speed on this stuff once again, I will keep you in the loop when it come to progress and fruition.

And please, call me "G".
 

Friedrice

Active Member
Okay, this am I have figured out how to remove the geotag info on digital photo's enabling me to post this picture showing the clones as of 5:00am this morning.
View attachment 2486518
Not looking too bad. I wouldn't water them for a little bit.
They are having trouble wicking the water out because they haven't established a complex root system yet.


I am indifferent, which ever will yield the best result.
It all depends on the amount of time and resources(money, what your able to obtain) your willing to dedicated.
Like I said, I have found a happy medium.

I dont have much "extensive" knowledge on going completely organic, but i plan on experimenting with it next grow.

Whodatnation posted a completely organic recipe on page 8 of this forum if out want to go that way.
I havent gone organic because i have been afraid to try something new.
That, and all the ingredients for organic can get pretty messy.(That shouldnt be a reason not to do something though)
whodatnation's recipe is a little more expensive at $104 for 5 cubic ft of soil plus organic tea(feed) ingredients.
For my soil and nutrients i pay less than $100 and I believe its just as good as completely organic.
Thats for the whole grow!

You are looking for something that has all the ingredients that MMJ needs at a good ratio.
Look for nutrient compounds thats arent all in one.
Look for 2 or three different feeds that when combined give everything they need.
Look for signs of higher quality nutrients like ones that have alot of chelated nutrients and ones with urea and nitrate nitrogen.
A good all around NPK for MMJ is 10-10-10
For vegative you want something with high N & P and lower in K
For flowering you want something high in N, lower in P, and higher in K
Im not going to tell you what I use yet.
Do some research/shopping online/in store and come back to me with a list of nutrients you think are good.
Dont buy anythign yet, remember you got at least 3 weeks before needing to feed.
Take your time.
You can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink, but if you exhaust the horse before hand he is more likely to drink.
Good quote from a grower on RIU I used to follow.
At the end of the day it is up to you.




In my world at work, I administer testing to commision new water distribution systems and such. In this context PPM is an abbreviation for "parts per million", which is a standard unit of measure. I am not sure what it means to the marijuana cultivation discipline, however.
Yes, PPM means parts per million.
I strongly suggest you get a PPM/PH combo meter.
This is very important because we use a PPM meter to tell us what is in our water.
We also use a PH meter to determine the PH of our water haha.
This is important because the PH tells us what is able to be absorped by the plant.
I suggest you do some research into your tap water and find out what the PPM content is.
This can be done on your water company's website.
I suggest if you have a tap water ppm of above 300, you will need to buy a reverse osmosis system.
I have a couple good links where you can get one for a good price.
I understand this is just a hobby type thing for you, but some instruments are needed for success.
I mean you can give it worse stuff and itll still grow, but it probably wont taste good or be anything your really proud of.
I have an RO system and my water comes out at 0ppm.
This way i have complete control over everything that goes into it..

Like I said though, a PPM meter is quite important in my opinion.


I guess I don't understand, PPM of; coliforms?/inorganic particulate?
I dont know what coliforms are but PPM measures multiple things in the water...
nitrogen, potassium, phosporhus, ect...

I think thier geographical location would have a lot to do with what the plant absorbs/synthisizes, per cycle. I watched a documentry recently called Earth from Space, in it they showed how fine nutrient rich material from the Sahara Desert in Africa, was blown on a daily basis across the Pacific Ocean, to combine with rain and fall on the South American rain forests.

I think a plant in this overly fertile enviroment will absorb nutrients much differently than the same plant growing on the island of Guam say, where nutrients don't come its way in abundance every day.

Thanks again for bringing me up to speed on this stuff once again, I will keep you in the loop when it come to progress and fruition.

And please, call me "G".
You stated above that when the nutrients come blowing over from africa they combine with rain.
Im bringing this up because this is very important.

What do you think happens to the PH of the rain when all these "nutrients" combine with the water?
Ill tell you why its important after you give me your thoughts.

And; No problem man! As long as you do your share of participating, I have no problem helping someone who is willing to work and learn.


anyone feel free to chime in if you think you know the answer.
Class participation points! :p
 

Thundercat

Well-Known Member
I will add that what your measuring in ppm is he total dissolved solids. I'm sure Isis familiar to you with your line of work mr. Green. As fried rice said knowing the TDS of your water will help you determine the quality or said water. I agree if you have very high TDS that it would be best to source other water or buy an RO system(should be like $100) S once your growing in soil and only a few plants you may choose to buy water. For my last soil grow(10plants in5gallon pots) I bought water from this DIY fill up station. It was awesome water like 25 ppm and I got it for .25 cents a gallon. It was a pain to move20 gallons of water every week but you wouldn't need that much.

im also a believer in less is more especially in soil. You don't need to give the plants tons of mutes, or all kinds of additives to get huge dank buds. I have yet to have a crop that wAs a diss appoinment.
 
T-Cat, I was just going to ask if I was looking to measure TDS. In domestic water systems this is not generally measured or reported on. At times during commisioning, high concentrations of chlorine are loaded into the system and verification samples are taken insuring even distribution. Same when this dissinfect solution is flushed.

During operation, residule levels of chlorine are measured to correct dosing at the distribution plant. Hybred (UV dissinfection type stuff), support much lower levels to the end user and we should all be happy when these are added to our communities supply plants. Additionally turbidity is measured and reported on, as well as presence or lack of specifically fecal coliforms. Presense of these coliforms would trigger a immediate boil water advisory, and high turbidity index would trigger a water quality advisory. This in the region/country I live in, anyway.

Ricer, I'm going to take the evening to ponder/research your question regarding PH. Have a good night gentlemen.........................
 

Friedrice

Active Member
When do we get the secret nute sauce? I can't take it any more.
Before I tell everyone what I use, I first feel that i have to explain why i use it.
That is what im doing very slowly.
For the people who stick around, Im sure they will feel it would have been worth the wait.
I could tell you what nutrients I use but what does it matter if you dont understand why I use them?
There is criticism good and bad about every nutrient on the market.
Its knowing how to use whats around you and use it well.
To use it well you have to understand how it works.
I hope that makes sense and doesnt sound like a lecture:)
 

Friedrice

Active Member
Update 1/19/13

Here is what I did today.

Pulled out an old bag of FFOF I had laying around
photo34qer.jpg

Poured some in a mixing bowl

photo42u.jpg

Pulled some reverse osmosis water out and ph'ed it.
Came up to 6.7 which is perfect cause fox farms comes at 6.8
photo24sw.jpg

photo16en.jpg

Mixed in some water with the soil and started adding them to the cups.

photo43q.jpg

I filled the cups about 1/2 full of soil and put on layer of hydroton.
I do this so the roots have to search a little bit before they hit the soil.
This ensures that they are not fed for the first 2 weeks since germ.
Remember, freshly popped seeds have enough nutrients to support them for 1.5-2 weeks.
I then put the rockwool cube in the cup and added hydroton around it to give it extra support.
Back under the t5.
The finished product:

photo52rw.jpg

Here is the clones future home:

photo17i.jpg


Sorry I havent posted pictures of my room yet its not completely set up yet cause ive been moving things around.

My rooms is a mess
photo25pa.jpg
 
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