Multichip LED, Remote Phosphor - Guess who it is.

Bumping Spheda

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
caretak3r: Precisely. If I hadn't chosen to heat sink my panels, use Wago connectors for all the wires, and bought my power chords from Good Will (99 cents a plug) I'd most likely have been slightly under $1/W. Not the most efficient, bleeding edge chips, but still kinda crazy for any soon-to-be growers out there looking to get their feet wet with LED's. Hell, even people looking to set up little 660nm bars around their tents might wanna take a look at her eBay shop, she's got lots of different PCB configurations. Hell, even people like ganja with a whole room full plants, Idk. I'm sure there are others who could benefit from knowing this, so thanks.


Anyway, it's been a while since I updated. Here goes.

I've had two of these so far. Pretty f'in small, lots of seeds, less meat. Hopefully transplanting into a bigger pot once it gets moved outside will be enough incentive to beef up those Beefsteaks.
p1120727s.jpg

And Kid. Little burn here and there, but overall healthy. The purpling veins and leaves have cleared up it looks like, so I guess I'm getting the hang of how much water it wants. Another tomato should be turning Red soon.
p1120736.jpg

And Little Chiesel. Lots of LST going on, not a whole lot of new growth it seems. Maybe it's just because I see her everyday, but I sorta of expect things to go quicker than this.
p1120737.jpgp1120742k.jpg

Speaking of slow, this FIM job has taken forever to recoup. Never again. I'll just tie it down next time, it wasn't worth it, imo.
p1120738v.jpgp1120741.jpg

And a picture of Misty II. She's been taking her sweet ass time as well, tbh. I don't know exactly how old she is, but at least a couple weeks I'd say. I think she's gonna make it, those top leaves are slightly larger than they were at the start so I'll take that as a good sign, despite her pasty complexion. That cone stays over her and it fogs up so I know RH is high in there.
p1120749e.jpgp1120748q.jpg


My brother's having a wedding soon so I'll have to be out of town for a while (probably a week to a week and a half). Kinda scary. I'm thinking this stuff could keep my plants alive while I'm gone, but I'm open to suggestions if anyone's got one.

Take care, all.
 
heckler73

heckler73

Well-Known Member
Looks great Bumping!
I've noticed in the past, my first fruits are usually small, too. So I wouldn't worry about that too much. The 2nd batch should be proper size (assuming all variables are dialed-in).

I just transplanted my Juliets outside (photos this weekend after I get the 2 Sashas out). Still no fruit forms on mine, though. However, a couple have dropped their flowers off, so I assume they are pollinated. They look good in the sun; the resin glows with that golden sheen...hypnotizing... :lol:
 
caretak3r

caretak3r

Well-Known Member
the 1W panels came in - I LOVE the quality and am quite surprised at how bright they are.
The pontoons (not bright to my eye but that's expected), and the 24W panel - literally taking 24W at the plug.
IMG_20130511_102817_04433.jpgIMG_20130511_102911_04434.jpgIMG_20130511_103240_04435.jpg
 
Bumping Spheda

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
That 24W panel looks delicious caretak3r. Looking forward to seeing them in action.



Quick update for you guys.

p1120750.jpg
You can say it. Looks rather abismal. I saw some little fruit flies back again in the soil, this is just getting ridiculous. Not sure if they're wreaking havoc on the root structure, but all in all this plant doesn't look too happy. It's definitely hit a brick wall as far as new growth is concerned, and tomatoes have slowed down considerably the past few days. Well see if some diatomaceous earth and nutes in her water will help turn things around.

p1120761.jpgp1120753b.jpg
WTF! Why is Kid so fussy?

p1120755y.jpg
Shot of the LST work/under canopy. In the top left corner you can see a little bit of what I've decided to call the cluster fuck region. There are so many smaller heads grouped so close together from that FIM job I successfully attempted that I'm afraid of budrot once I flip her.

p1120758.jpg
I don't care what you think, Misty II is alive, running without her top and has new growth. Cutting put straight into soil with only aloe vera juice, water and peroxide with a 50% success rate. *whoo whoo* Her success means I can kick Chiesel out of veg as soon as it's warm enough for Kid outdoors. Can't wait.
 
heckler73

heckler73

Well-Known Member
Interesting... I've also been having a problem with my Sashas... I think that concern I had right at the beginning (the high P) has come to screw me around. That's why I've been holding off with an update. I didn't notice it under the LED, but as soon as I got them outside, I could see the margin burns... looked like Zn deficiency, but knowing I have high P, it became somewhat obvious what was causing the claw !!!

However, the two outside are recovering after giving straight pH'ed water and low ppm (i.e. 150ppm) solutions over the last week--meanwhile the Juliets are taking off, they don't seem to care. But I need to get some Potassium Sulphate this week, so I can correct this imbalance in the nutes, especially for my indoor Sasha. Although, I've got fruit coming out everywhere now.

For me, this has been an informative lesson in Heirlooms; they are not made for bleeding-edge nutrient pushing the way modern hybrids are.
 
Bumping Spheda

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
Can't speak for your Sashas, but if it isn't one thing with Kid it's something else. How much of this is his fault I'd probably say "Not much," but it's gettin' old. Chiesel has had to bear a heavier load, too, with much higher temps (at least ten degrees at times) and even lower RH. I'm beginning to think I need to start adding nutes to Kid's water because honestly I've just been giving him dechlorinated water that's been passed through a Brita filter once. All his nutes were sitting in that pot the day I transplanted, so perhaps he's just running low and I've neglected him a bit too much. Leaves curling upwards, signs of deficiencies (I think Mg, possibly N), droopy RH lately (22%, should be 35% in there) and now those damn fruit flies from hell that just love coming back. I'm going to burn that bag of Miracle Grow soil in my garage, I swear. Maybe I'll just bake it and keep using it as filler, but honestly, I'm not sure if it's worth it.
 
Bumping Spheda

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
Kicked Kid outside. He's still got a lot of nutrient deficiencies and what not. Not much new growth and tomatoes seem to have stalled. Eh, fuck it. We'll see what happens.
p1120767.jpg

Anyway, I moved Chiesel into the flowering room and transplanted her into a ~7gal smart part that I made a while back out of felt. She's just recouped from the transplant, all the trimming and retying of her branches, etc. so I decided to take a pic and share despite the fact that there's not much new with her.
p1120766a.jpg
That's a boat load of dirt, though, sheesh. I should probably veg for another month, lol. Again, though, this is a super soil grow, and judging from how hot the dirt mixture was at first for both Chiesel and Kid (same stuff as before, but now fully cooked for over a month) I'm guessing we'll see a little over-N and burned tips in the future, but she should work through it without too much difficulty.

Can't wait to see what these 100W RP spot light and Merry-Astir panels can do!
 
heckler73

heckler73

Well-Known Member
Before engaging this mixed media romp, be sure to press play on the vid.
It is good background music.
[video=youtube;uf4bjByMcvE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf4bjByMcvE[/video]
​

So how about that Phosphorous, eh?


Phos Toxicity.jpg


So... 236ppm is too much. In an attempt to remedy the situation, I picked up some K[SUB]2[/SUB]SO[SUB]4[/SUB].
$11 for 5lbs.
Molecular Weight: 174.259 g/mol

This allowed me to make a new formula:
P1000463.jpg
It turns out, by mixing it this way, I'm able to get a 5.8pH without buffers.

I also learned how not to pre-mix dry food. Do not dry-mix Sulfates with Calcium.
It makes a sediment (I believe, gyprock), although it will mostly dissolve with warmer water and agitation.
I remixed my dry-batches with the Sulfates and Phosphate together, and just left the Calcium Nitrate with the Trace Minerals.
The Ca(NO3)2 is quick to suck moisture from the air...:idea:...
side note: perhaps it could be an adjunct to a jar-cure device?
​

That combination should give me clean products in 2 parts, which makes mixing easier (since I get two 1 Liter bottles of mix).




As for the tomatoes themselves. I took this pic the day after transplant.P1000453.jpg

I assure you they do not look like this now.
I believe this was from a week ago, before the rains started coming.
They have now had 7 days of good leaching from the morning rains,
coupled with mild, dry afternoons,
and I just gave them their first NEW FORMULA feed on Friday.

I will be taking photos tomorrow, if the sun makes itself present.

You can see some claw symptoms here, but it became really noticeable a couple days later. However, it seems to have been scrubbed from the system, and the plants recovered. Although, the Sashas still bear scars of their ordeal. I will have to snip it off at some point. But not until I see some resilient, new growth.



​
Then there was the indoor Sasha.
P1000458.jpgA lovely first bunch well on its way. These are supposed to be 60-65 day fruits.
I don't know what day it is, but I am eager to test it. Although, I think I am going to sacrifice the first fruit to seed.

Just to keep it interesting. ;)



P1000459.jpgP1000460.jpgP1000461.jpgP1000462.jpg​
Just some miscellaneous shots,

at random.
​

The smell of the resin is amazing. A mix of smoke and sweetness. Like Single-Malt Scotch.

Ahh, and the herbs. Yes, there is life. But I noticed it has been slow in coming. I removed the heat pad, and I suspect that impaired their root growth.
I may have to reintroduce that, since it seemed to help the tomatoes get started in quick order.
P1000456.jpgP1000457.jpg


Maybe I should start some air pump experiments with the herbs? To see how much I can speed up growth with direct root oxygenation. I know it works, and it's fairly simple to do. It's just like DWC for soil :lol:


Now, I've got a little treat for all two or three people who may read this.

A secret academic grow.
SSSSSSShhhhhh don't tell anyone either. I don't know how long this experiment is going to last, but it's going to be fun trying.



IMG-20130515-00053.jpgAt the University, there is this sustainable Garden project, where people can sign-up and manage a box.
But I wondered what sort of vegetables and flowers I'd find...
Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, ornamental crap...

YAWN...

​
Then I stumbled onto this :lol:
Someone was obviously joking.
So I'm taking over :lol:
I shall bring it some mix next week, make sure it's getting a healthy diet, worthy of it's Social-Mobility.

IMG-20130509-00051.jpg

My Chinese friend (who I have been indoctrinating with Frank Zappa) that was wandering around with me, thought it was a strawberry!
:lol:

I quickly pointed out to him, that was highly unlikely.

He's learning about Western Culture very well.

As you can see, it appears abandoned.
It needs love.
Before the cops come to beat the hell out of it,
or some stupid banana-peel smoker saunters by in a haze, and harvests it only 6 weeks prematurely.
We'll see...
Hopefully, I can get some bud pics before it meets a probable and early demise ;)
 
Bumping Spheda

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
The nutes helped with the new growth, the transplant is recent so not much time for Kid to acclimate. The tomatoes look a little larger than last batch.
p1120769j.jpg

First shot is the RP spotlight only. Second shot is all lights on with the same White Balance as the first.
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FIM region.
p1120778w.jpg

To get a better sense of overall size.
p1120780.jpg
 
Bumping Spheda

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
Lol. Fuck you man. I wanted it to be abundantly clear as to what was part of the FIM'ed branch and what wasn't!

Thanks, though, it definitely is starting to look like an actual grow. :eyesmoke: I think I'll just lay off the LST from here on out. I want the branches to grow vertically to make use of those supplemental panels a bit more, or at least more how I intended to make use of them.

Btw, Misty II died. Alright, fine, point taken. Gonna make a single site bubble cloner out of a Double Gulp. Stay tuned for my air stone to arrive in... oh Jesus, coming from Hong Kong? Since when? "Delivery estimate: June 11, 2013 - June 27, 2013" M'kay, so I guess just stay tuned. Hopefully I'll be flipping this Chiesel sometime next month.
 
Bumping Spheda

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
If anyone's interested I found an LED flood light vendor who sells JUST the fixture; no COB light, no driver, and not too expensive, either. Three fixtures per lot.

http://www.dhgate.com/store/product/flood-light-30w-kit-led-flood-light-advertising/14374215-160063269.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/30W-Cree-XLamp-XP-E-Warm-White-3000K-XPE-High-Power-LED-Light-Lamp-DC30V-36V-1A-/121112663707?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c32e0969b

http://www.ebay.com/itm/30W-DC-1000mA-30-36V-High-Power-LED-Constant-Current-Driver-85-265V-IN-/171045361324?pt=US_Lighting_Parts_and_Accessories&hash=item27d31916ac

$133.95 for 90W of Warm White Cree's. :D
 
Bumping Spheda

Bumping Spheda

Well-Known Member
Triple post too stronk. Idc!

I didnt change the White Balance for this photo just because I wanted you to get an idea of what CCT the 100W RP spotlight gives off. That's a bit warmer than what I actually see, but a LOT closer to these next few photos.
p1120796h.jpg
Anyway, that's Misty Trois. Hopefully she lives. It's day three now in the single-site Double Gulp bubble cloner (SSDGBC as I like to call it). Water was accumulating under the lid and then bubbling up through the hole that I cut for the air hose so I took the "humidor" cone off so leaves weren't sitting in standing water that was accumulating. There really wasn't much room for the leaves, but she's done perfectly fine even with ~40% RH, so I guess she doesn't mind?

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Are those roots? I can't tell even irl and my eyes are good, they're just too small. If they are that's a record for me. Anyway, water accumulates at the base of the cutting and drips back into the "rez." The tip looks kinda dark, I wonder if I should snip it closer to the roots, I really don't want it to start rotting and contaminating the water. What do you guys think?


Anyway, couple shots of Chiesel. Some over watering (had to fly out of town for my brother's graduation and didn't want her to go thirsty, but came home to that), as well as some nute burn on lower leaves. Burn is only at the tips and pretty localized. Not worried.
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Looks like she could use a trim. I'll probably defoliate a bit in the next few days.
 
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