My first ever DWC ScrOG Cabinet Grow

Hi everyone

I started posting this journal on another site a few days ago: September/05/ 2009.
I thought it would be a good idea to post on here as well so I can get more feedback and help because I am completely new to Hydroponics I have a fair idea what I’m doing but I think I have taken on a real challenge here!

Basically I am just hoping someone will pull me up if I am doing anything too stoopid! Any comments or advice are welcome!

I don’t want to publically torture and kill these things!

I will add the original dates to the top of each post before I catch up to where I’m at now

•GARDEN STLYE: DWC ScrOG Cabinet
•GROWING MEDIUM: Hydroton
•CONTAINER SIZE: 2x 52L Reservoirs which will hold approx 50L of nutrient between them
•ROOM SIZE (Length X Depth X Height): 1168mm x 632mm x 1800mm
•LIGHTING & WATTAGE:
Seedlings/Clones: 2 Foot 18W Twin Batten Fluoro, 2 x Philips Cool Daylight Tubes
Veg/Flower: 400W HPS, Philips Son-T Agro Lamp
•AVERAGE TEMPERATURE & HUMIDITY: TBA
•NUMBER OF PLANTS: 2
•NUTRIENT/FEED MIX & FEEDING CYCLES: General Hydroponics Flora Bloom and Micro (Lucas Formula)
•CANNABIS STRAINS & ANY COMMENTS REGARDING THEM: Green House Seed's: Super Lemon Haze ( HTCC Winner 08 )
•TOTAL FLOWERING TIME: 9-10 Weeks
•TOTAL YIELD: Potentially up to 700gr/sqm

I’ve just finished building my first DWC ScrOG Cabinet: https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/239315-my-recirculating-dwc-scrog-cabinet.html

I have decided to document everything thoroughly so that if anything goes wrong it will be easier for the more experienced growers to diagnose and also it may help other people just starting out like me! I have done heaps of research and found so much conflicting information, theories, dosages and formulas that I thought... Time to get my hands dirty and stop pussy footing around!!


The Strain:

I have decided to go with is Green House Seed’s: Super Lemon Haze because it won the High Times Cannabis Cup in 08 and the description on the site just sounds so good!!




“The Super Lemon Haze has won the 2008 High Times Cannabis Cup with a landslide of votes. Between the many reasons: it’s incredibly intense lemony flavour, with a strong haze background. It’s a sharp and intense taste, which reminds of lemon, lime and pink grapefruit, followed by a very earthy and musky haze aftertaste, with traces of incense and black pepper.
The effect is very balanced; it starts with a quick indica-hit feeling that softly moves to a very strong high, with a social and creative side. The Super Lemon Haze is a very smooth compromise between the great qualities of its parents. It has 9-10 weeks flowering time, and a very typical Christmas tree shape. Plants tend to grow quite tall, but the internodes are not too far apart, and allow easy topping. The leaves are very sativa-like, while bud formation comes dense and has a high calyx-to-leaf ratio.
The Super Lemon Haze is very effective both indoors and outdoors, and responds very well to high-EC hydro systems as well as organic soil setups. When cultivated in soil, the spectrum of terpens is more developed and gives an extra lemony flavour. The THC is high at over 22%, ensuring a very psychedelic experience to even the most experienced smokers”.

So I bought 5 feminised seeds for 60 Euros!!!

And because the seeds are so expensive I decided to germinate only 2 of them and keep the rest just in case. At the end of the day I only need one strong female to take my 2 clones from and hopefully use as a mother for future grows.


Germination:

Treating 40mm Rockwool cubes:

1. To 4 litres of tap-water I added 20ml of Seed ‘n’ Clone, 2 drops of Superthrive and 9-10 drops of pH down to bring the pH down to 5.5. I then dropped 2 small 40mm Rockwool cubes into the solution to soak while my seeds are sprouting.



2. I folded a few paper towels and used a small 10ml syringe to moisten them with a little bit of the soaking solution from the bucket. Then I placed the seeds on the paper towels, folded them over, covered with an upturned bowl and placed it all on top of my heating pad in the propagation area of the smaller cabinet.








U4R1K

September/06/2009

The min/max temp and humidity for the last 24 hours are:

Min: 24 C

RH: 56%

-------------------------------------

Max: 27.4

RH: 63%

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These are just the readings from the cabinet the thermometer is sitting on the heat pad and I think the RH under the bowl is more like 100% cos there is condensation all over the inside. This is a good thing right?



Cheers


U4R1K

September/07/2009

I just got the min/max temperature and RH for the propagation area looks like it has stayed really consistent

----------------------------

Min: 24 C

RH: 56%

----------------------------

Max: 27.9 C

RH: 63%

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U4R1K

September/07/2009

I took some temp readings this afternoon I think it is still running a little bit hot considering its not mid summer yet
but from these results I think I may just get away with it.

When I was doing the tests I noticed a few cool little things about the system - every 15 mins when the submersible pump turns on you see the temperature start to drop (as much as 2 degrees!!!) and the other thing I thought was quite cool was when the pump is off the water sits about 3 mm under the net pots but as soon as the pump turns on it floods the bottom 5mm or so of the netpots with water and bubbles! Surely this is a good thing!?

Well here's what I did this afternoon:

To the external reservoir I added 50L of tap-water (50L fills both reservoirs and pump line to the optimum level)Which I am stoked about Then I added 40ml of Oxy-plus (50& H2O2) (To clean all the hoses and crap) and 2ml of pH-Down to bring the pH down to 6.0

Then I set all the timers and plugged everything in at 3.00pm (an hour before the light and exhaust fan come on at 4.00pm - 9.00am)

I had to manually check the temps every half hour this is what I got:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.00pm
Res: 23 C Ambient: 24.5 C RH: 71%

3.30pm
Res: 23 C Ambient: 24.5 C RH: 71%

4.00pm
Res: 23 C Ambient: 24.7 C RH: 70%

4.30pm
Res: 24 C Ambient: 29 C RH: 59%

5.00pm
Res: 24 C Ambient: 29.3 C RH: 51%

5.30pm
Res: 24 C Ambient: 30 C RH: 50%

6.00pm
Res: 24.5 C Ambient: 30.2 C RH: 48%

7:30pm
Res: 24 C Ambient: 30 C RH: 51%

8.00pm
Res: 23 C Ambient: 27 C RH: 54%

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It looks like 6.00pm is the hottest part of the lights on period but then it gets cooler gradually!

Perfect for maybe a few months ago but not too sure what it will be like on a hot muggy summer evening

But the "Bottle of Ice" trick may just be enough to get me through??

Oh yeah I cut some covers for the net-pots out of the plastic "real-estate sign" material they have slits in them to slip around the stalk hopefully they will reflect a bit of heat and light away from the pots and clay balls!!







U4R1K

September/08/2009

I checked on my seeds this morning and just as I suspected they had popped since I last checked them around 12 hours before-hand I must say I was shocked at how much the tap-roots had grown in such a short time!!





3. I washed all the crud off my hydroton a few days ago, gave them a good rinse and removed all the tiny chips that may fall through the net-pots, I didnt bother to soak it though. (Hope this doesn't bite me in the ass!)

4. Then I filled the propagation tray about a third of the way with it.

5. I then pulled my 40mm Rockwool cubes out of the soaking solution and flicked out all the excess solution.

6. I used a pair of tweezers to insert the seeds into the pre-made holes of the cubes (about 10-12mm deep root down of course ) and gently squeezed the holes shut over top of them.

7. I placed the cubes in the tray and poured more hydroton around them. (I left the plastic on the cube with the biggest tap-root)








8. Then I put my remote Thermometer/Hygrometer into the tray put the lid on and chucked it on the heating pad in the propagation area.




9. The timer for the fluoro is set to the same times as the HPS in the growing area in veg mode (18/6) The fluoro comes on at 4.00pm and turns off at 9.00am. I checked on it about an hour and a half later, with the top vents open about 3mm the temperature inside sits around 26-27 C and the humidity sits around 90-92%. (You can see from the pic that the dome lid is quite fogged up)



10. I filtered all the Rockwool fibres out of the soaking solution using a paper towel.

11. And re-checked the pH it was still 5.5 and just out of curiosity I decided to try out my truncheon and check the CF of the solution it had a Conductivity Factor of 7.0 (I thought it was supposed to be more like 12?) I filled up my spray-bottle with the solution cos I was planning on using it to re-moisten the cubes every 12 hours or so. (Is this a good idea or should I make up a stronger solution for this?)





If anyone has any advice or ideas please let me know as I said I am completely new to this



U4R1K

September/08/2009

I just checked on my propagator the temperature was a bit high at 32 C so I plugged my heating pad into the 15min/15min pump timer. I think the RH was ok at 91% the temp outside the propagator was fine at 26 C. The fuoro deesn't heat things up too much at all!


U4R1K

September/08/2009

I thought I'd dump the Oxy-plus cleaning solution that I used for temp testing today, mainly just to see if it all works out.

I cut a piece of old hose attached one end to the reservoir and ran it outside to a drain.



Then I switched off the pump and disconnected it.

I opened up the tap and flushed it through by adding tap-water to the external reservoir.



After I had added around 50L I closed the tap and reconnected the pump and turned it on to flush the line.

Then I switched the pump off, opened the tap and added another 20L or so.

Not all of the water drains out of course but I think I'll leave it in there until I am about to use it cos I should be able to flush some fresh stuff through before mixing everything up in the external reservoir. (If it gets too manky I will have to treat it again with some more oxy-plus) ...probably a better option!!!

Maybe I should chuck some in now? ....It's probably gonna be a while before i need to use it!! I'll have to wait till I can afford to buy something to suck it out! cos I cant be bothered pulling it all apart

I read a post about using a waterbed fill and drain kit (Sounds perfect!! )



U4R1K

I checked on my propagator this afternoon and the seedling on the right (the one with the large tap-root) was just popping through the rockwool. I was going to take a picture but it was literally only a little green spec!!

....But when I checked on it about 10 minutes ago this is how much it had grown!!!





I wish I could see something in the other cube!



....But the tap-root on that one was less than half the size so no real surprises there!

Just wondering where to go from here?

When do I take the lid off?

And when do I start upping the nutrients?

At the moment I am using the Seed 'n' Clone Rockwool soaking solution which has a CF of 7.0 should it be stronger than this??

The Temperature in the propagator may be a little high at 30-33 C but I think the RH is ok at 90-96%
Am I doing this right

Cheers

U4R1K

You're going to love SLH,

I leave my plants under the propagator as long as I don't need them. They'll stay alive and healthy.
The rockwool could go to 7.3PH but 7.0 isn't bad for soaking.. And you can increase the nutrient strength when your plants are big and strong enough..
I don't know how big they are right now. Please add pics of them.

Good luck mate,

BlackRoses said:

You're going to love SLH,

I leave my plants under the propagator as long as I don't need them. They'll stay alive and healthy.
The rockwool could go to 7.3PH but 7.0 isn't bad for soaking.. And you can increase the nutrient strength when your plants are big and strong enough..
I don't know how big they are right now. Please add pics of them.

Good luck mate,

Click to expand...

Cheers mate

This is how big they are now I took those pics about half hour ago

I'm wondering which pheno sprouts first with this?? I know that with this strain you can get a full sativa like plant or a sativa/indica hybrid?? I guess we shall see

Oh and its 5.5 pH but 7 CF not sure what that is in ppm?


U4R1K

I'ts 490ppm is that strong enough I thought it was supposed to be more like 12CF/840ppm well thats what I read somewhere! If I follow the directions on my Seed 'n' Clone bottle I get a 7 CF/490ppm solution

Can anyone help?


U4R1K

I just checked on my propagator nothing much happening the seedling on the right is standing up strong!!



Still no sign of the other seedling!!!



....Should I be worried?

Oh I also re-moistened the cubes with my spray bottle.

Temp inside is around 30 C outside it’s around 26 C and RH inside sits around 90-95%.



U4R1K

I just checked on my little ones this is the one that came up yesterday afternoon with the longer tap-root



And this is the other one (just decided to poke her head out this afternoon )



.......So far so good?

The temp inside the propagator was around 30 C (maybe a little bit higher) and RH was at 97%

<<<I also learnt that the plastic around the rockwool helps keep the moisture in the cube>>>



U4R1K

yup really good im going to follow this journal. Good Luck

you are definatntly starting out strong picking good seeds and having good equipment is always a plus... ill be watching this one...

Realistg said:

yup really good im going to follow this journal. Good Luck

Click to expand...

Cool thanks

shamus420 said:

you are definatntly starting out strong picking good seeds and having good equipment is always a plus... ill be watching this one...

Click to expand...

Thanks bro ...the more the merrier

Ok i'ts been 7 days so far 7 days ago these seedlings were just seeds! The seed that had the larger tap-root has grown really fast maybe twice as fast as the other seedling! ......kinda makes sense really because the tap-root was twice as long



Does this plant look like its stretching? I'm thinking either the lighting isn't powerful enough or this is maybe the sativa phenotype? .....I've heard with this strain that there are two dominant phenos one is sativa and one is an indica/sativa hybrid! I dont think the full sativa pheno would work that well in my setup?? I'm hoping that if I document all this it will be really helpful for anyone wanting to try this strain

This is the other one she's around half the size but she had a massive growth spurt when the lights came on just like the bigger girl.



The Temp was at 32 C and the RH was a little high at 97% so I opened the vents a little bit more. But I only gave them a light spray ......dont wanna overwater



U4R1K

Ok someone just told me that I need to take the lid off, get the light closer and add some circulation.

So this is what I did before lights on at 4.00pm

Does this look ok?





I know the fan looks close but the seedlings aren't blowing around so I figured it would be ok. I may just have to re-moisten the cubes more often now cos off the light and the fan.

Of course by doing this the temps and RH have plummeted!

Temp in tray: 21.9 C

Temp in shelf: 22.9 C (still warm from the heat pad i think)

RH: 55%

I propped up the heating pad aswell did I need to?


Cheers

U4R1K

Don't think they are quite ready well not the little one anyway just checked her think the poor thing still needs the humidity to stand upright!



I think i will try again when the stem turns brown like the bigger seedling.

......She will bounce back wont she?


(another lesson learnt )



U4R1K