Ok so lets say something educational about my setup.
I use the VSCROG method, Ive built my frames out of wood, plywood, 5mm correx plastic and a splash of diamond mylar for the reflective parts. The V frame is based on two individual frames I joined together with two Nutriculture 901 NFT tanks underneath with a 5mm correx lid and white-black-white plastic thrown over. There are cutouts for the small rockwool 25mm blocks which sit nicely in them, no net pots or support due to the V frame having horizontal guides placed about 75mm (3") apart.
One tray has 16 UK cheese plants in, the other has 14 big buddah cheese plants in, all taken from two mothers. Shots of the mother room to follow.
Ive vegged up the cuts in a custom built propogator tray which can hold 80 cuts.
Once the root system is big enough the plants go into the trays...this takes a few weeks and I cut the tops of the larger cuttings to even out the growth so they all have the same root mass and number of leaves. Ill cut down the root system too if needed. They all need to be similar to get a good distribution and frame fill.
I use GHE Flora nutrients with diamond nectar and no other boosters or additives. Waste of money IMO. I also use H202 (hydrogen peroxide) in small amounts, approx 0.4mm per litre of 35% h202 to keep things reasonable and a small boost of oxygen to the root system.
The V frame is essentially a single sheet of 18mm marine grade plywood, with 15o cuts, and 35mm PAR pine bolted to it. The rest is simple enough to figure out from the photos but Ill post more up.
I have an airbox overhead with a TD Silent 150 fan which draws wam air from the bulbs out of the frame back to the ground so the whole room tends to be a similar temperature. There is a 1000mm x 315mm carbon filter and a TD Silent 250 (800m3/h) exhausting to a chimney stack. The warm air is vented downstairs which currently heats the house. It also vents on the chimney stack. I also have a ruck fan, I think thats around 1000m3/h as an intake fan with a variac control set to about 50% to keep the noise down. My ventilation is no where near correct. I need to look at this with some urgency....looks good, idea was good, doesnt perform well at all.
Ive got three thermostats in the room. One controls a heater which takes a reading from the airbox over the top of the lights. This keeps the room at a steady 23oC. Another which controls the intake fan and will turn on once the temps go above 24oC and another which gives me the general room temps so I can see if anything is wrong with the extraction, circulation or intake fans at a glance. They should all be similar.
I use various brands of digital ballasts Ive collected over the yesrs but Im gonna swap them all out for lumateks...Ive got three already, each time Ive done a couple of years on a ballast I get rid. I like my warantees and having backs for everything.
The NFT trays use some brand of centrifugal high pressure watercooling pump...I cant remember the name now but they were £70. I Still feel to this day that was a lot of money but they are fantastic, silent, powerful and dont introduce any heat into the nutrient.
I use a valve system using speedfit plumbing to stir the nutrient, feed the trays and a manifold for when I decide to get round to using sprays heads down the length of the tank rather then a single pipe delivery at the top....oxygen is key with roots. The more the better!
What else? Im sure theres loads...any questions just ask!
-dopeweed
