Potency, Yield, TIme & GPW

So after decades of growing, I think I am finally wrapping my head around what it is I'm after, LOL. Like most, I need to grow good strong medicine and I need to produce enough for everyone that needs it. I'm not too concerned with the time it takes to flower because I veg separately. I also keep reading 1 GPW, but I really don't think I ever get that, but I can't be sure because of a staggered harvest.

So, yea- I always think I should be doing better. I'm creating this thread to see if anyone wants to help with tweaks, suggestions, encouragement, etc. Oh and yea criticism is fine as well, lol.

Here goes:

Strains: Critical Kush, Pineapple Express, and Super Lemon Haze as the staples. Right now I'm also trying out for the first time- Gorilla Bubble and Killer Queen Redux.



Veg: 2 DWC tubs with a T5 over them until they get nice roots and are about 2 feet tall.



Flower lights: 900 watts of Vero's hanging over a 7x3 area. I've got a couple of Photon 180's in 3500, a couple of Timber 100 watts, and three homemade 100 watts in 4000k.



Flower System: Homemade RDWC unit based on Current Culture designs. 6 tubs and a res. Each tub gets 2-4 air stones. There are 2- 3 plants per tub.

Roots:

Res:


Nutes: Ionic Bloom, Grow, and PK Boost, sometimes a flower enhancer. H2O2 when it gets warmer.

3 weeks in:


So, what else... PH between 5.5 and 6.0, temps are around 70 now and should only go up 10 degrees in the summer (thanks to the new cobs!) No water chiller, no AC.

OK, now if you have read all that- thanks! I am simply looking to do better. I'll consider just about any changes. I've been thinking maybe I'd be better in coco or something. Maybe go back to single harvest of one type of strain? Change nutes? Anything really that you guys think may help and maybe spawn ideas for others. I know many of us would like to do better, lol!

I literally have been at this since the 80's and will be trying to improve till I'm dead

I am a newbie but do alot of reading and videos. Check out rhizoblast and hydroguard. Or real growers recharge. Grow beneficial micros instead of killing bad ones with h2o2

Monocropping is probably better for yield but boring imo. 10 weeks with only one type of weed to smoke too

I run 1200w citizen cob fixtures over 17 plants in a flood and drain 3.5gal bucket system and get just over 1gpw.

Actual draw is 1368w and last harvest was 1680g. And that was only my first run w em. Way up from when I was running hps.

I like DWC myself, but have better luck keeping multiple plants in the ebb&grow system without ph/ppm getting all funky. I feel that helps increase harvest as well.

I like coco, just started using it in a drain to waste system. Works about the same as hydro, haven't harvested yet (and I'm running the test flower grow under vipraspectra leds, not cobs) so idk, but the plants seem to love it.

Idk if that helps you at all, sounds like you've been sat it longer than me

nice set up and space kudos.

what is your rh, just curious.

H202 is an expensive and shitty way to sterilize water. Look into making your own with pool shock.

I like your hydro setup. I would like to build an undercurrent system, eventually or buy one if I ever get rich, I mean hit 1.3 g/w.

For now I grow in coco which gets fantastic results, but ultimately falls short of a well tuned RDWC, or so I believe.
I wouldn't trade down models of hydro, if I was you, unless you want to run coco for its low maintenance and almost zero complications with root rot.
It also has a built in power failure buffer, because it will hold moisture longer and can also be watered manually if the power is out.

I'm curious, do you get the hydro slime in your system? I've read that many people just can't shake it when running a sterile system, but by adding a tea of beneficials, they end up with explosive root growth and improved performance.

Love the re-purposed mailbox LED holder.

Growdict said:

Check out rhizoblast and hydroguard. Or real growers recharge. Grow beneficial micros instead of killing bad ones with h2o2

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I don't run a chiller, so it worries me not using H2O2 in the summer months. Someone else suggested Flying Skull Z7 which cleans the system and provides beneficial bacteria.

Mr.Goodtimes said:

I run 1200w citizen cob fixtures over 17 plants

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Yea, I love my new cobs as well. I was running 1600 to 2000 watts of HPS. I cut my energy consumption by a lot and lowered the heat in the room.

chemphlegm said:

what is your rh, just curious.

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Not sure what you mean. My PPMs are anywhere between 500 on the low end and sometimes as high as 800.

Carolina Dream'n said:

H202 is an expensive and shitty way to sterilize water. Look into making your own with pool shock.

Click to expand...

Yea, If I don't go the other way with beneficial, that is a great idea. I still don't know which way to go here.

Bakersfield said:

I'm curious, do you get the hydro slime in your system? I've read that many people just can't shake it when running a sterile system, but by adding a tea of beneficials, they end up with explosive root growth and improved performance.

Click to expand...

I got it in the very beginning and it was terrible. I added H2O2, it cleared it up and I never looked back. I made the CC clone from foot-locker type totes from Walmart and CC PVC fittings and saved a tone of money. Pretty easy to do.

Jaybodankly said:

Love the re-purposed mailbox LED holder.

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Someone here made them for me. I had one other, but had problems with one driver/cob. It's amazing how well these work compared to my HPS.

Thanks for all the replies and hopefully we can all learn some new stuff to better our hydro grows!

Tstat said:

I don't run a chiller, so it worries me not using H2O2 in the summer months. Someone else suggested Flying Skull Z7 which cleans the system and provides beneficial bacteria.


Yea, I love my new cobs as well. I was running 1600 to 2000 watts of HPS. I cut my energy consumption by a lot and lowered the heat in the room.


Not sure what you mean. My PPMs are anywhere between 500 on the low end and sometimes as high as 800.


Yea, If I don't go the other way with beneficial, that is a great idea. I still don't know which way to go here.


I got it in the very beginning and it was terrible. I added H2O2, it cleared it up and I never looked back. I made the CC clone from foot-locker type totes from Walmart and CC PVC fittings and saved a tone of money. Pretty easy to do.


Someone here made them for me. I had one other, but had problems with one driver/cob. It's amazing how well these work compared to my HPS.

Thanks for all the replies and hopefully we can all learn some new stuff to better our hydro grows!

Click to expand...

RH= Relative Humidity=the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature.

chemphlegm said:

RH= Relative Humidity

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Ah, of course, LOL. I have a humidity/temp gauge but I haven't looked at it in a while since it's not hot or humid around here yet!

EDIT: Right now I am at 29% and it's been rainy and foggy here the last few days.