"The Stinky Earl" A Perpetual Vertical System in the Works.

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
How are you finding that light spacing to be working out for you? Looks (could just be a camera trick) like there's a lot of space in-between the two bulbs, and that maybe a decent chunk of the bottom light is getting wasted by "hitting" below the plants - any thoughts on that, or is that just a camera trick?

Also, ever think about putting a screen in there? I've never used one before but am gonna try to incorporate one for this grow.........just curious if you had any plans to.

Looks good though, don't get me wrong :)
 

disposition84

Well-Known Member
I definitely want to try a screen on one and make a scrog, as I feel that could be a good
way to deal with the weight of them flowering. I also feel that that could help me maximize
my yield but for the first few runs I want to be able to dismantle everything completely if
need to be fix problems I could potentially have. My friends vert in the coli they had used
some kind of metal chicken wiring around the bulb for some of the plants that got too tall,
but with my design I would simply roll it back a bit and let them grow in closer. Not sure
if this is the appropriate approach but I like having the ability to pull a few rows out if there
are problems.

The light spacing isn't what I'd consider optimal but gonna try it this way for a bit to see how
things work out. I have considered flipping the bottom tube to have a bulb in the middle and
one on top, and I think your comment might be the motivation to do so. I don't have any extra
cool tubes at the moment for a third light and am trying to avoid too much heat/electricity usage
but also don't want anyone to suffer from not getting enough light. I don't think putting a third
cool tube at the current size I'm using now would be too great. My tubes are about 24" long
and the PVC wye pieces are I think 10", and with my 4 plant setup with small connection pieces
between it comes out to just over 48" with 4 plants in each row. Definitely going to consider finding
smaller tubes and maybe throwing another 600w in the middle somehow.

Definitely going to keep thinkering until I figure out what works best but for now it's just a game of
trying to see what works.

I really appreciate your input, did you have a thread on your setup bob?

Thanks!
 

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
I have a really detailed thread at another site, but nothing here - if I decide to do a journal here I'll drop you a link.

The only reason I noticed/asked about the bottom light was because I was having the same problem with my initial design where my structure was sitting on cinderblocks - the bottom light was hitting ~15% plant and 85% cinderblock/PVC - now my structure sits on the floor and the lighting is perfect (IMO) - however, I have a lot less room in-between lights than you do (see post #16, my lights are right on top of each other).

I also used 4" PVC, so there's a little bit of difference in our heights (but not much).

I'll definitely keep on checking in here to compare notes and whatnot - not a whole lotta people doing this, so the more we can help each other the better.

FWIW, everything I've read from old vertical growers (lotsa Coli guys) is that a screen is the best move you can make for your vertical grow - better/easier canopy management and bud weight support.

Lots of really good threads on Cannabis-world.org from the inventor of the Coliseum that I've read 5X each to pick up ideas from - I'd really recommend checking them out.
 
Hey man,

It's Doc. Really like the pics! Is that the COCannalab Bubblegum, or another? I'm still trying to get that one.

My 2nd round of clones has roots! Only took 8 days this time... 9x Sour, 5x G-force and 2 Pineapple. Only need 8, so let me know if you want any.

Last question - I noticed you have the lids flipped on your cloners. What's up with that? I used a 3mil 42gal bag from HD which solved the leaking problem, do I see plastic in your pic?

Take it easy,

Doc
 

disposition84

Well-Known Member
Doc - that's their BB that I have, i'd love to give ya one if you had room for 3" netcup with hydroton that's rooted.
Yeah the cloner/vegger all have upside down lids now with plastic taped around the edges to give the spray something
to hit and fall down back into reservoir instead of having an annoying drip whenever I touched it. Seems to work alright
so far.

highonbud - Thanks!
 
I won't say no to that. There shouldn't be an issue with transplanting her into soil (other than some personal issue, lol), right?

I really love the idea of this setup...I'm thinking of a scaled down build that's similar for my second grow...16 plant count, just 2 of your four sides. We shall see. Seems to me, the best part of this is the modularity, as far as reservoirs and going perpetual. I won't really be taking advantage of that.
 

disposition84

Well-Known Member
Day 22 of the first round pineapple express

1300 ppm 5.8 ph 75* ambient 71* res

Being fed dyna-gro bloom/mag-pro/protekt
big bud/great white/sweet

They're getting really frosty and looking to be some great smoke. Wishing I would have vegged the lower
plants a bit more as the top row really filled out nicely. I'm wondering if it's just poor light penetration or
the difference in MH/HPS going to mix the lights up tomorrow I think and maybe add an additional 400w
horitlux bulb in the middle for better coverage.

Veg/Clone room is going very well the second round of 8 is a day or two away from ready to go. This batch
will include 4x Bubblegum x Blueberry (cross from dispensary), 2x Alaskan Thunderfuck, and 2x Chisel. They
all look so different in veg should make for an interesting time flowering them out together :)

The third round is all rooted and vegging out for the next week and half or so. That will include 2x G-Force, 3x Pure Kush,
and 3x Blue Dreams. They're beginning to beef up nicely and after seeing many of the mothers flowered out in soil, I'm anxious
to get them flowered out in hydro conditions.

Started some seeds that are from a local friend, he crossed Sour P with Critical Jack Herer to make something he's
calling "RoadBlock". He also gave me his RoadBlock that he crossed with Kandy Kush as well as another RoadBlock
in anticipation for an F1. Should be interesting to see how these genetics work out but I'm excited :)

Does anyone have experience using Mother of all Blooms and Hammerhead in conjunction. Seems there are quite a few people
raving about using them as primary PK booster but was always curious to get more opinions. Got the parts in the mix and
I'm definitely giving it a go, should be interesting.


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Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
Hey bro, would you mind explaining your feed system a little more? Is there a sprayer at each plant site or is there one at the top that feeds them all?

Thinking of converting back to LP because these tubes are just too small for HP aero (IMO) - was an experiment and doesn't seem to be working out.

Also, any root shots you have would be awesome :)
 

quietguy420

Well-Known Member
Damn bro, that wall is taking off! I'm a bit envious that your PE is already frosting so soon into bud development. The nutes your using this round already seem to be paying off. Gonna be some beasters =D
 

disposition84

Well-Known Member
I have a 800gph pump with 1/2" pvc manifold I built (see pics) from the manifold I can run individual
1/4" lines to each plant site. I use *i think* 6mm rubber grommets with the 1/4" hose going through
the middle to keep the sprayer heads in position in the pvc as well as giving me an easy method of
unclogging them should a clog ever occur. Can't easily get any good root pics as the plants are getting
a bit large and can't easily take the system apart, as well as the fact the roots have become so entangled
in one another in the arms that I have to tear some to pull the plants out. And here I was thinking I might
have to find a way to secure them into the wye pieces. HP seems really cool but also seems like a lot of
work, and I haven't seen any bud pics that make it seem worth the effort.

Thanks for stopping by and checking things out.

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tree farmer

Well-Known Member
I have a 800gph pump with 1/2" pvc manifold I built (see pics) from the manifold I can run individual
1/4" lines to each plant site. I use *i think* 6mm rubber grommets with the 1/4" hose going through
the middle to keep the sprayer heads in position in the pvc as well as giving me an easy method of
unclogging them should a clog ever occur. Can't easily get any good root pics as the plants are getting
a bit large and can't easily take the system apart, as well as the fact the roots have become so entangled
in one another in the arms that I have to tear some to pull the plants out. And here I was thinking I might
have to find a way to secure them into the wye pieces. HP seems really cool but also seems like a lot of
work, and I haven't seen any bud pics that make it seem worth the effort.

Thanks for stopping by and checking things out.

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disposition84

Well-Known Member
Those definitely look great, but nothing I haven't seen with other methods. Again, I'm not bashing
HP, I don't know enough about it to do so. I'm simply intimidated by all the inner workings of the
systems and how expensive they look, maybe one day once I'm bored with my current method. If
there were some astounding differences in the product I would definitely be more motivated to learn,
but I'm a lazy stoner and I'm still trying to fine tune my current system.
 

maps84

Well-Known Member
hey disposition! I have a possible mod to you as I was doing the same system as you are until I favored heath's Robinson over it. The way you have it set you're using several reservoirs and pumps you don't need and a lot of nute solution also making it non efficient. what you can do to run a single res is to hang the tubes from the roof, block the tubes bottom with a damp and drain water through 3/4" hoses into a single res. For hanging each one you'll need 2 pivots: one in the first or bottom module and another in the top one. They should be all connected by two side wires that finally join in a "Y" fashion to the roof thus transporting all the weight to the center of the "Y". The tension will keep the whole thing together without leaks or the need of glue and you'll only use one res and gravity to drain your system. Also you don't need misters, drilling a little hole and installing a diffused water line or LP mister on top of every netpot will sifice as everything happens in an aero/NTF/Gravity way

Edit

You can even set light movers in the roof to hook the tubes in a X fashion, allowing you to move the column closer or farther from the light or giving you space to enter the circle. Added to the fact each plant is able to be rotated on its own axis you'd have total customization of plant placement taking scrogs out of the picture
 

maps84

Well-Known Member
One thing that worries me is that even the way you have it set is prune to root bound. Please keep us updated of your findings and +Rep for going to unexplored waters and lead the way
 

disposition84

Well-Known Member
I appreciate your input and suggestions very much, always great to have another set of eyes
checking things out giving suggestions. I have helped friends with several different styles of
hydro vertical systems and this design was something I designed for myself after helping them
run their grows and seeing where I felt things could be improved.

I needed something that I could easily get apart and access any part I need to and completely
dismantle a system mid grow if need be. I'm a pretty big guy and always struggled to get inside
other vertical gardens when last half of bloom. I wanted something that would give me smaller harvests
but more frequently. I wanted to get away from using so much lighting/equipment from
doing larger horizontal grows too. And I wanted to run a variety of different strains with all different
flowering times. But one of the biggest reasons for so many identical system walls is that it
will make running tests of one system against another very simple.

If I were to run one pump and a spiral heath style system I would lose all the diversity of the system that
that I was hoping to accomplish and the reason for ultimately buying so many redundant parts. Each system
will run a different strain which means a different nute level, a different flushing time, and a different life
span. I also plan on running some different nutes through some of the systems as to do a head to head comparison
and see what works best for myself.

I'm not really understanding what you're meaning about your mounting system, but I purposely have it on wheels
so that I can easily pull a wall back and do any kind of maintenance I might need as well as move it into segregation
for the last two 72 hours of flush/darkness into another room. I also plan on rotating the garden so that the backside
of the room which is slightly harder to access is where the younger smaller systems are and the side that's easily
accessible will give me easy access to the finishing plants and closer monitoring for problems. I had thought
about a movable option like light movers, but building something not automated from steel at home depot but
ultimately settled on the completely unmounted option for complete versatility as I can pull back and forward
and rotate 360 degrees.

Not sure where the root-bound idea comes from but the plants have much more than enough room for the roots
to expand. The roots don't stop at the end of the pipe, the pipe simply goes into the res so beyond the PVC root zone
there is a 18g container that can fill with roots as well, the first run I did with vegging for 2 weeks the roots were
in the reservoir but were no where near close to filling it up.

Thanks a ton for stopping by and sharing your ideas, I'm always tinkering and modding systems so I'm always
willing to try out ideas but my situation was a bit different than the reasons most go vertical.

Edit: I have considered doing what you're saying about the feeding system with mister heads as my old aeroflo
system had some laser drilled feed lines that simply sprayed to other side of the PVC and used the "crash" into
the wall to create a fine mist and lead to it rarely clogging. It takes me less than a minute to pull all the mister
heads from the system and I have replacements on hand ready to rock so it works pretty easy both ways. BUT
I am about to try out some organic nutes as well against some synthetics to see what I like better and the non-mister
head idea you have could be a good solution to that. I was just considering running 1/2" feed line to the top and
just letting the organic nutes just shower over the roots back to the res, well see in about a month.
 
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