First Ebb and Flow Grow - Bubblelicious and White Rhino

[Died_Evil]

Hello everyone

This is my first hydroponic grow. I’ve decided to build an ebb and flow table that is little less then 2ft x 3ft. I’ve set it up so I have 4 pots with a 5 inch diameter. The pump is a dehumidify pump that has a rating of 200 GPH with a 10 foot fountain. The 24 inch flexible air stone will provide oxygen. A digital aquarium thermometer will keep track of water temp.

General Hydroponics has setup me up with the Flora Threesome and pH adjuster. The digital meters for pH and TDS will keep optimal nutrient uptake as long as I keep checking and adjusting them. Hydroton is the medium used for this grow, once the plants overgrows their 5 inch pots, the table will be filled entirely with Hydroton and the plants will be in their permanent seating.

I have setup a 2ft x 3ft x 5.5ft grow room with 150cfm for intake and outtake. The entire room is lined with Mylar. With the hydroponics system in play the dimensions changes to 2ft x 3ft x 4ft. The lights I’ll be using is my trusty 250 watt HPS w/ remote ballast and my (4) 4 foot dual 40 watts fluorescents (320 watts). Digital meter keeps track of the temp and humidity.

Germination is done the old fashion way with 2 paper towels, 2 Styrofoam plates, and a plastic bag. Set in a dark 90F place. This method has never failed in the past. Once they get over 3 inches it will be time to place them in the Rockwool (soaked pH 5 overnight).

I have grown many times before but this is my first hydroponics setup. I’ve grown lots of Nirvana’s strains like their classic Skunk#1, but also Northern Lights Pure Indica, Bubblegum, Misty, and Blueberry. This grow I will be trying out Nirvana’s Bubblelicious Feminized and Nirvana’s White Rhino Feminized.

If I missed any information please review my checklist below.

Ebb and Flow
Tray – 50L
Reservoir – 100L
Pump – 200 GPH 10ft fountain
Fittings – ½ inch main line and overflow line
Pots - (4) 5 inch net pots with neoprene inserts and covers
Oxygen– 2 ft long flexible aerator
Nutrients – Flora 3 part system ½ strength
Adjuster – General Hydroponics PH up and down
Medium – Hydroton clay pellets

Lights
250 watt HPS remote ballast
(4) 4 foot dual 40 watt fluorescents

Area
Empty – 2ft x 3ft x 6ft
Loaded – 2ft x 3ft x 4.5ft
Reflector – Mylar
Structure – ¼ inch underlayment board with 2x2 studs

Ventilation
Intake – (2) CPU computer fans
Exhaust – 150 CFM bathroom fan
Internal – Cheapo oscillating fan

Schedule
Vegetation – 18/6 light cycle
Flowering – 12/12 light cycle
Watering – 1 hour fill every 2 hours

Method
Technique – Netless ScrOG with training
Topping – The FIM technique

Transition
Seedlings – 1.5 inches Rockwool cubes
Vegetation – Hydroton filled 5 inch pots
Flowering – 50L Hydroton filled tray

Testing
PH – Checker digital meter w/ pH 7.01 calibration solution
TDS – Primo digital meter w/ 1382 PPM calibration solution
Environment – Digital meter of temperature and relative humidity percentage
Reservoir – Aquarium digital thermometer


Died Evil

 

[Funkfarmer]

MuchGREEN MOJOto you.

 

[Died_Evil]

I just got the Feminized White Rhino seed. In it went with the rest of the seeds. Hopfully germination will be on schedule around the 18th.

The growroom has maintained a 80 to 85 degree temp through the light cycle and 75 to 80 for the night cycle.

 

[2Dog]

good luck very exciting!! great choice of seeds..

 

[Died_Evil]

Update

The seeds have germinated and I am a head of schedule. I had 100% success rate with the paper towel method. The seedlings have been carefully put into the Rockwool (pH 5.5 soaked and rinsed) and tucked into their Hydroton homes.

I cover each of the pots with neoprene inserts and lids to keep out light. The reservoir is covered in Mylar to resist heat and bounce light. I set the pH of the reservoir to 5.87 and added 1/8 strength of nutrients.

The hydroponic system is performing perfectly.

Until next time….Peace everybody!

 

[Died_Evil]

The roots are starting to develop and growing out the sides and bottom....They are starting on their 2nd and 3rd set of leaves.

I got a reverse osmosis filters to settle my hard water problem (250 ppm from the tap). As of now the water is sitting at 490 ppm.

I also ordered a grow tent 2’ft X 4’ft 5.5’ft to make this grow as easy and as portable as possible. Should be in next week.

I decided to get the extra additives from General Hydroponics – Floralicious Plus and Liquid KoolBloom. Floralicous Plus will be incorporated in the next feeding week.

Temperatures are maintaining 85ºF and the water temp is maintaining at 75ºF. The flood and drain scheduled has been altered to ½ hour to every 2 ½ hours.

All the photos are Bubblelicious except for photo number 3.

 

[StoneyBud]

Hey Died_Evil, good to meetcha.

You've done a lot of reading. I can tell by what you've done and NOT done. You have an excellent setup and as far as I can tell, with only one exception, you've done everything perfect.

That one exception is what is known in the plant world as "Competitive Growth". You've covered your reservoir with mylar. What that will do is reflect light back up into the underside of your leaves. That in turn, will cause "Competitive Growth" which is a no-no in MJ growing as it results in tall leggy plants that try as hard as possible to out "Tall" each other. As a result, the plants will waste energy by growing as tall as possible and that will make longer intranodal length and less branching and leaves. Fewer nodes means fewer bud locations.

What a plant sees when this happens is a plant next to it that is so close that light bounces off of it's leaf tops into the bottom of the neighboring plants leaf undersides. The plants see this as competition and will respond by diverting it's energy to producing hormones that elongate the stems to "out-race" the offending plant next to it that is reflecting that light.

You should remove the reflective material from under your plants.

Other than that, you have a beautiful grow started! Congrats!

Also, when the plants have rooted well in the hydroton inside the net pots, do you intend to just bury the net pots into your hydroton on the table? That *is* what you should do. Never try to remove a rooted plant from a net pot. The net pots are made the way they are so that you can just bury it in your media and let it grow. After your harvest, you'll be able to recover the net pots, wash them and reuse them.

Good luck man! You're doing great!

 

[Died_Evil]

Hey Died_Evil, good to meetcha.

You've done a lot of reading. I can tell by what you've done and NOT done. You have an excellent setup and as far as I can tell, with only one exception, you've done everything perfect.

That one exception is what is known in the plant world as "Competitive Growth". You've covered your reservoir with mylar. What that will do is reflect light back up into the underside of your leaves. That in turn, will cause "Competitive Growth" which is a no-no in MJ growing as it results in tall leggy plants that try as hard as possible to out "Tall" each other. As a result, the plants will waste energy by growing as tall as possible and that will make longer intranodal length and less branching and leaves. Fewer nodes means fewer bud locations.

What a plant sees when this happens is a plant next to it that is so close that light bounces off of it's leaf tops into the bottom of the neighboring plants leaf undersides. The plants see this as competition and will respond by diverting it's energy to producing hormones that elongate the stems to "out-race" the offending plant next to it that is reflecting that light.

You should remove the reflective material from under your plants.

Other than that, you have a beautiful grow started! Congrats!

Also, when the plants have rooted well in the hydroton inside the net pots, do you intend to just bury the net pots into your hydroton on the table? That *is* what you should do. Never try to remove a rooted plant from a net pot. The net pots are made the way they are so that you can just bury it in your media and let it grow. After your harvest, you'll be able to recover the net pots, wash them and reuse them.

Good luck man! You're doing great!

Hey StoneyBud,

Competitive Growth is something I have overlooked with the Mylar reflecting light to the underside of the leaf. My goal was to reflect light yes, but also to reflect the heat as well. However, my reservoir is painted black and if left uncovered it therefore absorbs the heat.

I am thinking to replace the Mylar with a sheet of 1/8 inch Styrofoam. Will this keep the reservoir insulated from the heat but reflect a dull sense of the light? Or should the lid be painted white?

Today I have realized how fast the root system grows for plants. For just being over a week from germination, these plants have seemed to overgrow there 5 inch pots and need room to expand their root grow. Not expecting to do this until the start of flowering, I will need to fill the tray with Hydroton and place the pots below the tray so to not disturb the roots.

Thank you for your advice and motivating words. Peace.

 

[StoneyBud]

Hey StoneyBud,

Competitive Growth is something I have overlooked with the Mylar reflecting light to the underside of the leaf. My goal was to reflect light yes, but also to reflect the heat as well. However, my reservoir is painted black and if left uncovered it therefore absorbs the heat.

I am thinking to replace the Mylar with a sheet of 1/8 inch Styrofoam. Will this keep the reservoir insulated from the heat but reflect a dull sense of the light? Or should the lid be painted white?

The best idea would be to move your reservoir out of the room where the heat is. A little plumbing and you can hose it to the next room like I did mine. It makes a huge difference and later during flowering, you can work in your reservoir during dark periods.

If not, then putting the Styrofoam above it may help. Since it's an ambient temperature and not a radiating heat, I'm not sure the foam will make much difference. It's worth a try.

Your tray will be covering the entire reservoir, right?

 

[Died_Evil]

The best idea would be to move your reservoir out of the room where the heat is. A little plumbing and you can hose it to the next room like I did mine. It makes a huge difference and later during flowering, you can work in your reservoir during dark periods.

If not, then putting the Styrofoam above it may help. Since it's an ambient temperature and not a radiating heat, I'm not sure the foam will make much difference. It's worth a try.

Your tray will be covering the entire reservoir, right?

I would like to move the reservoir out of the room but it’s not possible because of security reasons. Perhaps next grow I will make plans for a remote reservoir.

I will be trying the Styrofoam if that don’t work we will just have to get the room cooler. With temps dropping by the day in upper North America, it’s only a matter of time when I can hit my optimal temperature mark.

My tray is covering my reservoir and acts as a lid to the reservoir. I made a diagram to reference the ebb and flow system.

 

[StoneyBud]

I would like to move the reservoir out of the room but it’s not possible because of security reasons. Perhaps next grow I will make plans for a remote reservoir.

I will be trying the Styrofoam if that don’t work we will just have to get the room cooler. With temps dropping by the day in upper North America, it’s only a matter of time when I can hit my optimal temperature mark.

My tray is covering my reservoir and acts as a lid to the reservoir. I made a diagram to reference the ebb and flow system.

Yep, that's the draw back to a self contained unit. Hey, hopefully the water temp in your reservoir won't be much of an issue. Good luck man!

 

[Died_Evil]

Today I have setup the grow tent. I am impressed at how easy it was to setup. This space has maintained a temperature of 80ºF and reservoir has a temperature of 72ºF. The pH of the water is 6.08 with 390ppm.

I decided to fill the tray with Hydroton and submerse the net pots into the medium because of the rapid root growth. Plant growth has done exceptionally well and will be put on stronger nutrients tomarrow.

Peace everyone!

 

[Died_Evil]

It’s the start of my favorite month, October… all the ghost, ghouls, and goblins come out but honestly it’s the time when the trees start changing and the weather is tolerable once again.

On this fine day of October I have started training all of the plants. I used some stiff wire to make clips to hold the main stem down in place just above the Hydroton. When the plants get older the clips can be removed and the stem should stay at the same height. I also added Floricious Plus to the tank water. The pH is set at 5.7ish with a 531ppm rating for the 12 gallon reservoir.

I am convinced I have been wasting my time growing in soil, I cannot believe the incredible results with the ebb and flow system. This has put me 2 weeks ahead of schedule which means I can get a nice complete canopy. The roots and foliage growth rate is rapid and the stems are broad and sturdy.

1st 2nd 3rd photo – Bubblelicious
4th photo – White Rhino

 

[Died_Evil]

Today felt like a good day to update. I have started the rigorous training program with these girls to ensure every last lumen will be put to use. They may look a little funky but I assure you that they love being bent over and having sun in places that usually don’t shine.

Every day I have to reset the training net because of the rapid growth. The process is kind of lengthy because of the constant bending and tucking and making sure real estate is available for all the new growth.

I have been experimenting with ozonated water and the effect on plant biology. So far the ozonated water has not hurt the plant or taken any nutrients from the water supply. However, the ozone that leaked from the generator got sucked into the intake of the ventilation. So there was a slight ozone problem on the leaves of the plant. This also resulted in the death of my air pump because the ozone ate it from the inside out.

To avoid such problem I will have the ozone generator on a timer to give spurts of ozone instead of constant ozone. This will also get rid of excess plant smell that seems to get stronger every day.

A new week of nutrients has been added to make a 600ppm solution with a pH of 5.6. No mold, no algae, no fungus, no film, the reservoirs is extremely clean (the ozone is doing its job!)

As always
1st, 2nd, and 3rd – Bubblelicious
4th – White Rhino

 

[Died_Evil]

Day 30 of Vegetation

Today it has been a month since these girls were born. Yesterday I drained the reservoir and cleaned all of the grim off. I reset the res with RO water (13gal) pH to 5.4 and it sits at 600ppm. Just 2 more weeks and these girls are going into flowering.

I built a bubble cloner with a 14 gal Rubbermaid container and (5) 14in air stones with two air pumps. I will be building a propagation tent very soon once the panda film arrives. I will be taking cuttings off of my best Bubblelicious and my White Rhino just before they go into flowering.

Once harvest is close in sight, I will take about 8 clones from each of the 2 mothers. They will go in the ebb and flow table in a SOG style. This process will start every 45 days and last up to 65 days overall. This will give me a nice perpetual harvest every 2 months.

Here are the pics
1st 2nd 3rd – Bubblelicious
4th – White Rhino

 

[Died_Evil]

I have been busy over the past couple of days setting up the new propagation tent. The ladies have been grown like crazy and will be induced into flowering tomorrow.
This is my first attempt at cloning and I have setup a cheapo aero cloner. I took 8 Bubblelicious and 3 White Rhino clones and popped them into the cloner last night.

So far the clones are doing well and haven’t shown any signs of wilting. They are suspended just above the water line.

The cloner’s water read 78ºF with 5ppm reading and a pH of 6.8. (Straight from the RO machine)

I found a grasshopper in my garden today, I’ve never had this happen and am unsure if this is OK?!

 

[JBonez]

wowzomg!!!!

another intellect!!!!!

Great job brother, way to get in there and get those hands "wet", and indeed, welcome to the darkside, lol.

great grow ya got there! Just did a bubblicious run, you shouldnt be dissapointed.

question? what are ya gonna do if you get a few boys??? You would typically scrog a well known cutting from a good momma, thats why i asked.

anywho, good to see a great grow in progress.

good luck, jb

 

[Died_Evil]

Hey thanks JBonez. It has been fun! I have never thought hydroponics could be so rewarding.

I am forever on the darkside :headbang:

All plants reached maturity about 4 week into veg, there all female. I bought feminized seeds and I was crossing my finger not to have one hermi on me.

However since I found the strongest Bubblelicious and White Rhino from the bunch there clones will now be the dedicated mothers to future perpetual harvests.

I am looking forward to the Bubblelicious, wondering if its anything like Nirvana’s old bubblegum.

 

[docfishwrinkle]

died evil nice looking grow & all is well thought out. i grew bubblelicious once, 6/10 female, but unfortunately no gum phenos. heres some mojo for the sweetest pheno.

 

[JBonez]

expect roughly 3-4 phenos, one indica dom, and two hybrids, look for a special foxtail sativa pheno i was lucky to have, best smoke to date!