I've been shopping

[OldHippieChick]

All orders are in play and should be getting most of it by this time next week.

4x2x5 grow tent from ebay

from hps I ordered the following...
600 watt switchable digital ballast
600 watt HPS 95000 lumins bulb
600 watt MH 72000 lumins bulb
6" cool tube reflector
yo yo
6" fan
4" can filter and fan combo
misc clamps adapters and ducting
10) 2 gallon pots
ph / humidity tester
temp gauge

from dope-seeds dot com .....
10) Auto fem Buddah White Dwarf seeds

I'm gona use the MG seed starter that Hamster Lewis had good things to say about...
I'm planning on shadowing his second GJ and using the FF Tiger Bloom.

I still have ? about the ph adjusting and am a bit timid on germinating since my success so far has been 1 for 13. I have been using jiffy pucks but didn't use a heat pad.... I soaked 10 till they dropped and then stuffed em in the jiffy stuff.... I did not do the paper towel.

If you've got any sage advice please feel free...

OHC

 

[ArtVandolay]

I was lookin at those auto Buddah White Dwarf seeds, too :hubba:. Keep us posted . I think Hamster is growing them. Or Spearchucker.

 

[OldHippieChick]

Yes - HL - I'm afraid he's gona decide I'm stalking him... but you got it... may as well follow a proven recipe. It's all about immediate self gratification for me. I just like the idea of auto fems. And I went with a grow tent because I'm timid about the handyman work needed to convert a med sz closet. As far as heat goes this fall/winter.... planning on just trying to run the exhaust into the room and seeing how that goes. If it's to much or if the filter doesn't kill any smell then I'll break down and run it into the attic. I know I'll have to by next spring anyway....

 

[fleshstain]

i'm curious.... when you say you "soaked em till they sunk" how long did it take for them to sink.... from my experience, anything soaked for over 24 hours has been kept to moist and had all oxygen depleted....

also, what 600W MH bulb did you find with 72000 lumens? i've been wanting to switch to a MH for the start of flowering but haven't been able to find a bulb with more than 50-55000 lumens....

 

[OldHippieChick]

Fleshstain. From HTG Supply

Here's what the add said.....
GrowBright High Output 6000K 600 watt MH Conversion bulb
High Output 72,000 Lumens: Higher Output = Higher Yields!
6000 Kelvin "Blue" Light Spectrum encourages green, compact and lush plant growth
20,000 hour average lifespan (one year=8,760 hours)
Designed Specifically for Plant Growth this bulb is exactly what you need to grow the best plants possible!
Don't settle for "no-name" generic run-of-the-mill bulbs to grow your favorite plants. This is a specialty horticultural bulb, made specifically for vegetative plant growth, which has the reputation for being one of the best "grow" lamps on the market!
The bulb is what delivers the light energy for your plants to grow! Using this GrowBright High Output Horticultural lamp during vegetative plant growth is one of the best things you can do for your plants!
ONE YEAR WARRANY ON BULB

And I soaked em till they sunk like 12 hrs on one batch of 5 WWs and that's the one that had one doing fine...
On 3 Ice I just soaked em maybe 4 hrs till they dropped and then into the jiffy puck. To be fair - one seed did sprout about an inch high with this batch but I knocked it out of the dirt with the dome cove - feelin' bad about that one.
I was wishy washy on what to do with the other 5 so tried the paper towel in a zip lock overnight and then I put them in the jiffy pot..... NONE of those came up and it's been like 5 days.....can you tell I'm full of doubt?

OHC

 

[fleshstain]

thanks for the info on that bulb.... i gonna have to check that one out....

a heating pad might help.... if i were you i'd try the paper towel method.... it may improve your germination results since you don't transplant till after you see the taproot sprouting.... i use a 2-foot T5 flouro for my clones and just set the plate on top of the light if i have to start new seeds.... the heat from the light is just enough to heat them without frying.... i also tend to soak my seeds for at least 12 hours, but no more than 24.... sometimes the shell can be a bit thick and the longer soak improves the odds of water penetrating.... scuffing also works good with thick shells....

one other side note.... if your tent is lined in white plastic be sure that it does not emit toxic vapors.... i tried a couple different one's in the past and wound up with almost total losses due to a vapor that was being emitted from the plastic when it heated up a bit.... the newer tents that are lined with mylar do not share this issue thankfully.... just a word of caution....

 

[OldHippieChick]

Thanks - I regret not getting the heating pad. I will try five seeds that way. How long can I keep em in the paper towels and how long can I expect the tap root to be before I should plant..... I'm most blind so thats the main reason I went with the previous method.
The tents one that IS white interior but one here has two and I got em from the same source and I believe that issue was resolved about a year back and those tents were recalled and the toxic vapor issue was resolved. Or so THEY say. Thanks for the concern and advice.

 

[fleshstain]

or so they say is 100% accurate.... a local store here has the toxic tents for sale at clearance prices and aren't telling people about the fumes....

as for the paper towel method.... this is my way of doing it.... soak seeds 12-24 hours.... it doesn't matter if they float or sink at this point from my past experience....place between a few folded white, non printed, paper towels.... saturate thoroughly and tip the plate to let excess drain off.... cover with another plate and set on heat source.... check 1-2 times daily for sprouting or moisture loss.... transplant when the taproot i 1-3mm long....

i get almost 100% success rates with new seed stock and almost the same with 2-4 year old seed stock with this method....

my 1 word of extreme caution.... when picking up the seeds to transplant use extreme caution not to crush the seed or damage the taproot....

 

[cmd420]

Buying hydro equipment! Funzies!

Great decisions...just thought I'd throw this out there: what about a ppm meter? I noticed that you have a pH and humidity tester but nothing to measure the concentration of your nutrients....not sure how nessesary they are for soil, but for hydro, it's key...

have fun with your new toys when they get to you!

 

[fleshstain]

they're more critical with hydro than soil.... i've got a TDS meter that i almost never use.... just err on the side of caution when using the recommended doses and go a bit lower.... for soil that is....

 

[cmd420]

they're more critical with hydro than soil.... i've got a TDS meter that i almost never use.... just err on the side of caution when using the recommended doses and go a bit lower.... for soil that is....

 

[dr pyro]

you lose alot of lumes with a coversion bulb

 

[dr pyro]

keep us posted with pics

 

[OldHippieChick]

you lose alot of lumes with a coversion bulb

Agreed, thats why I decided on the 600Watt vs 400Watt and went with the more efficient digital ballast. It still far exceeds the reccomended minimum of 5000 per sq ft.
I'll post a pic as soon as I have it set up and then will move this over to a GJ. Thanks!

CMD420 I don't have a clue about the PPH meter.... The seed starter mix I'm using is suposed to have a very very gentle level of nutes and HL just used FF Tiger Bloom for the second half oh his plant life with his Autos. I don't know.... will evaluate daily as it goes but will def look into these PPH meters. I've got a lil bubbleponics set up for two plants when I get around to sticking my toe into the deep end of that pool.
Thanks!

 

[dr pyro]

oops

 

[Droopy Dog]

or so they say is 100% accurate.... a local store here has the toxic tents for sale at clearance prices and aren't telling people about the fumes...

On ebay also. Some even say 'lined with white PVC'.

Usually the cost is a good indicator. Saving $$$ just to kill your plants does not make $en$e to me.

DD

 

[OldHippieChick]

well guys - of course you could be right but I have been following a well respected forum members 4 GJs and the man bought 2 of these from the same source and he hasn't had ANY drama and is very very happy with his tents. And the seller has a very respectable rep on ebay. If you end up being right I'll be sure to give you proper kudos. Thanks for the friendly advice.

I hope I didn't come off all crabby - I just wana stress that I didn't pick this tent because it was cheap - but because it has a good rep here IMHO.

 

[Droopy Dog]

Not saying yours are bad, but that there ARE bad ones out there being sold to unsuspecting folks.

I had never even heard of this issue till I started researching tents and got directed to the HydroHut web site. They talked about it in detail and the refunds and what they did to correct the problem.

Then I started looking closer at all tents being offered.:hubba:

DD

 

[2Dog]

Very exciting OHchick...and I thought clothes shopping was fun. I bought two lights yesterday myself. two digital 600 hps..I am now proper for flowering yayaya love ur seed choices. I have some autos going myself. I always germ in a wet paper towels either in tubberware or a plastic baggy in a warm dark area. Very good results.

 

[fleshstain]

i'm sure yours will be fine.... looking forward to seeing everything set up....