My First Setup - Tips and Advice Appreciated!

[MindzEye]

On a fungus gnat infestation that is that bad, your going to have to bust out the nukes on them...

1. Remove plants from room and clean entire room with bleach water

2. Buy some Gnatrol, I only use this with bad infestations, it will kill all larve in the soil

3. Buy some Fox Farm Dont bug me spray, or some other type of pyrithrum spray

4. Change your fly strips more often

Also do a daily check on your D.E. layer on top of soil and pat down any cracks that a gnat can fit through

 

[SpikedCola]

On a fungus gnat infestation that is that bad, your going to have to bust out the nukes on them...

1. Remove plants from room and clean entire room with bleach water

2. Buy some Gnatrol, I only use this with bad infestations, it will kill all larve in the soil

3. Buy some Fox Farm Dont bug me spray, or some other type of pyrithrum spray

4. Change your fly strips more often

Also do a daily check on your D.E. layer on top of soil and pat down any cracks that a gnat can fit through

There's actually no infestation anymore I originally tried using a pyrithrium spray but it only killed the flying gnats, not the ones in the soil. I did some research, and found that if you put DE on the top and stop watering, the soil will dry out and they will be forced to the surface, where they die. After about 5 days, there wasnt a single flying gnat left.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Your light is still way too far away. Put your hand about a foot under the light and slowly raise it toward the light until it just starts to get hot. That is the level the top of the plants should be at. Air cooled hoods are kept within inches of the tops of the plants.

 

[greenthumberish]

If you wanna do it right, spend the cash when you can, condense your space, and get your plants closer to the light. If you can't lower the light, raise the plants....Find a closet, and line it with mylar, use CFL's for veg, and then follow everyones' advise, get a stronger HPS light for the flowering. Even though you quelled your gnat problem, you may want to switch out your medium anyway.....I would. Good luck..my only advice is read read read read read read read....knowlege is a useful tool, and you can never gain too much knowlege, and there's always new things to learn!

 

[SpikedCola]

Im looking at lights now, and man, are they expensive!

However, I found a used kit, that includes a ballast, 1000w metal halide lamp, timer, and reflector (not sure what type - it isnt specified) for $210. Would I be able to use a metal halide lamp for both vegetative growth and flowering? Im trying not to spend too too much at the moment.

The only thing Im afraid of with moving the plants closer to the light is that they will burn or whither from the heat, since I dont have a fan in there (yet).

Also, does anyone know of someone who has set up a drip watering system? We used drip irrigation on our farm, but that was high pressure, and used drip tape. I wouldnt mind setting up some kind of drip system with the plants, that would make vacationing a lot easier.

 

[scatking]

SC - this outfit has sme interesting drip systems that are pretty cheap. I purchased the 5 bucket system, and it has worked great with some modifications. Check it out. Replace "xx" with "tt"

hxxp://stores.shop.ebay.com/V-Drip-com-Hydroponic-Systems__W0QQ_armrsZ1

 

[SpikedCola]

After doing some research on lighting costs, I think Im going to pick up a CFL Fixture for now, and once I start flowering, look into an HPS lamp, for the simple reason of putting off the cost of an HPS lamp and ballast and reflector (and because I can keep the CFL lights very close to the plants).

As for drip, I will have to experiment with how much water I put down. Basically my plan is to have a resevoir with a circulation pump, and a pump that maintains pressure on the drip lines. Each drip line will have some sort of "dripper" that drips water either into the top of the pot, or the tray on the bottom, and can be adjusted for more or less water.

I also plan on automating a lot of this stuff once I become more proficient - Im studying electrical engineering, and a project Ive been working on for a bit is a combo temperature/humidity measuring/controlling device, which will control the lights (will give you the option of flowering or veg growth) and control the pump (estimate how much water has been put down, etc).

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

If you want to go hydro, look into DWC systems. IMO, they are the easiest to get started with.

When you consider what you have to pay for mj on the street, it makes lights look quite cheap. Around here, good quality stuff sells for $400 an oz--that makes that $200-300 light seem like a great deal. What I am telling you here is not to scrimp on your lighting. The amount and quality of your light will DIRECTLY affect your yield.

 

[SpikedCola]

Wow, I should move to where you are. Here it goes for a max of $200/oz.

And I dont want to go straight up hydro, Id just like to create an auto-watering system for the soil. For now...

 

[dirtyolsouth]

HI,

When you do decide to go with HID lighting I suggest you get a hps (high pressure sodium) light if you're only going to get one light. Many people use hps for veg and flowering. And since a hps is better or flowering and buds are what we're after, it would be a better choice in an either/or situation. They make a great combo together and mh is very good for veg if you have a separate veg space.

I've used automated watering when I've had grows at remote locations that I couldn't monitor and be at as often as I would have liked but I do think your plants do better in soil if you can hand feed them to control rate and to see first hand how well the soil is getting watered. Marijuana is a plant that likes to be fed amply and then allowed to dry out between waterings. I found that I get better results with feeding enough to thoroughly saturate the soil and then let it dry out until the next feeding. And this is an ever changing situation depending on temps, air movement and your growing plants. As they grow they will require adjustments to their feeding and this is best done by hand. You've already had gnat issues and allowing the soil surface to dry thoroughly between watering/feeding also helps fight the fungus gnats that thrive in damp and wet soil. The soil moisture changes from day to day and week to week. I use 10 gal pots and early in flower I water them every 4 or 5 days. As the plants grow I have to water them every 3 or 4 days.

If you decide your situation requires it, a DIY automated watering system is easy to concoct. You'll need a reservoir and a small, submersible water pump along with some black plastic irrigation hose and fittings from your local Home Depot. I've used drip emitters and found that not using any emitters was much less problematic as the emitters would clog intermittently. You can use a digital timer to turn on the pump for 1 to X minutes at whatever frequency you decide and there are flow adjustment valves available for pumps that you can use to reduce flow if necessary. Your pump will sit in whatever size reservoir you'd like to use and you can make a 'manifold' out of a piece of 5/8" hose and whatever length 5/8" hose you need in your space. You'll tap off of the 5/8" manifold hose with a smaller 1/4" hose going to each plant, making each run the same length so each plant gets the same amount of water/nutes. Use a measuring pitcher to determine and set the flow and you're all set... Don't forget to buy a 'punch' for making holes in the 5/8" tubing.

They do make some package systems available so you might compare DIY prices with something like this system made by Raindrip:

 

[SpikedCola]

Checked up on the plants this morning, and I can tell that theyve grown some more already! However, the plants seem to be curling up. It almost looks like theyre drying up, so I gave them a bit of water this morning, but by the evening they hadnt perked up. I then thought it could be that the room was getting too humid, and they couldnt get rid of the moisture, so I went out and bought a fan for the closet (which should hopefully help to strengthen them too). Attached is a picture of what theyre starting to look like. Any ideas? Im sure its something simple.

Also, just from what Ive read about Indicas and Sativas, the bag seed I got looks to be an Indica, from the broad leaves. Am I right?

 

[SpikedCola]

One little update - I found a 400w HPS lamp, ballast, and reflector (not sure what shape yet) for $150 - Going to go pick it up tomorrow!

 

[SpikedCola]

Come on guys - I know people are looking at the thread because Ive had ~30 views since post 31. Someone must have some sort of input! I dont like sitting around watching my plants die and not being able to do anything

 

[dirtyolsouth]

Hi,

What are the temps like in your grow room? Drooping is often caused by over-watering your plants. Does the surface dry out *thoroughly* with all that diatomaceous earth on the top? If you've been letting them dry out well between waterings and have you been feeding them nutes much? It also might be over-fertilization...

And yes... indica dominant strains have the fat, broad bladed leaves and sativas typically have long thin bladed leaves. The leaves in the droopy plant look like a indica/sativa hybrid imho because it has fairly wide blades but look spread out and the node spacing isn't very tight either but that may be more due to some stretching.

Happy Growing!

 

[SpikedCola]

I have watered them twice in the course of last week (with a tiny bit of triple-20 added), and since the second watering, I have noticed an abundance of gnats again, so I stopped watering.

The temperature hovers between 18°C and 22°C. As for the surface drying out, I cant really tell, because of the layer of DE on top. However, Ive noticed on two of the plants that a couple leaves are starting to turn slightly yellow, which means a nitrogen deficiency. The problem with this is that I need to feed them, but the soil isnt dry, and Im afraid of overwatering them.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Growdude]

The picture looks like heat stress, the edges of the leaf curling up.
If this is mostly at the top of the plants that what I think it is.

If you still have gnats in your soil then that can cause your leaves to yellow, so can over watering.

Might want to repot them.

 

[SpikedCola]

Any suggestions on a soil to use?

Is it safe to repot them? I was afraid of repotting them and accidentally killing them.

 

[SpikedCola]

Went to a garden shop and picked up some mosquito dunks (FINALLY - called around to ten shops before I could find them). Theyre broken up and soaking in water now, so the water should be ready in the morning. (For those of you that dont know, mosquito dunks contain bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, or BTi - the same ingredient in Gnatrol - but this chemical isnt licensed for use in hydroponics here, so the dunks are the only way to get it).

I also asked the garden center about dry soil, but all they have is the moist kind, and the person who was helping me even commented about having fungus gnats in their own plants using the soil they sell. Guess Ill have to keep looking and hope the mosquito dunk tea works.

 

[SpikedCola]

Triple post

Not a bad deal; the bulb (430w HPS), ballast, and reflector cost $150 in total. And dear god, is that a bright light compared to the old one! Also attached a picture of the light installed. Its so bright, my phone cant even compensate for it. Im impressed!

 

[stillsmokin43]

i would say friend hang a thermometor in there for sure and see what you have as far as the soil i use to have the knat problem till i switched to foxfarm ocean forest if you can get those temps right i think things will work out good luck