Semi-Stealth lowryder adventure

[BillFromBio]

Well what can i say it has been awhile since i've attempted growing.... If anyone has seen my last grow, well lets just say i've learned alot lol. First op was successful i think for a first grow but rather unsuccessful overall. Second grow with autoflowering russian rocketfuel was also a disaster. Tried cramming a 600w HPS in a slightly bigger cabinet than the one i'm about to show you. Granite i had a 6" inline fan that whole operation was no where near how i saw it going in my head. Which brings us to now. Back in the game new dresser new plans. Spent the last few weeks planning and ripping and modifying this damn dresser to get it exactly the way i want it. There will still be addition to optimize it but it deff is a solid start. I got the idea for the top section of the dresser being the back exhaust while browsing online. There is one 6" duct fan sucking air directly out of the top. There is another 6" duct fan in the top section with a reducer to a 4" sucking air through the light (which is a 250w HPS btw) which is attached all the way to the floor of the grow chamber. So one fan is sucking hot air directly out and another fan is sucking cool air from outside the bottom of the floor while cooling the light. There is a 1½" x 8" gap in the floor next to the ducting for passive intake. Also there is a 10" fan blowing right under the light and a 6" fan close to the bottom of the chamber which can be clipped anywhere. Had the box running non-stop even without the fans circulating air and only hit temps around 77º. Humidity is only around 20% but that will change with plants/soil/moisture doesn't need to go much higher anyway, plus i got a small humidifier that will either fit inside the cabinet or outside depending on what works. Eventually i plan on at the very least getting the CAP Air-2 controller only $100. My next order with HTGsupply will contain a growbright jr. 4" carbon filter and a wye connector to connect both fans to the carbon filter, also i will grab 2 pH monitors one for soil and a digital one for feeding/watering. I plan on growing 2-3 Easy Ryders in this cabinet and think they will fit perfectly. I have 3 ft to the bottom of my light and i should be able to keep my plants inches from my lights considering my temps right under my lights (2" from them) are only 73º. I've been doing tons of research on autoflowers, ER in particular and am fairly confident in this grow. For now i will just be using the fox farm liquid concentrate trio for soil accompanied with fox farm ocean forest soil mixed with fox farm light warrior in 2 maybe 3 gallon grow bags. Still debating on bag size due to height restrictions, open to suggestions. Hopefully by midway through this grow or by the next round of ER's i will have the rest of the foxfarm line meaning the solubles and the new trio with all the root stimulants and the flush. I will be watering with tap water that will be sitting for a while to let the chlorine evaporate, the city water shouldn't be too bad anyway. I will be using this thread as my main strategy throughout this grow http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41203 I'm hoping with the proper tender love n' care these ladies will give me a nice yield anywhere in the 4-6 oz range from 2-3 plants easy:icon_smile:.

Open to questions, comments, suggestions, concerns, and compliments.
Opposed to Haters...

P.S.-Would like to know the importance of TDS/EC/PPM testers? I've scratched the surface with research but from what i've read it really isn't that important in organice growing which is where i'm headed. Also would like to know the best way to go about pH balancing organically if possible or if i need to worry about it considering i will be able to monitor the pH carefully and i can flush at anytime, but i would still like to maintain an ideal pH of 6.5-6.8.

 

[PuffinNugs]

Good luck on the grow. I perfer 20/4 lighting for my autos though, you get tighter plants/ more bud sites IMO.

 

[BillFromBio]

Yeah thats what i've read too. Thats the plan maybe even 24 hours on. I've read that can make the plant slightly shorter with maybe a 5% increase in yield. Another guide hXXp://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-marijuana-growing/674011-how-grow-best-auto-plants.html

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

You are not going to be able to use a filter with duct booster fans. Booster fans are not meant to be stand alone fans--they are meant to assist other large fans on long ducting runs. They will not have enough umpfff to push air through the filter.

Second, I see some problems with the 3' of total height. Autos do best in taller more slender containers. They also do not do well with a lot of training--I see a lot of LST if you want to grow in a space that has 3' height to the light. Even if you can keep things cool enough, you are not going to be able to get your plants right up next to your HPS without damaging them.

I would also recommend getting the mylar smoother. Mylar only carries those great reflective numbers if it is hung straight with NO wrinkles. If you cannot get it smooth, you would be better, IMO, to paint the interior of your cabinet FLAT white paint. Mylar with a lot of wrinkles simply does not reflect back to your plants well.

You will also find that you DO need to get your RH above 20%.

Do not get a soil pH meter. The cheap ones are worthless and if you are growing organic you do not need one. In fact if you are growing organic, it is my understanding that the soil buffers the water and you do not need to pH at all. I will be starting my own first organic grow sometime this spring (I run hydro). If you are going to go organic, you are going to want to use organic nutes too. I do not believe that ff's regular line is organic. Chemical nutes can kill the beneficial microbes in the soil. You can probably get away without a ppm meter.

 

[PuffinNugs]

Yeah thats what i've read too. Thats the plan maybe even 24 hours on. I've read that can make the plant slightly shorter with maybe a 5% increase in yield. Another guide hXXp://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-marijuana-growing/674011-how-grow-best-auto-plants.html

what i do is give them the 24hours of light for about 2 weeks, then i switch to 20/4 after it starts working on grwoing its branches.

 

[BillFromBio]

You are not going to be able to use a filter with duct booster fans. Booster fans are not meant to be stand alone fans--they are meant to assist other large fans on long ducting runs. They will not have enough umpfff to push air through the filter.

I know this and 2 of them should be enough to pull enough of the hot air out of the dresser. No its no as effective as an inline fan but also no where near as loud.

Second, I see some problems with the 3' of total height. Autos do best in taller more slender containers. They also do not do well with a lot of training--I see a lot of LST if you want to grow in a space that has 3' height to the light. Even if you can keep things cool enough, you are not going to be able to get your plants right up next to your HPS without damaging them.

I have seen this grow done with a 250w HPS inches from the plants as long as its cool its fine. 2 gallon bags are 6.5"x5.5"x10". 10" pot height plus aprox. 18"-24" would leave them right under the light with a few inches to spare. Plus i can reduce the pot size and grow more in the room just shorter. even with the 2 gallon i could potentially fit 6 plants. There are ways to reduce the size slightly if i have too.

You will also find that you DO need to get your RH above 20%.

I know this has to go higher and i'm sure it will. this humidity is the dry room with no pots no soil.

I do not believe that ff's regular line is organic. Chemical nutes can kill the beneficial microbes in the soil. You can probably get away without a ppm meter.

FF Grow big, Tiger Bloom, and Big bloom are all organic. pH lockout can still happen if you don't flush been down that road before.

 

[pcduck]

FF Grow big, Tiger Bloom, and Big bloom are all organic.

This is straight from their web site.

Our Products: Organic or Synthetic?

Our Peace of Mind® and Happy Frog® fertilizers are 100% organic. Our Big Bloom™ Liquid Fertilizer and all of our soils are also organic. We do offer some fertilizers with mineral-based, time-release ingredients that are not classified as organic. These include American Pride® and Marine Cuisine® fertilizers, Tiger Bloom® and Grow Big® liquids, and our soluble products like Cha Ching®, Beastie Bloomz®, and Open Sesame®.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Putting 2 duct fans together is not going to improve their performance. Duct booster fans are simply not strong enough to use with a carbon filter. They are not meant to be used this way and they will not work efficiently for this purpose. They will most likely work okay for air exchange in a small space, but they are not going to push or draw through a carbon filter.

Also as pcduck mentioned FF Grow big, Tiger Bloom, and Big bloom are NOT organic. As far as flushing and ph lockout--I NEVER flush my plants.

 

[pcduck]

THG Big Bloom is organic. Grow Big and Tiger Bloom are not organic.

You must have misread my post

 

[BillFromBio]

Yeah i knew that they weren't 100% organic and most nutes aren't. Anyway i've made a few changes due to recent advice and budget. Next week i will be ordering General Organics GO box which has the whole line in small bottles which is all i'll need considering this is such a small grow. I will also still be purchasing the carbon jr. that i previously mentioned but instead i will also be ordering the TD-100X from this website. hxxp://www.hvacquick.com/products/residential/Fans/Inline-Fans/SP-TD-Series-Inline-Fans been reading alot of good reviews about these fans may even consider the new TD SILENT line. I think that fan would be able to push enough air through that filter.