Thanks! I appreciate you following along, I was reading some of your early grow journals the other day.
I’m excited to manage these basins and reservoirs to the finish line!
2 Likes
Yes, I bought a ten pack of Mylar emergency blankets for this purpose and used three. I never did cover the inside of the closet door.
In retro I would use one blanket as a ground cloth and instead paint the walls matte white. The Mylar flutters in the breeze and occasionally touches the lights, more of a worry than it’s worth I suspect.
1 Like
I got some of the black and white panada film. It is pretty cheap too. You can choose the sheet size you want as well. I used it when I modified my big tent. I painted the walls in my closet I was vegging in a flat white. Worked out well 
2 Likes
Stop stretching!
You’re looking over a light bulb at a flat panel LED hanging 32” over the base of my grow. This plant, a Quebec Cannabis Blue named Oprah, has grown to touch the light panel in several spots. I flipped her to flower when she was barely 14” so she indeed more than doubled. I’ll take ‘things you can’t know without doing them’ for $200 Alex. I mean Mike. I mean…
To address this I just bent fan leaves except one cola, one I’ve super-cropped recently, obviously not well because it didn’t shorten, it just stood up with a wound. That cola I manhandled and tucked under other growth.
My manufacturer’s light recommendation is “as close as the plants will take”. This system is owned by miracle-gro and if they say the plant can get close I’m thinking their legal team is sure that plant won’t catch fire. So I don’t really mind them touching the light a little, but I’d rather not.
There is a plexi-glass sheet between my diodes & my plants. I’m wondering if I’ll get more intense light if I remove that for the next grow.
4 Likes
@dbrn32 may be able to help with that.
1 Like
I’m sure your light intensity would increase some, but it won’t be a lot. Do you have an aerogarden?
1 Like
Yes, I’m using the biggest AeroGarden with two 60w light panels.
I was wondering earlier this thread about AeroGarden 20w grow lights, flood lights and Walmart shop light style burples.
In a very non-scientific control-less experiment, the AeroGarden 20w are way better, the plants are frosty where those lights shine.
I’m not even sure I can remove the plexiglass, but after popping some diffusers off light bulbs I thought I might try.
1 Like
If you’re getting serious about growing, i would just move up to a larger dwc system and get a dedicated grow light sized to your space. With the size of system and lights you have, minor tweaks are maybe going to increase your potential harvest by a few grams.
2 Likes
I agree with that. I’m invested in a small grow good for 10,000 hours of lights. I figure that’s 4-5 grows, maybe two years…if I get that first harvest and proof of concept.
What’s next is after that.
1 Like
Depends on how big you want to go. You would usually want to size your light to size of your grow space. Then figure out roughly how many plants you want to run to see what kind of system makes the most sense. Hydroponics provides really fast veg growth of healthy plants, so you typically don’t need a lot of plants to fill a decent sized grow either.
1 Like
From my observations on this grow, planning on plants to just double during flowering stretch is an error. Both my strains grew more like 130%. If it needs to be planned for, it needs to be allowed for.
I’ve also been adding Botanicare hydroguard directly to my basins after feeding, under the impression that hydroguard didn’t affect pH. It was also my understanding that Hydroguard went to work on the roots and then became inert if there was nothing to do. So I didn’t want to add it to a rootless solution. Ive no reason from my grow to think any of that is wrong but I’ve read contrary thoughts on the forum, that Hydroguard affects pH.
2 Likes
I have never experienced any affect from hydroguard. It does not affect my PH or ppm’s at all.
Not really sure why folks think it does. If you put 1 gal in a bucket, test PH and ppm’s, then add hydroguard, the PH and PPM’s will be the same afterwards. I add it every time I water, whether I add nutes or not. Never changes.
I have never had brown roots. 
A little root porn… hehe!
4 Likes
Thanks for that. In my system the Hydroguard is an essential leap of faith because I don’t have adequate access to the roots. That’s a shortcoming that can be planned for in future grows. For now, over-bubbling, generous Hydroguard, and an overwhelming spirit of optimism keep my roots healthy. At 78-80 degrees no less.
2 Likes
Going to try a little fine tuning: 2 pics, different strains in different DWC basins. Both flowering girls show a curling under of the leaves, not just the top, but the sides.
Girls look mostly healthy and I’m pleased at this point but it’s a feed day and before I feed I thought I’d ask about this curling, if it’s a sign or anything I should act on.
Quebec Cannabis Blue, 89 days old, 33 in flower, time of pic pH 5.9, ppm 541.
Northern Lights x Skunk, same age, time of pic pH 5.5, ppm 375.
pH seems fine, ppm low but if that’s the problem what nutes best address the curling?
The water temp is high, high 70s but as I understand it a high water temp is more conducive to root infections but sans infection, a higher water temp isn’t necessarily a problem?
Tagging some folks thanks y’all have a good weekend @HappyHydroGrower @dbrn32 @Not2SureYet @Hellraiser @latewood @yoshi @newt
3 Likes
High water temp means less dissolved oxygen, and could absolutely be cause for droopy leaves. Along with opportunities for bacteria to cause problems.
Your ppm also low. I would say 900-1100 is more of what I would expect to see. You need a complete line of base nutrients, brand doesn’t matter as much as making sure all your macro and micros are covered.
4 Likes
Holy Moly! I just came home from work to a grow closet that’s 88 degrees and 73% humidity. It’s a lovely 81 at 45% outside.
The humidity went down 15% within a couple minutes of opening the door. If I can’t improve my ventilation, and there’s options, I’m going to have to find a way to keep the door open. It’s a balance of dark/light and ventilation management.
Basin Right has been getting beat up by me cropping and trying to keep her under the lights. You can really feel the silica strength in the stems.
4 Likes
I am running mid 90s and about 70% humidity in my room the last few days. I can’t run the dehumidifier till lights out or the temps really go crazy. So far, mine are managing. It keeps my house in side at 90 
Next summer I will do fewer plants. You are still early in the grow. So not much to worry about there in my o2.
1 Like
Ouch!!! 90’s is rough and that humidity…holy hell!!
1 Like
This is an older page. But about the same temps I am having in there still. Some one is looking after me since every one are still some what happy 
2 Likes
Nice data sheet. Thorough and organized.
I don’t see the heat as necessarily being bad, as Dr Bruce says, the nine parameters have to be in harmony with each other.
Problem could be, hot room equals hot water. Are you growing in water? I just checked and my water temps were 75, after a mild day during which I was able to leave the closet door open.
75 isn’t too bad, I was a few degrees higher the other day. I’ve been chilling my water. High temps are riskier, they don’t have to be a problem but I do have signs as in droopy leaves.
I have poor access to the roots. It’s a shortcoming I’m going to try to allow for in Grow 2. I want to just reach in and move the air stones around, change up the flow but it would be so awkward to access them more harm might come than good.