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DIY Coliseum On The Cheap

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PoorBoy

Member
Here is a new vertical grow I just started. I made this entirely out of crap I had laying around.

4x4 concrete reinforcing mesh folded around into a 4' dia x 6' tall column
3 - 600w HPS/MH Dual Arc bulbs
60 - 2 1/2 gallon buckets filled with straight compost
3 - Fans (one at the bottom of the light column pointed up, another behind the column at ceiling level directing the hot air out of the room, a third in front at floor level blowing cool air into the room directed at the base of the column.
 
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PoorBoy

Member
The buckets are just stacked around the circumference of the column in staggered rows. 5 rows of 12 with an extra row of empty buckets on the top to help reflect the light in.

This setup would support 6 rows of 14 (84 buckets) but I ran short on clones. As is, I ended up using a scraggly assortment ranging from barely rooted to overgrown. I'm going to let these veg for a bit to see if they won't even out.

The spaces between the buckets are large enough that I can reach through and work with the canopy relatively easily.
 

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magiccannabus

magiccannabus

Next Stop: Outer Space!
Veteran
haha this is wacky, very ghetto, but I like it. Not sure this would be my approach, but it definitely has the most artistic flair of any vert grow I've seen! I'd be too scared of a collapse.... It probably works pretty well though.
 
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Power13

Member
Poor boy, nice setup you have there! Very easy simple setup, while really maximizing that light. This would work great with other media in the buckets, possibly a dripper system to feed them, if you wanted to go hydro next time around. You could use the trellis itself to run the dripper lines up and down, thus allowing the buckets to be freely moved around.

Only thing I recommend is take those empties, and using them around all the plants to space them out a bit more. With 3 bulbs, you are not really covering the whole useable area. By putting spacer buckets between rows, you can cover more of the canopy. the plants will have to be slightly larger, but having a full canopy will really help out in the yield department.

So to be more clear, I am suggesting to move the top buckets that are reflective only, and put them lower in your stack, then put more buckets with plants on top of them.
 
T

tonto

sorry i meant to say that when the plants get bigger and start overhanging the bucket its not going to destabilize the hole thing and collapse?

also subscribed
 
grouchy

grouchy

Active member
Could you use brackets of some sort to secure the buckets to each other? I would hate to see you training them to the screen and have them all humpty dumpty on you.
 
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PoorBoy

Member
I've been concerned about a collapse as well. They are very stable right now and most likely would be fine under normal conditions, but we do get earth quakes here. I plan to run a wire around each row to hold them securely. The buckets can't topple inward because of the wire mesh, they could only fall outward. A wire or tape wrap should hold them. I just need to stop at the hardware store to pick something up the next time I'm out.
 
magiccannabus

magiccannabus

Next Stop: Outer Space!
Veteran
I know it might look a bit silly, but you could run a few courses of duct tape around each row, to prevent them from being able to move and thus fall...
 
canadiancracker

canadiancracker

Member
good thinking glad to see a new vert grower going at it... good luck..

you should go hydro top feed with hydrotons. one drips to the other and so on. recirculating constant..
 
grouchy

grouchy

Active member
You could drill a small hole in the top of the bucket and run mechanics wire through the bucket and tie it to the inner mesh. That would easily keep them from falling out.
 
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VeticalGrowBot

Member
this is what i love about the internet. Here we have a grower who was inspired about vert trying a brand new concept that has not been seen before. Based on your success we will be able to either copy or improve on your design and everyone can benifit. Keep it up. I will be watching this one FOR SURE!
 
sito007

sito007

Member
yo that's super nice son! how you plan on feeding? did you make drainage holes at the bottom ? how are you keeping the temp down? do you mist ? how are you going to trim and maintain unwanted overgrowth?
 
T

tonto

i have a small question about coliseum setups, do you at any time of the grow go inside the coliseum and do any trimming or do you just let it grow by itself
 
M

Me2

Member
Hi Poorboy
Thats a nice diy vertical.
If you wanted to upgrade the strength.. use a couple of old 48" rebounder (mini trampoline) frames, freecycle is a good place to look.
Place the rebounder frames top and bottom and connect them together by bolting steel tubing over the origonal legs. Lash your mesh to the tubular frame to form a very rigid vertical cylinder and fix the buckets to the mesh :)
 
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