{150w HPS All-in-One Micro Cab} ~Mazar Kush~ {10 Clone Ebb & Flow SOG Diary}

[pontiac]

Hi guys! Guess who's bizzack!

Long time no grow, lol. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself for those who don't know me... I'm pontiac; feels like I've been on this forum for as long as I can remember... Oh right, since the collapse of OverGrow. You may have seen my two previous grows (here and here), both of which were done in now defunct setups. You may have also seen my Link-o-Rama thread, which I maintain on a nearly daily basis.

I haven't grown anything in over a year now due to security reasons, but then the coast cleared up, and I was ready to go again... That's until I realized I dismantled and discarded my previous setups (again for security reasons)! So what did I do? Did I just give up my love for growing this divine; sacred plant? Fuck no! I built myself a leaner, meaner; stealthier machine (albeit less powerful).

This setup is a stealth 150w HPS micro cab with Ebb & Flow hydroponics and an integrated mother plant / clone compartment. The strain of choice is "World of Seeds" Mazar Kush Feminized. The cultivation method will be a 10 clone Sea of Green in a floor space of approx. 28" x 14", inside a foot print of 30" x 15".

Anyway, Let's get down to buisness. I'll begin by describing my setup, starting with the materials:

Chasis:
Staples Altra Oak Cabinet - $70
(66" H x 30" W x 15" D Exterior)
(61 1/2"H x 28 3/4"W x 14 1/2"D Interior)
Panda Film - $18
Custom Plywood - $15
Lock-Key Latch - $3

Ebb & Flow Hydroponics:
USplastic.com Fiberglass Tray - $40
Ebb & Flow Fitting Kit - $10
Assorted Growing Media - $25
Non-Toxic Silicone - $7
5 Gal Bucket (Reservoir) - $2
160 GPH Water Pump - $14
1/2" I.D. Tubing - $4
Mechanical Timer - $10

Lighting Main:
FloraLux 150w HPS - $100
Yo Yo Hanger Kit - $15
Digital Timer - $20

Lighting Mother:
3 16w Daylight 5500k CFLs - $10
Light Sockets - $5
Mechanical Timer - $10

Ventilation:
Generic 4" 170 CFM Inline Fan - $90
Solid State Fan Speed Controller - $10
4" Carbon Filter - $50
4" Reflector Flange - $10
4" Ducting - $10
4" 32 CFM PC Fan & AC Adapter - $12

Add $40 worth in miscellaneous expenses:

TOTAL ~ $600 ​

Now that seems ALOT more expensive than my previous setups, but I decided to take a more aesthetically pleasing route, instead of a fiscally conservative one.

Sooo..... enough chit-chat. Lets see some pics!

​

Btw, I didn't add the cost of nutrients to my balance sheet because I had this set for a while now. Basically the exact same time-tested set I've been using for a few years now:

• Primary Nutrients:
  • General Hydroponics - MaxiGro
  • General Hydroponics - MaxiBloom
• Main Supplements:
  • General Hydroponics - Floralicious Grow
  • General Hydroponics - Floralicious Bloom
  • General Hydroponics - KoolBloom
  • General Hydroponics - Rare Earth
  • Botanicare - AquaShield (Replaces HydroGuard)
  • Botanicare - Clearex
• Buffers:
  • General Hydroponics - pH up
  • General Hydroponics - pH down
• Other Supplements: (Occasionally Used)
  • Maxicrop - Liquified Seaweed
  • Generic - Epsom Salts
  • Generic - Hydrogen Peroxide 3%
  • Milk of Magnesia (pH up Alternative)
  • Lemon Juice Concentrate (pH down Alternative)

Now you may be wondering why I went through the trouble of shoving an entire Ebb & Flow system in such a small cab. Well, I chose Ebb & Flow (the same reasons apply to its sister systems, Drip and NFT) for many reasons:

Firstly, I can control how much water my plants have access too. If ever I need to leave for a long period of time, I can simply reduce the frequency of the flood cycle. This way the solution in the reservoir can be "stretched out" for a much longer time frame than In DWC/SWC.

Secondly, I can arbitrarily choose the number of plants to grow with respect to the size of the tray. This as apposed to DWC/SWC, where my limits are much more restricted.

Thirdly, I can easily convert my Ebb & Flow system into a Drip or NFT when ever I want; it's as simple as connecting a drip manifold to the pump or shortening the drain fitting, respectively.

Lastly... It just looks friggin cool When one thinks of Ebb & Flow, he/she thinks about a large 4' x 4' table under 600w HPS lighting and a 50 Gallon reservoir. It's not something one would expect to find in a small 150w HPS cab with only a 5 gal res and a 30" x 15" foot print.

​

 

[pontiac]

-----------------------------------
Mazar Kush Round 1
-----------------------------------
DAY 01 (Transplant DAY 1/7)
≈ 70 DAYS REMAINING UNTIL HARVEST
Avg Height: 1.25", Photoperiod On/Off: 20hrs/4hrs,
Temp In/Out/Res: 86F/79F/71F, Humidity: 51%,
Ph: 5.49, TDS: 416ppm @ 0.5 conversion.
-----------------------------------​

06/17/09

Alright! Here we go again!

After finally finishing my cab, I started off by first setting up my calendar. Basically the schedule is like this: 7 days transplant (20/4), 8 days veg (18/6), 56 days bloom (12/12); the harvest deadline should occur around August 26, 2009.

After marking the calendar, I filled the ebb and flow table with medium (basically pre-rinsed hydroton and 4" rockwool grow blocks) and adjusted the pH to 5.5 letting the system run for a few hours to stabilize the rockwool. Then I emptied out the reservoir, cleaned out the sediments and filled it with fresh new water. Finally, I added nutrients (MaxiGro & Floralicious Grow) to a concentration of ~420 ppm and adjusted the pH to ~5.5 again.

Now comes the part I've been waiting for: transferring in the clones. The plugs just slid in to the rockwool cubes, and that's that! Transfer complete. Dropping a little superthrive should make the transfer more painless, but I don't think they'll need it.

The clones look aren't looking that great right now, mainly because of their prolonged duration in the humidome (~4 weeks). I wanted all 10 of them to blast roots before moving them to the HPS; I didn't want an inconsistent sea of green. Basically the clones that rooted early suffered the most because of their thirst for nutrition. However I think they'll all be just fine... except for maybe 1.

Well that's all for tonight. See you next update! :kitty:

 

[SirSmokalot]

the return of a legend... what up brother. hope to see ya round more

 

[one Q]

another high pitched booyaaaaa

 

[Maj.PotHead]

right on brotha glad to cya back in action

 

[pontiac]

Well I took down the under construction sign and updated my thread.

SirSmokealot, One Q; Maj. - Thank you so much for stopping by; I hope you stick around for the whole show. I'll be sure to check out what you guys are cooking up as well . Take it easy.

 

[FirstTimer76]

Truly a fan. TAGGED!!!!!!!!

 

[C3RTIFI3D]

Very nice setup Looking really good

 

[C3RTIFI3D]

Looks like there is somthing wrong with your clones :X

 

[pontiac]

FirstTimer- Thanks for tagging! Hope you enjoy the show. Looking good with your grow btw. :smile:

C3rtifi3d- Thanks for the compliment. The clones are fine; just a little stressed out from their time in humidome (really just an upside down dubbermaid). They should all recover now that they're in the Ebb & Flow.

 

[K.J]

Very nice setup. I love the economy of this one...tight.

 

[kushism]

Dude awesome cab!!! I love the camouflage for the fan and filter.. Hope your clones recover..

suscribing to this one for sure

 

[Asil]

Pontiac Love the new cabinet. I was looking at those tray for mine. I will be following this grow!

 

[VerdantGreen]

very nicely done - your threads have been a great resource for me over the last year or so

i get to watch this from the start!

good luck

V.

p.s. how loud is the fan?

 

[PiffGuru]

Im jumpin onboard to watch this one

 

[pontiac]

-----------------------------------
DAY 03 (Transplant DAY 3/7)
≈ 68 DAYS REMAINING UNTIL HARVEST
Avg Height: 1.38", Photoperiod On/Off: 20hrs/4hrs,
Temp In/Out/Res: 81F/74F/70F, Humidity: 57%,
Ph: 6.29, TDS: 520ppm @ 0.5 conversion.
-----------------------------------​

No pics today, just updating to mention how much I fvcking hate rockwool! Even after conditioning and rinsing the rockwool before this grow began, the rockwool is causing my pH to rise! I think I may have readjusted the res 2 times already, but it keeps going above pH 6 after a few hours. I fear if I keep adjusting like this, the TDS might rise to a dangerous level (500ppm and above may cause burns this early in a clone's or seedling's life). I'll adjust it another time, hopefully the pH will stay stable; if not, I'll have to do a full res change. Despite the pH troubles, the clones look ok, though it's too early to tell if they've fully recovered.

Anyone watching should take note... Always condition (to pH 5.5) and (frequently) rinse your rockwool for at least 24 hours before starting a grow, especially If you're using a lot. I think this instability is occurring for me because I conditioned for only about 6 hours and rinsed just once. Manufacturers always change their source of stone and manufacturing techniques, so even though one batch of rockwool may seem relatively stable, the next batch may be bat-sh!t unstable... Always expect the latter.

Pics next update.

Edit- Decided to do a full rinse and res change... pH seems to have stabilized, but we'll know for sure next update. :smile:

 

[PiffGuru]

I used rockwool my last grow and it was strait.. but I did have ph problems.. Im using sure to grow cubes this time that say that there is no need to rinse or do anything before use.. even tho I still have some Ph problems lol... I dont think its from the cubes

 

[pontiac]

k.j- Thanks man. The same could be said about your setup
kushism- Thanks for the sub! :smile: I just reused the shipping box my tray came in; a perfect fit for both fan & filter! I like how your grow is 17x more poweful than mine. That setup would be a dream come true for me!
Asil- Thanks for the compliment! I love that tray; the quality is superb and it fits beautifully in my cab. It could easily hold double the water and hydroton without bending even a millimeter. I got it from usplastic.com
VerdantGreen- Thanks for the comment. I see you grabbed front row-center. About the fan... It's extremely loud at full speed, but the solid state fan speed controller substantially reduced the noise, but only after adding some cushioning under the fan. You see, solid state controllers create some electrical noise that actually make the fan vibrate louder unless you absorb those vibrations. With the speed controller and some cushioning, the noise from the cab is quite tolerable when in the same room, and virtually unnoticeable when in an adjacent room.
PiffGuru- Thanks for the comment piff (nice diary btw)... I'm sure that because the plants are too young to influence the pH, only the rockwool could make such substantial shifts. But then again, only time will tell. Thanks for stopping by!

 

[pontiac]

-----------------------------------
DAY 05 (Transplant DAY 5/7)
≈ 66 DAYS REMAINING UNTIL HARVEST
Avg Height: 1.63", Photoperiod On/Off: 20hrs/4hrs,
Temp In/Out/Res: 87F/80F/77F, Humidity: 53%,
Ph: 6.05, TDS: 596ppm @ 0.5 conversion.
-----------------------------------​

Alright guys, pretty important update. I decided to do a full rinse and res change, but the creeping pH problem still persists, albeit somewhat less aggressive than before. I also nearly doubled the hydroton and raised the drain level by a whole inch (by simply adding a riser to the drain fitting) so that the incoming roots can have more surface area. Unfortunately while doing that, I unknowingly changed the initial orientation of the clones; not a big deal though.

Most of the clones seem to be taking off now, while a few others are still adjusting to their new environment and one is just not doing well at all (can you guess which one?)... I hope she recovers or else this may become a 9 plant SOG

Overall, I am quite happy with the progress; The average height is steadily increasing: up from ~1.25" in the beginning to ~1.625" right now... May not seem like much, but it is only their first week.

Today I also added to the res some GH Rare Earth in the included submersible filter bag to "harden" the plants (at a rate of 1 tsp/gal). I can't pinpoint why, but I think the Rare Earth is tenuously counterattacking the rising pH; maybe due to the slow release of Humic Acids from the leonardite.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll post more updates periodically... Thanks for stopping by!

 

[Bon.G.Loder]

Great cabinet you've converted! Keep up the good work w/ the data. I coping a squat to watch the countdown!