Best NGB style low-maintenance grow for frequent travelers???

[banjobrain]

Hey everyone...

I am trying to determine the best low-maintenance grow for frequent 4-5 day travel periods.

When I built my cab, my initial thoughts were:

1. Germ seeds in rockwool cubes
2. Transplant to soil
3. Veg plants / determine sex
4. Get rid of the males / keep one or two mothers
5. Bring remaining plants to flower and harvest using a wick system
6. Clone mothers and repeat, or start fresh with new seed stock

I am an indecisive SOB...and I can't make up my mind.

This sounded like a good plan, but I want to ensure that I am using the best method for growing.

I have seeds germed and pushing cotyledons, so I need to shit or get off the pot.

If I was home ALL the time, my preferred method after reading would be growing in hempy buckets or perhaps using a DWC method.

However, I travel for work. I am home every weekend, but often times I am gone for 4-5 days at a time - so I need something that will produce results, but will be low maintenance with little margin for error. I am a newbie, but I do have a green thumb - so I'm not overly concerned...

Please provide some assistance and let me know what the easiest and lowest maintenance grow would be for a frequent traveler - HELP!!!

 

[Sam the Caveman]

Hi Banjo, If you go out of town for 4 or 5 days at a time, your main problem is going to be watering.

I would suggest having 2 different rezes, one for feeding moms and one for flowering ladies. An airstone in the rez will keep nutrients mixed thoroughly and oxygenate the water. Get an on-demand pump, like a sure-flow, for each rez regulated by an outdoor irrigation timer. Those timers are great, you can set what time to water up to 3 times per day and for how long to water each time. Then get some adjustable drip emitters at the base of each plant or one per hempy bucket. With this set up, the size of each rez will regulate how long they can go without being checked on.

a few comments about your numbered initial thoughts
1. germ in whatever you like but rockwool has to be pre-treated to deal with the ph issues it has. I like rapid rooters or root riots and just drop the seeds/clones in and water.
2. sure transplant to whatever you like, if you use soil though make sure it has everything mixed in with the soil the plant will need. Deficiencies take a while to correct in soil.
3.veg plants to the desired bloom height, take clones to make new mothers and bloom the seed plants. If you use rapid rooters to clone, after a month they should be large enough to take clones from for the next round. This keeps you from having to deal with big bushy mothers of various phenotypes.
4.cull the males when you start to bloom the seed plants
5.fill rez, set timer and re-fill rez when empty or low
6.by harvest clones will be ready to go into flower

That's just the way I'd suggest, do whatever you want though

 

[banjobrain]

You are correct, Sam - watering is going to be a challenge when I'm out of town.

I like your idea about the two reservoirs. You make it sound so easy, though...the thought of setting up/building a drip emitter system sound intimidating!

However, so did building my cab before I started, and that turned out relatively well. So...currently my seeds are germing in rockwool (really they are gro-dan cubes pre-treated with a very mild nute solution.

Once the plants get of good size, I'll do one of two things: Transplant them into mini hempy buckets or go into a soiless mix (pro-mix, etc) to veg them out.

Either way, soil or hempy - they'll both be watered via drip emitter, and right now - it looks like that is going to be my biggest challenge...the set up and operation of the drip emitter system.

Upon pulling the males and taking clones for mothers...I should have my drip emitter system dialed in, so the second one should not be a problem.

Can anyone provide any good links or information on a basic drip emitter system?

I plan on keeping the reservoirs stacked on top of my cab.

I appreciate your input, Sam - and look forward to any additional thoughts/ideas about the set up of a drip emitter system. Thank you all in advance for sharing your experience!

 

[stihgnobevoli]

my suggestion would be soil. organic or nutes whatever. the most important thing i see you need to worry about is dry plants. soil and a wick system for when you are out of town. you can take some cotton rope or twist up some old towel strips you cut up. coil some around the bottom of the inside of the pot and lead a trail from the bottom of the pot to the top long enough to reach wherever your water source will be. fill pots with dirt, continue as normal. when you leave town dangle then ends of rope/twisted cloth into water. you can find pictures here or on the internet im sure. water container must be at same level or higher then pots if i recall correctly. im not sure if they mean all of the water or just the top of the container where the ropes are leading to pots. i think just the rope maybe, gravity and capillary action and what not. i also assume you're micro since this is the micro section. for bigger i cant think of anything right now.

 

[banjobrain]

Yes...On my first grow attempt, which was aborted - I incorporated a wick system. However, at that time, I was currently vegging under CFL lamps.

I am a little concerned because although initially, I will bring them up under CFLs - I will be making a transition to a 250w MH. The increased heat and growth from the HID lamps may be too much for the plants and the size reservoir that my cab can accommodate beneath my plants.

Though not completely throwing this idea out the window - I am still looking to obtain information on drip emitter systems. I would rather start and finish with a drip system than to begin with a wick system and have to transition into a drip system. I imagine that would be a mess.

 

[banjobrain]

I found the solution!

I found the solution!

Hey all...after some digging around, I believe I found something that I can utilize. Check it out!

I will probably be using the Oasis Indoor Automatic Drip Watering System to take care of my plants. Not only will I be traveling 4-5 days during the week, but I do have vacations scheduled for June and August. I don't want to have to schedule my grows around my life - so this seems like a great solution to the problem.

The unit is battery operated and easy to install. The reservoir holds 6.6 gallons. The filter is washable and the price is reasonable. It's only $80.

For the amount of time I would spend on building my own and the materials I would purchase - I figure this is the better bet. I simply don't have the time and will be leaving town next Sunday - so I need to get something going with plants just germed.

Yes...I know that this is a delicate period - but on my aborted first grow, I brought them up successfully while maintaining a similar travel schedule.

Hoping for some feedback today before I place an order!

 

[Hephaestus]

Just thinking here... If you go RDWC - with a huge resevoir (preferably with an ATO) you should be pretty safe to leave it for a few days...

If you want a really simple drip irrigation system, Look at a toms aqualifter AW20 pump on a timer; 3gph, run it into a aquarium air manifold (one of the good brass ones) then those lines straight out to your irrigation sites (no heads) just tune it down (at the manifold) to a nice drip rate. Run it on a simple timer - and bobs your uncle

 

[banjobrain]

My space is kind of limited and I know very little about recirculating deep water culture...but that may be something I explore with future grows. I am interested in dwc, simply because the whole root porn thing gets me excited...mmmmm

I appreciate the insight in regards to the TOM Aqua Lifter AW20 pump, but again - it's the whole DIY thing that presents a problem right now...I just ain't got the time!

After thinking while reorganizing my grow-room/laundry room, I have decided to go ahead and purchase the Oasis Indoor Automatic Drip Watering System and be able to set it up this week, test it and be ready for my first trip away when I leave next Sunday.

Thanks!

 

[Sam the Caveman]

I saw that oasis pump a while back and found it interesting and it would be very appropriate for your situation banjo.

Its a great price for sure, which leads me to question the quality of its parts. I guess we'll find out from your experience. We might could find some reviews for it online, but I doubt the reviewers would have as much priority for reliability as we would.

As far as drip fittings, you could check locally at an irrigation store, the big box stores also have a little to choose from, but online resources will have the most variety.

I hope you can find a way to run an airstone to the rez on the oasis system, that would really make it ideal.

 

[socbutter]

Hey all...after some digging around, I believe I found something that I can utilize. Check it out!

I will probably be using the Oasis Indoor Automatic Drip Watering System to take care of my plants. Not only will I be traveling 4-5 days during the week, but I do have vacations scheduled for June and August. I don't want to have to schedule my grows around my life - so this seems like a great solution to the problem.

The unit is battery operated and easy to install. The reservoir holds 6.6 gallons. The filter is washable and the price is reasonable. It's only $80.

For the amount of time I would spend on building my own and the materials I would purchase - I figure this is the better bet. I simply don't have the time and will be leaving town next Sunday - so I need to get something going with plants just germed.

Yes...I know that this is a delicate period - but on my aborted first grow, I brought them up successfully while maintaining a similar travel schedule.

Hoping for some feedback today before I place an order!

Just my 2 cents you might consider putting an air stone in the reservoir.

 

[LymphNode]

That drip filter looks nice for the price, I would watch out for cheap nozzles and connectors though, they are probably made of plastic and will break easily. If you have an irrigation store near you, they will definitely know how to fix the nozzles etc. and the depot might even be able to help.

Besides that, the drip system looks sick. I might even get one depending on your experience, I'd like to be able to leave my cab closed for days at a time. Sometimes watering over the weekend can get difficult if I want to stay at a friends house or pass out somewhere lol.

Good luck!