DWC 300W DIY LED SCROG Grow: AK47 and Mazar

[hempfield]

Indeed, it's so nice to see how they grow, hour by hour, day by day.

I was afraid that an EC of 1.2 will be to high for them, but the girls seems to love the new nutrient solution. Both have now roots bathing on the oxygenated water, but I will keep the pump running on the mechanical timer 15 min once every 3 hours for at least one week from now, to be sure that the first roots receive enough humidity.

When I changed the water I also add 25ml of Cannazym into the reservoirs, and this will cause (hopefuly ) the roots to explode.

The humidifier does a very good job and it keeps the humidity higher (but it's almost unbearable - I personally don't like high humidity because I feel like I am out of air) but this also have a drawback : the temperatures decreased with more than 2 Celsius.

The water temperature in the tubs is ~22C and the air 22~23C.

 

[vukman]

Hello my friend.. sorry for not posting as much recently...having personal issues with a friend in the hospital on top of building that light of mine as well..

That air temp is okay my friend. I'm sure you know that...Just keep up the great work and especially all those great and wonderful DIY things you build....a true craftsman and master is what I call you...

 

[hempfield]

A quick update, but without pictures (for the moment):

It seems that the high humidity caused a significant decrease of the temperatures, so I decided to set the humidifier to 1/2 of it's power and also set it to a target RH of 55% (was 60% until yesterday).

The temperatures are ~22C, (21.8C more precisely - in the air, and 21.5C in the tubs) .

I expect to read a higher temperature tonight when I will visit the girls. An air temperature of 25-26C would be perfect, but this also mean lower humidity and less ventilation. I might install two small additional fans on the intake, to help the exhaust fan to bring warm air into the grow room.

Looking at the girls I had serious doubts that I label them correctly, but I am very sure I did. The AK47 leaves are almost round and a little bit curly , like a truly indica, while the Mazar has leaves with long fingers. Also, the AK47 is dark green (just a slight yellowing on the growing tip) while Mazar is quite pale (I might add some Ca and Mg salts on the water) , but much leafy and si already has 6 tiny branches, which sound promising for the SCROG training that will follow.The AK47 shows only some small tips on the inter-nodes (spaced 2-3mm apart - for the moment) .The only thing that remind me that AK47 have strong sativa genes is the fact that she is already much taller (~14cm) than Mazar (~11cm).

I also order two CPU Water blocks to build some Peltier chillers for the tubs, to keep the water as coolest as possible, warming the air in the same time (he he he, clever, don't you think)

It's so strange with this LEDs - the heat does not became a problem anymore, on contrary ...

 

[Husky Jackal]

Waiting for the pics, good side notes...
I was wondering about the heat with LEDs, I plan to start a grow in April-May and see how the temps will be in mid summer.
Keep up the good work.
Peace, HJ.

 

[hempfield]

2 weeks and 5 days update

2 weeks and 5 days update

Ok, so here are some pictures with the girls. They grow constantly, but not quite explosive for the moment. The roots started to branch, and some of them already touched the bottom of the tubs. It seems that Cannazym and Rizhotonic stimulate them to develop strong roots.

No major problems with the girls, even so the AK47 shown some small dark spots on older leaves (a little nute burn and one day without water because of my mistake) and the Mazar is still look a bit pale. She is a heavy feeder, I can feel this.

I prepared a light solution of Epsom Salts ( 5g/1liter of RO) and I put 60ml of this solution intro the Mazar tub. The first effect was and increase on EC with 20uS (from 1.19 to 1.21mS) and a slight decrease of the pH from 6.2 to 6.1 .

I know that pH is quite high for DWC (is should be 5.8~5.9, dropping to 5.2 in flowering) but I will decrease it gradually, as the plant grows, to allow the uptake of the complete range of nutrients.

 

[hempfield]

The AK47 seems more sensible to the increase of the EC or she was affected by the absence of the water from reservoir for more than 24h when I forgot the evacuation tap opened.

The first set and especially the second set of leaves have nute burn spots, but the younger leaves are healthy.

The new growth tip seems a little bit discolored also but I can't tell if this is because of fast grow or some Mg deficiency. Anyway, if the Mazar likes the Epsom Salt I have added into her tub ,I will add the same quantity on the AK47 water.

I also thinking to add some tap water into the reservoirs to increase the Calcium concentration. Unfortunately the water in my area has a high content of Iron (Fe) and Sulfur (S) and I don't know if this can interact with the nutes.

AK47 pictures :

 

[hempfield]

3 weeks

3 weeks

3 weeks have passed since I started this grow and it's time for a new update.

The temps have decreased a lot in the last few days but the girls seems to love it.

I noticed some signs of Magnesium deficiency on the Mazar, but the leaves color turned dark green, as a response to Epsom Salt solution added 3 days ago.

The roots exploded, Mazar has 20-30cm long roots floating into reservoir, and they have many many branches, with lot of tiny hairs. The leaves are big, like a true indica and the side branches have started to develop as well. I think I will top both of them this week, but I wait for another pair of fan leaves to open first.

Last night I put extra 40ml of EpsomSalt 0.5% solution on the Mazar's tub, to help her develop more chlorophyll.

The ph is 6.0~6.1 and the EC 1.22 . Water temperature stays around 21.5C and air temperature is 22-23C.

Pictures :

 

[hempfield]

3 weeks

3 weeks

When I read the specs of the AK47 I didn't believe that the smell could be a concern, and this because I previously grew several round of skunk, without to much odor control. But now I am glad I build the carbon scrubber and an ozone generator (to be used later, on flower, if the situation demand it), because this AK47 is a stinky !

She is only 12cm high, but already started to stink. The smell is very pungent, it's like a small electric shock when you close your nose to the leaves, and the grow room already has a slight tint of ... weed. At this moment the smell can't be felt outside the grow room and I hope that's remain as it is.

The Mazar smell is quite different, more herbal, without any strong or pungent aroma.

Two days ago I put 40ml of Epsom Salt 0.5% solution into AK47 tub and she responded well so I might add 40ml today or tomorrow.

I don't know why, but the pH has dropped to 5.5~5.6 (the meter keep changing between this values) and the EC increased a little, from 1.20 to 1.23mS, without to much evaporation. 10 drops of ph Up (25% KOH) solve the pH problem and now it is 5.9~6.0 and the EC is 1.25mS.

The AK47 does not have long roots, like Mazar, but their number is quite significant (tens of white hairs are falling out of the netpot).


Pictures :

 

[repuk]

Glad to hear that about the AK47, I like that strain, but high-smelling strains are a pain to keep stealth!

Your girls look gorgeous! I wouldn't get paranoid about defs yet, just let the babies adapt to their environment, so better make changes slowly.

Of course this is easy to say when you are not the one growing them

keep up the good work!

 

[vukman]

Hello my friend.. I had to laugh when you mentioned the stink off the AK-47..ahahahah....boy o boy... are you in for a smelly old time...

I am glad to hear about the amazing root development but as mentioned, don't worry about it too much just yet....let the ladies 'do their thing' .......they seem to be very happy and I'm sure they will not disappoint you..

Good Luck

 

[hempfield]

I prepared myself for the future stink (carbon filter, ozone generator and even a negative ions generator) but I didn't believe she will start to smell so early.

I don't push the girls, I let them 'do their thing', just want to be sure that everything is under control, this includes monitoring the girls for first signs of some deficiencies.

It's the first time when I use Canna Aqua nutes and I read in multiple source that Mg and Ca deficiency is very likely to occur in hydroponic systems that use RO water.

My biggest concern now is the air temperature, which does not exceed 23C anymore since I installed the new exhaust fan and the ultrasonic humidifier. I believe that the new fan is not so powerful as his predecessor and I think I must install some additional fans on the intake to increase the air flow (and bring warm air into the grow room).

As an alternative solution I can install another fan into the silenced fan box to increase the suction force. I think there is enough space inside to add even 2 additional fans. We will see ...

 

[hempfield]

This is not an 'official' weekly update, but I am a little worried about the AK47 progress and I want to hear your opinions.

The Mazar hit the jackpot, if I may say this, she is really impressing me every day as she started already to transform into a monster (a baby monster for the moment). She grows like a clone, not like a seedling, the stem is almost 5mm thick, the leaves are huge for her age and became bigger each day.

The AK47 is taking baby steps, but not signs of deficiency are shown. Maybe her sativa genes cause a slow growth at the moment, but I hope she will catch up before the flip. Anyway I intend to flip when both screens are almost filled, so I may be forced to do some serious pruning on Mazar to keep her of adequate size (I intend to do some amateur breeding experiments so a few clones from Mazar will act as guinea pigs for this project).

In the breeder description , both strains have the same flowering window, but I not so clear about the veg. My intention was to flip at the beginning of December, but I don't want to push the girls so is possible to delay the 'fall'.

Saturday I plan to change the water, to change again the position of the girls (Mazar will be in front ) and to top or FIM them.

I am also worried about the pH of the AK47 tub, which is constantly dropping since I added Epsom Salt solution. Last night I put 20 drops of pH UP on her reservoir and 1.5Litres of water, and pH went to 6.4 (it was 5.6) and EC 1.20 (it was 1.26). The Mazar pH is very stable 6.1 and the EC is dropping slowly , which means she is feeding (and it seems she is a heavy feeder).


Some pictures of the girls (some root porn too). The root pics are out of focus because it's a PITA to work under the LED lights due height restriction (I could move the DWC systems but I didn't think it was necessary just for this two pics):



L.E. The pics seems darker, with low light, but I assure you that the light is very bright and it take some time until my eyes accommodate, but I don't know why my smartphone camera has difficulties taking pictures (especially focusing).

 

[vukman]

Hello Brother:

I know the problem you are facing because if you look at my grow, you'll see that I have 2 strains in the same container and obviously under the same light which is a similar situation to what you have going on. The Blue Satellites for me are growing like wild fire and the Purple Kush is staying low so makes lighting a little complicated but all I can tell you is that each strain grows at it's own pace.

If they appear to be happy, not by comparing them but by looking at each one individually, I would say don't worry. Well....worry if you want but I found worrying never solved anything......Just be happy you have healthy plants which are growing at their own pace.

As for the issue of PH dropping in one and not the other.. I do not have any experience growing hydro....just soil so hopefully someone else can advise you on that issue.

From what I see, the girls are happy and healthy...

Good Luck

 

[hempfield]

4 weeks

4 weeks

4 weeks have gone away since I started this grow and now is time for the official weekly update.

Last night I changed the water in both tubs because it was so hard to keep the AK47 pH stable. I don't know what happen with her but I think that Cannazyme interacts with the clay plebs (this is the only thing in the tub that can be affected by the enzymes) and cause serious pH dropping each day.

If you look at the girls, you can easily say that Mazar has at least one week advantage, because she is huge.

The leaves of the AK47 are small and almost round, with 7 fingers and long petiole , whilst the Mazar developed huge 5 fingers fan leaves (and is just the begining - I expect to dinner plate leaves in two ore three weeks).

The menu for the following two weeks (per 10L of RO water) :
- 25ml Canna Aqua A ;
- 25ml Canna Aqua B ;
- 20ml Rhizotonic ;
- 25ml Cannazym ;
- 40ml Epsom Salt solution 0.5% ;
- 30 drops of pH UP (KOH) 25%.

Solution parameters :
- pH: 5.8 ;
- EC: 1460uS;
- Temp: 21.2C ;

I filled the tubs with only 10L each, to have "space" for eventual adjustments , as the first hours are essential for pH and EC settlement (or take of - hopefully not).

Question : how can I tell if the plant want more Calcium (without signs of Ca def.). Using RO water ( just 7ppm - this is the reading of my TDS meter , as the EC meter oscillates between 0 and 1) with Canna Aqua nutes can cause Ca and Mg deficiency and I don't to see signs before taking action (is easy to prvent rather than to cure, and I also know that you don't have to fix it if is not broken). Maybe some straight tap water ? ( well, is not quite tap water, is well water, with no chlorine at all, but with tons of Fe and Sulfur ).

I intend to top both plants this week as the almost reach the maximum available height , but I will let them accommodate with the new nutes solution before cutting the tops.

The roots of the Mazar are white and highly branched whilst the AK47 have long roots with not so many hairs, and I also noticed some yellowish spots on them (maybe they demand for more Cannazym ? well, we will see ...)

Here are the pics for this update. I changed the position of the girls again, AK47 went in the back line and the Mazar in the front row. Three days ago I also installed the circulation fans (which I totally forgot until now) and the girls are very happy with the constant breeze petting their leaves).

 

[fenomeno_djo]

Looks like the "green party" from this point on is going to explode!

Grabbing a chair and subscribing! Good luck Hemp!

 

[hempfield]

Quick update:

Last night I checked the girls to see if the water parameters changed in the last 24H and I was extremely happy to notice that the pH was stable ( 6.0 for Mazar and 5.9 for AK47) and the EC actually dropped a bit (which can have, in my opinion, two possible explanations : the plants are feeding or the pH up solution interact with the nutes causing release of some gases, but I think the first explanation is appropriate).

So i decided to ad extra 5 liters of water in each tub (with the same pH and EC) and now the water level is were is supposed to be, right under the bottom of the netpots.

Mazar is growing extremely fast, her branches already start to show secondary branches as well and this means she will grow into a huge bush.

I still don't know when should I top them .... maybe tomorrow ?

 

[hempfield]

The AK47 started to piss me off ! The pH is dropping every day (last night was 5.3 - not to dangerous but inexplicable for the moment) whilst the Mazar pH stays at 6.0 no mater what.

Do you guys worked previously with AK47 on hydro/aero ? Is this a normal behavior of this strain or I may have something wrong in her reservoir ?

The clay plebs are from the same bag, washed carefully and never used before so I don't think they could be the cause of this problem.

The water pumps are made of plastic, which is supposed to be neutral.

The solution was the same in both tubs. In the Mazar reservoir I noticed a slight decrease of EC from 1.48 to 1.45 mS, whilst the AK47 EC increased from 1.49 to 1.50 (which means there are some salts added into the solution or the water evaporates faster in this reservoir, but this don't make sense since the Mazar has much larger leaves, which means more evaporation surface).

So what cat be the cause of the problem ?

Tonight I will was the netpot of the AK47 with bare RO water, to dissolve and flush away any salts trapped on the clay plebs.

Looking at the AK47 leaves I can say for sure that she is not as happy as the Mazar is. They are a little curly on the edge and the oldest have signs of nute burns.

It's known that Calcium salts helps keeping the pH stable for a long period of time so it might be time for a supplement of Ca ?

 

[vukman]

shit.. I wish I knew what to say or how to help you my friend but I have no experience with hydro or aero..

Have you tried posting this in the 'hydro' sub-forum and see if anyone can give you an answer there?

Good Luck

 

[PetFlora]

Looking at AK 47 roots in pic 114, they are very straggly= not slurping up enough nutes to properly feed the plant.

Your EC is 2-3Xs too high. A common mistake with aero.

When things are working properly, PPM should increase due to water being absorbed & evaporation

Here is a pic of my clones in ~ 200ppm bubbler. Note how much more complex lots of lateral root development

At this stage I would probably be at ~ 300-350 ppms max

View attachment 193723

Check out my IC thread for insights to hydro- I am using 3 different methods under 2 different tents.

 

[hempfield]

I am following the Canna Aqua feeding schedule, right at the minimum values for RO water. Both Mazar and AK47 have the same EC and the Mazar is growing with light speed.

I will try to lower the EC of the AK47 to see if she became more happy with it.