FREEDOM for BONZ

[Bonzo]

Why thank you usa! Im puttin a coat of semi-gloss white paint over the primer right now. Im goin with a semi-gloss cause i just feel its easier to wipe clean, not quite as pourous as the flat i usually use. Just tryin somethin new . Thanks for droppin in and dont be a stranger!

peace

bONZ

 

[Bonzo]

update

update

Howdy ho everyone, how the hell are ya'll!? Been quite awhile since my last update, been busy workin on the BIG MAMMA cab. Pics of her later tonite. So the first to come down was the m39 and she did OK considering the abuse she endured during her life in veg . I was talkin to Goldmember awhile back and we were discussing how if a plant is stressed too much during veg it can affect the outcome of the final peoduct, and that i think is why the m39 didnt do as well as she could have. The Freedom bucket performed flawlessly and at harvest the roots were white and healthy. Next round is ALL Freedom buckets , prolly 5, maybe 6, not sure yet.

Breakfast bowl of M-39:




I like the sunlight in this pic but not the rest of the surroundings:




The BOGBubble came down about a week ago . She was in the same 3 bucket ebb & flow system as the 2 Golden Skushes so to flush her i popped her in the freedom bucket and added 2 more feed lines for a total of 4 and flushed the hell out of her for 5 days. Same scenario described above, major abuse during veg. Still she yielded about 6 ozs of killer bubbly buds! YUMMM!
















Crazy lookin BOGBubble 20 gram main top:




So up next is the Golden Skush which has become very depressing due to fuckin bud rot . It has been hot in my neck of the woods lately and temps reached 97 degrees so i am only runnin 1 of the 1ks at the moment. They have about a week or 2 left and honestly i cant wait cause im gonna do a deep cleaning and run 5 or 6 plants all vegged evenly and LST em just a bit , im really lookin forward to it . Im also thinkin of goin with 2 600 watters instead of the 1ks but that would cost about 600 bucks so i dont think i can do that at the moment, just have to try to keep temps down, i changed thier lighting schedule to on at 6 pm, off at 6 am. much cooler. I will also be getting a dehumidifier for mid to late flower.

I lost pretty much this whole big fatty cola to the dreaded rot:




the rest of the plant looks good so far:




Couple garden shots before the BB came down:







I like this shot of the bubble, neat colors:




Thanks my friends for your support and input, you make this all worth while and a lotta fun :friends:

peace all day long

bONZ

 

[Bonzo]

Hello again! while im at it lets do the BIG MAMMA cab update.

last pic posted:



I swapped the 4 foot floros for 3 footers so i could have room for an exhaust fan. I got em at homedepot so of course 1 was wrong so only 3 are mounted at this point. There will be a total of 8, 36" tubes @ 30 watts each = 240 watts of cloning/seedling lighting. If someone knows how to wire the ballasts together please let me know, the 3 footers dont come with plugs, just a hot and a neutral coming off each ballast. There has to be a way to wire all 4 ballasts to 1 plug eh?








Obviously i primed and painted it as well, i thought i posted pics of it painted allready? Hmmm. Anyhow i had my mind set on expanded metal shelves to allow better air flow throughout the cab.

raw expanded metal, 4 x 8 sheet:



gettin her set up:



ready for first cut, i love my Skill Mag-77, best damn circular saw made.



fitting the edging, that edging is neat stuff, sure makes a nice, clean finished product.



i forty fived all corners:



I have 2 welders, one small, portable wire feed, switch broke on that one, and a "buzz box" arc welder, i havnt welded in awhile and on a test peice i either burned holes through it or just couldnt get it runnin and my rod would stick. So i cheated and used JB-WELD, i had ti git-er-dun and that JB is pretty good stuff.



finished shelf with JB-welded corners:



gettin primer and paint:



frame to support the shelf:



primed, painted and in place, wooo hooo man! exciting!


random pics:







i biult a second frame exactly like the one the mesh shelf sits on and mounted it 15 inches below the floros, seemed like a good distance at the moment but will see, iys easily adjustable. I ran blocks down the center of the upper frame to hamg the cool-tubes from:





sprouts and clones breakin' it in:



well thats it for now, still alot of work left, gonna install the exhaust tomorrow.

thanks for comin by and takin an interest in my tinkering, all comments and questions are welcome and ecouraged.

peace out my friends

BONZ

 

[Guest]

hey bonz nice work sweet bud shots aswell

 

[Guest]

Git er done!! Thats right, uh huh yeah. I dont care who ya are thats nice!!! lol.I'm not normally one to just post and say nice , or sweet looking, but this is a exception.Nice work clean and tidy.

 

[Sleepy]

okokokok....

questions...

>how big of a pump are you using in the reservoir??

>submersible pump, right??

>the black hoses that come up out of the rez...2 per bucket?

>how many submersible pumps would one need if he/she wanted to run 4 freedom buckets?

>same question, but for air pumps?

>the top bucket is filled with the plant and medium (lava rocks)...what is in the bottom bucket? just airline and airstones?

>the bottom bucket holds a little water, then drains back into the rez as it is fed from the submersible pump, right?

>how large is your reservoir??

>any pH swings, or has it been stable??

>how much support does each freedom bucket need (weight-wise)??

sorry for the rapid fire questions, but now you've got me thinking...

its definitely better than the waterfarm, right?

THANKS, bONZO!!!

 

[Bonzo]

Wooo hoooo ,man Questions! what fun! How are ya Sleepy! Glad to see your interested in the freedom buckets, you wont be dissapionted. Have you seen Goldmembers Bogglegum tree thread in BOGs forum? If not , check it out if your wondering if they work better that waterfarms or not.

Q #1, for the single unit im using a 165 gph (small as they come) water pump, actually 2 of them, 1 for keeping the rez circulated and the other for feed.

Q #2, yes, submersible

Q #3, I am currently running 2 feed lines, but will prolly go to 3 or 4 next time around. GM is using 3 per for his Bogglegum trees.

Q #4 You only need 2 pumps no mwtter how many buckets you run, unless of course you want to run a 2 rez system for say 2 different strains, but in general its 2 water pumps for the whole system. I know GM just got a new pump, i think its 900 gph or more, runs 4 buckets no problem.

Q #5 GH makes the ultimate air pump, its the dual diaphram pump that comes with thier Waterfarm system. You can buy them sperately of course for about 60 bucks. Well worth every penny. GM is using one to run his 4 bucket Boggle grow.

Q #6 Yes, the top bucket holds the medium (lava) and the bottom bucket holds about 1 1/2" of water heavily aerated creating an "NFT" effect, not DWC. I used stones the last run but i found these flexible air line thingies that kick ass (ill post a pic) that ill be using my next run.

Q #7 The rez i used for my single unit was only like 10 gallons, not big enough really but i made it work. When i run my next setup (4 or 5) buckets, i will be using a much bigger rez. GM uses a kiddie pool! Not sure kow many gallons.

Q #8 PH is stable, no different that any other system.

Q #9 Thats a good question, it needs to be able to support a bucket filled with lava and a tree/bush laden with huge fat buds. The system i used worked fine, no weight problems. GM uses a piece of 8" pvc on end with huge holes cut out of it for support, you could put a small car on that with no problem!

No worrie bro, its all good and fun. Is it better than a Water farm? In my opinion it is, im sure you will hear conflicting input on that. When i started growing again a friend of mine gave me 3 WFs, i used them once, then biult my Ebb & Flow buckets and now i think i will be running Freedom buckets for a long time to come. Remember freedom buckets work best for tree/bush grows, if your lookin' for a system for smaller plants/larger numbers then maybe its not for you. The long arm of the law frowns highly on high numbers of plants so i choose to grow trees/bushes and the Freedom buckets, in my opinion cant be beat in that department.

Im glad you asked these questions Sleepy, it was fun and answering questions allways inspires one to get busy.

peace and feel free to hit me up if i didnt explain somethin clearly enough.

bonz

PS. Goldmember has been and still is my giude working with this system. Im very stubborn and some of the principles sound strange at first but believe me this is a tried and true design that works and works well if you just do it the way many have done before, bottom line.

 

[Bonzo]

Good afternoon IC, this is pretty much an update on the BIG MAMMA cab as things are coming to an end in the flower room, i have the faster GS in the freedom bucket on her final flush and then the other gets the same thing, i might take her a bit early as i want to get in there and do a thourough cleaning and get ready for my all Freedom bucket run coming up next. I have 3 Golden Skushes and 1 AK48 vegging in the cab now that will be going in the buckets in the big room soon.

So, i installed the exhaust fan, 440 cfm CAN fan, and wired the 3 foot floros. I also made the upper mesh (expanded metal) shelf and put it in place. The cab is basically done and doing what is was designed for at the moment: cloning/vegging/and housing moms. I am going to figure out a way to totally seal the upper area from the lower as i want to use the lower area for flowering once in awhile. Its a good way to search for moms without having to use the big room and waste 2000 watts of light if i dont get anything good.

pics.



















the ballasts are outside the cab between the wall and the cab, im going to find a small fan blow across em to cool em down a bit. I have been discussing digital ballasts with GM and doing alot of research and i think i see them in my not to distant future.

I will take pics of the finishing GSs in the big room tonite before lights on.

its really hot here, heatwaves suck.

peace and love

bONZ

 

[Bonzo]

Oh heres that flexible air thingy Sleepy, this thing works great!


And another thing the GS cuts in the pic in the above post were in a bubbler cloner for about 2 months with no nutes but alot of roots. They are now in 1 gallon pots with a bunch of holes drilled into em filled with lava. I gotta tell ya when i see those big chunks of lava it just looks strange to me. They are getteing 1200 ppm GH 3pt with a couple additives and have 2 feed lines per. It took em a couple days but they have started growin likw crazy in the last 2 days, cant wait to do the all Freedom run with these and the 1 AK that is also going crazy!

FUN, FUN, FUN,!!!!!

Bonz

 

[Sleepy]

thanks for all the answers, bONZO!!!

stubborn, you?!?!,...me?!?!?! ...i can't imagine!

sure wish i was handy...every time i pick up a hammer, the mrs. calls a repairman or the doctor!

your cabinet and exhaust look great...so do the plants.

 

[Bonzo]

And one more thing, howdy Mr nicenelson and Journeyman! Thanks so much for comin by and for the props, dont be strangers, the next run is gonna be a doozie!

bONZ

 

[Guest]

Hey Bonz- I am still here lurking about, and I am really appreciating your thread a lot. I am switching to a bigger system, for the exact same reasons you did, and all these tips are very helpful. I am not sure how exactly I am setting it all up yet, whether its like the freedom buckets or more like Teresa's drip buckets.. definitely that type of setup though. Rasied 5 gallon buckets with 4 drip lines and plenty of bubble in the bottom, sounds good to me! My drip moms never ever have root and clogging issues like my last cycle did. It got pretty bad. Enough for me to re-evaluate my setup. Looks like I will be running 6 clones, hopefully I can get them big and have some trees too. I think I am doing vertical lighting too, not sure yet.. Just wanted to stop by and say thanks for posting so much useful information.

PS: That flexible air wand is awesome!

 

[Bonzo]

Your more than welcome Sleepy! Yup when GM was describing to me and instructing me on how to put my first bucket together i was thinkin "this aint gonna work!" sure as shit it works and works real god dang well!

You dont need to be handy dude you have a basement! As far as puttin the freedom together i know you can handle that, you dont give yourself enough credit, you biult some killer systems, its time for FREEDOM MY BROTHA!!!!!

PEACE

BONZ

 

[Sleepy]

yeah, i hear you!!

after the operation, it'll be on the list...after learning to walk again!

thanks again, i will go back to lurking and i will not bother you anymore.

good info, i will use it, but not right away.

THANK YOU!!!

hi shorts, sorry to highjack...

 

[Guest]

I can not believe I have let this thread pass me by. First and foremost, good job Bonzo. Second, do not let the powdery mildew get you again. During the winter monthes I used to have to fight PM like mad. The sulfer vape works well to prevent, but once PM has it's foot on the plants it will not get rid of it, furthermore I do not like the sulfer vape running during flowering. I was turned on to a product called Serenade by badmf here at IC. I have not had a problem since. Here is some reading material on Serenade
I also use it on my outdoor crops and it works wonders. Oh and Serenade is available at almost all of the evil Walmarts.

You are correct with your theory of stress in the veg cycle. The more stress the plants get the less yield you will see. I have ran the "krusty freedom buckets" (Thanks Krusty, could not have done it without ya) for 5 or 6 runs a couple of years back at my old house. I had good results in the beginning and great results in the end but I have to say you must follow the rules. I think I have said krusty's name too many times now, and feel I will be persecuted for doing so. I will silence myself for now and see if the flames erupt. If all stays well, and the elders of this forum do not care, I will speak once again.

bundesliga

 

[Bonzo]

Well howdy Shorts, how the hell are ya?! Thanks man, the cab turned out better than i expected and was WAY more work than i expected, but i think its gonna be worth it, like i said i can do small flowering runs in it to find killer moms and then do clone runs of em in the big room. Teresas buckets kick ass and its such a simple set up, awesome. Im stickin with the freedoms for now but the outcome is the same fewer bigger plants, period. Check out GMs Bogglegum tree thread and his air-cooled vertical lighting setup, it rocks! 1 1k in the middle and a 600 watter on each corner (4), all ducted and vented, baddass. I will be moving within a year and will defenitly be going vert and probably using digital 600s. Are you gonna run 6 KQ? that would just be sick bro, you gotta do it!

Your welcome for the info, i still go back to your threads for input, since i am stuck with horizontal at the moment your threads are my giuding light in that department . I will be pinching and bending dude, i allready started with the AK cut, so far so good!

peace my brotha and lookin forward to your new set up!

bonz

 

[Bonzo]

Howdy Bundesliga, snuck that in there on me! How are ya? Glad to see ya here! Thanks so much man! My flower room is allmost empty and its gonna get scrubbed from top to bottom and them im gonna do it again, and then im gonna run the burner for a couple days , on and off , in there. I ran my burner a few times flower and it did not affect taste or smell, i didnt have any choice, i agree i dont want to run it in flower either. Yeah badmf turned me onto the Serenade as well and it kicks ass!

Hopefully the fact that these were in sotr of a state of stasis will not affect the out come too much, but from here on out im shootin for a stress free grow! Do you still run the KRUSTY buckets, KRUSTY, KRUSTY,KRUSTY , there i said it 3 times, maybe its like beatle jiuce and somethin wierd is gonna happen now, hhhaaaaa!!! Exactly i pretty much did what i was told while learning how to use em, im still learning.

thanks for comin by and dont be a stranger!

peace

bonz

 

[Bonzo]

Sleepy you couldnt bother me if you tried bro! Your an awesome dude and i dig hearin from ya!

peace my brotha

bonz

 

[Guest]

Damn Bonzo... that cabinet looks killer... I love the grate material... what is that? Looks like you should have great airflow in there.

You should go into the grow room contracting business *laffin*

Keep up the great work Bro... always love to see what you're up to.

 

[Guest]

I still have my krusty buckets and once I nuke the room (remove the carpet and wallpaper, paint walls & ceiling and bleach the floor...damn mites) I will bring them back out and put them to work. I only run two buckets at a time with 2400-3k of light. I am shooting for Sept before outdoor ends but we will have to see if time allows.

Few questions on your setup:

What temps & humidity are you running with the light on and lights off?
What temp are you keeping the rez at? I see the rez is in the same room as the grow and usually this is a huge problem especially with yield.
How often are you flushing?