I got an idea....

[maryjanesjungle]

I've seen pics (usually of tall sativas) that have a lot of bud around there main stem, almost no branches, and very few leaves. Perfect example below in the pic. I want to grow a plant like this inside a plexiglass tube,.. say 6" or 8" OD,.. oh and for the real trick,.. I'm gonna grow it 100% horizontally!


My idea is to eventually have T5 lights mounted very close along the whole side of what I'm calling "the plant tube", or maybe both sides. I'll probably line CFL's up along side at first since I already have supplies to wire that up and funding for T5's is short right now. The plexiglass plant tube (and the plant in it) will rotate so all of the plant gets light. I can rig this up easily using a very slow rotating motor, like 1RPM per minute. At the top of the tube I can have an inline carbon scrubber and exhaust fan. The bottom of the tube could have air holes so fresh air can get in. Actually heavily co2 ladened air could be easily accomplished in a tube like this to help bud production. Can you give a plant too much co2?? I figure 2 or 3 say wire stem holders could be put into place as the plant grows to keep it from flopping across the plexiglass as everything rotates. I might even cut out a 1/3rd section of the plexi running the length of the tube and make it a door so as to be able to get in and manicure the plant. I figure they'll be some branches to trim off. Doing that would no longer keep all the smell in the tube though so maybe not. Maybe just have it removable like a glass case over a rare plant to trim it. At the bottom I was thinking a res where the root ball can twist in. Or maybe it could all be contained and fed in one of those sponge like blocks they put clones in. What's that stuff called anywayz??

So what do you think the effect on the plant will be not having any sense of gravity and never knowing for sure the direction of its light source? I would assume it would grow more stalky and stretch less but still (and especially if manicured) it wouldn't get so big it would clog the tube right?

Alright so that's my idea,.. what do ya think? What pit falls do you see?

 

[messn'n'gommin']

Gravitropism is how plants know to grow "up," rather than out or down and they also look for light that shines from somewhere above them (or from the side, at the extreme). Light that is irradiated from below has some effect, but, (imo) is negligible. Other than that I find your idea intriguing and would think it a good way to get the light closer to the plant. Although, I think a KFB or vertical type of setup would be better suited for your "growtube" idea. You may have to find a custom tube (plexi-glass or such?) from, say, 8" - 16" in diameter. It just may be an innovative technique worthy of a closer look.

Namaste, mess

 

[hippie hill]

yeah i was thinking about sumthing vary simular to this i was thinking of growing under a bed but the whole Gravitropism thing is what stoped me i think the plant will grow to the top of the tube and then follow the tub so i dont beleave it wouldnt be impossible but it would be harder to stimulate the growth you want with good yeilds

 

[messn'n'gommin']

yeah i was thinking about sumthing vary simular to this i was thinking of growing under a bed but the whole Gravitropism thing is what stoped me i think the plant will grow to the top of the tube and then follow the tub so i dont beleave it wouldnt be impossible but it would be harder to stimulate the growth you want with good yeilds

My apologies Hippy Hill, I didn't mean that the plant can't grow horizontally, but that the branches, leaves, and flowers will always orient itself towards "up" and placing lamps underneath would not payoff like it, at first, may seem. After that, it might work as a KFB or vertical grow. One might isolate the lamps and tubes in their own mini-box so they slip up and down over the plant as the light is raised or lowered, allowing CO2 enrichment for the flower room. An interesting idea Maryjanesjungle.

Namaste, mess

 

[hippie hill]

oh no it wasnt you i desided not to after watching my mothers on my 2x5 table i raised the table closer to the one above it so that there wasnt much head room and hung my lights on the sides of the upper table so that they were pointing in sidewaz and a light at the head and they grow till they hit the table above them then started growin twords one of the lights and there was only growth on the upperside of the bent over portion so i desided agenst that and built a 3'x3'x2' cab for flower

but my set up wasnt in a tube so who knows but i dont see it working well

i can take pics if anyone is intrested theres still a few bent tops i havnt cloned but iv allready moved the lights

 

[maryjanesjungle]

Below is an illustration of what I'm thinking. From the side I want to keep everything not much taller off the ground then the OD of the plexiglass tubes (say 6"-8") so as hippie hill mentioned everything could all slide under a bed. My point to this whole thing is to have anyone be able to grow no matter there living situation, and I think under a bed would be a perfect spot. No need to hide a grow in a PC case which presents a vertical challenge or some grow box you try to hide in your closet. The box this would all be in would have to be light tight but hell, a bed skirt would hide everything wonderfully.



Not pictured in my drawing would be some means of watering the rockwool, and if the roots could not be 100% contained in the rockwool then a res for them to slowly twist in at the bottom. I'm wondering if some sort of self contained res in the tube could be constructed. Maybe a sealed cap at the end of the tube and a donut type device in the tube above the rockwool that would be sealed also so no res water could leak into the plant grow area. Water level less then say 1/3rd of the tube OD. And of course the plant would grow up through the donut hole. Also not pictures (because I didn't know how to draw them) would be holes in the plexiglass just above the rockwool so as to let air in.

My bed happens to sit on the floor so if ya don't mind could anyone with a bed off the ground bust out a tape measure and tell me how much room they have under there beds?

Ya know if that res in the tube idea worked it would be doubly cool if the whole thing could be stood up vertically for those who want to grow in a closet still.

I don't know if I should be posting all this on here as I eventually wanna market this idea, but oh well maybe having it documented that it was my idea is a good thing?



EDIT: Oh and plant stalk holders in there too, keep the plant off the plexi.

EDIT#2: Maybe have the clear plexi tube and the rockwool res separate from one another so manicuring the plant would be made easier. Kinda like how a good grinder unscrews and has the keef catcher at the bottom.

 

[hippie hill]

well my frame is 8" and my gfs fram is adjustable 8"-18" but is set at 12" and the higher it gos the weaker/wobblier it gets the fram at 18" with us on it broke it and riped the bottom of the box spring so it can only go to 12" and i hate a bed thats heigher then you can comfertable sit on but my girl rather sleep as close to the roof as she can

id like to see it work but i wont hold any hope for good yields till i see a few documented pic grows

new thought you brought to my mind is building a frame for my gfs bed thats 24" tall with draws and air cooled cfls it would work good the bed would look nice and be high up but she wouldnt cair lol hummm thank you lol

 

[maryjanesjungle]

I'm guessing with such a small res i would have large pH/ppm swing problems? As long as I left enough tube for the root ball though it would be possible,.. actually now that I think about it in a 6"-8" OD tube id probably have more res water capability then is in some hydro PC case grows and in turn have less pH/ppm swing problems then in that scenario.

 

[hippie hill]

yeah late flower would be crazy lol id say if you did the length of the bed you could do 4' comfortably or you could do 6' at a max if you wanted to stretch it out

you could set up a res in one of the tubes and have 3 tubes or split the tube in half and beable to have 2 diff ppm that would alow you to do 2 strains or traide off back and forth and get more harvest quicker

 

[maryjanesjungle]

All good features that would be possible hill. Ya know what I'm thinking now,.. I know a res needs oxygenation of the water, but instead of an air stone and air pump and trying to figure out how to not have the air tube get all twisted as the thing spins maybe I could mount little things on the inside of the res wall inside the tube that would catch and release air as it spins,... or maybe go with the air stone but instead of having the whole thing spin which would cause twisting problems with everything attached to it, just have it make one rotation clockwise then go back counter-clockwise one rotation. I don't know how to rig up a motor to do this but I'm sure its possible.

 

[hippie hill]

yeah but the whole turnin might be mor trouble then its worth

your could use swivles i usta work for a carnvle ride supplier and we would allwas put 1 main swivle in then branch everything off that main line we never had probs but were talkin about 1 mil++ rides so there better not be any probs

u could run the tubes behind a dresser and put a waterfall on top of it its visual pleasing and would add a lil cover noise

damn your helpin my give myself ideas for my grow lol thank you iv been thinkin fish tank or sumthin but a waterfall would be sumthin the girl would love