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New 4 Plant Site RDWC system - Grape Gas

Moe.Red

Active member
This is white widow treated with UV and untreated, this was on the same plant. So I gave half the plant a tan, and left the other half alone.

Side by Side.JPG
 
OK, well perhaps I'm fretting over nothing. The pump currently in the system is 400 gph but the steam just seems weak compared to the single site system, which runs a 250 gph and has a strong stream. It's like a young man at a kegger vs and old guy like me with an enlarged prostate.....:LOL:.

I'm having good luck with the single plant system so in my mind I wanted to get up to speed with the bigger system and did not seem to me this 400 has what it takes to do that.
My system uses a 500 gph that only circulates the 50 total gallons through the chiller and dumps into the epicenter (waterfall). I have no waterfall into the individual sites. Small airstones in the 4 plant only none in the epicenter.

Seems so simple but I hate to change anything.
 

Moe.Red

Active member
My system uses a 500 gph that only circulates the 50 total gallons through the chiller and dumps into the epicenter (waterfall). I have no waterfall into the individual sites. Small airstones in the 4 plant only none in the epicenter.

Seems so simple but I hate to change anything.
If only that would grow big plants. ;)

I've got a drive full of pictures for you SLG. I don't know where to start. The oldest pics and video are 7 years old on this drive.

And you want me to pick my favorite.

I'm not sure I realized what I was accepting when I said challenge accepted.

I'm also finding that the site here is really downsampling, and video is not really possible. Might need to figure something else out.
 

SweetLeafGrow

Active member
And you want me to pick my favorite.

I'm not sure I realized what I was accepting when I said challenge accepted.
Sorry man, I didn't realize it would be so arduous, don't sweat it.... :LOL:

Thanks again @steamroller for the offer on the water pump. I've been thinking about it and all the great feedback from everyone. Gonna try to follow the advice from @Smokedareefer and keep things simple, especially with the nutes.....lesson learned there bro, thanks so much for your input.

With that said, I do want to get the water moving more, there are times when I don't want to wait for things to mix and I also do like the fallponics at the plant sites. I've seen this work in my single site systems and I just like having that water movement and agitation. I do not think having the fallponics is unnecessarily complicating things so I'm going to try upping that water movement using the Jeoba pump submerged and just see how it goes. If I remember right, that pump is capable of 1100+ gph which is really close to that pump you have SR. If that thing is halfway quiet, I think I might take you up on your offer if I like the way things go with this Jeoba pump. If we go that route, I would at least like to pay shipping bro.....such a generous offer, thank you!

If I have time, I will try to do an update on the Grape Gas clones. They are doing well but I do have some concerns with one from the 2nd batch......don't want to mention pests but wondering a little bit on that one. I have a plan but hoping this is from what I think is just transportation shock from the trip. The roots look fantastic, albeit a little behind the other one from that same batch.

Also, @Moe.Red that new light recipe is really doing the trick with these gals. Those long nodal distances are now a thing of the past, amazing how fast that changed the growth patterns. New growth is stacking nodes MUCH closer. I'm down to 24" above, will bring the light down again tomorrow and then start to raise it as they grow.
 

Moe.Red

Active member
Oh, woe is me. I got too many pretty pictures lol.

Cool on the spectrum thing, huh? You can do the reverse and make a kush into a sativa as well.

Then when it comes time to flower, it gets fun for a different reason. But yeah, the phytochrome response is fast on cannabis in RDWC.
 

SweetLeafGrow

Active member
OK, so I changed my mind mid stream and decided to try the pump inline. I read the poorly worded manual but did see where they seemed to say it could be used either way. I looked at Amazon reviews and a few said as you SR, not to use it inline. I guess if it does leak, I got a good case to get a return, so I went for it.

Seems to be working fine, definitely a stronger stream than that 400 gph split up between 4 sites. The controller is a bit wonky, I think I have it set at the max output, but again, the manual is a poor translation from Chinese and hard to get much out of it.

So far, no leaks and my vice grips worked great for stopping that supply line from the res during the change out, minimal water on the floor and had a towel handy for it. Thanks again SR, looks as though I will not need your pump, super cool offer bro!
 

Moe.Red

Active member
I've narrowed it down to my 2 favorite shots. And yeah, they are atypical, just like me.

This is White Widow Fem from Greenhouse Seeds. Very stable, old genetics.

View attachment WW UV.JPG

View attachment WW HPS.JPG

From 2020 - 2021

Those are painted bobby pins and push pins for location. I was using macro photography and a computer spot counter to determine if "Trichomes are increased via UVB" has any merit to it. TLDR - nope. The pins squared and matched the images from day to day.

I was also tracking bud growth with these pins. Later in the grow both buds enveloped the pins. Very satisfying.

Problem is the damage to the plant was obvious. The side without UVB enveloped those pins faster and buried them. The ones on the UV side you could still see them in the harvested bud. So yield was low on UVB.

This is one plant that I was able to coax THCv out of after lots of work. UVB helps with that. Also puts CBN on the plant, which cannabis does not make. CBN only comes as a breakdown, and usually only measurable after months in the curing jar, almost never on the plant unless specifically bred for it. I've never grown a CBN plant. But this one had 1% on the UVB side. So fuck yeah, at least it is a result.

I also tested UVA with this strain under HPS with CO2 and found it to be colorful although no other effect found. This one never saw far red tho. That would be a different set of pics. Damn.

So, since I had the most fun rewarding high from figuring out spectrum for myself on the backs of these very fine genetics from the original breeder stock, these are my top 2 pics. I highly recommend ordering these genetics and be willing to wait for them to cross the pond if potent big fat girls capable of 4 pounds in a 4x8 is what you are looking for.

Winner is the no-UVB side, the one with red. She became a beast. One of the biggest, densest stickiest MFs I ever grew. It scares me to take a second hit lol.

I wish you had access to the library. Maybe I'll just dump some on a google drive for you and you can pick. You can use the results of my testing to inform how you want to set your spectrum for best possible outcome for your goal be it yield or cannabinoids or whatever.

Can you tell the difference between strains in the effects beyond THC? I wish it was in the cards for you to vape, direct bloodstream entry thru the lungs is a different experience than eating, and nuance is much better in the lungs in my book.

Don't forget you can try THCp via hemp extract online if you hit a tolerance wall. You could probably back way down on THC to give your endocannabinoid system a little reset. Maybe. We are all different. I've been hunting for a THCp pheno to pass around. Maybe someone here has seen one?
 

steamroller

Active member
The pump isn't going anywhere. We got nothing but time..
Get like a little foot tub to place the pump in.
That would be what most do unless it leaked crazy.
Hopefully it works out.
With all the light on it is running full. That can be lowered multiple times and raised back with the 2 buttons.
The third button is what they call feed and will shut the pump off for 5-10 minutes I think and then automatically come back on.
Time it once and you will know how long you can fiddle with lids and such with pump off.

Those are some sweet plants Moe.
I so want new lights..
 

SweetLeafGrow

Active member
The pump isn't going anywhere. We got nothing but time..
Get like a little foot tub to place the pump in.
That would be what most do unless it leaked crazy.
Hopefully it works out.

Thanks buddy, I appreciate all your help. After getting this pump in the system and running it I'm tempted to take you up on the offer.

The pump is working and no leaks, but it definitely is not as strong as I thought it would be in the 4 site system and I have it running full bore....I thought initially I would have to dial it back but not the case. Still, MUCH better than it was, much stronger stream and lots more splashing and agitation going on, @Smokedareefer I do like the fallponics and think there is something to the concept. No science to back it up but it's what I am learning on and those things always seem to stick with us I think no matter what we are learning.

The third button is what they call feed and will shut the pump off for 5-10 minutes I think and then automatically come back on.
Time it once and you will know how long you can fiddle with lids and such with pump off.
I will play with this and see if I can figure it out, if I have any questions I'll hit you up.
 

steamroller

Active member
I suspect the size of your feed lines is robbing power.
Moving forward as a future thought possibly a larger line to the T.
Twice the size of the line after the T would increase flow IMO.
My gut says line to pump has to match the largest also since inline.
Sorry for more work and parts if you choose but that is how water flows..
Pump is still here for you eithway.
 

Moe.Red

Active member
@Smokedareefer I do like the fallponics and think there is something to the concept. No science to back it up but it's what I am learning on and those things always seem to stick with us I think no matter what we are learning.

Quick visual and audio queue everything is flowing. Best stirring. Good oxygen exchange. Splashing which keeps netpots moist enough to germ seeds.

What’s not to love?
 
Quick visual and audio queue everything is flowing. Best stirring. Good oxygen exchange. Splashing which keeps netpots moist enough to germ seeds.

What’s not to love?
Here's the extent of waterfall in my system it's only in my epicenter. Screenshot_20230325-170203_Gallery.jpg

Putting waterfalls in the plant sites it's always reminded me of water boarding and I've always thought its just pissing the plants off.

Might be time to tweak my system
 
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