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Diary PCBuds mini-grow
- Thread starter PCBuds
- Start date
PCBuds
Well-known member
With the humidity present, you shouldn't need to spray. Often it's just a disturbance. The cutting is struggling to get anything up at the root. Carefully balancing the transpiration rate. When we come along and lift the lid, giving it, in my opinion, a VPD based shock. Then we put water in the leaves without any food. Which is the reverse of transpiration. Cover it up again in an atmosphere thats hard for it to evaporate that water off into. Thinking we did it a favour.
I take cuttings from the mum, and collect them, submersed in jars of water. When I have a few, they come out, hormones, planted. Covered. Walk away for two weeks. Well if I dared.. You just know I'm there at a week looking at progress, with my eye trained on finding dead one's before they mould. At a week some are done, but two weeks is the schedule. If taking just half a dozen, I may skip the submersion and get them straight to a gel, the substrate and spray them the once before covering.
You want a nice steady 25c/77f and no disturbance. If your cover is soaked, there is little more you can do for them.
Your container is massive. It only needed a square inch to root in. Something you could lift, and perhaps see roots by now. Allowing you to drop the RH and start growing it.
I take cuttings from the mum, and collect them, submersed in jars of water. When I have a few, they come out, hormones, planted. Covered. Walk away for two weeks. Well if I dared.. You just know I'm there at a week looking at progress, with my eye trained on finding dead one's before they mould. At a week some are done, but two weeks is the schedule. If taking just half a dozen, I may skip the submersion and get them straight to a gel, the substrate and spray them the once before covering.
You want a nice steady 25c/77f and no disturbance. If your cover is soaked, there is little more you can do for them.
Your container is massive. It only needed a square inch to root in. Something you could lift, and perhaps see roots by now. Allowing you to drop the RH and start growing it.
Bobby Boucher
Active member
What he said.
I soak mine, dip them in honey or clonex at the cut, cover them, put them under minimal lighting on a heating mat, and walk away.
If I really want them to root quicker, I try to keep the medium a bit dryer from the start, but it’ll require that I respray the cubes once a week or so, checking on them every few days to make sure a clone didn’t up and decide to throw a bunch of roots and drink all of its water..
I never actually spray the cuts themselves.. like f-e said, if the dome has condensation on the interior, the plants are basically soaking in water already.. they aren’t able to lose any moisture, because there’s simply nowhere for it to go.
Been 100% success for years. Haven’t lost one.
Oasis cubes and locking translucent containers are like cheating.
I soak mine, dip them in honey or clonex at the cut, cover them, put them under minimal lighting on a heating mat, and walk away.
If I really want them to root quicker, I try to keep the medium a bit dryer from the start, but it’ll require that I respray the cubes once a week or so, checking on them every few days to make sure a clone didn’t up and decide to throw a bunch of roots and drink all of its water..
I never actually spray the cuts themselves.. like f-e said, if the dome has condensation on the interior, the plants are basically soaking in water already.. they aren’t able to lose any moisture, because there’s simply nowhere for it to go.
Been 100% success for years. Haven’t lost one.
Oasis cubes and locking translucent containers are like cheating.
PCBuds
Well-known member
Okay, so I will leave the cover on and stop messing with it.
I've got a thermometer in the closet now. It was pretty cool in there before I put the light in.
I will aim for around 77° F.
I did nothing but cut the top off my plant, cut up the stem a bit and stick it in the soil.
I'm assuming that may have slowed her down somewhat ??
So, when do I remove the cover ??
Do I wait for it to perk up and look like it's growing ??
I've got a thermometer in the closet now. It was pretty cool in there before I put the light in.
I will aim for around 77° F.
I did nothing but cut the top off my plant, cut up the stem a bit and stick it in the soil.
I'm assuming that may have slowed her down somewhat ??
So, when do I remove the cover ??
Do I wait for it to perk up and look like it's growing ??
Bobby Boucher
Active member
Yeah, I would just leave the bag on and maybe weigh the lips down to lock in the moisture.
Or throw a translucent cereal container over it and bury it down a little.
You want your media to be warmer than the ambient surroundings, I berieve. Throwing an incandescent under your whole kit and kaboodle might help speed things up.
I’m surprised you found the 100wers. All I could find were 72’s they started making in place of them..
They work great for melting and tempering chocolate!
Or throw a translucent cereal container over it and bury it down a little.
You want your media to be warmer than the ambient surroundings, I berieve. Throwing an incandescent under your whole kit and kaboodle might help speed things up.
I’m surprised you found the 100wers. All I could find were 72’s they started making in place of them..
They work great for melting and tempering chocolate!
q3corn
Active member
PCBuds
Well-known member
I remember my sister had an easy bake oven when I was a kid. (around 1973)
It took almost an hour to cook a fried egg with a 100 Watt bulb.
It came out of the oven like a piece of rubber. Lol
PCBuds
Well-known member
PCBuds
Well-known member
Well, I f√¢k'd up...
I removed the incandescent bulb because it was getting too warm in the closet, then I turned off the fan so it wouldn't get too cool.
Then at the same time, I decided to turn up my side lighting closer to the test current.
I was at about 360 mA per strip for about half an hour then went to check the temperature and saw this...
(the strips are rated at 700 mA and 85°C max.)
So I popped a few LED segments...
But, ... It kind of a good thing because now I know.
There was no smoke, no spark, no electrocution, and no fire.
They just stopped working.
Oddly the two strips at the top of the two back corners both did the same thing.
Those two would have been the hottest but the one strip turned back on?? after it cooled for a bit.
So now I have a better idea of where to set my voltage and current at.
When I checked the temperature with my IR thermometer, they were reading 60°C at the test point.
I figured that the lens covers touching the middle of the strips was not good, so I put spacers in made out of aquarium tubing.
They aren't touching anymore...
I removed the incandescent bulb because it was getting too warm in the closet, then I turned off the fan so it wouldn't get too cool.
Then at the same time, I decided to turn up my side lighting closer to the test current.
I was at about 360 mA per strip for about half an hour then went to check the temperature and saw this...
(the strips are rated at 700 mA and 85°C max.)
So I popped a few LED segments...
But, ... It kind of a good thing because now I know.
There was no smoke, no spark, no electrocution, and no fire.
They just stopped working.
Oddly the two strips at the top of the two back corners both did the same thing.
Those two would have been the hottest but the one strip turned back on?? after it cooled for a bit.
So now I have a better idea of where to set my voltage and current at.
When I checked the temperature with my IR thermometer, they were reading 60°C at the test point.
I figured that the lens covers touching the middle of the strips was not good, so I put spacers in made out of aquarium tubing.
They aren't touching anymore...
PCBuds
Well-known member
Just one of the strips...
Well, I figured out what happened...
The side of the strip covers that is facing the LED chips has a bunch of sharp points on it and when I rotated the cover, it scratched the LED segments near the screw in the middle.
I noticed that 7 LED segments went out so that means there are 7 segments in series getting 19.5 volts.
There are 56 segments on the strip, so there are 8 parallel circuits with 7 segments each.
I figured it was the scratched segment that was dead so I jumpered the segment with a piece of wire and all the other 6 segments lit.
I didn't want to just short out that segment because that gives more voltage to the remaining 6 segments, so I soldered in a small valued resistor.
I just tried a whole bunch of resistors with the power supply set at 19.5 volts until all the segments appeared the same brightness.
I'm calling it fixed !! Lol
I'm down one segment but I've got 55 left. Lol
Now of course, I've probably scratched half my strips by now and they're all getting ready to blow... That sucks...
I figure it was still the heat that was the last straw and the scratched coating allowed the stuff underneath to oxidize.
So, ... I think I might get all carried away and remove all the covers to check for scratches and paint the surface with this stuff.
It is high heat resistant and even needs some heat to cure so it might work to seal the scratched segments.
What a PITA... Lol
Bobby Boucher
Active member
I keep my incandescent on a cord with an inline dimmer, and adjust according to my sensorpush/laser thermometer readings.
They'll get hot quick! That's basically all they are good for. I would grab a $10 laser thermometer if you don't have one already and make sure your soil is between 70-80.. if not, you could probably find a creative way to mount the incandescent under the cabinet to bring the soil up to temp, or simply run a space heater in the lung room.
Not pleased with the panda tent doors I threw up yesterday, tho..
Next time, I'm loosely fitting my panda up with 3" painters tape, and stretching and securing it in place with the foil tape.. The foil tape adheres to the panda way too well for any post-install adjustments.. F'n mad about it still.. Goosfraba'in all day.. No one to blame but myself..
At least all this new acinfinity gear is blowin my expectations away.. They're little 4" dimmable pcfan is kicking ass in my dry closet, and the automated extractor fans are even quieter than the pcfan on its lowest setting. Mucho recommend-o. All of this runs <5' from my bed and I can't hear any of it.
They'll get hot quick! That's basically all they are good for. I would grab a $10 laser thermometer if you don't have one already and make sure your soil is between 70-80.. if not, you could probably find a creative way to mount the incandescent under the cabinet to bring the soil up to temp, or simply run a space heater in the lung room.
Not pleased with the panda tent doors I threw up yesterday, tho..
Next time, I'm loosely fitting my panda up with 3" painters tape, and stretching and securing it in place with the foil tape.. The foil tape adheres to the panda way too well for any post-install adjustments.. F'n mad about it still.. Goosfraba'in all day.. No one to blame but myself..
At least all this new acinfinity gear is blowin my expectations away.. They're little 4" dimmable pcfan is kicking ass in my dry closet, and the automated extractor fans are even quieter than the pcfan on its lowest setting. Mucho recommend-o. All of this runs <5' from my bed and I can't hear any of it.
PCBuds
Well-known member
I have a laser thermometer and the soil was reading 68°F but I had the door open to the closet all day while I was messing around with stuff.
The temperature in the closet right at the soil dropped from 78°F to 71°F while I had the door open so I think I'm okay for temperatures.
The soil should start warming up a bit especially under the humidome.
I know what you mean about the Panda film.
You kinda have to figure out how to work with it as you do it.
I ended up using two-faced tape from the dollar store.
The kind that comes in a dispenser like scotch tape. It's in the craft and art section.
That stuff is only semi-sticky and doesn't have backing paper on it, so you can reposition it easily.
I still just ended up stapling it to the wall. I doesn't look too pretty but as long as it works.
I don't like how it comes with creases and wrinkles in it. It would be nice if it came on a roll instead of folded.
I got all my strips refurbished.
I checked them all and found 4 more with scratches so I put a coating of that silicone stuff on the bad segments and put the covers back on.
The lights are all back on now so we'll see how things work out.
That should warm up the closet too.
The fan is still off. I figure it wouldn't really be doing anything with the clone almost sealed up, except removing heat.
The temperature in the closet right at the soil dropped from 78°F to 71°F while I had the door open so I think I'm okay for temperatures.
The soil should start warming up a bit especially under the humidome.
I know what you mean about the Panda film.
You kinda have to figure out how to work with it as you do it.
I ended up using two-faced tape from the dollar store.
The kind that comes in a dispenser like scotch tape. It's in the craft and art section.
That stuff is only semi-sticky and doesn't have backing paper on it, so you can reposition it easily.
I still just ended up stapling it to the wall. I doesn't look too pretty but as long as it works.
I don't like how it comes with creases and wrinkles in it. It would be nice if it came on a roll instead of folded.
I got all my strips refurbished.
I checked them all and found 4 more with scratches so I put a coating of that silicone stuff on the bad segments and put the covers back on.
The lights are all back on now so we'll see how things work out.
That should warm up the closet too.
The fan is still off. I figure it wouldn't really be doing anything with the clone almost sealed up, except removing heat.
PCBuds
Well-known member
I turned my side lights up again and let them run all night then took a bunch of readings in the morning.
The "refurbished" strips appear to be fine.
All the strips and all the LED segments are working. (except the one I bypassed with a resistor of course)
I guess they just needed to be coated?
The 2 foot strips on the ceiling we're running at 19.85 volts at the driver and 19.47 volts at the strip itself so there was a tiny bit of power loss across the wires.
The current through the 2-foot strips was 972 milliamps per strip and the temperature at the test point was 60 degrees C
The one-foot strips were 19.42 volts at the driver was 19.11 volts at the strip and the current was 290 milliamps per strip (on average) the temperature at the test point was 50° Celsius
I think I might have found my maximum because the whole closet was warming up even though I had the fan on all night.
The temperature at the soil is 76°F and 84°F at the ceiling.
The temperature of the room outside the closet is 68°F.
The temperature of the room can rise to over 80°F in the summer so I don't know what I'm in for this summer.
The ventilation is working well and it is drawing air through the furnace filter which hopefully keeps the dust and any pollen out.
I wonder how often I need to change the filter and how much a dirty one will affect airflow?
I may end up turning up the sidelights a bit more until they get to the 350 mA test current then check the temperatures.
The total power loss across the wires works out to about 3.6 Watts.
I'm glad I went with the house wiring and 18 gauge wires for the strips.
Some guys were using 22 gauge wires and that extra waste is just power that's not getting to the LED segments and dissipated as heat.
Does anyone know what kind of effect having the closet filled with a full-grown plant will have on the temperatures?
I figure once you get a full-size plant in there transpiring, the evaporative heat loss might help to keep the temperatures down?
Does that make sense? Or will it just turn into a hot-box and get warmer and warmer as the plant gets bigger?
The "refurbished" strips appear to be fine.
All the strips and all the LED segments are working. (except the one I bypassed with a resistor of course)
I guess they just needed to be coated?
The 2 foot strips on the ceiling we're running at 19.85 volts at the driver and 19.47 volts at the strip itself so there was a tiny bit of power loss across the wires.
The current through the 2-foot strips was 972 milliamps per strip and the temperature at the test point was 60 degrees C
The one-foot strips were 19.42 volts at the driver was 19.11 volts at the strip and the current was 290 milliamps per strip (on average) the temperature at the test point was 50° Celsius
I think I might have found my maximum because the whole closet was warming up even though I had the fan on all night.
The temperature at the soil is 76°F and 84°F at the ceiling.
The temperature of the room outside the closet is 68°F.
The temperature of the room can rise to over 80°F in the summer so I don't know what I'm in for this summer.
The ventilation is working well and it is drawing air through the furnace filter which hopefully keeps the dust and any pollen out.
I wonder how often I need to change the filter and how much a dirty one will affect airflow?
I may end up turning up the sidelights a bit more until they get to the 350 mA test current then check the temperatures.
The total power loss across the wires works out to about 3.6 Watts.
I'm glad I went with the house wiring and 18 gauge wires for the strips.
Some guys were using 22 gauge wires and that extra waste is just power that's not getting to the LED segments and dissipated as heat.
Does anyone know what kind of effect having the closet filled with a full-grown plant will have on the temperatures?
I figure once you get a full-size plant in there transpiring, the evaporative heat loss might help to keep the temperatures down?
Does that make sense? Or will it just turn into a hot-box and get warmer and warmer as the plant gets bigger?
q3corn
Active member
The presence of plants tends to bring temps down a little bit in my experience. Not a lot, but a few degrees maybe. I think it's due to perspiration or whatever it's called. Humidity.
Circulating fans also keep air moving more, which helps keep the temperatures more manageable.
Also, 84 is at the high end, but still OK for LED grows. My flower cabinet hits between 80 and 83 during the day and there's no signs of stress. Just keep air moving.
Circulating fans also keep air moving more, which helps keep the temperatures more manageable.
Also, 84 is at the high end, but still OK for LED grows. My flower cabinet hits between 80 and 83 during the day and there's no signs of stress. Just keep air moving.
