Revised Vertical Areo

[betterboy]

Hi DS
the ceiling is 83" from the floor and the pump is DDP 550 , 110 volt ,1.3 gpm
The first 4" pipe is 11 1/2" from the floor and progress 6 1/2" each level.
The unit has been running now 13 days and the plants look over watered even with the misters im using which are 1GPH misters. I started out at 1 min. on and 5 min off then went to 30 sec. on 10 min off . Today I reset it to 30 sec. on and 20 min off . most plants are 14" to 16" tall and have nice white roots,however im dealing with thrips, worthless F_ _ _ ing bugs! since im ownly in 13 days in flowering, im gonna fog the little bastards tonight.

 

[foaf]

very cool.

 

[pitisbitis]

...

...

realy nice grow
how big can the colons be in thet system?
How big is the system?

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hi pitisbitis - sorry, just can't resist...

Colon size depends on guano production (ducking)

Betterboy
One of these days I'd love to do a vertical grow! Looks sweet in here!

 

[betterboy]

little more maintaince the my usual F&D but think it will be worth it, ought to give one a try

 

[Dreamscape]

I dont suppose you'd write up a quick "step by step" tutorial on how you assembled this bad boy ?

*dreamscape prays in silence*

 

[Dreamscape]

LOL ... I figured it would be a long shot but you can't blame a man for trying , right ?

 

[betterboy]

dreamscape:
todays gonna be a busy day, Chop Day for a F&D system but will do the best i can to get ya started in the next day or so, I was also thinking bout building another system and adding to the side of this unit, so 1 65 gal. res, 1 chiller , 1 pump to run 2 systems.
As I build this second system Im gonna get pics to also put up a better pictorial of how to build these.
I've had 2 problems so far with this system, #1 THRIPS, hate the bugs! #2 Overwatering, plants started to show stress of overwatering, my cycle screwed up so i put together another one , seems to be comming out of it now. lights come on in bout 15 min. im gonna try to get a couple inside shots

 

[radium-]

betterboy: what are your expected yields off the aero unit? 96 plants is a lot think if you were to get caught with 96 plants ... IMO I dont think a unit like that is very worth while when you could have 3 or 4 DWC style plants and probably get the same yeild of them then your 96 mini plants.....also save you from having to root 96 cuttlings each grow

 

[urbanfarmer]

Betterboy,
Glad to see that every thing has worked out for you. The last time I spoke with you we were discussing root zones and the design set up on OG the better part of two years ago. I was planning the 120 site with the 3034 6". Built it, all though drastically reduced in size. Funny how it looks good on paper and in head. But once on the floor, oh how things change. Now I am running two of these 3034 with 28 sites. Leaking was an issue but my biggest problem was with the temp. Running 2k bare bulb and no over head ventilation I cooked em. Cool tubes are the way to go. I am a week out on chopping this will be the second grow in this system.

 

[Dreamscape]

dreamscape:
todays gonna be a busy day, Chop Day for a F&D system but will do the best i can to get ya started in the next day or so, I was also thinking bout building another system and adding to the side of this unit, so 1 65 gal. res, 1 chiller , 1 pump to run 2 systems.
As I build this second system Im gonna get pics to also put up a better pictorial of how to build these.
I've had 2 problems so far with this system, #1 THRIPS, hate the bugs! #2 Overwatering, plants started to show stress of overwatering, my cycle screwed up so i put together another one , seems to be comming out of it now. lights come on in bout 15 min. im gonna try to get a couple inside shots

BB - WHATever you produce and WHENever you produce it I will be more than happy regardless if its in 2 months or tomorrow bro... I kind of just jumped on the forums one night and checked the thread and said to myself - "I wonder if he'd be willing to toss together a quick step by step on the set up" and decided to throw it out there and see what happened , I wasn't really even expecting anything to happen considering the amount of time and effort It would take for you to do one ... So that being said - just the fact that you said you're gonna take pictures while constructing the 2nd rig - has already beat my expectations man ... I'll still be here watching regardless

Also as far as the thrips go , what do you think is the main cause , the basement location maybe??

And just to hopefully save you some time betterboy -

RADIUM : He reported on his FIRST run that he cleared 3.5 lbs but believed that if he hadn't OVERdryed the plants it would've been 4+ and on his second run he believed that if he were able to dial the system in with no major issues that he'd hit 5 no problem...

And as far as plant count is concerned - For me personally - When I looked up my state on the NormL site to check for the laws it listed nothing about PLANT number only LBS. number ... Although non the less i'm sure the DA would make a point to say "we found 96 plants !!" to try and hype it up so they can make themselves appear to be super hero crime fighters... In the end total LBS. number outweighs (no-pun intended) plant number in the eyes of the law.

And as far as the benefits of his (shameless promotion ahead) Fucking AWESOME - D.I.Y. Vertical Aero Coli:

#1. It utilizes Cubic Feet as opposed to just Square feet - thus more plants in less space - BOO YEAH !!!

#2. Since it is a Vert grow not only does he utilize space 3 times more efficiently but also his LIGHTING 3 times more efficiently since it covers 360 degree's with 100 percent utilization of each bulb as opposed to around 70 percent using the bulb horizontally with a reflector ... Which also can carry over into saving MUCHO DINERO considering he doesn't have to spend on extra bulbs, on reflectors and also saves in electricity bill - BOO YEAH !!!

#3. From my understanding of Aero - although the tubes are more of a Hybrid Aero/NFT grow - you still use less water and less nutrients and get better results as far as speed and frostiness is concerned ... Or so i've read ... and in T.A.G. or True Aero Growing its said you use ONLY 40% the normal amount of nutes ...

#4. He stated that his DIY Vert Aero Coli when run head to head with his F&D table - saw plant growth "explode" in comparison to the F&D Table which is why he decided to scrap the F&D table and setup a 2nd Vert Aero Coli ... I'd say thats enough reason right there let alone the above 3.

Thats about all I can think of for right now but I think thats about all you'll need to see the benefits...

Best of Luck
~Dreamscape

 

[betterboy]

Well said dreamscape!
here's some pics I took yesterday day 6/14/06
these were put in this vertical on 5/19/06 so their in for now bout 25 days from just a small clone, root growth is unreal however my cycle stat screwed up and plants got little over watered stress but hope i got it back on track now

 

[radium-]

Dreamscape: that is for having dried marijuana as for growing thats totally different and is based on the # of plants you have

 

[Dreamscape]

RADIUM: That may be so but hey - whatever floats your boat man ... I'm not here to debate and I dont believe betterboy is either ... If you want to debate , although it is not my thread - and I apologize if im over stepping my boundries - I would suggest you take it somewhere else because this is a grow thread not a pissing contest on what method is better. There are 1000000 threads discussing which method is best and why and at the end of the day - the only thing we can all agree upon , which i'm sure you know is that opinions are like assholes ... everybody has one - to each his own , eye of the beholder ect ect ...

I'm sure betterboy has done lots of research in the realm of growing and arrived at his decision to go his Vert Aero route after weighing the pro's and cons of other systems - especially the F&D tables he already had set-up but decided to scrap in FAVOR of his current setup ... I could be wrong but i'm willing to gamble that i'm right.

No disrespect meant what so ever - I just call it how I see it man.

And if you were talking about the laws as opposed to growing and yeild than i'm sorry for the rant and i'll STFU now... )

Best of luck
~Dreamscape

 

[Dreamscape]

Betterboy - not much else to say except your rig is SICK and you're the fucking man.

... simple as that.

 

[betterboy]

Well gonnna start the how to's of building this vertical unit, I'll probably have to do it in a couple sessions but gonna give ya size and demensions and a complete material list. Guess the first thing to start with is the octogons and stand.
Octogon PVC- 6 tier
The pve i used is S&D pipe and is pretty cheap, when i built this unit it was 3.99 for a 10' length, now its 5.99 but still affordable. Also a Chop saw is just bout a must for doing this job, Im using a 10" chop saw but have to roll the pipe to make a complete cut,a 12" chop saw is perfect but oh well using what i got, and the 10" chop saws are cheap., starting bout $79.00 and up
4" S&D X 16"- 36 Pcs.
4" S&D X 6" -12 Pcs.
4" 45 degree fittings - 48 Pcs.
Drill 2- 2 7/8 holes 4 1/4" from each end to center of the 2 7/8" hole for the net pots
from the bottom of the 2 7/8" hole measure down 2" and drill a 11/16" hole for the misters. so each 16" piece of 4" pipe will have 2 holes each of 2 7/8" and 2 - 11/16" holes. do this to each of the 36 Pcs.
4" X's 5 pcs these are all stacked and aligned for the drain end
4" Tee for the top octogon - 1 Pcs.
glue a 4"x6" piece in each end of the x's , a 2 7/8" hole will be drilled on each side of the x's as well as a 7/8" hole - 2" below the bottom of 2 7/8" hole for the sprayers, so you will have 1 - 2 7/8" hole in each of the 4"x6" pieces you glued in to the x's . Do the same to the 4" tee, remember the tee will be facing down so make sure you get your sprayer hole on the outside of the unit like rest of the sprayers.When your drilling these holes the 2 7/8" hole isn't bad because your gonna be using a hole saw but the 7/8" I used a paddle bit Irwin bits seem to work best, this is just a brand name and the cutting wings tips extend a bit for a better cut, take it slow with the 7/8" hole and make a good cut. After all cuts are done take some emery cloth to clean all the cuts and clean all the pvc so its free of the cut chips and dust.
Now that all the pieces are cut and your X's and Tee's have the 6" pieces glued in. now its time to start to put the octogon together.
A Flat surface is a must, use a good heavy duty glue and a cleanner to glue all parts.
I set up saw horses and have a 4'x4' sheet of plywood to work on with 3- 2x4" under the plywood for a solid surface and makes it more comfortable to work on.
remember your 7/8" hole will be on the outside of the unit, so keep this in mind as ya put this together.When gluing the 4" tilt the 2 7/8" hole slightly toward the inside of the unit, from streight up turn bout 1" toward the inside , try to keep all the holes turned to the same degree so they all look nice and uniform, each octogon will take 8 pieces , 7- pcs of 4" x 16 " and one of the x's ya made, so when your done with the first one there will be 8 sides with 16 holes in each octogon, now do the same with the last 5 octogons. gonna go get some measurements for the frame work so be back later.



Connecting the drain tee and the X's cut a small piece of 4", the top side is glued in botton of top in NOT glued , see pics, this is so the unit can be taken apart for cleaning, storage what ever. At this point is where your octagon drains to your res.

 

[betterboy]

guess a pic is the best way to show the frame work that holds the octagon up. All pipe for the frame is out of 1" sch.40 pvc

 

[The Dopest]

nice rig, seriously! makes me want to do some vertical growin.

 

[urbanfarmer]

Nice rig.

 

[Dreamscape]

Connecting the drain tee and the X's cut a small piece of 4", the top side is glued in botton of top in NOT glued , see pics, this is so the unit can be taken apart for cleaning, storage what ever. At this point is where your octagon drains to your res.

Excellent tutorial Betterboy ... Straight forward and easy to understand ... I've only got a couple quick questions for you ...

1st ... concerning the piece of 4" that connects the bottom of the T fitting on the top Octo with the top of the lower X fitting ... how large should it be ? And do you do that with the lower X connections as well - glue the 4" to the upper X's bottom and leave the lower X's top unglued ?

2nd ... I was fishing around for S&D PVC and came across this site:
http://keithspecialty.com/dwv.sewer_drain_pipe_and_fittings.htm

It talks about PVC with "belled" ends ... Is this the same as the PVC you used ?

and 3rd ... Just to clarify - in the beginning you say "sprayers" than later on you said "misters" ... I'm assuming you meant misters the whole time ? Cause you replaced all your sprayers with misters, right ??

Thanks a million man ... Best of luck
~Dreamscape