Sobergrower Grows Again - Gorilla Glue Seed - PPK - Mars Hydro

[Sobergrower]

Today is a new day! I recently chopped 4 girls and made them hang. They will stay hanging for approximately 10 to 14 days at 60% RH and then into the jars they go.

For this grow I am drowning 3 Gorilla Glue seeds to prep them for life beyond their current dormant status! They have been in deep water for the last 24 hours and will be moved to peat-moss pucks as soon as the tails are long enough. I plan to take two of these girls to the dance and keep one as a mother if needed. (My intentions are pure)

A little introduction to the system. I am using what is referred to as a PPK style of growing.

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF THOSE THAT PROVIDED SO MUCH WISDOM AND EXPERIMENTATION!!!!!!

PPK stands for passive plant killer and evolved from some great minds over the years. This system is as close to set it and forget Ronco growing.

There is a main reservoir which holds the prepared nutrients ready for action. From the main reservoir the nutrients are fed into sub irrigation modules (one per plant). All of the modules are connected to each other, allowing nutrient flow and stability. A simple float valve is used to keep the water level in all of the modules constant.

On top of each module is the plant container. Over the years it was determined that width (or girth for those of the like mind) was more important than how tall the container was (I am leaving that one alone). In the bottom of each container is a pipe which connects the container to the sub irrigation.

This system is a top fed hydroponic set up with a redundant wick system. A simple magnetic pond pump is used to transport water from the sub irrigation system to the top of each container. Every 90 minutes the pump feeds water and saturates the media then drains back into the sub irrigation tub under each plant.

For nutrients I am using Jacks 5-12-26, Calnit, and Epsom. I am also going to incorporate great white, fluvic, and kelp in this grow. I will get more into this as the grow continues. I have found this to be a very stable nutrient lineup.

For lighting I was fortunate to obtain a Mars Hydro FC3000 through luck and persistence, which will be used for this grow (thank you @Mars Hydro Led )! This light has a veg footprint for a 3x3 space and flowering for a 2.5x2.5 tent. I may add supplemental light as I am currently in a 4x4 tent.

I plan to provide pictures of the setup, and tent once the current residents are placed in jars.

For now, thanks for stopping by! All are welcome and I am always interested in learning.

Peace……SG

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

take a chair and watch the show. thanks for your time, buddy.

 

[Sobergrower]

Life above ground for one of the three. I hope the other two aren’t too shy!

 

[negative37dBA]

What type of "Glue" from seed? Interested. I have been growing the clone only cut for many years. Loving that you are using Jacks...hell yeah!
Have a great day,. Peace, negative.

 

[Sobergrower]

What type of "Glue" from seed? Interested. I have been growing the clone only cut for many years. Loving that you are using Jacks...hell yeah!
Have a great day,. Peace, negative.

Hey Negative, these are from seed. They were from ILGM. We shall see how it goes. I grew this once before and was pleased with result. Thanks for checking.

 

[Sobergrower]

Well all three of these girls decided it was time to see what this world has in store for them! Glad they made it out of the dirt womb!

Their home currently has other tenants, who will be living in glass houses very soon.

I am hoping my light from @Mars Hydro Led arrives this evening and I can unpackage it. The light is an FC3000 which is small for my 4x4 tent. I am going to use this light as designed for the veg stage for sure.

While I would love to do a grow journal with this light on its own, I am also wanting to maximize the potential of the space. I have a quantum board light and,if possible, may surround the QB with individual bars of this FC3000.

As luck would have it, the light just arrived! Let the unboxing begin!

Peace…….SG

 

[Sobergrower]

First impression - the FC series is a well thought out and built light!

Package was a plain brown box and labeled fragile. I think the guys took care in delivering as there were no major signs of box damage.

The contents include mounting brackets, electrical cords, and a set of adjustable ratchet ropes. The light itself is already built so my previous idea about using the bars separately may be a mute point.

After indulging a quick (and I do mean quick) read of the destruction manual, I went to work mounting the driver (which will probably be dismounted and moved outside the tent) and connecting the the electrical cables, I plugged it in and turned it on.

I gotta say, this light is BRIGHT!

I look forward to seeing it in the tent in the coming days!

 

[negative37dBA]

Sweet man. That new LED smell!!

 

[Sobergrower]

Sweet man. That new LED smell!

Hell yes! I just read through your Alien Rift GG4 thread. While it is not from the original clone, here is hoping these girls are anything close to what you had there!!!

Peace….SG

 

[Creeperpark]

It's bright and spread out too. It will be nice to see the Mars light in action in a hydro setup. I was wondering about cal-mag dose and LED brightness?

 

[Sobergrower]

It's bright and spread out too. It will be nice to see the Mars light in action in a hydro setup. I was wondering about cal-mag dose and LED brightness?

I have been running Jacks 3-2-1 and have had good success. I will also be including a few additives this grow including Great White, Fluvic, and soluble kelp.

 

[negative37dBA]

Jacks is a smart way to grow. I switched a good while back and have been thrilled with the cost savings and ease of use. I do use added calmag since I start with 0 ppm R/O water.
Have a great day all.
Peace, negative.

 

[Creeperpark]

Jacks is a smart way to grow. I switched a good while back and have been thrilled with the cost savings and ease of use. I do use added calmag since I start with 0 ppm R/O water.
Have a great day all.
Peace, negative.

How much cal mag do you use?

 

[negative37dBA]

Well my system is 32 or so gallons. I usually add Cal mag till I am at around a .3 EC. That is somewhere between 3 and 5 ml per gallon. I toss in 100 ml of cal mag and then adjust from there. Again I start with zero ppm R/O water that has been cycled through a UV sterilizer. I run Jacks at the recommended ratios but have MPK that I use during flower.
Love Jacks for the simple fact that I don't buy water anymore...!!!
Have a great day all! Peace, negative

 

[Sobergrower]

Here is link to a recent discussion on Jacks and Calnit that can be of great use. The formula does need adjustment due to media, base water, etc.

why? Jacks and calcium nitrate

I have been making minor tweaks to my nute formula with a variety of strains in veg. My goal is to find the best recipe for multi strain grow. I have been mixing a 200 gal res of nutes, and using the whole res over a couple weeks in hopes I will see the effects before changing formula. At...

www.icmag.com

Hope it helps!

Peace……SG

 

[Sobergrower]

I have lurked through other posts over the last week and thought it time to add content to my journal.

There are several comprehensive threads by folks way smarter than me about the PPK system. However, with that said, I want to pay respect to those folks again and say thank you. The knowledge imparted was for fun and for free. Something not always found today. So THANK YOU For paving the way!

PPK stands for passive plant killer. It is a simple design, using simple nutrients, designed to run like a hydro system but without the chillers and bubblers and constant running of pumps etc.


This is the bulk storage reservoir. Mine is 17 gallons. I drilled a hole with a step drill one size smaller than the thick walled garden hose I purchased previously. I used the male end of the garden hose with about 4” of hose still attached and shoved it through the hole.


This is the outside of the tub where the garden hose exits. I attached an elbow along with a connector that comes with a float valve kit used for RO systems. Below that is a 1/4 shut off valve which is nice to have if there is a reason to drain the sub irrigation portion.



The small blue water tubing goes into the tent and attaches to the float valve. This valve is housed inside of a plastic cereal keeper. I drilled to small holes (I think they were 3/16”) at different heights in the side of the keeper. I also placed some glass beads in the bottom to keep it weighted down. The purpose of this part of the system is to maintain a set water level in the grow tubs. It is important to maintain a perched water table.


These pictures show a two module system. They are connected by thick walled garden hose as well. The float valve is shown for reference. There are two pumps shown as well but only one is really needed. I am planning to use two pumps. One is 500gph and the second one is 80gph. The 500gph unit will top feed both plants using a manifold of tubing. The 80gph pump will just circulate nutrients from one tub to the other.


The individual plant containers sit on top of the tubs. Previous intelligence identified that short wide planters work great in this system. There is a drain pipe located in the middle and makes a hydraulic connection to the nutrient water in each tub.


And finally, here are the three babies getting acclimated to their new home. They are sitting below the Mars FC3000 and seem to be enjoying bathing in the light.

They have received kelp infused water to this point but will begin getting a light dose of nutrients from this point forward.

Peace….SG

 

[negative37dBA]

Interesting. I find these other hydro designs fun to watch people run. Funny name for it too..ppk. Lets see how this rolls!

Have a great day all, Peace, negative.

"tell em a pysco like Bundy's loose with a muther fucking knife!" Dirtbag Dan

 

[Sobergrower]

Thought I would take a minute and update the thread with a few photos.

I have the three young ladies hanging out in the tent. RH is being maintained at -65% and lights on temps between 73 and 75.

I started feeding them jacks tap water nutrients at about 300 ppm this week.

The one in the middle went limp a few days ago and I have her propped up for now. We will see if she makes it. I may have had too much air movement for her at this stage.

They seem to enjoy the light from the Mars Hydro FC3000. I have it about 16 inches above the plants and set at about 40%. Current light cycle is 18 hours on and 6 hours off.

Peace…..SG

 

[flylowgethigh]

Mr. Flower says he uses Jacks 3-2-1 and he has has fantastic success. Is the tube from the tup on top that goes down into the reservoir the wick? I see the water level in the reservior being constant, but how/where is this wick? What medium is the wick? What medium is the plant in? How do you apply the great white (microbes?) and the fulvic liquid? Do you test the water in the lower chamber? I would imagine it loads up with excess nutes that run off the medium.

I am watching with great interest.

As for kelp, be careful of west coast kelp - Fukushima is still a thing, and it ain't going away.

I have been running Jacks 3-2-1 and have had good success. I will also be including a few additives this grow including Great White, Fluvic, and soluble kel

 

[Sobergrower]

Mr. Flower says he uses Jacks 3-2-1 and he has has fantastic success. Is the tube from the tup on top that goes down into the reservoir the wick? I see the water level in the reservior being constant, but how/where is this wick? What medium is the wick? What medium is the plant in? How do you apply the great white (microbes?) and the fulvic liquid? Do you test the water in the lower chamber? I would imagine it loads up with excess nutes that run off the medium.

I am watching with great interest.

As for kelp, be careful of west coast kelp - Fukushima is still a thing, and it ain't going away.

Hey FLGH, thank you for checking in. I too am a fan of the Jacks 3 2 1 forumula. Back in the beginning the PPK was run on a 3/2 ratio of Jacks to Calnit (either by weight or ppm).

You are correct in your assessment that the tube extending from the bottom of the planter acts as a wick. It sits in the solution in the sub reservoir and actually works in both upward and downward mobility. I use chunky perlite (rinsed well) in this section. There is a strainer cap on both the top and bottom of this tub to keep the perlite in place but to allow nutrients to flow. I will be taking pictures of this in the near future to help with the description.

As for the planter section, the media I have used is called turface. The originators tried many different types of media including perlite/vermiculite (hempy style), coco coir, even cheep floor dry from Napa. I have read recently that the OG @delta9nxs (thank you Delta!) is using mostly perlite/worm castings and DE. Here are a couple of quotes from another thread on this forum.

the medium consists of almost 100% perlite with a topping of worm castings which is worked into the perlite wet.

and then, a topping of the same volume of vermiculite with 10% diatomaceous earth. this can be applied dry but should be worked in slightly. not as deep as the worm castings (2-3") but about half as deep.

this topping combination adds significant cec to the perlite which is practically devoid of cec.

you should love chunky perlite amended with worm crap, vermiculite, and DE.

that's almost pure perlite in the 1/2 gallon above. i did put a very light topping on it that has since washed down into the medium.

my early experiments with perlite did not produce the results i wanted so i dropped it and went to turface, as you know.

the mechanical properties of the medium are more important than the composition of the substance itself.

most of our choices of hydro-type media are relatively inert.

i have found that a capillary rise of 6-8" and an air-filled porosity (AFP) between 30-40% to be ideal in the ppk device.

you can remove fines or too large particles by rinsing, sieving, or floating, depending on the material.

once you get your afp adjusted the only other consideration is cec. coco is around 70 meq/l and turface, other clays and pumice are around 30-40%.

perlite has none but the above amendments give it a substantial CEC thus turning it into a viable soiless media.

the decision after this is how much work and money you want to put into your medium.

prepping turface is a lot of work. it has an AFP of about 22% out of the bag but it can be brought up to about 35% by sieving over a regular aluminum window screen. you will lose about 30% as fines but it is infinitely re-usable. turface is bug-free as it and perlite have been processed in high temp kilns.

pumice is very cheap if you are on the west coast but filthy and will need to be sieved.

coco has too much CEC and needs the soak routine in most cases. it WILL come with fungus gnat eggs.

the chunky perlite just needs a light rinse. that's it. you could take a 3.5 or 4 cu ft bag and open the top and stab the bottom with a screwdriver, put the hose to it for a few minutes and it's done.

also, there is the weight issue with turface. bulk density of 35 lb per cu ft and it holds it's own weight in water.

that made my 7 gal containers 70 lbs each.

i really didn't mean to write all this here but it seems like it's linked to the jack's discussion because of performance differences in our choices and composition of media.

editing to show the pool with nothing but perlite. approx 13.5 sq ft of surface area about 5" deep.

then a 12 lb bag of homedepot worm poo worked in wet right out of the bag. formed a layer about 3/8" deep worked it in with a wand and pump.

about 2.5". then the same volume of vermiculite with about 10% of that volume DE. spread evenly on top and worked in slightly at transplant.

if you are not getting the results you want from jack's it is because of something else.

d9

editing again to say that if you blow up the first pic you can get an idea of the consistency and particle size distribution.

that's it, i swear to Buddha!












de

You asked about checking the PH. During my last run of the Bruce Banner, I did check PH in both, the main and sub reservoir but never added any PH adjusters the entire grow. I was targeting a PPM of 850 or 1.7 ec for the main reservoir . My sub reservoir hovered between 6.2 and 6.5. Before that, I chased PH (probably with a meter that was out of calibration) and struggled to manage it well. Jacks is a very stable nutrient line. I do have a new PH meter and will be using it but will plan to allow the PH to drift up and down rather than try to hold it at a certain point.

On to Great White, Fluvic, and kelp. I plan to use Great White during the initial nutrient mix which will go directly into the sub irrigation portion. I will then introduce the Fluvic and Kelp through the main reservoir.

I may revert back to running the PPM at 650 for the main reservoir.

I am open to ideas or thoughts in the subject and will add more pictures of the planters going together for reference (the girls are getting close to transplant).

Peace…..SG