Something wicked this way comes

[delta9nxs]

Hey D9! been a while since i was on the ppk train. i had great success with the previous versions. i was in a big hurry to get a crop going on this run so i just set up pots of rockwool and drippers. just installed blumats into them the other day to see if they will work or not. been getting the itch to switch back to PPKs and now that stuff is about to come down i am gonna have the perfect opportunity to switch back. too many issues with salt buildup and burns in rockwool. a former partner has all my PPK shit and is bringing me my stuff tonight. i think i have about a dozen plant sites already built. im gonna redo the bottoms with the new buckets/pump style and just keep my old top section/tailpiece setups.

i know the general thought is that the DE lights cant be run with 8' ceilings but i think im gonna try it out and install super spreaders under the bulbs to kill the hotspots. the plants will be scrogged just like yours and kept low as possible. worst case i can dim the fixtures to 750 or so. worst case i could do vert bare bulb since i have 20 1k ballasts sitting in storage lol. i may just buy one DE to test a flat vs vert yield and go from there. here's where im sitting right now. gonna start building soon hopefully.

the res in the pic wont be used. switching over to the new style! hopefully i can modify those tailpieces to work well enough and accept the grate fitting.

howdy! if you build scrog frames 42" off the floor and bolt ac/de fixtures like mine to the ceiling with the glass on and active air cooling through the lights you can get away with 8'.

i don't know about other brand fixtures or how much mounting room they take up.

 

[delta9nxs]

one more question....if i have to switch to vert bare bulb could you suggest a proper layout?
i had previously done the 4 plant 5 light setup. can i just expand off that outward?

i have about 18x24 to flower in and that will still leave me walkways on the edges

with either vertical bare bulb or horizontal de i would run 12 plants on 6' centers in that room.

the horizontal de's will be far more efficient electrically as you just put one over each plant for 12 total 12kw and with the vert set up your minimum would be 6 1k's in the center rows and 10 600's minimum around the wall for 12kw also but the de's produce like 1.5 mogul bulbs. if you use 1k's all the way in the vert set up you would have 16kw consumption.

 

[Heaths mate]

Hi Delta,

Sorry I've not been in touch but I have had a lot on. Hope your well and everyone else is also.

I am currently building the PPK system as I write this post. I have brought the turface and I will be testing the afp% tomorrow - I will post the results they may one day come of use to yourself

I have been reading a lot about coco recently as all the plants I seem to put in it currently are always showing magnesium deficiencies.. driving me crazy!
My knowledge is very limited but I have been reading a lot about the CEC of coco and think I'm starting to understand it. I don't suppose yourself or anyone else knows of some idiot-proof pages for me to read or would be so kind as to explaining why this deficiency keeps occuring.
Im pretty sure my PH has been too low at times but I like to let it vary from 5.7-6.2 so I don't see this being the problem?
I use Canna coco, just give it a quick bath and put the plants in... Im starting to think I should be precharging the coco with Calmg beforehand but obviously at this stage it is a little too late so is there anything else I can do to try help the plants uptake more mag?

Any reply would be greatly appreciated

God bless you all

 

[Heaths mate]

By the way, as I was reading I came across a thread by a gentleman called 'Tokesome' iirc

He was having issues in coco himself and you dropped in with some info on CEC which helped me more than anything else I've read so far

I search High and low for answers everywhere and everytime your the man to speak to it would seem

Fancy coming for a holiday lol?

 

[C.O.B.]

Hello PPK'rs!! Delta, question. When filling the tailpiece(im still using the original sink tailpieces on 2.5's over 3 gal buckets) Should the capillary rise of the tailpiece be the same or better than the media buckets capillary rise? I'm sure I put too large sized perlite in one of my wicks. It was the only one thus far that hasn't had roots chasing down it. Haven't had a clog thus far, but I do get root travel. I will be upgrading to 2" pic tailpieces after this run. Damned Ppk system grows em so big and so fast, I have a few over vegged plants in flower now that are 6 ft tall! In a tent mind you!


the capillary rise of

 

[Desert Hydro]

thanks for the in depth reply. you have any idea what happened to flowerfarmer or highlife45? i was gone for a long while and they dont seem to be around anymore

 

[down2grow]

i don't know anything about plagron but "Plants are super green and there are no tip burns."

i would not be real concerned with the 6.3 ph unless it consistently, repeatedly, goes from 6.3 to above 6.5 in a short period of time. by that i mean 24 hours. if it just kind of hangs at 6.3 and it bothers you, because it's not bothering the plants, you might consider bringing the ph down to around 5.0-5.2 in the mixing tank and see if it runs a little more acidic in the recirculating part.

in the ppk i like the recirculating part to run around 6.0-6.2 but don't obsess about it.

Do you guys have any recommendations on a PH Doser? My PH and EC are pretty stable still, but I think the reason why I can't get the PH in the control reservoir to go under 6.3 is that the PH in my mixing tank isn't stable. If I set it at 5.0-5.2 it'll creep up to 5.8-6.0 the next morning. The mixing tank does not have a pump or airstone in there, I just mix and adjust the PH, sometimes twice a day. I'm sure if I can keep the PH stable in the mixing tank it'll help me control the overall PH in the system.

PPK is still kicking ass and I'm so glad that I made the change. I'm sure I'll have 1-1.5 pounders in there and this is my first time doing any type of RDWC.

 

[delta9nxs]

By the way, as I was reading I came across a thread by a gentleman called 'Tokesome' iirc

He was having issues in coco himself and you dropped in with some info on CEC which helped me more than anything else I've read so far

I search High and low for answers everywhere and everytime your the man to speak to it would seem

Fancy coming for a holiday lol?

howdy! i was rinsing the coco to remove salt then soaking in a ec 4 bath for a while or slowly pouring about 5 gals of the ec 4 solution through the medium one time.

 

[delta9nxs]

Hello PPK'rs!! Delta, question. When filling the tailpiece(im still using the original sink tailpieces on 2.5's over 3 gal buckets) Should the capillary rise of the tailpiece be the same or better than the media buckets capillary rise? I'm sure I put too large sized perlite in one of my wicks. It was the only one thus far that hasn't had roots chasing down it. Haven't had a clog thus far, but I do get root travel. I will be upgrading to 2" pic tailpieces after this run. Damned Ppk system grows em so big and so fast, I have a few over vegged plants in flower now that are 6 ft tall! In a tent mind you!


the capillary rise of

you should have a capillary rise of about 6-7" minimum for safety.

 

[delta9nxs]

thanks for the in depth reply. you have any idea what happened to flowerfarmer or highlife45? i was gone for a long while and they dont seem to be around anymore

you're welcome! have you tried pm'ing them?

 

[delta9nxs]

Do you guys have any recommendations on a PH Doser? My PH and EC are pretty stable still, but I think the reason why I can't get the PH in the control reservoir to go under 6.3 is that the PH in my mixing tank isn't stable. If I set it at 5.0-5.2 it'll creep up to 5.8-6.0 the next morning. The mixing tank does not have a pump or airstone in there, I just mix and adjust the PH, sometimes twice a day. I'm sure if I can keep the PH stable in the mixing tank it'll help me control the overall PH in the system.

PPK is still kicking ass and I'm so glad that I made the change. I'm sure I'll have 1-1.5 pounders in there and this is my first time doing any type of RDWC.

you don't need a ph doser. forget the readings in the mixing tank. add ph down to the mixing/volume tank by ml and observe the effect in the recirculating part.

when the recirculating part is running in the range you desire you have added the correct number of ml's. it's really that simple! i use 15 ml's of 85% phosphoric acid per 50 gal drum to get my recirculating system to run around 6.0.

this will initially ph at around 4.5-4.6 in the mixing tank but will climb on it's own from there.

my system runs very consistent at around 1000 ppm or ec 2 and ph 6.0. just kind of floats up and down around those numbers.

haven't changed the solution in a long time again.

 

[Desert Hydro]

hey d9, i see that you are extracting everything you produce. do you still have to cure it out or are you extracting once dried or live resin?

 

[Thirdtime]

Dumb question but what is "xlp" perlite? Just large coarse perlite?

 

[delta9nxs]

hey d9, i see that you are extracting everything you produce. do you still have to cure it out or are you extracting once dried or live resin?

i built a drying booth out of 2" foam board with racks in it. it has a dehuey and an ac. i can dry a plant down to about 10% in 4 days. then straight to the extractor.

if you want light amber colored shatter you must take the plant early and extract as soon as possible.

with the advent of legalization and access to labs we are finding that peak thc occurs before any trichomes turn brown.

i'm having to teach myself when to take plants down again. i think this system and these lights are causing them to finish faster than i'm used to.

yesterday i took a cinex at 6 weeks. almost all trichomes had turned opaque with some still clear but no amber ones.

i got this plant from a friend here who grows in both ppk and potting soil and he says he takes it at 6 weeks also in the ppk but 8-9 weeks in potting soil.

i just took down an iranian x c99 that finished in 7 using the same criteria.

i am working on a cold ethanol technique with mechanical separation of the trich heads which should produce a live resin quality dab with full cannabinoid and terp profiles.

 

[delta9nxs]

Dumb question but what is "xlp" perlite? Just large coarse perlite?

extra large perlite. it's the manufacturer's labelling.

 

[Junk]

first, just a few shots of the veg room showing the general layout. the plumbing is very much an arterial/veinal type of thing in that the only crossover point from the supply side to the plant/drain side is the watering halo. there is an individual pump in each supply bucket. the pumps are eco 185's all fired simultaneously by a repeat cycle timer. the little pumps are remarkably reliable and put out uniform amounts so a simple electrical control achieves the same objective as a big pump with large plumbing and multiple valves.

the pumps are capable of delivering a quart in 15 seconds. the supply buckets act in a surge fashion by holding approximately 2.5 gals at the 7" level. more than enough to guarantee that the supply bucket never runs dry. when they fire and deliver the necessary volume gravity then rapidly equals out the water levels in the system.

it also guarantees positive displacement of solution throughout the system. guaranteeing equal readings.

in the fifth photo are the reservoirs for the whole building. on the floor are 7 of the 55 gal totes which hold approximately 22 gals each at 7". they are plumbed in simple series fashion connected by a single hose between each.

What a room brother! Oh the damage I could do in a space like that. Color me jealous!

I will have to live vicariously through you...now how do I sub to a thread ...you will be my first lol)

Do you have a main control bucket or res to work out of? Or are you checking "stats" for each bucket?

I'm sorry if it's been covered, I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate this forum. So many threads are 20, 50, 100+ pages. Unless you were here for the start, it's hard to keep up.

I had another q, but I've forgotten it. I think I need to look at the pics again.

But what a space man...much respect!

 

[Junk]

I remember...

Is that a co2 tank in the room? It doesn't get smelly being in the room, making for an awkward swap out?

 

[Oysters]

with the advent of legalization and access to labs we are finding that peak thc occurs before any trichomes turn brown.

i'm having to teach myself when to take plants down again. i think this system and these lights are causing them to finish faster than i'm used to.

yesterday i took a cinex at 6 weeks. almost all trichomes had turned opaque with some still clear but no amber ones.

Very useful info. Thanks.

 

[zeke99]

This is a file in which I collected the most useful, for my practical growing purposes, PPK 2015 - 2017 era plumbing tidbits from D9 and A8VOR. You'll notice as well a couple of photos & diagrams that were posted by other ICMag members.

http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=1395849

I've got a lot of files on my computer, with organized, practical tips from D9, DHF, Don Juan Matus and a few other master gardeners on such topics as plant spacing and numbers, the application of light, garden environmentals, fertilization/ph/water quality, defoliation, seedlings/cuttings/cloners, D9's DIY turface cleaning machine and D9's DIY humidifier. I'd be happy to share these.

Thank you to D9, DHF and DJM (who probably won't see this post) for sharing your knowledge and experience with the community.

 

[delta9nxs]

What a room brother! Oh the damage I could do in a space like that. Color me jealous!

I will have to live vicariously through you...now how do I sub to a thread ...you will be my first lol)

Do you have a main control bucket or res to work out of? Or are you checking "stats" for each bucket?

I'm sorry if it's been covered, I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate this forum. So many threads are 20, 50, 100+ pages. Unless you were here for the start, it's hard to keep up.

I had another q, but I've forgotten it. I think I need to look at the pics again.

But what a space man...much respect!

thank you and welcome! there are 49 plants all plumbed to the same reservoir. every stage of growth in veg and flower feeding off one body of solution therefore we only check one place once a day to monitor solution. this solution runs around ec 2 and 6.0 ph most of the time.

the intermediate veg room has 42 positions being fed ec 1.2 and 6.0 ph.

both these are automated recirculating systems.

then we have clones and seedlings in passive containers being fed ec .7.