2025 new year grow

[kaw900r]

Getting fabric ready to transplant to 5gal. 1 auto strawberry cheesecake, 2 photo banana jealousy and peyote forum. Also will be a few purple ghost candy clones...

 

[steamroller]

First new grow thread of 2025~!

 

[kaw900r]

Girls have been put in 5gal and final tent space

 

[kaw900r]

What do you all do when dealing with auto's? I've been reading some pinch center and some recommended not. So what's best to get better buds? T/u

 

[steamroller]

What do you all do when dealing with auto's? I've been reading some pinch center and some recommended not. So what's best to get better buds? T/u

@OLDCRO is our auto guy.

 

[OLDCRO]

What do you all do when dealing with auto's? I've been reading some pinch center and some recommended not. So what's best to get better buds? T/u

I would not pinch tops they dont have the recovery time like a photoperiod. A little bit of super cropping later on will help

 

[kaw900r]

I would not pinch tops they dont have the recovery time like a photoperiod. A little bit of super cropping later on will help

How about defoliation, is that allowed after flower starts?

 

[OLDCRO]

How about defoliation, is that allowed after flower starts?

I just keep bottom 4-5 inches clean and open up bud sites when leaves block light no heavy defoliation.

 

[kaw900r]

Moved some things around. Auto is alone and clones move to 3gal with the other 2. Clones had roots so moving forward.

 

[kaw900r]

Going to try some auto feeders and see how the work or will I need to add a drip system. Have any of you tried these?

 

[steamroller]

I have seen these before but not used them.
I believe they suck up water through a wick and capillary action to bottom water the plants.
Not sure if people top water or feed in a different way.

 

[Stoneyluv]

Going to try some auto feeders and see how the work or will I need to add a drip system. Have any of you tried these?

not that same item but i've grown the SIP (self irrigated planter) style for a long time. in veg i would use a fabric wick like those do. microfiber cloth ended up working the best. i so wanted hemp to be the winner but microbes ate it up in days!! in flowering i used a netcup sticking out of the container and packed it with soil to draw water up. i grew with this setup for years, i can help with any questions at all.

 

[kaw900r]

not that same item but i've grown the SIP (self irrigated planter) style for a long time. in veg i would use a fabric wick like those do. microfiber cloth ended up working the best. i so wanted hemp to be the winner but microbes ate it up in days!! in flowering i used a netcup sticking out of the container and packed it with soil to draw water up. i grew with this setup for years, i can help with any questions at all.

I know I feed them about a gallon a day and just put them in 5gal fabric. So if I start using these my plants will automatically start sucking up the water with those wicks? I've looked into some of the self water systems that work with this setup. I will have more questions, t/u

 

[Stoneyluv]

I know I feed them about a gallon a day and just put them in 5gal fabric. So if I start using these my plants will automatically start sucking up the water with those wicks? I've looked i to some of the self water systems that work with this setup. I will have more questions, t/u

yup, the wicks will draw up the moisture from the bottom and will will never need to top water. covering the tops of the container helps with the capillary action but is not needed in my experience, but they do help use less water for sure.

feeding changes a bit, if you use dry nutes then just scratch some in the surface and done. if you use liquid nutes you can pour them in at a more concentrated rate because the water from the bottom will dilute them. this takes a little math but with organics it's simple.

the secret to SIP working is having the air gap between the bottom of the roots and the water rez. the cloth then acts as the delivery system for the water while not letting the roots just sit in a puddle of water. the plant then knows exactly how much water to uptake, it's never under watered and never over watered, it's always perfect! this is why you don't wat to top water your nutes with a lot of volume, the plant would then become overwatered.

for mine i grew a five plant site with a sixth bucket all plumbed together so they all shared the exact same water height. i then just dumped water in the sixth control bucket once or twice a week. i grew perpetual so my veg was a little more unique but still exact same principle.

when i first joined here i still had this system in place so bits can be seen early in my journal. it was six buckets on a round turntable that was motorized to slowly spin to avoid hot spots. i put it in play when i grew with HPS and didn't have headroom. that one bucket in the center front with the drip pan on it was my fill bucket. all the plant sites were just a bucket within another bucket, the outer ones were sealed and plumbed and the inner ones were full of air holes with a netcup in the bottom tightly packed with soil, these then sat on cut pieces of PVC as risers or pedestals to keep the roots out of the water. your pieces will act exactly the same and you will have even more oxygen to your root zone than i did using the fabrics! i've always been very intrigued by the product then shy'd away from the price.

it's always good to keep some enzymes on hand when using SIP, if the water ever gets a little stale it helps keep the plastics inside clean. i ran mine perpetual so sometimes it was years before i actually cleaned the system. it was all organic though. easy peazy!

 

[kaw900r]

yup, the wicks will draw up the moisture from the bottom and will will never need to top water. covering the tops of the container helps with the capillary action but is not needed in my experience, but they do help use less water for sure.

feeding changes a bit, if you use dry nutes then just scratch some in the surface and done. if you use liquid nutes you can pour them in at a more concentrated rate because the water from the bottom will dilute them. this takes a little math but with organics it's simple.

the secret to SIP working is having the air gap between the bottom of the roots and the water rez. the cloth then acts as the delivery system for the water while not letting the roots just sit in a puddle of water. the plant then knows exactly how much water to uptake, it's never under watered and never over watered, it's always perfect! this is why you don't wat to top water your nutes with a lot of volume, the plant would then become overwatered.

for mine i grew a five plant site with a sixth bucket all plumbed together so they all shared the exact same water height. i then just dumped water in the sixth control bucket once or twice a week. i grew perpetual so my veg was a little more unique but still exact same principle.

when i first joined here i still had this system in place so bits can be seen early in my journal. it was six buckets on a round turntable that was motorized to slowly spin to avoid hot spots. i put it in play when i grew with HPS and didn't have headroom. that one bucket in the center front with the drip pan on it was my fill bucket. all the plant sites were just a bucket within another bucket, the outer ones were sealed and plumbed and the inner ones were full of air holes with a netcup in the bottom tightly packed with soil, these then sat on cut pieces of PVC as risers or pedestals to keep the roots out of the water. your pieces will act exactly the same and you will have even more oxygen to your root zone than i did using the fabrics! i've always been very intrigued by the product then shy'd away from the price.

it's always good to keep some enzymes on hand when using SIP, if the water ever gets a little stale it helps keep the plastics inside clean. i ran mine perpetual so sometimes it was years before i actually cleaned the system. it was all organic though. easy peazy!

Wow and t/u. Think i will water today when lights come on and then implement this system in the morning. This will be really great for being able to vacation during growing and make it easier to control humidity with tent closed and water in the tray.
You mentioned enzymes, which ones do you recommend? I layer in bokashi, DYNOMYCO and frass in my coco coir.
Sorry this is all new to me, I've been hand watering for years. T/u beers on me

 

[Stoneyluv]

This will be really great for being able to vacation during growing and make it easier to control humidity with tent closed and water in the tray.

yes and yes!!!!! it's makes it much easier for sure!!!

You mentioned enzymes, which ones do you recommend? I layer in bokashi,

i use K4Less: https://www.kelp4less.com/shop/enzyme-powder/ (don't pay full price if you go there, sign up and wait for a sale) but i have a feeling your bokashi has everything you need.

and frass in my coco coir.

it's no secret i'm a big fan of the insect frass.. i've been using it for a long time!!

this is all new to me, I've been hand watering for years.

it makes it much easier, you spend more time looking at and caring for the plants instead of watering. i miss the convenience of it.

 

[kaw900r]

I use general hydroponics nutrients and always did the water until drain method.

 

[kaw900r]

3 of the self feeders installed. Now to see how they work.

 

[kaw900r]

Less than 24hrs and I can see the auto water level is lower. The photos I can't tell since I might have filled it up higher, but they do feel wet around the lower half. They look healthy

 

[Stoneyluv]

Less than 24hrs and I can see the auto water level is lower. The photos I can't tell since I might have filled it up higher, but they do feel wet around the lower half. They look healthy

i like the fuel gauges on those things!!

do you happen to have or use ne those moisture meters at all?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099R6BQHB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

they're nice to confirm with and just double check quick.

 

[kaw900r]

i like the fuel gauges on those things!!

do you happen to have or use ne those moisture meters at all?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099R6BQHB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

they're nice to confirm with and just double check quick.

No i don't, i have the Vivosun growhub e42 controller that monitors humidity and temperature. I might need to invest into them.

 

[kaw900r]

36hrs in and the self feeders are doing there job. Auto took almost 3/4 of a gallon and the photos almost half a gallon each.

 

[Stoneyluv]

No i don't, i have the Vivosun growhub e42 controller that monitors humidity and temperature. I might need to invest into them.

if you've never needed one before you won't now. i just thought if you had one you could tell if the feeders are leaving your soil moister/dryer compared to what you had with hand watering.

can't wait to see how well they do over the next few weeks.

 

[kaw900r]

Self feeders are doing good, I think I can go until tomorrow morning if not evening before I need to fill them up. Granted they're in veg but having to water every 3rd day is saving a lot of water. All 3 are on 6 nodes and growing strong.

 

[steamroller]

Tight bushes~!

 

[kaw900r]

Otay self feeders testing made it 3 days before filling them up. The auto is drinking faster than the photos and I noticed pistils the other day already. So I'm going to try a little lst on her even though she's not even a foot tall yet. So is it time to adjust her feeding to bloom nutes? Photos are doing good and will let them veg before some lst is done.

 

[GrumpAzz]

Yeah I'd say bloom nutes if there are pistils

 

[GrumpAzz]

Have you flipped the photos yet?

 

[kaw900r]

Have you flipped the photos yet?

No, i will veg those for a couple weeks more and do some lst.

 

[steamroller]

I think this is a cool side by side way to learn the different needs and schedule of autos vs photos.