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Sorry about the bulletin board malfunction
Ron
where can I get some info on hydroponics in this website?
take another toke.
Where can I find a reasonably priced cycle timer for my water pump for the 11 plant system?
www.WormsWay.com has a 14 on 14 off 7 day timer for $30. That is almost enough. The best is the Cyclestat repeat cycle timer for $90. Or the cheapest is the 30 minute on 30 minute off for $20.
If I were to use one HID light with the 11 plant system, which would you suggest, the MH or HPS? I've read MH is good for vegetative growth, while HPS is good for flowering. It seems (from what I've observed), most indoor growers use HPS, but I'm not sure.
If you can only afford one light then the HPS is better because it last twice as long as MH.
Is 400 w sufficient?
Plenty
How far should the lights be hung above the plants?
About 24 inches if your hood doesn't have a glass.
I'm planning on growing some high grade tomatoes. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with the odor. I've thought of venting the air through a series of fabric softener sheets in a tube of some sort, this may not work at all, although I hear many college students blow smoke through this type of filter in dorm rooms to hide smoke, so u never know huh? How many grams per plant of bud can I expect to harvest in this system. I know it varies from plant to plant, but a rough idea is fine.
I have no idea. my tomatoes don't stink.
Thank you. Your site is great.
hey ron man.. i have a coupla questions for you.. if you wouldn't mind answering them please!? i have thought about adapting your 11 plant 2 litre bottle idea to a 2 plant system for a smallish wardrobe.. my questions are, would one 100w metal halide be sufficient for the vegetative stage for 2 cannabis plants, and would one 100w h.p.s light be enough for the flowering stage? if not, what size would be big enough? keeping in mind the wardrobe measures about 2m tall x 1m wide by about 60cm deep... also, what type of pump do you think i would need? thanks man, it would be great if you could help me out. peace and free speech on the net tomm.
I never heard of 100 W MH or HPS. but they would be enough for two plant garden.
A small one 50 to 120 GPH submersible pump.
Ron i did a 6 site garden now i got a 40 site one here's my question the small one drained back to the tank fine the new one with more water to drain back takes lots longer do you think i have a problem should i go to bigger pump with larger hose i to am looking for a timer that doesn't run so long let me know what you think thanks Ron
The smaller garden will have to remain circulating
until the larger garden fills to the correct height. Or put a flow control valve
on the smaller garden to slow the water until the larger garden fills. You can
also put two pumps one to each garden in one tank of solution.
I also use one cycle timer for ever garden in my greenhouse by setting it to
fill my largest garden to the correct height. And then I put a flow control
valve on every smaller garden to slow the fill up time to match the largest
one.
is a 30 min. on, 30 min. off timer ok for my tomato plant's roots health? Is that too much exposure to water, or will they be perfectly fine? I've heard you say to drain the water immediately after filling the bottles, I'm just worried about root rot. Thankyou.
If you are using grow rocks then they will hold enough oxygen to prevent root rot.
hey ron what could i use to get rid of the smell in doors besides venting of the good stuff.
Ion generators help. Automatic injector room fresheners is one way. Or you can tell people that you have converted to Buddhism and that's why you are burning incense all the time.
can another species of plants polinate canabas.
no
hey again ron. thanks for answering my other questions before.. um, how many times would i need to water my 2 plant coke bottle garden? your site really rocks man, peace tomm.
Every 30 minutes or so.
oh and ron, i have a blue 75 watt GroLite... how good are they? dont bother or worth a go?? i'm just thinking of the cheapest option.. cos some say they do work, but whether they know jackshit about hydro or not i dont know... peace and fight the injustice, tomm.
Maybe one 75 bulb 6 inches from each plant in your garden you might grow something. Multiply that by how many plants you have and you can see why grow bulb and tubes are not worth much for growing indoors. You can use them for the first couple of weeks of life then your plants will need more light intensity to mature properly.
recently i had 4 young tomato plants die using a 16 bottle system. plants wither & die. I notice the stem or stalk tapers to a smaller size at the point it enters the perlite. I had changed watering times from every hour to every 30 min. could this be the problem? all other plants in this system are doing fine. plants lost were about 4 inches at time problem occurred.
That is what is known as Damping-off - a fungus disease that attacks young seedlings and cuttings causing them to rot at the base: Over-watering is the main cause of damping-off.
hey ron, george from crescent city fl. thanks for the reply concerning damping off.one more small problem, aphids on the hot pepper plants in greenhouse using your bottle system. insectecidial soap spray gets them gone for a week & then back again. don't want to use strong pesticides if possible. any suggestions? would like home made remedy if possible as in this little one horse town simple things such as insecticidal spray is not available locally. ps, this is a great site & you are a wealth of knowledge. good growings, george
Many homemade spray preparations are outstanding insecticides. A hot taste or smelly odor are the main principles behind most home-brewed potions. The sprays are normally made by mixing repellent plants with a little water in a blender. The resulting slurry concentrate is strained through a nylon stocking or fine cloth before being diluted with water for application.
Cooking or heating preparations generally destroys active ingredients. To draw out ingredients, mince plant and soak in a mineral oil for a couple of days. Add this oil to the water including a little soap to emulsify the oil.
Any nondetergent, biodegradable soap will work as a welling and slicking agent in these preparations. The soap dissolves best if a teaspoon of alcohol is added to each quart of water.
Camomile sprays are used to prevent dampening-off and mildew.
Chrysanthemum, marigold and nasturtium blossoms, garlic, chive, onion, hot pepper, bug juice, horseradish, mints, oregano, tomato and tobacco residues repel or kill many insects including aphids, caterpillars, miles and whiteflies. Be very careful with tobacco sprays. These mixes can vary in proportions, but the blended remaining slurry is always filtered before adding with water for the final spray.
One homemade organic spray is made by blending 1 teaspoon of hot pepper or Tabasco sauce, 4 cloves of garlic with a quart of water. Grind this mix up in the blender and strain through a nylon stocking or cheese cloth before using in the sprayer.
A mix of one eighth to one quarter cup of hydrated lime mixed with a quart of water makes an effective insect spray and is especially effective on tiny insects such as spider mites. Mix a nondetergent soap with the lime; the soap acts as both a slicking agent and insecticide. Lime can be caustic in large doses. Always try the spray on a test plant and wait a few days to check for adverse effects before applying to other plants.
Another natural spray is made from chopped tomato leaves soaked in water. The water is used as a spray against white cabbage butterflies. Spray made out of bug guts ground up in a blender, emulsified in water.
have always used fluorescents because of heat problems with metal halides. what is the heat like using high pressure sodium lights in small spaces?
Same problem. I never use a MH or HPS without using a vented hood with glass.
do HIDs put off much heat, and are they practical for small spaces? will homeys depot carry them, and what do i ask for?
Yes a lot. I use an enclosed light hood with a blower
to suck the heat out of the grow room.
250 W. or less may be OK with small spaces but any light will put out heat and
need venting.
i have been advised to use a nutrient salts meter and paid $A125 for one named the "Truncheon" i know how to use it and have been told that it is vital by some people and useless by some. Any way if you know anything about these meters i would like to know what the level of salts in normal tap water are meant to be. And if at all possible please send any information you think i might need.
Processing
i would like to know any information you might have on using a Nutrient Salts Meter, i have bought one of these and have been told that they are vital for optimum results. i am told to keep the CF level on 8 but it seem to read almost 8 with no added solution. i have read the instructions carefully and cant see what i am doing wrong, my ph reading stays pretty accurate. Please send me any information u think i might need. thank you. Amanda vamskd00@iinet.net.au
The electrical conductivity is another method of determining the salinity of your solution. Conductivity measurements are best conducted at 25 degrees C and any difference from this must be compensated for. If their is question about temperature compensation' simply take a reading, change the temperature of the water by 5 or 10 degrees and measure again. It should give the same salinity. Some units give readings in milliSiemens (MS) and require a salinity conversion table. Others read directly in salinity. Regular calibration with a standard solution is recommended.
what is the major system for germination seed by tomatoes? grbcs@hotmail.com tanks you J.D. GARCIA
I fill up a cutting tray with vermiculite.
Then I place each tomato seed in it's own pocket
about a half inch deep.
Add almost a gallon of Olivia's cloning solution or some other seed
starter solution like Ortho's B-12 to the tray.
When the seeds sprout and get big enough pop them out and wash off the
vermiculite if you use a different medium.
Can you grow cherry tomatoes using the 2 liter bottles you recommend for the 11 plant garden? What tomatoes work the best with 2 liter bottles?
I only grow Patio or Bush type plants in the 2-liter. I use the gallon size for large tomato plants.
The bugs on page 31. I do not know what they are but I have had them. The only way I could get rid of them is remove everything and sterilize everything and wait 2 weeks then using new medium start again
Is there any way to adapt the bottle neck of a 2 liter bottle to a bleach bottle. Can you glue neck of a 2 liter bottle to a bleach bottle or can you melt them together? I have already assembled the 11 plant garden. I need to alter the system to fit both 2 liter bottles and bleach bottles. I would like to grow tomatoes and need added root space.
With this 2 part epoxy glue you can make anything stick to anything else. Any hardware store.
Cheap timer? Wal-Mart Hardware Dept, less than 10 bucks, 48 settings, 15 minute increments.
Mark
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