By: WilburMudd

WilburMudd — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:42:28 +0000

The essentials for cannabis: 1) Light – gotta have it, the more the better. For a single plant in a cabinet, you could probably rock a 150 watt HPS lamp (HPS == high pressure sodium) and have good results, or you could go for CFLs, which draw less power but are less intense, meaning that your buds will be wispy and less developed. I’ve yet to see really awesome results from LEDs, but some people seem to dig them. Much more expensive though. It’s very important that you make your cabinet light-proof – you should be able to turn the lamp on and not be able to tell from outside. Not only is it important for stealth, but the flowering response is very dependent on the light cycle. Cannabis (excluding auto-flower strains) needs 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness to flower. Any extraneous light seeping in through the cracks will mess things up, and could lead to hermies (plants with both pistils and stamens, which could end up self-seeding and ruin your crop). This means that your air intakes need to be “light trapped” – take two pipe elbows and put them together in the shape of an S, then spraypaint the inside black. This should allow air to flow without letting light in or out. Speaking of light, it’ll probably help to train the plant onto a screen (google SCROG == SCreen Of Green) or at least tie some of the main branches down to promote a bushier, squatter plant. A flat canopy is key to getting the most out of your light – the standard “christmas tree” shape is wasteful in a small space, as the top blocks out the lower branches. 2) Fresh air. Technically, you could run a sealed box and inject CO2 from a bottle, but that adds a whole lot of complexity and should probably be put in the “down the road” pile. You need to be exchanging all the air in your cab every five minutes or so to provide enough CO2 to support growth. The best design IMO is an active exhaust/passive intake setup, where your exhaust fan is located at the top of the cab, and there’s a hole about 1.5 times the size of your exhaust located at the bottom. This draws the hottest air out and pulls in the coolest. You should be pulling the exhaust through a carbon filter before it exits the cab – this is absolutely key to stealth. With a good carbon filter you should only be able to smell the plants when the doors are open and your nose is right up in there. 3) Soil/Grow media – personally, I prefer hydroponics, but soil is more forgiving for the beginner. If you do want to go with a really simple and productive hydro setup, I suggest reading up on DWC (deep water culture). Basically, the roots grow directly down into a tub of bubbling nutrient water, constantly aerated with an aquarium pump. The high levels of dissolved oxygen and constant access to nutrients make for a super fast growth rate, and it’s a pretty easy system to maintain. It can be a bit tricky to top up in the confined space of a cab, however, so plan ahead. Also, if you do go DWC, cut the strength of the nutrients in half from the recommended dosage. You’re probably best off going with a high-quality soil and hand watering, but I’d suggest reading up on hydro just for fun, especially if you like to tinker. 4) Nutrients – Less of a concern in soil, as the soil should contain everything you need for the first couple months. You’ll probably need to supplement with some fertilizer during the flower cycle, as by then you’ll have exhausted the soil. Hydro systems will of course need fertilizer from the word go, and I recommend either the General Hydroponics Flora or FloraNova series, though there’s dozens of good brands. Google “Lucas Formula” for a good, simple nutrient profile that works great with cannabis. 5) A decent environment – you’ll want to keep the temperature below 80 degrees F, and keep an eye on the humidity as well. If things are too wet in there, consider trimming some of the lower growth that’s not getting much light anyway. It’ll create more airflow, which should lower the humidity some. 6) A brain with some sense. Don’t ever tell anyone in real life that you’re growing weed. Seriously. This is harder than you think, as after spending so much time and energy building something so cool you really want to show it off. Remember that people can’t keep secrets for shit. Don’t tell your friends. If you can’t keep it secret, how can you expect your friends to? Invent a dealer that lives two towns over that gives you the amazing hookup. If you need to show off, do it on the internet through a proxy server or two. Put grow equipment in nondescript boxes before you lug it up to your apartment, make sure you don’t have any leaves stuck to your shoe, etc. Plan out where you’re going to dry your buds after harvest. Inside the cab is fine if you don’t mind the downtime, but you could also build a little filtered drying box or something. Finally, you should think about having a smaller cab for a mother plant and a few clones. That way you can keep the same plant alive forever, and you’ll be assured that it’s female. If your veg space is large enough, you can be vegging a lady to size during the end of the flower cycle, so as soon as you harvest you’ll have another plant waiting in the wings to flower. That way you’ll be harvesting every two months instead of every three. Also, join a good cultivation website and ask questions, lurk like crazy and enjoy the grow shows. Weed isn’t addictive, but growing sure can be! It’s a really fun and rewarding hobby once you get going. I hope you follow through and have a good time!

Comments on: Shallow Water Culture Hydroponics

By: WilburMudd