Hello. Started from scratch (paper, youtube and calculator) I searched for most effective light source for 1 sq. meter+ ( 4 sq. feets+ in metrics, meh?). I grow plants for a long time experimenting with various light sources. This time i manage to stick to LEDs namely COBs (chip on board). You can see it in my other topic here.
Look, i’m focused on quality but i’m not much into making my own ferts. I rather work on soil and use about 50 percent of my own soil in the mix. This i believe is the most important, nice healthy soil (compost). Nothing too complicated.
I don’t use expensive ferts, just some basic NPK with micronutrients and not much. As i said, quality in stead of quantity. And rain water. If i run hydro i use it also but RO is better (destiled water). Water is very important. Find good source. Rain water pH changes over time. I had too high, some acid should do the job but i use it only when it is necessary (maybe it is bad).
One of the first DIY thing i made. Smell cause problems always. I have a few Salvia officinalis fot better odour, but they are small. Carbon filter works quite nicely, but can’t use it at night (noise!)… I sleep there.
That is going to be soon a jungle! Are you going to keep them in those pots? What’s the height of your tent? I want to run sativas in my next batch but I am afraid if they stretch too high and get burnt with the lights like Icarus …
Are you planning on up potting to a larger size?
I grow mostly sativa’s as well and they will overgrow(see what I did there?) those liter pots quick.
They’ll get top heavy and the slightest touch will knock them over.
I too tried a Dr.Greengenes approach and the only way I could get small pots to work was with a bottom watered self irrigated planter.
Here is Larry Hall’s version:
Sorry, poor choice of words I got from the Culligan man.
He means “replace” when he installed my home charcoal water purifier.
It’s a big tank 70lbs or so of charcoal.
I use a homemade charcoal box that holds about 4lbs each for both of my tents.
I can’t get through two runs with the same store bought charcoal.
One year I carbonized 40lbs of hardwood fuel pellets and used them for media.
It worked but didn’t make it through a run.
Not quite the same thing, the burn profiles are different. You get porosity with the charcoal and probably the same charge profile. The activated charcoal (carbon) will have a much higher porosity.
Upgrade is soon. Had some males there, i will cross pollinate. Plants have no aroma at all still. I don’t know. Maybe they did not switch to flower as i supposed they did. But no problem i am happy with em.
I did´nt post for a while. Indicas (JH) are ready. Had two phenotypes (decent bud, big bud phen - 50:50). Along the way I had to water manually by hand cause of unproper irrigation design. They did get nutes each one or every second watering (pH around 7.0-7.5, ec ???). Pics:
JH BB phen all three plants harvest on 65th day flo. Scent is sweet, typical Holland weed but it´s not overpowering sweetness, it´s a little spicy too.
very nice drip system. I had one set up similar to yours but I made the mistake of using the same size tubing for the point of the drips. I made a ring around the stem and drilled some small holes around it so there would be coverage, but it was a massive PITA because of how high the pots were the hose would drag it all down because of the weight, and it would deplete 15 litres in like 30 seconds. Next I plan on using those smaller tubes to see if it will drip for longer and hopefully not be too heavy that it drags it all down.
Are you going to keep them in those pots? What’s the height of your tent? I want to run sativas in my next batch but I am afraid if they stretch too high and get burnt with the lights like Icarus … 
