My mom grew in one of these in the early 90s. The unit bit the dust after awhile but this thread made me look, and I still have all the old instructions that came with it.(it’s a massive binder) I forgot they had you send your soil samples in to them for analysis and I think they dialed in your feed.
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that thing was a marketing scam. I called them in the 80s and maybe tallked to jeffrey julian demarco himself? He was an ahole and was asking how much i smoked and then he berated me for not buying his machine. He was claiming the way it works is you take a bud or two off the plant every day. No flowering cycle… he claimed some yeild and i asked if that was wet or dry and he said both?
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honestly, a dresser or a wooden box with an led and a fan is way better than a phototron. I started in a c13 home depot wardrobe cabinet and thats good. nowadays they have tents that are easier.
But not nearly as cool (IMO)
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Yeah, I got that from the way he splashed his name around and especially from that ad copy. Total narcissist or what?
In practical terms, a 4ft 2x2 is much better.
Have a look at that Vivosun announcement…
That’s got to be the ‘spiritual successor’ of the Phototron unit…
…Now that I’m thinking about it wasn’t there were 2 models??
Cheers
G
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talk to @PhilCuisine he’s been using phototrons for years he may be able to talk you through maintenance
They are a simple to fix…either a loose wiring, bad bulbs or needs a new ballast…it’s basically a lamp with a ballast folks…my Phototron technician is an electrician by trade…this one that he overhauled only cost $20 in parts(ballast) from Amazon…this one that he worked on was the top of the line model($700) back in the day…
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Unfortunately that’s not even a 2x2.
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This Arcata Trainwreck clone only strain, grown in 1 Phototron got a little over 4oz. when it was chopped down…don’t underestimate the power of the Phototrons…its just a hard walled tent w/lights and vent system. I had 7-9 of them in both sizes back in the day.
Matanuska Thunder Fuck (bikers cut) clone only strain
Ogre a mutant strain of Sensi Star clone only strain
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Amazing i could not pull that off in that thing !
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If you can grow in a tent you can grow in a Phototron, if you can grow in a Phototron you can grow in a tent…A tent is just an oversized, soft walled Phototron that you have to add lights and a vent system…
I was thinking of getting a tent but I decided against it, instead I grow the majority of my weed outdoors now and just use my Phototrons for indoors winter grows…
My homemade strains
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And it looks like growing in the winter is just for fun, because by looking at the ouside grow ull have enough for at least a year. Nice out door grow
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Those are mostly gonna be used for hash, hash oil, edibles and rosin productions…and of course for giveaways for free…my personal grows is what I smoke mostly…
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Must be nice to be able to do that… 
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when I started out I made my own vented cabinet with flourescent lighting based on the phototron. Worked very well for flowering out clones, and for starting seedlings.
I still use vertical flourescent side lighting in all my tents. Makes a big difference.
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I still have one Phototron never been used and a top of the line model with an electric fan in one of the side panels…not quite sure but might still have everything inside moss, nutrients, instructions etc…I also met Jeffrey when the company was in Bellwood, Illinois when I went there…you had to buy one before they showed (toured) the building…Jeffrey was an idiot, but knew that Phototrons would work for growing 1 single plant…
When I first used it I failed but it’s because I followed his instructions…I already knew how to grow pot outdoors when I was 16 yrs. old folks but never grew indoors…Gotta go, got to let my dogs out and feed them before I go to work, its 6:54 am in central Illinois right now and I have my morning rituals to do before work…this story is to be continued…
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