~ AirCube Active Oxygen Ebb/Flow System sponsored by GrowAce, featuring Tropicana Cookies by FastBuds ~
Well guy's and gal's here we go again on another exciting Autoflower run together! This time will be different as I will be doing a 'Hydroponic' run utilizing the AirCube Active Oxygen Ebb/Flow System by GrowAce, who were kind enough to sponsor me for this run, so it should be interesting to see what results I get and have some fun along the way!
β’Let me first tell you about this 6 Pot Ebb/Flow system from GrowAce:
"The AirCube system is the one and only Ebb & Flow grow system on the market that combines the benefits of air pruning with a fully automated Ebb+Flow system! With the AirCube's proprietary fabric pot in bucket design, this system is guaranteed to outgrow any other Ebb + Flow system on the market. The results speak for themselves- grow MASSIVE roots that result in MASSIVE fruits!
Air Pruning- Air Pruning only happens with fabric pots. As the roots reach the fabric walls of the pot, they penetrate and grow into the breathable fabric. Once penetrated, the roots are exposed to air, which causes the tips of the root to dehydrate and naturally prune themselves. This natural pruning process forces the roots to grow tons of lateral fibrous feeder roots. This results in a plant that utilizes the entire root zone and fills the entire pot with tons of roots. These fibrous feeder roots are incredibly effective in uptaking water and nutrients, resulting in a plant that grows healthier and more vigorously!
Oxygen Benefits- Without oxygen, nutrient absorption cannot occur. On a molecular level, oxygen is needed to transmit nutrients across the cell walls and into the roots of a plant. With the AirCube's proprietary bottom lifted draining design, the system actively draws all of the water out of the bucket pulls vital oxygen into the root zone.
Maximum Versatility with Any Grow Medium: The AirCube System is the only system on the market that allows you to use any growing medium you like. Use coco coir, soil, peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, hydroton, rockwool or any other medium you wish! This system is the most versatile Ebb and Flow bucket system in today's hydroponics industry.
Temperature Control- with the fabric pots constructed with highly porous polypropylene fabric, heat dissipates easily and effectively. Unlike standard plastic pots, heat isn't trapped in the root zone. Heat in standard plastic containers can reach temperatures of up to 125 degrees. When this type of heat is trapped and unable to escape, it can damage your plant's health and limit the potential of your harvest. Growing in the AirCube System, plant roots grow cooler, healthier, and more vigorous.
Largest Pots in its Class- this system features 5 Gallon grow buckets, the largest pot size of any other ebb and flow hydroponic system in the market.
Modular and Expandable- start with 6 grow buckets and expand up to 36 grow buckets with the optional 105 gallons PopTank reservoir!"
For my medium and nutrients I decided to also switch things up from my regular Organic runs, going with Plagron Nutrients and Root Royale 70/30 Coco/Perlite. When filling the fabric pots with medium, I first added just under a gallon of horticulture perlite from Nor-Cal as a base layer to ensure good drainage and then filled the remainder with the Root Royale.
β’Now for the outstanding, award winning strain from my friends at FastBuds... Tropicana Cookies Auto:
I'll be running Tropicana Cookies Autoflower which is a 60/40 Indica/Sativa Hybrid. "Tropicana Cookies Auto is the perfect variety for growers of all levels, especially beginners as this strain performs very well outdoors and indoors, and can produce up to 500 gr/m2 in 56-63 days without needing extra maintenance. Reaching up to 110 cm, this strain grows fairly tall with medium-sized branching, showing its mixed heritage. Definitely the right choice for those with a high tolerance looking to get their hands on the strongest autoflowers out there. You can expect an extremely powerful and long-lasting high thatβll boost your mood and give you that extra push you need to start your days on the right foot. This variety offers the whole range of citrus and woody flavors with a strong candy-sweet background that will keep you coming back for more and more."*
*References: GrowAce.com, 2fast4buds.com
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The Setup:
β’ AC Infinity 4x4 tent
β’AC Infinity Cloudline T6 Exhaust Fan w/ Controller 67
β’HLG 650R w/UVA Bar *** For some reason GD does NOT have a listing for the USA version of the 650R so I selected the closest match to it.
β’AirCube Active Oxygen Ebb/Flow 6 pot System
β’DL Wholesale Root Royale Coco Lite 70/30 coco/perlite
β’TrolMaster Hydro-X Controller for light
β’AutoPilot APC8200 co2 controller fed by a 50# tank
β’16" Hurricane oscillating fan and 8" floor fan
β’Tent cooling via filtered outside air delivered by AC Infinity Cloudline T6 fan
β’BlueLab instruments: PH Pen and Truncheon Nutrient Meter
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Weekly Updates:
12/3- Well Fam, here we go into the 6th and final week of flower for these absolutely gorgeous Tropicana Cookies autoflowers from my friends at FastBuds and they are packed-n-stacked! I have been checking them every other day now and this is the week they'll be 'going dark' before I chop and hang them to dry.
12/5- I'm continuing to flush all three with 2g of straight well water with NPK Yucca Extract added, which I then ph to 6.5 @ 68β, twice daily for a total of 4g each day. The two purple pheno's are just breathtaking in looks and their aroma's! The #2 plant is a beautiful cultivar as well, just not purple, with several huge cola's having formed due to her being topped!
12/7- Today at 'lights out' I placed all three Tropicana Cookies in the dark for 72hrs. I moved them to a dedicated room that is totally dark and which I can keep control of the temperature, humidity and air circulation (same room I use for drying). For the 72hr dark period I keep the temp's between 60-65β at a RH of 40-45% with decent air circulation.
12/11- Today, all three of the FastBuds Tropicana Cookies were released from 'Dark Jail'. I actually let them go an additional day, for a total of 96hrs in the dark, and from the looks of them it didn't hurt them one bit! All three look absolutely fantastic and the aroma coming off of them is just incredible! π€ͺπ₯
Every plant is heavily frosted up and all have tightly stacked, dense flowers.
After chopping, I'm going to hang each of them whole to try to extend their drying time as much as possible. My dedicated 'Drying Room' has no outside light and is maintained at 58-60β with a RH of 50-60%. I use a de-humidifier, humidifier and two fans in the room. One fan is for air circulation, the other brings in cold outside air and the humidifier/de-humidifier handle the RH. I'm shooting for a 10-12 day dry, but that can always change because we all know 'shit happens'! π
My next diary entry will be after these fine ladies are done drying, get trimmed up, weighed and jarred. I hope to see you at the Harvest Report... this should be a goodie!πππ
π Thank you for checking out my passion in life! Please visit as often as you wish and I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I know I will! Grow what you love, Love what you grow!π
@Ctrellis90, Thank you my friend! Took a little time off to prevent burnout, and played around with an outdoor grow that I really should have done a diary on. Thanks again... great to be back at it! ππβ€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ
Just stopping by to say hello and to give some advice if open otherwise just ignore me ;-)~
First and foremost I applaud you by going with a hybrid EBB/FLOW and "automation" - however this "ecosystem" of macro/micro & beneficial bacteria/fungi must be in balance and living together to promote a proper soil-food web otherwise your plants are only getting nutrients from the water/nutrient mix in suspension and PH must be 5.8 - 6.0 period for DWC to be effective at the least and the water temp has to be 65 - 68 no fluctuations period here and the DO (dissolved oxygen - needs to be 8 or 9 which is full saturation) otherwise PYTHOM will be present and other bad bacteria which is why the smell is atrocious as mentioned in your previous post.
Further, reasoning behind comments thus far is because visually I can see everything the plants are saying and looking - not good and in dire need of help this is a hard pill to swallow but remember (cannabis is a heavy metal accumulator - if the PH swings rapidly then it will absorb them at higher concentrations from the nutrient solution if the PH is out of balance, therefore for example: manganese being richer than it should and locking out other potassium, etc.
Consequently, this is a short-day plant and requires a balanced eco-system something that ebb-flow and other (DWC) will not be able to provide and thus setting oneself up for major issues later in flower and at harvest, which without lab tests I wouldn't smoke it or consume it personally, education is paramount.
I wish you the best and if continued growing try a more sustainable approach as no till, permaculture/vermiculture, true living soil ;-), you will be more pleased with the outcome and so will the plants.
Best of luck & JahBless!
@TheCannaProphet, hydro has learning curve of about a year, even for the advanced experienced grower. Although it is not organic, I wouldnβt dismiss it outright. The end result is debatably just as good a quality. π
@TheCannaProphet, Thank you for being so understanding I did the same exact thing; I was sponsored back in 2012....... DWC full blown automation...... I will NEVER do it again. LOL ----- grow what you love, love what you grow ;-)~ Cannabis and more cannabis please and thank you.
Yes I agree with everything you stated and I thought you were mainly organic and figured you were extending your palate so to speak ;-). Your squared away for sure, and glad to see your a steward of the plant!
Looking forward to your future organic grows ;-)
JahBless and best of luck
@boutique_buddz, Thank you for the knowledgeπ As I mentioned in my diary, this is my first attempt at 'hydro' and mistakes were bound to be made... hopefully, this is how we learn and grow. Just to clarify, ninety plus percent of my runs are organic/living soil, so I'm intimately familiar with it's benefits. This system was 'sponsored' to me, as mentioned in my diary and I will give my honest opinion of it once the run is finished, then I'll be back to my 'roots'! Thanks again for the input... Grow what you love, Love what you grow!πππ
@KingSalomonsWeed, Yes, first time using 'hydro', I usually grow organically. Thank you, I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nuts now and then!π€ͺπ