~ 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!
•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.
•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 that’ll 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:
• AC Infinity 4x4 tent
•AC Infinity Cloudline T6 Exhaust Fan w/ Controller 67
•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.
•AirCube Active Oxygen Ebb/Flow 6 pot System
•DL Wholesale Root Royale Coco Lite 70/30 coco/perlite
•TrolMaster Hydro-X Controller for light
•AutoPilot APC8200 co2 controller fed by a 50# tank
•16" Hurricane oscillating fan and 8" floor fan
•Tent cooling via filtered outside air delivered by AC Infinity Cloudline T6 fan
•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 @ 68℉, 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 60-65℉ 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! 🤪🔥
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 58-60℉ 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'! 😁
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!😎🙏💚
💚 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!💚