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DIY LED Hydro System
- Thread starter Guillo1
- Start date
No one answered my question about leaving only one plant per pot but I took one out anyways. On one pot I actually had 3 plants growing. Plants continue to show great growth. The stem is really thick and the leaves are think they almost look like plastic. Plants don't seem to be growing up but they sure are bushy.
This is one of the plants I removed from the hydro and transplanted to a 5 gal bucket
This one I transplanted from my seedling tray the same day. look at the difference in leaves. The stem on the hydro plants is almost 3 times thicker. They are about the same height.
I also scored some 32 gal plastic barrels for free and I cut them up in half. they are going to make some nice pots for some of my plants.
Most of these little guys are getting transplanted next week
This is one of the plants I removed from the hydro and transplanted to a 5 gal bucket
This one I transplanted from my seedling tray the same day. look at the difference in leaves. The stem on the hydro plants is almost 3 times thicker. They are about the same height.
I also scored some 32 gal plastic barrels for free and I cut them up in half. they are going to make some nice pots for some of my plants.
Most of these little guys are getting transplanted next week
one of my hydro plants is going to have it's 1st flowers. I put the LEDs over my plants on Jan 23, exactly 1 month ago
this is a picture of the plant
Seems like no one is following my thread I think I should have started it in the Glog section but I wasn't familiar with how the forum worked. No biggie I'm using the forum to keep track of my plants for my self.
I would like to thank all the people that helped me out at the beginning. I would not have been able to grow anything with out your help.
this is a picture of the plant
Seems like no one is following my thread I think I should have started it in the Glog section but I wasn't familiar with how the forum worked. No biggie I'm using the forum to keep track of my plants for my self.
I would like to thank all the people that helped me out at the beginning. I would not have been able to grow anything with out your help.
a couple more pictures of my reef tank
Nice tank! Good to see that I'm not the only reef/pepper head.. No current tank though (not since my divorce), but there's a 210g with all the eq just waiting to be setup here.. (sold my 300 after the big D). Luckily I am recycling alot of reef eq for my peppers.
Plants lookin good, but I'm a newbie myself, soI dont know much... yet....
LOL
you should set up a hydro it's so much like running a reef
thank you..... well this is my 1st time growing and I seem to be doing ok
I might start a thread in the Glog section cause thats were it belongs.Keep on updating, I'm following this thread
Do you have links to the LEDs you're using for the grow lights?
Anyways since we have a new Hot pepper record holder I had to get on the bandwagon. I ordered some Maruga Scorpions and got some free Brian Strain as well. I want to grow them as fast as possible so I'm going to put them in a hydro as soon as the seeds germinate. A few days ago I went to eat at a sushi place here in town and in the back they had some empty square, plastic buckets. I asked the waitress if I could have one and she said yes. It's about a 2 gal bucket and I made 9 holes on the lid that will hold 7 oz plastic cups. It was pretty easy to make at it should make my seedlings grow like if they were on steriods.
seeds started Feb 21, I had 2 with hooks this morning. I also put like 10 Cayenne and those suckers all hooked on the 23. I place the jiffy dome over a T5 fixture and the seeds on a paper towel and it seems to work great.
Cayenne
ginger bucket
I wouldn't say they are necessary but light and PAR are magnified with optics so using optics is a good idea. The optics will at least double the PAR output. For the past 3-4 weeks I have been without optics because I had to take them off to put them on my Reef tank fixture. I still think a small DIY LED fixture is way better than the $1300 plus led fixture been sold online.
Optics that I'm using are only .15 cents each so it would be dumb not to use them. I have some on order now.
thats a pretty sweet build and grow man.
and love the tank as well. Always wanted to get into reef tanks but never had the time/space/cashflow. lol.
Thinking for of a smilar setup for a grow for next winter though. be nice to have some real hearty plants for the garden some summertimes.
and love the tank as well. Always wanted to get into reef tanks but never had the time/space/cashflow. lol.
Thinking for of a smilar setup for a grow for next winter though. be nice to have some real hearty plants for the garden some summertimes.
If anyone needed proof that LED's can give awesome results here it is. Those plants look amazing and such a deep green.
With the reef tank, do you have the lights just above the water surface most of the time or some sort of cover between the tank and the lights? Otherwise I find my eye drawn to the lights instead to the aquarium.
With the reef tank, do you have the lights just above the water surface most of the time or some sort of cover between the tank and the lights? Otherwise I find my eye drawn to the lights instead to the aquarium.
Nice setup, I think DWC is the easiest, most maintenance -free way to go.This will be my second year on hydro. I currently have have a two year old Fatalli and a Tridad Scorp Orig. on 2.5 gal DWC bubble buckets. Las year I grew White Hab, Thai, and Jamaican Hot Choc on a 10 gal DWC tub along with tomatoes and herbs out doors and they produced tons. Also I made a small cloner out of a tupperware container and cloned like crazy, the rooted cuttings take to soil easily.
Things I learned:
1. as soon as your weather stays a constant 70, move em outside as they grow big. My white hab was 3 ft by 2 ft and my Jam Hot Choc was at 4ft.
2. dont grow using agressive phase if you dont have a long growing season, use regular grow cycle. I grew agressively and my Fatalli my fatalli hit 4ft, over grew and only put out 3 pods, then again this was indoors. I used the reg. phase outdoors and had really good results too.
Things I learned:
1. as soon as your weather stays a constant 70, move em outside as they grow big. My white hab was 3 ft by 2 ft and my Jam Hot Choc was at 4ft.
2. dont grow using agressive phase if you dont have a long growing season, use regular grow cycle. I grew agressively and my Fatalli my fatalli hit 4ft, over grew and only put out 3 pods, then again this was indoors. I used the reg. phase outdoors and had really good results too.
The reef tank has 3 sides where you can view the corals from. The optics focus the light down so it doesn't draw your eyes to it. If optics are off them yea the light is really bright that it hurts your eyes.
thanx for the compliment....
check out this picture I just took. Is that pollen inside the flower?
yes, pollen... looking really good there.
I finally caved in after skimming through this thread a few times and ordered myself some LEDs 
60x 460nm deep reds
30x 445nm deep royal blues
30x 620-630nm reds
20x 460nm blues
200x 60° lenses
And then some 680mA drivers that can drive 10-18 LEDs each.
I'm looking forward to this build. My peppers should sprout soon, so timing should be great.
Thanks for a good writeup guillo, you inspired me to go full retard with this thing
60x 460nm deep reds
30x 445nm deep royal blues
30x 620-630nm reds
20x 460nm blues
200x 60° lenses
And then some 680mA drivers that can drive 10-18 LEDs each.
I'm looking forward to this build. My peppers should sprout soon, so timing should be great.
Thanks for a good writeup guillo, you inspired me to go full retard with this thing
what type of drivers did you get? Is it dimmable? What are you gonna use for heatsink? I'll probably do a step by step instruction on how to put together an LED fixture.I finally caved in after skimming through this thread a few times and ordered myself some LEDs
60x 460nm deep reds
30x 445nm deep royal blues
30x 620-630nm reds
20x 460nm blues
200x 60° lenses
And then some 680mA drivers that can drive 10-18 LEDs each.
I'm looking forward to this build. My peppers should sprout soon, so timing should be great.
Thanks for a good writeup guillo, you inspired me to go full retard with this thing