Well, I wasn't sure what this green house looking box was before I bought it, but it was selling for $25.00 and tax so I got it on a whim although I almost didn't because I wasn't sure if it worked or not and was being sold "As Is" not tested. Well it turned out to be a nice snap as the unit was a Phototron 5 and retails for $360.00. I was surprised to see that everything worked fine with the exception of one bulb that had cracked while I was moving it out of my truck. It didn't look like much at first and had a ton of dirt, spider webs throughout the unit and a very odd pungent smell in it when I opened it up.
Well a bit of cleaning with a bleach and water mix and a replacement bulb and it looks as good as new. After doing a bit of research on this it seems that it's some type of very humid portable greenhouse for lack of a better description. A lot of users seem to complain about the lack of light, it has 3 40 watt CFL bulbs and 1 hanging bulb in the center that can be changed out for germination / growing as needed. I currently have a single 25 watt CFL on an adjustment hanger about 3" above the top of the plant and will probably upgrade to a full 40 watt CFL giving the single plant 1600 watts total. This should be more than enough for a single plant as the entire unit is only about 2' wide and 2.5' high. It seems that a lot of users would either not use or replace the sphagnum peat moss that is suppose to be used with the unit and use it as a regular potted plant vessel instead. As a result there are a lot of modified units where the user has added fans, bigger lights, different soil to suite their specific needs. However I found 1 post that specifies the reasons why peat moss is used. Apparently it's suppose to create a very humid and wet environment with just enough air flow for the plant and as a result the soil needs to retain a LOT of moisture to avoid drying out to quickly. He said if you follow the directions and use the unit as suggested you won't have problem. So planned to use it as suggested and not modify it to death.
The plant I'm going to try and save is a dying Bhut Jolokia that I got from a local grower who actually knew less about growing peppers then I did. I purchased 1 good plant and he tossed in the sick plant for free and said it will probably die, but if you want to try and save I could. I went out and picked up a some fine peat moss for the lower portion and will add some thicker moss for the top half once it arrives in the mail. Since peat moss has a very low pH level the units come with a small bottle of powder that is suppose to add nutrients and help the plants grow. I opted not to order the $15.00 bottle of "Base Formula" and decided to mix up my own batch of nutrients. Since peat needs a pH buffer I went with a mix of calcium carbonate, iron chelate, lime, a GH booster and a fine volcanic powder called Montmorillonite . Montmorillonite's water content is variable and it increases greatly in volume when it absorbs water. Chemically it is hydrated sodium calcium aluminum magnesium silicate hydroxide (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2·nH2O. Potassium, iron, and other cations are common substitutes, the exact ratio of cations varies with source. It often occurs intermixed with chlorite, muscovite, illite, cookeite and kaolinite. Montmorillonite is important use as an additive to soils that need to retain moisture. The effect of the Montmorillonite is to slow the progress of water through the soil when added and will retain a lot of water within it's microscopic crystals. I've had great success in the past by adding some to the upper portion of the soil in dry areas. It keeps water in the soil as needed, without drowning the roots at the same time.
I planted the Bhut last night and gave it a lot of water initially per the instructions on the Phototron. I added the additional ferts this morning and will run the lights in a 16/8 daily cycle. Below are a few before and after pics. Hopefully the environment, lights, and specific ferts are enough to bring it back from what would have been certain death. I'll keep updates regularly and if it doesn't make it I'll try and grow a Chocolate Fatalii in it. Wish me luck!
Unit with panels removed before cleaning:
Close up of unit with old dirt still in the bottom. Notice the weird shaped leaf toward the top right of the unit. No clue what it was, but it had a very weird pungent smell
Pics the the dying Bhut
Well a bit of cleaning with a bleach and water mix and a replacement bulb and it looks as good as new. After doing a bit of research on this it seems that it's some type of very humid portable greenhouse for lack of a better description. A lot of users seem to complain about the lack of light, it has 3 40 watt CFL bulbs and 1 hanging bulb in the center that can be changed out for germination / growing as needed. I currently have a single 25 watt CFL on an adjustment hanger about 3" above the top of the plant and will probably upgrade to a full 40 watt CFL giving the single plant 1600 watts total. This should be more than enough for a single plant as the entire unit is only about 2' wide and 2.5' high. It seems that a lot of users would either not use or replace the sphagnum peat moss that is suppose to be used with the unit and use it as a regular potted plant vessel instead. As a result there are a lot of modified units where the user has added fans, bigger lights, different soil to suite their specific needs. However I found 1 post that specifies the reasons why peat moss is used. Apparently it's suppose to create a very humid and wet environment with just enough air flow for the plant and as a result the soil needs to retain a LOT of moisture to avoid drying out to quickly. He said if you follow the directions and use the unit as suggested you won't have problem. So planned to use it as suggested and not modify it to death.
The plant I'm going to try and save is a dying Bhut Jolokia that I got from a local grower who actually knew less about growing peppers then I did. I purchased 1 good plant and he tossed in the sick plant for free and said it will probably die, but if you want to try and save I could. I went out and picked up a some fine peat moss for the lower portion and will add some thicker moss for the top half once it arrives in the mail. Since peat moss has a very low pH level the units come with a small bottle of powder that is suppose to add nutrients and help the plants grow. I opted not to order the $15.00 bottle of "Base Formula" and decided to mix up my own batch of nutrients. Since peat needs a pH buffer I went with a mix of calcium carbonate, iron chelate, lime, a GH booster and a fine volcanic powder called Montmorillonite . Montmorillonite's water content is variable and it increases greatly in volume when it absorbs water. Chemically it is hydrated sodium calcium aluminum magnesium silicate hydroxide (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2·nH2O. Potassium, iron, and other cations are common substitutes, the exact ratio of cations varies with source. It often occurs intermixed with chlorite, muscovite, illite, cookeite and kaolinite. Montmorillonite is important use as an additive to soils that need to retain moisture. The effect of the Montmorillonite is to slow the progress of water through the soil when added and will retain a lot of water within it's microscopic crystals. I've had great success in the past by adding some to the upper portion of the soil in dry areas. It keeps water in the soil as needed, without drowning the roots at the same time.
I planted the Bhut last night and gave it a lot of water initially per the instructions on the Phototron. I added the additional ferts this morning and will run the lights in a 16/8 daily cycle. Below are a few before and after pics. Hopefully the environment, lights, and specific ferts are enough to bring it back from what would have been certain death. I'll keep updates regularly and if it doesn't make it I'll try and grow a Chocolate Fatalii in it. Wish me luck!
Unit with panels removed before cleaning:
Close up of unit with old dirt still in the bottom. Notice the weird shaped leaf toward the top right of the unit. No clue what it was, but it had a very weird pungent smell
Pics the the dying Bhut
. Seriously though that thing looks pimp, I bet in no time that bhut will bounce back and your growbox will be stuffed with that plant. Keep us updated.
The company making these advertised the hell out of it in the magazine High Times. They make a great setup for starting plants or cuttlings but you could never grow anything full term due to it's size and of course fluorescent lighting.