Lowes sell CAL-MAG, which is the same thing. I also use CAL-MAG at every feeding. 1 tsp per gallon of water. I do this throughout my entire grow with great results. If you are 4 weeks from seed, then you should just be starting to feed at week 1 of the schedule I posted up. Trust me, this formula works and has made some enourmous yeilds. Also, if you are growing auto's, I still use the same exact formula, but just tweak it a bit, since autoflowers really aren't into true flowering until vertical growth has stopped. Get some CAL-MAG and drop that PPM around the 450 range and you'll see alot of improvement. Hydro is the only way I go, and have done most methods, DWC, RDWC, ebb&flow, etc... The new grow method I am using on my new plants is a passive hydroponics system that some call "Hempy", it is totally soil free and uses perlite as a grow medium, so far its working great. Any other questions just ask.
Here is a guide that was not created by me, but I followed it and I have 5 plants running in five 5 gallon buckets and they are exploding with growth!
You may ask what is Hempy hydro? It’s a simple passive Hydro system and research shows that the Hempy way of growing has been around since the early 1980’s.The system uses no electric water pumps or air stones. If you look online, most Marijuana grow sites post discussions on how to grow using the Hempy style system. You can grow Hempy style in almost any container that will hold perlite. The system is very simple to build and is very user friendly. Almost everyone you talk to states to how well it works and how easy it is to get the system up and running!
So let’s talk about what you will need to build your very own Hempy bucket grow system.
There are many ways to modify a bucket or a household planting pot. We will cover a couple a ways to build a system and cover some basic materials you will need.
You will need a drill, a 1 inch wood cutting drill bit, a large bag of perlite, a ruler, some glue designed to bond plastic together, and some heavy duty fiberglass screen. For the glue, you can use a product called Goop made for plumbing because it is designed for water applications. It can be purchased from most hardware stores in the states. If you live outside of the states then make sure whatever you use is designed to be submerged in water and stays pliable, like silicone for fish tanks. You will also need a 3 to 5 gallon bucket.
Now take your tools mentioned above and let’s get started making a hempy bucket.
Take a 3 to 5 gallon bucket, with no holes in the bottom. Measure from the bottom of the bucket and go up 2 inches and make a mark. You can use painters tape to make the mark or you can just use a magic marker to mark it. Now go up one inch and make another mark. When you get ready to drill, put the tip of the drill bit in the center between the marks and drill out your 1 inch hole. Remove the remaining tape after drilling the hole.
Once the hole is drilled, take and cut a piece of fiberglass screen a little larger than the hole you drilled. Take your glue/adhesive and apply some around the hole on the inside of the bucket around the edge of the hole. Make sure you go out about a ¼ of an inch around the hole. Take the piece of screen you cut and place it on top of the glue and lightly press it down so it bonds to the adhesive and the bucket.
The Screen is used to keep the perlite in place but let the excess water run out. After you have finished gluing the screen you want to let it dry for 24 hrs.
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']SEE PICTURES BELOW[/FONT]
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[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']The purpose of the hole is to create a reservoir that holds the liquid in it while the plant draws nutrients from it as it grows. When you water, the excess will run out the hole but still leave 2 inches of liquid nutrients in the bottom of the pot for the plant to feed from. What you are doing is duplicating a water table just as in nature. The plants roots will go right down to the reservoir. You get great root growth and large firm buds because of it. The 2 inches provides a high enough level for the nutrients to last three to five days between watering.
Towards the end of flowering, the plants may need watering more frequently do to more nutrient intake as the buds finish putting on weight. The recommended grow container size is 3 gallon bucket for plants that you plan to flower after they reach about 18 to 24 inches tall, and then they finish out at about 3 to 3 ½ feet tall. The 5 gallon buckets are best for plants that you start flowering at about 24 inches or taller who will finish at about 4 to 5 feet in height. You should use a black bucket or dark blue bucket to keep light from causing algae growth inside the bucket and around the roots.
After the glue has set up for 24 hours it is time to add perlite to the bucket and add your plant, but here are some important points about planting to remember first.
There is a lot of dust in the perlite when it is new and just out of the bag. You need to rinse it in a large spaghetti strainer or some other strainer. You want to rinse the dust out first so it doesn’t all settle into the bottom of the pot when you water. If you don’t rinse the perlite first it will create hard white sediment in the bottom of the pot which is not good for the roots.
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Remember that the resovour holds the Nutrients and water mix. You should only have to water about every 3 days. I plant either clones or seeds started in a starter plug. The plants get there water and nutrients from the reservoir in the bottom of the pot. Only water till water starts to come out of the hole that you installed, The hole is for the excess run off, then you stop watering.
I use a pan under the bucket or you could place them on flood table of some sorts that all the run off can drain into.
Remember if you are growing using the Hempy method, as with any grow method that it's always better to start out with less Nutes than to much so as not to burn your plants and build up to what the plant likes....
You can also start your clones and seeds using the above method on a smaller scale.
Start by using an 18 oz plastic cup. The trick is to take the cup and make a “V” cut about 1.5 inches from the bottom then push the “V” in and the perlite will stay in the cup but still drain the excess nutrients off. You will need to place a pan or tray under the cups to catch the excess liquid. You can start your clones in the cups using Rapid Rooter plugs. Place the soon to be rooted clone in the cup and cover with perlite. Seeds should be started in a Rapid rooter plug before you cover them with perlite. After the seeds come up and the clones have rooted, you want to vegetate for about 4 weeks in the cups under florescent bulbs before you have to transplant into pots.
SEE PICTURES BELOW
After 2 to 3 weeks of being in the cups the roots will have developed nicely. Now back to getting ready to plant the newly rooted clones into their final pots. Take the new Hempy pots that you have made and fill them to about ¼ full. Then take your plant that is in the party cup and tip it upside down and gently squeeze the sides of the cup so it loosens the perlite, at this point it should be easy to remove plant from cup. Shake the roots out gently so they hang down. At this point the roots should be at least 6 to 8 inches in length. Hold the plant by base of its stem and lower the plant till the roots just touch the perlite in the bottom of the grow container... This is important, because the reservoir in the bottom will be wicked up into the perlite and feed the roots. Now, gently start adding some perlite to the final pot being careful as you pour it around the roots until you have it filled to the top of the pot. Now take some plain PH adjusted water. You want to adjust it to about 5.5 to 6.0 and then water the plant till you see water coming out the hole that you drilled into the side of the pot, or water collecting in the tray under the flower pot. After watering a few times you will catch the hang of it and know how much to water so just a trickle of fluid drains from the pot. The best way to tell when to water your hempy buckets is when the buckets or pots or what every container you decide to use starts to feel light, which means the perlite is drying out, but not so dry that the plant has started wilting. With a little practice you will get the hang of it. For the first week use PH adjusted water only so as to give the plant a week to get over the transplant shock, and then you can start back with the feedings. Hydro nutrients work well in this system. Important, If you are trying hydro for the first time, start feeding at half strength or less and work your way up so as not to burn you plants with too much food.
Here is a picture of some Bubblelicious I grew Hempy style. You will also notice the hole in the bottom of the pot...the final product growing Hempy!!!
And a few more shots of plant grown like this.
Here is a link of my yesterdays video update. It might help.
[video=youtube;f2n2Xjab6qk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2n2Xjab6qk[/video]
Here is a guide that was not created by me, but I followed it and I have 5 plants running in five 5 gallon buckets and they are exploding with growth!
You may ask what is Hempy hydro? It’s a simple passive Hydro system and research shows that the Hempy way of growing has been around since the early 1980’s.The system uses no electric water pumps or air stones. If you look online, most Marijuana grow sites post discussions on how to grow using the Hempy style system. You can grow Hempy style in almost any container that will hold perlite. The system is very simple to build and is very user friendly. Almost everyone you talk to states to how well it works and how easy it is to get the system up and running!
So let’s talk about what you will need to build your very own Hempy bucket grow system.
There are many ways to modify a bucket or a household planting pot. We will cover a couple a ways to build a system and cover some basic materials you will need.
You will need a drill, a 1 inch wood cutting drill bit, a large bag of perlite, a ruler, some glue designed to bond plastic together, and some heavy duty fiberglass screen. For the glue, you can use a product called Goop made for plumbing because it is designed for water applications. It can be purchased from most hardware stores in the states. If you live outside of the states then make sure whatever you use is designed to be submerged in water and stays pliable, like silicone for fish tanks. You will also need a 3 to 5 gallon bucket.
Now take your tools mentioned above and let’s get started making a hempy bucket.
Take a 3 to 5 gallon bucket, with no holes in the bottom. Measure from the bottom of the bucket and go up 2 inches and make a mark. You can use painters tape to make the mark or you can just use a magic marker to mark it. Now go up one inch and make another mark. When you get ready to drill, put the tip of the drill bit in the center between the marks and drill out your 1 inch hole. Remove the remaining tape after drilling the hole.
Once the hole is drilled, take and cut a piece of fiberglass screen a little larger than the hole you drilled. Take your glue/adhesive and apply some around the hole on the inside of the bucket around the edge of the hole. Make sure you go out about a ¼ of an inch around the hole. Take the piece of screen you cut and place it on top of the glue and lightly press it down so it bonds to the adhesive and the bucket.
The Screen is used to keep the perlite in place but let the excess water run out. After you have finished gluing the screen you want to let it dry for 24 hrs.
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']SEE PICTURES BELOW[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']The purpose of the hole is to create a reservoir that holds the liquid in it while the plant draws nutrients from it as it grows. When you water, the excess will run out the hole but still leave 2 inches of liquid nutrients in the bottom of the pot for the plant to feed from. What you are doing is duplicating a water table just as in nature. The plants roots will go right down to the reservoir. You get great root growth and large firm buds because of it. The 2 inches provides a high enough level for the nutrients to last three to five days between watering.
Towards the end of flowering, the plants may need watering more frequently do to more nutrient intake as the buds finish putting on weight. The recommended grow container size is 3 gallon bucket for plants that you plan to flower after they reach about 18 to 24 inches tall, and then they finish out at about 3 to 3 ½ feet tall. The 5 gallon buckets are best for plants that you start flowering at about 24 inches or taller who will finish at about 4 to 5 feet in height. You should use a black bucket or dark blue bucket to keep light from causing algae growth inside the bucket and around the roots.
After the glue has set up for 24 hours it is time to add perlite to the bucket and add your plant, but here are some important points about planting to remember first.
There is a lot of dust in the perlite when it is new and just out of the bag. You need to rinse it in a large spaghetti strainer or some other strainer. You want to rinse the dust out first so it doesn’t all settle into the bottom of the pot when you water. If you don’t rinse the perlite first it will create hard white sediment in the bottom of the pot which is not good for the roots.
[/FONT]
Remember that the resovour holds the Nutrients and water mix. You should only have to water about every 3 days. I plant either clones or seeds started in a starter plug. The plants get there water and nutrients from the reservoir in the bottom of the pot. Only water till water starts to come out of the hole that you installed, The hole is for the excess run off, then you stop watering.
I use a pan under the bucket or you could place them on flood table of some sorts that all the run off can drain into.
Remember if you are growing using the Hempy method, as with any grow method that it's always better to start out with less Nutes than to much so as not to burn your plants and build up to what the plant likes....
You can also start your clones and seeds using the above method on a smaller scale.
Start by using an 18 oz plastic cup. The trick is to take the cup and make a “V” cut about 1.5 inches from the bottom then push the “V” in and the perlite will stay in the cup but still drain the excess nutrients off. You will need to place a pan or tray under the cups to catch the excess liquid. You can start your clones in the cups using Rapid Rooter plugs. Place the soon to be rooted clone in the cup and cover with perlite. Seeds should be started in a Rapid rooter plug before you cover them with perlite. After the seeds come up and the clones have rooted, you want to vegetate for about 4 weeks in the cups under florescent bulbs before you have to transplant into pots.
SEE PICTURES BELOW
After 2 to 3 weeks of being in the cups the roots will have developed nicely. Now back to getting ready to plant the newly rooted clones into their final pots. Take the new Hempy pots that you have made and fill them to about ¼ full. Then take your plant that is in the party cup and tip it upside down and gently squeeze the sides of the cup so it loosens the perlite, at this point it should be easy to remove plant from cup. Shake the roots out gently so they hang down. At this point the roots should be at least 6 to 8 inches in length. Hold the plant by base of its stem and lower the plant till the roots just touch the perlite in the bottom of the grow container... This is important, because the reservoir in the bottom will be wicked up into the perlite and feed the roots. Now, gently start adding some perlite to the final pot being careful as you pour it around the roots until you have it filled to the top of the pot. Now take some plain PH adjusted water. You want to adjust it to about 5.5 to 6.0 and then water the plant till you see water coming out the hole that you drilled into the side of the pot, or water collecting in the tray under the flower pot. After watering a few times you will catch the hang of it and know how much to water so just a trickle of fluid drains from the pot. The best way to tell when to water your hempy buckets is when the buckets or pots or what every container you decide to use starts to feel light, which means the perlite is drying out, but not so dry that the plant has started wilting. With a little practice you will get the hang of it. For the first week use PH adjusted water only so as to give the plant a week to get over the transplant shock, and then you can start back with the feedings. Hydro nutrients work well in this system. Important, If you are trying hydro for the first time, start feeding at half strength or less and work your way up so as not to burn you plants with too much food.
Here is a picture of some Bubblelicious I grew Hempy style. You will also notice the hole in the bottom of the pot...the final product growing Hempy!!!
And a few more shots of plant grown like this.
Here is a link of my yesterdays video update. It might help.
[video=youtube;f2n2Xjab6qk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2n2Xjab6qk[/video]
I don't think she's gonna make it. She is looking so sick today. Lookin' like I've gotta chalk one up and learn from it, but ain't quitin' till she turns completely brown. But on a more positive side, My Afghan Kush fem photo has sprouted and the NL x BB fem photo is just about to sprout. :booya:
did you go into the article... or just follow the link?
