New Grower AutoCobs/AutoPots in 4x4 Tent, Unboxing and Setup

[Nosias]

Subbed up as this is the same style setup I got in the works. Just need to make it through surgery n recovery before I can start.

Take care of your self. We need to keep it green :dragon1:

 

[Nosias]

Next up.. media! I ordered coco and perlite which I plan to mix together 70/30. I also ordered some expanded clay pebbles to put on the bottom of the AutoPots. I ordered coco in a brick which needs to be expanded with water, which I don't plan to do until I have everything else put together. The pebbles are surprisingly light.

View attachment 751284

Of course now I'm reading that folks are just using straight coco and getting great results, so maybe I could have skipped the perlite and pebbles, sigh.

Oh god you really funny, like HA HA. I like it when so much advised gets in your/my head you/I am not sure which is correct. Just go with what fits you from all you have most certainly have been following :sweetseeds:. I will follow Hans where ever that takes me

 

[Nosias]

Ok so I've been trolling through the old forums threads and I've made some executive decisions today. First I am going to grow in straight coco and skip the clay pebbles and perlite. They will be fun for playing with other hydro setups down the line or for re-potting house plants. Here's a quote from Corgy that helped convince me.



Second I ordered the airdomes for my autopots. All the growers I am trying to emulate are using them. Here is a quote from Hans talking up the airdomes:



So I've ordered them from www.autopot-usa.com. That site is a little spendy but they have all the accessories for the autopots so I also bought some official autopot tubing (I can return the unused poly tubing to the home depot) and a few replacement filters. If you spend more than $20 you don't incur a $5 handling fee. I also ordered the Tetra Whisper air pump that Hans uses for his airdomes except I selected the 100-gallon version for the four pots.

These things better grow some grass.

heres another source for all Parts and cheaper and A on $100.00
https://www.webhydroponics.com/category/autopot-watering-systems/autopot-accessories/

 

[SPZ]

Your not using your amare anymore are you growing autos or photoperiod. What kind of yield are you getting with 220 watts be if that the case I just get a 4×8 tent and put the Amare in the middle with 2 AutoCobs on each side of the Amare does this sound in the right ballpark if I wanted to expand

Hey born2g, you can check out @BigSm0's completed grow under 220w right here on AFN. Here's the page where he discusses final weight:

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/autocob-grow-with-big-sm0-and-mephisto.57154/page-55

Basically these autocobs kill it.

 

[SPZ]

Oh god you really funny, like HA HA. I like it when so much advised gets in your/my head you/I am not sure which is correct. Just go with what fits you from all you have most certainly have been following :sweetseeds:. I will follow Hans where ever that takes me

I don't think I mentioned it, but welcome to the thread, @Nosias

Yes you are completely right! I am reading and re-reading a million threads and second guessing every move I make right now! I have no experience but a lot of desire to grow some high quality marijuana--with the AFN community to support me and keep me on track, I'm sure that good things will be coming out of my basement soon!

 

[SPZ]

Good news, my seeds are on the way! It took a few days to pay for my order and get it processed, but I now have a tracking number from @mephisto and I'm waiting with bated breath for my magic beans to get here. Expected delivery time is 2-5 days

 

[SPZ]

On a less positive note I have no idea where my airdomes might be. I definitely ordered and paid for them, but I have not heard any sort of confirmation of shipment from autopots-usa. I emailed them to ask what was going on but I have not heard back. Fingers crossed, they were shipped and will get here soon!

 

[SPZ]

heres another source for all Parts and cheaper and A on $100.00
https://www.webhydroponics.com/category/autopot-watering-systems/autopot-accessories/

The only reason I went with autopot-usa was that they stocked the autopot tubing and webhydroponics didn't, we'll see if I regret that decision...

 

[SPZ]

Regarding the airdomes, I agree 100 %, however regarding @Hansbricks comment, I suspect that a good deal of the increased drinking is actually increased evaporation due to the airflow through the media. I sometimes Flush/Cleanse my pots from the top with Florakleen to saturation and run-off into the tray.....it bubbles alright at the top of the coco and in the tray too as soon as run off starts trickling through......I've tried turning off the airdome in a couple of pots out of 6 that I handwatered for a little while, but that assumes each plant drinks the same, so my observation that the airdome off pots did require less frequent watering to run off from the tray may be just that, a perception.........I lost interest in the hand watering for some reason and with it the experiment whittled......lol

This suspected increase in evaporation is suspected of contributing to a possible build-up of salts, hence the Florakleen hullaballoo every now and then, usually mid-way and 2 times in connection with Ripen the last 2 weeks. I try to follow instructions asper GH, but it may not always be that I think GH is smarter than me and I may accidentally try doing thing a little, or grossly, different.....whether all my efforts actually amount to making any difference is debatable, but it makes me feel a smidgen research-ish and wild west explor-ish, where's that white coat and the hair net with the concealed colt 45.....

Excellent choice of the Tetra whisper, I have 3 in various sizes for my aquariums, been running silently for more than 4 years the oldest has......without a single hiccup or trying to get into my jars......

anyone paying ANY ATTENTION TO THIS DO SO AT THEIR PLANTS OWN RISK........there, that was THAT disclaimer out of the way..... LOL

Evaporation! I hadn't even thought of that or any possible negative consequence of using the airdomes

I'm also reading up on it now and it looks like you are only supposed to run the airdomes when the lights are on. That means I'll need at least one more outlet on the timer. Back to the drawing board.

Regarding the flushing, you are living on the wild side there! Let me call your attention to the autopot advanced growers tips, which states the following:

Flushing from above is NOT necessary, simply supply clean plain water from the reservoir to the modules for the last 10-14 days. DO NOT, especially if you are using mineral fertilisers pour water through the top of the pots. Salt build up when using mineral fertilisers occurs in the top 1" (2.5cm) of the pots substrate, where it has no detrimental effect on the plants growth. By pouring water through the pot at the flushing stage roots may become damaged due to the toxicity of the salt build up at the top of the substrate. Flush ALL plants by only using plain water in the reservoir.​

I'm going try to follow their advice. The only thing is, straying from vendor recommendations is a chronic disease, and I heard you can catch it just from reading forum posts...

 

[SPZ]

Keeping everyone abreast of the latest developments...

(yes, I said breast)

I have now called three electricians to fix my outlet. Dialed up the first guy in the phone book and I got a fax machine. Double checked the listing for another number but that was the only one. I suppose I could send him a fax, but instead I called the second number on the list. That number is out of service. Tried the third number down and got through to their answering service. Hey that's promising! I told them I needed an electrician and left my name and number. That was a week ago, haven't heard back. So... it may be a while before I can get that outlet rewired. Luckily an extension cord is a possibility as there is a properly wired outlet about ten feet away. Tomorrow I will try calling the fourth electrician