New Grower First ever grow...Think Different...101% organic using LED lights

[redyellowgreenblack]

The only thing I would mention is to not let the top few inches of soil dry out where your seed is.I cover my seed with a little food wrap and this seems to hold moisture in around the seed.Once the seed sprouts I remove it.

Thank you for the tip and good wishes. I'll do that.

Cheers...

RYGB...

 

[redyellowgreenblack]

For organic grow tap water should be dechlorinated strictly, you do not mention sitting it or filter it.

Gonzo…you have a valid point!

Since 2005 it is not allowed anymore in my country to use chlorine as a primary way for disinfecting drinking water. UV light is used to disinfect drinking water. Why did I say primary? After reading your post I decided to research this subject again. But this time a bit more in detail.

It turns out that chlorine may still be temporarily used when there is a form of contamination. For example a broken pipeline or construction activities related to pipelines.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!! (I hope you read that line with the voice and enthusiasm of a salesperson on tv trying to promote their product that half the time wouldn’t work anyways, cause I sure did write it with that expression)

When using UV-light to disinfect drinking water, they may combine that with peroxide to break down organic waste materials. Peroxide compounds can be roughly classified into organic and inorganic. I couldn’t find if organic or inorganic peroxide is used for this matter. But then I found this:
“After hydrogen peroxide treatment, a filter is necessary to remove the precipitated elements. Carbon is almost always the filter medium of choice after hydrogen peroxide treatment. Catalytic carbon works wonderfully. Carbon also breaks down the residual peroxide, so there is usually no peroxide left in the service water. Mixed media filters and redox filters have also been used successfully.”

Now it does state “almost” and “usually”, so say I don’t how in-depth we should go into this. I also couldn’t find a legitimate website on how to easily remove peroxide from drinking water just in case there were indeed traces of it. Maybe let my water stand overnight with a carbon filter in it??

BUT WAIT! THERE’S EVEN MORE!!!!!

Besides UV-light (in combination with peroxide treatment) they may also use ozone to disinfect drinking water. Ozone is an inorganic molecule. “Ozone can be used as an ingredient in organic foods. However these foods will not be able to maintain a 100% organic rating. They will only be allowed an Organic-label, or a Made with organic ingredients-label.”

As I strive to grow my plant as organic as can be, I’m not willing to settle for a “allowed to be organic” label as long as I can help it. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not growing commercially trying to be Walter White aka Heisenberg or something. This is just my personal preference, and when I do something, I like to do it the best I can and not cut corners.)
So to (easily) remove ozone from water:

• “Subject ozonated water to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Ozone is most sensitive to light with a wavelength of 254 nanometers (nm). The energy from this light breaks one of the oxygen-oxygen bonds in each ozone molecule. The resulting free oxygen atom combines with another oxygen atom to form diatomic oxygen. Ensure the UV lamps have a quartz shield that blocks light with a wavelength of 185 nm as this radiation has the potential for creating ozone.” (Some people use uv-sterilizers for their aquarium or pond, so I don’t know if that qualifies with the wavelength parameters required).

• Add hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to the water. A municipal water supply may use hydrogen peroxide to remove residual ozone from drinking water. This procedure is known as ozone quenching and is commonly performed during plant start-up or performance testing. (Now this defeats the purpose to be most organic possible doesn’t it?)

• “Aeration by cascade, packed column or air diffusion. This method strips off the ozone to the atmosphere, so proper controls and monitoring must be employed for safety and environmental reasons.” (We’re talking about a bucket of water here, so I guess we can overlook the control and monitoring part).

• “Filtering to water through activated carbon adsorbs the dissolved ozone on the carbon and adds the removal benefit of carbon in general. This may be done on drinking water, as activated charcoal removes other contaminants as well, but cannot be done for applications requiring ultra-pure water, since the charcoal will contaminate the water.”

So my conclusion is their either using UV-light (in combination with peroxide treatment) OR Ozone to disinfect my tap water (and of course chlorine temporarily during probable contamination). They can’t be using both as UV and carbon cancels out Ozone.

So this means from now on I’ll be sitting my water with an old aquarium air pump I have laying around. I do also have some aquarium carbon filters, so I’ll be throwing that in my bucket also during the sitting period.

If there are any (bio)chemists amongst us, I would definitely like to hear your opinion on this whole matter.

Also for the fellow organic growers, feel free to drop your 2 cents on the steps you take to be more organic possible with your grow. Or maybe I should check if there is an organic growers section on this forum.

This turned out to be a long post again. I blame you Gonzo!!!...:Aw shucks:.......

But in all seriousness, thanks Gonzo for your post, as this led me to do a more in-depth research about my water supply which in turn led me to correct myself to be grow more organic possible.

Looking forward for more of your 2 cents…much obliged compadre….

As you were.

RYGB…

 

[redyellowgreenblack]

Im using a 90watt prakasa too,the new 2014 7 spectrum models with 5watt LED's. I measured the power consumption and it was 87watts. You can check pics of my grow from the link im my sig. You look like your way more prepared than i was/am! Good luck bro can't wait to see what happens!

That’s the same model I bought. Glad to hear that the power consumption is close to the claimed 90W. I’ll check out your grow for sure to see how your plant reacted to the light (mainly being 5 watt and all) and how far/close you managed to get your light from the canopy.

Cheers mate…

 

[redyellowgreenblack]

I forgot to add, while researching my water supply I came across a PDF file from the Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA (here's the link).

For the ones that may be interested. Here you can read which nonsynthetic and nonorganic substances/product may still be used as ingredients in/on products labels as "organic".

Again, these are USDA regulations and they are "tailored" for the commercial products. But it depends on the grower self on how dedicated he/she is to produce an organic product for self usage.

cheers..

RYGB...

 

[medi]

Welcome to AFN, and best of luck on the upcoming grow. I'm growing a couple of the TD right now myself organically and they are absolute monsters man, they moved into the hood and have completely taken over the place in a month's time. For future reference you could definitely have gone with a smaller container. I'm using a 12 liter pot and the taller of my plants is a bit over 60cm and just massive. Anyway dude I'll keep checking in to see how you're coming along :Sharing One:

 

[Noods]

I can see you're gonna grow just fine. :thumbs: You've really done your homework, you got the theory down, the fun hands on part should be a breeze for you. Just look at your posts... you can't keep your hands still for two minutes! :roflcry:

I use a slightly different method than Nami's good idea for keeping the little seedlings humid- clear plastic cups. Something between 300-500ml. Use a . Soldering gun or something hot to melt small holes at intervals for good air circulation. Spray the inside of these with water and set them upside down over your newborns. When the cups dry out, spray them again. Use common sense and don't start a swamp in the soil...

You have some way to keep fresh air flowing into the closet? I'm sorry if I missed you mentioning that.

I'm on board! This should be fun! "Munch..munch..munch
:Sharing One:

 

[redyellowgreenblack]

Welcome to AFN, and best of luck on the upcoming grow. I'm growing a couple of the TD right now myself organically and they are absolute monsters man, they moved into the hood and have completely taken over the place in a month's time.

Gracias señor. I searched for your journal from your current TD grow, but i couldn't find it. I'm still getting acquainted with this forum so maybe it was in front of me the whole time. I did subscribe to your Organic BAM/AKR Grow but I haven't had the time to read trough it yet. to you too with the TD's!..

For future reference you could definitely have gone with a smaller container. I'm using a 12 liter pot and the taller of my plants is a bit over 60cm and just massive.

Yeah...I was choosing between the 12L and the 15L smartpot. For a moment I was even considering the 20L and then I quickly pulled my head out of my ass. I ended up going for the 15L. I can't turn back now can I?!...If after this grow it turns out that the pot was indeed too inconveniently big...I'll go to the 12L...we'll see then.

Cheers...

RYGB...

 

[redyellowgreenblack]

I use a slightly different method than Nami's good idea for keeping the little seedlings humid- clear plastic cups. Something between 300-500ml. Use a . Soldering gun or something hot to melt small holes at intervals for good air circulation. Spray the inside of these with water and set them upside down over your newborns. When the cups dry out, spray them again. Use common sense and don't start a swamp in the soil...

Thanks for the tip..I did however use Nami's method

You have some way to keep fresh air flowing into the closet? I'm sorry if I missed you mentioning that.

No need for saying sorry dude...I have a 330m3/h (194 cfm) extraction fan

and using passive intake at the moment. I do have a small 190m3/h (112 cfm) tubular fan mounted at the intake but I don't have it powered on. I just went ahead and mounted it just in case i would need it. And if turns out it is needed, it's already there. I wouldn't have to move the whole tent again just for that.

Thnks for your support mister.

RYGB...

 

[redyellowgreenblack]

Sirs & Madams,

After 48 hours of planting the seed in the substrate we have lift off!!...:dance2:

I still need to get a CFL around 6500K in the growtent just for taking pics. For stealthy and safety reasons I keep my curtains closed when I open the growtent, so there's no natural light coming in the tent from outside.

Oh boy, the smile I have now. The joker doesn't stand a chance!...

Salud!!..

RYGB...

 

[Noods]

All systems Go! :thumbs:

Hey, my friend, I saw the fans and filters and what-not in the tent. I meant that since you have the tent inside a closet, if you were getting adequate fresh air into the closet so the tent isn't just circulating the stuffy, used air... yes, I can be confusing sometimes. :dunno:

I wish you big, budding, bountiful beauties! :Sharing One: