nuggdigger
01-11-2009, 07:43 PM
posted by Captain Kaieda on 02-05-2003 on DDoc.net
"I have found that using perlite or a perlite mix works well in the Cage or the Coliseum. Perlite is affordable and attainable throughout the world and is perhaps easier to use then the perlite mix or Hydrotron. In comparison gardens of the same type, I haven't noticed much difference in the yield between straight perlite, 70/30 perlite-vermiculite, 70-30 perlite-peat. pr 70/30 perlite/coco fiber. The perlite-vermiculite and the straight perlite mediums were easier to clean and vacuum out of the systems. The 70/30 perlite-peat or 70/30 perlite-coco fiber were much easier to clone plants in. In the columns it was easier to set up automatic watering when using Hydrotron, but in the Coliseum the perlite and perlite are easier. It was much easier to get less leachant when using the perlite or perlite mix then using the Hydrotron. That meant less water used and less wasted.
But keep in mind that a small amount of leachant is healthy for the plant. For example, it prevents any salt buildup in your medium.
It was much easier for beginners to get better yields in the Cage or Coliseum using the straight perlite or the perlite mixes. The Hydrotron has had the best yields in the Cage to date, but only by growers that have mastered the process. the perlite and perlite mixes have been yielding much better in the Coliseum then the Hydrotron to date. However there have not been a lot of tests performed with the Hydrotron in the Coliseum so this is not statistically proven yet.
Sunshine Mix or Promix are perlite mixes, but they do not contain enough perlite for the Cage or Coliseum systems. I recommend mixing a 110 Liter (29 US gallon) bag of perlite with every 4 Cu. ft. bag of Sunshine Mix or Promix. Many super soils (organic mixes) will work well in the Coliseum or Cage, but mix them so that the end mix contains 70 percent perlite.
Hopefully this will help you pick a good medium and allow you to use the system to the best of your ability.-DDoc"
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Medium: a mixture of 70% perlite and 30% vermiculite
System: The Coliseum
Feeding Schedule:
1) Before you transplant your clones or seedlings into the Coliseum, wet the medium with a 500 ppm (KCL scale) nutrient solution with 10 ml/gallon of GGold Boost added. Add the nutrient solution to the Colisuem until there is some runoff from the drain fittings. Then dig holes in the wet medium and place the clones or seedlings into the Coliseum. Then fill the holes completely with medium. For the top row only you may need to use mesh baskets or Neopreme inserts or use tape to cover the openings to prevent the solution from spraying out. We recommend you do not use mesh baskets for any row except the top row.
2) If mesh baskets are used on the top row then water daily for 15 seconds for the first week. This keeps the plants in the mesh baskets from drying out.
3) Once per week, every Saturday for example, add a 700 ppm GGold Late Bloom solution with 10 ml/gallon of GGold Boost added. (20 gallons per 10 row Coliseum normally)
4) The following day (e.g. every Sunday) add a 700 ppm GGold Late Bloom solution with 10 ml/gallon GGold Boost added until there is runoff draining out the drain fittings at the bottom of the Coliseum. This will require approximately 8 gallons of solution.
5) Repeat steps 3 and 4 until flowering is initiated.
6) Once flowering is initiated... once per week, every Saturday for example, add a 900 ppm GGold Late Bloom solution with 10 ml/gallon of GGold Boost added. (20 gallons or more normally)
7) The following day (Sunday) add a 900 ppm GGold Late Bloom solution with 10 ml/gallon of GGold Boost added until there is runoff from the drain fittings.
8) Repeat steps 6 and 7 until two weeks before harvest. The Saturday waterings may have to be increased to between 20 and 40 gallons per 10-row Coliseum.
9) Fourteen days before harvest start using straight water.
10) Ten days before harvest flush enough water through the Coliseum to bring the ppm down to 300 ppm in the runoff water.
11) Seven days before harvest flush enough water through the Coliseum to bring the ppm down to 100 ppm.
12) Seven days before harvest after performing step 11, mix up 50 gallons of GGold Leach (10 ml/gallon) and run it through the Coliseum.
Lucky 13) Harvest your crop.
If the plants are larger then the ideal size when initiating flowering then use GGold Early Bloom for the first two weeks of flowering instead of Late Bloom formula. This will help control the stretching of the plants.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Medium: a mixture of 70% perlite and 30% peat
System: The Coliseum
The frequency of feeding will depend on the size of your plants. With a mix of 70% perlite and 30% peat the feeding cycle will be between once per week up to once every two days. If the spacing between the plants is 5 inches flower them when they are between 4 and 6 inches tall. If the spacing between plants is 10 inches flower them between 6 and 9 inches tall. If the spacing between the plants is 15 inches then flower them between 8 and 12 inches. With a moisture meter you normally only have to check the top two rows of plants. When the top two rows are dry you need to water. The top rows seem to dry outmore quickly because there's hotter temperatures and more transpiration there.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Medium: Aeroponics
System: The Coliseum
I found 15 sec to 30 sec every 5 to 10 minutes will work well. It is best to clone in the smallest amount of medium you can and then just insert the plants into the aero system using nepreme inserts. It eliminates the problem of having a large amount of medium keeping a large amount of roots oversaturated.
Here are some absolutely necessary factors to control if you are going aeroponic. If you cannot follow these factors then a media-filled Coliseum will
perform better.
-Ph between 5.2 and 6.5
-for your PPM, start at 500 and work up by 50 ppm per day until leaves curl or you get tip burn. Then back off by 100 ppm. Eg 500,550,600,650,700,750,800,850,900, tip burn occurs then run at 800 ppm. Peak strength may vary throughout the crop cycle.
-Water temperature between 60 F and 70 F.
-Room temperatures between 70 F and 80 F.
-Change solution at least once every week and flush for two hours with 2 ml/gallon of 35 percent hydrogen peroxide. Then add your nutrient.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
The mesh baskets can cause problems for some of the plant sites if the plants' roots have not been established out the bottom of the mesh basket by the time the plants are transplanted into the Coliseum.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Using Tuck Tape on the top row works great instead of using the mesh baskets. Fill the medium as high as you can, add the plant, Tuck tape over the hole down to the stem of the plant. It sounds stupid but it works quite well.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Use a dust mask when filling the Coliseum with either straight perlite or a perlite mixture.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
You may decide to reuse the perlite/vermiculite mixture for one or more of the following crops.
At the end of the crop use a large Shop Vac to remove the media from the Coliseum. Remove as many roots as possible by hand. Refill the Coliseum. Then flush the media with a solution of 2 to 4 ml of 35 percent peroxide per gallon of water. Recirculate the solution for two to four hours. Adding beneficial bacteria (such as Rambride Bio Bran) and a small amount of organic nutrients in the nutrient will help prevent problems.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Medium: Hydrotron
System: the Cage
When plants are 2 inches to 4 inches tall feed them every 9 to 18 hours when the lights are on (once or twice per day).
When plants are 4 inches to 8 inches tall feed them every 6 to 9 hours when the lights are on (two or three times per day).
When plants are 8 inches or taller feed them every 2 to 6 hours when the lights are on (three to six times per day).
At the stage of maximum water uptake feed them every 2 to 3 hours.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Depending on the medium, you can actually even go longer then every 18 hours when the plants are small. One of the secrets is to let the roots of small plants stay relatively dry. this induces good root growth. When they are in the prime bud building stage then keep the roots moist. That is, keep the medium moist and not to wet. You want to allow the roots to absorb the maximum amount of nutrient solution without drowning the roots.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
How to prevent clogged drain fittings:
It's a good idea to have some Hydroton clay pellets around each of the Coliseum drain fittings. First, cut small pieces of window screen, roll them up like a cigar and put them in the openings of the drain fittings. they should stick out 2 inches from the top of the drain fittings and should be far enough in the drain fittings that they don't fall out easily - one to two inches is normally enough. This will prevent the Hydrotron from plugging the holes. Add some Hydrotron over each of the drain fittings to make small mounds on Hydrotron 3 inches high. Then you can add your perlite/vermiculite mix into the Coliseum on top of these. The advantages are two-fold. First, you're ensuring the drain holes don't get clogged. Second, if the perlite/vermiculite mix is not mixed well then the layer of Hydrotron will improve your drainage and prevent any pooling of water or uneven drainage.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
"I find that what works well in a flat system works well in a Cage or Coliseum.
These are typical things that can go wrong for growers:
1) The plant root zone is kept to wet.
-This problem occurs in flat gardens as well as Cages and Coliseums. The secret here is that small plants that are kept to wet never do much. You must keep them moist but not wet. This is more difficult in a Cage than in a flat garden. However, it is easy to do in a Coliseum.
2) Plants get too bushy and don't get enough light.
-This problem occurs in flat systems all the time, but we move the plants apart and them them more room. In systems like the Cage or Coliseum we must implement pruning and pinching techniques to keep the light on the bud rather then on the shade leaves.
3) Recirculating solutions and root pathogens.
-This problem is common to all wet hydroponic systems. The solution is to use a system that allows the roots to transition from wet to dry and so on in the root zone or a system that maintains a moist root zone. Systems that stay wet all the time are prone to root pathogen diseases so in that case you must keep water temperatures below 70 degrees F and the dissolved oxygen level high.
4) Flowering plants when they are too small.
-This problem occurs in flat systems as well as in Cages or Coliseums. To most flat growers this problem is avoided because we never flower a 4-inch plant in a 12 inch by 12 inch space.
I normally find that a vertical cylindrical garden like the Cage or Coliseum will double your yield per watt when used properly." -DDoc
"I have found that using perlite or a perlite mix works well in the Cage or the Coliseum. Perlite is affordable and attainable throughout the world and is perhaps easier to use then the perlite mix or Hydrotron. In comparison gardens of the same type, I haven't noticed much difference in the yield between straight perlite, 70/30 perlite-vermiculite, 70-30 perlite-peat. pr 70/30 perlite/coco fiber. The perlite-vermiculite and the straight perlite mediums were easier to clean and vacuum out of the systems. The 70/30 perlite-peat or 70/30 perlite-coco fiber were much easier to clone plants in. In the columns it was easier to set up automatic watering when using Hydrotron, but in the Coliseum the perlite and perlite are easier. It was much easier to get less leachant when using the perlite or perlite mix then using the Hydrotron. That meant less water used and less wasted.
But keep in mind that a small amount of leachant is healthy for the plant. For example, it prevents any salt buildup in your medium.
It was much easier for beginners to get better yields in the Cage or Coliseum using the straight perlite or the perlite mixes. The Hydrotron has had the best yields in the Cage to date, but only by growers that have mastered the process. the perlite and perlite mixes have been yielding much better in the Coliseum then the Hydrotron to date. However there have not been a lot of tests performed with the Hydrotron in the Coliseum so this is not statistically proven yet.
Sunshine Mix or Promix are perlite mixes, but they do not contain enough perlite for the Cage or Coliseum systems. I recommend mixing a 110 Liter (29 US gallon) bag of perlite with every 4 Cu. ft. bag of Sunshine Mix or Promix. Many super soils (organic mixes) will work well in the Coliseum or Cage, but mix them so that the end mix contains 70 percent perlite.
Hopefully this will help you pick a good medium and allow you to use the system to the best of your ability.-DDoc"
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Medium: a mixture of 70% perlite and 30% vermiculite
System: The Coliseum
Feeding Schedule:
1) Before you transplant your clones or seedlings into the Coliseum, wet the medium with a 500 ppm (KCL scale) nutrient solution with 10 ml/gallon of GGold Boost added. Add the nutrient solution to the Colisuem until there is some runoff from the drain fittings. Then dig holes in the wet medium and place the clones or seedlings into the Coliseum. Then fill the holes completely with medium. For the top row only you may need to use mesh baskets or Neopreme inserts or use tape to cover the openings to prevent the solution from spraying out. We recommend you do not use mesh baskets for any row except the top row.
2) If mesh baskets are used on the top row then water daily for 15 seconds for the first week. This keeps the plants in the mesh baskets from drying out.
3) Once per week, every Saturday for example, add a 700 ppm GGold Late Bloom solution with 10 ml/gallon of GGold Boost added. (20 gallons per 10 row Coliseum normally)
4) The following day (e.g. every Sunday) add a 700 ppm GGold Late Bloom solution with 10 ml/gallon GGold Boost added until there is runoff draining out the drain fittings at the bottom of the Coliseum. This will require approximately 8 gallons of solution.
5) Repeat steps 3 and 4 until flowering is initiated.
6) Once flowering is initiated... once per week, every Saturday for example, add a 900 ppm GGold Late Bloom solution with 10 ml/gallon of GGold Boost added. (20 gallons or more normally)
7) The following day (Sunday) add a 900 ppm GGold Late Bloom solution with 10 ml/gallon of GGold Boost added until there is runoff from the drain fittings.
8) Repeat steps 6 and 7 until two weeks before harvest. The Saturday waterings may have to be increased to between 20 and 40 gallons per 10-row Coliseum.
9) Fourteen days before harvest start using straight water.
10) Ten days before harvest flush enough water through the Coliseum to bring the ppm down to 300 ppm in the runoff water.
11) Seven days before harvest flush enough water through the Coliseum to bring the ppm down to 100 ppm.
12) Seven days before harvest after performing step 11, mix up 50 gallons of GGold Leach (10 ml/gallon) and run it through the Coliseum.
Lucky 13) Harvest your crop.
If the plants are larger then the ideal size when initiating flowering then use GGold Early Bloom for the first two weeks of flowering instead of Late Bloom formula. This will help control the stretching of the plants.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Medium: a mixture of 70% perlite and 30% peat
System: The Coliseum
The frequency of feeding will depend on the size of your plants. With a mix of 70% perlite and 30% peat the feeding cycle will be between once per week up to once every two days. If the spacing between the plants is 5 inches flower them when they are between 4 and 6 inches tall. If the spacing between plants is 10 inches flower them between 6 and 9 inches tall. If the spacing between the plants is 15 inches then flower them between 8 and 12 inches. With a moisture meter you normally only have to check the top two rows of plants. When the top two rows are dry you need to water. The top rows seem to dry outmore quickly because there's hotter temperatures and more transpiration there.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Medium: Aeroponics
System: The Coliseum
I found 15 sec to 30 sec every 5 to 10 minutes will work well. It is best to clone in the smallest amount of medium you can and then just insert the plants into the aero system using nepreme inserts. It eliminates the problem of having a large amount of medium keeping a large amount of roots oversaturated.
Here are some absolutely necessary factors to control if you are going aeroponic. If you cannot follow these factors then a media-filled Coliseum will
perform better.
-Ph between 5.2 and 6.5
-for your PPM, start at 500 and work up by 50 ppm per day until leaves curl or you get tip burn. Then back off by 100 ppm. Eg 500,550,600,650,700,750,800,850,900, tip burn occurs then run at 800 ppm. Peak strength may vary throughout the crop cycle.
-Water temperature between 60 F and 70 F.
-Room temperatures between 70 F and 80 F.
-Change solution at least once every week and flush for two hours with 2 ml/gallon of 35 percent hydrogen peroxide. Then add your nutrient.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
The mesh baskets can cause problems for some of the plant sites if the plants' roots have not been established out the bottom of the mesh basket by the time the plants are transplanted into the Coliseum.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Using Tuck Tape on the top row works great instead of using the mesh baskets. Fill the medium as high as you can, add the plant, Tuck tape over the hole down to the stem of the plant. It sounds stupid but it works quite well.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Use a dust mask when filling the Coliseum with either straight perlite or a perlite mixture.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
You may decide to reuse the perlite/vermiculite mixture for one or more of the following crops.
At the end of the crop use a large Shop Vac to remove the media from the Coliseum. Remove as many roots as possible by hand. Refill the Coliseum. Then flush the media with a solution of 2 to 4 ml of 35 percent peroxide per gallon of water. Recirculate the solution for two to four hours. Adding beneficial bacteria (such as Rambride Bio Bran) and a small amount of organic nutrients in the nutrient will help prevent problems.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Medium: Hydrotron
System: the Cage
When plants are 2 inches to 4 inches tall feed them every 9 to 18 hours when the lights are on (once or twice per day).
When plants are 4 inches to 8 inches tall feed them every 6 to 9 hours when the lights are on (two or three times per day).
When plants are 8 inches or taller feed them every 2 to 6 hours when the lights are on (three to six times per day).
At the stage of maximum water uptake feed them every 2 to 3 hours.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
Depending on the medium, you can actually even go longer then every 18 hours when the plants are small. One of the secrets is to let the roots of small plants stay relatively dry. this induces good root growth. When they are in the prime bud building stage then keep the roots moist. That is, keep the medium moist and not to wet. You want to allow the roots to absorb the maximum amount of nutrient solution without drowning the roots.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
How to prevent clogged drain fittings:
It's a good idea to have some Hydroton clay pellets around each of the Coliseum drain fittings. First, cut small pieces of window screen, roll them up like a cigar and put them in the openings of the drain fittings. they should stick out 2 inches from the top of the drain fittings and should be far enough in the drain fittings that they don't fall out easily - one to two inches is normally enough. This will prevent the Hydrotron from plugging the holes. Add some Hydrotron over each of the drain fittings to make small mounds on Hydrotron 3 inches high. Then you can add your perlite/vermiculite mix into the Coliseum on top of these. The advantages are two-fold. First, you're ensuring the drain holes don't get clogged. Second, if the perlite/vermiculite mix is not mixed well then the layer of Hydrotron will improve your drainage and prevent any pooling of water or uneven drainage.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________
"I find that what works well in a flat system works well in a Cage or Coliseum.
These are typical things that can go wrong for growers:
1) The plant root zone is kept to wet.
-This problem occurs in flat gardens as well as Cages and Coliseums. The secret here is that small plants that are kept to wet never do much. You must keep them moist but not wet. This is more difficult in a Cage than in a flat garden. However, it is easy to do in a Coliseum.
2) Plants get too bushy and don't get enough light.
-This problem occurs in flat systems all the time, but we move the plants apart and them them more room. In systems like the Cage or Coliseum we must implement pruning and pinching techniques to keep the light on the bud rather then on the shade leaves.
3) Recirculating solutions and root pathogens.
-This problem is common to all wet hydroponic systems. The solution is to use a system that allows the roots to transition from wet to dry and so on in the root zone or a system that maintains a moist root zone. Systems that stay wet all the time are prone to root pathogen diseases so in that case you must keep water temperatures below 70 degrees F and the dissolved oxygen level high.
4) Flowering plants when they are too small.
-This problem occurs in flat systems as well as in Cages or Coliseums. To most flat growers this problem is avoided because we never flower a 4-inch plant in a 12 inch by 12 inch space.
I normally find that a vertical cylindrical garden like the Cage or Coliseum will double your yield per watt when used properly." -DDoc