Weckels indoor

In my previous article we took a look at a grow cupboard that was pretty easy to set up and equip. In this issue we’ll be trading up and looking at a professionally-equipped grow cupboard, as well as how we can raise plants on two different substrates, so that we can get a good comparison of the (potential) differences.

The grow cupboard that we will be looking at in this article is more luxurious and easy to use than the one we looked at last time. What is more, the cupboard is also quite a bit bigger in volume, which also makes the growing operation a bit more congenial. For the lighting in this grow cupboard I have plumped for six 250-watt lamps. So in total the plants are lit by 1500 watts. We have deliberately gone for six 250-watt lamps rather than, say, two 600-watters. In doing so, the light is more evenly distributed throughout the whole growing area, and this will be to the benefit of the eventual yield. What is more, the plants will develop much better and more evenly than if they had been raise competing constantly for the available light.

As well as the difference in lamps, this grow cupboard also has a much larger capacity ventilator. A ventilator with at least 1500 cubic metres capacity is needed to keep the grow cupboard free of stench and overly-warm air. We are also deliberately going for a ventilator with a large capacity (for a grow cupboard ), because this ventilator will also be able to suck fresh air (from outside) in to the grow cupboard. To make this process somewhat easier still, we have mounted the grow cupboard on a pallet, which allows us to keep the base of the cupboard open. The ventilator can now suck the fresh air (from outside the grow cupboard) through the gaps in the pallet in to the grow cupboard. This system works superbly and the plants will be continuously supplied with fresh air, which will benefit their growth (and later their bloom too) tremendously. The refreshment of air in a grow cupboard did have a tendency to cause problematic situations in the past in, since every hole or slit in the cupboard allowed a glimmer of bright light to escape, which always had the possibility of piquing the curiosity and attracting the interest of unwanted guests.

The cold air that we suck from outside in to the cupboard also has the beneficial effect of acting as a coolant for the cupboard. Despite the large ventilation capacity the temperature of such a small space, thanks to the many lamps, is raised rapidly. This is anything but handy for the marihuana plants. Even though we do our absolute best to not allow the temperature to rise above 27-28°C, we will still catch the thermometer once in a while creeping up to register a temperature of 29 or 30°C. All in all this is not such a shocking observation, but even so it is something that we as growers should be trying to prevent as much as we can. With a temperature of 30°C, the growth of the plant comes pretty much to a standstill, and that is something of a shame when you consider the amount of energy we’re pumping in to the grow cupboard in total!

The positioning of the plants is also quite different to the previous grow cupboard. The plants are now stood two by two, which reduces the wastage of light quite a bit. This was not the case in the previous grow cupboard, where the plants were placed in a row next to each other. What is more the slightly large size of the grow cupboard that we are looking at this time can easily accommodate lovely big bushes rather than skinny plants that immediately shoot up in height.

Where in the previous article we were using a somewhat less professional grow cupboard, thanks to which we had to look for creative solutions when we were forced or wanted to take a few days off from the demanding schedule of plant care, this ‘problem’ is no longer an issue with this professionallyequipped cupboard. The plants this time can bank on a professional irrigation system and this is something that will save us as growers a whole lot of messing around hauling buckets of water. The irrigation system provides the plants during the each light period continuously with water, with all sorts of liquid nutrients mixed in with it. The small drops of feed water with which the irrigation system soaks the substrate makes sure that the plants (over and over again and in equal measure) are provided with everything they need. We are growing the plants on a nutrientpoor subsoil and so we have to find this alternative way of meeting its nutritional needs.

For two out of the four plants we use mapito as the substrate. This is a medium consisting of flakes, and one that I have used only once some time ago. It is a petroleum-based foam that is produced for the furniture industry, and it serves as a filling for things like settees. The trimmed off-cuts left over from the production process are sliced up into flakes, whereupon it becomes known as mapito. These flakes have become a popular medium for growers because they weigh very little and they can be used for raising highyield harvests. It is also a really good substrate for growing on.

The other two plants are grown on a rough mixture of coco (coconut fibre). The mapito and the rough coco mix are both used in our space in tubs of 80 litres. This large size of the tubs means that the plants have more than enough room in which to develop themselves a healthy and strong root system. Furthermore, thanks to the size of the tubs they will be better anchored and so better able to produce a good harvest. In order to boost the stability in the rather airy flakes, the clones are rooted in very large rock wool blocks. These rock wool blocks suck themselves full of water, thanks to which the plants stand as sturdily as a house. In addition to this, the flakes of mapito and the rough chunks of coco can hold a huge amount of oxygen in them, so that the roots of the plants have no chance of suffocating in their 80 litre subsoil.

The tubs themselves hang in another tub, through which the feed water (gently) streams. There are actually two forms of growing possible with such a system. We can choose to give the young clones, once they have had a few days to develop a small root system, a continuous supply of feed water (via the irrigation system). By doing this the root growth of the plant will be pretty drastically reduced, given that the plant now has more than enough feed water at its disposal. In short, the roots of the plant when using this method will not be prompted to grow in search of new feed water. The other method is where we give the plants hardly any feed water and hardly use the irrigation system either. The plants will now let their roots grow endlessly, in the hope that they will eventually hit more feed water they can use. If the plants can just let the roots grow for long enough, they will come through the drainage holes of the uppermost tub, after which the roots will be able to dangle in to the vat with the feed water in it. Now the roots of the plants have reached true paradise and can take up and supply the plant with as much feed water as they can possible wish for! Now we have established a system that is (more or less) the same as the growing method we use whereby we raise the plants exclusively in their feed water as their substrate.

Which growing method deserves our preference is actually quite hard to say, because with either grow method we can get very good results come harvest time. So essentially it is up to you as a grower which you prefer. It should be noted though that the latter method, whereby the roots are encouraged to grow as long as possible (as they grow in search of water), does require a bit more experience from the grower. We are still saddled with the dilemma of whether to give the plants water immediately or not in order to make a good root growth possible. Should we give the plants too much feed water, then the roots will never reach the required depth. If we give the plants really (far) too little feed water, then they run the risk of being killed off. In short, it is down to the grower’s ‘feel’ when it is finally time to give them water. This can be pretty tricky for novice growers, so maybe it is better after all if they stick at first to the former growing method (in which we give the plants feed water continuously during each light period via the irrigation system).

In the following article we will be taking another look at our original (more basic set up) grow cupboard. We will be looking at among other things how we can keep the luxuriantlygrowing marihuana bushes under some sort of control, so that we can make a good harvest possible!