Five stage perpetual cycle

[Dessy]

Hi folks, this is how I'm currently setting-up. Just thought I'd share with everyone for feedback.

Stage 1 - Bubble cloning in a aerated water bath with clones fitted into neoprene floating block with a little hormone in water, PH about 6 and water temp kept about 21 C with a small aquarium heater and air pump/stone. this box has two 6000K 3W LCD's, room temp about 22 to 25 C.

Stage 2 - When roots established gently pot into 3" pots and leave in same box for a further 6 weeks

Stage 3 - Pot up to 5" and move to seedling stage, purpose built cupboard with 35W CFL (6400K), stay in here for 10 weeks approx

Stage 4 - Pot up to 9" and move to purpose built veg room fitted with 125 W CFL (6400K) - It is from these plants that clones will be taken for future crops, stay in here for ten weeks.

Stage 5 - Pot up to 12" pots and move to purpose built bloom room fitted with SCROG net and 600W Sunmaster HPS, stay in here for 10 weeks.

The thinking behind this is that with extended vegging period (in two stages), can have a perpetual grow alternating between two varieties (medical and fun) the cuttings being taken from the batch that is almost completed vegging.

With this extended vegging I expect the main issue will be keeping growth compact, I intend to do this by topping multiple times, keeping pot size minimum until later on and by using SCROG method. This extended vegging should also build up a good root system so that growth will be good when the time comes in bloom.

I hope to harvest 4 plants each 10 weeks this way. each plant being 40 weeks from cutting to harvest so 4 batches on the go at anyone time, alterating strain back and forth each cloning session.

Most of this is already in operation, just waiting for LCD's to come and so get bubble cloner working.

thoughts?

Edited April 17, 2014 by Dessy

[madharibo]

yo @@Dessy

You're system seems spot on mate apart from one part, your length of time. From clone to even getting into flower is just under 30 weeks!! you could have 3 harvests in that time frame, cuttings will take max (maybe longer) 2 weeks then 6 weeks in same room in 3" pots, thats 8 weeks, then into 5" pots for 10 weeks thats 18 weeks, into 9" for another 10 weeks thats 28 weeks of veg so far thats 2/3rds nearly of the year gone, you could get 30oz from a single plant(strain and enviro dependant not to mention a bigger pot and light size) in 10 - 15 weeks of veg time maybe even slightly less,

I would do what your doing but you dont need to be vegging so long, i would cut down the times, clone 2 weeks, veg in 3" pots for 3 weeks(week or maybe less to get em going from clone ) then same 2 weeks in the 5" and 2 weeks in the 9" or you could go straight to the 12" from the 5" for 3 weeks and into flower for 10 weeks, job done, buddage all over

My method is similar to yours, clones take a week or 2, then veg for 2 -3 week and into finals for 3 thats only 6 at most 8 weeks from rooted clone to flower, you will get the same results with less veg time, some people only veg for 2 weeks and straight into flower.

atb hari

[Dessy]

Thanks buddy, good info..

[Dessy]

The logic behind the 10 week cycles is that it takes 10 weeks to flower the strains that I am using properly. I can only have one batch in that growroom at any one time so each other stage may as well take the same 10 weeks, also it means that I have more time to ensure I get successful clones etc. Cant see how I could produce batches any quicker because limited by flowering time. And I was kinda hoping that the extra long vegging would produce a better root system ready for flowering.

[madharibo]

i understand fully what and why your doing it @@Dessy but the 28 weeks can be compressed to 10 weeks easily, so you would have mums of your strains, decide what you want when the 10 weeks are beggining in flower, when you start flowering take cuts of your chosen strains from your mums, 2 weeks there rooted, then you still have 8 weeks of veg, before the current flowering time is up

Dont think for one minute im saying dont do your method with that time frame, it just seems a massive amount of work for what can be done in the same amount of time as 1 flowering session(10 weeks)

It does become difficult when you want to introduce new strains, say you get board of some of the current ones and fancy something different, cracking seeds and taking them to sexing then cuts from the chosen girls and then vegging them would take about 15 - 20 weeks, but thats only if you dont want to flower the seed plants like alot of people do, get a better representatin of plant traits from clones than you will from the seed plant, i.e stretch and flowering time not so much on potency and smell

atb in what your decide dude

hari

Edited April 17, 2014 by madharibo

[Dessy]

Thanks Hari, See what your getting at.. Hoping to flip between CBD Mango Haze (medicine) and Freddys Best (Dutch Passion). I have two of each vegging at the moment and some almost ready to cut.

[cooperman89]

i looking into perpetual and was given a great idea by someone on the site,

keep mums of ten week strains like you said;

take two cuts , every two weeks (maybe more n throw rest away), then pot up every two weeks still taking clones obviously , eventually after ten weeks u will be putting your first two into the flower tent and two weeks later another two and two weeks later another two , then every two weeks eventually you will be cutting 2 plants of a ten week strain .

this method is based on using a veg space and a 2.4x1.2 so if your size is different you may have to adjust slightly but you can have a crop every two weeks and a lot less trimming to do all in one go

ATB

[me n me girls]

After 4/5 weeks you will be flowering first 2 coops

[farmer ged]

Sounds a lot of agro and plants to me. And would be classed as continued production in court, aswell as being a sophisticated setup.

As you plan to harvest all 4 plants every 10 week's, why are you not just taking clones before switching to flower(or making a mother)? If you took clones just as you change to flower, and assuming they take 2 weeks to root, you will have 8 weeks to veg and reach final pot. More than enough time imo.

E2a - are the Times you state in the original post correct?! They add up to 26 weeks veg, they will be huge and totally impractical for indoors after veging so long.

Edited April 17, 2014 by farmer ged

[Dessy]

Yep, its a long veg time. wasnt sure if this could be used to advantage by growing more roots so bigger crop. anyway, good point about the production line, will have a ponder.

[farmer ged]

It's far too long mate. I would say very few people veg more than 8 wks. With 26wks veg they should be in a container the size of a dustbin and the plants will be as tall as you. Keeping them in small pots for so long will restrict them and cause allsorts of problems with plant health and mean they dry out far to quickly. What light, medium and how many litres are your pots? How big is your room?

Edited April 17, 2014 by farmer ged

[Dessy]

It's far too long mate. I would say very few people veg more than 8 wks. With 26wks veg they should be in a container the size of a dustbin and the plants will be as tall as you. Keeping them in small pots for so long will restrict them and cause allsorts of problems with plant health and mean they dry out far to quickly. What light, medium and how many litres are your pots? How big is your room?

Thanks Ged, flowering room is 4x4. final pots about 20 litre. growing in compost.

Thanks for the advice, think its probably best to keep a couple of mothers on go and take clones as reqd. mainly to keep total number of plants down in case the queen gets me.

Cheers guys