perpetual grows

[forager]

i am working on getting a perpetual grow running and was wondering how everybody else does it. i have had a rocky start so far with one cycle being 2-3 weeks too fast and the next having problems with cuttings due to high temperatures.

i have 2 very small grooms, both about 0.5-0.6m². one is 2m tall that i use for flower and the other is about 0.9m tall that i use for veg. i also scrog with hooks during veg, then under a screen for flower. i run 2 plants in each room at a time to save 5-8 weeks of veg time each cycle.
my theory is to take cuttings when moving the plants up to flower and store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks to make up for the time difference and be sure my flower room is ready when the plants are.
this time around i compared cuttings taken during veg and stored in the refrigerator for 3 weeks (changing the water weekly) against cuttings taken 3 weeks into flower. they are all struggling to stand up after over a week but temperatures have been extremely high (averaging 28-31°C) so i think that might be my problem.

i would love to hear how you do it, or any suggestions on ways to improve my theory.

thank you

[MrC]

I have an auto tent that can fit 4 in, requiring lst. Then a 5x3ft groom I'm finishin some photos in. I veg and flower photos in the big groom, takes anythin from 13/14 wks to 19/20 wks. Autos can be done in 9 wks so after 6 months or so it'll just naturally fall into a pattern of always chopping every 10 wks or less, dependin on how long you run photos for.

[CheapHomeGrown]

How to set up a perpetual grow.
Let's start off with the cuttings.

equipment:

Cuttings
small propagator (heated mat in the winter helps),
Rockwall cubes(soaked for an hour before using), rooting gel, scissors

An hour or two after water your plants, cut a few of the lower shoots on the plant so they look like this.


fresh green healthy shoot, about 6" long put them in a small cup of water, cut the stem at 45%, dip them in rooting gel and gently push them into the rockwall cubes(may need to make a larger hole)
most important, remove all runoff, clones sitting in water will probably die. lift the lid once a day and they should be fine for the first 5-6 days, resoak the Rockwall cubes and remove runoff, at this stage you should open the vent to the propagator lid, if they start to drop close the vent and try again in a few days. if you gently squeeze the Rockwall and it's not damp, it's time to soak the cubes, the need the wet-dry cycle.

Clones need a very low amount of light. (a strong light will kill the clones), place the propagator in any room that has a light on 24/7, I use a 6w t5 tube 1ft above the clones.


The clones will take 14-21 days to root.

[Farmer Geddon]

If you have a problem that can be solved by spending money, you don't have a problem, you have an expense. If you can't find the money, then that is a problem.

Starting one auto seed at regular intervals will solve your problem. The longest an auto will take under 24/0 is ~100 days. Say you start one auto every 10 days. At some point, the oldest will be too tall for your short cab. Move it to the 2m cab. You'll need to get fancy with the shelving and/or stands to have all of the plants equal height but it's doable.

You'll probably be harvesting them in less than 100 days each, so less than 10 plants in total.

[CheapHomeGrown]

clones week 7-21 days
poting up the clones, you could use 0.5ltr pots or 2ltr pots, which makes little difference at this stage.

you will need to top the plant and keeping her small but, vegging a plant for 5-6 weeks in this room is easy after a few crops.
2 x 2ft t5(daylight) would be great as a veg light covering 60cm(w) x 40cm(d) x 60xm(h) using less than 50 watts.

my results from a twin t5 light (my current grow a few weeks ago) about 5 weeks after taking the cutting.



I would pot the plants up into the final pot a week before flowering her off, (4 plants in 6.5 or 2 plants in 18ltr) as you flower the plant off take more cuttings and start again.
you can use the veg room to dry the weed off while cutting root.

I would pull all the air from the veg room into the flower room and run it through a filter but sure you have this covered.

[CheapHomeGrown]

If you have a problem that can be solved by spending money, you don't have a problem, you have an expense. If you can't find the money, then that is a problem.

Starting one auto seed at regular intervals will solve your problem. The longest an auto will take under 24/0 is ~100 days. Say you start one auto every 10 days. At some point, the oldest will be too tall for your short cab. Move it to the 2m cab. You'll need to get fancy with the shelving and/or stands to have all of the plants equal height but it's doable.

You'll probably be harvesting them in less than 100 days each, so less than 10 plants in total.

Farmer Geddon has a great idea using autos, one reason I don't grow autos, you need the light on 20 hours a day, running my lights 12/12 at night keeps my temps in range.

[Farmer Geddon]

Running my lights 12/12 at night is for security reasons. The door to the hall cupboard leaks light when the cmh is running.

There will be workies in my place soon for a maintenance issue. The cmh will be off and the 6w led used to stop them flowering won't get past the door.

[CheapHomeGrown]

Running my lights 12/12 at night is for security reasons. The door to the hall cupboard leaks light when the cmh is running.

There will be workies in my place soon for a maintenance issue. The cmh will be off and the 6w led used to stop them flowering won't get past the door.

Used to be a cabinet maker, let me know if you want to fix that light leak.

[Farmer Geddon]

There's 2 coats of blackboard paint and the cmh light makes it glow.

[CheapHomeGrown]

you need to add an overlapping door seal on the inside all the way around, not the best diagram but hope you get the idea.