Gold Header Ad
reserve your ad hereOf course, those of you that are familiar with my essential indoor growing tools genre, will already be aware of some of the biggies from the past, like compost tumblers, and TDS meters. Both definitely are essential I would say, if growing in living soil. Especially the TDS meter, because you can still mix up recycled soil on a tarp if need be. Just not nearly as easily done is all.
Two other items that are worthy of mentioning from the past, that can really save your green ass. And they are, a laser thermometer to check temps at the growing tops, and a set of little mini-lanterns (LED) that are bright, to use in your growing rooms if power fails. It is important that there is light during their normal daylight hours. Even if it is much less powerful lighting. Especially during flowering.
Last but not least by any means, is the new LED I’m using called the 420h, by NextLight. Very intense 400-watt full spectrum (dimmable) LED at 4,000 kelvin color temp. Very nice so far and my plants are about 3.5 weeks into flowering under the 420h now—looking very good! Check out the deets on the 420h LED in my article last week here at SKUNK. Link: Letters to Rev – The Rev’s Personals – Skunk Magazine.
Essential Indoor Growing Tools—Good Tents
Gorilla Grow Tents
These tents have a fairly stellar reputation that is well deserved in my experience. Gorilla tents are almost totally light tight, and durable as hell heavy-duty grow tents. I think they are a decent value for the price. Cheap tents suck bigtime, in the short and longer term. If you are going to go with tents for your grow, don’t cheap out. It would be better to go no tents than cheapo tents—My .02 ????
Essential Indoor Growing Tools—Versatile Exhaust Fan
AC Infinity (Easily Cleanable) Exhaust Fan 6-Inch with 8 Power Settings
Since I have been using this newest exhaust fan, for about 4 months now, it has really made me a big believer in always having variable power settings for these venting-related indoor growing tools. My previous exhaust fan has been running 24/7 for 15 years; made by Elicent brand. Huge fan of Elicent indeed. Elicent fans are dependable and extremely quiet—like, amazingly quiet—ya follow? Heh heh. You can get these on Amazon in 4-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch versions.
The center piece—including the fan, motor, etc.—is easily removed for any maintenance it may require. That’s huge right there. Being able to clean it (the fan blades) every year or two make a decent difference in the power of the fan; it becomes less efficient when too dirty.
The variable power is too cool for school. During colder mornings as long as humidity isn’t high, I just turn down the power of the exhaust fan a tad, making it warmer. During higher humidity and/or higher heat I can crank them way up. I vent two, 3×3 Gorilla tents using the 6-inch version. My normal power setting is 5, or 6. Great for power savings and for an excellent countermeasure to high heat/humidity.
Essential Indoor Growing Tools—”Secret Magic” Growing Containers
Grow Pro Plant Warrior Round Containers with Inverted Net-Pot Floor
These containers, or ones very much like them, are for sure essential indoor growing tools; and outdoor as well, for many of you that do containers outdoors. Not only are these pots the bombdillio for aeration, but they also allow you to avoid a common problem right after transplants that I will explain below. Fabric style pots also rock huge for aeration. The only issue I have with fabric pots is that they tend to dry out very quickly compared to other pots of the same size/volume.
Grow Pro Plant Warrior Pot Upside Down Show Above
You can see in the photo above where I have drilled out the legs of these pots. For sure do this yourselves. This way the plants have access to every last drop of runoff water in the catch-trays. The inverted net-pot design is not only outstanding for aeration. It has another impact that I have found to be super double happiness! LoL…
You see, when you step up your container size during transplanting, if you are using these pots, and I have 1-gallon, 3-gallon, and 5-gallon sizes, every time you transplant you just put the rootball right on the inverted net-pot cone. Gently just stuff it right down on top, so the new inverted net-pot cone fits right where the old one was.
Why is that important regarding transplants? Because a huge problem is that the old root ball has roots all around the edges, on top, and on the bottom, that are designed to be in contact with a lot of air exposure. Burying these roots effectively kills them. Not only that but the cut in air availability to the roots overall negatively effects the plants. Usually, I leave the old root ball about an inch higher than the new soil level. This keeps those surface root getting tons of air. No need to worry with these pots. Transplants take off like, NOW! At full power.
Afterword
Time for me to boogie my green friends. See ya all back here next Tuesday. Stop by over at Kingdom Organic Seeds – True Living Organically Grown and check it out: Fat Tuesday is back baybee. You should get you some; just sayin’. L8r G8rs…
- REvski ????
Gold Scrolling Footer Ad
reserve your ad hereI'm The Rev, and I have been with SKUNK for about a decade now. I hail from Southern California, spent mucho time in Northern California, and now reside in Southern Oregon; always coastal. I am an all natural style cannabis grower and I have written a couple books on the subject - check out True Living Organics 2nd Edition on Amazon - I have been growing for over 45 years, and I have been breeding cannabis for over 30 years. Check out kingdomorganicseeds.com to see some exotic selections. Growing connoisseur cannabis is what I teach mostly, growing it in living soil without using liquid organic nutrients to feed the plant. I am also a highly skilled synthetics grower, hydroponics, aeroponics, DWC/SWC/NFT, Ebb and Flow, and soilless, but I cringe when smoking synthetic grown herbs, so for the last 15 years or so I preach the artisan style of all natural growing, specializing in container growing. Cheers and welcome aboard.