Phototron Advice?

They can be useful for headstash Is what i told you from the beginning.
Glad to hear you got it dialed in.
Those people talking bad about phototrons , have never used one, or are a commercial type grower.Interested in cash- a phototron is shit. Interested in stash- the phototron is "the shit"
smoke a fatty for me- and hashplants work nice in a tron- High quality is the answer with the tron.
tiedye

 

Your right Tiedye420.I'm glad I took the chance on the Tron.I found mine for around $200 on ebay.It goes to show that you cannot believe everything you read.Get out and try life for yourself.Breathe deep...It feels good.By the way new pics are now posted on my last post.

 

I used a phototron.
Twice.
Averaged about 1 oz. of airy buds both times.
The results were so poor (3.5 months for a bag of schwag) I gave up indoor growing and gave that toy away.
Then a friend clued me in on the REAL way of indoor growing, in a closet, under a 400-watt HPS, a fan, with drainage.
The closet set-up cost me about 1/2 what the 'tron cost me, and yielded me 10 oz. of big beefy buds in the same amt. of time.
That allowed me to grow 1 crop a year for my own head, then shut the closet down for the remainder of the year while the buds in curing got better and better.
I gave the 'tron away, it got passed around and everyone who tried it got the same dissappointing results. Last time I heard it was in the corner of someone's garage, gathering dust.
Bottom line: I know people who have switched from a 'tron to a real grow, but zero who have switched the other way.

I'm grateful to the 'for 1 thing--it taught me how NOT to grow pot indoors.
You'll find out when you graduate from the 'tron to a REAL indoor grow.

 

Hey redranger..How many plants did you bud under that 400watt HPS?

 

Initially 16, then I found out I got the same yield from 8 plants as I did with 16. Because yield is not determined by # of plants, rather than by available resources such as light & nutrients.
In otherwords, you could put 100 in a 10'x10' sq/ft chamber plants under a 400 watt HPS you'd get the same yield as 8 plants in a 3'x3' chamber under the same light.

Anyway, I would plant clones, veg them for 3 weeks, then 12/12 them. I averaged 1.25 oz. per plant.
With a donor plant in a corner under a 70-watt HPS and a tabletop for clones under 2 x 40-watt flo's, I got 10 oz every 12 weeks.

 

not bad ranger...........

 

As TieDie said, if you're growing for stash, the Phototron is great. Those who reported airy buds most likely didn't follow the inventor's instructions to a T about pinching and pruning. The first time I grew in a tron, I got airy buds too - but I skipped the pruning and pinching, using it like I would a regular grow closet.

The key is you have to be vigilant about pruning and pinching - tron's don't produce a ton of light, but they distribute the light much better than any other system. Think of it like a hybrid car - it uses low energy to be more efficient. That's why the pruning, pinching is important. You want to make sure that: 1) all of the buds get light, 2) no leaves obstruct buds from getting light and 3) more budding sites develop.

They do provide no drainage, however. This can be fixed if you don't mind modifying your tron - or you can just ventilate. I use a big fan and open up one of the smaller doors for a few hours. Also gets your plants nice and strong.

Also keep in mind that because it doesn't drain, the "puddle" method the inventor describes can lead to root rot and mold, even with ventilation. I water them every other day - and that works fine for me.

 

I'm so glad to see that there are persons on here who credit the phototron
for it's uses. I am so damn tired of idiots who comment on that which they have no experience with( we see that all to often) or don't seem to understand that we don't all have the same liberties available to use. I bought a phototron because I needed something that was able to fit a small space and I didn't want the electricity bill to soar. It worked great for it's purposes. The only stipulation is that you had to know your stuff when it came to pinching. Yeah, I would have loved to do a mh or hps, but that just wasn't an option, price/space. I had to get rid of it when I moved and it broke my heart. The heating problem can be solved in most cases by simply taking a panel or two off, I did that and then used a regular room fan on a timer bought from wal mart to oscilate during the lighted hours. I have read a few other sites and got a few ideas for modification. The unit has an auxilary outlet at the top hanging from a cord with a starter bulb for seedlings. You could get a smaller hid bulb to use in it's place. I will admit that they are a more expensive than they should be but in terms of depriciative value, they pay for themselves compared to what you would spend on the street. If you're growing on the fly it may be your best bet.

 

just finally acquired mine as well. i have seen these things produce more than enough for what i want, the best part is its easy. need to find some really great seeds, can we use clones in these?

 

Sooo, I'm an idiot and didn't accurately mix the CVF nutrients provided. As a result I'm afraid I'm giving my plants too much nutrients because the leaves are starting to turn brown. I have not yet put them in the moss because I don't want to continue to over feed them and have only been feeding with distilled water. Any advice on what I should do?