My Current Collection

[Redwood Ryan]

It's also gotten to the point where I would just like to be a typical college kid. I really should be saving for my future, yet here I am blowing money on these trees. I love the hobby, don't get me wrong, I just need to prioritize my money a little better, lol.

 

[mcpesq817]

Keep a few good trees, but save your money - except to the extent you need to spend it on girls.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Honestly I may buy a T5 from Amazon like Giga mentioned. I actually bought an 8 bulb T5 a few weeks ago, but shipped it back because the bulbs were rather weak. Decisions decisions.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I realized a couple weeks ago that I no longer have any Willow Leaf Ficus. I used to have tons, but now I have none. Odd.

 

[KennedyMarx]

If I were you I would buy some stuff to stick in the ground at your parents house for a few years until the time comes for you to get back into the hobby full swing. Start some maples and maybe some pines or whatever else will grow well there. You'll be thanking yourself down the road.

 

[Giga]

I realized a couple weeks ago that I no longer have any Willow Leaf Ficus. I used to have tons, but now I have none. Odd.

Make sure it's t5ho(high output) and not just t5, there's a difference. Also make sure each bulb has individual reflectors. Also for bulbs get mostly GE 6500k a GE 3k and like an ati blue plus or a couple blubs in the blue spectrum. so like a 6 bulb unit would have 4 ge 6500k 1 ge 3k and a blub bulb

Also a set of bulb will last a whole winter so it's not much of a big deal if you plan ahead.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Both lights are hung and I'm ready for winter:

 

[f1pt4]

Both lights are hung and I'm ready for winter:
View attachment 83755

That's very nice. The light and the trees!! Just curious, what kinds of LED's are those? I'm fairly happy with my T5HO's but those LED's seem to give off quite a bit of nice light as well... they look expensive though.

Perhaps someone can chime in here, I know that the warmer 3K bulbs give off a warmer light, and are primarily aimed for flowering purposes. I just picked up another 6 bay T5HO light, but it's all 3K lights. Last winter I grew all of my indoor tropicals strictly under 6500K lights. I do have 8 spare 6500K HO bulbs, so replacing the 3K ones is not an issue. Just curious if a 3/3 mixed spectrum would be beneficial to the trees? or is one 3K (as mentioned in a post above) with 5x 6500K bulbs a better mix?

 

[f1pt4]

Make sure it's t5ho(high output) and not just t5, there's a difference. Also make sure each bulb has individual reflectors. Also for bulbs get mostly GE 6500k a GE 3k and like an ati blue plus or a couple blubs in the blue spectrum. so like a 6 bulb unit would have 4 ge 6500k 1 ge 3k and a blub bulb

Also a set of bulb will last a whole winter so it's not much of a big deal if you plan ahead.

If you're only using them for 4-5 months, you could probably use a set for two winters!

 

[Redwood Ryan]

That's very nice. The light and the trees!! Just curious, what kinds of LED's are those? I'm fairly happy with my T5HO's but those LED's seem to give off quite a bit of nice light as well... they look expensive though.

Yep, they're not cheap at all. I could've paid for a few textbooks instead of buying these lights, but I'm happy with this decision

They're Veg Onyx lights by RapidLED. Check them out, Mike (Customer Service) will answer any questions, day or night. Great company.

 

[f1pt4]

Yep, they're not cheap at all. I could've paid for a few textbooks instead of buying these lights, but I'm happy with this decision

They're Veg Onyx lights by RapidLED. Check them out, Mike (Customer Service) will answer any questions, day or night. Great company.

Hot damn! those are some pricey lights... and textbooks! They look really good though. They seem to be getting good reviews, but unfortunately I need both kidney's so they won't be making an appearance here any time soon.

 

[jeremy_norbury]

Keep a few good trees, but save your money - except to the extent you need to spend it on girls.

Trees are still cheaper in my experience.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

For me, I also feel like I've become more of a "collector" than anything else. I hate to say it, but I feel like I've lost that artistic eye that allowed me to take a tree from bush to "tree". Granted, I didn't really have that before, but it's gone away even more now. I find that I'd be just fine with keeping a few great looking trees, rather than multiple ones shoved under lights and not ready for several years.

I think it's great that you feel this way.
You've experimented with several things and now your tastes have matured.
I can see the difference in your work. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
It would be nice to elevate some nicer material- instead of chop and grow.
You have done enough of that.
Congrats.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I'd sell that tree on the left for anyone with ideas for how to pick it up/have it shipped

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Scales. That's my problem this year. The big tree on the left is full of them. Pulling out the horticultural oil and blasting them all.

 

[coh]

Bayer systemic works well on scale. Hort oil probably won't kill the adults, only the crawlers.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Bayer systemic works well on scale. Hort oil probably won't kill the adults, only the crawlers.

I sprayed with the oil because I figured it'd suffocate the shells by totally coating them, and it's what the guy at the nursery suggested. I'm not a huge fan of systemics.

 

[coh]

Well, then you're probably going to be fighting a losing battle. The other option is to pick the adults off by hand and do a periodic oil spray. That way you'll gradually eliminate the population, though you'll never find every adult on a tree that size. I doubt the oil alone will take care of it.

Good luck! I just found some mites on one of my tropicals so I have to deal with that.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Have you ever used systemic on your tropicals indoors?

 

[sorce]

Green note.
As opposed to Brown.

I had a bad mite infestation last winter, I MODERATELY sprayed it with the Dr. Earth peppermint and ass oil spray, only twice, and it has GREATLY improved my situation.

Only mites. But green!

Sorce