Welcome, brothers and sisters, to the first Sensi Sermon of 2008. As some of you know, these days I prefer a relatively low-tech growing dynamic that incorporates a fully, 100% living organics soil environment. However, I’ve enjoyed a long career utilizing a variety of technologies that have automated, sustained and monitored the health of my cannabis plants, helping me grow some fantastic herb.

In this issue’s sermon, we’ll explore high-tech solutions such as propane-powered CO2 generators, drip systems, light movers and automated monitoring systems—as well as some foundational elements such as fans and air conditioners.

Drip Systems
Drip systems, commonly found in hydroponics grows, are a beautiful dynamic for soilless container growing and can offer great automation, especially when paired with a water pump and digital timer. Drip irrigation allows literally hundreds of plants to be watered, nourished and flushed from a single reservoir. It’s a relatively inexpensive setup and a dream compared to manual watering.

Drip systems allow you to ensure that all of your plants are watered equally. This can be particularly helpful when breeding indoors. If you want or have a huge garden, you should seriously consider a drip system (especially if you have a full-time job and are gardening on the side). Note that, when employing a drip system combined with synthetic nutrients, the drip lines, connections and valves can easily become clogged by salt buildup. Likewise, when using organics, you can find blockages caused by bio-slime. Flushing the lines between crops with vinegar works well for synthetics. Likewise, special solutions can be purchased that will eat away bio-slime.

Light Movers
Growers often ask me about light movers. My opinion is this: if you have any quantity of 1000-watt lamps under which you flower (even just one) and you have the room, you should absolutely use a light mover. I recommend the linear movement rail type. The benefits of light movers are many, with an increase in yield per plant being among the greatest.

Don’t think of the addition of a light rail in your grow room as the ability to grow more plants under each light, but rather a way to exponentially improve the yields and overall happiness of your existing plants. This philosophy will serve you well.

Read the rest and more in SKUNK volume 4, issue 1