Thanks a lot for the info. I was getting a good few questions from our UK-brethren asking where they can find soil moist. I'm glad we have a brand they can look for. =)
Inside or outside. Outside might work better. I would probably try outside first if you have a small tent, or a tent of any size in fact. EDIT: I just got your message. Yeah, you should definitely keep your bucket on the outside of your tent if you suspect it's getting on your harvest. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Thanks for the great thread! I bought most of the supplies today, other than the Soil Moist which I had to order as I couldn't find any anywhere. I brought home the bottle of liquid Ona concentrate home and read the label to see that they recommend using it in a humidifier. I have some vegging plants that are quite stinky (I haven't encountered this before) so I figured I'd try it out as my basement has started to reek and my new filter hasn't arrived yet. I put 1/4 cup of the ONA concentrate into the reservoir of my cool mist humidifier and plugged it in.......5 minutes later, my entire house smells like fresh laundry (I bought the 'Fresh Linen' scent) and no hint of my stinky plants!!!! Has anyone else tried this? I'm wondering if it is worth the added cost and trouble of building an ONA bucket....anyone have any insight on if building the bucket would have any advantages over just using the ONA in a humidifier?
@shiva blaster: The humidifier works great as well but the bucket set-up helps the ONA last longer, not to mention the humidifier is more or less spreading the O.N.A around like an air freshener and less like an odor neutralizer. Also Humidifiers generally burn through their reservoirs fairly quickly so you would find yourself using more ONA. That's not to say that a humidifier isn't a useful alternative to those who don't like building equipment or someone that just wants something ready-to-go. I did try the humidifier with O.N.A but I found myself back at my bucket at the end of the day. The most important thing is that your grow is secure! If the humidifier is keeping your grow secure then I would recommend stay the course. If there is room to improve then try the bucket.
Thanks for the comments In my mind the humidifier and bucket are essentially doing the same thing: drawing in stinky air, putting it in contact with ONA, and then expelling it. The humidifier may add more moisture to the air than the bucket does, but as the winters here are super dry, that's not a bad thing You are likely right about using more ONA this way though. I did a little math: I've been using 1/4 cup ONA per reservoir refill for my humidifier, which lasts 24 hours. It may still be effective using less than this amount, but I haven't tried yet. At this rate, my 1 gallon bottle of ONA (which cost me $50), will last exactly 2 months. As a highly effective supplement to my carbon filter, I can definitely live with $25/month. How long does a gallon of ONA last you with the bucket method? I already ordered the Soil Moist and have fans and buckets lying around, so I will likely try out the bucket anyhow to compare, but I'd love to know how much ONA you go through......if it's significantly less, than the bucket will definitely be the way to go. I am amazed at how well the ONA works, I was a bit skeptical until finally dropping the $$$ and trying it out.
My bottle of O.N.A lasts me about 3 months when I'm growing a max of 2 plants. I could probably cut down a little and pull out an extra month... but I'm paranoid. Stick with your humidifier if you can get 2 months out of a bottle withe the added utility of a humidifier for winter. The bucket will possibly make things more dry for you lol
You can never be too paranoid when it comes to security IMO. I have 6-8 plants and use a quality carbon filter, but I like using the ONA on top of that just to be extra safe. Thanks again for all the info. If you are only getting an extra month out of your ONA, I may just stick with my humidifier method.......I have to refill it daily anyhow to keep my humidity up, so it's not really any sweat off my back. That said, I have all the stuff to make a bucket and will likely do so just to compare effectiveness.......if I can get an extra month out of my ONA and not have to refill it everyday, it would still be worth my while. I'll report back with a comparison once I build it. Thanks a ton!
It's a nice bucket but it's hard to tell how many holes you put into the side of it. Do you have enough for good air flow?
[quote name='"Newbiegrowr"']It's a nice bucket but it's hard to tell how many holes you put into the side of it. Do you have enough for good air flow?[/quote] Yea I have about 9 holes I haven't tested it with the solution yet but it seems to have adequate airflow.
Let me know how it works out. If it doesn't take out the scent well enough consider punching out a good few more holes.
What about a solo cup and a small USB fan? Just for putting in the room to mask odors a little bit? Or would the solo cup worth not last too long?
if u can find a small enough fan the normal black metal usb fans are way too large it would be semi effective if it doesnt collapse i use a 2L bottle
You can buy refillable auto-spray air freshener thingies that you plug in to just mask the odor, if you want to go that small that is. I agree with jafa: you probably want something bigger with more surface area on the gel. With that said I'll guess that the gel solution will last about 5-7 days. if you can find a suitable fan and fill up the solo cup about 1/3 of the way with gel. A 2 liter bottle will last a good while longer; maybe 2-3 weeks.
B&Q or Homebase soil moisture gel £ 4.50 a packet works a treat. you will find it in the gardening section good luck and happy growing.
A couple of things i have noticed that make a difference to controlling grow room odors in my house as well as the homemade ona bucket. I use Ona pro pucks and laundry scented dryer sheets rub the ona wax on the dryer sheets place near or attach onto a house hold fan and just have it blowing in my hallway. And I also place them close to the outlet of my exhaust( i vent through my roof) to limited whats going outside, when they dry out and lose smell just replace as needed works ok so far. Also for UK growers Neutradol tubs from poundland and fabric softener mixed with soil moisture gels works really well in a Ona buckets and a lot cheaper than ona, by no means skimp on ona its by far the best out there, but if your on a tight budget it works pretty well no smells and thats what counts happy growing
Excellent tip.. i also have tried the dryer sheets on a fan and it happens to mask alot of odor... mine havent stunk helaciously by any means, but the sheets did it...
