Power Plant - Rubbermaid Hydro

[sikabuyin]

Got some seeds from the doc. I went with fem seeds so I could go ahead and start rather than cloning for sex and all that fun. I'm planning on doing major LST so I can take advantage of all of that root space. Depending on how she handles the pruning I may do SOG.

One question; I don't have another air pump so I have no bubbles, however I do have a submersible pump that sprinkles the water back in. Do I need both or will the pump suffice?

I'll go 250w MH once the roots have taken off then 400w HPS for flowering.

[sikabuyin]

What should the EC be at this point? I've got it up to 1.0, is that too high?

[SmknVTEC]

Subscribed.
Don't know about EC but, PPM should be 300-400 or so.

[Berlette]

Where is the water level at this point, under the net pot or slightly touching it?

[sikabuyin]

There is about a half inch above the bottom of the net. The roots aren't yet through the net but I will lower the water level as the roots grow.

I'm thinking of making a dip stick since I don't have a water level.

[sikabuyin]

I just lowered the ec to 0.8 because the leaves were starting to burn. If it gets worse I'll lower it more. The ph is 5.7.

I can see the roots starting to grow. I rooted the seedling in soil to start, I'm not sure if i mentioned that before. I still don't know if I need bubbles or not so I added h2o2 to make sure the roots get some o2.

The water temp is pretty steady at 77 - 78F which worries me. I have no clue as to how to lower it. My house is @70. The only thing I can think to do is add ice to water but would direct contact with ice mess up the roots. This would only be a temp fix anyway.
I thought I could use a mini fridge to cool the water down by running the water circulation hose through it but that's a lot of work.

[Help_Needed]

Originally Posted by sikabuyin

I still don't know if I need bubbles or not so I added h2o2 to make sure the roots get some o2.

It's a bit of a judgment call. If enough of the water's surface is sufficiently agitated then you won't need an air stone. But from the look of it, you've only got a small area of the water's surface under agitation. You might want to go with an air stone just to be safe.

The water temp is pretty steady at 77 - 78F which worries me. I have no clue as to how to lower it. My house is @70. The only thing I can think to do is add ice to water but would direct contact with ice mess up the roots. This would only be a temp fix anyway.

77-78 isn't terrible, although it's definitely sub-optimal. Mr. GS and I have been talking about that in my current grow log. Neither of us is sure, but we believe that the warm water has a harder time holding enough oxygen for the plants. It's possible that adding extra air stones and/or surface agitation will compensate. Again - neither of us is completely sure. We're experimenting right now.

I thought I could use a mini fridge to cool the water down by running the water circulation hose through it but that's a lot of work.

Actually, it's not that hard at all. Just pick up some flexible tubing and some pvc connectors at your local hardware store. Then drill two holes into the body of the fridge and run the tubing through the holes, being sure to coil it several times inside the fridge. Use some silicone and/or epoxy to seal off the holes. Other than that you don't have to make any other modifications and the fridge runs normally. You can even use the extra space in it to store your beer .

[sikabuyin]

She was burnt a bit by the ec being too high but it's all good now.

[sikabuyin]

[sikabuyin]

I think it's almost time for the 250w MH and 18/6. I'll give it a few more days then make the switch.

[SmknVTEC]

What is the PPM andd pH.

[sikabuyin]

ec = 1.1 ph = 5.6

ppm = 550-800

[sikabuyin]

She's coming along but the nutrient solution is worrying me. It is really dirty and there is a lot of sediment around the container. Is this normal? I figured the water would be almost clear.

I think I caused some damage when I change the water. I used straight tap water and didn't let the chlorine evaporate since this container holds so much water. It killed all of the lower shade leaves but now everything is okay. I didn't change the ph or ec and nothing else has died. I plan on using a chlorine clearing chemical next time. I don't know what it's called but I know the pet store has it.

I've started a little LST. I'll veg this plant for a couple of months so I can maximize all of the root space. As soon as I'm done with my current grow I'll move this one in the closet. I got a larger submersible pump and a 100' of 3/4" hose so I can fill it away from the tub.

I'll post pics in a little bit.

[sikabuyin]

I think this is chlorine burn. Can anyone verify that?

[sikabuyin]

I've got the water temp under control for now. Since I've got it set up in the bathtub I just fill it with cold water. I've been changing the cold water just before the lights go off so everything can cool down. It gets close to 70F just before sun up and up to about 75F before sundown. It's a good system for now. I just don't know what will do once its in the closet. I can't exactly have guests take showers with all that in there so I'll have to figure something else out before Christmas.



This was yesterday. You can see how I've started the LST.


You can see the roots like the Hydro fox farm much better than the soil stuff. I bet they like the lower temps too.



These are the most recent pics. You can see the new growth from yesterday. I suspect she will really start growing fast soon.



There are a few unidentified spots on this leaf. It's not getting worse so it may just be a little chlorine burn. I don't think it is any type of pest but have a look under the leaf for yourself.



This is the sediment I was talking about. Is this normal?