DWC grow questions

Discussion in 'Hydroponic Growing' started by MilkyRips, Feb 15, 2014.

  1. Hey guys. So I'm getting ready to start my first hydroponic/DWC grow and I had a question about the rockwool and ppm. First of all, let me tell you about my setup and plans. I'm using a 5 gallon bucket with a 10 inch net pot and an air pump connected to an air stone at the bottom of the bucket. I got it in a kit that also came with Growstones (similar to Hydroton - I've heard it works just fine) and three 1" x 1" x 1.5" rockwool starter plugs. I will only be growing one plant from a feminized seed and once it is germinated, I was planning on planting it in one of the rockwool plugs and putting it in a small cup under the light (125w 6500k CFL) until I can see the roots growingout of the bottom of the rockwool. At that point, can I just put the plug directly into the growstone in the bucket or do I have to put the plug in a larger rockwool cube like a 4" x 4" and then put that in the growstone? I will have to get one if that is the case, because these rockwool plugs are the only rockwool I have so it would be a lot more convenient for me to just use the starter plug through the whole grow if that is possible, but obviously I want to do what is best for my plant. I will also be using drinking water (bottled) for the reservoir, so do I really need to buy a ppm meter and keep track of that? I have a kit for testing the pH but I don't want to spend extra money on a ppm meter if I don't have to. And do you think the rockwool will be okay as far as moisture goes - like will i have to water it frequently? Because I am not using a water pump like people do for top-fed grows. Sorry if any of this sounds stupid but I'm new to hydroponics and want to make sure I get everything right. Thanks in advance for the help

     
  2. I wanna read that and I wanna help you out but it's too difficult to read this wall of text.

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  3.  
    Summary:
     
    -If you plant a seed in a starter rockwool plug (1"x1"x1.5") can you put that directly into the hydroton and start growing or do you need to put it into a larger rockwool cube first (like a 4"x4") and then put that into the hydroton?
     
    -Do you really need to monitor the ppm if you are using drinking water (which has a very low amount of dissolved solids) for the reservoir?
     
    -Will the rockwool dry out since I am not doing a top-fed grow? Like will I have to water the rockwool regularly to keep it moist?
     
  4. with my DWC, I just germed it in paper towel and then went straight into the hydroton.. Watered it for first 2 weeks by hand then made sure water was a few inches up the net pot.. I used no Rockwall or starter cubes or anything like that.


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  5. #5 OneDayJD, Feb 17, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 17, 2014
    On my current grow, I put the seed straight into the rockwool. Once it sprouted, I put it straight into the hydroton in the net pot. I put down a layer or two of hydroton in the bottom of the net pot. Then put the cube on top of that and around the cube. Then, as the seedling stretched, I progressively added more hydroton around the seedling until I filled up the net pot with hydroton. And that also supported the stalk during the seedling stretch.
     
    You don't need to monitor the PPMs when you're not using any nutes under that scenario. But once you start using nutes you will absolutely need to monitor PPMs.
     
    You will absolutely need to top feed until you get good roots in the soup in the res. But when I say top feed, all I am referring to is pouring water over the cube once or twice a day. Do that until you have significant, established roots in the reservoir. This was one of the biggest mistakes I made on my first DWC grow. Thankfully I realized I was fucking up before it was too late.
     

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