any links? I feel like I might've seen it somewhere or another at some point as well, but is there any definitive thread discussing this? I'd like to see some people's experiences. and like I always say, pix or it didn't happen.
in all 78 posts by budybong, there is not one pic. Plus he claims, more then once, to be producing over 1000G per 1k of HID. Now I'm not saying he is full of "it", it's quite possible he is doing as he says ............BUT!!!!! I can't do that, nor can the vast majority of growers ( spend some time in journals, you'll see average is about 700-800g. per Kw), and I post pics...... do yourself a favor, start with base lucas and skip the extra stuff. I'll bet you've got enough Calcium and Magnesium in your water @ 160 PPMs. & please trust me that molasses( you got black strap at least, yes?) is not a good additive in hydro. Some hydro co.s have processed blackstrap into ready made for hydro systems. but since it only feeds microbes,& not your plant.....its really not wanted in hydro. and I've tried to use it... over and over and over..... no joy. except when used in a tea formula. now about pHing your solution. when using the "two bottle Flora" for lucas, I pH to 6.0 then add the nutrients. as the GH Flora series Micro causes pH to drop 0.2-0.3. allowing my soup to give the girls "high fives". when using Maxibloom I ph after adding the nutrients as Maxibloom (1 small green scoop comes out to 6.5 grams.<---- that per gallon)takes my pH from 7.5 @[member="175"] PPM ( well system with UV/Ozone filtration/sterilization) to 4.0 @ 900+ PPM. Now onto the level of hydroton in the pots AND "hydroton dust 101" I'd suggest you keep the level of hydroton in those pots to where the drip ring is touching it. this gives your plants much more stability, and keeps the roots close to where the solution is flowing from. and last but certainly not least .. MORE ROOTS =MORE BUDS !!!!!! you're shorting your girls rooting room bro !!!!! Hydroton dust A. rinse the shit out of it before use.. like 3-6 very thorough runs. run water through the stuff till it drains clear, then do it again a few more times.. B. the more it moves, the more dust it creates. every time you move hydroton it creates more dust by rubbing parts of itself off on other pieces of hydroton. this includes when in the pots. now more roots = more "padding" between pieces of hydroton , and less dust due to friction. C. it will eventually slow way down . yup relief will eventually happen as most of the lose parts will be rubbed off by use. it's called hygrozyme ( yeah, yeah, I know ..stupid Hydro Co name games) and I personally think its a waste of $$. better to build your own inoculated tea then pay 150$+ per gallon for a concentrated version. but that's just me.. NOTE: @ BudyBong if you read this. I'm not trying to be critical of you, just trying to get PokeSmot to be in the habit of second and third opinions and to verify each source. ( those "sources" includes me Poke. I make mistakes too ) Peace
Wow, you guys really answered my questions in depth. I sincerely appreciate that. I always check/double check/quadriple check my sources - old college habit. I was weary on molasses after reading about peoples various probs such as fungal growth and slime after usage.. Ill stick with maxibloom for now! Exclusively! I dont like to add unncessary nutes unless theres a deficiency. Its like taking a vitamin you dont need imo but worse for plants. Little background. Ive been growing for about 5 years. 5 gallon buckets. 1 600w hps and i always pull a pound or more dry from each of my plants using all organic worm tea (grow my own worms) and lsting. The science behind it all is my real draw. Its why i prefer hydro. Its all science and with my ocd, full time staying home, i figure why not. I tried to find links of people saying they used 7.1-4 and had thriving plants. Unfortunately, i cleared my search history last night (which i never do) so ill have to keep looking, but its not the general consensus amngst most growers. Like you, im of the belief, pics or it didnt happen. If you search gc, youll find my 1lb plants, i only posted 1 pic over and over because it was before i had my card. I got so used to growing i didnt pay attention to ph, takin much pics or whatever. Was jus a daily part of my life for half a decade or more. Im going to look into cannazyme. I know full well the benefits of enzymes, trace minerals, bacterias/fungi, etc. ever since i got a fungal lung disease from gardening i dived off a cliff into the info involved in organisms. Also, ive noticed a shitload of salt buildup coming from the drip lines. Its almost covering the top of my net pot and its all over the tops of my leaves. Do i just wipe this off and wipe it down with a simple rag or something? I apologize for newb questions but im learning. This is the first time ive ever asked for plant help. Irl, i get paid to setup soil medical grows and also paid to help people garden. I sell my castings, fruits, veges, etc. all organic. I feel humbled by your willingness to help a fellow blade learn something new and will pass on your gift to me to others in the future. Thank you again. P.s. my maxibloom jus got here. I have 2.5 gallons in each bucket. Any thoughts on having a third bucket using gravity as a res? Thank you guys again. -poke
Ok so i added 7 grams per gallon (5) total without considering the gallon i was mixing it into to dilute it a bit. Been 45 min, ph and tds for plant on left is 6.7ph and 750ppm Plant on right is 6.5ph and 850ppm Going to bringthem both down to 5.9ish in a few hours. Also discovered That petsmart sells hydroton http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3678501 Its 1.50 more than amazon but i believe a ton of my probs are caused by this: Water splashes onto the leaves and they stay wet all day under the lights, which is terrible for many reasons. Also, salt is building up on the leaves. I want to add hydroton and move my plants up to allow the largest sized rootballs i can. I believe the plants will snap back after i do this. I called petsmart and they were like, "uh, we cant find it." My bank is closed today due to holiday so im tryin to buy these locally to save on time as im sure i need them asap!
Petsmart doesnt carry it in store and doesnt list that they do or dont online......for in store i mean. So i have to order some tomorrow. Not sure the plant on the right is gonna make it or not, it looks really shitty. I plan to take clones from the plant on the left to grow my room a little bigger as things settle down. Should have some cannazyme soon as well. Will keep u posted.
aha I remember my first grow I got hydroton off sear's website. they actually have a ton of grow stuff. same with homedepot, seems all three will have the stuff online but not in store
I have it moved about 10 or so inches away now. I have always kept my light 6 or so inches from my plants. Reason being i have a Booster fan flipped around to blow across the bulb, modified it to do that. Keeps the temp low. In the basement its around 50 degrees everyday. With my light on it stays around 72-77. I also have a fan that blows across the plants + the glass of the hood. I put my hand above the plants for a min or two to test if it will burn them or not. Now im not sure if they cant/shouldnt be this close in hydro. These plants are quite small and were switched from exclusive window light to 600w. I assume theyre probably a bit stressed and youre probably right about the lights. They could have light stress from having too much light, maybe even heat stress, though i doubt it. I normally run them under shop lights t-5 i believe or a custom cfl grow box i built years ago. I didnt know what to do with hydro though, didnt think it all the way through, just rushed it a bit. Im going to order them from amazon. Should be here by thursday, may even get some cannazyme, but im lookin at otherstuff too. Was comparing hygrozyme and something called nitrozyme i believe. Im used to just brewing my own worm tea with castings, adding some alfalphaand brewing a custom tea for 5 days including molasses and other fun stuff. My plants always thrive that way. Shame there arent organic nutes that can be easily made like worm tea or else id be doing that now.... Doesnt hurt to learn somethin new though Ps. Anyone ever use zoo med hydroballs instead of hydroton? Thats what im using...
I hope your new soup makes the plants happy and gets to rocking. Reading your thread you are putting about 100 times the work into it as I am. Man I just hope sooner than later you can relax and watch the grass grow.
I'm sure the zoo med hydroballs will work just fine instead of hydroton. actually, the original company producing hydroton went out of business a few years ago, now there are just knock off expanded clay ball producers..so any would work really. cannazyme is great, hygrozyme is basically the same stuff, either will work very well for what you need them to do. I think the cannazyme is just a little cheaper though, could be wrong on that. nitrozyme is a whole different product. it's a growth stimulator derived from sea plants, and one of only two foliars i use, the other being neem/protekt. here's an excerpt from the mfg for nitrozyme: HOW DOES NITROZYME WORK? Plants progress through a cycle of growth stages. Using the example of wheat, the plant starts out as a seed, germinates, goes through the seedling stage, through the three, five and seven leaf stages, and finally forming a head and producing new seed. When a plant is under stress at any given stage of growth, reduced levels of cytokinin growth hormones are produced. If this reduction occurs at certain key stages of growth such as the tillering stage, yields can be affected. By making available extra hormone to the plant at these stages, you can influence the crops final yield. Timing of the application is essential. If you apply a hormone to a plant, the result will be stimulated growth of the type which the plant is currently undergoing. If the plant is forming roots, more root growth can occur. If tillering is underway, more tillers will be formed. If stem growth is in progress, that is what will occur. If flowering is in progress more flowering will occur.
With age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes cruise control. I can only assume youre a year or two older than I am Once I find the sweet spot Ill join you on the porch for a drink and a smoke my friend
I think you might be a little close on the lights, especially on the young plants. I run a 600W in a 4x4 tent and I keep the light high - about 30 - 36 inches above the canopy.
Wow, never had my lights that far away tbh. Placed an order for hydroballs on amazon. Should have them on thursday, then im going to clean the shit outta them, then fill the pots and lift the plants up for more root growth. Cant wait tbh. Going to have that drip ring touching the medium.
yeah 600w I keep about 12 inches off. even a kilowatter I wouldn't keep more than 30 inches above canopy. you don't think a 600watter is too little for a 4x4 area? footprint is for a 3x3
I had the same issue.. I stumbled upon a post by "delta9" where he talked about his maxi method and after the first try I've used it ever since: 60:40 ro/tap - gets me to around 70 ppm (.5 conversion). My tap's around 160 - luckily pretty close to his. Add one 1 tsp maxi/gal and you'll hit 5.2 - 900+ like clock work.. From there I just let her rise to 6.0-6.2 until I bring it back down - the girls seemed to love it, and it kept me from adding all that damn salt with the ph up.
cool advice. still requires 60% RO though seems to me "you're stepping over a dollar to save a dime". RO units are one of the most over priced & over hyped items in a hydro store IMO. ^^^but again that's my opinion, so take it with some salt, as I'm an old stick in the mud sometimes. ^^^ bottles of Flora do it with out the RO. just pH to 6.0, then add nutes. soup will hit 5.7-5.8 every time ( as long as you stick to the base lucas). This also seems also to be the case with a lot of the other Lucas users I've found....but that's anecdotal honestly