Whatup. This is my second grow, last time I did drip system with all rockwool from clones... this time doing hydroton ebb&flow from seeds. Check it out: The tent is awesome compared to the last one I had... it has windows! Got 9 seeds from someone who supposedly got them from a dispensary, claims they are maui wowie... put all of them into a paper towel and only 5 germinated... so far. Plopped them into rockwool cubes which had been soaking in 5.5ph for 2 days. Boxed them between two tupperware containers and put them in the tent under flourescents. 2 days after putting them in rockwool this is where they stand: Cotyledons should be out by morning.
oh yeah, im super subbed for this one.... keep those pics rolling where in your house is that room? basement? and that desk is bad ass... looks like an old workshop have you installed your pump, timer and fittings for your tray yet? cause the only photo you have does not show the fittings in
Ya it's a basement area.. not really an ideal environment but it's the best I can do. Anyways, the seedlings were moved into hydroton, probably a little prematurely... humidity and temps are on the high side in the tent so I'm not too worried. Wasn't really sure how to put them into the hydroton, lmk: The one question I have is regarding water level... seems low to me: What's the best strategy to get the roots down there????
the basement should help you control your temps easier since your sprouts are mega tiny i'd just flood more often to ensure they stay wet... once the roots start happening i'd start backing down the flooding I'd also unscrew your E&F exhaust line so the top portion is mostly threads showing.... it will let you get another inch of water in your table without adding a link... its the poor mans way of increasing the water level looks good... get those temps in check while you can still move around your tent
lol I was wondering if that would work, I'll try that My biggest concern with the area is insects... and there's also a lot of hair...
hahahahaha.... you should spray for bugs and clean the area... that is usually the first bit... do it now so you can still move around your stuff, once the plants are in full flower its not wise to start moving the plants all around so pull everything apart and really clean the area... 10%bleach and some water should do the trick... besides, who wants to smoke bits of bugs and hair... not me
Need some help. One of the seedling's stem was drooping over this morning. ph has been between 5.5-5.8, temps are around 75F, I have the tray flooding 5 times every 24 hours. I'm guessing it has to do with too much/little watering? I've been pouring a little bit of water over the hydroton once a day to hit the roots until they stretch to the bottom of the pot, could this be doing it? I've been avoiding the rockwool when I do this, I keep the water on the sides. Edit: leaves look nice and green, light cycle is 18-6 Thanks :\t
So I got home from work and the plant had magically risen off the ground. Still worried about it though. Trying to take pics on my phone but I can't avoid the lines... will those be there on a normal digital camera? This is the one that was literally on the ground this morning: And others: Thanks again Tihspeed for being the ONLY person on GC to help me out!
it happens man... I'm subbed to like a hundred different threads... and answering private messages and managing my two grows and clones... life gets in the way man... im sure your thread will start hoppin when you get some green in there... sweet update man.. love those pics... its fun to watch them grow
I run a very similar set up. If that's a 400W MH I would back it off those younglings. they don't need quite the intense light at this stage of life. I've never flooded more than 4 times in 24hrs during early veg, veg or flower. of course it depends on your specific situation but they might not need that much water. Heck I've let my plants in soil go full 7 days without water and they're not the happiest but they bounce back. No one ever kills a plant by underwatering it...it's always the other way around...too much water...too much love. So pouring the water over the top I've done with my past grows, both from seed and clones with the same thought as you. But don't over do it. I like the rapid rooters cause I feel they don't mess with the mediums pH like rockwool could if not properly pre-treated etc. I'd say overall it looks OK. Personally I would raise any HID off seedlings until they have a few set of true leaves, it's just too intense. Even fully rooted clones that I've thrown under my 600W MH it was just so intense they took a while to perk up and adjust. Also just watch the over watering and keep everything else in check like you have been (room temp, RH, pH, water temp). Environment + genetics = dank PS- you might notice that some water will stay in your drain tubes going to your rez since they go down and turn back up to go over the reservoir...after it sits there for hours it starts to get funky (for me at least). I attached bulk heads like you have on the flood tray to the side of the reservoir at the bottom so they completely drain, like this: GOOD LUCK FLOOD & DRAIN RULES!
Thanks for the advice qnpq. I was flooding more frequently thinking it would help root development, but I'm gonna cut it down to 4 per 24hrs tonight and see if that helps. 4/5 seedlings were keeled over pretty bad this morning, hopefully raising the light and reducing watering will stop that. How long should it take for the roots to grow down the 3"-4" needed to reach the flood?
the hydroton will wick water up to the roots. let the medium dry out a little before your next flood and then start the regular flood schedule. 15min ON every 6 hours per 24hrs. Or every 8 hours per 24 (3 floods). Using 3 or 4 floods a day plus one pour over the top will be plenty I'm sure. When they start to grow you wont need to pour any over the top...you really shouldnt need to in the first place but I did cause I had the same original concern as you but honestly the hydroton wicks the water up and stays moist for hours and hours.
oh also when I used tall pots like that I got an extra set of bulk heads to extend the drain so the flood level would be higher. you want the flood water to reach a couple inches below the rooting medium, in your case, rockwool. Don't let the flood touch the rockwool or it will always be too wet. I've started to use smaller pots with netting in the bottom made for flood tables. Those pots are good but maybe better suited to transplant established clones into. browse through my last two grows for some pics...the reading can be heavy cause I think I'm hella smart
So I've let it dry since the morning, 2 of the plants are still looking pretty weak. Rockwool cubes are bone dry. The fallen stems are much thinner than the standing ones. View attachment 838258 I moved the light further away and I'm going to do 4 floods per day... see what happens... -__-
what's your humidity like? Personally I don't put young seedlings into the hydro system for a couple weeks. It's easier to manage humidity under a seedling tray with a dome. Also better to keep track of root development. When roots are coming out the bottom of the rooting medium (rockwool or rapid rooter) then you know it's ready. they just look sad, not enjoying their home. are you using good water or tap? did you pre-soak the rockwool? they'll probably get better but just take longer to get the show on the road.
So those plants withered up and died. First i let them air out for a few days, the rockwool was bone dry, so I top watered them once a day pretty aggressively for a few days... No change in 2 weeks, they just shriveled and died. I took one out and the root had receded into the rockwool cube, and another shrunk to the size of a hair. Looks like they died from underwatering? If I had kept them in the container longer the roots would have been stronger for sure. But two of them survived, one with some weird burn scars that I can't figure out... One of the roots was poking out of the pot so I just filled the tray with hydroton. If I don't clone I'm just going to grow a monster so I figure get all the root space I can get? I put a bulkhead for the drain like qnpq recommended, couldn't find one for the pump hose tho My water was getting cloudy after 3-4 days so I built this plastic cover to keep light out... I'm waiting for the cotyledons to fall off to give nutrients. Off to a rough start but I'll make it...
You dont have to wait aronman.. go ahead and give em 25% mix, make sure your ph is good.. That scar is signs of bad ph..low... locks out mag... But they are big enough for some food my man... Ill be tagging along.. If its ok.. next time you start seeds, get the smaller 1.5x1.5 cubes that fit into those, they are easy to handle and fit into the bigger ones once roots shoot out the bottom.. Prob with starting them in the big ones is the roots stay to wwet and rot.. My guess is thats what happened.. ps..never let a cube get completely dry... instant death man.. Ive been running flood tables for years man... anything ya need let me know...
Thanks Yoda, glad to have you here Pics: So I've started using Soul Synthetics nutrients because I got a sample pack from the store, I'll probably just stick with this brand. Last time I used nutrients that had a PPM calculator, these just have ml per gallon so I'm a little confused. I'm doing about half the recommended dosage and the PPM is around 740. These nutrients also have lots of particles that I'm not used to... is this normal? I got an airstone to try and keep the water mixed. When I set my Ph everyday I go to 5.5, is that too low? I reduced my water schedule to 2 times per day, they seemed to like that. Since I just have two plants now I'm going to do SCROG. Any tips? When to start? Determining sex...? edit: Also, do I have to clean the hydroton during the grow ever...?