My five new ladies have sprouted and look healthy too me I'm thinking of transplanting them to the dwc setup after there 2nd set of true leaves start to grow and start them on a half strength grow formula. Does this sound right?
I personally would start them on 1/4 strength.. You can always bump it up in a few days or a week, but you cannot take back nutrient burning the little girls...
OK They have been in the dwc system for a week with 1/4 strength nutes. The tips started to go yellow on the plants. Thought it might be wind burn from the oscillating fan so turned it off. Only just got a pH meter and checked it last night. It was 6.8 - 7.0 so lowered it to just under 6.0. Could the pH make the tips yellow? From Nute lock? Hope they recover will check pH every day from now on. Other then that the roots have started leaving the pots into the water.
That's not yellowing tips, them tips are brown and looks like the starting of nute burn... What is the pH and ppm of the nutes??? If you lower the water an inch below the net pots, you will have to hand water them until they get their roots in the nutes...
Don't have a ppm meter so have just used a 1/4 strength solution of optimum grow a&b. It says on the bottle to use 1/4 strength solution on seedlings. I thought I couldn't go wrong with 1/4 strength. Only got my pH meter 2 days ago pH is 5.9 now. Tested before adjusting it was 6.8 (too high) Haven't done a water change yet I was going to let it go for 2 weeks then change with 1/2 strength. After a week at 1/2 I was going to change the water with full strength?
Well your problem could be in the mixing... I use AN (Advanced Nutrients), and for my 20gal res they want 228mL for each of the 3 part (G/M/B).. Well if I used that mixing ratio I end up with 1500ppm which is WAY to high... So what they say to mix at and what you really should mix at is always two different things from my past experience anyway... You NEED an EC/TDS pen if you're going to grow hydroponics!! You can get a cheap one right now if you can't afford a good one.. But both pens are a MUST in hydro... Also, I have always suggested changing the nutes every week to 10 days at the most.. The more experience you get knowing what signs to watch for, the longer you can wait in between nute changes, but most inexperienced growers I suggest a weekly change..
Ok well Ill be doing a water change then. I added 15mls of a and b into 15L of water (1/4 strength) Full strength mix is 60mls of a&b per 15L. I wont be able to get a ppm pen for a week or so. Should I change the water with 1/4 solution or plain pH'ed water till I get a ppm pen.
Well it is hard to advise you without knowing what 1/4 strength ppm reads.. I have no past experience with Optimum Grow.. My only concern is that the brown tips are on the new growth as well as the older growth, which tells me the mix has been too strong all along... But a 2 week old plant should be able to handle at least 500ppm and as high as 1000ppm (1000ppm is pushing it a little though).. So if I were you, what I would do is change the res and mix 13mL as opposed to the 15mL until you get a EC/TDS pen...
Will do tomorrow. Thanks for the advise. Hopefully order a pen as soon as I can Does this pen look ok http://aussieponics.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=107
Anytime... Also, this is what I suggest to get for people where money is tight... I always buy from this seller and he is a straight up good seller... HM Digital TDS-EZ PPM Tester Water Purity Testing Meter | eBay $16.50 with free shipping...
I did a res flush and topped back up with pHed and half strength nutes.. These photo's are 6 days after the last. I'm thinking of removing the pot with 2 plants. They where other seeds that sprouted outside. (They seem very small) I plan on taking a clone from each a week before I switch to 12/12 then when I know the sex of my flowering plants use the best female clone to grow a mother for clones when the current plants are harvested. Then I was reading about taking a "flowering clone" at 21 days into flower, re veg it for 2weeks after rooting then when I harvest the clones would be ready for 12/12 and the cycle starts again. Unsure on which way to go.... My eyes hurt from reading soo much into both options
26th day from sprouting. Full strength nutes now. pH problem fixed. Stable at 5.6 and climbs slowly over a few days. What do you guys think? Thinking of turning on the HPS for the rest of veg?
LOL.... I been watching Rusty... May not post to it, but I got my eye on you... Wish you had a MH, but I guess the HPS will be a LOT more intense than that florescent lamp you have going... Check my thread in my signature.. Them plants have just reached 4 weeks old today...
Thanks Jakesterjammin. Wish I had a MH too.. but Ive read alot that HPS will work just as well if I can get the light close enough to the plants to stop stretching. I was thinking about switching the 2x36w gro-lux t8 hood for the HPS 400w lamp tomorrow. Should I keep the side 24w cool white CFLs on? or is there no point with the 400w Im hoping the hps will speed up veg time so I can take some clones before I flower them. Also going to work on a light proof box for clones/veg that will be in the grow room.
Well the HPS emits more of the orange and red spectrum as opposed to the blues and yellows, but yes it will IMO speed things up a little... IMO florescent and T5s are for basic lighting for the mothers and clones... Mothers because you really don't want a whole lot of growth, and clones because they cannot handle the intense light the HID emits... People use them to grow, but you can grow a plant with a 60w light bulb too, that does not mean it is going to grow worth a shit... I guess if you use enough of the fluorescents and T5s bulbs maybe, but just 2 bulbs (again just IMO) is not going to give you the growth one would want to see.... That's the reason you only have 3-4 stages or leaf sets in almost 30 days.. Really IMO they are only 3 weeks old at the 30 day mark of life, because I take off a week of life accounting for the seedling stage.. In any case, yes you want to increase the light to them some how...
I do understand about the spectrum of light needed for veg and flower. Just cant afford a new ballast/bolb at the moment. Isabel is the biggest plant and the 6th node is about to open up. What should they be at on day 28 tomorrow? Thanks again for your interest and help.