ok so ive lurked random forums for quite sometime and ive tried my hand at growing like twice but has yet to workout for me. I have a few questions. so ive never successfully harvested. I use hydroponics setup DWC i run 2 air pumps to those 6 inch circle air stones. and like a 155ish GPH water pump to a 6 splitter and have 6 hoses from there going to each plant. im currently changing up my setup i had a clear bucket but taped over it with foil tape. im using a 50 watt LED light supposed equal to 400 watts. im thinking i might need some more lighting power and was considering adding some CFL's so my problem is everytime i try to grow. it seems like the plant has a problem rooting into the rockwool. like the roots dont go far into it. i just got new fertilizer from a local grow shop. its a 2 part veg and 2 part bloom any ideas? also im not sure how often ishould be watering the rockwool because i dont want to drown the plants but the first time i tried to grow i just kept the water pump and lights on 24/7 which i did read up on and i figured it would be fine, actually better if i just always kept the light on. also when i germinate how long should i let the root grow out of the seed cause ive tried like a quarter inch and a bunch of other different lengths. thanks for any help or advice in advance.
At what point during the grow are we talking about here? Is this a two week old plant or is it a 2 day old plant? Are you using nutes from the beginning? The bubbles from the airstone should keep the rockwool damp enough until the roots hit the solution. If you have to water it, just keep it damp. In a DWC your pump should run 24 hours a day. Light can be 18/6 or 20/4 or 24/0. As soon as the taproot breaks the shell you should get it into your growing medium. A quarter inch should be fine though. Just be very careful with it as the taproot can be very fragile. Good luck.
the plant was about 3 weeks old ish and i did use nute from the beginning. about half of recommended then like a week into it full and how could the pump be on 24/7 if the rockwool is suppossed to be only damp? i have my pump pumoing water straight to the rockwool i was i meant. thanks for all the info il post some pictures
You don't need to add nutes until the cotyledon (the two little round leaves) begins to turn brown. Then, start with 1/4 strength nuts and work your way up slowly. Sorry, I thought you were talking about the air pump for the air stone. I have done DWC before and I don't recall ever reading about using a pump to keep the rockwool damp. As far as I know it is just an air pump and an air stone in a bucket. The rockwool doesn't need to be moist at all once the roots hit the water. I could be wrong, but I would ditch the submersible pump. This could explain your lack or root growth though. The roots never had to search for water. It was always all around them. They got lazy and decided thay had grown enough. Good luck.
No. Personally I think LEDs are crap. They just aren't quite there yet. Maybe 5 years from now. I have yet to see anyone complete a grow without supplementing their light source. Good luck.
ok so i was wondering with dwc how do you get the nuterient solution to the rock wool once you add it? the rockwool is above the water line. or do you just take like a small cup or something and get water out of the tub and pour it on the rockwool? also do you have a picture or a link to a picture of what the plant will look like when you need to add nutes?