I’m not a new grower, but not experienced either, less than a dozen MJ plants to my name over 30 years, but a thriving veggie garden the whole time. Im interested in going indoors & doing hydroponic this time instead of dirt. I’d like to keep it fairly simple instead of buying every supplement at the store. General hydroponic has a dehydrated line that I’d like to use.... but that’s where I have no clue on what the “recipe” is? I know this should be simple, I think.. for exp...1/4 teaspooon of the green stuff in 5 gallons of water & mix. Then 2 tablespoons of the red stuff mix... measure ph, ppm etc .... I only have you guys & the search button for help, so please take pity on this humble grower. I know diff growth stages need diff “recipes” Random Hydro ideas 4 me: -2 igloo coolers with a 6” baskets cut into top (2plant box) - 2” pvc plumbing -pump to circulate water & air -3rd plumbed resevoir for probes -chiller w/ temp regulator probe - digital ph monitor & ppm probe I think it’s called dwcr system or some shit like that, like I said it’s been a while since I looked stuff up, but doing my best.... Can a more experienced farmer help me out with this stuff...pleeeeeeeeeze I don’t want to reinvent the wheel, & is time to get rolling ! Thx all
Here's a link to the GH feed chart for your fertilizer: http://gh.growgh.com/docs/Feedcharts/GH_Maxi-REC_03216am.pdf 1. I greatly prefer measuring solids in grams rather than by volume. A small container of fertilizer can be put on a scale, which will read negative the amount of fertilizer taken out of the jar. However you decide to measure your fertilizer, first perform a test to see what ppm is produced by a known amount of it put into a known volume. GH's figures might not be applicable. I use the 1-part (from start to finish) Greenleaf Megacrop, and I know that 1 g of it produces a ppm of about 125 (500 scale) when added to 1 gallon water. This brand and Peters fertilizer are excellent and cheap. 2. Be careful about over-feeding. Most hydro growers use 1/2 or less of what nute pushers recommend. 3. Your idea of growing multiple plants in 1 container is excellent because there are fewer buckets to deal with. Larger reservoirs are more stable. 4. Recirculating Deep Water Culture isn't the simplest setup, and lots of things can leak and go wrong. But it is an excellent setup. I prefer a single, multiple plant large reservoir hooked up to an external storage reservoir with a float valve. A large, multiple plant reservoir should be looked upon as a recirculating system that recirculates itself continuously. 5. DWC grows huge plants, so make sure you have enough vertical space. 6. Check out the Vapor Pressure Deficit chart. Following it will produce giant plants. It usually requires humidifiers. 7. You are correct that all those supplements are unnecessary, and they might even do harm. 8. It's possible to plant seeds directly into DWC under full lights, just like commercial growers of other crops do outside with sunlight. Seedling stretch can be a problem with too little light.
Don't use these for hydro. They will clog up filters and leave alot if residuals. You need liquid nutes or compost teas (which can still clog filters but organic and hydro safe).
You can use dry nutes im using them now no clogging not sure what that guy was doing but if it was clogging ur filters all you got to do is mix in some warm water and it will dissolve but like i said i just add it in their and allow air pump/water pump do the mixing and i do not have any problems. Also you can get away with just the flower nutes and use that kool bloom too towards last 2-3 weeks. If you are using RO water get some cal-mg not much is needed when using GH Maxibloom it has decent amounts in it. If you do go hydro buy some Hydroguard or something similar it will save you a lot of headaches and if you dont have a chiller. Even if u do have a chiller i still recommend it. You could go as simple as just a bubbler in each pot with no pumps. Its up to you i would go the bubble bucket method and try it first before u go spending more than you have too plus then you could see if you like it. Just remember this key thing here " PH goes up whille PPMs DROP feed more nutes and if PH goes down while PPM goes UP your water is too strong dilute with plain water." Get a decent meter none of those cheap ones your gonna want to make sure your getting correct readings bc that will tell you what you need to do.
Agree. Bubble buckets are the simplest, but some of the General Hydroponics setups are also simple and effective. I use Ecogrowers, and love them. Many people love the Hydrofarm buckets. Top feed keeps the system mixed. I use dry nutes without any problems ever. Clorox is a cheaper alternative to hydroguard. It kills with chemical brute force rather than by using beneficial bacteria.
I can't tell any differences among fertilizers. Megacrop is just as good as anything else I've tried, but I've only used GH and CurrentCulture before. IMO fertilizer is a bit like sugar, where all brands have the same stuff. If that's true, then cheaper is better, and that's what I like to do. I'm considering JR Peters after I run out, depending on cost. The best thing about 1-part Megacrop is its ease of use. I set a small jar on a scale, tare, then remove some dry fertilizer until the scale reads (negative) the value I want. From testing, I know exactly how many ppm are produced by 1 gram in 1 gallon.
I’m currently using it for coco DTW I’ve got 3 DWC buckets I’m using GH with but I’d like to use the MC with it as well.
Allot of General Hydroponics products were developed for other plants and before weed became legal to grow . Nutrients do make a difference … some nutrients don't mix with some city or well water , depending on the minerals and bacteria in the water . When things go bad you get algae or a slime inside your system and root rot sets in ... If your water is hard then it just adds to the hundreds of different things that can go wrong with your plants .