Okay, I have a whole hydro setup that I got from a buddy... It's the kind with the reservoir and a pump that goes into the drip lines, each attached to a spike so it stays over the plant. I think I have it all figured out, my only questions are as follows: 1) I am planning on starting from seeds, and I'd like to grow each plant in a seperate pot... what do I put the seed into after it germinates? Rockwool? 2) How much do i water? I have one of the expensive timers so I can set it up to water whenever I need it to... but how often should I turn the pump on, and for how long each time? Thanks
1- Yes, Get the small cubes with the hole in them. Soak it in ph balanced water for a few hours. Some people add a very small amount of hydroponic solution while soaking to give them a small taste but others will say dont feed them anything for 2 weeks. Place the seed in the hole and carefully push some of the rockwool over top so no light gets in... But not too much. When they get bigger you can either buy large cubes and place the small cube in it.. or switch to hydroton pellets. If you use the hydronton, you fill a normal planter with them. 2- You will get many answers to this and this varies depending on what growing medium you use. Rockwool holds much more water so watering it for 30 minutes 1-2 times a day will be enough. If you use hydronton, you will need to water it 2-3 times a day for 30 minutes or so. Water it more if you have it under hot lights and are flowing. I use a similar setup for my mothers and only water them once a day for 30 min. (they are in 4x4" rockwool cubes and then are sitting in planters with hydronton rocks).
[quote name='rletanx'] When they get bigger you can either buy large cubes and place the small cube in it.. or switch to hydroton pellets. If you use the hydronton, you fill a normal planter with them.
A normal one with drain holes on the bottom should be fine. Remember you are using a dripper so its not a huge around of water being dumbed in there. As long as the water can freely exit. I have my mothers in normal plastic planters (with dippers) I got my home depot and never had an issue. I like this way better because the rocks allow the roots to dry faster and rockwool can get moldy and smell kind of funky if it gets too wet. You also cant reuse it like the rocks.
Sorry, two more questions... I have germinated my seeds and planted them into the 1.5" rockwool cubes. I plan on placing these into the 4" cubes when they're ready, and placing that in hydroton. My questions are: 1. Should I wait until the roots are showing through the 4" rockwool to put them in hydroton? 2. How do you deal with the drainage? I have trays that work great for the 4" rockwool, but once they're in the planters I'm lost... Do you have your pots elevated so that they can just drain right back into the reservoir? I'm confused on this part Thanks