Rex's Hydro Grow: Somango Auto & Super Skunk Auto: Drop In & Learn Or Help With Some Easy Hydroponics

[DutchinAB]

Rexer! My favourite 420 mag palindrome!

I’m interested in your setup (I’ve never done hydro) and will be watching this run of yours. Happy growing!

 

[Rexer]

Rexer! My favourite 420 mag palindrome!

I’m interested in your setup (I’ve never done hydro) and will be watching this run of yours. Happy growing!

Thank you! Feel free to ask any questions, there is too many folks stuck on being intimidated on hydro, at its heart it's fairly simple, if I can't answer, somebody will
Happy to have you! I've lurked through your journal before and was impressed!

Edit- I also had to look up palindrom too awesome!!

 

[VexGrows]

There is always room for improvement. I found myself tweaking my setup.

I went from RDWC to HydroWick. Less noise making equipment and I figured at my age, I needed to simplify it.

 

[Fredwak]

Hi Rexer! I'm a coco guy but I'm in. Stay stoneder

 

[DonkeyDick]

Off to a great start, Rex looking good. I hear you on the budget restrictions in these straightened times. Keen to find out any more of your clever workarounds.
Cheers

 

[Rexer]

There is always room for improvement. I found myself tweaking my setup.

I went from RDWC to HydroWick. Less noise making equipment and I figured at my age, I needed to simplify it.

The hydrowick has fascinated me, I know I'll move on from this ebb and flow system, but (will never do DWC, RDWC maybe) but hydrowick is now on the possibilities list. And yeah I hear you on the noise making equipment, the reality is that I believe I could remove my air pump and be fine. The water from both flood tubs falls back in via the overflow line splashing into the reservoir, breaking the surface tension. Have you looked into Venturi valves?

Hi Rexer! I'm a coco guy but I'm in. Stay stoneder

Hi Fredwak! Welcome to my humble little grow, I'm just about always stonder brother
Congratulations on the nomination!!

Off to a great start, Rex looking good. I hear you on the budget restrictions in these straightened times. Keen to find out any more of your clever workarounds.
Cheers

DonkeyDick!!!!! So glad to have you back my friend!
I shall strive to impress, but fully expect that like the first run this one will have some buds crispy like marshmallows. I did a run with a white widow and a blueberry (both Autos) and while the WW only yielded 68g dried, the BB yielded a nice 200g dried. Just smoked a bowl and yeah....its nice
I think once I get ahead stash wise, I'll only run two at a time to have less bud bleaching. Last run with two plants I was able to spread them right out and had next to no bleaching.

​

 

[DutchinAB]

there is too many folks stuck on being intimidated on hydro, at its heart it's fairly simple, if I can't answer, somebody will

I’d like to give it a whirl one day, I find promix fits my busy life at the moment though!

There is always room for improvement. I found myself tweaking my setup.

I went from RDWC to HydroWick. Less noise making equipment and I figured at my age, I needed to simplify it.

Hydrowick also intrigues me!

 

[Rexer]

So update time!
The seedlings have sprung! And are now under a T5 light in my propagation chamber. I set a heating mat underneath it, and have it plugged into an Inkbird theromatic controller (this one does heat only, after propagation it will monitor my reservoir to make sure it doesn't get too cold). I'll be checking on them more often over the next few days, then they will go into the 6 inch net cups where I will tease the roots out further.

As far as the cabinet goes, most of the reset is done. Last night I filled the reservoir and ran a strong solution of H202 through it to help disinfect anything I missed.

So @Northern Hydro , here is the anticlimactic way I fill my reservoir. The cheat is I have a twin to my reservoir that comes out whenever I need to do a res change, or fill for 1st time.
I bring the twin res to the bathroom and drop it in the bathtub, unscrew the shower head and begin filling it.
Once filled, I'll use add/mix up my nute batch, PH adjust, then drop a pump into it (assuming that the main res is already empty), then attach a long hose running from the tub, to the cabinet on the other side of the house. Takes a few minutes, but the little water pump always works. I've even used a water jug, put it below the tap, and pumped water across the house that way. Having a twin res/tote takes the guesswork out of how high to fill the tote before pumping it to the cabinet. Here is a handy tip: always leave room in your reservoir for a plain water top up in case you need to dilute the reservoir solution/nutes.

20201215_205224_001.jpg

• Rexer
• Dec 16, 2020

20201215_205253.jpg

• Rexer
• Dec 16, 2020

20201216_084609.jpg

• Rexer
• Dec 16, 2020

Now...i mentioned I have some height issues. Here's the details:

From the top of the net cups, to the roof of the cabinet is exactly 3 feet. The MH/HPS light is 7 inches. That leaves me with a best case scenario of something like 28 inches of growth height for the plant. It's a tight squeeze!

And here is the tubs filling with the lids removed. Don't mind the mess, that will be cleaned up soon.

That's it for now!

 

[VexGrows]

Aww, look that those babies poking their heads out "hello world!"

As far as the height limitation, you got this. Just train those ladies to stay low. Manifolding may help in this space.

Looking great so far!

 

[Rexer]

Aww, look that those babies poking their heads out "hello world!"

As far as the height limitation, you got this. Just train those ladies to stay low.

Looking great so far!

Thanks Vex! Oh I know what I'm in for more or less, but pictures sometimes make it hard to tell/judge so I thought I'd put my measurements in. And if somebody were to try to replicate my methods, they should know that using a proper space without those height restrictions...well in the end they'll succeed even better then i

Really appreciate your following along and commenting!


I keep looking back to HM's post. Next run I think I'll do a side by side (I know he know his stuff way better- I just want to see if the loss from doing it my way on the cheap outweighs the gains from his method total budget wise....next grow!).

 

[JamesBong502]

I’m in, this looks like it will be a good one

 

[Rexer]

I’m in, this looks like it will be a good one

Thanks James! And welcome to my humble journal! Pleased to have you along!

 

[VexGrows]

"Have you looked into Venturi valves?"

I did during my first grow years back.

I think the teens are growing fine in the HydroWick without added air bubbles/etc in solution. They get O2 above the reservoir through the fabric bags.

I figured using a 5" tall bin would give me more height in my 5' tall tent. So far so good.

 

[Northern Hydro]

I’d like to give it a whirl one day, I find promix fits my busy life at the moment though!

Hydrowick also intrigues me!

I have to google this now haha
Getting too old for buckets

So update time!
The seedlings have sprung! And are now under a T5 light in my propagation chamber. I set a heating mat underneath it, and have it plugged into an Inkbird theromatic controller (this one does heat only, after propagation it will monitor my reservoir to make sure it doesn't get too cold). I'll be checking on them more often over the next few days, then they will go into the 6 inch net cups where I will tease the roots out further.

As far as the cabinet goes, most of the reset is done. Last night I filled the reservoir and ran a strong solution of H202 through it to help disinfect anything I missed.

So @Northern Hydro , here is the anticlimactic way I fill my reservoir. The cheat is I have a twin to my reservoir that comes out whenever I need to do a res change, or fill for 1st time.
I bring the twin res to the bathroom and drop it in the bathtub, unscrew the shower head and begin filling it.
Once filled, I'll use add/mix up my nute batch, PH adjust, then drop a pump into it (assuming that the main res is already empty), then attach a long hose running from the tub, to the cabinet on the other side of the house. Takes a few minutes, but the little water pump always works. I've even used a water jug, put it below the tap, and pumped water across the house that way. Having a twin res/tote takes the guesswork out of how high to fill the tote before pumping it to the cabinet. Here is a handy tip: always leave room in your reservoir for a plain water top up in case you need to dilute the reservoir solution/nutes.

20201215_205224_001.jpg

• Rexer
• Dec 16, 2020

20201215_205253.jpg

• Rexer
• Dec 16, 2020

20201216_084609.jpg

• Rexer
• Dec 16, 2020

Now...i mentioned I have some height issues. Here's the details:

From the top of the net cups, to the roof of the cabinet is exactly 3 feet. The MH/HPS light is 7 inches. That leaves me with a best case scenario of something like 28 inches of growth height for the plant. It's a tight squeeze!

And here is the tubs filling with the lids removed. Don't mind the mess, that will be cleaned up soon.

That's it for now!

I am way too medicated to understand what you are trying to tell me friend ! Haha

I’m dwc ( one bucket ) or soil .. I have an 4 auto pot I’m hoping to leave outside for the summer but time will tell .

 

[VetSmoke85]

Cool setup bud. I'm in for the show. I feel you on height constraints. Adapt and overcome.

 

[Rexer]

Cool setup bud. I'm in for the show. I feel you on height constraints. Adapt and overcome.

Hey Vetsmoke! Welcome, and thank you! Yup small spaces can be fun, especially with autos, so far I'm not to shabby at keeping the main stalk to lowest branches at around 2-3 inches.

"Adapt and overcome" - words to live by brother

 

[Northern Hydro]

Re read it an hour later hahaha. This, is why I love smoking ..if that was an editable I’d have been fucked all night !
anyways
that is a FANTASTIC idea ! I have a laundry sink that I use in the mixing room about 40 feet from the tents and that would work perfectly for water transfers ..what size hose did you find fit best ? you have to cut off the fittings right ?
sorry I’m not a plumber haha . im dumb

 

[Rexer]

Re read it an hour later hahaha. This, is why I love smoking ..if that was an editable I’d have been fucked all night !
anyways
that is a FANTASTIC idea ! I have a laundry sink that I use in the mixing room about 40 feet from the tents and that would work perfectly for water transfers ..what size hose did you find fit best ? you have to cut off the fittings right ?
sorry I’m not a plumber haha . im dumb

The size of hose will depend on the pump used. Match the hose to the oulet size of your pump, just don't make the same mistake I did...get a hose that is flexible (I.e a garden hose that can be coiled up when done, and stored inside the tote/bucket once the res change is completed).
Side bonus: I use the exact same type of pump that's inside the cabinet, thus I always have a spare if it dies.


Seedlings are happy more or less, and I've set a easy way to keep an eye on them!

 

[Rexer]

2 had their leaves pointed down, therefore I drained a bit of water out of their cups.
I've dialed down the MH lamp to 150W and am running it for one hour every every 4 hours, while the T5 is still on in the propagation chamber

So here is a little showing of the last 13hrs of the seedlings growth gif. Sorry for the unsteady shots

20201217_123319.gif

• Rexer
• Dec 17, 2020
• autflowering gif seedling

13hrs of seedling growth gif

 

[Northern Hydro]

So here is a little showing of the last 13hrs of the seedlings growth gif. Sorry for the unsteady shots

20201217_123319.gif

• Rexer
• Dec 17, 2020
• autflowering gif seedling

13hrs of seedling growth gif

Cool