Daily Maintenance
Check reservoir for water level and pH and adjust and replenish
Look at the water, for algae and trash.
Check Temp around grow area and check Humidity
Check Water Pump and feeder tubes for clogging and not feeding
Check for crimped or folded air tubes
Look under the plant canopy, look into or inside the plant for bugs, larvae, insects, dead leaves (remove the 90% dead ones). Examine the top and bottom leaves.
Look for discoloration, and leaf tip yellowing. It is very normal and natural for bottom leaves to yellow, dry and fall off. Look for leaves curling down (nute burn) and curling up (too much heat)
Check Temp of water in reservoir daily, and weekly look at roots
Hygiene.
Yes, I mean cleanliness. Clean up the area, the lid, the reflective material. Keep the area clean.
Raise bulbs to proper height daily.
Re-arrange bulbs every other day, swapping positions.
Daily properly mist with plain pH water in VEG cycle. Every other day, to 3 days, mist with a foilage spray.
Move the oscillating fan to a different location, if only 3 or 4 inches.
Replenish whatever you are doing to increase the Humidity.
Check your Odor Control.
Topping Off the Tank's Reservoir
Daily Maintenance of the reservoir is mostly keeping the pH at the proper level, and keeping the same level of water in the tank as it is used or evaporates. It is also keeping the nutrient mix or nutrient solution at a proper level, a level that is NOT toxic or too strong.
In the day to day course of maintaining the tank two problems occur. parts per million? Then we discussed RNC, RELATIONSHIP OF NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION.
TDS, Total Dissolved Salts. As the water evaporates or is consumed, the concentration of TDS becomes stronger, to the point of being Toxic. The TDS increase as the amount of water decreases.
This creates the need to replenish the water, to replace the water. As we replace that missing water, we create an IMBALANCE. Hydroponics grown plants eat what they need, as they need it and they leave some nutes to build up and accumulate into a poisonous or toxic level.
This creates the need to daily TOP IT OFF. I have already discussed starting Feedings and Draining and Replinishing in this thread twice. It is simple enough, daily replace what you estimate is gone, consumed, eaten, and absorbed.
But weekly, you need to clear the buffet table and start all over with fresh foods. This gives the plant not only a well balanced buffet table to eat from, but also supplies it with FRESH Food that has not been altered by the plants being picky and choosey.
And, there is the Growth Spurt you will get during the Drain, as the roots get a 5 to 15 minutes air bath. It also gives you the opportunity to look for crimped air hoses, scrub the air stones clean and look for debris and trash in the tank that messes with the pH balance.
Let me say this was Authored and written by Roseman.
Grow Strong My Friend!
the time, ppm seems to work out fine to! right now the water with nutes is about 1890 ppm something around there, if things look hinky with the plants after, I hit them with plan ph'ed water the next day when they need their feeding but their big girls and have been taking full nutes for quite a while now.
and a spear regular 400wtt hps bulb merry ferigen christmes, they have inexpensive equipment that can get you from point A to point B when starting up.
that I like! because once the buds really ripen it's best not to be knocking them aroundand moving and handle them to much.
