First grow ever. 5gal DWC

[Marley Man]

Hey everyone. I've got a little bit of history on this plant (and other dead plants) you can see the history here:
Need help on specific DWC question
yellowing of leaves. my only baby left is it ok?
short story, killed off 5 plants and have one left. suggested causes to death were the ph or tap water (was left out 24 hrs but dont have tds meter yet so shouldnt have even tried using tap)

Strain: Greenhouse Seeds feminized Big Bang
heres some basic information:
day 11 from when seeds planted with root tip sticking out
temp: 77
PH: 6
nutrients: pure blend pro grow at a little less than 1/4 strength
5gal bucket w/ hydroton and seedling in rockwool
distilled water
Light: 400w mh (when it was purchased, thought there'd be at least 4 plants growing)

and here she is:

 

[Boss]

Looks very good

 

[Smokin Moose]

I will be following this journal. God luck mate. +16 reps

 

[Marley Man]

I will be following this journal. God luck mate. +16 reps

thanks for rep

OK. good news for the day. And it feels good since this is the first time I really got positive feedback (as opposed to with the plants getting worse and worse)

seemingly overnight one root grew 2 inches out of the netpot and the second set of leaves grew quite a bit. It also is standing up a little straighter too. Seems as though nutrients are exactly what it wanted; Thanks moose and Race!

here she is:

also, a question: I had the water right below the rockwool, so part of the netcup and hydroton were submerged. Now that a root has grown down below the netcup, should I drop the level of the water down to right below the netcup, or should I keep it where it is, to promote more rootgrowth coming out if the rockwool?

 

[Smokin Moose]

I am inclined to drop the water a bit, but better wait for Racefan to confirm, as I am not a hydro expert.

 

[Marley Man]

A developing problem: there has always been a tiny gray spot toward the end of the left leaf of the biggest pair of leaves. now the same spot has appeared on the right leaf. What could this be? its grayish is it some kind of mold?

At least it grew its third set of leaves overnight. But I am afraid the gray spotting will naturally get worse!

 

[Marley Man]

sorry havent updated in a while but here she is.

temp has been at 86 at high points.
not sure what the water temperature is.
half strength nutrients (a little less)
guessing that the leaves below suffering from heat stress? light isn't very close though, 2.5 ft
ph has been stable at 6.0
damn tds meter still hasnt arrived (shipped from hong kong 2 weeks ago) so I'm using distilled water.

moving the whole setup to the basement because I don't have a way to cool down the water, and the basement floor is concrete so that should help.

here are some pictures of the roots, hopefully there is not any root rot going on.

 

[POTential]

nah you got nute burn. You never want to feed seedlings, you should barely be feeding at the stage your at now. Run clean water until the burning stops. You may see more but that new growth looks healthy enough to pull through cleanly. Moving to cooler temps was a good idea.

 

[Smokin Moose]

No nute burn. The blemished leaf was an early indicator the plant needed food, but new growth is healthy, so give them time.

 

[HeadMed]

Root's don't look bad. You've got yer air stones going right?

 

[POTential]

No nute burn. The blemished leaf was an early indicator the plant needed food, but new growth is healthy, so give them time.

I don't want to even doubt the master but the very first pics (seedling) show signs of browning as well. Would the the plant show signs of nute deficiency that early?

Although the spotting does point to deficiencies.

 

[Marley Man]

haha well one thing I'm definitely good on is airstones. It was originally going to be a 5 plant grow but now its just one so

I have a 20gal rated air pump hooked up to 2 airstones in there.

Thanks moose for the chiming in!

 

[HeadMed]

Good resource to check out for diagnosis...

Cannabis Plant and Pest Problem Solver - Pictorial

You've got roots, you've got leaves, if you've got light... then it's on like donkey kong.

I've used water level to promote the plant reaching with it;s roots... but yer there... let em fill in I say.

I think in 2 weeks it will look like a different plant and you'll be looking at full strength (light veg) feeding. Distilled water is the way to go. You want your plants to have the best you can give them, the way to make it happen is to start at zero (distilled) and only give them the best. Keep an eye on your PH, and keep on rocking... We're lighting a candle for you... + reps

 

[HeadMed]

Would the the plant show signs of nute deficiency that early?

All day long. (IMHO) As soon as it has roots, and leaves, it's a plant and wants to grow. And it's gonna try, if it doesn't have food it will starve. It's my fail safe timer for moving them from cloning tray to staging (nute drip) or ebb and flow. I see leaves start to yellow and I know they want food. If I'm worried about roots, I'll use water level to promote growth. The medium I use holds and transfers moisture to a certain extent (enough to keep the plant going) so I'll set it higher in the tray or the drip stake at the edge of the net pot, and make the roots reach for the water. They will too, and fast... it's what they were born for.

 

[POTential]

^ maybe it's different for hydro. I use soil and wouldn't dream of feeding that early. I guess it makes sense as the soil retain the nutes even if the water is evaporated.

 

[HeadMed]

^ True true, plus most soil already has a nutrient content thats takes weeks to wash away.

 

[POTential]

agreed. I have to go hydro one day to do some comparison grows.

 

[HeadMed]

Try it out.. you'd be great at it. I've heard that dirt farmers make the best hydro growers. Something about patience... hehehh. I've always felt it was all the same.. just different mediums to stick roots in. We're all one family...

 

[Marley Man]

Hey guys, love all the responses.

Just as a sidenote: I'm pretty interested in starting a guerilla grow very soon. I just need to find a good place. I live in a suburb and there are woods around, but I doubt they are virgin territory. Guess I'll just have to go further.

but anyway my question is, what kind of soil mix should I get that any local garden center would have? I mean, I have a patch of loam from compost in my yard but i read that personal compost shouldnt be used because it has pathogens. Everywhere i go i see miraclegro. And apparently miracle grow is not good for marijuana growth.

forgive me, I am ripped.

 

[Smokin Moose]

Any good garden centre will have a premium organic potting mix. Make sure it does NOT have slow release ferts added.