My First Hydro Setup

[KCCO 77]

I have a little inspection hole on the top of the pot it's not the biggest but I am planning on buying one of those Blue Lab ph/ppm/ec reader so then at least on not constantly in and out of it with a ph/ppm pen.

I do plan on raising my pot 4-6" from the start so once the canopy is filled in up too I can slide the 4-6" stand out from the base of pot to expose the roots and inside of pot, plus there's a clear water level indication pipe on the front that I can turn and drain the tank so this will be perfect when I change the res during the week as I'm thinking I can run ph'd water through and let it run out then ph and adjust my ppm in a separate tank and pump it in, sounds like it will take a fair amount of time to sort out but I have the time and I think by doing this 2-3 times a week could probably benefit the plant being a fresh reservoir.

I suppose I will have to see how fast the growth is on these two to decide on what I do but I do have 35-40 days of veg time from today to be able to get a harvest in just before christmas.

As for bulbs I do go for super hps bulbs too but only ever tried the basic brands but like you said the par readings will be good, depending on the heat situation I could possibly run two 315w lights or turn one of the ballasts up to 400w but I don't see why i would need to as I don't think 35g+ per sqft is possible with my growing at the moment but maybe in time I could achieve 1.5g per watt.

. I purposely put my 6 inch net pots from the veg room into a 10 inch net pot in flower because when the plants r huge and holding a ton of bud they get real top heavy. The bigger net pot makes the plant more stable. If you do scrog then you will have no problems holding the plants up. As long as you can add your water to it without to much disruption it will all work with your stand underneath. I don’t cover my clay pellets in the netpots in flower because you need to flush once in awhile. I flush weekly because I top feed through the side of my buckets. Once you figure out what works for you it will all come together. There will always be tweaking as you get it locked down.

 

[KCCO 77]

I have a little inspection hole on the top of the pot it's not the biggest but I am planning on buying one of those Blue Lab ph/ppm/ec reader so then at least on not constantly in and out of it with a ph/ppm pen.

I do plan on raising my pot 4-6" from the start so once the canopy is filled in up too I can slide the 4-6" stand out from the base of pot to expose the roots and inside of pot, plus there's a clear water level indication pipe on the front that I can turn and drain the tank so this will be perfect when I change the res during the week as I'm thinking I can run ph'd water through and let it run out then ph and adjust my ppm in a separate tank and pump it in, sounds like it will take a fair amount of time to sort out but I have the time and I think by doing this 2-3 times a week could probably benefit the plant being a fresh reservoir.

I suppose I will have to see how fast the growth is on these two to decide on what I do but I do have 35-40 days of veg time from today to be able to get a harvest in just before christmas.

As for bulbs I do go for super hps bulbs too but only ever tried the basic brands but like you said the par readings will be good, depending on the heat situation I could possibly run two 315w lights or turn one of the ballasts up to 400w but I don't see why i would need to as I don't think 35g+ per sqft is possible with my growing at the moment but maybe in time I could achieve 1.5g per watt.

Don’t stress to much on the grams per watt thing because you r running hps. As you get shit figured out you can step up your game and dial things in.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

Yeah I imagine some of my growing skills will get altered to adjust what they need ect .

I think I am looking at going along the act of line and building a screen very low on top of the pots as with only having at most 40 days left I have not got much time but I imagine with it being a low canopy the plant will dip up a little faster.

That's why I'm detailing this journal with everything so then I can print parts out and make my own little handbook for the grow room .

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 12, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 12, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 12, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 12, 2019

 

[KCCO 77]

Yeah I imagine some of my growing skills will get altered to adjust what they need ect .

I think I am looking at going along the act of line and building a screen very low on top of the pots as with only having at most 40 days left I have not got much time but I imagine with it being a low canopy the plant will dip up a little faster.

That's why I'm detailing this journal with everything so then I can print parts out and make my own little handbook for the grow room .

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 12, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 12, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 12, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 12, 2019

The plants r growing nicely. Any roots out the bottom yet?? What ever your doing it’s working fine over there. I just woke up and after checking my ladies for their morning check up I found this little lady popping up.

652E57D3-3C55-4EA3-9816-DC1A41947502.jpeg

• KCCO 77
• Sep 12, 2019

My friend gave me this seed and insisted I try it. So one more into the mix however she will b a soil girl. Hopefully some roots will shoot out the bottoms of your cubes any day.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

There going at a great pace at the moment but still no roots out the base of the cubes but give it time I suppose .

What strain is it then or is it a bag seed, I've a few strains I want to try next year and one of them being this cheese and pamir gold.

 

[KCCO 77]

There going at a great pace at the moment but still no roots out the base of the cubes but give it time I suppose .

What strain is it then or is it a bag seed, I've a few strains I want to try next year and one of them being this cheese and pamir gold.

It’s lambs breath auto from CKS. I am honestly just growing it to keep the peace. I have never grown a auto because I like to control all aspects of my growing but I will entertain this one time. Not to mention I have a lineup of stains(moms) that meet all my needs. I will park her beside my moms until she decides to do something I guess.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

I have grown autos twice now, 3 Sweet Skunk of which one was perfect and the other two took what I can only imagine being the true ruderalis effects of popcorn bud at every bud site and i also grew 9 Northern Lights that 5 were all the same height and 4 were larger but the same height as the 4 so if I were to ever grow autos ever again I would need to grow at least 5 to hopefully get a good outcome of them.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

I have put my Co2 Dispenser in the tent and shut the door, for a T5 light it can certainty put some heat out and I don't run a filter or extraction system on this small tent so at least a spray of Co2 every hour will hopefully help them out.

So today I took some more pictures with a tape measure and both grew around 10mm wider in 24h so hopeful once the roots are in full growth out the cube I imagine they will be very fast.

I'm ordering some House and Garden Roots Excelurator at the weekend, decided I'm ordering my new tent next month as it's not needed as of yet so if got a little more time to find the best rated one.

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

 

[KCCO 77]

I have put my Co2 Dispenser in the tent and shut the door, for a T5 light it can certainty put some heat out and I don't run a filter or extraction system on this small tent so at least a spray of Co2 every hour will hopefully help them out.

So today I took some more pictures with a tape measure and both grew around 10mm wider in 24h so hopeful once the roots are in full growth out the cube I imagine they will be very fast.

I'm ordering some House and Garden Roots Excelurator at the weekend, decided I'm ordering my new tent next month as it's not needed as of yet so if got a little more time to find the best rated one.

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 13, 2019

CO2 mmm I don’t know to much about it as I don’t run it. I just pound my plants with fresh air as my flower room is not even close to air tight. I was under the impression if the light puts out less then 900/1000 PPFD co2 was not required however the little ladies r looking very happy.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

I think that is true with the lights needing to be a lot bigger but I did notice 4 plants growth a little better when using this dispenser but it could of just been down to good strain genetics, I have got another 2 cans or so I will use these up in the veg cycle.

So they grew another 10mm or so and we now finally have roots out the base of the cubes so I will transplant them into there new dwc pots next weekend as I've got a few things to sort out in the house before then which I need to keep these in the small space for now.

I have put my bubbler on now that the roots are through and I plan to change the lights from 24/0 to 18/6 as from tonight that will include the bubbler too so I can get at least 6h of clear sleep without noise lol.

Should I start feeding a 1/4 strength nutrient mix now that the roots have came out or should I wait until I see signs of them starting to need anything? I feel brand new at growing for some reason lol.

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

 

[bluenoserjoe]

The seedlings are looking good, but they are just that, seedlings. They really don't require to much food as yet, and with such a small root system can only absorb so much anyway. Don't want to overload them, they will ask for more food when needed.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

Thanks, at least if I post daily you will be able to see the differences in colour, they sure are looking good at this growth rate.

 

[KCCO 77]

I think that is true with the lights needing to be a lot bigger but I did notice 4 plants growth a little better when using this dispenser but it could of just been down to good strain genetics, I have got another 2 cans or so I will use these up in the veg cycle.

So they grew another 10mm or so and we now finally have roots out the base of the cubes so I will transplant them into there new dwc pots next weekend as I've got a few things to sort out in the house before then which I need to keep these in the small space for now.

I have put my bubbler on now that the roots are through and I plan to change the lights from 24/0 to 18/6 as from tonight that will include the bubbler too so I can get at least 6h of clear sleep without noise lol.

Should I start feeding a 1/4 strength nutrient mix now that the roots have came out or should I wait until I see signs of them starting to need anything? I feel brand new at growing for some reason lol.

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 14, 2019

I have to say I’m with bluenoserjoe on this one. Maybe let them go for a few more days on tap/bottled water with a low ppm. If you decide to mix some nutrient I would not go any mor then 200 to 250 ppm. What is the ppm of the water you r feeding them now??Tap or bottled or RO?? Glad to c the roots popping out and the plants r growing good. Whatever your doing it’s meeting the little ladies needs and they look happy. Going forward I don’t know if you still have that heat mat going but if so you may want to start to cut the heat before you drop the in you bucket. Dwc nutrient temp should be around 68f and if you put them in there with out conditioning them first you may slow them down until the get use to the cooler temp of the nutrient in the bucket. If still running the heat mat maybe start with a 12hrs on and 12 off this week to prep them for the buckets. You don’t want he nutrient temp in the buckets to go above 70f if possible. After 70 f the D/O will start to fall off fast and you open the door for many other things to go wrong.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

I'm just feeding tap water at the moment so I will stick with that until in put in the final pot.

So I had another 10mm or so of growth since yesterday, I must say the growth is absolutely great and I'm glad to say there both at the same rate so at least I won't have one plant bigger than the other.

Showing no signs of stress or deficiencies as of yet which is a massive plus for my first run.

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 15, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 15, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 15, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 15, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 15, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 15, 2019

 

[HigherTheHigh]

So when I put these into the net pots do I put a layer or clay pebbles in first then add the cube and then should I fill the bucket with water up to the cube or just just to the base of clay pebbles?

 

[KCCO 77]

So when I put these into the net pots do I put a layer or clay pebbles in first then add the cube and then should I fill the bucket with water up to the cube or just just to the base of clay pebbles?

Hey how I do it is I put between 1 to 2 inches of clay pebbles on the bottom then drop the cube in and fill the rest with clay pebbles. Try to get a layer of pebbles on top of the cube as well to keep the light off the cube.This might be difficult over there depending on the size of the netpot it’s going in. How big is the net pot it’s going in??? The water in the buckets should just touch the bottom of the net pot allowing the air bubbles to burst and wet the clay pebbles encouraging the roots to grow down. Your little set up now is working on the same principle so you should be good as you know what your doing. Don’t let the cube sit in direct water. As soon as roots pop out the bottom of the net pot in a few days you want to drop the water level 1 or 2 inches below the net pot. Don’t forget to rinse the clay pebbles first. R you transplanting today???

 

[KCCO 77]

Hey how I do it is I put between 1 to 2 inches of clay pebbles on the bottom then drop the cube in and fill the rest with clay pebbles. Try to get a layer of pebbles on top of the cube as well to keep the light off the cube.This might be difficult over there depending on the size of the netpot it’s going in. How big is the net pot it’s going in??? The water in the buckets should just touch the bottom of the net pot allowing the air bubbles to burst and wet the clay pebbles encouraging the roots to grow down. Your little set up now is working on the same principle so you should be good as you know what your doing. Don’t let the cube sit in direct water. As soon as roots pop out the bottom of the net pot in a few days you want to drop the water level 1 or 2 inches below the net pot. Don’t forget to rinse the clay pebbles first. R you transplanting today???

D8C9BF49-2C21-4737-A8C9-9120990D1530.jpeg

• KCCO 77
• Mar 24, 2019

This is what my finished product looks like It was the only pic I have that shows a net pot after transplanted

 

[HigherTheHigh]

I'm sure it's a 6" pot although I could be wrong, I'm ordering another system this week and I should have them in and setup by next week hopefully and then I will think about adding a root additive but the solution is quite dark so I'm thinking it may stain the roots.

These are growing up very nicely and I'm glad of took photos of the leaf size so that in the future I can at least see if I'm behind or not ect, I'm classing this as the 8th day of there seedling life so they have another 34 days of growth left till I have to switch so I can get a harvest and to be dried before Christmas.

I think I'm going to simply grow the plant up up and put a screen 6-8" above the net pot with a 50x50mm square screen scrog net, once the main stem reaches 2" below the screen then I will bend it a full 90° to one side with my plant bends then tie anything else down before the flip for a hopeful even canopy, I'm also going to make two separate canopies so that I can take them out and work on them or even turn them around weekly.

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 16, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 16, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 16, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 16, 2019

Northern Lights x Big Bud Seedlings

• HigherTheHigh
• Sep 16, 2019

 

[HigherTheHigh]

My net pots are 140mm so nearly 6" .

 

[HigherTheHigh]

So here's a little experiment I have been working on the past few months, I had a 1x1m tent and a 4x4 tent setup.

The 1x1m setup had 8 3L pot plants and 2 20L plants all under a 250w hps light, canopy wwith normal Christmas tree style plants.

the 4x4 setup had 6 20L pots under a 600w hps with a cool hood, pretty even canopy around 75% due to it being a type of scrog.

So overall even though the 1x1m had 8 9 different strains in there and 2 plants were the same as the 4x4 the plants cola and bud size was at least 30% bigger under a 250w rather than the 600w which is quite strange considering they say they need more light to be bigger so this time around in the new setup with 2 of these above them may turn out better than expected.