DWC First Hydro Grow Questions

[BukuOrganiX]

How's it going Fella's, This is my first DWC Hydroponics grow. I have a few Noob Questions I would greatly appreciated being answered.
I know there's a lot of different speculations on stuff, but basic answers are just fine.
kiss-ass

1. (Germinating)
When I Germ, should I do the ol'papper towel trick, or should I place the seeds directly into moistened (24) hour non-nut pre-soaked rockwool cube's?
Should I soak the cube's in a certain solution?

2. (Sprouts)
When time comes, if I haven't already gotten advice from question 1. Should I...

A. Take the sprouts from the rockwool cube's and place them into the (24) hour non-nut pre-soaked clay pebble's in my net pot's...
Should I soak the Pebble's in a certain solution?
(OR)
B. Leave the sprouts in the cube's and place the cube's in the clay pebble's ???

3. I need a precise regiment on Lucas's Formula. From Beginning to End.
I've read to start with only half the amount so it's not so strong, what does this mean? and is it, 5ml and 10ml per gallon of GH Micro/Bloom for Vegging, and 8ml and 16ml per gallon of Micro/Bloom for Flowering, or is it the other way around???

4. I need to know the best kind of water to use while doing DWC.
I've read the Distilled Water is good, on the other hand Tap Water that has sat for over (24) Hours is okay... Also some sort of Filter hooked to your Faucet works ???

5. How high should the Rez level be beneath the net pot's until the root's push through the clay pebble's?
and how high should the Rez level be beneath the net pot's once the root's do start to gain some inch's?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
I may edit this post from anytime with new Questions so,
Any input would be awesome!!! So Please (ANYONE), Respond to this post.

P.S. I have Feminized Blue Mystic Seeds from Nirvana, and I'm not starting my grow until this thread get's some answers! Seriously!
once the grow start's I will post pictures and updates on my grows, possibly trying to learn how to start a grow journal, because I have no idea how to start one.

 

[feva]

yo im looking for same answers you are. so i will be watching if learn something i will be sure to let you know

 

[imabeast]

How's it going Fella's, This is my first DWC Hydroponics grow. I have a few Noob Questions I would greatly appreciated being answered.
I know there's a lot of different speculations on stuff, but basic answers are just fine.
kiss-ass

1. (Germinating)
When I Germ, should I do the ol'papper towel trick, or should I place the seeds directly into moistened (24) hour non-nut pre-soaked rockwool cube's?
Should I soak the cube's in a certain solution?
I use the old paper towel trick

2. (Sprouts)
When time comes, if I haven't already gotten advice from question 1. Should I...

A. Take the sprouts from the rockwool cube's and place them into the (24) hour non-nut pre-soaked clay pebble's in my net pot's...
Should I soak the Pebble's in a certain solution?
(OR)
B. Leave the sprouts in the cube's and place the cube's in the clay pebble's ???
I soak the clay pebbles and rockwool in PH'd water, rinse rinse rinse those pebbles. Then place the germinated seeds into the rockwool surrounded by pellets in netpot.
3. I need a precise regiment on Lucas's Formula. From Beginning to End.
I've read to start with only half the amount so it's not so strong, what does this mean? and is it, 5ml and 10ml per gallon of GH Micro/Bloom for Vegging, and 8ml and 16ml per gallon of Micro/Bloom for Flowering, or is it the other way around???
I don't use nutes untill they are on the 2-4th node. Most nutes use X-ml per gal of water. Start at 1/4 strength and work your way up.

4. I need to know the best kind of water to use while doing DWC.
I've read the Distilled Water is good, on the other hand Tap Water that has sat for over (24) Hours is okay... Also some sort of Filter hooked to your Faucet works ???
I use well water and barely have to ph it at all. I would check your tap water's ph.

5. How high should the Rez level be beneath the net pot's until the root's push through the clay pebble's?
and how high should the Rez level be beneath the net pot's once the root's do start to gain some inch's?
If your not using drip tubes the bubbles should be getting a good inch or two of your netpots. I keep mine at 2-3 inches below the netpots once they have good roots

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
I may edit this post from anytime with new Questions so,
Any input would be awesome!!! So Please, Respond to this post.

P.S. I have Feminized Blue Mystic Seeds from Nirvana, and I'm not starting my grow until this thread get's some answers! Seriously!
once the grow start's I will post pictures and updates on my grows, possibly trying to learn how to start a grow journal, because I have no idea how to start one.

Good luck with your grow my friend, check out mine if you get a chance

 

[dmoose]

What he said ^^^^^^^

But I wanted to point out the the Lucas Formula is only for 12/12. There are a ton on threads on here saying that 0-5-10 is for veg, and I couldnt understand why I was getting all kinds of deficiencies! Then I found a few Posts from Lucas himself, and he stated that 0-5-10 (ml) is for CFL's and HID's under 400w. Lucas does not have a Veg Formula. Use the GH 3-2-1 (tsp) formula that is on the bottle. When they are on the 2nd set of true leaves, dilute the 3-2-1 to 1/4 strength at first, then watch the plants. If they tell you they want more kick it up, if they didnt like it, give it plain water for another day or 2, then try again. I use this formula through veg and the first 2 weeks of 12/12 so the leaves dont start turning yellow right away. Then switch to Lucas Formula. Tap water is fine as long as it is not too high in salts. Let it sit out a day to evaporate chlorine, and always mix the GH Micro 1st to stabalize the water.

Good Luck! +rep (Share the Love)

 

[BukuOrganiX]

What he said ^^^^^^^

But I wanted to point out the the Lucas Formula is only for 12/12. There are a ton on threads on here saying that 0-5-10 is for veg, and I couldnt understand why I was getting all kinds of deficiencies! Then I found a few Posts from Lucas himself, and he stated that 0-5-10 (ml) is for CFL's and HID's under 400w. Lucas does not have a Veg Formula. Use the GH 3-2-1 (tsp) formula that is on the bottle. When they are on the 2nd set of true leaves, dilute the 3-2-1 to 1/4 strength at first, then watch the plants. If they tell you they want more kick it up, if they didnt like it, give it plain water for another day or 2, then try again. I use this formula through veg and the first 2 weeks of 12/12 so the leaves dont start turning yellow right away. Then switch to Lucas Formula. Tap water is fine as long as it is not too high in salts. Let it sit out a day to evaporate chlorine, and always mix the GH Micro 1st to stabalize the water.

Good Luck! +rep (Share the Love)

Well my friend, here is my setup.
Soon, I'm going to post picture's on this thread of my setup, or on separate journal thread, So I would prefer a more detailed regiment for General Hydroponics since I already have there PH UP/DOWN Kit, and, Micro/Bloom from Big Tomato Hydroponics. And what other products I would need to order to follow your directions?

I've posted this before, but here it is again probably with a bit more detail...

1. (Grow Area)
Secret Jardin - DarkRoom120
Dimensions - 4ft/4ft/6.7ft. from Big Tomato Hydroponics.

2. (Fans & Reflector)
One 6inch fan and filter combo from HTG, for exhaust.
Two 6inch inline fans from lowe's for intake.
An EasyCool 6 Inch Reflector, to go with the fan and filter combo.

3. (Growing Units & Instruments)
A Basic DWC kit from StealthHydroponics,
I threw the air-pump aside and the cheap 6inch air-strip... Replaced them with a Tetra Whisper AP 300 air-pump and, two
4inch Deluxe Air-Stones from Pets-mart.
I plan on using the CHEAP Kit from SH for first stages of Vegging.
(I would also like to add more about SH and I will at the end of this reply.)
Now, for Flowering I followed Rumple's
Design (Let's build a Bubble Bucket) and 8 lowe's buckets later came up with a modified bucket with just a few extra quality's. One 5inch Air-stone per Bucket, plus a Check-Valve/Air-filter. I also got the HANNA Meter off of Ebay. The HANNA HI w/ PH/TDS/EC(PPM)/Temp Meter.

4. (Light's & Strain's)
A 400w Combo from HTG with the HPS & MH Conversion Ballest.
As far as Strain's I ordered 5 Feminized Blue Mystic Seeds from Nirvana, they were pretty nice and threw in a wallet, and 10 extra Seeds of some random Strain.

5. (Extra's & Questions)
I plan on switching the Air-Pump to Rumple's Buckets once the girls are good enough to transplant from the Basic DWC kit. Also, about StealthHydroponic's...
I DO NOT RECOMMEND ORDERING FROM THEM!
Why?
First off, it took over two weeks for a simple 70$ order to get to my place, Second they show false advertisement...
they say they include Air-Stone's but they send you cheap Air-Strip's AKA Air-Rods.
Third the over all quality of there product's are flimsy, low-grade and unequipped to reflect light properly to stop algae growth and root-rot. I'm not the first to show the dissatisfaction of this company!
Anyhow, if there's anything I'm missing Please let me know, I'm trying to get this as close to Perfect as I can, and I don't really have a limit on cash!

Thanks again for reading,
I'll be checking this post every few hours or so to keep up on reply's an new post's I really want to get this going!

 

[Illegal Smile]

Many of us have learned the hard way about stealth hydro, but you have made some good decisions since! Read the link below for some more ideas. One thing you haven't mentioned is heat and humidity control - those can be difficult and you'll just have to test it out to see what you need.

 

[BukuOrganiX]

Many of us have learned the hard way about stealth hydro, but you have made some good decisions since! Read the link below for some more ideas. One thing you haven't mentioned is heat and humidity control - those can be difficult and you'll just have to test it out to see what you need.

Hmmm, Well I did read that link before, that's why I went out an exchanged my 60 gallon Air-Pump for a 300 gallon Pump. And also when you say heat? are you talking about Rez heat or the over-all heat in the tent, because that's what the EasyCool 6 Reflector and 6inch fan and filter combo are going to take care of. As far as humidity goes, I was planning on going to wal-mart and grabbing a little humidifier, plus I need to know when to run the humidifier? beginning to end?

Anyway, back to business... still setting up my tent and stuff, so I'll be checking back here and there.
Thanks for reading!

 

[Illegal Smile]

Hmmm, Well I did read that link before, that's why I went out an exchanged my 60 gallon Air-Pump for a 300 gallon Pump. And also when you say heat? are you talking about Rez heat or the over-all heat in the tent, because that's what the EasyCool 6 Reflector and 6inch fan and filter combo are going to take care of. As far as humidity goes, I was planning on going to wal-mart and grabbing a little humidifier, plus I need to know when to run the humidifier? beginning to end?

Anyway, back to business... still setting up my tent and stuff, so I'll be checking back here and there.
Thanks for reading!

Pick up a temp/humidity gauge that tells you where it has been over 12 hrs (so you can see peaks). I like humidity over 50 in veg but that's hard to get in winter with dry heat. During flower humidity should be about as low as you can get it but hopefully below 40.

 

[HomeGrownHairy]

Many of us have learned the hard way about stealth hydro, but you have made some good decisions since! Read the link below for some more ideas. One thing you haven't mentioned is heat and humidity control - those can be difficult and you'll just have to test it out to see what you need.

Not me, boy. I have just started my 3rd grow in a stealth hydro 6 pack. It's a simple, easy to use system for under $150 and I dont have to worry about keeping the seedlings fed. I prolly would have never grown my own from scratch and I'm not a DYI person like some of you handy folks, so this is perfect for me. There are MANY ways to grow pot. I dont think one is exclusively better than another.

 

[BukuOrganiX]

Nice! So I went to lowes today on got a GermGuardian Ultrasonic Humidifier and a Acu>Rite Digital Thermometer/Gauge for Humidity and Over-all Temperature of the climate.
The Humidifier is nice and small, Perfect for the Secret Jardin... No filters, wicks, or evaporating pads to clean or replace for 40$. it's made for small space's and there's a mist nozzle that emits the mist in an upward direction so I may need to face it a certain way... but I don't really want to point it towards the light so I might have a small issue with it's positioning.
Anyhow, No Disrespect HomeGrownHairy.... But I'm not a "boy" and I appreciate your opinion. But do me a favor and don't be rude, I'm just looking for advice... Negative Responses are
not that, I'm glad that system from SH is working for you. Then again, Opinions are like Asshole's, everyone has one. I don't need any problems so if your just going to criticize what I say then don't post on my thread man... anyways. I know I keep saying I'm going to be posting pictures soon, but I really want to wait till I have everything set up, it's work in progress and it will be done soon! *promise* SO, as always... Thanks for the input and thanks for reading, any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[BukuOrganiX]

Okay, So no I'm about to order the 3-2-1 GH Flora set... then I plan on using the Micro/Bloom for Flowering like Dmoose suggested and starting at 1/4 strength during
both stages of growth. (vegging/flowering)
If anyone has opinions or suggestions on other salutation recipes, let me know?
As far as my set up goes, I think I've pretty much got everything. Except...
(CO2)
There was a few 5 gallon buckets I saw on ebay that you just add sugar and yeast too, maybe some other ingredient.
But then again, I could probably build something similar or even better then the bucket designs on ebay?
Back to work... Hope to see some reply's! Thanks for reading, peace out!

 

[x3gop1yr]

1. Water should be an inch below the bottom of the pots.
2. Ur gonna burn the shit outa your plants if you just throw nutes in. DO THE READING !! Do you even know about PPM? If not start reading...PPM=parts per million best way to mesure nutes for beginners until you start to pay attention to those 3 big numbers on the side of the bottles.
3. GET THE GROWERS BIBLE AND READ READ READ .

 

[imabeast]

Pulling up a chair.
You say money really isnt an issue?
Lucky you. +rep for BALLIN!
Im pretty sure you have done your homework, so don't worry about the critics.
It is a weed after all, and its not rocket science. I believe you will do well. Good luck, and I can't wait for some pics!

 

[BukuOrganiX]

1. Water should be an inch below the bottom of the pots.
2. Ur gonna burn the shit outa your plants if you just throw nutes in. DO THE READING !! Do you even know about PPM? If not start reading...PPM=parts per million best way to mesure nutes for beginners until you start to pay attention to those 3 big numbers on the side of the bottles.
3. GET THE GROWERS BIBLE AND READ READ READ .

Sad to say I really don't...
On the other hand, I have been doing tuns and tuns of reading online and on these forums. Maybe actually reading a book or watching a DVD about growing and nut's would actually help?. Also... I've been tinkering around with solutions and my new Hanna meter trying to get some sort of know-how about the meter and solution quality's. I'm gonna take your advice and see if Barns&Noble has a copy.
Buying it from a local book store or shop has to be the cheapest way.
Thanks for your input!
And Thanks! for the Grats! Imabeast, very much appreciated my fellow toker!
If you have anything else to add, feel free... Ballin status is Tax Returns, Homie! = P

 

[imabeast]

I just googled "what is ppm hydroponics" and there were a ton of good sites with this info. here is some from the first one that came up


Parts per million (PPM) is a way of expressing percent (%) in small amounts. In hydroponics, it is used to express the quantity of one amount of material dissolved into another (salts into a volume of water). Most plants do well between 1000 and 2000 PPM (0.1% to 0.2 % of dissolved salts). 1 tsp. of Ecogrow is approximately 600 PPM. 2 tsp. is 1200 PPM and 3 is 1800 PPM. The PPM is therefore controlled by the amount of dissolved salts used. PPM is measured electronically on meters. In Europe, the Siemen or E.C. is used I E.C. or 1 Siemen = 1 mho/cm of conductivity. To convert E.C. or Siemen to PPM, multiply them by 650. The Mho is the reciprocal of the Ohm of electrical resistance.
Technical data (PPM, pH and element concentrations) are listed on the technical data sheets for all Eco products.

pH is the measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil or growing medium. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. A pH below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline. Most plants want a pH of between 5 and 7 (slightly acid). Eco produces pH-Up and pH-Down to adjust the acid/alkaline balance to be what your plants need. When selecting different plants, you should take the pH into consideration so that all plants in each system have similar pH and PPM requirements. pH adjustments can be made with either liquid or powder. Eco sells both, as well as calibration fluids to guarantee accuracy of test equipment. A wide range of pH measuring equipment is available from ECO.

Rule of thumb for adjusting pH - go slow! Correct the pH a little bit, then measure until you get a feel for which way things are going. If you go too far with pH adjustments, you can really upset your system.

Caution: Do not exceed a pH of 7 - a nutrient lockup can occur depriving your plants of essential elements.

 

[BukuOrganiX]

I just googled "what is ppm hydroponics" and there were a ton of good sites with this info. here is some from the first one that came up


Parts per million (PPM) is a way of expressing percent (%) in small amounts. In hydroponics, it is used to express the quantity of one amount of material dissolved into another (salts into a volume of water). Most plants do well between 1000 and 2000 PPM (0.1% to 0.2 % of dissolved salts). 1 tsp. of Ecogrow is approximately 600 PPM. 2 tsp. is 1200 PPM and 3 is 1800 PPM. The PPM is therefore controlled by the amount of dissolved salts used. PPM is measured electronically on meters. In Europe, the Siemen or E.C. is used I E.C. or 1 Siemen = 1 mho/cm of conductivity. To convert E.C. or Siemen to PPM, multiply them by 650. The Mho is the reciprocal of the Ohm of electrical resistance.
Technical data (PPM, pH and element concentrations) are listed on the technical data sheets for all Eco products.

pH is the measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil or growing medium. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. A pH below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline. Most plants want a pH of between 5 and 7 (slightly acid). Eco produces pH-Up and pH-Down to adjust the acid/alkaline balance to be what your plants need. When selecting different plants, you should take the pH into consideration so that all plants in each system have similar pH and PPM requirements. pH adjustments can be made with either liquid or powder. Eco sells both, as well as calibration fluids to guarantee accuracy of test equipment. A wide range of pH measuring equipment is available from ECO.

Rule of thumb for adjusting pH - go slow! Correct the pH a little bit, then measure until you get a feel for which way things are going. If you go too far with pH adjustments, you can really upset your system.

Caution: Do not exceed a pH of 7 - a nutrient lockup can occur depriving your plants of essential elements.

Great! so I put that in my notes, now..
Should I stick with GH nutrients or go with something else? because I was gonna get the 3 Part Series and go with that until Flowering?
Also... (IMPORTANT!)
My Hanna meter is not showing PPM, TDS, or EC, it's just showing PH, PPT, and mS ???
I ordered the Hanna HI 98130 Digital Meter that Specifically says it's for PH, TDS(PPM), EC, and Temp. What's going on with this.....

 

[CLOSETGROWTH]

Nice! So I went to lowes today on got a GermGuardian Ultrasonic Humidifier and a Acu>Rite Digital Thermometer/Gauge for Humidity and Over-all Temperature of the climate.
The Humidifier is nice and small, Perfect for the Secret Jardin... No filters, wicks, or evaporating pads to clean or replace for 40$. it's made for small space's and there's a mist nozzle that emits the mist in an upward direction so I may need to face it a certain way... but I don't really want to point it towards the light so I might have a small issue with it's positioning.
Anyhow, No Disrespect HomeGrownHairy.... But I'm not a "boy" and I appreciate your opinion. But do me a favor and don't be rude, I'm just looking for advice... Negative Responses are
not that, I'm glad that system from SH is working for you. Then again, Opinions are like Asshole's, everyone has one. I don't need any problems so if your just going to criticize what I say then don't post on my thread man... anyways. I know I keep saying I'm going to be posting pictures soon, but I really want to wait till I have everything set up, it's work in progress and it will be done soon! *promise* SO, as always... Thanks for the input and thanks for reading, any advice is greatly appreciated!

Ill give you some advice. CHILLOUT!

Im quite sure Homegrownhairy wasn't trying to disrespect you..

You took things the wrong way.

 

[BukuOrganiX]

Ill give you some advice. CHILLOUT!

Im quite sure Homegrownhairy wasn't trying to disrespect you..

You took things the wrong way.

Thanks, I'm sorry... But for real. You just don't go around calling people boys and such? maybe I did get a little out of hand, and I shouldn't have, again... my apologies.

Anyhow, I look forward to getting some advice from you man... advice from experienced DWC growers and regular growers is always a huge plus, Not trying to knock off any of the dirt bags. = D
And since your in the DWC club, you obviously know what your doing....
Thanks for reading!

 

[CLOSETGROWTH]

Thanks, I'm sorry... But for real. You just don't go around calling people boys and such? maybe I did get a little out of hand, and I shouldn't have, again... my apologies.

Anyhow, I look forward to getting some advice from you man... advice from experienced DWC growers and regular growers is always a huge plus, Not trying to knock off any of the dirt bags. = D
And since your in the DWC club, you obviously know what your doing....
Thanks for reading!

Cool Cool!

Hit me up anytime and lets chat. Maybe i can help you out some. Check out my link by my signature. It shows you what Im up to

Peace my friend

 

[imabeast]

I think your hanna meter is set in metric, or the versa. Im not too familiar with nutes, so I can't help ya there.