aggreenvln
Active Member
Hmm, you think? I was going to wait until it was like 1/8"-1/4". By tiny I meant tiny... like barely sticking out. Probably 1/16" or less.
First Ever Grow - Stealth PC Easy Ryder Bubbleponics
- Thread starter aggreenvln
- Start date
aggreenvln
Active Member
No more tests and modifications folks, this show is on the road.
My rockwool had been soaking for 24 hours, so I figured it was as good a time as any to plant my little sprout. I checked on her and saw that the tap root had at least doubled in length in the last few hours, and was now probably over 1/8". Yep, we're ready.
I cleaned out my reservoir and got set putting together my first batch of nute solution. I decided to use 2L of solution (just over .5Gal) because metric units are easier to use with my measuring dropper. I added the recommended .66mL of each of the three General Hydroponics nutes (FloraMicro, FloraGrow and FloraBloom) for seedlings, and then prepared my net pot with a little base of hydroton. I squeezed out my soaking rockwool and dipped the top in the fresh nutrient solution to dampen it. Placed it in the net cup, filled up the rest with more hydroton, and put the whole contraption in my grow case. I then used a pair of sterilized tweezers to transfer the sprout from the germ plate to the rockwool. I got it oriented, and then ripped off a little piece of the corner and put it over the top of the little hole I had created. Power on.
Looks good, no?
I'll keep an eye on her over the next few hours to make sure the rockwool isn't drying out that close to the lights. It should stay pretty well hydrated from the bubbling water and moist hydroton, but I'll check a few times to be safe. I hooked my lights into a timer which I am setting for 20/4. I am choosing to have it off for the four hottest hours of the day (1-5PM) because it is still sort of warm outside and I don't have an AC.
In other news, I ordered two nice HM digital meters today; one for PH and one for PPM. I'm also going to be putting a CO2 production bottle in the case in the next day or two. I think this will couple really well with my slightly high temperatures and low/med humidity.
I just ate a popsicle and it had quite possibly the lamest of any popsicle joke I have seen in a long time: Why was the colt laughing? It was a little horse. What...? That doesn't even make sense? I understand that they're making a pun about the colt's stature, but horse? Why would you be more likely to laugh if you were horse? I would think it would be the opposite... Hum. Dum dum.
My rockwool had been soaking for 24 hours, so I figured it was as good a time as any to plant my little sprout. I checked on her and saw that the tap root had at least doubled in length in the last few hours, and was now probably over 1/8". Yep, we're ready.
I cleaned out my reservoir and got set putting together my first batch of nute solution. I decided to use 2L of solution (just over .5Gal) because metric units are easier to use with my measuring dropper. I added the recommended .66mL of each of the three General Hydroponics nutes (FloraMicro, FloraGrow and FloraBloom) for seedlings, and then prepared my net pot with a little base of hydroton. I squeezed out my soaking rockwool and dipped the top in the fresh nutrient solution to dampen it. Placed it in the net cup, filled up the rest with more hydroton, and put the whole contraption in my grow case. I then used a pair of sterilized tweezers to transfer the sprout from the germ plate to the rockwool. I got it oriented, and then ripped off a little piece of the corner and put it over the top of the little hole I had created. Power on.
Looks good, no?
I'll keep an eye on her over the next few hours to make sure the rockwool isn't drying out that close to the lights. It should stay pretty well hydrated from the bubbling water and moist hydroton, but I'll check a few times to be safe. I hooked my lights into a timer which I am setting for 20/4. I am choosing to have it off for the four hottest hours of the day (1-5PM) because it is still sort of warm outside and I don't have an AC.In other news, I ordered two nice HM digital meters today; one for PH and one for PPM. I'm also going to be putting a CO2 production bottle in the case in the next day or two. I think this will couple really well with my slightly high temperatures and low/med humidity.
I just ate a popsicle and it had quite possibly the lamest of any popsicle joke I have seen in a long time: Why was the colt laughing? It was a little horse. What...? That doesn't even make sense? I understand that they're making a pun about the colt's stature, but horse? Why would you be more likely to laugh if you were horse? I would think it would be the opposite... Hum. Dum dum.
aggreenvln
Active Member
My sprout has been in rockwool in my case for just about 7 hours now. I've checked it a couple times and re-moistened the rockwool cube with a few mL of solution twice already, so I decided to re-set my rockwool in the net cup a bit lower so the bottom has more access to the wetter hydroton and hopefully stays moist longer due to the wonders of capillary action. I also added a small clear plastic cup over the top of the net pot to function as a humidity dome.
The temperature around the top of the rockwool is fairly steady at ~85F. I'd like to either get that temp down a few degrees or get some CO2 going as soon as possible.
The temperature around the top of the rockwool is fairly steady at ~85F. I'd like to either get that temp down a few degrees or get some CO2 going as soon as possible.
electropyro
Active Member
make sure u keep a very close eye on that PH level. General Hydroponics nutes make it very alot.No more tests and modifications folks, this show is on the road.
My rockwool had been soaking for 24 hours, so I figured it was as good a time as any to plant my little sprout. I checked on her and saw that the tap root had at least doubled in length in the last few hours, and was now probably over 1/8". Yep, we're ready.
View attachment 1122157
I cleaned out my reservoir and got set putting together my first batch of nute solution. I decided to use 2L of solution (just over .5Gal) because metric units are easier to use with my measuring dropper. I added the recommended .66mL of each of the three General Hydroponics nutes (FloraMicro, FloraGrow and FloraBloom) for seedlings, and then prepared my net pot with a little base of hydroton. I squeezed out my soaking rockwool and dipped the top in the fresh nutrient solution to dampen it. Placed it in the net cup, filled up the rest with more hydroton, and put the whole contraption in my grow case. I then used a pair of sterilized tweezers to transfer the sprout from the germ plate to the rockwool. I got it oriented, and then ripped off a little piece of the corner and put it over the top of the little hole I had created. Power on.
View attachment 1122159
Looks good, no?
In other news, I ordered two nice HM digital meters today; one for PH and one for PPM. I'm also going to be putting a CO2 production bottle in the case in the next day or two. I think this will couple really well with my slightly high temperatures and low/med humidity.
I just ate a popsicle and it had quite possibly the lamest of any popsicle joke I have seen in a long time: Why was the colt laughing? It was a little horse. What...? That doesn't even make sense? I understand that they're making a pun about the colt's stature, but horse? Why would you be more likely to laugh if you were horse? I would think it would be the opposite... Hum. Dum dum.
aggreenvln
Active Member
Thanks! I plan on checking it about once a day. My digital meters should be getting here tomorrow!
I have a plan for dealing with PH and water supply: I'll be changing my nutrient solution every 3 days, but in between the swaps I'll top off the solution with fresh RO water to a level marked on the inside of my reservoir. The RO water is about PH 6-6.5, so it should have a stabilizing effect. Due to my small reservoir size, it will probably drain fairly quickly (the plant doesn't even have roots in it yet and I already noticed a drop in level from last night). I'll end up topping off probably about once a day. It would make sense to do this when I check PH and PPM.
We're just about 20 hours into the operation, and still no sign of a seedling. I must confess I did lift off the piece of rockwool I was using as a plug and saw some green! Cotyledons are developing, no doubt. I expect to see her pushing through in the next 24 hours or so. Temperatures today have been pretty variable -- ranging from around 80F all the way up to 92F. I took out the smaller 30W CFL for the hottest part of the day. I just installed a window AC unit which is blowing air a few feet away from my intake vents, so I expect temps to stabilize around 80F or a little below that over the course of the next few hours (AC thermostat set at 70F). In the 15 minutes or so since I turned it on my case thermometer has dropped from 92F to 86F.
The GF got into town today! Hoorah! I showed her my setup and she seemed pretty impressed
.More later. Happy growing!
aggreenvln
Active Member
She popped up!
Pictures to come in a bit.
I topped off my reservoir with RO water and re-adjusted the PH last night according to plan. It seemed to work fairly well. My PH and PPM meters just came in the mail, so tonight will be even easier! Temperature has been stable around 80F all day/night. I'll be removing my "humidity cup" as soon as her cotyledons are fully developed.
Pictures to come in a bit.
I topped off my reservoir with RO water and re-adjusted the PH last night according to plan. It seemed to work fairly well. My PH and PPM meters just came in the mail, so tonight will be even easier! Temperature has been stable around 80F all day/night. I'll be removing my "humidity cup" as soon as her cotyledons are fully developed.
aggreenvln
Active Member
Hey everyone! Here is a picture of my new seedling.
As you can see, the cotyledons are completely unfurled and the first set of true leaves is starting to develop. I couldn't be more excited! It seems to me like the germination/sprouting process went really quickly. I had her germed/planted in under 24 hours, and then another 24 hours later she popped up. Looking good so far.
I also tested out my new pH/PPM meters. From here on out, I'll post my pH/PPM at the end of each update.
pH: 6.08
PPM: 426
As you can see, the cotyledons are completely unfurled and the first set of true leaves is starting to develop. I couldn't be more excited! It seems to me like the germination/sprouting process went really quickly. I had her germed/planted in under 24 hours, and then another 24 hours later she popped up. Looking good so far
.I also tested out my new pH/PPM meters. From here on out, I'll post my pH/PPM at the end of each update.
pH: 6.08
PPM: 426
aggreenvln
Active Member
Hey all. Quick nightly update here.
pH: 5.9
PPM: 500
Things are looking good so far. I'll be doing my first nute flush tomorrow night. Any thoughts on going for 1/2 strength veg nutes? Or would I be better off sticking with seedling nutes for a few more days? I would like to start veg nutes at 1 week at the latest as I would like to fill as much of my screen as possible.
pH: 5.9
PPM: 500
Things are looking good so far. I'll be doing my first nute flush tomorrow night. Any thoughts on going for 1/2 strength veg nutes? Or would I be better off sticking with seedling nutes for a few more days? I would like to start veg nutes at 1 week at the latest as I would like to fill as much of my screen as possible.
PlexBlazin
Member
Subscribing. Keep it up and good luck. I am running a DWC with a 1gal resevoir in a pc, seems to be going well. The light is 50W HPS so slow start.
J.Voorhees
Member
im signed in dude im starting my grow in less than a week when i get back from vegas. this is my first grow im gonna grow 4 easyryders,auto blue berry and royal haze under 2 150watt hps closet grow in soil it will be cool 2 compare plants and yields from soil and hydro good luck dude
aggreenvln
Active Member
Heya Plex and J! Thanks for stopping in . I'll be throwing down some updates in a bit. Currently I have some RO water coming to room temperature for my new nute solution.
. I'll be throwing down some updates in a bit. Currently I have some RO water coming to room temperature for my new nute solution.
aggreenvln
Active Member
Heya ladies and gents,
Here we are with another nightly update. I'm doing my first nute flush tonight, so I got to test out my siphoning system. It is a very simple solution using the "That's What She Said" method (AKA suck to get it started) and works quite well! Takes roughly five minutes to drain the whole reservoir. The only negative I can see is that it doesn't pick up large sediment, so I may have to do a manual wash once every week or two if the big stuff starts to build up. Here it is in action:
My new nute solution is:
pH: 5.72
PPM: 424
I decided to go with the seedling nute recommendation for another flush cycle. She still looks way too little to be getting veg nutes. I'll wait until there are a couple developed nodes on her. I tested my PPM before and after adjusting my pH, and after adding 2mL of pH down, PPM jumped from 353 to 424 -- I'll have to watch that closely. To me, this just reiterates the importance of flushing every 3 days due to my reservoir size.
Finally, here is a picture of the little lady:
Thanks for tuning in!
Here we are with another nightly update. I'm doing my first nute flush tonight, so I got to test out my siphoning system. It is a very simple solution using the "That's What She Said" method (AKA suck to get it started) and works quite well! Takes roughly five minutes to drain the whole reservoir. The only negative I can see is that it doesn't pick up large sediment, so I may have to do a manual wash once every week or two if the big stuff starts to build up. Here it is in action:
My new nute solution is:
pH: 5.72
PPM: 424
I decided to go with the seedling nute recommendation for another flush cycle. She still looks way too little to be getting veg nutes. I'll wait until there are a couple developed nodes on her. I tested my PPM before and after adjusting my pH, and after adding 2mL of pH down, PPM jumped from 353 to 424 -- I'll have to watch that closely. To me, this just reiterates the importance of flushing every 3 days due to my reservoir size.
Finally, here is a picture of the little lady:
Thanks for tuning in!
PlexBlazin
Member
my flowering reservoir is a gallon, and I am needing a new resevoir for 3 plants. Any suggestions on size or product?
aggreenvln
Active Member
Well, I'm afraid that a proper sized reservoir was the single hardest thing for me to find so I'm not sure I'll be much help, but I can try! My res capacity is probably about 1 gallon, but I'm filling it to 2 litres to keep the liquid level just below my net pot. This requires keeping a very close eye on PPM and pH, so the new meters I got were a really great investment. I'd definitely check those out (HMDPH200 and TDS-4, both from HM Digital). The reservoir itself is a Rubbermaid snap container: Rubbermaid 228100-CLR Snap Case. It measures 14"L * 7.7"W * 4.5"H. A 2 litre fill is roughly half way. There is a bit of elevation to the lid itself which helps raise the net pot a bit further. If you decide to look for a different product, just try to find the biggest reservoir that will fit in your PC while making sure there is enough vertical room between the top of the res and the bottom of the lights for your plant to grow. I'm giving myself about 13 inches and making up for the short vertical space by ScrOGging. ScrOGging an autoflower strain in DWC should be an experiment in itself -- I'd encourage trying it!
Another case that I found in my research that was just slightly too large for my case was Sterilite 1642 6 Quart Storage Box (http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=442&ProductCategory=179§ion=1).
This being my first grow, I don't have any experience doing multiple plants at once. Everything I've read, however, seems to suggest that in an area as small as a PC case, one plant is just as good as three. More plants = less yield per plant, therefore less total return on investment per seed. If you're keeping a mother and taking clones I suppose that wouldn't really matter, but I'm growing autoflowers so I unfortunately don't have a choice. You can't really effectively take clones from AF strains as they are the same age/maturity as the mother plant as soon as they are cut and will flower at the same time.
I hope this helps! I'll be keeping an eye on your grow journal
.
PlexBlazin
Member
thanks for the info! how long are your flush cycles?
aggreenvln
Active Member
Hey guys, good to see you back!
As long as my plant looks good, all I do to flush is drain (via siphoning) the old nute solution into a container, then rinse the res out with fresh water. I then drain that fresh water and replace it with my prepared RO+nute solution. If in the future I ever notice any signs of nute burn on my plant, my plan is to drain my reservoir and replace it with plain RO water for 24 hours. After that I'll add a newly prepared solution.
Here are my measurements for the nightly check-up:
PPM: ~630
pH: 5.35
My PPM is getting pretty high early on due to the afore-mentioned over-adjustments of my solution's pH. I'll probably opt to change it tomorrow before the plant's night cycle at 1PM so I don't have to adjust the pH again.
I also finally managed to get to the hardware store today and picked up four more light sockets identical to the ones I currently have in the case. I'll install them some time within the next week or so during a short transitional period between day and night in my cycle. Then I'll finally be fully set for the entire grow!
I will close out with some pictures. Here is the plant -- doing pretty well, no? You can just see the second set of true leaves starting to sprout out of the center of the node. The first true leaves are looking very nice. She's staying short and still not stretching at all.
Here is a picture of the plant's root system. Currently you can see one large main root which is just barely starting to branch out (see the top of root).
See you tomorrow -- happy growing!
No problem. I think I may have to shorten my flush cycle to 2 days, but really it has to do with the rate my PPM rises. When I first mix up my nute solution, it is at roughly 400PPM. It rises slightly every time I adjust my pH (which I have to do roughly every 12 hours -- the first time I checked it this afternoon after about 16 hours it was just above 7! A little scary). The past couple times I've adjusted my pH I've overshot though and added more pH-down and pH-up than I needed to. Once I become more expert at judging the amount of pH-down to add, I should be able to extend my flush cycle back to the predicted 3 days, or perhaps even 4.
As long as my plant looks good, all I do to flush is drain (via siphoning) the old nute solution into a container, then rinse the res out with fresh water. I then drain that fresh water and replace it with my prepared RO+nute solution. If in the future I ever notice any signs of nute burn on my plant, my plan is to drain my reservoir and replace it with plain RO water for 24 hours. After that I'll add a newly prepared solution.
Here are my measurements for the nightly check-up:
PPM: ~630
pH: 5.35
My PPM is getting pretty high early on due to the afore-mentioned over-adjustments of my solution's pH. I'll probably opt to change it tomorrow before the plant's night cycle at 1PM so I don't have to adjust the pH again.
I also finally managed to get to the hardware store today and picked up four more light sockets identical to the ones I currently have in the case. I'll install them some time within the next week or so during a short transitional period between day and night in my cycle. Then I'll finally be fully set for the entire grow!
I will close out with some pictures. Here is the plant -- doing pretty well, no? You can just see the second set of true leaves starting to sprout out of the center of the node. The first true leaves are looking very nice. She's staying short and still not stretching at all.
Here is a picture of the plant's root system. Currently you can see one large main root which is just barely starting to branch out (see the top of root).
See you tomorrow -- happy growing!
aggreenvln
Active Member
Hi everyone, here's a nightly update!
Not much to report today. Here are my levels:
pH: 5.9
PPM: 620
I was planning on flushing my nute solution today, but before I brewed up new nutes I checked the reservoir pH to find that it was still below 6 (my expectation was around 6.5). No need to adjust pH or flush solution tonight after all!
I'll be stopping by the homebrew shop today to pick up some yeast for CO2 addition. I will update further when I figure out the details.
As usual, let's end it with some pictures. The root system has grown significantly since just yesterday!
Not much to report today. Here are my levels:
pH: 5.9
PPM: 620
I was planning on flushing my nute solution today, but before I brewed up new nutes I checked the reservoir pH to find that it was still below 6 (my expectation was around 6.5). No need to adjust pH or flush solution tonight after all!
I'll be stopping by the homebrew shop today to pick up some yeast for CO2 addition. I will update further when I figure out the details.
As usual, let's end it with some pictures. The root system has grown significantly since just yesterday!
undercover rasta
Well-Known Member
i am using a similar type bubble system so ill be watching this post. nice job on the pc build. and she is looking good.+rep
aggreenvln
Active Member
Hey rasta, thanks for checking out my grow and for the rep! Let me know if you have any questions.
I stopped by the homebrew shop today to pick up some supplies for making a CO2 generator. I got an airlock, a little drilled stopper and a packet of dry champagne yeast. I'll be using an old contact solution bottle as my "carboy."
I based the following measurements off of information in CO2 Via Yeast The Right Way. I poured 250mL of warm water into the contact solution bottle. To that I added ~45g of dextrose and a few yeast nutrient pellets. Finally, I put in about half of the packet of yeast and refrigerated the other half. I shook up the bottle a whole bunch to oxygenate the solution and then plugged it up and put on my airlock. It was already bubbling within an hour, so as soon as my plant's day cycle started I opened up my case and put it in.
We'll see how this performs -- I don't have a CO2 meter and don't plan on getting one, but based on the calculations in the CO2/yeast info thread, I should be producing just about the right amount.
Other than that, my reservoir pH has stayed pretty stable over the last 18 hours or so. When I checked it after I installed my CO2 generator it was around 6.1. I'll probably still do a flush tonight because anything above 600PPM sort of scares me at this point in my plant's life, but if I was basing it purely off of pH I could maybe wait another day.
Stay tuned for the nightly update in a few hours!
I stopped by the homebrew shop today to pick up some supplies for making a CO2 generator. I got an airlock, a little drilled stopper and a packet of dry champagne yeast. I'll be using an old contact solution bottle as my "carboy."
I based the following measurements off of information in CO2 Via Yeast The Right Way. I poured 250mL of warm water into the contact solution bottle. To that I added ~45g of dextrose and a few yeast nutrient pellets. Finally, I put in about half of the packet of yeast and refrigerated the other half. I shook up the bottle a whole bunch to oxygenate the solution and then plugged it up and put on my airlock. It was already bubbling within an hour, so as soon as my plant's day cycle started I opened up my case and put it in.
We'll see how this performs -- I don't have a CO2 meter and don't plan on getting one, but based on the calculations in the CO2/yeast info thread, I should be producing just about the right amount.
Other than that, my reservoir pH has stayed pretty stable over the last 18 hours or so. When I checked it after I installed my CO2 generator it was around 6.1. I'll probably still do a flush tonight because anything above 600PPM sort of scares me at this point in my plant's life, but if I was basing it purely off of pH I could maybe wait another day.
Stay tuned for the nightly update in a few hours!