Need some help!

[Ninjabowler]

...yeah man Dr Kynes isn't saying not to use the rockwool, he's just saying that when you put the rooted rockwool cube into your net pots that you completely bury them under your hydroton or, in his case, the perlite, ...burying the hydroton makes your plant more stable in the pot and it prevents the growth of algae on the rockwool.

...and i'd not recommend you try and move them now, it sounds like the rootsystem is too well established for you to be able to safely remove them to reposition the rockwool, ...no, i think you need to leave them as they are and just cover them with something, ...you can get covers at a grow shop but you can also use those small styrofoam plates from the supermarket that you'd use for birthday cake and such, just cut a small hole in the center and a slit to slide them over the stem.

peace, bozo

I like the plates idea but i think that now would be the best time to reposition them if you want to. Turn them upside down while holding the cube and plant in and shake some of that hydroton out if you want to go that route. It should settle back in no prob, theyre not that big yet, later on would be harder. If you so try the shake out just remember not to fill your res up past the bottom of the cube because it will retain water which could lead to a bad situation bozos not a bozo at all, i just hate frikin clowns after IT. + rep

 

[420mon]

Hey mon, I was looking at yer plants and the leaf veins is yellow, jus wondering if you are using cal-mag or anything?

 

[Dr Kynes]

I never thought of perlite, I started from seed I thought rockwool would be the best to go (being new trying to figure out the hydro world!) Though the root system is pretty complex right now, when I emptied the tank I didn't even realize there was that many roots. Would it be smart to move it down now? I don't want to damage the system and then loose my plants. If it's possible would you mind explaining how to move it?

thanks!!

lift the net pot out of the tank, till it just clears the top. hold the plant by the main stem, and tip the pellets out into a container or even just the lid of your tank. settle the rockwool cube in the bottom of the net pot, put the pellets back in on top of the cube and around it to keep your plant secure. re-insert the net pot into it's hole in the tank lid.

and if youre doing a DWC right, youll have a metric shitload of roots all over the place.

rockwool is a great way to start your seeds, it works like a charm, but perlite is better for DWC systems in my opinion, because it weighs less and does jaust as well at keeping your rockwool cube and plant nestled into the net pot as hydropton does.
thats the only purpose the pellets have, to keep your plant from falling over.

 

[Dr Kynes]

...yeah man Dr Kynes isn't saying not to use the rockwool, he's just saying that when you put the rooted rockwool cube into your net pots that you completely bury them under your hydroton or, in his case, the perlite, ...burying the hydroton makes your plant more stable in the pot and it prevents the growth of algae on the rockwool.

...and i'd not recommend you try and move them now, it sounds like the rootsystem is too well established for you to be able to safely remove them to reposition the rockwool, ...no, i think you need to leave them as they are and just cover them with something, ...you can get covers at a grow shop but you can also use those small styrofoam plates from the supermarket that you'd use for birthday cake and such, just cut a small hole in the center and a slit to slide them over the stem.

peace, bozo

meh, with a gentle hand you can do a lot without disturbing the roots. just tipping the pellets out and settling the cube lower will help stabilize the plants and reduce funk growth. my concern is, all the space between the rockwool cunbe and the bubble tank will let the plant just tip over like a suzuki samurai, and that wont be good for anybody.

but i may also just be disturbed by the lack of aesthetic appeal created by the mound of clay pellets with the cube sticking out.

styrofoam covers work good though, i put em on in my first DWC buckets when i was concerned about algae on the perlite.

 

[LogicTime]

just flippin through, not reading anything, your rock wool looks way to big and that stuff can retain moisture and grow mould pretty fast. I use rapid rooter plugs, they dont have to be soaked and phd like rock wool. The white stuffs salts. At that stage you should be feeding 250-300 ppm and if you dont have a ppm meter get one now! I said now! Sorry for any redundancies good luck

Good call on the ppm meter, should be something I must invest to! Any brands I should be looking at ninja? Cost is a tad problem but I don't mind forking out $$$ for something that I can depend on.

 

[LogicTime]

I like the plates idea but i think that now would be the best time to reposition them if you want to. Turn them upside down while holding the cube and plant in and shake some of that hydroton out if you want to go that route. It should settle back in no prob, theyre not that big yet, later on would be harder. If you so try the shake out just remember not to fill your res up past the bottom of the cube because it will retain water which could lead to a bad situation bozos not a bozo at all, i just hate frikin clowns after IT. + rep

I got a 8 gal tank and I only fill up to 6 gal. I'll give the shake a try, thank you for giving a step by step means alot! :]

 

[LogicTime]

lift the net pot out of the tank, till it just clears the top. hold the plant by the main stem, and tip the pellets out into a container or even just the lid of your tank. settle the rockwool cube in the bottom of the net pot, put the pellets back in on top of the cube and around it to keep your plant secure. re-insert the net pot into it's hole in the tank lid.

and if youre doing a DWC right, youll have a metric shitload of roots all over the place.

rockwool is a great way to start your seeds, it works like a charm, but perlite is better for DWC systems in my opinion, because it weighs less and does jaust as well at keeping your rockwool cube and plant nestled into the net pot as hydropton does.
thats the only purpose the pellets have, to keep your plant from falling over.

So summed up switch to perlite next grow? I'm getting a second tank sometime around the 2 month mark when I take a couple clones out (I want to clone for sex incase they both pop up male). Also the net pots have a good clearance above the water so no need to worry about the cubes touching, but I'll deff be moving them down now I read yours and ninjas explanations!

 

[Dr Kynes]

So summed up switch to perlite next grow? I'm getting a second tank sometime around the 2 month mark when I take a couple clones out (I want to clone for sex incase they both pop up male). Also the net pots have a good clearance above the water so no need to worry about the cubes touching, but I'll deff be moving them down now I read yours and ninjas explanations!

i use perlite because it's light, cheap, easier to pack around the cubes and easier to clean between uses. hydroton isnt bad, just heavy and in bigger nuggets. you could use builder's sand, legos, or chunks of my mother's indestructible meatloaf for the same job and stil get good results.

ideally your net pots should rest really close to the top of the water in your DWC. when the bubbles pop on the surface they should spray the bottom of your net pot. if your roots have to dangle too far to get in the drink they will be vulnerable to a variety of problems. as long as your net pot doesnt actually touch the water and your rockwool cube isnt saturated then youll be fine.

i usually keep my DWC reservoir level at 2-4 cm below the net pot. in the damp zone but not in the water.

 

[LogicTime]

i use perlite because it's light, cheap, easier to pack around the cubes and easier to clean between uses. hydroton isnt bad, just heavy and in bigger nuggets. you could use builder's sand, legos, or chunks of my mother's indestructible meatloaf for the same job and stil get good results.

ideally your net pots should rest really close to the top of the water in your DWC. when the bubbles pop on the surface they should spray the bottom of your net pot. if your roots have to dangle too far to get in the drink they will be vulnerable to a variety of problems. as long as your net pot doesnt actually touch the water and your rockwool cube isnt saturated then youll be fine.

i usually keep my DWC reservoir level at 2-4 cm below the net pot. in the damp zone but not in the water.

Sounds good to me, thanks kynes.

By the way is the meatloaf that bad? lmfao