Autoflower hydroponics

hey there, I am new to this so please excuse the noob question! but I have gotten some autoflowering seeds online and I have a 2x4.5 grow tent with the complete set up and I wanted to do a DWC system for the autoflowering seeds. My question is basically how do I go about growing the seeds in the system from start to finish? I have not really found anything online that describes the process so I was hoping someone out there has done this before and could shed the light on the topic!

oswaldcobblepot said:

hey there, I am new to this so please excuse the noob question! but I have gotten some autoflowering seeds online and I have a 2x4.5 grow tent with the complete set up and I wanted to do a DWC system for the autoflowering seeds. My question is basically how do I go about growing the seeds in the system from start to finish? I have not really found anything online that describes the process so I was hoping someone out there has done this before and could shed the light on the topic!

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I've never grown out an auto although I have about 3 I plan on doing the exact same thing with. I am thinking of making a DWC set up in a folgers plastic coffee container in order to save space as I'm very limited until the new tent arrives.

Basic outline of how I'm going about it:
First start the seed in rock wool, once I see the roots at the bottom I'm going to move into the folgers DWC set up.
I'll throw it in the same room as my other plants.
Once It has actually established its roots into the water and beginning to need nutrients (two weeks or so I'd guess) I should have my new tent and more space.
So I'll go ahead and move it into its final containter. 5 gal lowes bucket and let it finish itself off in that. Go about it like any other plant changing nutes every week, check ph frequently if you know yours isn't stable. Hope this is something similar to what you wanted to know.

oswaldcobblepot said:

hey there, I am new to this so please excuse the noob question! but I have gotten some autoflowering seeds online and I have a 2x4.5 grow tent with the complete set up and I wanted to do a DWC system for the autoflowering seeds. My question is basically how do I go about growing the seeds in the system from start to finish? I have not really found anything online that describes the process so I was hoping someone out there has done this before and could shed the light on the topic!

Click to expand...

I tried a dwc grow last time night mare,why don't they make white pots had nowt but problems with temps of water back to coco and auto pot,If you are thinking of doing a dwc grow under hps lights then i would try and get some kind of chiller for the pots.

Got them up to about 12 " and then the roots started to coulour rot,tried everthing cannazime all sorts black white polli on the pots
but in the end ripped lot out went back to auto pot.

1973 said:

I tried a dwc grow last time night mare,why don't they make white pots had nowt but problems with temps of water back to coco and auto pot,If you are thinking of doing a dwc grow under hps lights then i would try and get some kind of chiller for the pots.

Got them up to about 12 " and then the roots started to coulour rot,tried everthing cannazime all sorts black white polli on the pots
but in the end ripped lot out went back to auto pot.

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Root Rot can be difficult but pretty preventable and curable in my experience. I don't use a chiller or anything with a 1k watt hps in a 4x4. Big thing is to make sure not to use anything organic in there. You start getting rot use h2o2 every 3 days it'll keep it at bay then you need to correct your environmental errors that caused the rot to begin with or it'll be back.

Also search for heisenbergs tea if you want a great rooting stimulator and root rot eradicator in dwc. Water temp shouldn't be an issue, use dark colored buckets so light doesn't get into your reservoir, otherwise you'll get rot. White buckets would actually be giving you rot instead of preventing it. Dwc has its learning curve but well worth it.

If light is entering through the hydroton or you think it may be because your plant is small then quick solution. Cut an outline to match the net pot with a good size center hole to go around the plants stalk, cover with panda film or aluminum foil. That reflects light to underside of your plant and blocks it from your res!

Thanks a lot for the feedback guys! I am going to go ahead and do what you said I am just a little worried that it will end in disaster but I hear hydroponics is way faster and gives higher yields!

You can also use Rapid Rooter plugs to start the seeds, then put them in net pots and right into your DWC.

oswaldcobblepot said:

Thanks a lot for the feedback guys! I am going to go ahead and do what you said I am just a little worried that it will end in disaster but I hear hydroponics is way faster and gives higher yields!

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Both of which are true when done correctly. Just make sure to keep ph in check, don't over do it on nutes. Thing I liked learning is if you burn your plants, just empty the water and use less than before. Easy to correct a mistake, you just have to be on top of it until you have everything in check. Good luck!

oswaldcobblepot said:

hydroponics is way faster and gives higher yields!

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Maybe maybe not, I grow Drip Ring, DWC and soil. I always have 1 or 2 in Water. They will grow faster, but I have never seen the yield any different or the finish time too much sooner maybe 7-10 days when growing the same strain in soil next to it. It seems to grow about 30% faster. But it will also die 80% faster if you have a problem.
All in all don't expect just because it’s Hydro that it’s somehow going to be super. And always have an extra plant in soil, just in case.
I would recommend having a few successful harvests under your belt before trying hydro, not needed, but will help with success and liking vs disliking hydro.
You will also need a PPM meter and a PH meter
More info can be found in the Hydro section of the forum... Good luck, Hydro is fun.

Disclaimer; these are just my options, not universal law, your life may be different

VX420 said:

Maybe maybe not, I grow Drip Ring, DWC and soil. I always have 1 or 2 in Water. They will grow faster, but I have never seen the yield any different or the finish time too much sooner maybe 7-10 days when growing the same strain in soil next to it. It seems to grow about 30% faster. But it will also die 80% faster if you have a problem.
All in all don't expect just because it’s Hydro that it’s somehow going to be super. And always have an extra plant in soil, just in case.
I would recommend having a few successful harvests under your belt before trying hydro, not needed, but will help with success and liking vs disliking hydro.
You will also need a PPM meter and a PH meter
More info can be found in the Hydro section of the forum... Good luck, Hydro is fun.

Disclaimer; these are just my options, not universal law, your life may be different

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Definitely agree, if it is your first crack at it then doing a soil grow first may be of huge assistance and much less discouraging. Hydro doesn't work out perfect your first time around *typically* causing many people to get discouraged and abandon the system all together versus taking the time to iron out the kinks. If you're willing to work to figure it out though I doubt you'll be disappointed. I ran the same cuttings in soil (FFOF) and in hydro. In my experiences, you get much better secondary branching (they don't just stretch up with a couple branches here and there, substantially more bush like even without training), this structural difference causes hydro to give better yields. Flowering time isn't really affected as stated, only about a week difference in the end.
~Rekoj