Unfortunately right now this is the only net pot I have to work with.and i agree with an earlier poster. next time (or this time if possible) use a 5 or 6 inch netpot. that thing you have is to grow a tree. way too big.
put about an inch of hydroton on the bottom. if the roots are long enough, i put them thru the netpot first and then add the hydroton all around it.Unfortunately right now this is the only net pot I have to work with.
Once roots hit the soup you can stop the top water. It doesn't hurt to do it but it's unneeded then.Once a couple roots hit the nutrient solution in the rez is it time to stop watering? or should you keep watering for a bit for better root development? I'm top watering with rez water every 4 hours (during the day) to promote root growth.