help with GH Water Farm

[buck]

hello all, i am growing in three water farm single units in a 2x3x8 closet. 400 mh veg,430 hps bloom, using GH flora nova one part nutrients ( grow, bloom) no ppm or ph meter. intake fan on bottom of closet door exhaust on top. my question is, is anyone familiar with the watering cycle for these units? i had them on constantly as directed by the person who sold me one unit, but that is too much water i think. my plants are in early bloom and i have them on one hour on two hours off and just two short cycles during dark period. i am also curious about topping off, plain, one quarter, one half strength? i am switching to a good old fashion ebb & flow when these are ripe. any input would be greatly appreciated!

[bonbon]

and fresh pH adjusted(5.8)....bonbon

[buck]

as close as i can get with GH liquid test kit, it rises alot

[buck]

thank you for your response, so if i top with plain ph adjusted water, wouldnt the water be totally plain adjusted water in about 3 or 4 days (there drinking alot of water) i just checked the biggest female and she needs another gallon, i added one gallon 2 days ago, the rez is 2.5 gallons

[bonbon]

you may have to do this every day till the next res change,ebb-flo acts the same(thats what i use)....bonbon

[buck]

thanks for the input! i do not recomend water farm single units for small spaces, they are a major pain in the ass! with the grow cotainer sitting in (nesting on top of the rez).checking and adjusting ph is difficult and bad for the plants. i imagine they are better when connected to a controller in a bigger space. peace and love

[bonbon]

so if i top with plain ph adjusted water, wouldnt the water be totally plain adjusted water in about 3 or 4 days (there drinking alot of water) i just checked the biggest female and she needs another gallon, i added one gallon 2 days ago, the rez is 2.5 gallons
it would be distilled,but i just use straight from the tap(cold),i let it get to room temp(about two hours),the pH is 7.0(from the tap) ,then i adjust it to about 5.5,then i add to the res....bonbon

[bonbon]

my friend here MM, uses the same system,and got some very good results,maybe he'll chime in and give you a couple of suggestions....bonbon

[buck]

that would be great, i have made a few mistakes (its been a long time since last grow) but when everything is right ive had great growth, maintaining everything has been tough. my biggest mistake was vegging way too long, biggest plant (including water farm) is allmost 6' tall. from what i have read about this strain (california orange) its not uncommon to have alot of stretch in early flower. i allmost feel like chopping the main cola so i can drop the light down on all the secondary sites.

[DARNPJ]

:p Im also using the water farm my 1st try at it and i have a small mr nice shit with a good thick stalk for a plant only 5 inches tall and it has about 8 sets of leaves i tend to prune the bottom sets of really large leaves and let them double out. My watering was going badly and i noticed that the leaves were curlling up and just a small brown edge.
So i cut my watering back way back as i was watering toooo much and i went to a 125 compac flo from my 400HD which was also a mistake but it is fixed now. I went to changing my water every 2 weeks and topping off with only distilled water as i was also having a bit of a salt problem from the 400HD too early no doubt or the nutes were to hard or i was watering to much! Anyway i went to setting my timer to 1 hour of watering and 2 off for the entire light time and then at night just a couple of 15 to 30 minute blast to keep my groton damp and i started with a 1 inch r/w cube for germination to a 4 inch r/w and the substrate is grodon. Its jammin now and i really do believe that by making mistakes you will become a better grower and a better assistant if some other ppl need help.
I only want to know if i top now right b4 i go to veggie and my 400 HD with my cooling reflector and from 1/3 nute strength to full and i use what you do BonBon the GH Flora nutes. Will my plant stop growing up and start to bush immediately or will the upward growth continue until i change my water and nutes the 1st time? I think you guys are doing a great job of helping those ppl like myself who have a few outside grows but are new to hydro.

[buck]

what strain are you growing?

[DARNPJ]

hey buck im using mr nice sHIT heres a few shots in my water farm under a 125 compaq flo
http://www.darnpj.com/2wk/photo16.jpg http://www.darnpj.com/2wk/photo15.jpg http://www.darnpj.com/2wk/photo14.jpg http://www.darnpj.com/2wk/photo13.jpg

[buck]

looks good darnpj, i dont knoe anything about mr nice shit, but i do know that my plants stretched ALOT after flipping to 12/12. check the strain guide at OVERGROW.COM for more info, and keep an eye on your PH. PEACE

[BigStinky]

water 15mins on 1hour off during light cycle off at night.

[Pay It Forward]

I water 15 on 90 min. off 24/7, works for me. W/Hydroton, they absorb moisture and release during off period. You want roots to stretch for water and don't want root rot from over watering.

FYI, I've been growing for 1+ years and everything I've learned is from all you great people!

Peace PIF