Help. How often should I or should I change my reservoir water.

[pm_BigBud]

How often should I or should I change my reservoir water. I need to know this because I plan on starting a crop of 6 plants this week. I'm a noob but i've been reading the threads, but I just can't seem to find the answer. Much help would be appreciated.
~PM_BigBud~

[Specialist]

for medium to light feeding change it weekly, for heavy feeding change biweekly. If you've got the cash and want to do it the right way for sure, buy a ppm or tds meter and you can gauge how fast your plants are eating. Maybe even keep charts and do the same thing again because you'll have exactly the right amount for optimum growth and uptake.

peace

[MisterE]

Every 7 to 10 days is a fairly standard answer. Some also watch how much water they use to top up the res. each day. Once they "add back" the same amount as their res capacity, they do a full change.

[pm_BigBud]

Also I was thinking about using the General Hydroponics Flora Kit it includes FloraGro, FloraBloom, and FloraMicro. Also Mixing instructions are included. Would this be good for the whole entire growing process. or is it only good for the vegatative stage or the florwering stage.

[BlueBear]

GH 3 part, Micro,Grow and Bloom are perfect nutes to take you threw the hole grow.
Do you have a PH pen yet? Absolutly necessary IMO to have a good hydro grow and next would be a TDS pen.
Adieu
Adieu

[pm_BigBud]

No, I don't have a PH pen or a TDS pen yet but I wan't to go to home depot this week to get it. Do you know of any other stores that might be able to help me out, I live in philadelphia if that helps. Also i've heard that you can spray bug spray on your plant and it gets rid of bugs and boosts the thc levels, What do you think. Is there anyway to control or make your plant have a better probability of become a female instead of male. Oh yeah I have decide to let my first harvest let nature take its course and let the males pollenate the females, that way i'll have plenty of seed for my future harvest.

[BlueBear]

Bug Spray equals bad idea...!!! You can get PH test strips at Wal Mart, but I would whip the yellow pages out and find a garden/Hydro store and you will be in a candy store.
Dutch Masters has a femanising spray I believe and there is one other I herd about yesterday, if you are really going to get I can take the time to look it up, but if you are just going to let your plants seed then you probably dond't need to worry too much about it now.
Adieu

[pm_BigBud]

Thanks for the advice i'll go to Wal-Mart tomarrow to get the ph test strips, but are they in like the gardening aisle or the pet stuff aisle. As for the femanising spray I believe that Dutch Masters is a site and your not talking about the dutch you rool up with so i'll google that. Don't worry about looking the other one up because your right I probably wouldn't even get it at this time. thanks. Since your helping me out I know you probably grow your own, so do you have any pictures of your crop.

[BlueBear]

Dutch Masters is a company that makes different products that many MJ growers use.
I will link you to a page or two of mine that I need to update, but you can get an idea of some of my stuff, but I will post back in a minute with the links. In the mean while here is a link that will show how to use the GH 3 part in order to maxamise your growing IMO, http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=93676
It may seem confusing at first, but just ask any questions and read some of the questions that are posted throughout the thread and I think that you will get enough info to be able to ask some questions to get you on the right track.
Adieu

[BlueBear]

Like I said, need to update these threads, but these grows are some side grows not my main grows. I need to document a grow with my flower room full, but I am just messing around trying some different things right now.
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=94533
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=94536
Adieu

[Crusinjimbo]

PM, the best prices I've seen for ph/tds meters are through internet fish/aquarium supply stores.

[Cyclonite]

Well it depends on how fast they take it up....for instance mine just started and didn't take up much of anything so far. Im gonna let it go for 1 month....normally I do it every other week. It depends on your rez size also, the bigger the longer it can go.

[pm_BigBud]

Thanks Blue Bear that first link you sent me I have already read, thanks tho. The other two are nice I see you really know what your doing when it comes to growing that ganja. I hope my first crop is at least half as good as yours, but practice make perfect. I think by at least my third crop I should have every thing down and have know mistakes. Crusinjimbo i've heard about getting a ph/tds meters at a internet fish/aquarium supply stores too, but I didn't really want to wait for it, so thank you too. Are there any store I could go to that might have a chain across america or is anyone familiar with the philadelphia area. Oh yeah and thanks for the input Cyclonite I have a 10 gallon reservoir and it holds 6 plants if that matters.

[pm_BigBud]

Oh yeah, I have a soft white FEIT electric 75 watt 120 volt light and a sylvania 150 watt 125 volt light can I use one of these or do I have to buy a grow light bacause won't have any extra money until I get paid and thats 2 weeks from now.

[pm_BigBud]

I was going to get a 500mg/hr Ozone Generator ENALY Air Purifier to get rid of the smell that I will getfrom my plants. Is this good, the auction ends at about 8:30 tonight. Whats the most I should spend on it or should I even get it at all.

[Specialist]

If you want seeds you'll only need 1 male and the rest of your females. I would recommend you let the male grow some bananas immediately and rip them off so you can use them for later. That way you can polinate only one female or just one cola and leave the rest as sensimilia (seedless and more potent) colas.
You don't NEED the tds/ppm or the ph meter they're just upgrades you can get for your grow. Spend your money on additives or pizza for your first grow and see if you want to go with a ph/pm/tds meter next time.

[BlueBear]

I think that a PH pen is a must to avoid major problems and get better results from your grow. I mean if he has a PH of 8 right out of the tap then he may get so many defs that he may not even bring his plants threw a harvest and if he does he may get half of the yield that he could of. Not even good nutes can make up for bad PH and nute lock out.
If anything, recommend the PH strips that you find in aquarium departments like in Wal Mart.
Adieu

[pm_BigBud]

well I went out and bought some wardley essentials chlor out (it neutralizes chlorine and chloramines) I thought it would be good to get. Oh yeah what are "additives or pizza for your first grow", also I was going to get wardley essentials PH stablizer. It puts the PH up or down to 7.0, but I don't know if I should get it because is it possible my tap water could be below 7.0. When my harvest gets older i'll ask you about ripping of my males bananas.

[Weedhound]

Those are products for fish, not plants. I know because I use them. Get something specifically for plants. The ph stuff will make your ph 7. No matter what. 7. That's what it does. If you are growing hydro this number won't work for you anyway but is ok for soil. If you take the time now to do things the right way I can promise you it will save you a LOT of heartache later. Get ph stuff for plants. Don't use stuff for fish (Chlor-out) Get a TDS pen. That is the absolute best advice I can give you.

[pm_BigBud]

hanks and what about my lights situation I posted above. Can I use a 150 watt bulb for six plants. Can anyone help thanks.

[BlueBear]

Compact fluorescent lights, HPS, MH AKA HID are the lights that will work for you. Read up on MJ lighting needs and you will get more info than you will know what to do with.
Adieu

[MisterE]

Well if it helps, I have a 400w on 2 plants and it's frankly not nearly enough. I also have a 4 ft shop light for some side light, and 2 cfls. Still not enough, lol.

But if you dont let them veg too long, then maybe I guess if you scrog or lst them so they're flat and not too deep of a canopy.

[BlueBear]

400W's can do wonders, but I don't want to get anyones hopes up to high, but on OG many life times ago a fellow pulled a LB from a 400W with a 16 plant SOG type set up hand watering, but he was called a master by most. Just don't knock the 400W.
Also, Jamstagader right here on our board pulled a LB off a 400W with 200W's CFL side lighting in a scrog in a cabinet grow.
Adieu

[MisterE]

I like my 400watt well enough. I just let the plants get too large before starting to flower, so now I'm working on side lighting, and anchoring my light first to one wall, then letting it hang in the center, then anchoring to the other wall everyday. It's the only way to at least get some light penetration during the daylight. So for 150w I think you need to think small, think scrog, think LST.

If I grow more, I'll get or build a screen and definitely do a scrog grow, or flower very early so I dont have to pull off these cobbled together feats of engineering to get enough light to the buds.

150watt for 6 plants, they need to be kept under a tight control of some sort I think.

[KHAN]

Change the water once a week, liquid oxygen is good to put in once every 2 days too. Just a tea-spoon full in the res does wonders.

[GodBud]

Whats a good liquid oxygen product brand.

Thanks

[KHAN]

There are lots of different suppliers probroubly but they're all the same. Hydrogen Peroxide is the proper term.

[GodBud]

Would just hydrogen peroxide itself be okay to add to the rez?

Peace

[socialistpete]

PM_Bigbud, buy this and save yourself a hassle

High Tech Garden Supply (http://www.htgsupply.com/productdetail.asp?productID=211)

[pm_BigBud]

thanks socialistpete but I was gonna get a 400w mh for $139.99 at my local store.

[socialistpete]

I would suggest buying a HPS instead if you can only get one.

[pm_BigBud]

ok will do because it looks like that plan bombed anyway.what wattage? 400?

[socialistpete]

400w should be alright. Search for posts on lighting and lumens this will give you a better understanding of the subject.

[Cyclonite]

Your gonna have serious problems if you use a 10 gal rez for 6 plants...for that you need to at least triple the rez capacity.

[sxgrower]

Big bud,

My friend Chet is halfway through flowering his first Hydro grow after 2 soil grows. Here's what he thinks:

1. Ebb & Flow is the easiest hydro method. You should change the water every 1 to 2 weeks, if you're shooting for 2, use clean (RO) water.

2. Use RO (Purified Reverse Osmosis) water, tap water is bad. You'll have anywhere from 200 to 500 tds before you add nutes with tap, and that's crazy. It's also cheap for a small grow, only 63 cents/gallon at Wallymart.

3. GH 3 parts nutes or FloraNova by GH. FloraNova is 2 part and requires less mixing, works great. If you use RO water you also must have CalMag-Plus, there is no exception on that.

4. Get a PH pen, Chet used the drops and the litmus paper and nearly killed his crop. You can't tell within .5 PH what your PH is with those, and nutes color the water making the problem worse. Bad PH or fluctuating PH will also kill your plants, take it from Chet. The difference in growth you'll see from having the PH close, to having it nailed is huge.

5. Get a digital ballast, smaller, lighter, much cooler, and most can handle both MH and HPS bulbs making them so much better you wouldn't believe it.

6. Stay on grow nutes for the first week of flowering, Chet wishes he had listened to that one...


That's it, most of the other rules you can bend (but not break), but those have been key in Chet's experiment. Have fun!

[pm_BigBud]

whats Liquid oxygen? Is it hydrogen peroxide?

[pm_BigBud]

Also thanks but sxgrower I'll try to get them to day at h-depot