1st time hydro questions

Hi all,

I'm getting ready to start on my first adventure in Hydroponic growing and had some questions that I haven't really found clear answers to. Been growing in soil for a while, but I really want to get away from the mess of dirt.

I have a space that is about 3x3 (a little bigger actually) and currently have a 400W MH. I am going to get a HPS lamp soon, either 400 or 600 not sure yet which one but leaning towards more light (600).

I built an ebb & flow setup from a conrete mixing try that I got at Lowe's, it's about 2x3. I have an 18 gallon rubbermaid container(solid green and light proof) that I plan to use for the resevoir.

I am starting from seeds (will switch to clones when they are ready for that) and am starting them in Rapid Rooter plugs.

I got some 8" net pots which I plan to put the plugs in with clay pellets.

Ok, given the above setup (hopefully this is enough information for starters) I have some questions going forward.

1) Are the pots I got a good size, or should they be a bit smaller? It looks like they are huge compared to what many people here are using.

2) I can fit 8 of these pots in my table which is what I hope to grow once my mother plant is producing clones. Is this too many considering the lighting I have. I'm planning on flowering in the 8-10 inch range (no more than 12") and am growing an Afghani (this time at least) that I have grown many times before which tends to grow 1 big cola and some smaller side branches, but not many and not very bushy.

3) Regarding the flooding schedule. I have a timer that can work on 15 minute increments. I read a post yesterday where stinkyattic said she floods for 15 minutes 6 times per day. Is that flooding only when the light is on, or spread across 24 hours? Any other opinions on the flooding schedule. The guy at my hydro store said he floods seedlings 15 minutes every 2 hours, then switches to ever hour when the plants get bigger. This seems like a lot compared to some reading here, but then again we were talking peppers and tomatoes ;-)

That's all I can think of right now. If anyone has other comments and advice I sure would appreciate it.

Sorry for the long post . . . thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SaintAlphonzo

Hi all,

I'm getting ready to start on my first adventure in Hydroponic growing and had some questions that I haven't really found clear answers to. Been growing in soil for a while, but I really want to get away from the mess of dirt.

I have a space that is about 3x3 (a little bigger actually) and currently have a 400W MH. I am going to get a HPS lamp soon, either 400 or 600 not sure yet which one but leaning towards more light (600).

I built an ebb & flow setup from a conrete mixing try that I got at Lowe's, it's about 2x3. I have an 18 gallon rubbermaid container(solid green and light proof) that I plan to use for the resevoir.

I am starting from seeds (will switch to clones when they are ready for that) and am starting them in Rapid Rooter plugs.

I got some 8" net pots which I plan to put the plugs in with clay pellets.

Ok, given the above setup (hopefully this is enough information for starters) I have some questions going forward.

1) Are the pots I got a good size, or should they be a bit smaller? It looks like they are huge compared to what many people here are using.

2) I can fit 8 of these pots in my table which is what I hope to grow once my mother plant is producing clones. Is this too many considering the lighting I have. I'm planning on flowering in the 8-10 inch range (no more than 12") and am growing an Afghani (this time at least) that I have grown many times before which tends to grow 1 big cola and some smaller side branches, but not many and not very bushy.

3) Regarding the flooding schedule. I have a timer that can work on 15 minute increments. I read a post yesterday where stinkyattic said she floods for 15 minutes 6 times per day. Is that flooding only when the light is on, or spread across 24 hours? Any other opinions on the flooding schedule. The guy at my hydro store said he floods seedlings 15 minutes every 2 hours, then switches to ever hour when the plants get bigger. This seems like a lot compared to some reading here, but then again we were talking peppers and tomatoes ;-)

That's all I can think of right now. If anyone has other comments and advice I sure would appreciate it.

Sorry for the long post . . . thanks!

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I think your pots are about the right size, and I feel eight plants are about right. I do E&F and run my watering schedule every four hours for 15 min, sounds just right. You will have to be very careful to make sure when you first put your roots clones into the pot that the level of nutes goes high enough so that the roots actually get moisture. Another alternative, would be to place the clone way near the bottom and only fill your pot partially to keep from burying it completely!

Nice, thanks for your thoughts!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpaceNeedle

You will have to be very careful to make sure when you first put your roots clones into the pot that the level of nutes goes high enough so that the roots actually get moisture.

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Thanks also for the reminder. I had planned to keep the bottom of the rapid rooter plug lined up about even with the overflow drain on the table so it would get it wet but not too soaked.

I've never used rapid rooters before, should I just soak the plugs and put the seeds right in them, or should I presoak the seeds for a day first?

Also, any thoughts on the HPS light. Is it worth the extra expense for the 600w or will 400 suffice for the space I have . . I guess as an after thought, the bigger light would allow me to expand should I find a better space at some point . ..

Anytime I've ever used them I just soaked them and stuck the clones in, with no problems.

On the lights. Of course HPS is much better than MH for the flowering phase, and the more the better as far as its power is concerned. But, the 600w is gonna put out more heat, and in a small confined area you will want to make sure that you have a good ventilation system (even with a 400w), so just make sure the girls don't get too hot.

sn

cool, thanks again for the tips. Not worried about the temp too much. My 400w light is super cool in the room thanks to the high powered exhaust I have running for the carbon scrubber. . .

Don't soak rapidrooters. They come per moistened with a bacterial culture that is good for the plants; changing the water content and source changes how effective they will be, and can waterlog them.
If they start to appear dry, sprinkle jsut a FEW DROPS of tap water on them until they look like they did in the bag- keep a few in a sealed ziploc (we all have those lol) to compare moisture levels for your reference.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

Don't soak rapidrooters. They come per moistened with a bacterial culture that is good for the plants; changing the water content and source changes how effective they will be, and can waterlog them.
If they start to appear dry, sprinkle jsut a FEW DROPS of tap water on them until they look like they did in the bag- keep a few in a sealed ziploc (we all have those lol) to compare moisture levels for your reference.

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Ha . . . oops :wtf:

Did that last night. I didn't soak them for too long, but it looks like they soak up water pretty fast. I put the seeds right into the little hole and misted the top with a light kelp solution which is something I usually do for seed germination with my trusty sponge method.

Hopefully that won't cause a problem, but if so I have 100's of seeds from this line anyway, so it'd be more sad to lose the 10 plugs. Maybe I will give them a little squeeze tonight just to make sure they don't have too much water in them.

Funny, seems like every piece of technology I add only complicates the process a bit more. Hopefully the end result of all this will prove worthwhile (no real doubts that it will)