Wet Rock: a journey to the Darkside

Welcome, and gather 'round.:D

those of you who have been following along the previous and current adventures of our intrepid explorer know him as a dirty-boy.

well, thats about to change, at least for this experiment.

that's right folks, Rock Gets Wet, right here, for the first time, a journey to the darkside of Hydro.

the coaches for this oddysee will be:
Weedhound, my knowledgable, patient and faithful friend throughout my mis-adventures with the nobel herb.
and MVP, who has offered experience and support.
(yup, u been drafted pal);)

I also expect a few guest appearances by some other very cool folk who have popped in n out of prior threads and some especially who have offered support and persuassion to try the ways of the water.

there will be some known and accepted methods, some home brew technology, and maybe a strange wacky idea thrown in from time to time, just to see how much trouble I can get in with my lead coach.;)

all this is a new game for me, and i didnt even perfect the dirty game yet, so, we'll see how things go. Along the way, I will try to acknowledge those who's ideas have inspired me to do things one way or another.
One of the main goals here is to have a simple, yet productive grow.
(wow there's an innovative idea, aye?)

today is the very begining of this adventure.
Join me on my oddysee, I'm hoping it will be alot of fun.



in the begining, there was a bean; SNLxNH (fem) Thanks WH:thumbsup:
in a pinch for germ media, a suggestion by MVP, Vermeculite and Perlite mix. I went 50-50. soaked it, ran water thru, watched it get all puffy w water and drain out, ok, cool.
i decided a small dixie cup that i cut large holes in the bottom would work. I also decided i would germ in this mini cloner gizmo i made.
The design on this was inspired by MVP's cloning log I just downsized dramatically.
normally this would be used for clone cuts, but i had a spare lid, so i cut out to fit the cup. the bean is about 1/3 inch down from top.

I need to pick up a few more things tomorow at the `dro shop, so, as we move to the next steps, i'll share whats happenin.

thanks for reading.
see you soon:D

ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!......lol, tis good man, i stand alone dirty(taps playing). ill be in here though man, watching, waiting for you to come back....look at your nails?...no dirt?!?! whatever shall you do?...get a sandbox?....Im just playin man, Ill be in to give my support to ya:jointsmile::thumbsup:. its all about experimentation.....
:smokebong:
whiskeytango

hahahaha, Thanks WT, yeah, well, ya know, i need to try whatever i can. gotta get the yeilds up, up, up.

but hey, im not outta the dirty game yet, Galina is still doin her thing and there are a few on deck in the veg bunker, gettin bigger, as we speak:thumbsup:

not givin them a log of their own til they emerge from the bunker.



back to the wet experiment. (calling the weedhound)

ok, hey coach, i think i got all the supplies i needed.
I decided to follow your lead on nutes.

flora nova grow, check
flora nova bloom, check
ph control kit, check
hydroton, check
flora kleen, check
and a digi TDS pen (sunleaves) for 40 bux:D

ok, so, you said i need to check ph of my water,.

i checked the water alone and was about 6

i checked it with the grow nutes and was about 4.5-5.0

i'm not exactly what im looking for, so, i am reporting my findings for your review.

i didnt get the calmag, and really hope i dont have to, but, you tell me, based on this info, ok?

i'll have the main bucket finished tomorow.
the seed still needs to sprout b4 we can use the bucket anyways.

ok coach, how'd i do???

hey WH, after reading your nute guide, i guess i need to measure the ppm in tap water, ok, 240.

what does this mean???

we continue the prep stage:D

hey rock hows it going. and welcom to the hydro game.

I love playing in the wet game.
cuz all my plants grow much faster and heather than have ever grown befor. and its way cleaner also.

So I wish U lots of good luck in the wed and wild game called HYDROPONICS.
good luck :D
on a nice Grow :thumbsup:
here this :jointsmile: have it.
stay :cool: brotha.

peace out.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hydrocannabis

So I wish U lots of good luck in the wed and wild game called HYDROPONICS.

---

Me too...:thumbsup:

hey hydro, thanks bro.
yeah, take a seat, this looks like its shaping up to be an interesting trip.

still waiting for my coach to check in:wtf::D



-add on.-

hey zeb, thanks dude. we shall see, we shall see.:D

So Rock, you gonna grow SNLxNH ?? What do you know about this strain?? Have you smoked SNLxNH before??

hey zeb, never smoked it,,,yet.

here is a what i know

1- Weedhound grew a "personal best" yeild from this strain. something just crazy like 15 z's on 2 plants:jawdropper:
2- here is a quote direct from the breeders page description

Quote:

---

A classic Indica/sativa â??â??winnersâ??â?? cross (NLxHaze) in an upgraded edition. One parent is an upgraded Northern Light. With an according to connesuirs â??â??Sourâ??â?? smell and taste. She was never crossed with â??Sourâ?? strains, she just has that smell and taste. Like any Northern Light she is very strong and crossed with an indoor adapted Nevilles Haze. They need 10-12 weeks of 12/12 and 3-4 feet in height after 2-3 weeks of veg. Expect overgrown with resin buds here, with a very special smell and taste. They maybe need a bit longer than average, but will perform far out better than average too

---

also, these are fem'd. WH hooked me up when i had that string of males that popped.

i know the pix were kick ass, WH, wanna show the class what we're shootin for here? :D

Rock....your ph control kit has ph up and ph down? Good for you to find an inexpensive tds meter.....you'll be VERY happy later.

If that cup has vermeculite and perlite......when you go to move the seedling won't all that stuff just fall apart?

I would do this expirement with your tap water......take some in a bowl or something and adjust the ph to 5.6......leave overnight.....check a few times......see if the ph stays were you put it or if not.....how stable DOES it stay when you set the ph? This will be your deciding factor on your tap water.....does the ph stay where you want?
If so, you are good to go with it and won't need any CalMag. The only real way to know is to test it. ;)

You can also start rinsing and soaking all your hydroton as well.....first rinse as much the red dust off as you can.....then place a bunch of it in water....adjust ph to 5.6 and check in a hour or two......then proceed to do this same thing with the ph 9,000,000
times until the damn hydroton finally stays at the correct ph.....this can take a few days depending.

You know Flora Nova may be one of those that you might not need CalMAg......if I recall correctly but I'd have to check with my hydro guy to be sure. Again.....whether your tap water will stay stable at a certain ph is more the deciding factor on the water.

hey coach, thanks for checkin in.
yes, the ph control kit has tester and 'up' n 'down' and only 16 bux:D

on the v/p seedling mix. when i was playing with the stuff, before i put the bean in it, i wet it and then (to see how fragile or stable) i plopped it out into my hand, the way we all used to make sandcastles at the beach, a million years ago, when life was playtime and innocence, it stayed together, now, im sure it wont take a lot to make it fall apart, but im hoping a bunch of roots may help hold it together. i think, if im careful placing it in the bucket and shoring it up with the hydroton pebbles may keep it together enuf for my purposes. i guess time will tell.

would it really be the end of the world if it did fall apart, after it makes the move to the bucket?

i will start the long term testing of my tapwater at once.
i will start priming the hydtn pellets at once.

i will report back with my results, thanks:thumbsup:

You'll just have to be very careful and gentle when placing it in there is all. The more you can prep your hydroton before hand the HAPPIER you will be later believe me.

Also do you have a link to your Sunleaves tds meter or do you know what what conversion it is set at....0.5 or 0.7?

ok, here we go.

first, the link for the TDS pen
Sunleaves :: TDS Essential Digital TDS Pen

wow, youre not kiddin bout the red dust.:wtf:
rinsing like crazy.

now, heres a lil irony, i found the cup of water i used lastnight to check the ph. altho i did not 'set' the ph lastnight, i checked to compare if there was a change, it did creep up about a 1/2 a point.
one other thought. the water is dam cold rite now and im sure its not a good idea to pour cold water into the plant, so, im guessing ill need to always have some jugged sitting around for room temps.
with that in mind, should i just leave it out before i start all this testing?
just in case that doesnt matter, i already tested and set the bowl of water as u instructed between 5 and 6. my kit is not a ph pen, its a vial and solution, so, im going by the lil color chart.
btw, did i tell you im somewhat colorblind?:wtf:
just on shades tho, and it doesnt affect my ability to compare and match colors side by side, but i have had arguements about the color of my dress socks or a shirt, when just looking at those items by themselves:wtf:

ok, back to the rinsing.:)

Cool beans, that looks like a modified Treetops Can?

Hydro is more exacting than soil....if the ph is not correct you WILL injure the plant so decide if being colorblind and not really reading the shades of water is going to work for you.....you AREN'T going to get the chance to make a lot of mistakes in hydro. YOU ARE HEREBY WARNED so I don't want to hear it when you try to slide on something and it comes back to bite you in the ass young man. :wtf:

stinky- are u talkin about my av? thats just a giant folgers container, modified to bubbler and a dome from a clear container.

wh- no, dont misunderstand, i CAN match colors side by side, like the solution and the chart.
the issue i have is if u say "rock, get those dark green socks you have" i say here they are, and you say "i said green, not blue"

give me an example to compare to and its party on. make me decide freestylin and its hit or miss:wtf:

for the record, those eye test charts with the different color spots and i have to identify the letter hidden in the colors,,,,well, that a challenge.:wtf:

Good because I was ready to bop you one. :wtf: :jointsmile: I tried the sunleaves link but under documetation it never went anywhere so I couldn't check the conversion. Does the guy who sold it to you know or does it say in your instruction sheet or anything? It should be either 0.5 or 0.7.

And hey....don't get that seedling too wet or it won't hatch....just germ it like normal I think if you aren't already.

i have no idea what this 0.5 - 0.7 thing is ur asking.
here is the tiny paperwork that came with it.
does this help, or should i call them, and what exactly am i asking if i need to call.


ive never been so clueless on technical subjects, im feelin like fish outta water.:wtf:

wow guys.......lol i see why im dirty, lol....but lookin at WH plants.......

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnSstealth

....but lookin at WH plants.......

---

and THATS EXACTLY what i'm talkin about.:wtf:

also, i will make a statement regarding my previous claims to all the hydro i smoked in the past tasting crappy,,,
i keep seeing everyone around here singing the praises of the taste and potentcy of their hydro bud, leads me to believe that the hydro i smoked in the past wasnt either flushed or cured properly.

with that said, im certain that with my past poor experiences, i'll be double sure to do it right. if i do, then i prove im better at this than the fools i gave my money to in the past.:wtf:

anything that you grow will always be better than something you bought.

i agree to an extent rock...i have had great dro...i mean, pro grown GREAT dro....but taste wise, it couldnt hold to a sample of the same strain doen organic in soil...IMHO
:smokebong:
whiskeytango

ok coach, hydroton is rinsed clean, soaking and ph set tween 5-6.
also bucket o water has been ph set and is sitting quietly.

time to run some errands, back later.:D

ok check and adjust that hydroton every hour or something.....Im not joking.....you can't do it too often imo.

Rock, what kind of calibration solution comes with that sunleaves tds meter? What does the stuff say?

i didnt get the calibration solution.
sold seperately
the "calibration" portion of that paperwork says, factory calibrated and ready to use.:wtf:

ive been out for about 5 hrs , just checked and the ph has gone up to about 7.

i did mention i got a new job, right? (i start monday) if this stuff is gonna require constant monitoring, this may be a problem. a big problem.:(

i have to run out again, back in a couple hours.;)

with my DWC set up, the first two grows had crazy PH climbing rates, but with this third grow, i feel the hydroton has really been flushed and neutralized because now it more if my water has nutrients in it or not. just plain tap water will climb like 1.5 2 points in a day or so at my place. with more nutrients, it climbs slower.. now with 1500 ppm veg growth, i cehck the ph every other day, and it only climbs .5-.7 at the most. things smooth out, and the growth of an unstressed hydro plant is fucking insane

If you can get it stable before monday you should be good....but you will need to calibrate your meter at some point. Whatever the calibration solution is will tell me what conversion you have.

WELL WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO GO GET A JOB FOR? DON'T YOU HAVE PRIORITIES??? :wtf: :D

Congrats...;):thumbsup:

WH, hey, i really dont wanna have to try to go back to the hydroshop if i dont have to just yet.
its a 20$ gas trip thats just not part of todays budget.

is there a specific question I can ask customer service tomorow?
i'll just call sunleaves directly.

the mope at the shop is not like ur guy, he's a dope that just knows how to point me to what i ask for and knows the price to charge me. they go thru guys at that place. in less than a year, this is the 2nd guy, last one was at least somewhat helpful. he would scurry about to collect what i asked for.

i just got in, and will check the ph and adjust right now, back in a few with my findings.;)
this should be fun with a buzz:wtf:

ok, took ten drops of 'down' to stabilize at 5-6, from 7 in approx 2.5-3 gals, this will be more water than my system can hold, but its good to get a feel for what it takes at what volume.

since it has been hours, i checked the tapwater i put aside earlier.
looks like in about 10 hrs, it went up about 1/2-3/4 a point-ish.
thats just the plain water. hoping i wont need the calmag, but, u tell me.

this is hopefully not going to be as complicated as it may appear.

Rock.Steady,
You will be glad you got out of the dirt. You can keep you ph at a reg. level and know exactly ec-ppm, I like using large res. 20gal to 50gal. The Ph does'nt flux. as much.

I also like using the 2" basket with a rapid rooter plug. You can have massive root structure's and and don't have to mess with vem. and lova rock's.
With hydro- ( I like Aeroponic's, The root system's get nothing but nut's,water,oxygen), you can get more plant's closer, and maintenance the plant's.

But anyway Wel-come to hydro!!!. Later

Hatch, thanks, but, you're suggesting a setup that is on a grand scale compared to the space i have available. those resevoirs size suggestions are simply far too large for my use. but thanks for your support:thumbsup:


hey coach, ph update.

the hydroton bath did creep up to 7 again overnite, i tweeked and will check in a while.
does this stuff always make the ph creep? will it ever stabilize?

the small tub with water only did creep a lil overnight to about 6.5, so about a point in 18 hrs or so.

GO ROCK!!!!! this shits seems just as complicated as far as learning new shit as i am going through with the LEDs. congrats man, and good luck gettin that ph down...your good with the ladies, ;) so you should be fine
:smokebong:
whiskeytango

Thanks WT;)



hey coach-
i contacted Sunleaves.

the conversion factor for this pen is 0.5

not that i have a flippin clue what that means,,,,,yet:wtf::D

ok, lets get crackalackin:cool:

0.5....thank you....that's what I needed to know..

It will take several days and a BUTTLOAD of ph down to beat it into submission but eventually your hydroton will bow to the correct ph. You're getting the idea of why I hate hydroton and my other reason for disliking it is that it seems to encourage fert buildup in my plants and cause problems later but I seem to be the only one that happens to for some reason. On it's plus side.....it's exremely lightweight which is nice and it repels algae very well.

As for your tap water it sounds ok......try one other thing for me if you would. Take your water and add some nutes to it....say enough to take the ppm to five hundred (you're tap water starts at 240, correct?) Then adjust ph to 5.6 and leave overnight....check again tomorrow. Hopefully the ph buffers in your nutes will keep things at the ph you set it to......that's the entire point of what we are trying to accomplish here.......a stable ph.....and we are testing to see if your tap water will hold one. My well water would creep up above 7.....sometimes to 8 no matter HOW much ph down I added. This is what we want to determine with yours.

Bluelab

Here's an excellent article on ppms, conversions, ec.....all the stuff you need to know. In my nute schedule I work off a 0.7 conversion while you are working off a 0.5 so our numbers will not match but at the bottom of that page is a link to a chart that compares the two conversions so you can see the differences.

ok, well, it looks like i have some home work.:wtf::D

ok, i've been outta the loop for a couple days and a couple reasons, but, i'm baaaaaaack:)

1st-
a report on my tapwater w- grow nutes, MAINTAINED PH:thumbsup:
so, im gonna hope my tapwater is gonna b good 2 go.

next, the hydroton, ok, part of the delay, im sure, is me:wtf:

like a knucklehead, 2 days into the soaking, i realized there really was only a 2-3 cups of leftover Hton from my soaking vat. well of course, i proceeded to rinse it clean and added it to the Hton i was beating into PH submission.
of course, the PH gave me more trouble, well, thats ok, ill keep lowering it. i'll take the blame on that. at least i didnt do it to a plant and then ask, "how? why?" duh.:wtf:

it seemed like we were getting close to a stable PH before i added the untreated leftovers.
so, ill work with it some more.:cool:

and theres more, look who popped outta the verm/per bubbler???
thats right SNLxNH(fem). see below;)
and, i am almost done working the bugs outta my home-brew drip/bubbler combo.
i took Xcrispy's suggestion of a 3 gal inside a 5 gal bucket idea.
i then took in in my own weird direction, i didnt have those exact buckets handy.
i have several assorted soil pots of sizes from 6 qt - 3 gal.
and several various sized bins.

i am working on 2 sizes and would like some input.

i have avail some 6 qts that i can use as baskets with 1.5-2 gal as a recirc resevoir. do you think that basket would be too small? whats a smallest size you would not expect extra problems with?
i can use bigger, but my main concern is headroom in the veg bunker.
my max top to bottom is 31 inches, thats including everything, max headroom, period.
i have larger buckets, but again, my concern is headroom.

i would have to make substantial modifications to change it.:(

Does she have true leaves????? PS ....i sent you an e -mail.