new to d.w.c grow, any input appreciated!

sup guys and gals. well after reading a lot off this site, i decided to do a hydroponic grow! i once started growing in soil but my niece plucked them out. i read a lot of information on here but im overwhelmed with all the info. hopefully ya'll can help me out with a couple of questions i have. i didn't want to spend a lot of money just in case things go wrong, i want to make sure i got it down packed before i do it big like a few of you in here. so lets start off with what i have.

nutrients:

i baught a trio pack off ebay of botanicare "pure blend pro grow & bloom". it also came with a bottle of liquid karma. i also got a bottle of calmag +. from my understanding, these are the best for first time hydro growers and easy to use.

set up:

i baught a bucket of nepolian ice cream which is 1 gal and a half. ate all of it (yummy!) and washed the bucket throughly. i went to walmart and got an air stone, air pump, air tubing.

lights:

i got a pack of 4 6500k cfl's. they are considered daylight spectrum. got extension cord and sockets.

so here are my question's.

1. i germinated my seed on feb 26, its been a week almost and i think something is going wrong. is this correct? seems small for a hydro grow. i was thinking it would be a lot faster than soil.

2. can i use liquid karma now? it says on the back it helps growth for seedlings.

3. how often do i change the water in the bucket? every week?

4. when putting in the nutes, do i only use one dose a week? the back of the bottles say how much to put but not how often.


well that's about all that i can remember, hopefully ya'll can help me out! any input is appreciated! thanx!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rotor7ven

sup guys and gals. well after reading a lot off this site, i decided to do a hydroponic grow! i once started growing in soil but my niece plucked them out. i read a lot of information on here but im overwhelmed with all the info. hopefully ya'll can help me out with a couple of questions i have. i didn't want to spend a lot of money just in case things go wrong, i want to make sure i got it down packed before i do it big like a few of you in here. so lets start off with what i have.

nutrients:

i baught a trio pack off ebay of botanicare "pure blend pro grow & bloom". it also came with a bottle of liquid karma. i also got a bottle of calmag +. from my understanding, these are the best for first time hydro growers and easy to use.

set up:

i baught a bucket of nepolian ice cream which is 1 gal and a half. ate all of it (yummy!) and washed the bucket throughly. i went to walmart and got an air stone, air pump, air tubing.

lights:

i got a pack of 4 6500k cfl's. they are considered daylight spectrum. got extension cord and sockets.

so here are my question's.

1. i germinated my seed on feb 26, its been a week almost and i think something is going wrong. is this correct? seems small for a hydro grow. i was thinking it would be a lot faster than soil.

2. can i use liquid karma now? it says on the back it helps growth for seedlings.

3. how often do i change the water in the bucket? every week?

4. when putting in the nutes, do i only use one dose a week? the back of the bottles say how much to put but not how often.


well that's about all that i can remember, hopefully ya'll can help me out! any input is appreciated! thanx!

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from the little picture i see your seedling looks great, healthy.

look up botanicare on google and see if you can find the chart that should have come with the bottles you bought. it's a feeding schedual with the info you're looking for. i wouldnt worry about putting nutes in anytime soon. 2 wks

Cool thanx

Paint the container black , or cover it somehow. it needs to be totally light sealed or else your going to get slime and algae. It almost seems to show up overnight so prevention is better than correction.


Also i would go half strength on the nutes. MJ doesnt like to fed like it says on the back of the bottle, you will burn the shit out of them. Start very small and work your way up. Underfertalizing is treatable, over fertalization can be deadly.

how about now?:jointsmile:

Looking great, light in the bucket is something you def don't want.:thumbsup:

Try 2 get a ppm or ec meter. Will help u know the nutrient levels and helps fine tuning. I am using Fox Farms schedule without the big bloom in my aero unit. Can pretty well go by the schedule until you r confident enough to push the girls. Clone 450 ppm, Veg 850, Early flower 900, and Late flower 1250 ppm is safe for me. Don't forget to keep your ph stable. I shoot for 6.0 in hydro.

Can I get a meter at a local hardware store?

looking good now dude. algae is a bitch and it makes your res stink too. you shouldnt have to worry now.

Amazon.com: General Hydroponics pH Control Kit: Home & Garden

heres a kit that is cheap and effective for a small time dwc grow. It has the ph up and ph down your gunna need to adjust the ph, and that is something you cant get at the hardware store.

Keep your ph close 6 and be a little easy on the nutes at first.

The local hardeware store will have testers for the soil, but nothing for hydroponics.

take your time, do things right, do alot of reading, and you will have tons of dank buds in the end.

The E.C. or ppm meter I use is a Primo 1 from Discount Hydroponics for $17.00. Good starter model and can't beat the price.

Cool thanx a lot for the info guys.

[quote=rotor7ven]so here are my question's.

1. i germinated my seed on feb 26, its been a week almost and i think something is going wrong. is this correct? seems small for a hydro grow. i was thinking it would be a lot faster than soil.

2. can i use liquid karma now? it says on the back it helps growth for seedlings.

3. how often do i change the water in the bucket? every week?

4. when putting in the nutes, do i only use one dose a week? the back of the bottles say how much to put but not how often.


QUOTE]



1. Your seedling is still very young. Hydroponics does grow faster and bigger than soil, you just have to let your plants grow a nice root system in order for that to happen. Nothing is wrong you just have to give it time. Are the roots even poking out yet?

2. Yes you could use the liquid karma now, but i would give it a very diluted dose. maybe like 1/4 strength. You can bump the strength of the solution up as the plant gets bigger.


3. I change my water every week and a half. Ive heard of some people gooing a couple of weeks without changing it, but i like to give my plants new nutrients more than that.

4. This is where the PPM meter is needed. The only way to really know how many PPM there is in your water is too test it. Otherwise its all guess work.