I HAVE Two A QUESTIONs

[GrowMe]

"Ah, aeroponics. Wise choice. Not exactly for beginners, but it should be no problem if you have a couple smarts. Done correctly, this set up is one of the highest yielders.

Let me clarify what I meant about little water. In my opinion the best way to superfast growth and healthy plants is to supply the roots with as much oxygen as possible. This means that no matter what your setup, soil, soilless, hydro or whatever, you do not want your roots sitting in water. MJ is not a marsh or pond plant, nor is it a fish. It likes it's roots sitting in air. Of course like all living organisms, weed requires moisture as well as air, but it is much happier in an above-water existance. Like you and I, it likes to be dry and take drinks if it gets thirsty. (We'll discuss humidity some other time.)

Two really nice ways to keep your roots dry and still quench any thirst, is NFT, and RMT (also known as Aeroponics). Of course yours is not true aeroponics, since a sprinkler does not produce a mist, but itâ??s the same concept and should produce some damn fine results.

When you said begin tonight, I hope you meant to put them in a small amount of rockwool, sponge, vermiculite or something, that will later go into your net pots. (I recommend not using rockwool. Not for beginners.) That is unless your roots are 3 inches long, and able to reach completely to the bottom of your 3â?� net pots. Especially since you said the water will hit the bottom of the net pots. You canâ??t put them into your system until they will get wet when the drinking cycle comes on. One way around this is to completely soak the net pots with the sprayer 24/7, and that will keep the roots wet well enough, until they can be exposed in mid air, in some position that they will get hit with water during feeding/drinking time. Iâ??m talking Hydroton here, for rockwool decrease watering frequency dramatically. You can also get some capillary matting to lay your roots on, and have it extend clear to the bottom, and even have it taking up some of the bottom. It will wick moisture up to the roots, but this requires more pump on time.

When the roots are just emerging from the pots, you will want your on times to be more frequent, like 2 minutes on, 10 minutes off, repeat. Once they will get well splashed during the â??onâ?� cycle, you can start experimenting with your pump times. When there is a nice root mass, you can decrease the on time. You just start changing a little at a time, maybe once per day, and watch closely for any signs of thirst stress (wilting, droopy). You may find you need as little as 30 seconds on and 2 hours off or something. This depends on a bunch of things, humidity being a big one. Youâ??ll need to decide this yourself, but in my system itâ??s not real humid, usually around 36 or so. I would expect to end up with an on time of a minute, and an off time of 45-60 minutes. Of course you donâ??t have to worry too much about if you have too much on time. The off time is the tricky one; overdoing it could kill the plant if not watched carefully. If you have power failures you may want to consider figuring out some way to keep at least a couple inches of roots in water at all times. I had to build my own thing, but I have what you have, except instead of a sprayer for 3 plants, I have 2 misters for each plant, and a way to change water level so a little bit of roots are in nutes at all times. A lot of damn work to solve the friggen power outage problem. I also have a six inch air stone for each plant, and an air blowing power head in my main reservoir. A whole bunch of aeration, and it seems like once I put them in veg, boom! I cant beat them back with a stick. Iâ??m telling you people, oxygen in the roots is the key!

Oh yeah I forgot, not everyone can afford a cyclstat, which is a fancy name for â??$145 timerâ?�. The next best thing that I can recommend is a $20 digital timer from Intermac, I think. Theyâ??re available everywhere, and they get the job done quite well. You can have 14 on and 14 off times per day. You can even arrange stuff to happen on only certain days. I root my clones with one of these, using 45 off and 20 on, or something like that. Iâ??ve purchased about 7 of these over the past 6 years, and so far only one has failed, and I think that was just a case of too much juice for one little timer.

Hope that helps. My high is wearing off. Good luck and please send pictures."

Awesome stuff Opie..I have a few questions for you if you don't mind enlightening me..

1) Once the seeds are germed, which way do i put them in the rockwool..(part coming out of seed facing up or going towards bottom of pot?) I'm a total Noob as well..

2)Also should i put the germed seeds that are in Rockwool in the pots w/ rocks and have the sprinkler on them for 24 hours with light 24 hours as well? Until they start to grow, then slow the watering down to once an hour for 20 minutes or something like that? I'm trying to see how much water i need to be putting on them..the sprinkler will hit very close to the top of netpots..

3)Should i buy something to create bubbles in the bucket that runs 24 hours or something? all i have is a 5 gal bucket with a little powerhead with a sprinkler attached to water hte pots i have in the bucket lid..do i need bubbles from something else to create oxygen?? sorry very new to this and am trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible..i will try and post some pics of my setup this evening..trying to get the germed seeds in some rockwool ASAP so your help is greatly appreciated and much needed..Also i read soemthing about a mist? IS that better than a stream of water from a sprinkler head..i could probably change it out if you think it will benefit me..

4)I plan on getting a digital therm/hum reader and put it in the grow space..should i be worried about humidity in the bucket? Where the roots are or is it just for the actual plant and the closet?

5)also i have some basic nutrients that i received with the kit i purchased. 2 big bottles:
a) Base - 1.6 - 1.8 - 7.4
b) 2.8 - 0 - 0
What to do with these?
Also have PH up and a PH down bottle..It came w/ a PH test kit and i tested outdoor pool water, aquafiina bottled water, and tap water all yielding the same results..Bogus tester? or is the water that close? I didn't try to adjust however, didn't want to waste anymore...It was very high at 8.0. Any thoughts?

6) Lastly Lights/Ventilation - I'm not going to run HPS and MH yet, i don't have the space right now or funds for that matter but hopefully next go straight to 1000W HPS, MH, Digital ballast and so forth but for now i have two basic 10" polished aluminum reflector with 2, 26 watt CFLs per reflector..so thats a total of four 26 watt CFL's with 5500K each. (couldn't find 6500K unfortunately) Don't remember how many Lumens however. Doesn't say on the bulb and i threw out hte packages already..maybe 900? 9000? Sorry actually have no idea where it would be...Anyway is that sufficient for veg? maybe had 2 more cfls? Let me know what you think..I guess i'll get back to you on the ventilation when i hear back from you..pics would probably be easier than explaining..Cant wait to get started just need a few things clarified..THanks so much OPIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry so long guys but i'll keep you updated with pics.. :thumbsup:

[dougefresh]

one last question.? How often would you recommend changing the water and nutrients in a hydro system (because I change it every 3 days)? and is tap water acceptable or do you have to let the water sit out so the chlorine evaporates?

[Opie Yutts]

I don't know what's going on here. Are GrowMe and dougefresh the same person? Anyway I answered the question here: http://boards.cannabis.com/hydroponi...lp-friend.html

But here it is again - copy and pasting aint too hard:

1) Once the seeds are germed, which way do i put them in the rockwool..(part coming out of seed facing up or going towards bottom of pot?) I'm a total Noob as well..
That part coming out of the seed is called the tap root, and needs to be aimed toward the bottom. No matter which way it is oriented it will probably grow toward the bottom, but not placing it properly will probably add a few days to how long the roots and/or stem take to pop out of the medium, and it could add stress, and could even make it end up not coming out at all. Whatever is left of the seed, probably just 2 pieces of a shell or less, is holding two little leaves and a stem, which of course will want to be heading upward.

2)Also should i put the germed seeds that are in Rockwool in the pots w/ rocks and have the sprinkler on them for 24 hours with light 24 hours as well? Until they start to grow, then slow the watering down to once an hour for 20 minutes or something like that? I'm trying to see how much water i need to be putting on them..the sprinkler will hit very close to the top of netpots..
What I was trying to say above, is that you begin by putting seeds or germinated seeds in dry rockwool (in your case), then you put them in a dry tray and flood them. Use as little solution as possible to get the RW soaked. If you don't have a propagation tray or something, you can use anything you have on hand that has side(s) that are at least 1/2" tall. Tupperware, cake pan, kitty litter box... You'll want roughly a 2-3 inch cube of RW, assuming your net pot is a 6 incher, adjust accordingly. If you bought a half bale or something, just tear off a good handful. Don't forget that RW needs to be soaked at least 24 hours, 48 is better, in water that has been PH'd to whatever PH you plan on using. I suggest 5.5 or 5.6. It is best if you can keep checking it in your actual system for a few days before transplanting, adjusting PH as it fluctuates, until it at least comes close to stablizing. I'm guessing most people don't do that, but either way, once it gets down to where itâ??s supposed to be, you can start using it. Oh yeah, you check it by mixing up some PH7 water and running it through the dry RW. Catch the first run-off and check it's PH. Soaking it also helps get out all the tiny chunks of volcanic rock or glass. (Once back in the day, I didn't know that you were supposed soak RW, and I had 2 damn tough seedlings survive out of 12.) Put a seed or germinated seed in a chunk of RW, then completely drench the chunk with PH'd water mixed with only a very small amount of B1 supplement, and put it in the tray. I recommend SuperThrive at 2 drops per gallon. Some people use up to a half teaspoon once the are growing good, but that's way overkill IMHO. Keep an eye out for wilt, and watch the rockwool chunks in the tray. Once they are almost dried out, or the seelings look like they might be getting thirsty, you can add 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the same solution to the bottom of the tray. When I say the same solution, if it is the actual solution you used a day or two or three ago, be sure to check the PH since it often rises throughout time. Again, watch the wilt and the RW, and repeat until roots start coming out of the RW. Hopefully at this time they are long enough to put the plants into the system and have the water reach the roots during pump on time. If not, keep them in the tray and keep all roots covered with several layers of black plastic, or anything that will for sure keep the light off the roots. If you want to try putting them into the pots as soon as they are germinated, I'll bet this would work, but it would be more of an experiment. It might even work to put just seeds in there. I would think that as long as the tap root or chunk of RW is in good contact with some capillary matting, and the matting reaches to the bottom of the pot and takes up a little bit of the bottom, and you are spraying 24/7, and the light is at least a foot back, that would keep the roots in as much moisture as they need, and ultimately work out fine. This would be much better for the plants if you could get it dialed in properly. Perhaps if anyone else reading this has tried it, they could chime in here. As far as light schedules, the only time that I use 24/7 is for rooting clones. For one reason, see here: http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-faqs/99457-why-should-i-turn-out-lights.html

3)Should i buy something to create bubbles in the bucket that runs 24 hours or something? all i have is a 5 gal bucket with a little powerhead with a sprinkler attached to water hte pots i have in the bucket lid..do i need bubbles from something else to create oxygen?? sorry very new to this and am trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible..i will try and post some pics of my setup this evening..trying to get the germed seeds in some rockwool ASAP so your help is greatly appreciated and much needed..Also i read soemthing about a mist? IS that better than a stream of water from a sprinkler head..i could probably change it out if you think it will benefit me..
As long as the sprayer is spraying fairly often, like every 10 minutes or something, you probably would be fine without additional aeration. However I highly discourage this. As I have said many times and will continue saying until the day I die, the key is oxygen to the roots, that is assuming you prefer fast-growing, huge, lush, healthy plants. It doesn't cost much to get a cheap ($8?) air pump, a yard or two of line and an air stone, and run it 24/7. A small air stone is pretty cheap. I said cheap, not inexpensive. I mean that it doesnâ??t cost much, and it falls apart or breaks after one use. If you get an air stone, try not to get the smallest one. I recommend air wands. You can clean them after each use, they last forever (or at least for the the 5 years it's been since I've switched), and some of them are flexible. Why should you do this? Well consider this basic mathematical formula: Taking into account the price of weed in your area at the time this was written, as well as your strain, humidity, and all other possible variables, for every 10 bubbles per plant that are bubbling 24 hours per day, you will see an additional yield of exactly $2.67 worth of weed. So you see, most aeration tactics pay for themselves within one or two harvests. This does not even take into consideration all the other benefits derived from aeration, such as less chance of algae. MJ roots beg for air, and reward you greatly if you oblige. And yes, a mist is better than a spray, and a fog is better than a mist. Water droplets in this case are measured in microns, and the smaller the droplet is, the better it is for your overall plant health because smaller water droplets mean bigger air â??dropletsâ?�. Remember â??theâ?� key? Now keep in mind that fogging is fairly new, but considered by many to be the best way to promote huge healthy roots, and in general plants. The smaller the droplet is, the more advanced the system is, and the more of your time it will take (sometimes dramatically), and the more problems it will cause. For example, the smaller the droplet of water you use, the more filters you must use, forcing you to use larger water pumps which forces you to hire an electrician to install a new breaker panel (EXAGGERATED FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES). My advice is to leave your 360 degree spray head at this point, and see how things work out. Just have fun and soak up the knowledge on your first grow, and perhaps, if youâ??re dedicated to spending the time it takes to do things properly (like reading up on the basics especially, and the advanced stuff as time permits), you just might end up with some weed to smoke.

4)I plan on getting a digital therm/hum reader and put it in the grow space..should i be worried about humidity in the bucket? Where the roots are or is it just for the actual plant and the closet?
The humidity in your reservoir or bucket is not really a concern until you start getting more into the advanced stuff like fogging. Worry about, not necessarily your grow room humidity, but the humidity at the canopy of your plants. (Itâ??ll probably be close to the same anyway.)

5)also i have some basic nutrients that i received with the kit i purchased. 2 big bottles:
a) Base - 1.6 - 1.8 - 7.4
b) 2.8 - 0 - 0
What to do with these?
Also have PH up and a PH down bottle..It came w/ a PH test kit and i tested outdoor pool water, aquafiina bottled water, and tap water all yielding the same results..Bogus tester? or is the water that close? I didn't try to adjust however, didn't want to waste anymore...It was very high at 8.0. Any thoughts?
Thoughts? Sure, I've got lots of em... Man, that was great when that stripper put her... Oh sorry, you must mean thoughts about your question. Hydro systems should have a PH of about 5.5. If everything reads the same it either means that everything happens to be the same, or you are not doing it correctly (read the instructions thoroughly), or there is something wrong with the test kit. I highly recommend getting a PH pen for like $20. You will come around soon enough and see why it makes sense anyway, so why not just get it now. You will need to calibrate it before using it, so you can buy a small bottle of PH4 and PH7 calibration fluid, or if you ask real nice and flash a little chest, depending on the sexual orientation and gender of the clerk, they might just give your pen its first calibration for free. For the real fancy (expensive) ones you'll need a PH10 calibration fluid as well. Iâ??m not sure what your nutrients are. The first one is probably a nutrient for the veg stage, and the second one might be a supplement or additive. Youâ??ll need some flower nutrients too. For your first grow I highly recommend laying off the additives, except for a small amount of superthrive or other B1 supplement each feeding throughout the veg cycle only. This will help promote root growth and health. Everything starts getting more complicated the more things you add, and you greatly increase the chances of a first timer ending up with a case of KFP (Kentucky Fried Plants). Youâ??ll also need an EC or PPM meter when you start adding a bunch of stuff. Your veg nutes will probably work fine. I use (and highly recommend) Fox Farmâ??s Grow Big for vegging and Tiger Bloom for budding. Those are some of the less expensive nutrients on the market, but many people believe that they are some of the best. You could spend $60 or more on a quart of nutes, where as these are about $15 each. Perhaps if nobody here responds about your substance â??bâ?� above, you could call the store and ask for clarification.

6) Lastly Lights/Ventilation - I'm not going to run HPS and MH yet, i don't have the space right now or funds for that matter but hopefully next go straight to 1000W HPS, MH, Digital ballast and so forth but for now i have two basic 10" polished aluminum reflector with 2, 26 watt CFLs per reflector..so thats a total of four 26 watt CFL's with 5500K each. (couldn't find 6500K unfortunately) Don't remember how many Lumens however. Doesn't say on the bulb and i threw out hte packages already..maybe 900? 9000? Sorry actually have no idea where it would be...Anyway is that sufficient for veg? maybe ad 2 more cfls? Let me know what you think..I guess i'll get back to you on the ventilation when i hear back from you..pics would probably be easier than explaining..Cant wait to get started just need a few things clarified..
Let me start this one with something important before I forget; Be sure to keep fluoros back about 18 inches for the first week or so of a seedlings life. Then gradually move it closer until it is almost in the plants. I first read your question incorrectly and I was going to say that amount of lighting just barely squeaks into the â??OKâ?� category, but it would sustain life and even make the plants grow. Now I see you have 4 of those bulbs so it's not so bad. That should do pretty good, but I would like to replace all 4 with something a little bigger. They make 500 watt equivalent clf's now. Imagine 4 of those in there (?overkill?) If at all possible, no wait, no matter if I had to sell my children for scientific experimentation, I would pick up at least 2 CFLâ??s that equal 100 watts incandescent (36 watts each?), and replace 2 of those you have. More if you want even faster/bigger growth. Good job on the cool or cold color lights for vegging. 6500â??s are really hard to find. I would get the lights nearly right into the plants if possible, while watching closely for heat stress. One big regular fan blowing up at your cfl array, and one small oscillating fan gently rustling your plants should do the trick. Just watch temps carefully during the addition of any light. I have a light formula like the bubble formula above, but I donâ??t want to think right now. In general, more light = more weed, especially during flowering. Now you could get the same amount of weed if you have less light during veg than optimal, as long as you just keep vegging and vegging until you have a bunch of growth. You canâ??t do that during flowering however, because buds get done at a certain time whether you like it or not. Therefore the amount of light used during budding becomes the critical one to worry about. Make sure you have a bunch, the more the better. Make sure you use â??warmâ?� or â??extra-warmâ?� for blooming, but better yet look for the numbers 2200 or 2700K in descending order of preference. Unfortunately the numbers are not always on the package, but you can call the mfg. or look on their web site spec sheet, like this: http://www.feit.com/twist/twist.html. Please let me know if you find some 2200â??s or 5700â??s. Be sure to consider that for the absolute best/fastest/biggest growth, you should mix about 15% red wavelength light in with your vegging lights, and about 15% blue in with your budding lights.

THanks so much OPIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your welcome and good luck.

PS. I am happy to help, but there are a bunch of people in this forum just as qualified to answer your questions as I am, and many even more so. By asking only one person to help in the title of your thread, you may be delaying or limiting the info you receive. I am not always hanging around here. Sometimes I go for weeks without signing on, and sometimes Iâ??m on several times each day for 2 months or something. If you want to catch my attention in a title, perhaps you could say something like â??Plants infested with buffalo, Opie? Anyone? Please help.â?� Anyway, just a suggestion.

whew!

[Opie Yutts]

one last question.? How often would you recommend changing the water and nutrients in a hydro system (because I change it every 3 days)? and is tap water acceptable or do you have to let the water sit out so the chlorine evaporates?

Depends on some things, but don't go longer than 1 month between changes. I try to do it at least every other week, but often don't quite make it. If you top off your system often, you will need to change your reservoir less often than if you don't top off very often.

Tap water is fine, just keep in mind a couple things:
- If you live in the city, you probably have too much chlorine in your water. (Plants actually need a small amount.) This must be remedied either by letting your water sit out several days, or by getting some chlorine neutralizing liquid, or by getting a reverse osmosis machine. If the latter is the case, be sure to add something like a product called CalMag, to put back essentials it takes out.
- If you use city water you will need a chlorine test kit, or you can ask your water company for an analysis of your water. You'll probably still want a kit so you can know if you are neutralizing the chlorine correctly.
- If you use city water or well water, your tap water will come complete with it's own set of nutrients, usually between 50 and 350 ppm. Be sure and count this when adding nutrients to your solution so you don't burn your plants with to many PPM. You should consider buying a PPM meter to eliminate guess work.