ah, yes. the often-forgotten but oh-so-important pH. you'll want to check/adjust pH after adding your superthrive and thrive-alive (i'm actually not sure if they're pH buffered or not, but testing pH right before you give the water to the plants is a good habit to get into) and check it often enough at first to get an idea of when you will need to change your reservoir. <---holy run-on sentence, batman

ph 5.8-6.2 will be good for the bubbler. i may just be a little too high, but thoughts that i've heard something about clones prefering a higher (or maybe lower) pH are creeping into my head. i'll research that and get back to you... anywhos, 5.8-6.2 has worked for mine.

ha ha! bondage... funny... hope the LST proves effective for you. i want to see the before and after of when you leave for those 9 days! speaking of that, have you seen the little hand-blown glass globes with a little stem coming out of them? I HAVE NO IDEA IF THESE WORK WELL, LET ALONE FOR CANNABIS, but it might be something to look into. lets see if i can find a link...

Aqua Globesā?¢ watering bulbs Plant Watering System.

now (as i am an eternal skeptic), keep in mind that this is the company-run site, and i didn't bother to look for any reviews. thats up to you! i've also seen these sold at my local gardening store. perhaps someone else on the forums has tried them...? hope it helps!
stay safe everyone.
-GG84