help needed with nutes

[sirruler]

ive given up with soil growing and i give up asking for advice in the basic growing section as there seems little support so im going to try hydroponics this time around, just hope there is some support in this section.

i have setup a small drip system ready to grow 4 plants but what i dont understand if the feeding methods. how long does the nutes last in the water and how often should i change the water in the resovior? the ionics bottle says to feed them x amount per 1litre and then feed the plant once every 3 - 4 days but do i just feed them only water inbetween those days? ive had nothing but bad luck with my last 2 crops so some good support would be much appreciated. thanks

sirruler Reviewed by sirruler on 06-10-2009. help needed with nutes ive given up with soil growing and i give up asking for advice in the basic growing section as there seems little support so im going to try hydroponics this time around, just hope there is some support in this section. i have setup a small drip system ready to grow 4 plants but what i dont understand if the feeding methods. how long does the nutes last in the water and how often should i change the water in the resovior? the ionics bottle says to feed them x amount per 1litre and then feed Rating: 5

[OutportGrower]

You can start by offering what you are going to use. Some nutes like BC-Boost/Grow and Bloom you can cut pretty much in half. If you use what they tell ya, you will find the you will start to have problems right from the get go. Get a good timer for your pump. You should set your drip up for 30 mins every couple of hours at first, anymore can create an over watering condition that you will not like. You also can cut off your pumps when it is dark since the plants will not be feeding as much when not in a veg growth such as in the evenings. Much of your first hydro grow will be a learning experience, play around with things and see what works best for your strain and conditions.

Offer a little more detail, and I am sure you will get the information you desire.

A good rule of thumb is to check once a week. Change water and nutes. Keep your ph correct daily if you can. I go a week with no issues, and water tmp between 70-73.

[sirruler]

ok these are the nutes i have:

IONIC Hydro Bloom
IONIC Hydro Grow
IONIC Boost
Bud Blood
Big Bud
Superthrive

thats all of the nutes i have.

[OutportGrower]

ok these are the nutes i have:

IONIC Hydro Bloom
IONIC Hydro Grow
IONIC Boost
Bud Blood
Big Bud
Superthrive

thats all of the nutes i have.

Starting out all you will need to add is the IONIC Hydro Grow and IONIC Boost. I would start out by cutting the mix in half to see how that goes first since it is a far quicker fix to add then take away. Remember your watering cycles. New seedlings really only need 15 to 30 mins on a drip every couple of hours till dark. Once it goes dark you can shut down the pump for the night. Pump volume matters as does line size. You should see a drip ever three to four seconds. More can lead to an over saturated root system and futher issues you do not need when starting out.

[sirruler]

i thought the boost was used with the bloom thats something i didnt know but im glad you pointed that out :thumbsup:
so each week i will empty the resovior and make up a fresh load. i just hope i get better luck this time i do need to get a less powerful pump though because the one i have i think will wash them away but they are cheap enough (i think)
thanks for the handy tips they will definatly help me out,thanks

[LOC NAR on probation]

Did you buy the hydro unit or make it ? We have ten gallon tubs with six plants per tub. I have seen ones with four. We use GH nutes.

Your getting good advice. I would like to see the system or a drawing if you can. Just hang in there cause once you tune in hydro is the bomb.

[sirruler]

its part home built and part bought. i have 2 trays which i have implimented but i think i still need a couple of parts but nothing major. i do need a new pump though because from what OutportGrower was saying it only needs to be about 1 drop every 3 - 4 seconds and the pump i have is more like a jet.
i havent constructed the parts as yet because my grow tent is still in use (only 12 days left woooohooo) once thats been cleared im going to sterilize it and then assemble everything.

i know my first attempt wont go so well like anything new its mainly a learning curve but ive been reading some great results in this section which to me is a light at the end of the tunnel. ive spent so much money on all my equipment and lost so much through poor crops. i just want to learn how to do this properly thats all. cloning has never been a problem for me, i can clone pretty much anything with almost 99% success but the actual growing and bloom is a totally different ball game. i just hope i have all the right nutes this time but now its just giving them the right amounts at the right times. once its all assembled i will post some images here. what do you think of the flood and drain system? would it be better than a drip system? there are just too many different ways to do it.

[sirruler]

there was one other thing i was meant to ask in this section which slipped my mind and thats testing water ph. should the ph be tested before adding nutes or after? i realised that when adding nutes the ph changes quite a lot and thats why i ask. thanks

[OutportGrower]

there was one other thing i was meant to ask in this section which slipped my mind and thats testing water ph. should the ph be tested before adding nutes or after? i realised that when adding nutes the ph changes quite a lot and thats why i ask. thanks

Good rule of thumb is to check after you have added everything to the mix and it has had a little time to move around. Rockwool will increase your ph, but depending on the size of your res it may not become much of an issue. A problem could be with trying to lower or raise it once your plants have been added. You would like to get a good feel for how much up or down you really need to use when adjustments are made.

If you are able, and location helps here try to collect rain water. You will find that it should show a ph of around 5.2, and full of oxy which is a great thing. Tap or well water can be used with slight adjustment. Play around with adjustments to the ph in a container. Once you learn how much up or down is needed you will have less issues down the road.

If you use Rockwool, you *must* soak it in ph adjusted water for at least 24 hours. After that you can also add an extra rinse or two just to pull it down a little more.

In our 20 gal systems the ph really stays pretty stable and might only move a point up over seven days. This is a simple adjustment by sticking my baby finger into the ph down bottle and then mixing the res water by hand. Not rocket science, but the keep it simple route has never failed so far.

Trial and error is how we learn. Start out playing with different water levels and nutes. The nutes should not raise or lower the values. If they do, move onto a nutural solution or organics. With organics you can mess up a bit more and not cause as much harm to your palnts or system. Another plus with organics is taste if you worry about that.

[LOC NAR on probation]

We run 130 gallon a hour pump for drip. Started running 24/7 like some do and cut back now to 30 minutes every 2 hours. No drip emmiters just 1/4 inch lines to netpots just not pouring right on 1 inch rockwool in hydrotron.