ATTN: PRO HYDRO GROWERS!!! Your help is needed! (please!)

[Herbus]

So are the roots dangling in the water or are they above the water level? Also have you checked these plants for spider mites?

Herbus

[GarlicToast]

Dangling in water.

And I check them everyday with a magnifying glass. Not to mention it is WINTER here, so I doubt there are any bugs ANYWHERE right now! lol

COLD!!

[Herbus]

Well I just noticed in your first post you say onto roots so it seems like everything you are doing is right. Just check for bugs and maybe move your light down a bit as soon as they get a little bigger.

Herbus

[Herbus]

Are the roots in any way submerged within the water as opposed to just being misted by bursting bubbles? If the roots are submerged then just raise them up so that they are no longer submerged and your growth rate will increase.

Herbus

[GarlicToast]

Thanks for your help Herbus. No bugs, so I am clueless.

My 1000Watt light does not seem as bright as it used to be, so I am getting them to send me a new one.

In the meantime, can I use those florescent curly bulbs to supplement?

[Herbus]

Pests occur indoors in dead of winter. Eggs hatch due to warm indoor temperatures.

H

[latewood]

LW in my 6 years of experience I've noticed no difference in rate of growth or yeild between 5.5 and 6.5 PH. Nutrients remain in total solution throughout this range. I've tried both (6.5 and 5.5) from start to finish and they are the same in my experience. Bleach does nothing to release bound minerals, in fact it can increase toxicity even when well rinsed. LW I'm a chemist by trade and the advice you are giving may work for you but is in fact not correct. You seem a nice person I'm sure you mean well. Chances are this persons problems are caused from toxic salt build up in the media.

It is easy to quote from the bible, but I went and checked it...as far as ph; Jorge Cervantes, says, you can grow 5.5-6.5 but he and every other hydro grower I've ever met...says, 5.8-6.0 for optimum growth...you can grow 5.5-6.5, and I'm sorry, I simply don't believe that 5.5 as opposed to 6.5 would grow the plants exactly the same...different end of the nutrient uptake spectrum.

Consistency is the key to growing healthy, vigorous, high yielding plants, and for a newb...that doesn't have grow experience, you should tighten the parameters, not LOOSEN them...cause you teach him to grow at 6.5 and the next thing you know....BBaamM,,7.2ph and dying plants...especially if he/she is among the 80% of growers who can't afford an R-O unit.

2nd...Jorge also says that to clean used grow medium, such as Hydroton, use a 5% bleach solution...So does Zandor by the way! So I learned originally from the people at Advanced Nutrients; I'm sorry, but I will keep on advising people to grow the same way I learned by reading Jorge Cervantes Material/books, through trial and error and the Guidance of PHd's in the business.

Nice guy or Not...Look forward to many debates on growing with U. lw

[Herbus]

LW somethings are facts. I know there are not many. Here are the facts which are available on sceintific tables online. N-P-K are at maximum availability at PH 6.5. Iron, Manganese, boron and some other trace elements reach maximum availablity at PH 5.5. None of the major elements are more available at PH's you recommend. This is simply a fact, please look it up. In reference to not believing similar grow rates with differing PH's this shows lack of experience on your part and is well known to experienced horticilturalists. As far as allowing for people to screw up it's not possible for me to predict the thing's they might do and so I don't try.

Perhaps you can explain to me how clorine bleach lowers toxic salt build-up because this is just plain lacking in all common sense. Bleach is concetrated salt (sodium hypochlorite) and you suggest to use it to rid your system of other salts. Basically I was trying to answer this person's question and you chimed in with incorrect information. Just because people suggest things that lack common sense does not mean we need to keep spreading them. Some things have been throughly explored and are not debatable. I like to debate on other subjects but when someone suggests using a disinfectant ( sodium hypochlorite) to reduce calcium / salt build up when clorine bleach itself is a salt there really is not much to debate.

Herbus

[latewood]

Forgive me for intruding as I don't qualify as a "Pro"....But I noticed your Dynagrow formula had a higher P percentage than the N percentage.....

Most grow nutes ...at least for soil...require the Nitrogen compounds [N] to be in higher concentration to Phospherous[P] and Potassium[K] ...

During flowering the P ratio must be higher than all other compounds....It's to do with the plants different nute requirements ...

Perhaps you knew that already but it just seemed a little odd that your nute formula had a strange composition....Maybe the lack of Nitrogen is hindering growth.....plants do take a while to grow though lol and growth rate is genetic and strain dependant...

You know, I agree with easy's accessment of the compounds too much -p- in the formula...

I apologize for not reading your original post better...It is possible that this nute solution you used is the only problem you have/had...as Herbus said back down to 1/4-1/3 strength. I think they are too young for full nutes.imho
I think I did mention this somewhere above...

anytime that you have a problem with your babies using Hydroponics; It is a great idea to 'FLUSH' with pure ph'd ROwater and mix a fresh batch of diluted nutes for tommorrow, and then full strength next week; After the plants are re-acclimated to the nutrients (and, hopefully alot healthier looking; In your eyes)...again, imho...later.lw

[latewood]

Well, maybe you got me there, Herbus Maximus is what i call my favorite plants!...I was suggesting how to clean the medium not remove salt...my mistake. I don't recall your "solution to the problem"?
I'll Bite; What do you think of Baking the Hydroton? Several people have spread that method around; Also.

On the topic of salt build-up...I don't think he ever had that problem to begin with...I think he had too strong a nute solution! Period.

Now, I may not be a Chemist or A highly knowledgable horticulturist, but I can grow the 'Hell' out of this plant...big yield, gooey and sticky...and I have used my Hydroton cleaned with a Bleach solution for 4 grows, so far. With no problem. That is all I am saying. later. I gotta go.lw