First Time - Seedlings to Bucket Transplant?

[Joint Monster]

First time Hydro. Not first time all together.
There are four girls about a week old. All girls have their Cotyledon leaves. Two have their first set of leaves, but tiny - those two have tiny 1/4" taproot sticking out of the cubes. (they were in dome/tray with heat mat so far.)

Today just moved to small black container with 4" net pots. That has some air stones in there. (that will be their final net pot size 4".) I'm not using any pellets or anything, just net pot > rockwool > plastic opaque disc to cover light from roots. (will be replaced with neoprene's once the girls are a little taller and poke their head out of the net pot, maybe 1" more height.)

[Room]
78.8F (26C) Air Temp (Ranges around 76-79F, but normally stays at 78.8.)
~15 RH In room (A little low.... should I implement a Humidifier?) ....under dome they were 90%RH initially, then 50% RH... now no dome, just in the net pots.
[Bucket]
64.4F (18C) Water Temp.
5.8PH.

Water level is about 1" below the net pot. Where if I put my fist against the bottom of the net pot, after about 15 seconds my fingers feel slightly misted... but not really wet.

[Two Questions]
1) Should I be worried about the neoprene insert squishing or pinching the seedlings stem? Where it may cause the seedling to die? As the girl grows, will the stem automatically adjust in the neoprene or do I need to widen the hole in the middle as it grows?

2) Do the conditions above sound adequate for a seedling?

 

[cjsbabygirl313]

Im interested in this thread as I will soon be putting my first seed that’s currently in a grow sponge into my DWC bucket wih those hydroton pellents and am not sure how far down to put the sponge or where the water level should be until the roots can go down into the water.

 

[be4meliz]

I usually put 1" layer of hydrotron in netpot, add seedling, then surround the rest for support- the seedling root will seek the res. water and the hydrotron acts as a wick- check after 4-5 days and roots should be emerging netpot and into res.Can also top water daily(small amount until roots hit res. level) And go easy on light level until plant starts establishing-same with feeding(start easy and gradually increase)

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

I like my cubes top to be about 1" from net pot top. So depending on net pot size I fill the pot with hydroton set the cube on that and fill around it. Then I am lazy so I just top off the bucket until the water is in the net pot about an inch below the cube. This will let the cube wick some splashes up and as the water falls over the first week the roots follow. Biggest advice I can give is add more air. you can basically have it all underwater if there's enough air. I use 2 4" cylinder stones per bucket. The top of the water is always churning with bubbles. Air is the most important

To answer the op question why not just use pebbles and skip the clone collar? Also yes the environment sounds perfect. You should be fine with the water about an inch below but it's not a deal breaker if you're higher. Just keep lots of air moving if you're curious what I mean try filling the net pot with stones and fill it to the top. You should see lots of bubbles coming through the pebbles. That means it's good. Hence the nickname bubbleponics

 

[be4meliz]

I like my cubes top to be about 1" from net pot top. So depending on net pot size I fill the pot with hydroton set the cube on that and fill around it. Then I am lazy so I just top off the bucket until the water is in the net pot about an inch below the cube. This will let the cube wick some splashes up and as the water falls over the first week the roots follow. Biggest advice I can give is add more air. you can basically have it all underwater if there's enough air. I use 2 4" cylinder stones per bucket. The top of the water is always churning with bubbles. Air is the most important

To answer the op question why not just use pebbles and skip the clone collar? Also yes the environment sounds perfect. You should be fine with the water about an inch below but it's not a deal breaker if you're higher. Just keep lots of air moving if you're curious what I mean try filling the net pot with stones and fill it to the top. You should see lots of bubbles coming through the pebbles. That means it's good. Hence the nickname bubbleponics

Great way of explaining- I also drill an access hole on my bucket lids in order to draw water samples, feed, drain,etc. and use a 60ml. syringe with tubing to do so and battery powered transfer syphon to drain-another overlooked area(because of root balls size) ! 1/2" hole saw east, peasy. Also use transfer to fill 1 gal. feed/water jugs from 5 gal. Ph'd bucket-once the plants get big, its a PIA to get to all- but with enough zip doors on tent ,no worries.Also, once plants are chopped, cut all roots close to net pot openings( I use wire cutters-roots get BIG) shake out pebbles, rinse with chlorine,rinse with water, and reuse.

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

Great way of explaining- I also drill an access hole on my bucket lids in order to draw water samples, feed, drain,etc. and use a 60ml. syringe with tubing to do so and battery powered transfer syphon to drain-another overlooked area(because of root balls size) ! 1/2" hole saw east, peasy. Also use transfer to fill 1 gal. feed/water jugs from 5 gal. Ph'd bucket-once the plants get big, its a PIA to get to all- but with enough zip doors on tent ,no worries.Also, once plants are chopped, cut all roots close to net pot openings( I use wire cutters-roots get BIG) shake out pebbles, rinse with chlorine,rinse with water, and reuse.

Yes to the draining and reusing pots too. I home brew beer so have a wort cane to drain. Or had before I started rdwc. Some call them autosiphon. It's really the only option in flower. I fill using an old 90 gph pump and only give the buckets a good scrub after harvest

 

[Joint Monster]

Thanks guys!
I do not want to carry anything... so no bags of pebbles, no buckets of hydroton. Need to keep light out so will use collars eventually. (If anyone has used neoprene's before could use some insight on that.) Right now Styrofoam plates keep the light out.

Will be moving them to a RDWC, but for now, I wanted to start them in a smaller container. Went a little big on final containers so I figured I work them up to the bigger container and save some nutes. Only weak CaMg feeding and Rapid Start 1/4strength right now.

They look happy. <3 One girls roots are reaching!

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

Thanks guys!
I do not want to carry anything... so no bags of pebbles, no buckets of hydroton. Need to keep light out so will use collars eventually. (If anyone has used neoprene's before could use some insight on that.) Right now Styrofoam plates keep the light out.

Will be moving them to a RDWC, but for now, I wanted to start them in a smaller container. Went a little big on final containers so I figured I work them up to the bigger container and save some nutes. Only weak CaMg feeding and Rapid Start 1/4strength right now.

They look happy. <3 One girls roots are reaching!

Happy ladies are always the best!
How many are you running? To fill 4 6 inch net pots I useaybe a gallon and a half of hydroton. It's really super light if it's a weigh thing. And doing that once every 3 months or so isn't too taxing

 

[Joint Monster]

Yeah pretty much a weight thing... I recall picking a bag up a long time ago and for some reason I keep thinking it was really heavy. It was a rather large bag. Plus cleaning the roots out of it and what not. I think it would be easier to just use a neoprene. (Is there any reason you would be apposed to it?)

That one girls root is growing! (It was like 20% of that a day or two ago!)The others I do not see yet... I was a little worried because the bubbles keep RW moist/wet would the roots be slower to reach the bottom.......but roots grow down naturally so they'll get down there eventually right?!
(The top and sides of the net pots are covered by something to prevent light from going to the water.)

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

Yeah pretty much a weight thing... I recall picking a bag up a long time ago and for some reason I keep thinking it was really heavy. It was a rather large bag. Plus cleaning the roots out of it and what not. I think it would be easier to just use a neoprene. (Is there any reason you would be apposed to it?)

That one girls root is growing! (It was like 20% of that a day or two ago!)The others I do not see yet... I was a little worried because the bubbles keep RW moist/wet would the roots be slower to reach the bottom.......but roots grow down naturally so they'll get down there eventually right?!
(The top and sides of the net pots are covered by something to prevent light from going to the water.)
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View attachment 4090152

Only opposed because I'm a neandrathal who doesn't like change. Lol yeah I just chuck the pebbles after each run. Yeah the roots will continue to fill out even when kept nice and moist. Soon you'll be amazed. Basically once they hit the water and establish it's off to the races. The wife is always amazed with the week by week updates.

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

Can I ask how much of the pot is above the lid? I only ask because I have had pots sort of roll around in a lid once the get top heavy so you may eventually want that net pot sitting flush or close to with the top of the lid. Although admittedly I've not used the hdx totes with pots right in the lid

 

[Joint Monster]

Can I ask how much of the pot is above the lid?

About 70%, but they're in there pretty right. I then build a box around the top of the container (to block light) which surrounds the exposed top and sides. The net pots sit flush in the makeshift lid (that is on top of the containers real lid). If I had made them flush with the small containers lid, they would probably touch the air stones.
Once the roots get going they move to their next container, where net pots with sit flush with the lid.

I don't know too much about the hdx totes either. I went with a food-grade labelled container for my final container that they will spend the majority of their lives in.

It's exciting seeing the fast growth! Therapeutic watching them grow isn't it?!

 

[be4meliz]

Question to Joint Monster- Are you using Square Hempy buckets or regular 5 gal. buckets- #1 Start with net pot you plan on growing in( I use 6") once established, you do not transfer- use Hydrotron; it supports the seedling & wicks water/nutes-Clay pebbles weigh NOTHING and can be used over & over( after cleaning)- when your plant is chopped, drain bucket & lift out net pot & clip roots as close to net pot as possible.(I use sidecutters cause big roots can be 1/2" dia. and are Tough) You cannot remove the remaining stalk & roots otherwise without wrecking net pot-set aside and let dry for 24 hrs. and can remove all(stalk and roots)-pryor, get a 1 gal. container and shake out pebbles & bleach & rinse & reuse. Keep it simple!

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

About 70%, but they're in there pretty right. I then build a box around the top of the container (to block light) which surrounds the exposed top and sides. The net pots sit flush in the makeshift lid (that is on top of the containers real lid). If I had made them flush with the small containers lid, they would probably touch the air stones.
Once the roots get going they move to their next container, where net pots with sit flush with the lid.

I don't know too much about the hdx totes either. I went with a food-grade labelled container for my final container that they will spend the majority of their lives in.

It's exciting seeing the fast growth! Therapeutic watching them grow isn't it?!

Makes sense to me! Keep it up man

 

[SmokeyMcChokey]

Checking in so I can get updates from my old account

 

[Keegan12L]

I like my cubes top to be about 1" from net pot top. So depending on net pot size I fill the pot with hydroton set the cube on that and fill around it. Then I am lazy so I just top off the bucket until the water is in the net pot about an inch below the cube. This will let the cube wick some splashes up and as the water falls over the first week the roots follow. Biggest advice I can give is add more air. you can basically have it all underwater if there's enough air. I use 2 4" cylinder stones per bucket. The top of the water is always churning with bubbles. Air is the most important

To answer the op question why not just use pebbles and skip the clone collar? Also yes the environment sounds perfect. You should be fine with the water about an inch below but it's not a deal breaker if you're higher. Just keep lots of air moving if you're curious what I mean try filling the net pot with stones and fill it to the top. You should see lots of bubbles coming through the pebbles. That means it's good. Hence the nickname bubbleponics

I started my first DWC grow a month ago using 8in net pots. I put about an inch of hydroton at the bottom and placed the seedling ontop and filled the rest up with hydroton. I like this idea of setting the cube up a bit further and raising the water level until roots grow down, and lowering it back down. If you use bigger net pots like me (do not recommend) it is harder to fill up the netpot with hydroton to keep light out of the res since the cube sits so low. Adding a 2nd airstone was one of the best things I did. With kinda high res temps and not a lot of space between water and netpot I was having overwatering/not enough oxygen problems. 2nd airstone worked wonders.

~15 RH In room (A little low.... should I implement a Humidifier?) ....under dome they were 90%RH initially, then 50% RH... now no dome, just in the net pots.

I think you want to have humidity 40-70% for seedlings. If you are at 15% for most of the day I would add a small humidifier depending on the size of your area. I bought a cheap one from wal-mart that I need to fill up 1-2 times a day, but keeps my RH around 50. I use my exhaust fan to cool my grow area which lowers the humidity by a lot so i like having something to bring it back up. Once flowering starts I wont be using it anymore.

 

[Joint Monster]

@be4meliz Currently All four girls are in a ~3Gal. square HDX tote. When roots get a little bigger I will move to a rubbermaid square tote that is about 20gal. Then finally they will all live in their own containers, rubbermaid brute 20gal.
I might have went a little overkill with that last container size, but I already got them now. And at least I know they're food safe! Guess I can go a add a few more days in between rez changes?
They are in 4" net pots. They will stay in those net pots for their entire life. I don't think the main stem will get larger than 3.5" in diameter, if it does, by-golly-I'll-be-darned!

The currently 3gal hdx has four - large 4" air stones. I don't really see any problem with light right now and the neoprene collars will go on in the next week or so. That should be fine (as long as the neoprenes don't cause any trouble), I don't really see why else I would nee hydroton?

3 girls' roots have touched water! One girl I do not see a root yet, and she isn't looking the greatest, but not that bad either. I will keep an eye on her. All the girls first set of leaves look slightly droopy, like when you over-water your soil... is this normal because they just got their roots into the water? Their cotyledon were all reaching upwards towards the light though. I'm pretty sure there is enough air, but I can always through another four stones in there with another air pump.
^To some extent, this being my "first" hydro, I'm probably just over-analyzing it. lol. But I am curious.

I have one minor dilemma - it's 11% rh in the room.... I don't want to put a dome on them because that will restrict air flow. I already put a humidifier in there and it did nothing (only been an hour, maybe I'll check back later). My other option is to turn off my ventilation exhaust fan (which is currently on the lowest setting).
....or should I just cover them with a clear bag for now? or are they okay since their roots are in water now? (It's more an issue right now, as they get bigger, I know they will raise the humidity in the room themselves.)

Water temp and ph are Perfect! Room temp is Perfect!

 

[Keegan12L]

@be4meliz Currently All four girls are in a ~3Gal. square HDX tote. When roots get a little bigger I will move to a rubbermaid square tote that is about 20gal. Then finally they will all live in their own containers, rubbermaid brute 20gal.
I might have went a little overkill with that last container size, but I already got them now. And at least I know they're food safe! Guess I can go a add a few more days in between rez changes?
They are in 4" net pots. They will stay in those net pots for their entire life. I don't think the main stem will get larger than 3.5" in diameter, if it does, by-golly-I'll-be-darned!

The currently 3gal hdx has four - large 4" air stones. I don't really see any problem with light right now and the neoprene collars will go on in the next week or so. That should be fine (as long as the neoprenes don't cause any trouble), I don't really see why else I would nee hydroton?

3 girls' roots have touched water! One girl I do not see a root yet, and she isn't looking the greatest, but not that bad either. I will keep an eye on her. All the girls first set of leaves look slightly droopy, like when you over-water your soil... is this normal because they just got their roots into the water? Their cotyledon were all reaching upwards towards the light though. I'm pretty sure there is enough air, but I can always through another four stones in there with another air pump.
^To some extent, this being my "first" hydro, I'm probably just over-analyzing it. lol. But I am curious.

I have one minor dilemma - it's 11% rh in the room.... I don't want to put a dome on them because that will restrict air flow. I already put a humidifier in there and it did nothing (only been an hour, maybe I'll check back later). My other option is to turn off my ventilation exhaust fan (which is currently on the lowest setting).
....or should I just cover them with a clear bag for now? or are they okay since their roots are in water now? (It's more an issue right now, as they get bigger, I know they will raise the humidity in the room themselves.)

Water temp and ph are Perfect! Room temp is Perfect!

I had very similar issues when starting mine. I will definitely put my seedlings in a smaller container when I do my next grow. I overwatered mine(before roots were in the water) and had low oxygen in the water. I have not personally used rockwool due to reading a lot of stories of overwatering. You may try to lower the water a little bit if it seems real moist(on the one with root NOT in the water). I'd say if your pH is fine and you have lots of bubbles, just wait and see what she does. I believe higher humidity will help you as when your plants are young and don't have an established root system they take up water through their leaves that help them grow. Once they establish roots a lower RH will be ok.

 

[Joint Monster]

@Keegan12L Thanks mate! Maybe I'll put a ziplock over the one that isn't rooted yet. But they all look great again! I give her 1ml of water, a few drops on top like it's raining, once or twice a day.

 

[GreenLifeOmaha]

Im anti rockwool.