Soil capping whether regular soil or coco mimics what is typically found in Mother Nature - a layer of loose top soil (soil or coco) then usually a mix of clay/soil (50/50 mix of coco or soil and perlite), and finally just clay (perlite).I'm a big fan of soil capping for the reason you stated, and also it just keeps the perlite from falling out when you tip the bucket.
I start my plants in rockwool then moved to the bucket (or pop bottle) as soon as the roots show. I know this is not conventional and does results in slow progress for the first weeks.
I water my bucket twice daily for the first while. but do not use nutes so salt build-up is not an issue. I also drain the bucket as much as I can before adding fresh water
Once the roots are established, then I start to water/nutes every second or third day (when bucket is light)
BTW...not saying what I do is right or best....it's just what I have done
cheers
In my situation, it's not the rockwool that made it slow growing, but rather putting it in a deep bucket with little roots showing from the rockwoll.That is what i did and boy did i notice the first few weeks of growth were very slow...by the fourth week (currently) they are starting to grow much quicker, i wonder why starting in rockwool takes longer...
In my situation, it's not the rockwool that made it slow growing, but rather putting it in a deep bucket with little roots showing from the rockwoll.
I believe it focuses its energy on growing roots until it hits the water reserve thus the top is slower to develop than if it was in a smaller hempy
Rockwool was my last choice mostly because I hate wool, but I have had better luck with them than peat plugs or dirt.
Thanks Sun King Yeah the idea for this setup was one of those great stoner moments of inspiration ;?Dfearnoevil.....very cool looking setup
Well Hydro, this was the first run and I did see most the problems with the red and then blue but not quite as bad, especially with algae, but the green and greenish-yellow not so much. I've switched to mostly green (since this is the spectrum of light least used by plants) and honestly, especially with this coir grow, I've see plenty of root growth down the sides of the buckets and no algae, so it seems to be doing okay.Yeah nice setup. No damage from light going through the buckets into roots? Great idea with the water return.
Just to throw this out there,, Since I have been using CNS17 for Soil & Coco (I switched to coco hempy's about a year ago), I have not had to even open the CalMag+ bottle. My CalMag Deficiencies seem to be a thing of the past now, where I would get a little every grow before.Okay back again and got a few Q's on my mind ;?D
Also on the subject of nutes, I've recently added CaliMagic when I switched to coir due to deficiency problems inherent to this medium. But I have been using Safe Grow's Fulmag in my grows for a long time (back to my outdoor dirt days) for the fulvic acid and magnesium. I've never dealt with an excess of magnesium before, so not sure if that's one of my nute burn sources, but I am wondering whether it's a good idea to use both products? And it not, which is the keeper and which do you recommend chucking?
With soil the age-old philosophy is you need one gallon for every foot of plant growth. With hempy buckets you get a 1:2 ratio. In other words, for every gallon of your hempy bucket you can get 2x the plant height. So a 2.5 gallon hempy bucket can accommodate a 5 foot plant.Okay back again and got a few Q's on my mind ;?D
First, I read that from one growers experience (can't remember the OP) that switching from 3.5 gal buckets to 2 gal buckets was more effective - saved on nutes and watering and equaled or exceeded production in the larger buckets. Makes sense the way it was explained, and I'm thinking of switching on my next grow. What I am curious about is what's the largest hempy bucket anyone uses and is there a consensus of opinion as to whether going with larger buckets and fewer plants is a better route?
The amount of containers will depend on several things: the wattage of your lights, will you be doing any fimming, topping, or super-cropping? Another age-old philosophy is you need 50w of light per square foot. For for your space you would need at least five 1000w lights! (9 x 11 = 99 sq. ft. x 50w = 4950w)I realize space if often what dictates a growers choice in this, so let's use my example of a 9'x11' room with an 8' ceiling. I have run up to 32 plants in a stadium style grow, but dealing with so many plants is a lot of work (considering the time I have these days). So I've been wondering if I'd be better off getting rid of the "bleachers" and just growing 9 really big girls in 5 gal or larger containers. I'm sure this isn't a new topic of discussion, but I would appreciate some input from more experienced Hempy growers who've also dealt with this conundrum ;?D
Check out this thread which gives great instructions on how to grow in hempy's using coco and perlite:This is my first grow with coir, and as I mentioned I just kinda stuck my toe in, adding just 40% with 60% perlite. My question is, is there a "best" ratio of coir to perlite, or is straight coir better? I admit I lean towards keeping a % of perlite because I think it's better at aeration, but I could be wrong, I'm willing to listen to more experienced folks
Not sure about either. I grow in hempy's and I always use DynoGro Protekt whenever I water or nute. It helps strengthen your roots. As far as nutes I use General Hydroponics Flora series for veg and MaxiBloom for flower.Also on the subject of nutes, I've recently added CaliMagic when I switched to coir due to deficiency problems inherent to this medium. But I have been using Safe Grow's Fulmag in my grows for a long time (back to my outdoor dirt days) for the fulvic acid and magnesium. I've never dealt with an excess of magnesium before, so not sure if that's one of my nute burn sources, but I am wondering whether it's a good idea to use both products? And it not, which is the keeper and which do you recommend chucking?
See above.Finally, I've been using Hygrozyme for a while, it was recommended to me when I first started growing hydroponically. But considering that the Hempy system is relatively free of many of the contam issues of standard hydro setups, is it really unnecessary and/or worth the expense?
Not a problem, good luck with your grow and welcome to the WoH!Well thanks for tuning in and again for all the great information, it's been a lot of help and the WoH is a source of inspiration for me to continue learning and stepping up my game ;?D
NICE!BTW, here's some pics of my first Hempy experience
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I've recently learned vinegar in general makes a great, organic liquid that lowers PH. It contains acetic acid and has a PH of around 2.4. I've read a couple posts where people have sworn by vinegar, and insist you're wasting your money on PH down.hi all stumbled across this https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/375501-diy-ph-down-sulfuric-acid-8.html when i was gonna do battery acid diy ph down but this guy halfway down that page is talking about apple cider vinegar, how do ya'll feel about this??!?