Bubbleponics NooB!

Hey, EBay is a wonderland of cheaper alternatives to the $500 Stelth Hydro setup. I am currently using a 250 Watt ballast that has both MH and HPS and I started my seeds from bag seed. I have been at it in a closet which is about x2.5 and hung the ballast from the clothing rod.
$170 for the light and bulbs and $40 for the hydro setup...good initial investment I'd say. Only looking for like 4-5 oz a month if I can get a SOG type thing going or invest in good fem. seeds in a fast grower such as Top 44, Lowryder or Hash Plant.

I germinated the seeds directly in the rockwool (1.5inch) and had good germ in a few days. It's stoner ingenuity that saves me money by using tupperware partially covered on my CPU for warmth! However, the first one I did I let stretch by putting it on the kitchen counter under Fluor. lights for a few days. Now its like 6 inches high with 4 leaves on it! Hope it's a male I can get rid of and forget my mistake. The other ones (4) are right behind it though with leaves sprouting at only an inch or 2 high. I was using 24 hour light but now went to 16/8 because I went the polar opposite of the first attempt and put them under light a little early I think and possibly shit the bed on root development. They all look mostly good though and healthy. Im using GH Nutes and PH Tester. I'm not going nuts and getting a PPM Meter and all that mess. I just want to screw around and get healthy plants to bloom. I will post pics soon enough but I wanted to start a thread dedicated to BUBBLEPONICS only now, aero or NFT or Drip or Ebb n Flow which seems to dominate. Any pointers would help. It's a 5 gal res. with (5) 3 inch net pots and rockwooll inside of hydro rocks. ...any comments? Thanks stoners, stay safe!

They look whispy but the shorter ones are stout. after 8 hrs of darkness they all perked up alot and the greenery seems more solid. 2nd set of leaves coming in on the larger one.

if your using flourecent light you should have those lights right on top of the plants, so there not stretching up towards the light. flouros are cool to the touch and your plants can grow right into the them without harm. i think the norm. is to have those lights 2 inches above the top of the plants.

Man, the light is too high up and away, and that is causing the stretching!

Yeah I am using a 250 Watt MH Bulb so the heat is an issue. They are stabilizing in height and starting to fill out a little bit, I need a fan to strengthen those stems. Also going to start 12/12 light next week after they bulk up a little. Thanks for your help so far

Jizz,

click on the search button and do a search on bubbleponics. Look for the thread by Roseman on bubbleponic systems. A lot of good information. Hope it helps.

I am going to do another week of Veg to stengthen the stems. I came up with a genius idea to shorten the res. to now have so much damn unused water in the thing that they dont drink anyway. I went with a Target Kitty Litter Pan with the tote lid fit right over top! I also lowered the lights and am on the way out for an oscillating stand fan. I scrubbed and cleaned the original tote and changed the nutes for a higher dosage and PH bal the water b4 setting the cover in. Roots starting to show. See my new pics...damn they are pathetic! The color is good though so I think they will fight back. Let me know what you think.

I'd say you have 3 to 5 weeks to go b4 starting the 12/12 BLOOM stage.
The most important thing I learned here was it is not normal for children to get pregnant.

Rose, what about the people who say they start 12/12 bloom phase right from seed? I am just interested in harvesting top colas. Fan will be here tonight, lowered light and monitoring temp, seems ok. also threw a 12" air stone in the new smaller res. Also the way the stems are any more than 12 hours of light is makin them droop bigtime. Let me know about the single cola thing, im not looking for monster bushes here, just want to get .5 per plant if poss. this is a trial run to see if I'm even really capable pf bringing a plant through its life cycle before I get good seeds. Thanks everyone for your help also

Oops.....this is why I shouldn't be on here when i'm high. Didn't realize that you were already talking to him

If your plants get mature, you will need the bigger tank. Root balls get as big as a commercial mop. To better control water temp, and the PH, you will need the bigger tank.

ROSEMAN!!!!! When did you start back up!!! We Missed you!!

I have the larger reservoir that came with my system (10 Gal) so I can switch back to that when they are actually using all that nute solution make to fill it. For the moment while they are small I will go w the small res. I also have noted improved posture with the light being lower, will put up a new pic in a few days. Rose, I messed up while stoned and have had them on 12/12 while giving them Grow nutes! Now Im torn to either go back to veg for a bit or follow thru with flowering a very small amount and going with bloom nutes next week when I change the water!!?!? Got a new Vaporizer and some kind bud, i haven't really been too keen on details for a few days!

1puff2puff3puff said:

ROSEMAN!!!!! When did you start back up!!! We Missed you!!

Click to expand...

I saw that alot of the trouble makers and arguers had left, and I got invited back..........so I am checking it out.

IF you have the space for big plants, I'd suggest you go back to GROW and let them
get bigger.

OK here's the deal. I have cut some skewers short and staked the plants down. I have them back on a veg. schedule of 18/6 w the light lowered to beef them up more (starting today the day the pics were taken). I have an HPS replacement bulb on the way for a few weeks from now. Keeping them on a good growth nute w alot more air, should help them along. I have no fan still on them but that will b here Thu. Hope its not too late to help firm up the stems...anyone? Is this about normal for 10 days growth??

Jizz,
you have something WRONG, but I can not figure out what. Those plants should show 4 or 5 leaves at ten days old.
1,Might be the lights? Lights sold on ebey are all used up, or the owner would keep them. They might "light up" or "burn" or show light, but the lumens are not coming out because they are old and used up. Every few years, you ahve to toss lights and get new ones and those sold on ebey are the used up ones.
2, If you had an irrigation hub hooked to an irrigation submersive water pump, distributing nutrient enriched water to each cup, they would be much more bushier , even at two inches in height.
You might can save them. Try using some toliet paper rollers, the cardboard from an empty roll of toliet paper, to hold them up to see if they will leaf. But I really think you ought to start all over.
I am going to invite some BUBBLEPONIC experts to view your thread to help you, Gr3nthumb and Tesax Longhorn fan.

wow, those stems are super tall....i'd suggest getting some clones or starting over from seed...too many things have occured to the plant out of sequence for a noob to fix

no offense, just using your language, i'd start fresh and clean, thats just my opinion

Well shit! OK I will scrap this grow and start all over. Possibly I went ahead too early on everything so the roots arent as developed to bring nutes to the plant up those srawney stems so growth is inhibited? I will try with new seeds today. Glad I didnt spend top dollar on seed until I can get something growing. Also will have the fan by the time they pop so I think I can go into it w alot more knowledge this time. Wish I knew someon who grew that could sell me some clones. OK, will be back w pics and news. Thank you all again for your help.