Light Schedule and Watering Schedule

Hello everyone, G1 here.

I just got my first sprout!! 1 out of 3 seeds i plugged into my rockwool which i drowned in water and nute soup happened to survive. I was dumb and didnt really study that part. But I was lucky because apparantly the 1 seed that germinated happened to be TWINS?!?! Two sprouts came out with separated roots!! I've never even imagined that was possible, so i split off the rockwool, took both sprouts and set them up in my hydroton net baskets and they are gettin a little bigger day by day. Good stuff.

Needless to say, i learned how to germinate my next seeds properly and hopefully those will work out ok.

Now heres my question! I read that as far as light cycles for veg plants it should be aroun 18/6 OR 24/0. I read the pros and cons, but apparantly the pro of 18/6 is just on saving electricity and cooling of equipment. Is this true?! I dont have a timer yet so this would make life easier if I can just leave the thing going.
And of course flowering stage lighting should be 12/12 right?!

For watering now, my get up is a Hydroponics set which I converted to a Aeroponics set. I read somewhere that for aeroponics that it is recommended for nonstop watering. Even during flowering in order to prevent dehydration of the roots. So 24/24 for my getup is what I'm planning on, but dont know if thats a good idea or not. (Both veg and flowering)

Any thoughts and comments on my grow please feel free!!

-G1

i have basically the same setup. I do 18 on for veg and yes 12 on for flower. you should go get yourself a timer as theyre not that expensive. Also a timer is imperative during flowering as you have to maintain a 12 12 so you dont end up getting hermaphrodite plants.as far as the pump being on 24/7 idk. i asked that question and no one responded. i have done a lot of reading over the years, and i have read 24 hrs a day for pump. but i also have read that you want an intermitent timer that turns the pump on for a couple of minutes then off for a couple. and in doing this your roots get maximum o2 and never dry out. my pump runs 24/7 and my tomatoes are exploding so who knows? i dont know and nobody has answered my question. maybe somebody can shed light on this issue.

Leohzboy said:

For watering now, my get up is a Hydroponics set which I converted to a Aeroponics set. I read somewhere that for aeroponics that it is recommended for nonstop watering. Even during flowering in order to prevent dehydration of the roots. So 24/24 for my getup is what I'm planning on, but dont know if thats a good idea or not. (Both veg and flowering)

Any thoughts and comments on my grow please feel free!!

-G1

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I run my aeroponic veg light 24h a day. I have a timer that I plug my pump into that does 1 min on and 4 min off. This is pretty much the standard for aeroponic or 1 min on 5 min off. The roots need oxygen. I imagine if you leave the water on all the time you will overwater the plants and kill them. I have never left it on all the time so I can't say for sure you will kill them. The adjustable timer is about $80.

I'm not sure about your res but you want to make sure no light can get in or you are gonna have algae problems. Also make sure you are checking your pH as it can climb pretty easily and it will have drastic effects on your plants.

Best of luck!
DP

I run the pump 24/7 and I have a couple of airstones in there to pump some oxygen into the water tp prevent drowning. I just started flushing and for the next grow I am going to make some modifications for the setup. Also just to let you know from experience; with 6 plants you might want to consider lollipoping and grow single colas. If you don't it will get pretty cramped in there and the taller plants will block a lot of the light of the smaller ones

I ran my lights 24/7 for veg and 12/12 during flower

compqt said:

I run the pump 24/7 and I have a couple of airstones in there to pump some oxygen into the water tp prevent drowning. I just started flushing and for the next grow I am going to make some modifications for the setup. Also just to let you know from experience; with 6 plants you might want to consider lollipoping and grow single colas. If you don't it will get pretty cramped in there and the taller plants will block a lot of the light of the smaller ones

I ran my lights 24/7 for veg and 12/12 during flower

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What does it mean to "lolipop" the plants?
Please, enlighten me.

DragonPheonix,
I went ahead and bought me a timer that can create 2 turn on and shut off points. I'm trying to find an interval timer that can switch on and off between a few minutes but I cant seem to find on on Amazon or ebay... I guess i'm looking in all the wrong places? What is the brand name or actual name of the type of timer where I can adjust 1 minute on and 5 minute off?

Thank you.

Lollipopping is cutting off all side branches on the bottom 3rd of the plant creating 1 big cola. You can look at Al B Fuct's Sticky in the hydro forum on his SOG. he has great pics and explains it very well

Leo,

The timer he is referring to is called a CAP-ART-Custom Automated Products-Adjustable Recycling Timer. This timer is the way to go for your application. 1 on/5 off is a good schedule to start with. I use the same one for my aerocloner. $80-100 at your local or online hydro supplier.

Also in order to lollipop your crop effectively a.k.a. Sea of Green-you will need to take clones from parents kept in vegetative state permanently and flower those clones as soon as they set root (some people veg for a few days to a week) SoG will give you a single cola on a plant that finishes at .5-1 meter tall. With proper temps, light and nutes you can produce a gram per watt using this technique. (often this translates to an ounce per plant-but you can flower up to 4 plants/sq. foot) If you only have one grow space then start with what you are doing and read up on the sticky threads in the hydro section. They will get the wheels turning for sure and you can do some planning for the future.

Hey Bud just got me a couple BRINKS Timers at Wal-Mart for like $6 each. Make sure to get the Multiple On/Offs Per Day model. The once a day looks exact same except says "Once" in place of "Multiple." This is a great option if you're on a budget. It can be set in 15min. intervals. So you could do 15min. on, 15 or 30min. off all day if you like. Then you can adjust it how you see fit. Good Luck With IT.