My first Hydro gro

Heya. I'm new to the forum so hopefully I'm posting in the correct section . First off let me explain my... "setup" .

I'm using a DIY "StealthHydro" look alike... for the most part hehe. I used a 20 gallon Rubbermade storage tub, with 4x 3.5" net pots (I use hydrotron and peet pellets for media). For water flo I'm using a 175GPH pump from harbor freight (so far it's doing well). A double outlet Air pump with 2x "regular" air stones (need larger ones but they seem to be bubbling there lil asses off). I used duct Tape around the outside to keep the light from penetrating the outside of the tub. Oh yeah and its in a closet roughly 4x2x6'.

Lighting, I'm currently using 2x 4' 40watt GroLux Flouros, along with 2x 24" flouros. I got a 400watt switchable MH/HPS fixture on the way. but I'm still in early stages of Veging (alil over 2 weeks).

Water is coming from a 2-stage Whirlpool RO system (hope this is sufficient) I have no meters, and am only using a liquid pH tester. From what I can tell pH is stable at 5.5, drifting to low 6 after a week.

For nutrients I picked up the recipe for General Hydroponics (some know it as the Lucas method, tho seems someone else formulated the recipe) I also picked up some epsoms salt (I haven't use it tho) and some Alaskan something with 0-10-10 NPK (got it from a friend).

Ventilation is another week spot, with only a 5" fan running. With flouros i'm not worried about this yet, cause they're getting good movement for there age.

I know the setup is kinda ghetto atm but it's my first and am planning to upgrade it as I go... Just not sure of what order yet lol.

Yeah i've had and prolly have some problem on my first gro. But not terribly bad i guess cause they're continuing to gro. Mostly i'm thinking my problem is over feeding... nutrient burn.

Here are some pics of my babies and there home
The first two pics are after 1 week and the other 2 are after 2 weeks. The last is the one with the "nute burn"

I think I have several problem. First, is lighting (fix on the way) Second, no TDS meter) Third, I'm using full strength nutes at this early stage, tho only the back 2 are showing signs of burning (or w/e is wrong). Jiffy pellets maybe a problem idk. Oh also, my temps are 68-80 air temp at canopy 70-75 res temp... those seem to be good. We'll have to see how much the temp rasies when I put in the 400watt HID.


Anyways, tell me whatcha all think and of course any input would be appreciated


Many thanks in advance

Hey i'm doing a DWC system too. It is my first grow too, so we will have to chat back and forth and help each other out. My system looks much like yours but my lighting is not quite up to par. Using a 70 watt HPS securiy light, a small FL, and a small CFL too. there doing alright, but i've had my problems too.

good to see someone else going through it same as me, lol. sure wish i had a 400 watt MH/HPS on the way.

Cool. Yeah a friend of mine had 2 spare 70watt (maybe 100watt) security lamp too. He took em all apart and made a pretty professional hood for em. Ill have to get some pics of it. cant wait till my light gets here Muahahaha . But yeah keep in touch. How old are your lil ones and what kinda problems have you come across? Post some pics too if you can, i'd like to see your babies Keep in touch bud


Peace

yeah i'd like to know how he did it, i've been wanting too but didn't wanna fuck it up while it was in use but man it needs it. My first and biggest prob was droopy leaves from over watering i belive, since i have put them into DWC so that prob should be out of the way, also lighting probs with trying to find blue spec CFL's I'll have some pics for ya soon though, there about 1.5 weeks.

your plants don't need any nutes right now - especially not full strength! And it looks like you are sorting out your lighting from the other posts (move the lights much closer and add more of them). But i would drain that res and fill it with fresh pH'ed water and no nutes (or if you must very, very little like less than 1/4 strength).

Thank for the advice. Yeah I knew I would over due it hehe. Its my first so... I'm due for a res change (think i'm gonna do 1/4 str). GH must be pretty forgiving cause the nute burn is minimal and only to the 2 smaller plants. Got my HID today so I get to set that up, Yippy!! Oh question about nute str. I'm roughly on week 3 and the fourth set of nodes are sprouting. This new res change should I start 1/4 str and move it up some.... like 1/2. Then next weeks change start with 1/2 and move to full str? My gut feeling tells me that'll work, but thought id ask what your thoughts were. I'm also experimenting with LST as of yesterday. They bent back to the flouros in an hour so I feel good about that. They're actually gowing pretty fast considering my nutrient over dose lol. I'll post pics tonight

Peace

Don't use That HID unless you have some good Ventilation Fans.

In my room 90x70x200cm I have 400MH/HPS:

Fans
intake 4inch
extraction 6inch (251LPH)
air movment 8" desk fan.

And to be honist it only just does the job.

Also good Idea to filter both intake and extraction fans.

I would stick with your CFLS and FLs untill the plants are a little bigger and you have much better ventalation.

power2me said:

Thank for the advice. Yeah I knew I would over due it hehe. Its my first so... I'm due for a res change (think i'm gonna do 1/4 str). GH must be pretty forgiving cause the nute burn is minimal and only to the 2 smaller plants. Got my HID today so I get to set that up, Yippy!! Oh question about nute str. I'm roughly on week 3 and the fourth set of nodes are sprouting. This new res change should I start 1/4 str and move it up some.... like 1/2. Then next weeks change start with 1/2 and move to full str? My gut feeling tells me that'll work, but thought id ask what your thoughts were. I'm also experimenting with LST as of yesterday. They bent back to the flouros in an hour so I feel good about that. They're actually gowing pretty fast considering my nutrient over dose lol. I'll post pics tonight

Peace

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ALERT: when i said to add lights and move them closer i was talking about CFLs not the HID (duh!) I have over-nuted using GH and agree - they seem to be pretty forgiving thank goodness!

As for feeding - check the PPM - if it is rising you are using too many nutes, if they are falling, you can add more. You can make it more complicated but those guidelines will help. So you may have to change your res ever week or every day - depends on the plants and how carefully you want to follow their lead.

and

Take that tin foil down

Really it will burn your plants.

This is why, the crinckles in the tin foil will creat hot spots of light, that will burn your plants. Also tin foil is not very reflective.

Tin Foil is around 70% reflective
Mat white paint is around 90% reflective

So please take it down.

Mr Green Man said:

and

Take that tin foil down

Really it will burn your plants.

This is why, the crinckles in the tin foil will creat hot spots of light, that will burn your plants. Also tin foil is not very reflective.

Tin Foil is around 70% reflective
Mat white paint is around 90% reflective

So please take it down.

Click to expand...

yep - paint is better than foil. plus foil traps heat or as my friend loudblunts likes to say - foil is for baking not for growing!

LoL "foils for baking not growing" roger, thx email & mr. green Tin foils down. Working on the white prolly later tonight. I got some ceiling paint (flat white). Noted on the heat/HID problem. I was thinking cool tube but my HPS bulb is like 3 inches diameter. Yeah I got the ballast and light today, heh. On a higher note, they're doing well =). Did there res change, and using 1/4 str nutes for this week. Changing to 1/2, next then full probably. Thats saying everything goes fine till then =P Pics later tonight, so stay tunes hehe.

I think i may have some nute burn, not for sure though, i have flushed and diluted so we'll see what happins, trying to get a pic for ya though.

Heres afew more pics. Haven't put the HID light up yet. Gonna wait till these grow alil more

Oh just to clarify, My light sit 2 inches away from the plants. I just move it up to take pics.

Just out of curiosity.... why do you have 2 of the plants pulled to the side and staked down? Isn't that hard on the young plants??? (I'm new to hydroponics so I'm curious).

I've got most of the stuff to put together my first bubbler system and I'm doing it much the same way you did yours. I bought a 30 gallon res. so I could put at least 6 pots comfortably in it. I also have a grow tent on the way because I'm too lazy to modify an entire room. I still have some odds and ends to pick up before I can assemble. Also my MH and HPS lights should be here in the next few days.

I need a little newbie help.... .... do you fill the water so that the baskets are actually partially submerged in the water or do you fill the water just short of the net pots and only run the water tubes into the pots?

All four of them are bent over. No actually they turned back up to the light in no time at all. It's called LST (low stress training). basically you bend them over at about the 3rd or so set of nodes, and keep bending it around your pot (Im gonna have to do it alil differently cause I dont have pots ;-P ) In the end you get a shorter denser plant with more tops. Other similar methods for gaining more yield is scrog and topping (some plants dont take well to topping tho). Do a search on those tags, there will be a ton of info

Cool, what wattage bulbs are you gonna have? Oh and don't forget to ventilate hehe. I put my water line alil below my baskets and run line into the basket. I put 10 gallons in the res and it puts the water a couple of inches from the bottom.


Peace

power2me said:

Cool, what wattage bulbs are you gonna have? Oh and don't forget to ventilate hehe. I put my water line alil below my baskets and run line into the basket. I put 10 gallons in the res and it puts the water a couple of inches from the bottom.


Peace

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400 watt HPS for flowering and a 400 watt MH for Veg. (is 400 too much for the Veg.? If it is could I just hang the light higher to correct?)

Yes ventilation is one of the last things I'm working out.... I'd like to cool the exhaust before I port it out of the house... I'm still researching different options for this.

Thanks for the info on the water level. That's pretty much what I thought.... but with some of the pictures I've seen I just wasn't sure.

400MH is great for veg, hang it as close as you can and you will get really nice think growth, the plants will stay smaller and really bush out, perfect for an LST grow. I think.

Mr Green Man said:

400MH is great for veg, hang it as close as you can and you will get really nice think growth, the plants will stay smaller and really bush out, perfect for an LST grow. I think.

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Excellent! Thanks for the advice