SOG growers wanted !!!

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
Today I ordered a 4x4 table, 250gph pump, and Ebb n Flo fittings. I am going to fill my table with 36 8"potts. I still don't know for sure what media to use, I'm stuck between rockwool crutons or hydroton. Any pros/cons?
Rockwool - cleaner, holds more water (I consider this a con, but some call it a pro), not pH neutral, comes in every size and shape, disposable, hard to underwater, easy to overwater.

Hydroton - dirtier (uber dusty), holds less water, pH neutral, reusable, easy to underwater, very difficult to overwater.

For those reasons, I chose hydroton, because you can flood the table more often, which to me means it's a more "active" system, which to me means more control/better growth/etc.

The best condition your roots can have is to be exposed to both moisture and oxygen at the same time (think of a fogger machine for DWC, aero, etc.), and hydroton allows you to put them in that state more often then rockwool (I flood for ten minutes every two hours, whereas in rockwool, I'd be doing about once or twice a day).
 

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
hey bob, its all that hydroton thats makeing your table bend...35 gals should be ok i use 30gals...i once tryed to do a 45 gal rez with a 15min timer ( bad idea) all my plants toppoled over because i use all perlight as a medium ( its real light)..meangreen
Whatever the cause, heading to Home Depot today to build a support out of 4x4s - just two legs supporting one beam running across, but I'm thinking and hoping that it'll do the trick - hate having that standing water, it's bad news bears.
 

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
My sagging table was pretty easily fixed with a 4x4 beam running under the middle of it - no more sagging and no more standing water :lol:

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*Shameless plug alert*

Posted a link in my journal to some videos on Youtube that I made to document my entire setup (veg and flower tent) if anyone's interested.

<end shameless journal plug>

EDIT: forgot to mention that plant you see in the front isn't dead - transplanted twenty minutes ago from my veg tent where she was fighting for light, which is why she's got that gangsta lean going on.
 

dirtysteve

Well-Known Member
So I went and got me a PT Cloner. Just got the box done for it, and here it is.

3 2'x2 bulb T12 20w/bulb fluoros
basically a 2'x2' box home built
painted white inside with elastomeric roof coating paint
4" 110V PC fan 60 cfm
80 site PT Cloner
Going to make a front flap with panda film
About 10" of space between the lights and the top of the cloner

Gonna load it up Monday and go again.
 

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nordowell

Active Member
looks good steve, im still runnin with the 1.5 inch rockwool. It still works great for me, but im still interested to see how that goes. so looking forward to your updates.
 

dirtysteve

Well-Known Member
The rockwool cubes were working okay for me. I just got tired of having to water them twice or more every day. This is a bit more automated and that suits me fine. And I like that you can monitor the root development rather than just wait for them to pop out of the cube. I will update as things happen.
 

MEANGREEN69

Well-Known Member
Is there A stop or slow down my vertical growth? My plant's keep tipping over because they are to top heavy.
go buy some garden sticks but NOT bamboo they get mildew, also try to

flower when there smaller or try out bushmaster heard good thing about

it..
 

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
well im 100% sure i been useing them for about a month now and they all

got mildew at one point.
Thanks.

Lol, that could suck............um, what medium are you growing in? H2O2 in your reservoir? I've only got two in one pot right now, so I guess I'll take a look at them - hoping you say that you're in rockwool/coco, giving me and hydroton a fighting chance at not getting mildew.

Also, what's your RH like in your grow room?

Sorry for the twenty questions; recently bought all of this bamboo and it'd be a shame if it's worthless.
 

MEANGREEN69

Well-Known Member
Thanks.

Lol, that could suck............um, what medium are you growing in? H2O2 in your reservoir? I've only got two in one pot right now, so I guess I'll take a look at them - hoping you say that you're in rockwool/coco, giving me and hydroton a fighting chance at not getting mildew.

Also, what's your RH like in your grow room?

Sorry for the twenty questions; recently bought all of this bamboo and it'd be a shame if it's worthless.
yeah i growing in just perlight, i dont use H2o2 because i use hydrozyme,

SUB-M, SUB-B,..and it will kill all the good stuff in my rez, the RH did get

out of hand for a week and thats what caused all the mildew. i whould'nt

say that bamboo is worthless just keep a good eye on it if ur going to use

them...
 

dirtysteve

Well-Known Member
Things are good. Today is day 4 and I don't even have any nubbins yet. Might be the cloner res is a bit too cold. I have my heat mat under it and the temps are stable at 79.5*. pH is 5.5. They look good on top, just not poppin roots yet. No big deal. I have time. Another problem might be the quality of the cuts I used. Had to get 21 cuts from one very bushy mother. Some of them will become mothers so that wont happen again. Patience is a virtue right. I will just keep on keepin on.
 
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