soil to hydro

hello every one ive been a long time soil grower but im leaving the soil behind and going to a aeroponic hydroponic system. I still have my mother plant in soil and will never transplant to hydro she is old and grows me great buds i always keep her under fluro lights just common cool whites i keep the light about 6 inches away move when she moves. I grow in a inclosed closet with a water heater in it keeps the room pretty dry not too dry but the heat ranges from 75-81 i have a small fan blowing on my mother plant she is always on 18 off 6. i have a 6 plant root spraying unit with a 150watt Hps i think its good enough for the small room i got to work with . I am clueless on what i should be doing with the hydro unit the pump sits in rez and sprays water on the nets where roots hang but should it spray always or be timed? if time how long also should i get a airpump to put in rez also or will pump suppl air? Last one is the water i feel my rez can i use my tap water? i got a filter on it when tested my Chlorine lvls is like 0.6 and PH is around 6.3-6.8 for my soil plants i fill gallon jug up and leave the lids off for 48 hours before watering plants but i checked the waters lvls and was supprised that there was Zero chlorine but the ph shot up 8.0 -9.0 lvls which i believe is horrible for my plants but they always did great ANY IDEAS,COMMENTS ANYTHING THAT WOULD HELP ME IN MY FIRST HYDRO SET I THANK YOU .

first, i don't like aero. i've done the sprayers and jets, and cleaning them is a pain, they get clogged, etc etc. i prefer dwc, bucket of bubble water and leave it alone...

as for your aero system, i think it would work well for rooting and early veg, but a 150w hps is kinda small.

second... nutes. you must have hydro nutes, testing equip and ph up and down. this is necessary for a successful hydro gro.

air should be supplied 24/7, i would run the aero jets 15 on and 15 off if cloning. this will help ensure the pump doesn't heat up the water too much.

kp

Thank you for the info. I bought this whole Hydro Kit ballast light everything you see if 150w Hps is too small not sure if ballast can hold a 400w or any higher than 150w and still can i use regular tap water with my water levels and ph balance as describe above? This system says it is made with out and nozzels to get clogged up and garantees not to clog will see.. Any help..

that would work great for small plants, just plan on flowering early.

i use tap water; mine is incredibly soft water, meaning i have to add micros that aren't there in order to prevent deficiencies. nutrients are very important in hydro, as there is no soil to hold food, your water must contain what the plant needs to flourish. i don't see you mentioning nutes, which is why i'm stressing this; you can't grow a plant in plain water. believe me, i've tried

as for ph, ideal ph for maximum nute uptake in hydro is 5.8, proper range of ph (because you'll hardly ever be dead on, ph varies day to day, often hour to hour...) is 5.5-6.2

kp

Mjoestic said:

can i use regular tap water with my water levels and ph balance as describe above?

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Keep an eye on your tap water and leave it sit for 24 to keep out the chlorine. I grow both methods and after 20 months and and 12 different harvests under hydro still end up amazed at what I don't know. My tap water is at 8.2 ph from the faucet and requires much work before I even start with nutes. My 24 hour wait is normally 40-60 before it enters a system. Hydro will give you bigger plants and yeilds in the end. Good luck borther!

my nutes for this grow first time hydro so same as soil little over time usually i start them on half for 2 weeks then go to full i feed my soil plants once every 3 days i will be starting from seeds for my first harvest i dont feel comfortable trying clones with hydro atm so i may have to flower early because of my light wattage? or just the small system i heard that the hps puts of a good deal of red light for flowering but can i still use for vegi upto flower or still use some fluros for vegi? AND THANKS ALOT I ALMOST FEEL LIKE I KNOW WHAT IM DOING WITH THE GREAT RESPONSES THANK YOU ALL ...

you can use the hps for veg, that would probably be easiest for you as it's set up already. remember, your plants will up to triple in height when you go to flower, so veg short, flower early. you can use floro's with the hps, the more light the better...

clones root better in any hydro system, imo.

WillieNelson said:

Keep an eye on your tap water and leave it sit for 24 to keep out the chlorine. I grow both methods and after 20 months and and 12 different harvests under hydro still end up amazed at what I don't know. My tap water is at 8.2 ph from the faucet and requires much work before I even start with nutes. My 24 hour wait is normally 40-60 before it enters a system. Hydro will give you bigger plants and yeilds in the end. Good luck borther!

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i use to believe in the leaving out for 48 hrs before using but i learned that pg levels actually go up sure it gets rid of all chlorine but ph levels almost double no idea why

If i choose to switch my 150w hps to a 400w will i have to change ballast also? its the same housing but i guess it wont support higher outputs im not sure thanks.

Mjoestic said:

i use to believe in the leaving out for 48 hrs before using but i learned that pg levels actually go up sure it gets rid of all chlorine but ph levels almost double no idea why

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thats another reason to leave the water sit. I don't know why the ph would go up from sitting, but its going to be sitting in your resevoir as well. I am a stability person. I watch details untill I go blind sometimes, but it keeps my garden healthy and consistent. I pay too much attention to microscopic details to trust water that I don't know to be at my standards. And like I said, my tap water is 8.2 ph without fail. That meanse I go through ph down like a madman.

WillieNelson said:

thats another reason to leave the water sit. I don't know why the ph would go up from sitting, but its going to be sitting in your resevoir as well. I am a stability person. I watch details untill I go blind sometimes, but it keeps my garden healthy and consistent. I pay too much attention to microscopic details to trust water that I don't know to be at my standards. And like I said, my tap water is 8.2 ph without fail. That meanse I go through ph down like a madman.

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Lol thats good at times i guess so . Can i use regular pool ph reducer? and what is the target ph lvl? Last one once i get ph stabled and where i want it i add my nutes and it changes the color of my water and that makes it hard for me to test my ph often well until i clen and refill and ideas or do i need to get it right mix nutes and leave it be?

I use a hydro ph down product and am not familiar with pool chems. I think KP gave you the ph #s right off, but 5.8 is the best for nute uptake for plants in hydro. If your tap water runs around nutral(7 ph) most nutrients are acidic and will lower the ph some anyways. As far as monitering, you might need to invest in a different ph test kit if the color is messing yours up.

ok im a little closer to understanding alot and thank you all for helpful info. Usually my soil plants get nutes from the soil and later i need to feed fertalizer is this the same case in hydro? What i understand the water is like liquid dirt to the plant that contains nute do i need to add any fert or what what times to i start to use fert and how often? thanks

you need to add nutes.

you are starting seed, right? get your beans germed, and in rw cubes, or rapid rooters. keep them in a dome or dish until they sprout. once they do, it's time for them to go into their new and final home; the net pots.

when they sprout and are ready for hydro, set your water up. this is what i do, and it works wonderful for me; i start 7 plants to a 5g bucket, and they can veg there for four weeks without getting tangled. here's the nute setup i recommend....

gh micro (always mix in the micro first, failure to do so will result in salt fallout), grow, and bloom, 1.5ml per gallon of each.

superthrive, one drop per gallon

ph appropriately, 5.8

then, just put your lights on 18/6 or 24/0 or what have you, and you'll be hydro!

once you see roots popping out of the sides of the net pots, up the nutes to 5ml of each, micro, grow, and bloom. keep them at 1-1-1 (5ml per gallon) for a week or two, until they begin to blast off, then up the nutes to 10ml micro, 15ml gro, and 5ml bloom per gallon.

kp

So when im rdy to up the nutes do i have to change the water or just add more nutes?

Mjoestic said:

So when im rdy to up the nutes do i have to change the water or just add more nutes?

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change the water every 7-10 days, max 14.

KP,

Once you place the new seedlings in your system. Do you just give them PH'd water for the first 7-10 days. Or do you give them nuts right from the start?

i planned on starting them half mix right from seed not sure if thats cool or not

Mjoestic said:

Thank you for the info. I bought this whole Hydro Kit ballast light everything you see if 150w Hps is too small not sure if ballast can hold a 400w or any higher than 150w and still can i use regular tap water with my water levels and ph balance as describe above? This system says it is made with out and nozzels to get clogged up and garantees not to clog will see.. Any help..

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I bought the same one exept the CFL light instead. eventually i will switch to a MH and HPS

Lord Dangly Bits said:

KP,

Once you place the new seedlings in your system. Do you just give them PH'd water for the first 7-10 days. Or do you give them nuts right from the start?

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you can go either way here, for beans and slips i use 1/4 strength from the rip, and up to lite mix (1-1-1) after i see roots through the net pot.

kp