The Hydro Guy F*** Up thread!

[chytil151]

I had a shop that I had gone to pretty often to pick up things that I wouldn't be able to get from say walmart or home depot like misters for my cloner or nutes and such. Well about a month or so ago after reading here that hygrozyme is very benaficial to plant's and wanted to try it out for myself. I get the hygrozyme home after being there and asking a few ?'s about the product. I start a new nute cycle well it isn't more than 10 hrs later I notice a rank smell coming from the buckets along with this nasty brown slime on the buckets. So I found out here at IcMag that if not running a BB w/ hygrozyme that this outcome is seen. "Thinking to myself" damit he got me again now i have to go back up and buy an assortment of things to combat this now.

Now 2 days ago i needed to get more floraNova bloom and it just so happened that my shop that I was getting most of this stuff from was suposedly raided , not knowing the truth of this nor caring to go there anymore I decided to try a different shop a lot closer to my area. The guy there is the best. Privately owned not that big of a store but he wasn't pushy,snobby,or tryn to over sell me anything actually gave me some magazine's to read and a 10% discount off of everything i spent there I think i found a new shop to go to.I guess they are not all bad kinda like looking for a needle in a hay stack, you never know when your going to find it. and to always keep an eye out for a quality of a person and not the size of the store.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Well, I can't say I ever asked the hydo guy advice about my plants but the hydro GAL I asked about lighting systems sold me a 1K switchable system, waaaaay back in the day. Told me "Heat isn't an issue, I have one customer that put one of these in his closet, lined it with insulating foam".
Boy did I not know an F'n thing about growing back then, talk about temp issues Gah!. Should have gone with the 600w. LOL That F'n thing has been packed in storage for a loooong time.


Fast forward 8 years and you'll see that lamp is now hanging in my grow room and about halfway through pulling me a harvest that will last through the next...... (at least that's been the plan from the start)

Interesting to walk into nearly any place now and, even though you're still a new at this, know more than just about anyone walking around. I can do that with computers but it's not the same. LOL

 

[digital]

Worst advice I ever got from the Hydro Shop Guy was when I asked if I could use AN Nirvana and Liquid Karma together. He said "Sure, that should work just fine." Good thing I found out before using them together that they will actually react with each other and cause a thick, insoluble percipitate to form.

Just a few weeks ago, I go to pick up a new HPS bulb. So HSG asks me what kind of ballast I have and I tell him I have a mag ballast. Right off the bat he's trying to push the $200 Hortilux bulb at me. I ask what else is in stock and he says he has an Ushio bulb and a cheap brand bulb (forget the brand). I ask to look at them, since I want to compare light output. Dude just hands me the Hortilux, and I have to ask him two more times to see the other two bulbs. Of course I end up going with the cheap bulb, as there wasn't really much difference between the three anyway. It's just annoying to have someone trying to sell you something you don't want.

 

[Medical]

Wow some real horror stories there! I also am very fortunate with my HSG. He knows I have my HC exemption and gives me everything I buy at cost plus 10%.

He also openly admits he knows nothing about growing MMJ and never gives advice. Except about mechanical stuff...ballasts, systems and so on, that he uses or has used in his greenhouse.

On more than one occasion he has steered me toward a cheaper alternative! I wanted to go with a Digi ballast so when I bought my 600 from him he gave me one of his used 600 mags for use JUST IN CASE I was sold then and there and he will get my business even for stuff which can be had at Walmart or Homedepot!

:edit: And he always has a treat for my dog which he lets me bring into the store!
Unusual considering she is 125lbs!:edit:

 

[Outportgrower]

Might be an idea to be looking for a "hydro guy" that also has a medical grow licence as well. At least they will have a better idea of what you are talking about even if you want to just ask general questions or grow some killer organic veggies.

 

[cork144]

their jobs to sell products, not give mj advice, thats where ICmag comes in

 

[Longhair]

I know a while back the hydro guy told me a dayton 256 4" squireel fan was going to cool 3 hoods with 4" flanges that had 1k bulbs. After we set the fan up, we could not feel an ounce of suction.

WTF did I know?

Years later in a new area/new store I do my research here, then ask for the product.

Recently I went to buy some SM90 to control some mold/mildew I had on my rocks. When checking the bottle, it says its a wetting agent. I asked the guy and he called the other store and they both denied ever hearing it being used to control mold/mildew and suggested some other stuff which happened to be cheaper. The stuff worked great but the shitty part is I could have gotten it at Home Depot and saved the 45 minute drive.

I dont ask alot of questions. Just tell them what I need and leave

Hello,
What Was The Cheaper Stuff Callled?

Thank You
Longhair

 

[the Corsican]

Their job is to know about the products they sell. If they don't then you know they're just trying to rip you off. If you start a business you should know about all the different facets of that business in order to better serve your customers. Almost every Hydro store out there marks up the products well beyond what is honest or reasonable. They're like care salesmen, they push things that you don't need just to make a quick buck. A wiser approach would be treating the customer the way they want to be treated. They should keep the prices reasonable and they'll make much more money in the long run and feel better about themselves.

You're right though, IC is the place for MJ advice.

-the Corsican.

 

[MynameStitch]

gotta love a great growing community where if something or someone fucks up everyone knows about it!! Got the pot vine going!!

 

[bengie187]

Hmmm....If a hydro shop comes out with thier own line of nutrients one would think that they know how such line would be used.......concentrations ect.....Well said shop has one excellent.....So what do i do being a super nooob at this i follow thier guidlines to a T..........and then my plants get deficiant......with much reading and help from Stitch.....i happy to say i think things are looking up......Just dont listen to those idiots in the hydro shop for they dont really ahve any clue.....

 

[Lord Doobie]

Hydro Guy: "Can I help you?"
Me: "No, thanks"

 

[MynameStitch]

bump

 

[danimal7]

most hydro guys only know what the customers have told them.....and opinions...well you know....everyone does it different

 

[ColBatGuano]

most hydro guys only know what the customers have told them.....and opinions...well you know....everyone does it different

Yep, the (somewhat annoying) guy at my local shop (who hates me because I'm cheap) has even told customers that he mainly learns from other customers. He says it like it's a good thing.

 

[vprising909]

wow what a great thread. i can kind of equate the hydro guys to, let's say, an economics teacher.

if the econ teacher really knew everything about money he'd be a millionaire...

instead, he's just an econ teacher.

 

[danimal7]

Hydro guy here
there are real grower hydro guys and basil and pepper hydro guys.
if all there experience is in a nice clean shop with basil and peppers ....then they have not had to deal with bugs and probably have no experience with pest .

I was just talking to a hydro guy the other day and he was cool and knew his stuff. but honestly i have not been to any other shops. there are dumbass people that dont give a shit about the customer all through out retail. I myself am a 6th generation retailer in a small town and return business is my bread and butter.People know me and trust me , they know I would rather miss a sale vs selling them the wrong shit or something they just dont need. I learned that lesson a long time ago

Spider mites ??? here what I know
in veg , you have to act in veg!!
remove infested leaves
spray(well) every other day with azitrol or neem and or pryrithrins
mites thrive in hot,dry
test your sprays on weakest plant the day before you spray the whole crop

spider mites during flower?
should have fought harder during veg
still removing badly infested leaves
foliar feeding helps keep moister up
I dont know of any spray that wouldn't cause it burns the little white hairs up
I tell them right off the bat , Mites are very hard to totally eradicate\

ps I dont have a hydro shop

 

[MynameStitch]

Dman, thats cool dude; but not everyone has the luxury of local hydro guys growing pot!

Normally you don't want to spray everyday with neem.... cause too much can burn the leaves and if it's too strong......

foilar feeding does keep moisture up, but too much will lead to other issues and never a good idea to spray few hours before lights go off.

 

[Shcrews]

I was building a DIY ez-cloner, and when I told the hydro shop manager what i was doing with all the parts i was buying, he told me it would NEVER work without a $300 water chiller.

I told him the EZ-Cloners themselves didn't have chillers, and he was like 'oh, well that's a proprietary design' blah blah blah..

but i have some friends who work at the shop by my house, so i have no problems there

 

[bendoslendo]

I was building a DIY ez-cloner, and when I told the hydro shop manager what i was doing with all the parts i was buying, he told me it would NEVER work without a $300 water chiller.

I told him the EZ-Cloners themselves didn't have chillers, and he was like 'oh, well that's a proprietary design' blah blah blah.

lol, rez chiller in a cloner. that should cost more money, use more power and get a lower success rate too!

My latest:

"Will this AirKing 12" wall mounted fan vibrate my walls?", asks a naive and trusting Bendo.
" Not if mounted properly", says the Hydro shop lady dismissively.

Perhaps by "mounted properly" she meant on the inside of an inflatable bounce house. Maybe I'm just inept, maybe the fan is defective but I'm pretty sure it's going to rip my entire house down.

 

[dakin3d]

It's like this everywhere you go, not just the hydro shop. There are very few places of business that provide top notch, intelligent customer service. The places that do, usually standout in their respective marketplace/sector. The only difference is that we're looking under our 'magnifying glass', so in this case it's the hydro shops. I've been into only one shop in the entire US that actually provided good information from almost all of their employees. What about your last trip to Home Depot, Lowes, or other major hardware/dept store? Tell me if the guy could explain how to accomplish what you wanted to accomplish, regardless of what it was? I'm guessing, not even close... Btw, I hope this isn't construed as hostile. I agree that most employees of hydro stores suck at giving quality guidance and information... I just think it's pretty much that way in every market: bank, grocery store, foot locker, cell phone kiosk, etc. You'll be able to decipher the exceptions when you think about it, but in general, that's the way it is IMO. Cheers, dak