Dwc/Hydro questions

[Johhnyblaze44]

Im new to this forum but iv been doing some research and plan on starting my first Dwc grow this weekend. I just got all the supplies for a diy bucket

-2 5 gallon buckets
-Active Aqua airpump (2 outlets 7.8l/min
-2 large soda pop airstones. One for each bucket
-GH Ph up/down kit
-GH flora series (FloraGro,Florabloom, and Floramicro)
-Ph pen
-Digital tds reader
-Airline tubing
-2 10 inch netpots
-Hydroton
-Hydrofarm Drip kit system with Drain level tube

I just have a couple questions on the start up process

1. Do i have to germinate the seeds first or do i put the seeds directly in the rock wool? On my last grow i did the paper towel method and all the seeds popped.

2 When soaking the rockwool am i able to use my tap water or do i use distilled water? The guy at my local hydro recommended i get their "Growgrow -smart tray" which looked like this and also had the dome.

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Grodan-Grow-Smart-Tray-Insert#

3 Would i be able to just use Cfl lights for the seedling stage? I have my tent in a spare bedroom upstairs and heat was an issue on my last grow (i had a 600w mh set up with adjustable ballast and even at 50% it was getting to high). Iv been doing test runs with 4 23w cfls 6500k and iv been getting good temps around mid 70's

4 When mixing nutrients do i just add them to my normal tap water? One of the ladys at the hydro store said i should be ok with that but i just wanted to make sure.

I have a 5 pack of fem GrandDoggyPurple seeds from Connoisseur Genetics. I will keep a journal updated with pics daily for you guys Im excited for this grow as i seen alot of success with this strain and CG has a great reputation here. Iv picked up alot of good info here and plan to contribute back to the community.

 

[Swampwater]

Read, and read more. Dig way back into the oldest threads. You got a long way to go, but you'll get there. We all started somewhere.
I'll try to help ya with some of the questions, and hopefully get the ball rolling for others to chime in.

-seed starting. Assuming you want to grow straight from seed & not keep a mother.. Fuck paper towels. Drop the seed(s) in a shot glass half full of distilled water until it cracks open & a tap root emergies. Very carfully place the seed(tap root down) into...rockwool, or a seed starter plug(not jiffy pot- one of the ones that would go into that tray, your hydro shop will have them. Rockwool will substain it longer, which is what you need, but you have to ph the rockwool- learn how on here, goggle, your hydro guy, etc. basically soak it for 24hrs in ph 5 water(or maybe it's 5.5? Haven't used rockwool in years.)
Grow seedling in your little rockwool block until roots are growing out of it, hand watering, then transplant to your DWC.

-cfl is fine, I usually start mine with em, but keep it right on the plant, you want as much light as possible to prevent stretching. 2 CFLs are better than one. Lumens are your friend. Shitty light=shit growth and health problems, always.

- feeding. Forget the flora grow, your going to just use micro & bloom for this run. It's called the Lucas formula- it's flexible & damn near fool proof. I use it still.
Lucas is: 8ml micro/16ml bloom per gallon. Now with that formula, you see that you use twice as much bloom as micro, right? That's the model you abide by. Once they've got good leafs, you can start with 1ml micro/2ml bloom. Or 2ml micro/4ml bloom. See the pattern?
Stick with it & you'll be golden.
The norm is: veg plants get 5ml micro/10mil bloom. Flowering plants get 8ml micro/16ml bloom.
I use 4/8 for veg & 7/14 for bloom instead of 5/10 & 8/16. Better safe than sorry. Underfeed until they show they want more(yellowing). All beginners over feed. More nutes won't make your plant grow faster. More light will.

- so once your rockwool has roots exploding out of it, move it to your DWC, and burry it deep. You'll probably need to hand water(pour over) for the first few days until your roots reach down to the water.

That'll get ya started.

If I can make a suggestion: instead of 5gal buckets- go to Home Depot, and get this tote, use this instead of a 5 gal bucket:
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid...al-Brute-Tote-in-Gray-FG9S3100-GRAY/203372676
No, you can't use a cheaper tote- they bulge & split. This brute is the ticket. Ive tried em all over the years.
Having a 20gal res(you'll use 15gal of water, not 20gal) instead of 5gal is where it's at. A bigger res will be more ph stable, stay cooler, and substain the plants longer. They'll also get bigger. Make an access hole to add/drain water.
Get a little aquarium submersible pump with hose/tube to do all the water draining/adding. Fucking carrying water, let the pump move the water for you.

-and you probably already know this, but just in case: with DWC you need to mix your nutes in a seperate container, can't mix in res with roots. A trash can is the norm.

-ph 5.5-5.8 is how you'll roll.
That should get ya going.

 

[Swampwater]

And yes- use tap water for your plants, not distilled. In DWC, chlorine is your friend. What's your tap water ph & ppm's?

 

[Swampwater]

This plant was grown in a DWC 20gal tote under a 600w.

 

[Johhnyblaze44]

Read, and read more. Dig way back into the oldest threads. You got a long way to go, but you'll get there. We all started somewhere.
I'll try to help ya with some of the questions, and hopefully get the ball rolling for others to chime in.

-seed starting. Assuming you want to grow straight from seed & not keep a mother.. Fuck paper towels. Drop the seed(s) in a shot glass half full of distilled water until it cracks open & a tap root emergies. Very carfully place the seed(tap root down) into...rockwool, or a seed starter plug(not jiffy pot- one of the ones that would go into that tray, your hydro shop will have them. Rockwool will substain it longer, which is what you need, but you have to ph the rockwool- learn how on here, goggle, your hydro guy, etc. basically soak it for 24hrs in ph 5 water(or maybe it's 5.5? Haven't used rockwool in years.)
Grow seedling in your little rockwool block until roots are growing out of it, hand watering, then transplant to your DWC.

-cfl is fine, I usually start mine with em, but keep it right on the plant, you want as much light as possible to prevent stretching. 2 CFLs are better than one. Lumens are your friend. Shitty light=shit growth and health problems, always.

- feeding. Forget the flora grow, your going to just use micro & bloom for this run. It's called the Lucas formula- it's flexible & damn near fool proof. I use it still.
Lucas is: 8ml micro/16ml bloom per gallon. Now with that formula, you see that you use twice as much bloom as micro, right? That's the model you abide by. Once they've got good leafs, you can start with 1ml micro/2ml bloom. Or 2ml micro/4ml bloom. See the pattern?
Stick with it & you'll be golden.
The norm is: veg plants get 5ml micro/10mil bloom. Flowering plants get 8ml micro/16ml bloom.
I use 4/8 for veg & 7/14 for bloom instead of 5/10 & 8/16. Better safe than sorry. Underfeed until they show they want more(yellowing). All beginners over feed. More nutes won't make your plant grow faster. More light will.

- so once your rockwool has roots exploding out of it, move it to your DWC, and burry it deep. You'll probably need to hand water(pour over) for the first few days until your roots reach down to the water.

That'll get ya started.

If I can make a suggestion: instead of 5gal buckets- go to Home Depot, and get this tote, use this instead of a 5 gal bucket:
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid...al-Brute-Tote-in-Gray-FG9S3100-GRAY/203372676
No, you can't use a cheaper tote- they bulge & split. This brute is the ticket. Ive tried em all over the years.
Having a 20gal res(you'll use 15gal of water, not 20gal) instead of 5gal is where it's at. A bigger res will be more ph stable, stay cooler, and substain the plants longer. They'll also get bigger. Make an access hole to add/drain water.
Get a little aquarium submersible pump with hose/tube to do all the water draining/adding. Fucking carrying water, let the pump move the water for you.

-and you probably already know this, but just in case: with DWC you need to mix your nutes in a seperate container, can't mix in res with roots. A trash can is the norm.

-ph 5.5-5.8 is how you'll roll.
That should get ya going.

Thanks for in the info! I ordered a ph pen and tds meter from amazon so it should be here monday or tuesday. Do i need a certain size rockwool cube since my net pot is 10 inches or will any size work? And is there a certain ppm number that my tap water should be under to use it? Iv been on grasscity forums for about a year and i posted this and i keep being told that RO water is a must for hydroponics
Heres some of the responses i got

"Water questions:

Common wisdom is "use RO water for everything".

If you have relatively good tap water you may be fine using tap water. I have tap water that is low in chlorine & TDS. I have been using it without issue.

Your water quality is a big variable. It may be fine or it may not. If you use an RO filter you reduce the variables."

"Anything above 100 ppm would be reason enough to get R.O. water, in my opinion. Its about 0.39$ a gallon at kroger.. not too bad and i measured about 004 ppm"

Another question i have is about feeding the seedling when its in the rock wool, am i better off getting one of those dome trays and leaving it in there untill i see roots or is there a better more effective way of doing it?

 

[Swampwater]

Tap water under 100ppm is fine. If its over 100ppm, you'll want a 2nd opinion on how to proceed(I've never had tap over 70ppm). Some folks swear by RO, but I've done it both ways and prefer chlorinated water.
Any size rockwool cube that'll fit will be fine. Dunno if a 4x4in block will fit in the 10x10, but it should. if not, one size under.
The dome helps when you first put the seed in, high humidity helps germination. I take em out as soon as the first true leaves appear. You can make a ghetto Saran Wrap contraption if money is tight.

 

[Johhnyblaze44]

I just checked my tap water and its at 147

 

[rbt]

I just read recently that tap water averages about 350ppm. so after reading these posts I checked mine with 2 TDS metes and the both read 358 & 352. I live in he Western US and a lot of water comes in aqueduct's and are high in minerals so they treat the water with chloramaine ( Chlorine & Ammonia ) mixture so it is close to toxic to fish but garden plants outside don't have a problem. But I cant seems to get a bean to get past breaking open RO or tap. given these seeds are 40 years old or better but they crack open start to root then stop.