New Hydro System Help

[Inquisitive Rec]

Hi All!

I have just set up a grow tent and have gone for a Hydro system. I know it is brave for my first grow but I want to get it right from the beginning.

I have managed to get about 7 seeds to germinate and sprout and I have just put them into small rock wool. I have put them into hydro clay pebbles in my trays.

Please could I get some advice on giving them the best possible chance of rooting properly? I have just been wetting them with normal water without nutrients. When should I start adding nutrients and how often should they be getting water?

Please could I also get some advice on the best humidity in the tent (I have a mister running) and what are the optimal temperatures? When the lights are on it has been getting close to 30 degrees and when the light are off it has been getting to around 22 degrees.

I am waiting on my fan controller which was delayed so it's been a bit of a manual process.

Any input would be greatly appreciated! I'll start my journal soon.

Regards

 

[jammie]

Ya really should go digging around in the indoor hydro forum. You have got to get the basics down before you start, especially with hydro. Be sure to research vapor pressure density which tells you specific humidity levels for different temps. Early veg temps should be around 75 with humidity at least 60%

 

[jammie]

Ps- don't feed before 3sets of true leaves. Start with ppm no higher than 200. Definitely use distiller or reverse osmosis water in the early stages, if not your entire grow

 

[HighDesertAz]

You say you want to get it right from the beginning. I understand that, however if its your first grow soil/soiless mix would be the best way to go.

You got to get to know the plants, how they grow what to look for, training etc.

There is a good chance you will not get it right, and many things will go wrong, if you have no baseline of what the plants should look like and how they react to certain things, you will get very confused and frustrated. Things move very very fast with hydro and even experienced hydro growers get frustrated.

With all that said, you can still march on, but I would suggest getting your plants in soil, and take clones for your hydro system, that way if it goes south and you can try again with exact same genetics (some plants burn easy, some plants are very sensitive to pH, others can take a beating, etc)

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

Hey guys.

Sorry I have not quite explained properly here being a newbie and all

I have a NFT indoor system with trays and I am growing in rock wool and hydroton clay pebbles.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys! I promise I'll share any knowledge and experience once I have some!

Regards

 

[HighDesertAz]

I'll stick with saying start your seeds in soil as mothers.

Use the clones in your hydro-system.

Is your NFT table 4'x4'? Have a picture of it set up?

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

NFT System

NFT System

Hi.

Thank you so much for the response.

Yes I have a grow tent designed for 2 4x4 NFT tables as per picture. I have also attached a picture of my new seeds that have just started sprouting. I am planning on using this tent for a mother room and put up another tent for flowering. I have the space but I just wanted to see if I could get the process right first. If I can see that I'll be able to get a decent harvest out of these seeds I'll put up another tent.

The two other small plants in the hydroton pebbles were transplanted from soil by my nephew to test out how they would go before we got our seeds (blue cheese & blueberry as per pics) and started sprouting them. The small plants are from a really good strain apparently and I am not sure what to do with them now. They look healthy and I've taken a quick look at the root system and the roots are growing (about 15cm sideways along the bottom of the tray) but the plants are not really growing upwards. I don't know if I should now transplant into pots filled with clay pebbles are just leave them and see what happens. Maybe I can take a few clones from them later?

Also attached a picture of the sprouts that have started coming up.

Would really appreciate some advice.

Thanks man!

 

[HighDesertAz]

Ok, I am a little confused. Those trays look like 1x2. It also looks like the clear container is your reservoir, but you are not recirculating water into it? I see a tube in the third pic, but your trays look like they are on the ground, with no reservoir underneath them? Are you hand-watering right now?

Also your plants look like they are ready for some fert (slight yellowing leaves). What type of fertilizer do you have?

 

[HighDesertAz]

Also when you start seeds in rockwool, its best to keep them in an empty tray. Water the cubes, and don't let them sit in standing water. When you see roots poke out of the bottom of the cubes then you put them in the NFT trays with water circulating through.

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

NFT System

NFT System

Hey man.

Thanks so much again for the help. I've spent so much so far and just feels like I'm going in circles.

I didn't actually buy this equipment myself. I gave my nephew the money to go get everything but he has been a little unreliable so I am trying to sort this all out myself.

The trays in the pictures I have attached are apparently NFT trays as you can see by the pictures I've attached to the new post. There is water in the reservoir underneath and I have PH'd to around 5.9 and added nutrients. I was advised to add all three of the nutrients that I have attached in one of the pics in this post. I was told to be very light with the nutrients at first so I've been diluting 30ml of each nutrient to 10L of reverse osmosis water and been watering about 4 times a day for 10 minutes at a time? I don't know if this is the best way.

As for the clear plastic container, I have been struggling to get the humidity right because it is very dry here so I am using a mister in the clear container with a fan blowing slightly and that seems to have sorted out the humidity problem. Again I hope that is alright for now?

As for the trays, I've been told that they are 2x4. I have also attached a picture with the small rock wool cubes and the bigger ones to transplant into once they ready. Maybe you could advise?

One more thing for now, does it make a huge difference that the seedlings that have started sprouting are under the grow lights (given that the lights are as high up in the tent as possible?)

Thanks again for all the advice!

Regards

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

As for the new seedlings I have just been spraying them by hand very regularly when plain reverse osmosis water.

 

[HighDesertAz]

Ok, your 2 bigger seedlings looked a little kinda "stunted" to me. I am not familiar with Nutriplex and cannot find directions for them, could you get pics of the back of bottles for instructions?

I don't think you should be feeding all 3 at the same time (unless Nutriplex does it very weird)

Also, you don't need to fertilize seedlings for at least 2 weeks.

It looks like you are using a 400w MH? You can use that, but I would recommend fluros (I am partial to 4' shoplights myself) for veg. The MH will work, but 1.) is alot of power for seedlings and 2.) Keeping the light high to not burn the plants, but low enough to provide enough light is tricky with seedlings. Sensitive little buggers and using the back of your hand is not a reliable test for seedlings.

 

[HighDesertAz]

When you say you water 4 times a day, 10min at a time are you taking about running the pump, or by hand?

Starting seeds you water by hand, get the cubes saturated, and then wait till they dry out a bit before watering again. You can feel the weight of the water, and when they are dry they feel light (you do not want them to be completely dry, just moist you will get a feel for the differences in weight. Do not squeeze them to see how dry they are because they will compress and impede root growth, no way to "fluff them out" again.)

When they have roots and you put them in the NFT system the pump runs 24/7.

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

The seedlings are in a separate tray to the two other small plants that are just planted directly into the pebbles.

The two "bigger plants as per the pics" are watered through a pump sitting in the reservoir. This reservoir has been ph'd and has all the nutrients. I have been just switching the pump on throughout the day when the pebbles seem to be getting dry but have just put the pump on a timer 4 times a day for 10 minutes at a time. Mostly because I am asleep when the lights are still on and want them to get water and nutrients. The light over this tray is rather low at the moment because I have not been seeing much growth upwards and also noticed the yellowish leaves so I dropped the lights quite low late this afternoon.

As for the seedlings, as I said they are in a different tray but in the same tent with their own light above them. Now I read that grow lights are not good for seedlings unless they are about 7 feet about the seedlings as the grow lights are to strong? I don't know though if this applies to the 400 w MH grow lights that I am using? Should I drop the light again to give them more light or should I just leave as is for now granted that you think they are looking stunted?

I have 7 seedlings in that tray. I first germinated in paper and water until the roots broke out then put them into the small rock wool blocks. Now all the seeds have broken open and three have sprouted stems but I also thought they were looking a bit stunted and the one also looks like it has wilted a bit (the first one that popped out with the stem) The others have slowly started coming out more and more but one or two have started a stem but sort of not come out of the rock wool but I am worried about them as I paid a lot of money for the seeds.

I am not giving the seedlings any nutrients or PH only reverse osmosis water. Keeping them soaked and not letting them dry out with a spray bottle.

I'll take a few more close up of the seedlings and try get a pic showing how high the light is. I am not overly worried about the two plants in the pebbles but really want the seedlings to grow properly and get the best chance? I wonder what you think?

I'll also get pics of the back of the bottles.

Thanks again!

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

Also... I only put the seedling into the rock wool and tent about 3 days ago.

 

[HighDesertAz]

Ok, when I said saturate the rockwool and let it dry out a bit I mean let them get damp... almost dry, but do not let them dry out completely bone dry.

Keeping them saturated is bad. Its a bit of a balancing act, which is why I mention getting used to the differences in weight.

I'm going to stop right there and try and figure out a better way of explaining myself.

 

[HighDesertAz]

For the two larger ones you have, it is not the light. I believe you giving them a mix of all 3 nutes did something.

They look "off" to me which is why I say stunted. Can't place my finger on what it is. It is not the light.

Do not lower the lights, especially if the 7 seedlings are next to it. MH runs hotter than HPS.

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

New Seedlings

New Seedlings

Hi.

Here are pics of all seven seedlings and I have also attached a pic trying to put how high the light is at the moment into perspective.

Would like to know what you think?

Regards

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

Yeah I fully understand what you mean by the soaking and not letting them get bone dry.

I have never given these new seedlings any nutrients at all. Only plain water.

 

[Inquisitive Rec]

But I understand what you mean by it possibly having something to do with the nutrients regarding the two bigger ones.