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Hydro problem

Snypie

Snypie

Active member
I have 4 indica strains in a Wilma system. They are 21 days old. Thay are in 2" rockwool cubes, and the cube is in clay pebbles in 3 gallon smartpot. I have a chiller and the solution temperature is always 19-20 Celsius degree. The tent temperature is 26 Celsius degree with 65-70% RH. I have tap water which EC is 0.5 (after 50-50 tap-RO). I have horticulture nutritient named Ferticare (like Jacks pofessional) 6-14-30. I supplement it with Calcium Nitrate. The solution EC is 1.4-1.5. NPKCaMgS roughly: 110-36-150-120-40-30. I know my water is bad, so i sent a sample to the laboratory. I am waiting for the result. I have home made drip ring. The feeding pump is a 2500 liter/hour pump and it is working 24/7. I use phosporic acid as PH Down and i must use a lot due to alkalinity... EC is stable for days. PH 5.8-6.1.
The rockwool cube is 5-8 cm below the top.
I have 250W 4200K CMH lightning.

The plants are fade green with some yellowing. It is browning from the bottom.

What is the problem with my ladies? It is the water? Or is it overwatering? Or something else?

 
resinryder

resinryder

Rubbing my glands together
Veteran
If its turning brow you're getting root rot
You're keeping them too wet No need to run your pump 24/7. Buy a timer and figure out how long it takes for your pot/cube to almost dry out the set your pump timer to correspond with that

Your ec is way to high for such small plants Keep it around 1.0-1.2 for now
At this stage you probably don't need the calcium supplement. Just to young
Would be prefered to use ro water if you can but if not deal with what you have.
I would flush with ph'd water then start over with a lower ec.

Also, keep your ph between 5.5 to 5.8
 
Calgrow

Calgrow

Member
Looks like to much water to me. Usually people run the timer every few hours or so, 27/7 is probably too much. I would also cut down on the nutes.



They look like they can still come back.
 
CaStoner

CaStoner

Member
2nd picture from the right shows yellowing fan leaves with green veins sure signs of Magnesium deficiency. That's why I hate using rockwool you would have done better without, mine looked the same when I was using rockwool, toxic nute build up in the rockwool plants looked like shit until the roots manage to hit the water reservoir and grow pass the rockwool and all was fine I always thought it was the decade old hydroton too much salt build up, but it was the rockwool all this time causing the problems...
 
Douglas.Curtis

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Skip the tap, you'll have rock solid and predictable pH changes with only r/o water.


I too have issues with the rockwool and transplant bare rooted clones directly to pebbles. Rockwool has a lot of issues when it's not understood and used properly.


Definitely cut back on the nutes as suggested.


You'll make it. :D
 
Snypie

Snypie

Active member
Ok thanks. If i will use RO the target EC will be also 1.0-1.2 or just 0.5-0.7?
And what can I do with the rockwool now? The next round will be in rapid rooters.
 
Douglas.Curtis

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
You should have a lot fewer issues with the rapid rooters. If you can bury the drip rings past most of the rockwool, without disturbing roots much, you should have fewer issues through the rest of the run.


I've only used ppm for 16 years. lol I shoot for 750ppm or less on a meter I believe is .5 conversion? In a roots-out system like this, the pH drops between feedings as the water evaporates and concentrates the solution. It's important you get a pH drop down to 5.4 at least once a week. This is in the root zone, not the solution you're feeding with. In short, you'll want a small variation in your reservoir pH so your plants get that low pH feed once in a while.


Make sense? :)
 
Snypie

Snypie

Active member
I made the flush. After the flush the plant is drooping. I wait till evening and i will mix my nutes with RO water till 1.0 EC or 500 ppm. I will bury the frip rings past the rockwool. It has T's, and i will flip it to the other side. So the T's will be the opposite site of the plant's trunk. In this way i increase the distance from the rockwool.

I stopped the dripping for 12 hours and the pot has some moisture. Probably i need to feed 1 or 2 times per day.

What do you think?
 
Douglas.Curtis

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
I think 500-550ppm should be great for a 250w. :) Sounds like a plan with the drip rings, and 2-3 times a day should be about right. You want the root zone to dry some, but still be moist by the next cycle.


:D
 
Snypie

Snypie

Active member
I need some help.

I measured how much water comes out of one ring. One ring gives 12 liters water/15 minutes when the Wilma's mixing tap is closed and it gives 4 liters if it is open.

In my opinion it is a huge amount of water.

What is an optimal water volume in 1 feeding?

I know the Wilma's blue dripper gives 850 ml (0.85 liter) in one hour! But i don't know how much should the diy dripper ring.
 
Douglas.Curtis

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
You literally cannot overwater hydroton. I've run 24/7 drip through it and (as long as root temps are controlled) it does great.


You'll get better results with intermittent floodings. The difference in ring flow does not matter, as long as the hydroton is getting soaked. Set a timer for a minute longer than it takes to soak the pebbles in the slowest watering bucket.


:)
 
DrDee

DrDee

Member
Douglas.Curtis said:
You literally cannot overwater hydroton. I've run 24/7 drip through it and (as long as root temps are controlled) it does great.

You'll get better results with intermittent floodings. The difference in ring flow does not matter, as long as the hydroton is getting soaked. Set a timer for a minute longer than it takes to soak the pebbles in the slowest watering bucket.
:)
Click to expand...

I agree with DC on this issue from personal experience. I also used rockwool transplanted into hydroton with no issue.

I think something is going on with your nutrients. Water soluble does not mean they are OK for hydro. Buy some inexpensive hydro nutes like Maxi series. Bet you have some precipitation action going on. Check bottom of res for granules of nutrients falling out of solution.
JD
 
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