2*600W - Purple Bud & Early Skunk in Flood & Drain, from soil to hydro

Summary, day one. Seed into soil, whoops , I mean rockwool cube..
I am experienced in growing in soil. but have no whatsoever experience when it comes to hydro, but have read a lot.
Now I will grow hydro, and I will automize it as much as I possibly can and feel is practical.

I have a growarea of 1.5*2.3meters = 3.45m2 or ~37ft2. Room is well ventilated with a powerful oversized fan running on about half speed, creating underpressure and forcing all air through a carbon filter for zero smell outside. I got 2*600w HPS hanging from the roof.

I am currently building together a Flood and Drain-system for these lights. It will also hopefully be as much as possible plc-controlled, but now in the beginning the plc won't do much more than work as a timer controlling lights and floods, but planning that capability will be build out continuosly(if the analogue module works, wich isn't tested, if not, more DIY).
The flood"table" is raised from the floor about 70cm or 2'4''. The floodtable consists of 9 open sturdy trays each measuring 40*60cm or 16''*24'', together 1.2*1.8m= 2.16m2 or ~23ft2 . The smaller trays are connected to eachother through ½'' garden hose. They will be mounted a little apart, then covering almost 90% of the room to utilize as much as possible of the area.

I'm also planning on creating a veg/mother area during this grow, capable of supplying enough clones to keep the flowerarea flowering! This should anyhow be a continously flowering grow wich almost manages by itself!

I'm thinking of following Cannas nutrient feeding schedule but not using all chems, just these:
-Canna Aqua Vega A+B
-Canna Aqua Flores A+B
-Canna Boost Accelerator
-ATA PK 13-14

Recently my order from sensi seeds arrived with feminized seeds:
20* Purple Bud Feminized White Label Seeds
Flowering 50 - 65 days, Heavy Yield, 75% Indica
10* Early Skunk Feminized Sensi Seeds
Flowering 55 - 65 days, XXL Yield, 35% Sativa / 65% Indica

So _now_ I'll plant theese in my 1' rockwool plugs, then..? I don't know... This is DAY ONE in this grow!

So my wish with this thread is to share continuously during this grow hoping that you will share your knowledge of how to proceed. I will share whatever I know and do on the way. Please join and comment and/or criticize. And I'm hoping for a great harvest for me and you!


Trays


Chemicals


Electric


Connections


Grow schedule

Death of half og the seeds.

Death of half og the seeds.

Catastroph, kind of. All 30 seeds germinated. Good quality. Though only 14 remain, which of one will probably die.
The rest I have killed. The thirteen are though of good health, will not die, and are transplated into their final places. and won't be "micro handled" anymore. Also the distribution, It's now more like ~⅓ Early skunk, and rest Purple Bud, but I don't mind. In a way it might actually be more fun now. I get to grow larger individuals.

Soon it will start to grow greens for real )
Also their way, are four bagseeds that were sprouted imminent death was realized and are nowand planted in peatcubes. I will have at least three variables! So 20 babies under 2x600W. Two will probably turn out male and so will be killed. One might though be able to pollinate a small part of one of the females to get seeds if seem any good.

Some soon to be larger greens. About 75% of normal startingdosage of Canna Aqua Vega, . Soon we will start growing for real.

Practically work as a dwc which I flood and drain once a day. It doesn't feel like I really know what I'm doing. But it looks like they're getting "rooted" now anyway. Since they're starting to grow fast.

Am going to fix a proper "shading" to shut out light from the solution. At least something better than now :S.

When I stick my hand in the water, and feel my skin, it's a liiitle slimy. Is that algae? Problem or not? I'm pretty sure my roots get enough oxygen anyhow.

I got in most pots a very small(½-1inch) rockwool cube around the roots. So it is always moist there. Is this a problem, should I try and remove it before the plants really grow?
Today: (This temp was an extreme. I've now changed airsource to outside the growarea)

Two days ago:


A small small plant I broke by mistake, trying to root again.




Btw am having trouble maintaining a low enough pH. I always adjust to almost 5.5, but in one day it's over 6 again... Is this a problem pH fluctuating a bit, or should I perhaps adjust to a higher pH which will instead be more stable? If fluctuation is not a problem I'm pretty sure it stays in the right area long enough for making nutrients availible. Maybe if so even good fluctuating a bit since different nutrients are most availible at different pH's

They're drinking Canna aqua vega. EC rises by about 1000µS after I add nutrients to water from the beginning. I was under the impression this would be enough, following now when theyre little the dosage on the bottle, which is lower than their schedules. But if I'm not wrong, now, if you look at the last img ex, it looks like they want more nutrients genereally? especially N? Am I right? It's a little bit too hot I might add since I havent started both hps's, and therefor not the ventsystem either, maybe explains the curled leaves, just to mention.

Thank u for your help!