[PetFlora]

Update

Transitioning to F & D totes right around the corner

Nutrients ~ 300ppm

So far only 2 clogged mist head. This prevents some of the roots from getting a proper feeding= drooping (plant in lower left is droppy as a result).

On/off times. On time is now 3 minutes. I increased off time from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Still dialing it in

New Active Aqua bulk heads (amazon/10 packs) should improve on DO mixing into solution as each feeding enters the totes and drain back (see pics) they are larger diameter than the bulkheads I have been using, so, will need to replace all totes in order to drill bigger holes

[PetFlora]

Plants are responding to cleaned mist heads (plus nylon footie), especially the one in the lower left. Interestingly, both it and the big one in the middle seem to have pistils developing at the very top

The smaller ones were not getting sufficient spray from the get go

There's a fair amount of debris on the bottom of the rez. Will be changing it out later this morning. First stop is Harbor Freight to get the correct size hole saw for the new bulkheads

Crossing my fingers that the new 750 gph bottom feed pump marries to the pvc riser. Actually, I need to check that before heading out in case I need to go to HD

[PetFlora]

It seems these nozzles are more prone to clogging. Their intended use is HPA. I had them, so another experiment (would they work with lpa?).

FYI: I traded a guy some of my seeds for 3 of these lpa spray systems. Unfortunately, he glued all connections. Still, it showed me that I was onto something.

I'm gathering parts now to make my own, starting with a single pvc bar in the center of the tote running the long way. I haven't decided whether to get more hpa mist heads, or simply drill a bunch of small holes in the pvc and cap both ends. My idea is to drill holes as small as possible in hopes of simulating the fine mist, which I think is the reason for the sweet roots (comes from hpa knowledge). Gonna test it: I will drill one row straight up with 2 more rows one @ ~ 60*s left and other right of center. I just talked myself into the latter since i have everything I need, but, the mist heads are cheap, so...

[DiverDave]

drilled holes no matter how small , are good for drops or spray jets .. the misting comes from something like a deflector on the stream.
Best to go with the spray heads if you got them.

Just saying.

[PetFlora]

Originally Posted by DiverDave

drilled holes no matter how small , are good for drops or spray jets .. the misting comes from something like a deflector on the stream.
Best to go with the spray heads if you got them.

Just saying.

Most likely, but as I said, I have these parts on hand

In the mean time, the plants are finally beginning to resemble the root mass

[PetFlora]

Damn, my 2 biggest plants have nuts

[PetFlora]

The 4 remaining plants are small. To say the least I am disappointed. 2 have pistils, the other 2 (even smaller) have not shown sex yet.

I really need 4 females to run a proper nutrient test

Chances are they are, but still 2 are very small

I moved the largest male outdoors

[PetFlora]

IMHO, you only need DO during the feeding cycle, AND roots DO benefit from a pause cycle

Enter my new technique: low pressure aero in shallow water (just enough to cover the lp pump). Great news for this technique is bottom draw pumps are readily available AND reasonable, plus, they would cut the nutrient use in half. Im running ~ 3 minutes on and 30-60 minutes off. This depends on how many plants, mist heads...

anyway, it broke my heart, but I had to pull 2 males yesterday, They were pretty big for being less than a month old from seed

So far, 2/4 left have pistils, the other 2 likely females considering they haven't sexed yet, but they are all small, and the 2 that haven't sexed yet, smaller still; none of these were getting adequate misting, so they're stunted at a critical time in their development.

This is first my attempt: adjusting on the fly. I now have a new mist head/PVC design, and am using a side feed pump.

Now that I think of it, because the bottom draw pump only needs ~ 1/2 the solution of the side feed pump, which also requires more nutes for headroom.

Another revelation: this also means fewer blue ice pack rotations each day and easier to maintain stable rez temps. I'll be switching that pump out tomorrow!

Pic of biggest plant after I moved it outside and roughly 1/2 section of the roots

plus roots under the hood, and a shot of what's left

hth

[RockinRobot]

Originally Posted by PetFlora

IMHO, you only need DO during the feeding cycle, AND roots DO benefit from a pause cycle

Enter my new technique: low pressure aero in shallow water (just enough to cover the lp pump). Great news for this technique is bottom draw pumps are readily available AND reasonable, plus, they would cut the nutrient use in half. Im running ~ 3 minutes on and 30-60 minutes off. This depends on how many plants, mist heads...

anyway, it broke my heart, but I had to pull 2 males yesterday, They were pretty big for being less than a month old from seed

So far, 2/4 left have pistils, the other 2 likely females considering they haven't sexed yet, but they are all small, and the 2 that haven't sexed yet, smaller still; none of these were getting adequate misting, so they're stunted at a critical time in their development.

This is first my attempt: adjusting on the fly. I now have a new mist head/PVC design, and am using a side feed pump.

Now that I think of it, because the bottom draw pump only needs ~ 1/2 the solution of the side feed pump, which also requires more nutes for headroom.

Another revelation: this also means fewer blue ice pack rotations each day and easier to maintain stable rez temps. I'll be switching that pump out tomorrow!

Pic of biggest plant after I moved it outside and roughly 1/2 section of the roots

plus roots under the hood, and a shot of what's left

hth

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Hate to break it to you but the smaller volume of nutrient solution will actually be harder to keep a stable temperature. It will cool faster but also heat up faster. Anything dealing with water is always more stable at higher volume. Simple science.

[PetFlora]

Originally Posted by RockinRobot

Hate to break it to you but the smaller volume of nutrient solution will actually be harder to keep a stable temperature. It will cool faster but also heat up faster. Anything dealing with water is always more stable at higher volume. Simple science.

Yes, but, pump is only on 3 minutes every 40 - 60 minutes,
or did that go over your head?