New Grower Head First... Learn quicker than the auto grows journal!

[Mushinronsha]

Hey buddy just had a read through that.
What on earth is that hydro box called I want to go check it out. I've never seen one like it. Is it a big dwc?
When you say starter plugs do you mean root riots or rockwools? There both completely different so the term starter plugs will get you rather confusing answers lol.
Anything you need to know feel free to tag me. I'm pretty handy with a res and always happy to help where I can.
Keep your ppm low, your ph in range. Use sm90 or hydroguard to keep the res clean and make sure you empty it every 7-10 days. Stick to those rules and it's pretty hard to fuck anything up.
One thing though. If you've got a plant in bloom and a plant in veg in the same res then your gonna have to iether fry the veg one with the PK boosters or starve the bloom one and N tox it with veg nutes. Iether way it's not a good idea.
And did I see you using bloom and veg nutes? That's a recipe that many struggle with. Veg nutes for veg. Bloom nutes for bloom. Keep shit simple mate. Oh and yes, you'll most likely need calmag at some point cos of the leds. Depends how much is in your tap water.

Thanks for the feedback mate! As far as the water table tray Im not sure honestly. Its set up as a ebb and flow system so Im not sure if thats the same as a dwc or not. When I went into the hydroponic store they had 2 setups like ours running and I basically said give me that one lol. Of course I had to add a few things.

The starter plugs are peatmoss plugs like rapid rooter knockoffs. I guess some of the way I explained things has been vague. We are using veg nutrients now and dont plan on switching to the canna flores until like a week after flowering starts. As far as the plants being on different timelines its helping us out. We are trying to keep conditions optimal for the 2 autos. If it has adverse effects on the other 2 we will just use it to learn what certain ailments look like etc

Look forward to hearing from everyone as we progress. Its a lot of fun for sure!

 

[EvilScotsman]

Ahh sweet mate. I'm generally quite stoned most of the time I'm on here so I write things a bit off too lol.
What you just said there would be the best way to go. Once the autos are done you can fix any problems on the photos before you flip.. .if they haven't taken over and outgrown your house by that point lol. Plants can get pretty big in hydro like. Your in for a few nice surprises

 

[Mushinronsha]

Im curious..At what time/ strength or even at all do each of you increase nutrients? I had planed to just use base nutrients at 1/4 strength the entire grow. But Ive also been reading that some people gradually increase them. Is that more for photo period plants or does it apply to autos as well?

 

[davisgirl]

Until they start budding, use grow nutrients only. Start at a quarter strength. Increase by 10% at each feeding until the tips start to show a light burn. Then back off 10%. A quarter strength will be fine for a seedling or young plant. A bigger plant will stall.

When you notice them starting to bloom, then their needs will change completely. Then change to bloom nutes.

My plants were at full strength when they began to flower, so I introduced bloom nutrients at full strength and they eat them up.

 

[Mushinronsha]

Until they start budding, use grow nutrients only. Start at a quarter strength. Increase by 10% at each feeding until the tips start to show a light burn. Then back off 10%. A quarter strength will be fine for a seedling or young plant. A bigger plant will stall.

When you notice them starting to bloom, then their needs will change completely. Then change to bloom nutes.

My plants were at full strength when they began to flower, so I introduced bloom nutrients at full strength and they eat them up.

That sounds like a great plan. I am still confused on this feeding schedule though so we have only made one batch of nutrients. Cannas guide shows different amounts for each period but doesnt say wheter you add those to the existing water. Or do you empty the nutrient reservoir and start over with fresh water than add that amount?

@EvilScotsman suggested empty the tank every 7 days. And if I do that at say week 4. Do i add up all the nutrients on the chart up to the point and add them? If so thats a lot of nutrients seems like going to waste.

 

[davisgirl]

Here’s what I do. I change the water every 7 days. Every day I have to add back a gallon of nutrient at half strength to keep ppm’s stable. On your next water change, use half strength nutes and see how they do. The following week, do three quarter strength. Keep increasing until they show mild symptoms of toxicity. Then back off just a bit.

 

[davisgirl]

How many gallons does your reservoir hold?

 

[Mushinronsha]

How many gallons does your reservoir hold?

20 gal.

 

[Dichoti]

That is great. First time Ive seen this method. And it would be much easier with our open water table vs trying to run strings across the whole thing. Thanks a million for that idea!

I do it too. 24 hour in water, or until they sink to the bottom of the cup. If they sink right away, they'll get 24 hours. After that, it's straight to the coco.

 

[davisgirl]

20 gal.

So every 7 days, empty your reservoir. Put in 20 gallons of fresh water. Then, if the nutrient instructions say, for instance, 5 mL per gallon, then put 100mL (5 mL x 20 gallons) of nutrient for full strength, or 50 mL for half strength.

Does that make sense?