Grow Mediums To Be or Not To Be ...

[Nosias]

Will you use the same mix again? Or do you plan to take out the BizzLight?

Edit... nm... you are going back to coco only, cool.

"Do not do this at home. Danger warning. This too maybe too bad of an idea to work." !!!!!!!!!
Right now I am cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning some hydroton clay balls. Not sure if I will be able to have them totally clean.

I will set up two pots with the hydroton ONLY. Well, I will use two Grodan 3" rock wool in each pot. The grodans will sit on top of one another like a column. I will lay down the hydroton deep enough so that the top grodan will be even with the top of the pot. Or so it is planned. The idea is to use the auto pots and let them do their thing. The two 3" grodans will act as a wick, I hope. Around this grodan column will be the hydroton clay balls.

We shall see. I am already to drop a couple of ladies tomorrow and give the clay balls a roll.

If this does not work then I want to go back to lava rock. I once lived next to a plant/manufacture who made the lava rock. I went to them to buy some and they said they only sell truck loads. But they said help yourself for free.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

"Do not do this at home. Danger warning. This too maybe too bad of an idea to work." !!!!!!!!!
Right now I am cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning some hydroton clay balls. Not sure if I will be able to have them totally clean.

I will set up two pots with the hydroton ONLY. Well, I will use two Grodan 3" rock wool in each pot. The grodans will sit on top of one another like a column. I will lay down the hydroton deep enough so that the top grodan will be even with the top of the pot. Or so it is planned. The idea is to use the auto pots and let them do their thing. The two 3" grodans will act as a wick, I hope. Around this grodan column will be the hydroton clay balls.

We shall see. I am already to drop a couple of ladies tomorrow and give the clay balls a roll.

If this does not work then I want to go back to lava rock. I once lived next to a plant/manufacture who made the lava rock. I went to them to buy some and they said they only sell truck loads. But they said help yourself for free.

Stop. The rock wool will work whicking too well and drown the plants. This can happen in a flood and drain that gets watered too often. The cubes must have a dry down period.

 

[Nosias]

Stop. The rock wool will work whicking too well and drown the plants. This can happen in a flood and drain that gets watered too often. The cubes must have a dry down period.

Thank you.

 

[elcoloan]

"Do not do this at home. Danger warning. This too maybe too bad of an idea to work." !!!!!!!!!
Right now I am cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning some hydroton clay balls. Not sure if I will be able to have them totally clean.
....

Oh i've been down that road, never liked that about those balls so never tried them again.

 

[Nosias]

Oh i've been down that road, never liked that about those balls so never tried them again.

 

[MR magoo]

A good experiment. go for it!

 

[Nosias]

This will be entry will be full of pics.

It is close to harvest for Ace Seed: Malawi X Northern Lights. She is 96 days old today and her own private rez has gone empty and it will not be re-filled.
I took a bud and gave it a try. It was very very very nice. I would say it was a pure delight.

There are two ladies from Fast Buds: Wedding Cake and Mexican Airline. My apologies for NOT providing a safe medium for them to thrive in. The story about this error on my part has been described in an earlier entry. They never had a chance. True to the fine breeder that Fast Buds really is these ladies have bounced back. I had to remove them from the tray and now top feed only, as the bottom 3 inches is toxic. Both are 38 days old.

I did top the Wedding Cake, I know it is not the correct time. I felt is was best. Both ladies are being trained with the "screws". I hang 2 screws from a twist tie as a weight to bend then outward.

Mexican Airlines she is 21 inches .... in pic lower right is FB Smoothie, a last I did not find my error in time for her.
View attachment 1608483495069.jpeg

 

[Nosias]

Now for a group pic. Linda Seeds: Fat Blueberry back left. Ace Seeds: Malawi x Northern Lights is their first and presently they only auto. Back right.
Front left is FB Wedding Cake, FB Mexican Airlines is in the front middle. Barely visible is FB Smoothie. front right is 00 Seed Bank: Cheese Berry.

00 Seed Bank: Cheese Berry is 63 days old. Her main stem is solid bud and her branches do not bend easily. I have trained her a bit and what you see is full of crystal. She is a covering her leaves. She smells so sweet. She has been an easy grow for her as well as for Linda Seeds: Fat Blueberry.

Cheese Berry.

 

[Nosias]

... And here is, ..... Linda Seeds: Fat Blueberry. Well I have a lot to say but I will be short. She is now 53" tall and is developing beautiful buds. Tall slender full of crystal. You know she just grew and grew and grew. I did think she will be so "Fat Blueberry" all over the tent, well I had no idea. The ladies seem to sneak up on you. She too is 63 days old. She is turning her fan leaves to yellow. I have tried to take some better pics. The true is I am unable to get in the tent and move any lady out for a photo shot. SO enjoy, I know my time be be here for the buzz of Fat Blueberry.

4 days ago

Todays shots.

Stay safe out there. Enjoy this time of the year. I recall my shear happiness as a kid. Be kids again and remember peace on EARTH. Do not wait for some else to smile at you.

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

Everything looking beautiful in your garden my friend.

Thinking about your post last page about the autopots and rockwool.
I agree with NOT using the rockwool -- it wicks really quick, and with water in the bottom, it will be very wet up that 'column'.
I used to use rockwool many many years ago, it was great for clones but was too wet after rooting for my conditions then.
You said there were several layers in your medium in the autopots.
Made me think of a grower on YouTube, "Bill Ward" -- just search his name, should come up -- he may be grower here on AFN...
Anyway, he got some autopots a couple of months ago, but had issues.
You can find his vids on YouTube from maybe a month or two ago, he's done several rounds already.
The bottom feeding made the bottom layer too wet, which caused root rot.
But then it wasn't wicking up high enough to the top, so there were no roots there, like your situation.
And then the bottom watering, then drying, was leaving high undissolved solids/salts content,
messing with his pH on the next wet cycle when it start wicking up again.
He partly solved it by top watering, but then removed the whole res system and hand watered (defeats the purpose, but needed to save his plants).
Not sure if the same problem you are having, but maybe worth looking at his grows.
He's a very good grower, knows what he is doing, and worth learning from.