Is this calcium def or nitrogen?

[Dirtbag]

I dont know if I'm right or not. How much water does hydroton retain? I doubt you can overwater it because of the airspace, but I'm not sure how fast it dries, I'd think fairly quickly. But again I'm lot familiar with it so I shouldnt even really be throwing my 2 cents in here lol.

 

[Aqua Man]

I dont know if I'm right or not. How much water does hydroton retain? I doubt you can overwater it because of the airspace, but I'm not sure how fast it dries, I'd think fairly quickly. But again I'm lot familiar with it so I shouldnt even really be throwing my 2 cents in here lol.

It holds next to nothing... You could fertigate 24/7 And yes dries very fast

 

[Diesel21]

It holds next to nothing... You could fertigate 24/7 And yes dries very fast

So I just checked the medium in a pot that is not being used. I dug down 5-6 inches and it’s definitely still moist after 4 hours being drained As for the ppm I just upped it to 550 so I want to wait at least a few days before I bump it again. The gh feed Chart says 800-1000ppm for the second week after seedling stage. So maybe I’ll bump it to 650 in a few days then 750 and so on. Would this be ideal? Do you still think I should flood more then 3 times?

 

[Diesel21]

Here is a pic of some new growth

 

[Nate_in_AK]

Hold up... you filled the 5 gallon bucket with hydroton??? I've never heard of this method before.... I only put hydroton in the basket...

 

[Aqua Man]

So I just checked the medium in a pot that is not being used. I dug down 5-6 inches and it’s definitely still moist after 4 hours being drained As for the ppm I just upped it to 550 so I want to wait at least a few days before I bump it again. The gh feed Chart says 800-1000ppm for the second week after seedling stage. So maybe I’ll bump it to 650 in a few days then 750 and so on. Would this be ideal? Do you still think I should flood more then 3 times?

I do but I'm not a flood and drain guy. My best guess would be every 1-2 hrs in the media.

 

[Nate_in_AK]

The gh feed Chart says 800-1000ppm for the second week

I've been told REPEATEDLY that these charts lie and instead to use 1/4 to 1/2 of the manufacturer recommendation... for what that's worth.

 

[Diesel21]

I've been told REPEATEDLY that these charts lie and instead to use 1/4 to 1/2 of the manufacturer recommendation... for what that's worth.

Yea I always feed less then what they say.

 

[Aqua Man]

Here read this I just looked it up for you.

Advantages of Ebb & Flow

fifthseasongardening.com

 

[Diesel21]

Anyone else have experience with watering in hydroton? Is 3 times per day enough for 35 day old plants?

 

[Aqua Man]

Anyone else have experience with watering in hydroton? Is 3 times per day enough for 35 day old plants?

No I don't have experience but I'm telling you it's not... I have used hydroton a lot and it holds very little water. Take it or leave it but that's my opinion.

 

[growsince79]

Anyone else have experience with watering in hydroton? Is 3 times per day enough for 35 day old plants?

I used to have 5 gallon flood and drain. Twice a day was all it needed ever. One downside was drain line can get clogged with roots. But for young plants that shouldn't be a problem. If you just increased to 550, that tells me your plants were starving.

 

[Aqua Man]

I used to have 5 gallon flood and drain. Twice a day was all it needed ever. One downside was drain line can get clogged with roots. But for young plants that shouldn't be a problem. If you just increased to 550, that tells me your plants were starving.

Hydroton or Rockwool?

 

[growsince79]

Hydroton or Rockwool?

The little clay balls, they called it something else 30years ago but looks and probably is identical.

 

[Beachwalker]

The little clay balls, they called it something else 30years ago but looks and probably is identical.

Lecca, I also never flooded more than twice a day. Small plant like that I wouldn't go to 750ppm yet, hope this helps!

 

[Aqua Man]

Copy pasted.

Wondering what growing media to use? You’re in luck – an Ebb & Flow system can easily accommodate a variety of growing media. The system is great for using anything from Rockwool to hydroton. The only thing you will change is how often you flood the tray each day and for how long.

One of my favorite growing media to use in an Ebb & Flow system is hydroton. Hydroton is expanded clay pellets that work as an anchor for the plants roots. It stabilizes the plant and gives the roots a media they can grow easily through. Hydroton does not have much water holding capacity so for this media, you should be flooding the table every two hours for 15 minutes. Keep in mind each setup is different so flood times and number of floods will vary. If you were to go with a growing media like Rockwool you would be looking to flood less often. It all depends on how much water the growing media can hold.

 

[growsince79]

Lecca, I also never flooded more than twice a day. Small plant like that I wouldn't go to 750ppm yet, hope this helps!

I agrre. You already raised to 550. Don't do too much at once. I would give it a couple days and if they improve raise to 600 then 700 and so on. With the right environment, most plants I've grown can handle 1000+.

 

[Aqua Man]

Any which way correcting it now may or may not help. You have root damage

 

[growsince79]

Copy pasted.

Wondering what growing media to use? You’re in luck – an Ebb & Flow system can easily accommodate a variety of growing media. The system is great for using anything from Rockwool to hydroton. The only thing you will change is how often you flood the tray each day and for how long.

One of my favorite growing media to use in an Ebb & Flow system is hydroton. Hydroton is expanded clay pellets that work as an anchor for the plants roots. It stabilizes the plant and gives the roots a media they can grow easily through. Hydroton does not have much water holding capacity so for this media, you should be flooding the table every two hours for 15 minutes. Keep in mind each setup is different so flood times and number of floods will vary. If you were to go with a growing media like Rockwool you would be looking to flood less often. It all depends on how much water the growing media can hold.

To each his own. I've grown 1lb plants in 5 gallons watered twice a day for 30 minutes.

 

[Jimster]

Sorry the tap water s 7ph before adjusting. It’s and ebb and flow bucket system w a 1” rw cube in a 5 gallon bucket of hydroton. As for feeding I just up the nutes to 550 ppm 500 scale. I monitor my ph constantly. It’s always between 5.5 and 6.1. also a couple plants are showing signs of overwatering so I don’t think the medium is drying out. I can take some more pics if that helps

Overwatering really has little to do with too much water, or hydro systems wouldn't work so well. Overwatering is actually when your roots are starved of Oxygen, which they need to live and thrive. Circulating and aerating the solution should improve the dissolved O2 and hopefully cheer the roots up.