Dwc woes - constant failure

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hm7

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No push back… just attempts to clarify gone wrong
Appreciate the clarification.

Expressing and communicating our thoughts, ideas, and reasoning is not always easy - especially when communication is being done in written form. Things get misconstrued easily.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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Appreciate the clarification.

Expressing and communicating our thoughts, ideas, and reasoning is not always easy - especially when communication is being done in written form. Things get misconstrued easily.
Yup
 
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geemonty

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You do you man. Like I've told and praised you for already - you clearly have a very good undestanding of growing, and know institutionally by now what/how to do things in a way that works for you.


Every person in almost every single field - growing or otherwise - who truly excels and has a massive amount of low level knowledge of how how things work has gotten there from test based research. Knowledge is never a bad thing. We as a species wouldn't even be where we are today, without countless minds and individuals doing scientific research/testing.


I really think it's actually kind of funny that you're basically mocking me for wanting to actually test and gather legitimate data on various aspects of things. Clearly you're intelligent, but that's how we evolve and learn as a species. Look at our own understanding of our reality. Look at the medical field. It's all done through test based research. How can gathering data and doing tests ever be a bad thing?


Anyway - I'm not going to argue about it with you any more. Clearly you're a very knowledgeable, experienced, and capable grower. I commend you for your experience and expertise, however.... I don't think you're doing anyone any favors by making fun of them for wanting to actually gather data on various aspects of things and gain a better, more in-depth understanding of what's truly going on at a fundamental level instead of just assuming/guessing.
I know this has been addressed by several people and I don't want to stir anything up so please don't think that's what I am trying to do. I personally did not see any mocking or making fun of you or condescending from any of @beluga comments. What he said I think is important. What he is saying is just forget about the data for now and get something to grow. You'll understand the data better once you have more growing experience.

None of us on this site have a "green thumb", we have put in the time and gained experience and to say any of us are some how magically able to grow these plants is nonsense, we put in the effort. I still remember my first plant, Fred the peace lilly, girlfriend at the time named it. he never stood a chance. Yes I killed him dead in no time. I still kill plants. I recently got into Alocasia and OH BOY are they fun. I bought a beautiful alocasia and for the first few months it stayed that way and then disaster. No matter what I read, how many videos I watched it was dropping leaves, and they don't have that many leaves to drop. All the data and testing in the world didn't matter. But I figured it out. There was not a single alocasia "how to" that solved my issue, there were no tests or peer reviewed papers that helped me. They pointed me in the right general direction but that's it. Now that I have kept this devil of a plant alive for almost a year, I have an understanding of the plant and all that alocasia info is now useful to me. I have been dialing in water, feeding, etc etc.

Just get your plant to live past 2 weeks, then do it again. There is a pretty clear path forward from all the advice given. You don't need anymore data at this time to replicate what others are doing. Just do it. If/when you run into problems then ask for help from these same people and from what it appears they are all willing to give you support. Data is great but you need a foundation from which to understand it. I am pretty sure everyone that has posted is "rooting" for you and wants to help you succeed.
 
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hm7

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I know this has been addressed by several people and I don't want to stir anything up so please don't think that's what I am trying to do. I personally did not see any mocking or making fun of you or condescending from any of @beluga comments. What he said I think is important. What he is saying is just forget about the data for now and get something to grow. You'll understand the data better once you have more growing experience.

None of us on this site have a "green thumb", we have put in the time and gained experience and to say any of us are some how magically able to grow these plants is nonsense, we put in the effort. I still remember my first plant, Fred the peace lilly, girlfriend at the time named it. he never stood a chance. Yes I killed him dead in no time. I still kill plants. I recently got into Alocasia and OH BOY are they fun. I bought a beautiful alocasia and for the first few months it stayed that way and then disaster. No matter what I read, how many videos I watched it was dropping leaves, and they don't have that many leaves to drop. All the data and testing in the world didn't matter. But I figured it out. There was not a single alocasia "how to" that solved my issue, there were no tests or peer reviewed papers that helped me. They pointed me in the right general direction but that's it. Now that I have kept this devil of a plant alive for almost a year, I have an understanding of the plant and all that alocasia info is now useful to me. I have been dialing in water, feeding, etc etc.

Just get your plant to live past 2 weeks, then do it again. There is a pretty clear path forward from all the advice given. You don't need anymore data at this time to replicate what others are doing. Just do it. If/when you run into problems then ask for help from these same people and from what it appears they are all willing to give you support. Data is great but you need a foundation from which to understand it. I am pretty sure everyone that has posted is "rooting" for you and wants to help you succeed.

You're absolutely right - I definitely mistook what he was trying to communicate and misunderstood how he was trying to help.

As for coming back to seek additional help when I run into problems again/fail with more rot on subsequent attempts, haha....Ohhh, I'm certain I've managed to wear out my welcome by pissing off/annoying everyone here who was just trying to offer help. I'm pretty sure I'm on my own here going forward, which is totally understandable and well deserved - but .... I'm still thankful for the help and advice given by everyone. I truly think Aqua Man's advice on needing to continue top feeding was one of the pieces I was missing - and I hope fixing the issue is really just as simple as doing that.
 
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hm7

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To add a bit of context - I'm an engineer by trade. I design and build things to solve problems. It's how my mind is wired, and it's what I've done my entire life.

There's a problem to be solved -> design a plan -> calculate variables and know what can and needs to be controlled and in which ways -> build system -> ensure all the variables/parameters I'm aware of and can control are within specified and acceptable ranges -> run test and gather/record data -> Analyze data -> Rinse and repeat. It's a very methodical, logical way to solve problems.

When I see a failure, I instantly default to 'try to identify specific variables that might have been outside of assumed acceptable ranges'. When I see a success where I've failed before, I do the exact same thing - I examine hard data from prior attempts and compare/contrast it against the current success to try to identify what was different.


I know not everyone thinks that way, *especially* experienced growers who inherently grow 'by feel'. To them - this line of thinking makes absolutely no sense. However, to me, solving problems 'by feel' makes no sense. It's not that I'm trying to fight advice - it's simply that my mind is wired/used to solving problems differently.
 
beluga

beluga

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I know not everyone thinks that way, *especially* experienced growers who inherently grow 'by feel'. To them - this line of thinking makes absolutely no sense. However, to me, solving problems 'by feel' makes no sense. It's not that I'm trying to fight advice - it's simply that my mind is wired/used to solving problems differently.
No worries man. That's why we got all sorts around here. Someone is bound to be able to aptly communicate to help just about anyone in any style.

I have a tendency to beat the "just chill" dead horse when I see someone struggling and piling more and more variables onto their plate. And I tend to forget that "just chilling" for some is racking numbers. As long as you're letting us help you, that's all that's really important. Some people - especially smart newcomers - like to over-engineer in spite of advice they've been given.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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To add a bit of context - I'm an engineer by trade. I design and build things to solve problems. It's how my mind is wired, and it's what I've done my entire life.

There's a problem to be solved -> design a plan -> calculate variables -> build system -> ensure all the variables/parameters I'm aware of and can control are within specified and acceptable ranges -> run test and gather/record data -> Analyze data -> Rinse and repeat. It's a very methodical, logical way to solve problems.

When I see a failure, I instantly default to 'try to identify specific variables that might have been outside of assumed acceptable ranges'. When I see a success where I've failed before, I do the exact same thing - I examine hard data from prior attempts and compare/contrast it against the current success to try to identify what was different.


I know not everyone thinks that way, *especially* experienced growers who inherently grow 'by feel'. To them - this line of thinking makes absolutely no sense. However, to me, solving problems 'by feel' makes no sense. It's not that I'm trying to fight advice - it's simply that my mind is wired/used to solving problems differently.
I think ppl think the way they do. Kinda feels like your judging others as a lessor way of thinking?

for the record…

My careers have all been problem solving. From millwight to QA management to running a Union spanning industries from food to the railway.

I understanding engineers, planning and problem solving because of the similar type of work. But the good ones bridge the gap by problem solving before they happen with foresight of potential problems and to do that you need to understand how something works. Thats where you need to start. understanding the why not just the result that data gives you.


i hardly believe this is a way of thinking and while numbers may help you and make sense these are living things and are not defined by number so eventually you need to get a feel for them…. and that comes from experience.

data does no good if you don’t understand why your seeing the results you are. Once you know this you can apply it to many areas.

This is not an attack just how i see what i feel is what your missing so you can do more thinking outside the box and truely understand how all the complexities tie together and that there is generally not a one single answer but rather the benefit come from understanding how things work and not the results. Results are used to prove how things work in that specific situation
 
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hm7

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No worries man. That's why we got all sorts around here. Someone is bound to be able to aptly communicate to help just about anyone in any style.

I have a tendency to beat the "just chill" dead horse when I see someone struggling and piling more and more variables onto their plate. And I tend to forget that "just chilling" for some is racking numbers. As long as you're letting us help you, that's all that's really important. Some people - especially smart newcomers - like to over-engineer in spite of advice they've been given.

I understand and appreciate it! Thank you!


I think ppl think the way they do. Kinda feels like your judging others as a lessor way of thinking?

for the record…

My careers have all been problem solving. From millwight to QA management to running a Union spanning industries from food to the railway.

I understanding engineers, planning and problem solving because of the similar type of work. But the good ones bridge the gap by problem solving before they happen with foresight of potential problems and to do that you need to understand how something works. Thats where you need to start. understanding the why not just the result that data gives you.


i hardly believe this is a way of thinking and while numbers may help you and make sense these are living things and are not defined by number so eventually you need to get a feel for them…. and that comes from experience.

data does no good if you don’t understand why your seeing the results you are. Once you know this you can apply it to many areas

I don't think I'm judging anyone else's way of thinking or trying to say it's a 'lesser' way of doing so - just that everyone tackles problem solving in their own way. I'm doing what makes sense to me, in a way I know how to do - that's all.

I'm only trying my best to understand the 'why' to do something. If I can't understand the 'why' - it just doesn't click for me - that's why I appreciate explanations and reasoning. For me to understand something, it has to make sense in a way that shows me why my previous attempts weren't working.

Take your advice on continuing to top feed - that makes *perfect* sense to me. As you explained to me early on - 'you need to top feed to continue to keep the roots sterile or innoculated - depending upon which route you're going down'. Ohhhhh! Awesome! THAT makes sense. It was explained in a way that showed me not only how to correct the problem, but more importantly (to me at least) why my previous attempts probably failed.


All I've been trying to throughout all of this was understand the 'why' behind things - nothing more. My apologies if it seems like I haven't.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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I understand and appreciate it! Thank you!




I don't think I'm judging anyone else's way of thinking or trying to say it's a 'lesser' way of doing so - just that everyone tackles problem solving in their own way. I'm doing what makes sense to me, in a way I know how to do - that's all.

I'm only trying my best to understand the 'why' to do something. If I can't understand the 'why' - it just doesn't click for me - that's why I appreciate explanations and reasoning. For me to understand something, it has to make sense in a way that shows me why my previous attempts weren't working.

Take your advice on continuing to top feed - that makes *perfect* sense to me. As you explained to me early on - 'you need to top feed to continue to keep the roots sterile or innoculated - depending upon which route you're going down'. Ohhhhh! Awesome! THAT makes sense. It was explained in a way that showed me not only how to correct the problem, but more importantly (to me at least) why my previous attempts probably failed.


All I've been trying to throughout all of this was understand the 'why' behind things - nothing more. My apologies if it seems like I haven't.
No need to apologize here brother… you haven’t done anything wrong.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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some of these may help you indirectly understand or expand your understanding.

watering your seedlings or plants in media and explanation of different varables.


you will need to understand PH in hydro.


more advanced way to do top ups.


your environment and how it effects plants.


if you come across root rot. Only i suggest defaurd now. This is only for live systems.

 
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hm7

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some of these may help you indirectly understand or expand your understanding.

watering your seedlings or plants in media and explanation of different varables.


you will need to understand PH in hydro.


more advanced way to do top ups.


your environment and how it effects plants.


if you come across root rot. Only i suggest defaurd now. This is only for live systems.


Thanks. I appreciate it.

Funny enough, I've actually read through most of these long before just by randomly stumbling around the internet. You're famous on the googles, you know!
 
beluga

beluga

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there is generally not a one single answer
This is where you'll drown in numbers if you don't have a frame of reference (or, as I like to say, a good relationship with the plant.)
Just one variable expands to so many permutations of other variables. And that one variable you thought you had controlled changes when you grow the next plant 😒
It's life we're dealing with, after all. Biology loves to laugh in the face of our reasoning... so we often have to trust whatever effective processes we can identify and reproduce (or, as I like to say, have a good human/plant communication.)

Just like Aqua's guide to watering.
It's not prudent to try to figure out media saturation and evaporation rates until you know what a plant looks like when it's wilting or overwatered.
 
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hm7

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This is where you'll drown in numbers if you don't have a frame of reference (or, as I like to say, a good relationship with the plant.)
Just one variable expands to so many permutations of other variables. And that one variable you thought you had controlled changes when you grow the next plant 😒
It's life we're dealing with, after all. Biology loves to laugh in the face of our reasoning... so we often have to trust whatever effective processes we can identify and reproduce (or, as I like to say, have a good human/plant communication.)

Just like Aqua's guide to watering.
It's not prudent to try to figure out media saturation and evaporation rates until you know what a plant looks like when it's wilting or overwatered.

You're both exceptionally wise!


The good news is - I absolutely know what the plant looks like when it's wilting and suffering from root rot. I've got that look down PAT! 😆
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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You're both exceptionally wise!


The good news is - I absolutely know what the plant looks like when it's wilting and suffering from root rot. I've got that look down PAT! 😆
If your like me eventually you start creating your own problems to solve. Good thing i dont work in the nuclear field lol.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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I think that just tends to naturally happen when you get so good at something, that you start branching out to heavy experimentation.
for me its more about the learning and verification. I dont really smoke and mainly use edibles for sleep. But the plant intrigue’s me and i fell in love with it. For me its a passion for the plant
 
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hm7

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for me its more about the learning and verification. I dont really smoke and mainly use edibles for sleep. But the plant intrigue’s me and i fell in love with it. For me its a passion for the plant
I think that's another reason hydro was attractive to me. Yes, it's been far more frustrating than I ever imagined it would be, but ...it's been fun (in it's own way) too. I don't think a basic water only super soil venture would be as enjoyable/fun, although... probably much easier assuming it was mixed right and you didn't end up getting bugs (always my fear with soil/coco).
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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I think that's another reason hydro was attractive to me. Yes, it's been far more frustrating than I ever imagined it would be, but ...it's been fun (in it's own way) too. I don't think a basic water only super soil venture would be as enjoyable/fun, although... probably much easier assuming it was mixed right and you didn't end up getting bugs (always my fear with soil/coco).
Yeah it all depends in your goals. Whats right for you or I or anyone may not be for other’s.

probably the best piece of advice a new grower can get is to slow down and let the plant do their thing. While things happen fast in hydro there is still lots of room for time and error while having success and still learning.

I have 0 doubt your next grow will be successful if you just slow down and let the plants tell you when they are ready. If that means posting pics daily for feed back from the community so you can learn to recognize cert things then so be it… this community is very helpful and time and time again show gow they are willing to jump in for the long haul to help others succeed. After all helping ppl brings a certain joy to life that’s rewarding…. So everyone wins
 
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