Area51- rockwool grodan/Athena proline with Growlink controller

[Electrolights]

So after struggling with hydroponic dwc and bad genetics felt for the third run I’ll step up my game, got myself a Growlink controller with a water content sensor to steer these girls right. Have netafim drip emitters at .3gph and grodan Hugo 6x6 to transplant. Also have decided rather the two plants I’ll do 3 since I’ve had some open canopy I can fill just will be doing all main branch buds no side branches, heavy defol and top before flip and week 3 of flower strip them down to only have main colas, extremely hyped for this system, soaked seeds overnight with stack in the water and now sitting in starter plugs at 2.1 EC will drop EC to 1.5 in the Hugo at transplant to promote root growth

 

[Electrolights]

They’re up, looked a bit stretchy so I lowered the light, middle seed didn’t germ but the 2nd seed did so it’s a little behind, paying attention to rockwool water level is definitely a learning curve

 

[Electrolights]

didnt realize can barely see middle one just sprouted

 

[technics702]

I received a growlink PIC as a xmas present this year and am stoked. Currently it's only running in my flower room, soon I will get another sensor for the veg room. I have been impressed with how I was able to reduce the stretch on my Durbans at the start of flower, considerably, with generative steering.

Have you used your PIC yet in flower? I'm running Athena Pro line but am a bit confused on scheduling. Floraflex crop steering guides have it where you switch back to generative steering at day 43, whereas Athena states to run vegetative from day 21 through to flush week, when a switch back to generative steering is called for.

Since I'm running Athena and not floraflex nutrients, I'm sticking with vegetative steering until flush. However, considering that generative steering is meant to help flower production, wouldn't it be more beneficial to switch to generative steering at day 43 and ride that out through flush?

 

[Electrolights]

No this is my first run with it I haven’t used it at all yet, using a 24v coil 120v contact instead of a valve control so I don’t have to have the pump always running. Amped to use it soon though

 

[technics702]

Leader makes a pump that only comes on when it senses a need, such as when a valve gets triggered to open.

 

[Electrolights]

Leader makes a pump that only comes on when it senses a need, such as when a valve gets triggered to open.

That’s what the 24v contact does from the Growlink controllers vwc sensor

 

[Electrolights]

So I wasn’t aware your really not supposed to squeeze rockwool because it compacts the air pockets, I have the lower leaves on the 2 seedlings turning yellow now I’m assuming it’s from them maybe drowning, problem is I only dipped them in 5.6 ph at 1.8 ec when they were screaming for water because they wilted out like crazy and stood back up within 2 hours of me resoaking the cubes, opinions appreciated

 

[Electrolights]

 

[technics702]

I've been watering my starter cubes once a day until runoff. Did you flush the cubes with ph'ed RO before using? I usually do a flush on new cubes to ensure the ph of the substrate is where I want it.

 

[Electrolights]

I've been watering my starter cubes once a day until runoff. Did you flush the cubes with ph'ed RO before using? I usually do a flush on new cubes to ensure the ph of the substrate is where I want it.

No I was told the new a ok grodan cubes you don’t need to prep, I decided just to weigh them after soaking and resoak at 50% of wet weight, it’s what it says on the grodan website to do

 

[technics702]

Have your seedlings returned to good health?

 

[rDWCNoob]

yeah squeezing the rockwool is a bad idea. It shouldn't matter on ph, ro water or tap at first. Flushing the starter cubes isnt nessecary, but it's good practice to soak the bigger cubes in ph'd water prior to transplant. I keep my clones/seedlings under a humidity dome with heatmat till the roots start poking out. I just soak the tray and cubes then let the cubes start to dry then water again. It should be pretty easy to tell without weighing the starter cubes. It's essentially impossible to overwater, assuming you didn't squeeze the cubes, especially not the big ones.

 

[Electrolights]

So I believe I was actually nuts burning them the whole time on top of squeezing the 2 on left and right, which gave them overwatering symptoms with little to no air pockets, I’ve managed to get them to get healthy again, soaking the 6x6 in 1.5EC and 5.6 ph till bubbles stopped, they’ve been at 80-90% wet for almost 36 hours I need to get them to dry down better somehow started seeing roots air prune on the starter block so I put them in the 6x6s

 

[Electrolights]

Going to be following dankmaster’a feed schedule hard dry down to 50% wc and then back to 60-65 and dry down only 10% till flip

 

[Electrolights]

Going to be following dankmaster’a feed schedule hard dry down to 50% wc and then back to 60-65 and dry down only 10% till flip

 

[rDWCNoob]

don't worry about dryback yet. The plants can't absorb much till you get to a few nodes. After that if you're looking for vegetative steering just water like 100ml or so 6-8 times a day. At first you'll get run off on most waterings then once they start feeding more, the first few feedings won't produce runoff. At this point is probably where you can start using your sensors to dial in your steering. The first few weeks while the plant is developing its root system you can just water with 1/4 strength nutes till run off then leave it for a couple days, or water till run off once a day. The vegetative steering doesn't really start till you're in full veg. Right now you've still got seedlings, they need very little and can barely do any photosynthesis.

 

[rDWCNoob]

This was the setup for my last run. 20 clones on a 3x3 flood tray in 4x4x4 cubes watered on a timer. Unfortunately I don't have ssensors but I just lift the cubes and guess. I feed every 2 hours for anywhere from 5 to 20 seconds per feed. The second photo is the same tray about 1 week from harvest after a 2 week veg

 

[technics702]

I used Dankemhunters feed program for my recent DP harvest, but instead of tapering off EC at the end of flower, I substituted fade for core and ran a full 3 EC in the reservoir until flush. They kept feeding right thru flush, and the fade seemed to make a difference in trichomes.

Good luck, I hope your grow goes well!

 

[Electrolights]

I’ll be using fade and foliar spraying stack and power si every other day. Noticed I did have them stretch as seedlings, they’re thick stemmed up top more so then down low going up to nodes