Fatty LIVES
- 279
- 63
Hey there Farmers. SO, I'm pretty much brand new to this whole process indoor, outdoor and hydroponics so I went in with all 3 factors this grow season. I've made it a science experiment you could say and I've learned A LOT over these past few months. There's a ton more to learn, but I'd like to share some things involved with Hydroponics.
My System
Top Feed, #3 pots w/rockwool starter and clay pellets 18gal res (fill MAX 8gal)
GH Flora Grow - Veg
FF Tiger Bloom, Big Bloom - Flower
AN CarboLoad - Flower
Earth Juice - Catalyst/Flavor (Nom, Nom)
HYDROGUARD - Beneficial Bacteria/Roots (Previously SM-90, H2O2 - never again)
Dry Cycles, Root Rot and Water Temp.
When i first started my girls from seed, I wasn't using a PPM meter but kept my pH in range with GH Flora Grow Nutrients. Plants grew SUPER fast and within 3 weeks were more than ready for flower. In Flip, I found this strain to be extremely susceptible to N-Toxicity. Furthermore, I was running SM-9o and gave too much trust in too little concentration. Then, switched to H2O2 and again.. trusted too little concentration and turned 5/8 girls hermaphrodite from root rot. 44" plants with 8" roots.. NOT GOOD.
HOW I FIXED THE ISSUE.
FIRST. I spent 3/4 hours FLUSHING and CLEANING everything. You'd be amazed at how much pythium (Root Rot) was all in my irrigation and everything. HIGH concentration of H2O2, flushing and scrubbing cleaned these. be very careful with the 34% H2O2.. I caught chemical burns very fast.
SECOND. I flushed everything with fresh water. drained. replaced with fresh and flushed for another 1/2 hour. drained.
THIRD. Introduced Hydroguard by Botanicare. This Bacteria is a bomb diggity benny that will run house on your root rot. 2ml/gal BUT being fed up and not wanting to wait too long for colonization, I added a lot. Every few days I flushed my table of the floating pythium. My oh myyy does it feel good to watch it working!
FOURTH. Went super low concentration on nutrients. Kept checking and after about a week the plants were drinking and eating simultaneously.
FIFTH. THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT I STUMBLED ON. I noticed when I shut off the pump for about a 1/2 hour and turned it back on.. Pythium was shooting out of my irrigation which made me think it was dying.. I was right. I put my pump on a timer now to dry cycle for a 1/2 hour every hour and I have ZERO build up in my irrigation now AND Root production is out of this world.
SIXTH. For temp, I got tired of trying to cool my room enough to get the tent low enough so I ran a 4" flex duct from the front of my AC into the tent and wow.. I feel like an idiot for not doing that sooner. temps getting low as 62 lights off and staying 73-77 during lights on. Hoping to pull out some purples!
Main things I learned...
1. If your res isn't below 68, get some bennies to counter any bad bacteria.
2. Dry cycles to beat pythium in the root zone (if running top drip) and promote rapid root growth.
3. Pruning during flower should be VERY limited.
4. H2O2 Should be used ONLY to fix issues IMO. Being caustic, it's annoying to handle, you can over do it and the root production from Hydroguard is off the charts.
5. Run a duct from your AC. Your plants will grow faster, drink slower.
6. KEEP THE TOP OFF YOUR RES. The air pocket between water top and lid was a breeding ground for bacteria and mold.
7. All plants including different phenos have different tolerance and preference to nutrient levels and heat. Try and build systems that you're able to control individual levels... unless you have clones of the same plant!!!
I pray this is a helpful tool and information for my fellow farmers.
My System
Top Feed, #3 pots w/rockwool starter and clay pellets 18gal res (fill MAX 8gal)
GH Flora Grow - Veg
FF Tiger Bloom, Big Bloom - Flower
AN CarboLoad - Flower
Earth Juice - Catalyst/Flavor (Nom, Nom)
HYDROGUARD - Beneficial Bacteria/Roots (Previously SM-90, H2O2 - never again)
Dry Cycles, Root Rot and Water Temp.
When i first started my girls from seed, I wasn't using a PPM meter but kept my pH in range with GH Flora Grow Nutrients. Plants grew SUPER fast and within 3 weeks were more than ready for flower. In Flip, I found this strain to be extremely susceptible to N-Toxicity. Furthermore, I was running SM-9o and gave too much trust in too little concentration. Then, switched to H2O2 and again.. trusted too little concentration and turned 5/8 girls hermaphrodite from root rot. 44" plants with 8" roots.. NOT GOOD.
HOW I FIXED THE ISSUE.
FIRST. I spent 3/4 hours FLUSHING and CLEANING everything. You'd be amazed at how much pythium (Root Rot) was all in my irrigation and everything. HIGH concentration of H2O2, flushing and scrubbing cleaned these. be very careful with the 34% H2O2.. I caught chemical burns very fast.
SECOND. I flushed everything with fresh water. drained. replaced with fresh and flushed for another 1/2 hour. drained.
THIRD. Introduced Hydroguard by Botanicare. This Bacteria is a bomb diggity benny that will run house on your root rot. 2ml/gal BUT being fed up and not wanting to wait too long for colonization, I added a lot. Every few days I flushed my table of the floating pythium. My oh myyy does it feel good to watch it working!
FOURTH. Went super low concentration on nutrients. Kept checking and after about a week the plants were drinking and eating simultaneously.
FIFTH. THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT I STUMBLED ON. I noticed when I shut off the pump for about a 1/2 hour and turned it back on.. Pythium was shooting out of my irrigation which made me think it was dying.. I was right. I put my pump on a timer now to dry cycle for a 1/2 hour every hour and I have ZERO build up in my irrigation now AND Root production is out of this world.
SIXTH. For temp, I got tired of trying to cool my room enough to get the tent low enough so I ran a 4" flex duct from the front of my AC into the tent and wow.. I feel like an idiot for not doing that sooner. temps getting low as 62 lights off and staying 73-77 during lights on. Hoping to pull out some purples!
Main things I learned...
1. If your res isn't below 68, get some bennies to counter any bad bacteria.
2. Dry cycles to beat pythium in the root zone (if running top drip) and promote rapid root growth.
3. Pruning during flower should be VERY limited.
4. H2O2 Should be used ONLY to fix issues IMO. Being caustic, it's annoying to handle, you can over do it and the root production from Hydroguard is off the charts.
5. Run a duct from your AC. Your plants will grow faster, drink slower.
6. KEEP THE TOP OFF YOUR RES. The air pocket between water top and lid was a breeding ground for bacteria and mold.
7. All plants including different phenos have different tolerance and preference to nutrient levels and heat. Try and build systems that you're able to control individual levels... unless you have clones of the same plant!!!
I pray this is a helpful tool and information for my fellow farmers.
