DWC slow root growth + nute dose help

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crypto12

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Hi first time grower doing a DWC indoor 25l pot and air pump im using autoflower barneys farm wedding cake auto.

Sprouted the seed in a rockwell cube with hydroten pebbles using a glass bowl to create condensation. The seed sprouted fine however its been 14 days and no signs of roots.

I bought a cheap PH meter so I'm guessing I could have incorrectly balanced the hydroten pebbles but I did notice the rockwell cube itself was absolutely soaking wet.

Nutrients - base mix is general hydroponics trio (gro, micro, bloom)
additives - shogun katana root simulator and cal mag , I'm running a sterile system using silver bullet roots.

Any information on nutes dosage for general hydroponics would be appreciated , I've seen alot on forums discussing that autoflowers are quite different and dosage should never be full strength. So starting off small and build its way up to half of its dose throughout its cycle and I'd only need the to use gro and bloom with a cal mag substance then there's the lucas forumla... , I'm a first time grower so I understand it's going to be a lot off trial and error and I'll need to be actively monitoring PH and PPM levels

The solution I used for the seedling is silver bullet roots at half strength of its dosage and the root simulator at full. I've attached a photo of the seedling how do you think it looks ?

Snapchat-1067021571.jpg


Has anyone taken longer than 2 weeks or how long can it survive like this.

Thanks
 
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SofaKingHigh

SofaKingHigh

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I don’t use DWC nor have I grown in rock wool. But you may be keeping it too wet causing the roots not to reach out for moisture. I have read that it’s easier to start out with a rapid rooter then into a larger rock wool block or into your clay pebbles then hand water until roots start coming out the bottom. Someone on here with more experience in dwc will chime in I’m sure.
 
smokedareefer

smokedareefer

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I grow RDWC,

Imo your cubes are too hign in the net pot. Current culture net pots have a raised area where the cube is placed.

Where's your water level in relation to the bottom of the cube. There's enough reserves in the germed seed for a couple weeks

Screenshot 20220104 160103 Chrome
 
H

HyPonic

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Is your water level touching the rockwool? If so that's your problem. Water level should be below the net cup, encouraging root growth down into the reservoir.
Keeping the rockwool constantly wet will cause dampening off
 
PK1

PK1

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if there is no roots coming out of the rockwool then pick it up and than remove some pebbles and make sure the rockwool and some of the stem is berried in the pebbles.
make sure your water is below the net pot. Hand water until you see roots coming out of the bottom of the net pot.
Make sure your rez gets stabled. ph anywhere between 5.5 to 5.8 and keep ec 0.6 or 300ppm
 
GanjaJack

GanjaJack

361
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I make my own seeds so I don't care that it's wasteful....

I sow directly into the Hydroton in most cases. Then pull out the seedlings I don't like or that have red stems. (I have noticed that seedlings with red stems often end up being males over the years. Though many people say this is a myth, it still helps me decide which seedlings to thin out.)

I DO NOT adjust my water, I run flat out 8-9.0 PH hard ass water from the well. SO it does have a little mineral content.

From some "Grow books" I have read(Can't recall which off hand right off), hard water is beneficial for young seedlings, am not sure if it's because the high PH puts all the nutrients that seedlings need in the sweet spot that makes it available to them or what.

I use 4 way Aquafarm pumps x 4 air stones, to every 5 gallon bucket. I use 5 gallon buckets because the temperatures stay more consistent than in anything smaller.

The 4 way Aquafarm pump x 4 airstones may seem like over kill, but the object is not to provide dissolved oxygen beyond what the plant can take, the point is to provide water agitation so that it creates a strong root mass and encourages strong root growth, which creates more surface area to obtain MORE dissolved oxygen.

If you look at the inside of a 5 gallon bucket you can see the plastic mold lines where the ridges form at the top of the bucket, I fill up the bucket to the first line. Put my 6 inch net pot on top, fill the net pot up half way with my Hydroton rock(which is where the water line sits) , throw in my seeds, then throw in a few more rocks just to cover the seeds a little. Then once they start popping(usually in 2 or 3 days), I put more rock on top, let them grow through.. then put more rock on top, until the rock is to the top of the bucket.

During all of this, the "spray" and agitation from the air stones should keep the rocks moist, JUST right for germination and there is enough oxygen in the water so that it won't cause dampening off or root rot, and other issues.

By the time roots are really growing, the water level in the bucket is lower from evaporation. When you see roots popping out of the side of the net pot, you start adjusting for seedling stage growth.

Stay patient, it's your best friend.
 
Cashmeh

Cashmeh

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You don't need root stimulators for seeds. That's for cloning I'm assuming, regardless.. Ya don't need it.

You need ppm and ph calibration solution. Check your meters for accuracy. Run 200ppm for now and 5.6 to 5.8 ph.

Use RO or distilled water, buy gallons at Walmart for now. Also use equal ratios of all 4 bottles. I'm assuming....

.5 ml calmag
.5 ml micro
. 5 ml grow
. 5 ml bloom.

Then do what everyone else says too lol..

Its not looking good but I think you will be fine.
 
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