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FastForward
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aka Things I Wish I’d Known and Learned The Hard Way
This is an evolving list that I'll update as and when I learn something the hard way :)
For anyone new reading this, I'm about 6 or 7 weeks into my first grow....so if you're just starting out hopefully what I've learned in my short time can save you some hassle...
1) Less is More, Keep It Simple, Don’t Overthink It... people don’t say it because they think you’re not up to it, or because you’re stupid...it’s because it’s tried and tested. Start simple, then develop with time. Hand water soil or coco first, then think about hydro or aero, or drip to waste coco etc.
2) Water Pumps Are Your Friend. Forget drilling out drain taps for reservoirs, or sucking nutes through a hose. Put a water pump in the res with a hose on, and empty into a bucket/drain. Also put one in your res whilst you’re mixing nutes...instant mixing, no stirring. Leave it in the res for circulation as an alternative/addition to airstones.
3) Water Coco Daily. Forget all the “it’s better if it dries” crap – just water them daily with runoff, more frequently for younger/smaller plants. You can leave bigger pots for a day or even two, but think of it more as for emergency rather than practice. Some people swear that you should leave it to dry, but from what I've seen in diaries, daily/frequent watering is the way forward. Simpler too.
4) Soak Hydroton in pH’d water. Rinsing them is one thing, and it has to be done very very thoroughly so there is next to NO silt/residue. In addition they have to be soaked to ensure pH stays relatively level once the system is going. IF NOT, MASSIVE PH SWINGS WITH SILTING.
5) Distilled Water or RO water (EC0) is no good on its own. It’s too pure and there’s nothing to buffer pH. Cut with tap water. 70/30 (ish) RO to tap seems to work well for me.
6) NEVER turn off your extractor. Increase humidity other ways, but never turn it off. Low ventilation plus humidity = very bad (algae, pests, pythium etc)
7) Cheap pH meters – don’t do it. If you can afford it, spend the extra money and get a good one with a replaceable bulb. pH is so important that if it breaks you’re screwed. Don’t buy cheap – it’s a false economy.
8) Seed Selection. Don’t use your very best, most elite genetics for your first attempt at propagation. Use something cheaper and more disposable just in case you get it wrong. It’s not difficult but it does take some honing to get good germ rates, with whatever methods works best for you. I just put mine straight in coco now and into a heated prop until they break the surface when I put them under lights and start on formulex (5ml/ltr).
This is an evolving list that I'll update as and when I learn something the hard way :)
For anyone new reading this, I'm about 6 or 7 weeks into my first grow....so if you're just starting out hopefully what I've learned in my short time can save you some hassle...
1) Less is More, Keep It Simple, Don’t Overthink It... people don’t say it because they think you’re not up to it, or because you’re stupid...it’s because it’s tried and tested. Start simple, then develop with time. Hand water soil or coco first, then think about hydro or aero, or drip to waste coco etc.
2) Water Pumps Are Your Friend. Forget drilling out drain taps for reservoirs, or sucking nutes through a hose. Put a water pump in the res with a hose on, and empty into a bucket/drain. Also put one in your res whilst you’re mixing nutes...instant mixing, no stirring. Leave it in the res for circulation as an alternative/addition to airstones.
3) Water Coco Daily. Forget all the “it’s better if it dries” crap – just water them daily with runoff, more frequently for younger/smaller plants. You can leave bigger pots for a day or even two, but think of it more as for emergency rather than practice. Some people swear that you should leave it to dry, but from what I've seen in diaries, daily/frequent watering is the way forward. Simpler too.
4) Soak Hydroton in pH’d water. Rinsing them is one thing, and it has to be done very very thoroughly so there is next to NO silt/residue. In addition they have to be soaked to ensure pH stays relatively level once the system is going. IF NOT, MASSIVE PH SWINGS WITH SILTING.
5) Distilled Water or RO water (EC0) is no good on its own. It’s too pure and there’s nothing to buffer pH. Cut with tap water. 70/30 (ish) RO to tap seems to work well for me.
6) NEVER turn off your extractor. Increase humidity other ways, but never turn it off. Low ventilation plus humidity = very bad (algae, pests, pythium etc)
7) Cheap pH meters – don’t do it. If you can afford it, spend the extra money and get a good one with a replaceable bulb. pH is so important that if it breaks you’re screwed. Don’t buy cheap – it’s a false economy.
8) Seed Selection. Don’t use your very best, most elite genetics for your first attempt at propagation. Use something cheaper and more disposable just in case you get it wrong. It’s not difficult but it does take some honing to get good germ rates, with whatever methods works best for you. I just put mine straight in coco now and into a heated prop until they break the surface when I put them under lights and start on formulex (5ml/ltr).
