FIRST TIME HYDRO GROWER - all advice welcome. Started germination last week

[AnselAdams]

OK, changed the water to 50-50 RO and NYC tap water, about 1.75 gallons each, 3.5 total. Added 7ML of each nutrient bottle to each of the 2 buckets/plants.
Check PPM and it was too high about 320ppm. So I added about another 1000-1400mls of RO water to get the PPM down to about 290ish. Water level me be a tad high but not really...
Think I am good with the water now, but how do I add more going forward. Aquaman you said about a cup topfed daily, with the same ratio of nutrients...
. . .

Use the water in your rez.

I use this in both of my cabinet/tents and it saves a LOT of time and effort. If you have more questions on how to use it let me know, and i'll see what I can do to help. If I have no friggin idea we'll try and find someone on The Farm who does!

Welcome to The Farm & Happy Growing

along with a small 80gph pump on a timer is what i use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WBZZ7K0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EWENKXO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Aqua Man]

Ok so get yourself a notebook or spreadsheet on a PC. Make a daily log. You will see how this will help you later on and once things pick up make it alot easier to track.

Gonna do this to the fullest and at fist its gonna seem like a waste but it's good to get in the habbit.

Today is WC day. So record the ph, ppm and it's a fresh res.

Tomorrow you will test ppm and pH and make note. Do this daily. If the water is lower than 1" below the net pot then top it back up with water and record the amount you added back. This is important as it's what will determine when you change your water. (Most places say change weekly but this is wasteful early on and not enough later in flower)

Going over the water portion and will go over the nutrient and ph adjustments after.

So everytime you add water you add it to the previous. Today is 0 and say tomorrow you add 1/2 gal (if less is needed just skip adding) write it down in gals so 0.5 gal then 3 days later you add 0.5 gal write it down as the total 1g and carry on that way. Once you hit 3.5 gal you empty the res and make a brand new batch of nutrients. This will keep the nutrients in balance.

Still record daily ph and ppm though.

Now nutrients always added before phing.

So when you add back water you want to add back some nutrients in it. So what you can do is take a gallon jug and use it for ad backs mix it at the same 2ml a gal of each. After adding back check the ppm of the whole solution. And write it down. So you have a before and after ppm. With this info I can teach and show you exactly how your plants are reacting and how to adjust to what the plant is telling you. Once you get that you will never need to ask another nutrient strength question again.

Last ph the solution. Always do this last. You want to start the res at about 5.6 and then let it drift daily until it hits 6.0 record it daily. Once it hits 6.0 you will ph back down and let it drift back up this ensures good range of nutrient availability. You want ideally 0.2 ph drift in 24hrs. You don't want it to fast or rock solid as to fast can stress the plant. Once we see how the drift goes we can make some changes to dial it in.

I realize this seems like a lot but if your willing to do that I will commit to going through it all with ya. After 1 grow you will be an ace DWC and understand it very well. If not that's not an issue as it takes time to test and record daily and some just don't have that.

Once you get it you will know when and where you can cheat and once the bugs are worked out it takes very little time.

 

[AnselAdams]

Ok so get yourself a notebook or spreadsheet on a PC. Make a daily log. You will see how this will help you later on and once things pick up make it alot easier to track.

Gonna do this to the fullest and at fist its gonna seem like a waste but it's good to get in the habbit.

Today is WC day. So record the ph, ppm and it's a fresh res.

Tomorrow you will test ppm and pH and make note. Do this daily. If the water is lower than 1" below the net pot then top it back up with water and record the amount you added back. This is important as it's what will determine when you change your water. (Most places say change weekly but this is wasteful early on and not enough later in flower)

Going over the water portion and will go over the nutrient and ph adjustments after.

So everytime you add water you add it to the previous. Today is 0 and say tomorrow you add 1/2 gal (if less is needed just skip adding) write it down in gals so 0.5 gal then 3 days later you add 0.5 gal write it down as the total 1g and carry on that way. Once you hit 3.5 gal you empty the res and make a brand new batch of nutrients. This will keep the nutrients in balance.

Still record daily ph and ppm though.

Now nutrients always added before phing.

So when you add back water you want to add back some nutrients in it. So what you can do is take a gallon jug and use it for ad backs mix it at the same 2ml a gal of each. After adding back check the ppm of the whole solution. And write it down. So you have a before and after ppm. With this info I can teach and show you exactly how your plants are reacting and how to adjust to what the plant is telling you. Once you get that you will never need to ask another nutrient strength question again.

Last ph the solution. Always do this last. You want to start the res at about 5.6 and then let it drift daily until it hits 6.0 record it daily. Once it hits 6.0 you will ph back down and let it drift back up this ensures good range of nutrient availability. You want ideally 0.2 ph drift in 24hrs. You don't want it to fast or rock solid as to fast can stress the plant. Once we see how the drift goes we can make some changes to dial it in.

I realize this seems like a lot but if your willing to do that I will commit to going through it all with ya. After 1 grow you will be an ace DWC and understand it very well. If not that's not an issue as it takes time to test and record daily and some just don't have that.

Once you get it you will know when and where you can cheat and once the bugs are worked out it takes very little time.

Here is one I created a year or two ago. Let me know if you cannot download or save a copy.

excel spreadsheet ==> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MiDnqsyPKxHivoW4unoWSLlmuTMBs-ut/view?usp=sharing

zipped excel spreadsheet ==> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RLhN9Zb5h18uwy1hVzyUH4l6mFXq2Uq5/view?usp=sharing

Good Luck. If you have any questions let me know!!

 

[Aqua Man]

Here is one I created a year or two ago. Let me know if you cannot download or save a copy.

excel spreadsheet ==> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MiDnqsyPKxHivoW4unoWSLlmuTMBs-ut/view?usp=sharing

zipped excel spreadsheet ==> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RLhN9Zb5h18uwy1hVzyUH4l6mFXq2Uq5/view?usp=sharing

Good Luck. If you have any questions let me know!!

Wow that's really nice bro.

 

[TheBioMaster]

Very nice AnselAdams!

Cant stress enough how important it is to write down as much detail as time allows .....a spreadsheet like Ansel posted is perfect, very detailed.

Why is this so important??

1. Your memory sucks!! Its a human nature thing, dont take it personally, everyone's memory is flawed.....plus, there are really to many variables to try and just remember what you did, how ya did, when you did it.....add 3 months time and......forget about it....literally!!

2. Things change VERY fast in DWC/RDWC.....its a side effect of the super fast growth you get. Because things change fast, your spreadsheet and notes can be used for reference in times of trouble to very quickly get back to a "base line" and head off or fix any issues quickly. Baseline = Stable System & happy/healthy plants.....like a "restore" on a computer or database....you "go back" to a time when computer was not broke....or back to a baseline of when plants were happy, and system was stable.

3. You will want to "duplicate" your results when successful....3 weeks veg time plus 8 to 14 weeks flower time, is a LONG time in terms of trying to remember exactly what you did and WHEN you did it!!

4. If you fail or things go south, you will know what to AVOID in the future so that does not happen anymore.

5. Having reference saves time for future grows, like setup and feed systems, etc.

Welcome to the Farm!

Lots of expert growers here that are willing to share and help. You will do well.

 

[AnselAdams]

@citygrower18

another tool i use is google photo (MAKE SURE SETTINGS ARE PRIVATE!!) to keep my logs
It helps when i need to go back and see what i have done (just as @TheBioMaster said). I use it several times a grow to figure out when to do things again, what i fed, when, pretty much same data that is in the spreadsheet. it was version 1. Google is version two; wording is not searchable, for something that is searchable i would use something like OneNote.

i set my phone to store the photos directly to google (THEN DELETE FROM YOUR PHONE!)

Happy Growing

--------------------------

Here is a sample entry. customize as needed!
--------
UPDATE: GROW 5 - WEEK 6 - Day 60 - G5GW6D5 - Friday 26 June 2020
Day 60- Since germination
Weekly Target PPM - Now have a full load of enzymes which accounts for about 100-150 ppm.

PH=OK PPM=OK (930-880) Temp=OK
... ppm is a little high, after adding 17 aspirin for the calcium; the ppm's were still just a bit higher than target so i diluted rez by 25% RO to get to current ppm.
--------

 

[citygrower18]

I started using the log that Ansel provided.
Should my ppm being going up or down if I haven't added any water yet?

Date	Time	STAGE	PPM	Water Temp	Tent Temp	PH	Humid.	nuits	NOTES
6/19/20		Germ	Germ start				40
6/24/20		Seedling put in DWC Buckets					40		1 light on 24 hr
6/25/20			Plant A/Plant B						both lights on 24 hours
6/26/20		week 2						Added first nutrients, FLORA trio 2ml pg ea
6/27/20	1130	week 2	295/305	73.4	77.2	6.1	49
6/28/20	930	week 2	300/335	80.6	82	6.1	50

 

[Aqua Man]

I started using the log that Ansel provided.
Should my ppm being going up or down if I haven't added any water yet?

Date	Time	STAGE	PPM	Water Temp	Tent Temp	PH	Humid.	nuits	NOTES
6/19/20		Germ	Germ start				40
6/24/20		Seedling put in DWC Buckets					40		1 light on 24 hr
6/25/20			Plant A/Plant B						both lights on 24 hours
6/26/20		week 2						Added first nutrients, FLORA trio 2ml pg ea
6/27/20	1130	week 2	295/305	73.4	77.2	6.1	49
6/28/20	930	week 2	300/335	80.6	82	6.1	50

Usually up a bit.

 

[Aqua Man]

If it is then you can take the gal and plot it in half and make 2 gal at 50% or just add back water. You can steer the ppm in the direction you want like that

 

[AnselAdams]

I started using the log that Ansel provided.
Should my ppm being going up or down if I haven't added any water yet?

Date	Time	STAGE	PPM	Water Temp	Tent Temp	PH	Humid.	nuits	NOTES
6/19/20		Germ	Germ start				40
6/24/20		Seedling put in DWC Buckets					40		1 light on 24 hr
6/25/20			Plant A/Plant B						both lights on 24 hours
6/26/20		week 2						Added first nutrients, FLORA trio 2ml pg ea
6/27/20	1130	week 2	295/305	73.4	77.2	6.1	49
6/28/20	930	week 2	300/335	80.6	82	6.1	50

There should have been a matrix at the bottom of the INFO stuff. It may have "slid" a little out of place.

here it is..

 

[AnselAdams]

Here is another "handy" idea that i have found very useful i helping me figure out how much i am increasing my ppm with each feeding and what the expected increase SHOULD be when complete. If it is too far off you did something wrong and need to set about finding out what it was and correcting it.

I call it the Gallon test. start here and read the next for or 5 posts ==> https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/ansel-adams-hydro-adventures-journal.108531/post-2340424

Happy Growing!

 

[citygrower18]

Date

STAGE

Time

Tent Temp

Humid

PPM- A Plant

PPM- B Plant

Water Temp

EC

PH

6/27/20	week 2	1130	77.2	49	305	295	73.4	x	6.1
6/28/20	week 2	930	82	50	335	300	80.6	x	6.1
6/29/20	week 2	2330	77.9	44	315	300	75.2/77	615/575	6.15
6/30/20	week 2	2330	83.8	45	335	344	80.6/82	675/670	6.15

 

[citygrower18]

Seems like PPP has gone up quite a bit. I am also going away for 3 nights for the 4th and will be leaving them unattended. Any suggestions for prepping them for this?

 

[Aqua Man]

Seems like PPP has gone up quite a bit. I am also going away for 3 nights for the 4th and will be leaving them unattended. Any suggestions for prepping them for this?

Should be fine just top up before you go. Are you writing down your top ups?

And what are you topping up with

 

[citygrower18]

Haven't had to top up yet, water level looks steady over the past 4 days, don't think it has dropped below an inch of the rooter... I might of had a little extra in to start with. Was planning to use the same formula I did to start 50-50 RO and and Tap plus 2ml pg nutr

 

[Aqua Man]

Haven't had to top up yet, water level looks steady over the past 4 days, don't think it has dropped below an inch of the rooter... I might of had a little extra in to start with. Was planning to use the same formula I did to start 50-50 RO and and Tap plus 2ml pg nutr

If ppm is going up they are drinking and you could at this stage prob top up with water

 

[citygrower18]

ok, since I am going away for 4 days, I was thinking of just changing water again like I did originally instead of topping up

 

[Aqua Man]

ok, since I am going away for 4 days, I was thinking of just changing water again like I did originally instead of topping up

Yup not a bad idea. Can bring it to the bottom of the net pot also to give ya a little extra and drop the ppm maybe by 50 or so and that way it won't get to concentrated by the time ya get back.

 

[citygrower18]

Date	STAGE	Time	Tent Temp	Humid	PPM	Water Temp	EC	PPM	Water Temp	EC	PH	Plant A Water	PLANT B Water	nuits	NOTES
6/19/20	Germ		Germ start		A PLANT	A PLANT	A PLANT	B PLANT	B PLANT	B PLANT
6/24/20	Seedling put in DWC Buckets											1 light on 24 hr
6/25/20												both lights on 24 hours
6/26/20	week 2													Added all 3 Flora kit, 2ml per gal each	Added first nutrients, FLORA trio 2ml pg ea
6/27/20	week 2	1130	77.2	49	305	73.4	x	295	73.4	x	6.1
6/28/20	week 2	930	82	50	335	80.6	x	300	80.6	x	6.1
6/29/20	week 2	2330	77.9	44	315	75.2	615/575	300	77	575	6.15
6/30/20	week 2	2330	83.8	45	335	80.6	675/670	344	82	670	6.15				First roots below bucket
7/1/20	week 2	1900/1930*	79.9	45	322/230*	77	624/446*	322/205*	77	662/408*	6.25/5.95*			10ml for 4 gallons	CHANGED WATER FIRST TIME- before going away for 3 day. Measured before and after. Added slightly less Nutr than original and 4 gallons of water and only 10 or 11ml pg.
7/2/20	week 2	1200	79.5	47	245	75.2	500	240	77	488	6.3/6.23				PH down 1ml for each bucket
7/3/20	week 3		AWAY FROM PLANTS		AWAY FROM PLANTS
7/4/20	week 3		AWAY FROM PLANTS		AWAY FROM PLANTS
7/5/20	week 3	2200	82.6	45	258-271	78.8	536	265	80.6	525-535	5.65				Room temp was 75 - Tent was 82.6

 

[Aqua Man]

Date	STAGE	Time	Tent Temp	Humid	PPM	Water Temp	EC	PPM	Water Temp	EC	PH	Plant A Water	PLANT B Water	nuits	NOTES
6/19/20	Germ		Germ start		A PLANT	A PLANT	A PLANT	B PLANT	B PLANT	B PLANT
6/24/20	Seedling put in DWC Buckets											1 light on 24 hr
6/25/20												both lights on 24 hours
6/26/20	week 2													Added all 3 Flora kit, 2ml per gal each	Added first nutrients, FLORA trio 2ml pg ea
6/27/20	week 2	1130	77.2	49	305	73.4	x	295	73.4	x	6.1
6/28/20	week 2	930	82	50	335	80.6	x	300	80.6	x	6.1
6/29/20	week 2	2330	77.9	44	315	75.2	615/575	300	77	575	6.15
6/30/20	week 2	2330	83.8	45	335	80.6	675/670	344	82	670	6.15				First roots below bucket
7/1/20	week 2	1900/1930*	79.9	45	322/230*	77	624/446*	322/205*	77	662/408*	6.25/5.95*			10ml for 4 gallons	CHANGED WATER FIRST TIME- before going away for 3 day. Measured before and after. Added slightly less Nutr than original and 4 gallons of water and only 10 or 11ml pg.
7/2/20	week 2	1200	79.5	47	245	75.2	500	240	77	488	6.3/6.23				PH down 1ml for each bucket
7/3/20	week 3		AWAY FROM PLANTS		AWAY FROM PLANTS
7/4/20	week 3		AWAY FROM PLANTS		AWAY FROM PLANTS
7/5/20	week 3	2200	82.6	45	258-271	78.8	536	265	80.6	525-535	5.65				Room temp was 75 - Tent was 82.6

PH looking better, water temps getting high. How do the plants look?