My DIY Mini-Undercurrent Incubator! Comments? Criticisms?

[Boylobster]

Hey, THCrew! I've been off the board for a bit thanks to a welcome change of housing, and just thought I'd share the first stage of my new setup with everybody.

I'm taking a whole-body plunge into the Recirculating DWC scene; I've received my first Undercurrent 12XL, and I'll be setting it up in the next few days. However, since I don't want to waste the full Undercurrent system on vegging, I built myself a little Recirculating DWC Vegetator, and when the buddies are ready, they can simply be lifted out and placed in their individual Undercurrent pots for flowering.

The system is very simple. It's made of:
-Two 14gal Rubbermade tubs
-2" PVC fitted to Uniseals
-Ten 5.5" "heavy duty" net pots
-One 650gph mag-pump
-One JBJ Arctica H20 Chiller
-Various air pumps with high-grade ceramic diffusers

H20 for the system is provided by my new 5-stage RO/DI unit - the water comes in ~400ppm, and comes out at 0ppm. :) The purity of the water is my only concern, actually, but that's enough talk for now... let's see the pics!

Check out those pearly whites...

Trouble in Paradise...

So here's the question for those who know: what are they missing? This is the first time I've used 100% pure RO water, and I'm very pleased with how stable pH remains, and how easy it is to adjust. However, the plants are obviously *not* perfect - they look like they're wanting one micronutrient or another. For one thing, the leaves are only growing in groups of three, not five! That shit's not right, yo! :D I'm running H3ad's modified Lucas formula, that's a 2:3 ratio of General Hydro Micro to Bloom.

Since I'm using completely clean H2O, the buddies need to get absolutely everything from added nutes. Could they be missing trace elements like boron, selenium, etc.? How can I provide those with out f'ing up the water chemistry?

I'd love to hear from those experienced with these issues, or if you just want to give a shout, please do! :)

Thanks for looking,
BL

 

[Lost]

Whatever its missing is minor imo. Give it time, how long have they been in there? Also raise the water level if you can. You have a case of rope roots. If the roots are in water was soon as they come out of the bottom of the netpot, the root does not rope and happily floats around, instead of long ropes till it gets to the water. Ropes are not terrible but they are best to be avoided. Good luck :)

 

[Boylobster]

Just a couple more shots.

The RO/DI system, rockin' away:

The 35gal RO storage tank, soon to be replaced with a 100gal upgrade. :)

Happy roots and bubbles, playing together:

I'd really like to get this micronutrient issue figured out before they get flipped for flower, but if I delay much longer, I'm afraid that they'll become wastefully large! :D Oh, and I suppose I should also mention that temps are steady at 70F, and I keep the pH between 5.6 and 5.9.

That's the word, more to follow as the system progresses!

 

[moejammin]

Hey BoyL I dont run rdwc, but you should prob ad some kind of sea kelp and maybe a root stimulator house and garden has a good one so does humboldt. Good luck its seems like undercurrent is the new buzz word, very exciting!

 

[moejammin]

I would imagine some sort of humic or fulvic acid to help break things down.

 

[Boylobster]

Whatup, Lost? Thanks for the encouragement - they've been in there for about two weeks, and that's only a 250W bulb on a light mover, so you know they're *mostly* happy. :) As for the rope roots, that's just seems to be how they're growing. They've only begun to drink significant quantities of H2O in the last few days; most of the time, the water level has been at or above the bottom of the net pots. Go figure! Perhaps it's related to whatever is preventing normal leaf development...

I know they don't look *bad*, but you really think they'll be alright? This is a clone I've run a bit before, and the fact that they aren't growing *any* 5-pointed leaves kinda' concerns me. I'd hate for their flowering potential to be stunted by a micronutrient issue, 'cause thus far, I'm very pleased with the system overall.

 

[Boylobster]

moejammin, thanks, I'll give the sea kelp a look for sure. I don't know about products to break down nutes, however - the GH line isn't organic; they're water-soluble salts that dissolve directly into the solution. The nutes *should* be directly available to the buddies without the need for intervention... at least, as I understand it. :)

 

[Lost]

I think time is all they need. Keep up the good work :)

 

[moejammin]

Well a humate or a fulvate would be a water- soluble salt as well. I mainly meant it makes the nute more excessable to the plant, letting the plant work more on "growing" into a tree, rather than feeding. Just my pair of penny loafers though. Looks great either wa!

 

[Boylobster]

Hmmm... Just been digging back through Texas Kid's massive Under Current threads, and he's definitely making the House & Garden Van De Zwann nute line make earn its keep. It looks as though some of the additives are enzymatic products as well, so there a nod to you, moejammin. :) Unfortunately, he doesn't describe the nute regimen anywhere in detail. I wonder if he'd mind a PM...

Thanks again for the interest, guys. Lost, I'm glad you're confident; I know you know you know how blow $hit up. ;)

 

[Lost]

You can't go wrong with RE like MJ said. Its good stuff. I use it.. Your roots look good, but couldn't hurt :)

 

[Boylobster]

Hey Lost, I was just checkin' out your MPB thread. You're also using Aqua Flakes, correct? Would you mind sharing your schedule for the H & G line? Do you use straight RO water as well?

This is the beginning of my most ambitious grow by far, and I'd really like to do it as well as I can. :)

 

[Boylobster]

Whoops, sorry moe - didn't even notice that you'd also mentioned the H & G line. So be it - I'm off to hunt for an H & G vendor. :) Lost, I'd still love to hear a bit about how you use the H & G line, if you have time.

 

[Lost]

There is not much to it, I just follow their schedual. I use ro water and the H&G line. That breaks down to the aqua flakes a and b, multizyme, Roots Excelurator, during bloom bud xl, shooting powder, top booster all to their reccomendations. I also add great white as reccommended by H&G. I do add a splash of sweet to feed my bene's> a splash of gravity and snow storm when it suits me. Also a little cha-ching when it suits me :)

 

[Boylobster]

Whew! That's quite the lineup; this is the first time I'm gonna' commit to a full line of boutique nutrients, but... well, big nutes for a big system, right? :D I just pulled the trigger on the whole H & G line, so I'll have more to tell soon. Again, thanks for the guidance. :)

 

[ugmjfarmer]

I'd really like to get this micronutrient issue figured out before they get flipped for flower, but if I delay much longer, I'm afraid that they'll become wastefully large! :D Oh, and I suppose I should also mention that temps are steady at 70F, and I keep the pH between 5.6 and 5.9.

That's the word, more to follow as the system progresses!

May I recommend, instead of using a modified formula for this grow, use the GH as recommended. The head formula is for coco, you are not doing coco. Coco would provide some missing key micro/macro nutrients that your simply not providing.

Jump up to bay and use the 3-part the way it's supposed to be used. Your plants now need it that way.. that is (i just read you bought the whole H&G line) that is until that stuff comes in the mail.

 

[billybadazz]

Hmmm... Just been digging back through Texas Kid's massive Under Current threads, and he's definitely making the House & Garden Van De Zwann nute line make earn its keep. It looks as though some of the additives are enzymatic products as well, so there a nod to you, moejammin. :) Unfortunately, he doesn't describe the nute regimen anywhere in detail. I wonder if he'd mind a PM...

Thanks again for the interest, guys. Lost, I'm glad you're confident; I know you know you know how blow $hit up. ;)

WHAT UP i'M NOT tk BUT i READ THAT THREAD AND i BELIEVE HE SAID GET ONLINE TO h&g'S SITE AND FOLLOW THE MEDIUM FEEDING SCHEDULE

 

[Boylobster]

Hey, good call ugmj, thanks. I may well try that next time, but for now I'm going to try to get these H&G nutes to do their thing. Thanks for the lookout, too, billy.

You guys can see the somewhat disappointing first results from the H&G line in this thread:


:)

 

[mrdizzle]

floranova is keeping my girls are perfect Ph and green as can be

 

[Boylobster]

Noted, dizzle, thanks! I used to use Floranova back in the day for my soil grows... I'm not ready to give up on the H&G line just yet, or even the GH. I just need to get it figured out; this is how we do it, right? :)