Grow Mediums I want to try hydro, you want to do hydro with me?

[Journey Man]

Monday I got my gear. They had the alien rdwc - 4 pots, 30 liters. Think I have to order hydrogard from another shop. This shop did not sell it. But now we are on the go.. exciting!

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Way cool. show us pictures when you can.

 

[Journey Man]

Im off getting it today. Sure i post it up when im back. I think my 3 year old son gonna enjoy put it together aswell. He will probably think its a new toy for him. Ill do a "check out my new setup-post" with photos of everything.

 

[EvilScotsman]

Rambo:

Unless you can connect recirculating tanks with 2 1/2" inch piping just forget about it. I tried all manner of connections with 1" and just ended up always clogged by roots. Water in at the bottom and out at the top worked best but was eventually clogged when I forgot to clear it it a couple of days. Then I had a minor flood.

I don't know how starting seeds in glasses of water and paper towels ever got started or why but it is not needed and can be harmful to the germination and the all important tap root. I know thousands of guys will claim success because their plant grows but is it all it could have been? 1. Look at an emerging tap root under a microscope; you will see thousands of tiny lateral root hairs. These root hairs grow into the fibers of the paper towels and are stripped off when removed from the towel. 2. You bump and damage the delicate root tip trying to plant it. These actions will slow and/or stunt the plant. Soaking seeds prevents oxygen from getting to the root as it cracks the shell again slow and/or stunt the plant. Use Rapid Rooters for soil and rockwool for starting your hydro seeds. Put the seed point up into the medium ~ 1/2" deep, control the temperature ~ 78°F they will germinate just fine without damage to the little tap root and its laterals.

yaaaay!! finally someone else with a bit of common sense lol. it baffles me aswell mate. i done my first few in the towels till i clicked on. root riots are awesome. just put the seed in and leave it pretty much anywhere other than the fridge. i put a glass over mine to help keep it humid aswell. cant get any easier than that : )

 

[Journey Man]

Ill get some root riots and some grodan 4x4... if you have any tips @EvilScotsman you better put them in now as im on the go to the candy-shop.

 

[EvilScotsman]

hey buddy glad to see your taking the plunge. its a lot to wrap your head round at first but once it clicks youll see how much easier it is than soil growing. im only on my second grow but im pretty confident with my NFT set up so ill gladly help you out if i can. everything ive read here seems spot on so your heading in the right direction. sm90 or similar product is an absolute must. root riots are the way forward too. im barely managing to keep my res under 26* and im still 20 times bigger than last time. temps are obviously very important but as long as theyre not too hot too much of the time and you can keep ontop of everything else you shouldnt have much bother with it. i havent anyway. i still stress about it constantly but they seem pretty happy so i am too. anything your not sure about mate feel free to tag me id love to help you along : )

 

[Journey Man]

hey buddy glad to see your taking the plunge. its a lot to wrap your head round at first but once it clicks youll see how much easier it is than soil growing. im only on my second grow but im pretty confident with my NFT set up so ill gladly help you out if i can. everything ive read here seems spot on so your heading in the right direction. sm90 or similar product is an absolute must. root riots are the way forward too. im barely managing to keep my res under 26* and im still 20 times bigger than last time. temps are obviously very important but as long as theyre not too hot too much of the time and you can keep ontop of everything else you shouldnt have much bother with it. i havent anyway. i still stress about it constantly but they seem pretty happy so i am too. anything your not sure about mate feel free to tag me id love to help you along : )

Thanks for the posstive spirit and vibe, thats giving me confidence!
Shit, 26, i know for sure i wont hit those temps, i wish i could say "if you dosnt get problem in those temps, i know i will not coz i will have lower". But it dosnt work that way im affraid, maybe i have some bacterias in my room just waiting for a swim .

Sm-90 or hydroguard i have to order. But there is still some time before ill drop the seeds. Need to take down my others first.. or close to anyway. I still feel a bit stressed. Thank you @EvilScotsman. I think i will need help reading the girls, sometimes its easier to see if the girls are missing something when looking at somebody elses grow. An eye outside the bubble. I will do daily photo-updates, know its to much when pounding pics everyday, but this system is taking 25-30% of my space and it would feel in my heart if the jars would be empty when done...

Ill do some photos when im back with the system.

 

[EvilScotsman]

honestly mate its a piece of piss once you figure it out. if you poison them you just take it out. if theyre deficient you just add more. no flushing, no fannying about. just reset it and off you go. it just looks complicated on paper. ill pm you my little go to guide i used for trouble shooting when i find it. im colour blind so i had a couple guys on here i pestered every day through my first 8 weeks while i sussed out what was what so never be afraid to ask no matter how trivial it sounds. people done it for all of us when we started our hydro adventures too : )

 

[Journey Man]

I'm wounder I thing. When I'm emptying the system, I will need 160 litres of 19°c degree pre-bubbled water, as I can't just take the hose and fill directly. So I need another big container with water that I will use when it's time to empty the system? Yes? It's a lot of water as I will do autopots aswell. And they also need water at correct temp that's been bubbled for 24 to evaporate some chemicals...
I appreciate all help I can have! Any tips are welcome. I just started to read a book yesterday, to learn and understand how and why. I have downloaded two books of Ed Rosenthal. I'll try to read a total of 4-5 books this month, as i I'm pretty good at study when I'm getting myself into it. I have never failed a test when I have read the study book so it could be a good idea reading books about This.

EvilScotsman, your AU is very nice. She's a very good size plant!

 

[Penrey]

55 gal barrels that have the removable lid work well. I have one that has doubled as a res, storage container and soil tumbler. I used it last year to make teas for my outdoor plants. I think they are pretty cheap, and if you find a used syrup one you can just cut the top off. I have see people use the large totes from home depot too.
Here it is with 40 gal of tea going.