Automaria II (First Grow)

[jwb87]

I thought you were going hydro?!?

Wow! Im embarassed

I definitely was, have every piece, part, pump and hose, but backed out, just afraid of messing things up my first grow. Felt like soil would be more forgiving so I dont hurt the girls.

But again I do have everything required and may use it for my next grow, providing pending results.


Sorry to disappoint man, next time!



As for any kind of update tonight. No big change in the 3 sprouts, but I peeked under the little rockwool trapdoor I made for my runt, and she appeared to be spreading open since I removed her shells, maybe she just needed some help??

Got my second gal of water from the petshop today (only went through .5 gal in first week, but did PH test and came at 7.5, supposed to be 6.5+-), also from seeing other journals, I decided to remove the wrapping from the rockwool cubes. Maybe a n00b thing to wait so long haha. just packaging

 

[Outa-Space]

No, no, no. Don't be embarrassed. You're making good decisions.
The DWC setup you were going to use is a great beginner/closet system. And you understand the process which gives you a very good advantage.

Hell... I'm a (dwc) beginner with just a slight amount of experience, and have not done soil but guess what... that's what I'm gearing-up for right now. It's going to be fun.

I made a reply to your DIY thread. Just cache the advice.

 

[jwb87]

10 days since I dropped the 4 seeds into water, and here we are

Seem kind of short compared to other AF journals Ive seen, maybe I need to get them into some soil to promote root growth??

Still concerned for my runt, praying she pulls through!

 

[Outa-Space]

And keep-up the good work!

 

[jwb87]

And keep-up the good work!

Ty sir!

 

[Outa-Space]

jwb,
Are you feeding them anything in the way of nutes right now?
About the time you see 2 leaf sets (albeit tiny and not necessarily including the round leaves)... well this is when they start to need nutrition. I don't believe rockwool contains any nutes.

I would not remove them from the rockwool, but I would pot-up into a 6" container using a soil specifically for seedlings. I'm just thinking out loud here.
I think you need some root growth from rockwool into soil. And a seedling soil will have the right amount of nutes once roots establish. Of course you can't really see when the roots move into the soil, but you could expect it to happen within a few days.

So you may need to feed them lightly a couple times this week, to promote growth. And I mean feed them your AN grow micro bloom, or whatever you were planning to use. I'd go low, maybe 100ppm, small dose and watch for a response. If your cautious or concerned, then try the dose on 1 plant. And don't try it on the runt. She may be in shock now... from something. It's hard to tell. I think we all have runts. But your runt can come to life and surprise you.

 

[Outa-Space]

 

[Outa-Space]

jwb,
You've probably seen this or have it on one of your bottles. It's taken directly from the back label of a AN Micro 1L bottle.

Ya can't help but notice the cutting/seedling ppm level of 600. I tried this in a DWC and my plants damn near died. I cut back to 100ppm, let the plants recover, and then moved up weekly. And this is AN recommendations for hydro or soil. So... I like to err on the side of caution.

And... you can always use sunflower/seeds as guinea pigs. It's not something many ppl here suggest, but... it helps in the learning process. Germinate some sunflower seeds... plant em... treat em just like you would mj. Experiment with stronger solutions. Of course you grow em outside, but... you get my point.

Enjoy.

 

[jwb87]

Damn man, thanks so much for all that info! But no, I havent seen that chart, thats friggn' awesome, was NOT on my jugs of nutes, and AN's website was a little complex for me, but thats just perfect.

So would you suggest mixing up a gallon of water to feed them to check the PPM. I do have a PPM tester, just havent used the damn thing haha.


Also I have not fed the girls any nutes yet, just some PH balanced (6.5 supposedly) water from my local Pet stores own system.

Then I should look to get some seedling soil, I do have some small pots if you look in my photo gallery, the smaller square pots. And just plant the whole rockwool cube?? Maybe cover it up with 1/2 of soil or so?

Thanks again, sorry I didnt get back to you earlier, was enjoying a motorcycle ride in this 105 degree weather


PS. Ive been giving the girls about a full "oral syringe" of water whenever they feel light, which is 5ML or 1 TSP.

 

[Outa-Space]

I'm quite familiar with the web-based AN nute calculator. Just wasn't for me.

Your 6.5pH is good for now. Keep it there. And make sure any solution you make is 6.5pH.

And yep... I would make 1 gal of solution for starters. I'm not sure how well versed you are with using your ppm meter. But here's what I do.
Every couple months or so I check my meter for accuracy against a 1500ppm calibrated testing solution.
For mixing a solution I check the ppm of my tap water to establish a baseline. Our tap water is typically ~100ppm.
For 1 gallon... I'd start by adding 5 DROPS of Micro.
Then 5 drops of Grow, then 5 of Bloom... STIR WELL and then test for ppm. If you're ppm is too low... add more equal drops. If you're high, pardon the pun, remove a cup of solution and replace with tap water.

It shouldn't take much to reach a baseline+100ppm.

Once you're satisfied with your solution...
A.) give em a syringe dose full. If they're ready for nutes... they should respond with a growth spurt within 24-48 hours.
B.) If the leaves curl and there is no noticeable growth... then feed with water again. Try to repeat step A a few days later.

But I think you're going to be ok
Some folks make alot of noise about water. My tap water is pretty darn good, so I don't go through the trouble of buying water.
I do have a pH meter, and more solutions--- called pH UP & DOWN. This allows me to adjust the pH of my water to whatever I want.

My DWC/bubbler grows were about as maintenance free as a grow gets. I'd change my solution once a week, and never have to re-adjust the pH during the week. I'd set my pH at like 5.5. And by the end of the week the pH would have risen to 6.0-6.2. which is a good range for hydro.

One other thing you may not be aware of for DWC grows... is how much water (solution) the plants consume on a daily basis. At times I was having to add ~2 gallons for makeup daily. I was using 3 10gal totes combined. Take a look at my profile and then find my photo gallery... you'll see what my little grow looked like. Oddly enough I didn't capture any large view pics during flower... just closeups of budporn.

 

[Outa-Space]

About containers... I just read a good piece of info today. Start the seedling in a dixiecup... then transplant to 6" pot for couple weeks. Then to a 2 gal pot for the rest of VEG phase, Then transplant last time to a 3gal for flower phase.

Seems like a lot of work... but not really. Saves on water (and solution) cost by utilizing proper container size. Makes sense.

Aight, gotta go, I'm firing up the vape.
TTYL

 

[jwb87]

Havent even taken my PPM meter outta the box yet haha. Tried my PH meter in this petshop water after having it for a week and it read 7.3, guess the PH goes up after awhile?? I also have hygrozime and PH UP/Down intended for my DWC project.

So your saying after you get the seeds to give you a tap, throw them right into dixie cups or solo cups?? I do see a root at the bottom of one of my rockwool cubes, I think shes just ahead of the class, and wants to grow!!

Thanks for the support but I dont think my runts gonna pull through. Still hasnt develeoped a root system, its not holding into the rockwool, and the small round leaves are kinda yellow with brown edges, I failed her but I just dont wanna give up!

What about these aero pots? Heard you can get away with even smaller ones than say a 3 gal pot.

Going to Maine today to pick up a boat, but maybe Ill look for some seedling soil...unless someone has a good reccomendation for some for 3 Autoflowers. I still havent gotten any feedback on the soil I intend to use for the 3 gal pots either, called "Coast of Maine," hope it doesnt have pests n mold

Thanks again for the support and helpful information OS!


Also Ive been watering the BOTTOM of the rockwool cubes to try and stimulate root growth, dunno if it really helps or not though, and 1 of my nice sprouts has the 2 REAL leaves kinda curling down these last few days, overwatering??

 

[Outa-Space]

Put your cubes into a 6"container of seedling soil asap.
Try 1 dose of the 100ppm solution, and just water at base of the stem... let the water run down into the RW. And observe.

After this many days it can't really hurt. The micro nutes may be exactly what these plants need right now. But water alone in RW will not sustain them. Rockwool is an inert substrate and has no nutritional value. Hydro growers need this type of inert material to provide a base for seedling growth.

You likely won't need the hygrozime for your soil grow.
You def need pH up & down on hand. You'll use pH down much more often.

This is just my experience with Hanna brand Meters:
PPM meters - maintain their accuracy for several days, even weeks.
pH meters - have to be checked against a known pH buffer solution (for accuracy) every week. It's a pain, but necessary. You need to be confident in knowing your pH.

Most tap water pH measures in the 6.8 to 7.5 range. Tap water pH varies daily... literally.

And yes... in the future, once you germinate and the tap emerges, put that baby into a dixiecup filled with a seedling soil.

 

[Outa-Space]

Now... I have a suggestion for seedling soil. You can make your own for now and this is just because you need something right now. The purpose of seedling soil is to drain very well, and be lightly fertilized.
Your need vermiculite, peat moss and Miracle Grow Organic Choice. The reason I suggest the Miracle Grow product is that it's readily available at Lowes or HomeDepot.
Mix equal parts of the vermiculite and peat moss, and 10% Organic Choice. So the ratio looks like 10-10-1
10 parts vermiculite
10 parts peat moss
1 part organic choice

The vermiculite and peat moss have no nutritional value. They just promote draining, more or less. The nutes will come from the small amount of organic choice.

Thinking out loud again... if your runt can be easily removed from the rockwool... then removed her, and put her in a dixiecup of seedling soil. Just add plain water, no nutes. And observe. I'm willing to bet she'll come around.

 

[jwb87]

Damn man, great help YET again.

Long day, but after work tomorrow Ill grab up some miracle grow and the other stuff.

Cant wait to get these girls in some dirt, been thinking about it all day!

I don't have any PH meter solution, which may be an issue. But for my PPM test, I just add a few drops off all 3 nutes to 1 gal of water and use my meter after properly mixed?? Just wanna be sure, thanks again for all the noob help!!

As for the runt, she doesnt have anything more than a taproot, shell sadly pull right through the small hole in the rockwool

 

[Outa-Space]

Make sure you get the Miracle Grow "organic choice" and not "potting soil". I think potting soil will be too strong for the seedlings.

For making a 100 ppm solution... The nutrient target we want is 100 ppm. Using your ppm meter, test your water before adding anything. You have to know the ppm reading of the water. Example... Fill your 1gal container with water and take a ppm reading with your meter. Lets say it reads about 175ppm. The 175 ppm value is what i call our baseline. This means our nute target will be 175 + 100 = 275 ppm.
Now... add equal drops of micro, grow and bloom to your 1 gal of water. Just use 5 drops each at first. Stir the water well and retest with your ppm meter. Let's say the new reading is now 250ppm. This means you have an increase of 75ppm. We need a little more of the nutes. Continue to add a few drops at a time until you reach your target. Retest after each addition. You don't have to be exact... within 5 or 10 ppm is fine

Later on as you increase your ppm level, you'll start to measure in ounces or milliliters.

 

[Outa-Space]

About that runt... as soon as mix your seedling soil, fill a Dixiecup with soil, thoroughly water it with plain water and pack firmly. Make a small in the soil and plant that runt seed tap root facing down. Cover about 1/8" with soil and dribble some more water over top just to settle the soil around the seed.

And keep your fingers crossed.

 

[jwb87]

Awesome man, doin it today after work!

 

[jwb87]

What if I put all 4 into solo cups for tonight.

I forgot the smaller pots I have are all in my jobbox and I left that on the jobsite, completely forgot...

Will that cause to much shock if I transplant COMPLETELY into solo cups tonight, then just do a "minor" transplant tomorrow to smaller planting pots tomorrow??

 

[leebee77]

Wow! Im embarassed

I definitely was, have every piece, part, pump and hose, but backed out, just afraid of messing things up my first grow. Felt like soil would be more forgiving so I dont hurt the girls.

But again I do have everything required and may use it for my next grow, providing pending results.


Sorry to disappoint man, next time!



As for any kind of update tonight. No big change in the 3 sprouts, but I peeked under the little rockwool trapdoor I made for my runt, and she appeared to be spreading open since I removed her shells, maybe she just needed some help??

Got my second gal of water from the petshop today (only went through .5 gal in first week, but did PH test and came at 7.5, supposed to be 6.5+-), also from seeing other journals, I decided to remove the wrapping from the rockwool cubes. Maybe a n00b thing to wait so long haha. just packaging

Very Nice, looking good. I was having the same problem trying to decide whether to go soil or hydro. So I decided to do both, this will my first time in soil.
Keep up the great work!