Hempy Headquarters

[Rickle Piiiiick]

Excellent! Thanks for those details

There might be standards that commercial growers follow, but since nutrition is so strain-dependent, an operation would probably stick with one strain, especially if they were fertigating with an injection system.

The best strategy is to keep your fertilizing a bit on the deficiency side and learn to read your plants’ needs. That being said, a good guide is presented on the MC website, and it goes something like:

Seedlings/early veg: 0.55 EC
Normal veg: up to 1.1 EC
Extended veg: up to 1.25
Bloom to harvest: 1.4 to 1.75

Excellent! Thanks for that feedback.

The "MC website" you mentioned, is that short for Mega Crop?

 

[Dr Fish]

Rickle,
I don't think it's a Maxie Bloom problem.. Although you may need to add cal/mag if the plant expresses a need..
In my Mixed Hydro thread I ran a mixed strain grow, 3 different strains.. All feed the same mix of nutes.. Flora Nova Bloom 4-8-7.. 2 Waterfarms, 2 coco/perlite.. GH has changed the formula since then.... It did contain 3% citric acid which acted as a great ph buffer.. It dropped my ph a full point..
I think the problem is the hydroton.. In a WF, hydroton with the constant drip, adds enough O2 that you can eliminate the air stones and not suffer low O2.. I've found they just add heat when used in a WF..
Hydroton needs a constant water feed... It doesn't wick water at all.. .. Your hydroton isn't getting wet enough to encourage the roots to grow into it.. If the hydroton did get wetter the plant would be getting more food and be greener.. I rarely went over 700 ppm.. It's not so much about the strength of the food, but the availability.. If it's there, the plant will take what it needs.. That's why the mix becomes unbalanced.. Others may see it differently, these are just my opinions..
Drop by my Mixed hydro thread..

 

[Rickle Piiiiick]

Rickle,
I don't think it's a Maxie Bloom problem.. Although you may need to add cal/mag if the plant expresses a need..
In my Mixed Hydro thread I ran a mixed strain grow, 3 different strains.. All feed the same mix of nutes.. Flora Nova Bloom 4-8-7.. 2 Waterfarms, 2 coco/perlite.. GH has changed the formula since then.... It did contain 3% citric acid which acted as a great ph buffer.. It dropped my ph a full point..
I think the problem is the hydroton.. In a WF, hydroton with the constant drip, adds enough O2 that you can eliminate the air stones and not suffer low O2.. I've found they just add heat when used in a WF..
Hydroton needs a constant water feed... It doesn't wick water at all.. .. Your hydroton isn't getting wet enough to encourage the roots to grow into it.. If the hydroton did get wetter the plant would be getting more food and be greener.. I rarely went over 700 ppm.. It's not so much about the strength of the food, but the availability.. If it's there, the plant will take what it needs.. That's why the mix becomes unbalanced.. Others may see it differently, these are just my opinions..
Drop by my Mixed hydro thread..

Thank you very much for the feedback!

I probably should have clarified though that the pots are filled with 100% perlite. The expanded clay that's seen is just a light top covering. There is however the same clay pebbles in the bottom/res, which I painstakingly cleaned and buffered in pH water before adding; I had read here and there that they could cause frequent pH swings in the res if not properly prepared.

 

[Raventokes]

Hello I just finished reading all 218 pages of this great Journal yesterday and I want to send a big thank you to everyone for such an informative thread!
I have just started some seedlings for my first Hempy grow and was planning to wait a week or two before posting but this morning, I learned that Steve of Morning Star seed company passed away and the Morning Star is closed for good. I did not know Steve outside of a couple of messages but he made a huge impact! last year I started growing, not for the first time but for the first time with a setup that was every close to adequate. I am a nerd so I did my nerd thing and researched the shit out of everything including autoflower breeders. Morning Star Purple Micro Dot were the first seeds I bought. I instant messaged Steve for advice on setting up my grow. He replied back with the advice I requested and much more! He also strongly encouraged me to make my own seeds with his stock. I never did that. Steve looked younger than me and I assumed I had all the time in the world to buy his genetics. Sadly I was very wrong. As luck would have it I picked up some of his Poweball 18 a few months ago and it came with 5 or 6 Purple Micro Dot freebies. I am going to start germinating them as soon as I finish writing this. I can’t think of a better tribute to Steve then preserving his genetics.
So here is my question. What have you found is the most full proof way to start a new plant from seed? it’s common for me to have a couple of failures, up to even half rarely, in a batch of seed starting them. I haven’t cared so much in the past because I can always get more. And my Philosophy as a new grower, is build failure into your plans. This time it’s vital to me that I get at least one male and female plant for obvious reasons. I know it’s not a hempy question but after reading everything here I can’t think of a better place to come for information. Thank you in advance for any advice

 

[Azimuth]

I've had good success soaking the beans in tap water overnight or a maximum of 24 hours. From there I take them out and put them in a paper towel inside a plastic bag until they sprout a tiny root. However, several growers here have had good success putting it directly into a small hempy cup with a dome or cover to keep moisture in the top few inches of the perlite. I haven't done that yet as I had been growing in soil, but plan to do it that way for my next batch in a couple of weeks.

When you do, put it in a small hole maybe 1/2 an inch down and the pointy side with the tap root coming out pointing up. Use tweezers if you can to help prevent infecting the delicate sprout.

Seems counterintuitive but when the root comes out it makes a "U" turn down into the media and in the process helps the lever off the seed coat (the "helmet").

I'd suggest practicing getting your sprout game down with beans you care less about than the genetics you can't replace so you don't waste them, but that's me.

Here's a graphic to show what I described:

Tap root gif

 

[Raventokes]

I've had good success soaking the beans in tap water overnight or a maximum of 24 hours. From there I take them out and put them in a paper towel inside a plastic bag until they sprout a tiny root. However, several growers here have had good success putting it directly into a small hempy cup. I haven't done that yet as I had been growing in soil, but plan to do it that way for my next batch in a couple of weeks.

When you do, put it in a small hole maybe 1/2 an inch down and the pointy side with the tap root coming out pointing up. Use tweezers if you can to help prevent infecting the delicate sprout.

Seems counterintuitive but when the root comes out it makes a "U" turn down into the media and in the process helps the lever off the seed coat (the "helmet").

I'd suggest practicing getting your sprout game down with beans you care less about than the genetics you can't replace so you don't waste them, but that's me.

Thanks! Never herd of the U turn thing with seeds before. I will definitely give that a try. I also tend to soak my seeds in water until I see the tap root and that can be 48 hours or more some times. the paper towel/baggie after 24 hours is probably a better way. I am already soaking the seeds so to late for more practice, excellent idea though!

 

[FelipeBlu]

Check out Sue’s thread for the hempy way

 

[Azimuth]

Thanks! Never herd of the U turn thing with seeds before. I will definitely give that a try. I also tend to soak my seeds in water until I see the tap root and that can be 48 hours or more some times. the paper towel/baggie after 24 hours is probably a better way. I am already soaking the seeds so to late for more practice, excellent idea though!

And I should have added to keep them in a dark warm cupboard while they soak as they need darkness, not light, to sprout.

I think the paper towel method gives them more access to oxygen than letting them sit in the water, especially after a couple of days after the oxygen has gassed off. Many suggest pushing the seed down into the water but I've seen someone show that this is not what you want to to do.

His theory was that while floating on the surface the seed has ample access to oxygen from above and when the root emerges it has ample access to the water below. Therefore, do not push your beans down. Let them float until they sprout, and even several days after. If you do push them down you risk drowning them.

Made sense to me but it's certainly counter to what is traditionally taught.

But putting them directly into perlite after the soak would seem to offer even more O2 than the paper towel so theoretically should provide even better results.

 

[Raventokes]

Check out Sue’s thread for the hempy way

Just finished reading enough of Sue’s thread to think it looks great, and to know I need to read again tomorrow after I get some sleep . Thanks for sharing that link!

 

[Raventokes]

But putting them directly into perlite after the soak would seem to offer even more O2 than the paper towel so theoretically should provide even better results.

I was thinking the same thing. So that’s the plan for tomorrow then. wish me luck!

 

[Azimuth]

I was thinking the same thing. So that’s the plan for tomorrow then. wish me luck!

 

[Raventokes]

So the seeds are in there Hempy cups for germanat.

And here are two Key Lime Crush from GasReaper genetics, that I started last week. They are in a 3 gallon Hempy inside a 3.5 gallon bucket for easy runoff collection. Behind them are a Sour Stomper left, and a Bobby’s Widow right, in DWC. The DWC are easily, the healthiest plants I have ever grown, but too much work. No way am I doing a whole grow DWC this is a hobby not a job . And if I am being honest with myself just to much for my aging and beet up body. I cannot risk a flood so any kind of automated watering is out. Lifting a small bucket of Purlite with a little bit of water should be easy for many years yet. Lol I hope! All that being said. Playing around with different growing mediums for the past year has been a blast, but I am I looking the settle down with something and reliable and comfortable!

 

[FelipeBlu]

 

[Raventokes]

Thanks!
Just read your fire safety post. I only have Panda film on the floor and over the door. ( I have found that it helps the AC keep the room cool and block smells from escaping. I used velcro as staples keep ripping the panda and are bad for the walls.) I am going to start trying to figure out alternatives. Suggestions are welcomed

 

[FelipeBlu]

Flat white paint is good

 

[Raventokes]

My fault. should have been more clear. The panda film has nothing to do with light reflection. It’s to keep the floor dry and easy to clean and to block air from getting through the door. It’s no where near my LED that are mounted on a 4x8 metal tent frame. Thankfully the 6x11 room it’s in was painted white already. A long winded way of saying I am looking for a fireproof way to keep a dry floor and a somewhat but not really, airtight room.

 

[FelipeBlu]

I wish I could help. There is a wide variety of experience on so I wouldn’t be surprised if you got some suggestions from others here.

 

[Rickle Piiiiick]

@Raventokes Honestly, if your looking for airtight and a dry bottom, you may benefit from a simple grow tent.

A tent (with exhaust) will keep the smells inside and away, and the bottoms are pretty much spill-proof, plus If you have a dedicated room, you can go as large or small as you want to fit the area.

My goal is to have an 8x10 in my spare bedroom, that way I can walk in and do what I need to do and seal it up when I'm done. Being able to control the relative temp and humidity in the room, and not just in the tent is also a plus.

 

[Raventokes]

Funny story there. I did buy a 4x8 grow tent to fit in a 6 x 11 room. You need a room much larger than the tent to setup the tent. But if push comes to shove I could cut the tent and use parts for what I need. It hurts to think about but I don’t see myself being able to use it for anything else. So thanks for the idea!

 

[Rickle Piiiiick]

Funny story there. I did buy a 4x8 grow tent to fit in a 6 x 11 room. You need a room much larger than the tent to setup the tent. But if push comes to shove I could cut the tent and use parts for what I need. It hurts to think about but I don’t see myself being able to use it for anything else. So thanks for the idea!

Or sell it and buy a couple smaller, one for veg and one for flower. Shouldn't be too hard to sell it second hand these days, home growing is booming.