Hello ppl I'm here to gain some valuable knowledge on growing.... I have 3 stealth hydro deep water culture sets. For lighting I have a 1000 watt MH/HPSdimmable digital ballast with 19" batwing reflector. I have a closet that is 2x4x8.... I will be growing Big Devil from Sweet Seeds....the dwc system was said to have 10 gallon reservoir but I put it more like 5. I will be starting in 1" rockwool cubes in 3" net pots with hydroton as medium. I have 10" fan for air circulation and an automatic release co2 in a bag kit and a techno flora nute kit I have 12 sites but intend to grow 10 plants which are autoflower.... Any help or advice is very appreciated!!!
New grower advice wanted
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PrairiePoet
Well-Known Member
A 1000 watt light in that little closet is going to be very hot. You will need to deal with the heat. A cool tube will help. But I'd go with a smaller light, maybe a 600 watt.
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And I have a cooling unit available if heat rises.... It's a 3"x18" fan with heating and cooling unit built in. I knw I'll prolly have to crank it up in summer but I hope the heat from light will keep it warm enough in winter...... If I keep air temp at80 or below and solution temp at about 65 I should be good right??
PhilPebbles
New Member
I got a question too..I just transplanted my clones from soil to a DWC in 6" net pots using Hydroton Rock as a medium. Should I have my water level all the way up to the roots in net pot? or, should i keep it at the bottom of net pot and hand water for the 1t few days? Thanks
Just my opinion but I think you have way too many plants for a 5 gal reservoir. You'll be chasing your pH every day and will need to change your solution every few days. I always use 5 gals per plant as my rule of thumb. It will give you a very stable solution that you can keep in use for longer periods with less pH fluctuation. Ideally, you want your ph to gradually drift so your plants have access to all of the nutrients. Too little solution means that you'll most likely see fast swings in pH rather than a gradual drift. This will make it harder to keep a stable solution and get good nutrient absorption.
Just my opinion but I can tell you that I've been there and done that before with 3 plants in 5 gals and it's just not enough solution. I now use a 27 gal black tote as a reservoir with 5 plants. My pH gets adjusted every 2-3 weeks as it drifts between 5.6 & 6.2. I only adjust when it hits those stops. As a result, the solution is very stable and I'm able to do a complete grow over 90-120 days with only 2 solution changes. I get excellent nute absorption (25-35ppm per day consistently) & excellent yields using this method and it takes a lot less supervision because the reservoir is just rock stable. BTW, I use Technaflora BC nutes.
Just my .02 but it works very well for me.
Just my opinion but I can tell you that I've been there and done that before with 3 plants in 5 gals and it's just not enough solution. I now use a 27 gal black tote as a reservoir with 5 plants. My pH gets adjusted every 2-3 weeks as it drifts between 5.6 & 6.2. I only adjust when it hits those stops. As a result, the solution is very stable and I'm able to do a complete grow over 90-120 days with only 2 solution changes. I get excellent nute absorption (25-35ppm per day consistently) & excellent yields using this method and it takes a lot less supervision because the reservoir is just rock stable. BTW, I use Technaflora BC nutes.
Just my .02 but it works very well for me.
It depends on how large the roots are when you put the clone in the net pot. If you've got good root length that you can thread through the holes of the pot as you fill with hydroton. If none of the roots are long enough to thread thru the holes, I would keep the water level a little higher, maybe 1/2" or 1" up the side of the net pot to ensure that the roots have good access to the aerated nute solution. I would then let the solution level fall to just below the bottom of the net pots since by that time, you'll have roots dangling into the reservoir and you'll want an air gap for them.
