Tead;2940575 said:For today's lesson, we'll pull out the podium and desks instead of the pulpit and pews.
So, bucket creation. Seems like the next step.
There are bucket selection thoughts. We've touched on them a bit already. I use more standard shape buckets.
Make sure whatever container you use is light proof. Black spray paint or a couple of layers of duct tape both work well. I've done both. Black buckets need no help unless they're thin. Light getting to the res or root area will cause bad growth. Some must get in thru the drain hole, but it's not been a problem for me. I do see a bit of green algae growing around inside the hole usually.
Drill a 7/16 (ish) hole about 2 inches up from the bottom of the bucket. There might be a lip on the outside of the bucket, so measure on the inside.
There can be some flexibility on the hole height. Folks sometimes adjust for various reasons, but usually stay within 1" of the 2" mark.
I increased the height of my 2Ls because the bottom of the soda bottle is not straight and some of the space is used up by the shape. My 2Ls are at about 2.5"
Fill your container with perlite (or whatever). If you're doing an Osmo, now is the time to insert your Osmo. More on feeding in other lessons.
I use MG perlite, so I like to flush it with tap water some. I use tap water and a garden hose at this point, tho one could easily do it in a bathtub too. I'm just trying to wash off any nutrients that might have been hanging out in that bag for a year. MG perlite has very little nutes, and it's usually in the form of those little balls, but I like to flush it none the less.
The mix will grow a touch after water is introduced... but very little really.
When you flush, become familiar with how easily the hole will become clogged. When it does, poke it with a nail or toothpick... or whatever. The little chunk blocking it will come flowing out... don't worry... another one will block it up soon enough. Don't let it concern you. The blocking will happen less as the medium settles. More less when you move from a flush to normal watering cycles.
Note how far out the stream of water shoots when you have a good bit of water in the bucket. This will help you gauge the output later when you're doing normal waterings. Don't forget, you'll need a saucer with enough of a radius to contain the water stream.
A word about clogged holes when you've got a plant on board. This is bad. It will rot your baby in a matter of days. I had a recent issue where the plant just rotted away at the top of the medium and fell over. Happened so fast. May you not learn that lesson the hard way. Make sure your plant is draining well when you water her.
Now that you've got your medium all flushed and settled, give it one more watering with whatever mix you want to start your plant in.
I use .5 tsp/gal grow mix along with my DIY CalMag for this.
Of course, your water and your world are not mine. There are not spot on answers to any nutrient questions.
And that will be the conclusion of today's course. Questions welcomed with open arms.
Tead;2940639 said:Ok... I lied... I'm feelin it. Let's go for tomorrow's lesson. I have some hot dates tomorrow that will most likely keep me entertained elsewhere, so plant your asses back into those seats folks.
Sidenote... this is good... I've been meaning to write all this down for SO damn long.
Nutients (ugh!)
We are talking hydroponics here. Sure, super easy hydro, but hydro none the less. There are many things that are significantly different between the hydro and soil grows. For example, using hydro, one must supply all nutrients to the plant. Neutral mediums provide nothing in the way of nutrients.
Temps are a traditional enemy to hydroponics. Water tanks over 75f-ish might start growing bad things. This was my experience with active hydro... but that's a very old thread. Hempy pots just don't suffer the problems that res's in other systems suffer. I really don't know the technical reason here... but I've exceeded 100f before.... didn't help the girls, but nothing bad grew in the bucket.
Of course, then there are the pumps, buckets, coolers, lines, wires, whatever. Fortunately, we have no need to even touch that hot mess.
Water has to be considered. What's already in the water you use? Chlorine? Metals? One's water doesn't have to be sterile, but having some handle on what's in it is a good thing to keep in mind as you adjust your nutrient levels. I use city tap water that sets for at least 48 hours to off-gas the chlorine. I keep a 5gal bucket around for water... fill it when it gets low.
So, yeah, it's hydro, but it's just so damn simple.
Pick your nutes and mix some up baby. Any of the hydro nute programs are fine. I like the 2 part ones rather than the 3 part ones, but that a reflection of my laziness. Most of the nute manufacturers put out a nutrient chart with feeding levels for various stages of life. This might be a good place to start.
I use plant color as a guide. Nice light colored newer growth with older growth being a darker green. This is the same as soil grows really... it does happen faster in hydro, but everything does and that's kinda the goal. When I see too much of the lighter green growth, I bump up my nutrient mix. If I see mostly dark growth, I drop it down a touch.
If you step over the line and over nute them, you'll very quickly see issues... like probably within 12hrs. You can flush and recover from there. This can be really damaging.... try to stay on the light side of feeding.
Every time you feed, you want to flush out the old mix. You really can't use too much water. I fill the pot slowly and gently. Soon, the stream will start shooting out of the hole. I keep filling until I see 'full stream' (think Austin Powers and the peeing cherubs). Then I slowly stop pouring. I usually get about 5 seconds of 'full stream', then it slows gradually. Keep them in the saucers for a good 5min after you think it's done... they take a good while to fully stop dripping.
My 3gals use about .5 gal per feeding. The 2Ls significantly less. If I were feeding just one 3gal bucket, I'd mix just 1/2 gal halving all my nutrient bits.
I feed every 3 days. Others have vastly different feeding regimes mostly based mostly on container sizes and local environments. Many do 5gal buckets and weekly feedings. I'm really just not convinced that any minor variations have any impact at all. I'd probably grow just as well using a 5 day feeding cycle.
Osmocote... well... that's just another ball of wax all together. Doc Bud had some nice info about it. Do some searches in the 'completed grow' section... you'll find a few. Here's another.
Really.... It's just so darn simple. I don't think you can overfeed unless you supplement.
I try to keep my plants around the recommended 5.8 for hydro. My standard nutrient mix drifts up over time. Since it sits in there for 3 days, I shoot for ~5.6 and let it drift up. The osmo is different and the ph of the water drops instead of rising... Osmos start at about 6 in my garden.
You'll probably have to supplement Cal and Mag. Most folks use calmag, but diy sources are easily available. I use milk and epsom salt.
I'm sure there are many other points to make in the nutrient category, but I'm bored now. Class dismissed... go visit some havok upon the earth. Run amuck!
As always, question happily received.
