2 hydro noob questions.

[night_neo]

I should be finished with the stealth hydro setup today.

1. Do I need to have nutrients in the water RIGHT AWAY or can I get away with regular ph corrected water? If I do need nutes, can I use the same nutes as I used in my soil grow? Fox farm Grow Big.

2. Is it possible to use rocks from the back yard as my growing medium instead of the stone pebbles?

 

[TorturedSoul]

Re: 2 hydro noob questions..

1. Even young plants need at least some nutrients.

2. :rolleyes3. I wouldn't use rocks from your backyard or "stone pebbles." If you wish to use something of that nature, pick up an expanded clay product. It is sold under the names Geolite, Hydroton, etc.

 

[night_neo]

Re: 2 hydro noob questions..

1. Even young plants need at least some nutrients.

2. :rolleyes3. I wouldn't use rocks from your backyard or "stone pebbles." If you wish to use something of that nature, pick up an expanded clay product. It is sold under the names Geolite, Hydroton, etc.

thanks for the quick reply. would i be able to use the same nutes i use for my soil setups?

 

[gio77]

Re: 2 hydro noob questions..

If you don't mind the weight, lava rocks from the local store work very well as either a stand alone medium or an amendment for drainage. It's cheap but you will need to rinse it.

And agreed w above, if in hydro, you need nutes all the time, right from the beginning. To give you a reference, if at 1000ppm peak, then 400 to start as seeds/cuttings & up by 100ppms until ready to xf to flower at 700-800 ppm. This depends a lot on your temps/humidity/plant size & health. So, just a reference. Best.

 

[gio77]

Re: 2 hydro noob questions..

No, switch nutes to a proper hydro brand/type. The soil nutes are designed to feed your soil which in turn feeds your plants. Hydro nutes are designed to feed your plants directly. Soil nutes will be problematic for you due to release times & rates. Best.

 

[HeadMed]

Re: 2 hydro noob questions..

if you use "lava rock" from your local store.. make sure it's actual lava rock and not expanded cement... cement has a high lime content and can mess you up....

I've had decent luck with washed pebbles, usualy sold next to lava rock.. and near river rock at your local store. Hydro ton is cool for what it;s worth... but it floats (sometimes), and it's round and rolls everywhere and gets everywhere...

I know a guy who swears by washed sand and cheese cloth...