Clay Pebbles?

[pete2]

I was told that clay pebbles were designed to absorb water . I have 10in baskets filled with it and they sit in about 2inches of water.Put them in last night and today they are still dry.I don't know what is wrong,maybe I bought the wrong stuff.I need to fix this befor the seedlings die.Any comments would help. As allways

 

[jojo677]

Re: clay pebbles ?

Well clay pebbles DO absorb water, but depending on how far it has to be "wicked" up, the dampness at the top could vary a lot. It could just be the top of the surface that is dry, have you dug down at all? And with a medium like that, you'll have to water the medium daily until the roots hit the reservoir. This will ensure that they get all the water they need.

 

[pete2]

Re: clay pebbles ?

Well clay pebbles DO absorb water, but depending on how far it has to be "wicked" up, the dampness at the top could vary a lot. It could just be the top of the surface that is dry, have you dug down at all? And with a medium like that, you'll have to water the medium daily until the roots hit the reservoir. This will ensure that they get all the water they need.

could you just put more water in the pots and bring the water level to the seedlings?

 

[jojo677]

I'm not really sure on this, as you don't want to soak the roots too badly - they still need oxygen. Maybe a pro will chime in...

 

[pete2]

I'm not really sure on this, as you don't want to soak the roots too badly - they still need oxygen. Maybe a pro will chime in...

thank you for your response.What I did was raise the water level a little bit and they seem to be doing ok so far

 

[indica vet]

at the start keep water level about 1 inch under net pot ,the bubbles from the air stone will burst at the surface misting the bottom of the net pot ,just hand water or auto water everyday from top until roots show at bottom then slowly decrease water level to around 4 inch below pot

 

[pete2]

at the start keep water level about 1 inch under net pot ,the bubbles from the air stone will burst at the surface misting the bottom of the net pot ,just hand water or auto water everyday from top until roots show at bottom then slowly decrease water level to around 4 inch below pot

 

[jojo677]

I guess I was a little confused. I thought you were doing a hempy-kind-of grow at first, but now I realize you're probably doing a DWC grow. As indica mentioned, you want the net cups above (or slightly inserted into) the water, and allow the bubbles from the air stone to kick up enough water to keep everything wet. Once the roots start hanging down into the water, you'll notice a big boost in growth.

 

[pete2]

I guess I was a little confused. I thought you were doing a hempy-kind-of grow at first, but now I realize you're probably doing a DWC grow. As indica mentioned, you want the net cups above (or slightly inserted into) the water, and allow the bubbles from the air stone to kick up enough water to keep everything wet. Once the roots start hanging down into the water, you'll notice a big boost in growth.

Sorry if I confused you.I am doing DWC with 10in baskets.I think I paniced when I saw the clay pebbles,they looked dry.So what I did was put a little bit of water in each bucket.I don't think the root is in the water,but is close.So do you think that will be alright ? Im going to start a journal on 420 tonight.Maybe you could look in on it sometimes and give me your opinion.