My First Hydro

[eBUD]

Hey guys I have finally upgraded to a hydroponics setup. I was going to do a deep water culture style grow untill I read up and decided on a foggoponnics system.
I have decided to piece together my own setup so here is what I have so far:

Humboldt Series Nutrients-
Grow- 2-1-6
Micro- 5-0-1
Bloom- 0-6-5

1 Single Head Nutramist fogger by Aeromist hydroponics
1 5gal Bucket with lid & a medium sized storage bin, thick plastic, with lid.

For my basket and medium im just going to get a 5" net pot and either Rockwool cubes or a bag of Hydroton. I have thought about just using a 3" Neoprene disc instead of the basket.
Im not sure what would be best to use for the foggoponics style. I may just use the single head and a single grow location with the 5gal bucket untill im used to the growing style. Then I will buy more heads and use the storage bin for a multi plant grow.

For monitoring the system I have a Milwaukee pH 600. Its a digital pH reader that I found on ebay. IM looking for a decent ppm and or Ec reader at the moment. I wont start growing without one.

Also I am tight on money but i'm going to buy the FF hydroponics nutrient line, all 3 1l bottles, with my next check.

This setup will probably be an outside/porch plant setup for the moment. Just till I get the hang of this style of growing then it will come indoors.

Let me know what you think about this idea for a starters setup. This will be my first hydroponic grow setup so any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[PitViper]

this is the man to see for what you want to do. OBXGardener

 

[eBUD]

Found a friend who has an old ppm meter that he doesn't want anymore. Its a HM Digital TDS ppm meter. He said it was one that he got off of ebay and works perfectly fine. He just upgraded to an EC reader so there was no need to keep this one. Also get a free bottle of solution for calibration too

 

[PitViper]

nice

 

[TorturedSoul]

This is not a grow supply product review!

 

[eBUD]

Sorry I get sidetracked easy! :/

I am new to hydroponics though so any Nutreint recomendations would be great.

Going to the store to buy neoprene collars, pH up and down, and a few odds and ends things.

Not sure how many plant sites would be good for a 5 gal tub. Im only going to drill one 2" hole for now and then later add in other growing sites for that one bucket.

How many days can 4 gallons of nutrient solution supply adaquit 'aeroponics' to two vegging plants?

So many questions... Thank god for this site

 

[Tyrone Hamilton]

this is the man to see for what you want to do. OBXGardener

Thanks Pit - hope Ebud will have more success than I did!

This is not a grow supply product review!

TS just means you are in the wrong forum. It's ok, that's what I'm here for - I'll move you to "journals in progress".

Sorry I get sidetracked easy! :/

I am new to hydroponics though so any Nutreint recomendations would be great.

Going to the store to buy neoprene collars, pH up and down, and a few odds and ends things.

Not sure how many plant sites would be good for a 5 gal tub. Im only going to drill one 2" hole for now and then later add in other growing sites for that one bucket.

How many days can 4 gallons of nutrient solution supply adaquit 'aeroponics' to two vegging plants?

So many questions... Thank god for this site

I'd strongly suggest going with a DWC setup for your first hydro experience... fog can grow plants, but it's just as likely you'll get root rot just about when they start looking good.

However, if you can make it happen with fog... more power to you! I'll be around either way, and hope to see it work out for ya.

 

[TorturedSoul]

TS just means you are in the wrong forum. It's ok, that's what I'm here for - I'll move you to "journals in progress".

I'd strongly suggest going with a DWC setup for your first hydro experience... fog can grow plants, but it's just as likely you'll get root rot just about when they start looking good.

Agree. Seems like among other things, the pumps required to run the fogging nozzles often cause the nutrient solution to heat up over time. DWC is simple, easy to manage, does not require pumps to move the solution (just a good air pump with air stones, an aquarium powerhead, or both - can't have too much dissolved oxygen), and a good setup can handle a lengthy power outage within reason if the reservoir temps aren't too high.

 

[eBUD]

Hmmmm. I may just use the mutramist fogging head only for seedlings and then switch to DWC for vegitative and flowering.

Hopefully the unit wont heat up the water.

OBXGardener & TorturedSoul- I know heat contributes to problems with hydroponics and growing plants but how does it contribute to root rot? I thought that root rot/ stem rot was caused by bacteria? Does warm nutrient solution = a hospitable niche for bacteria? Even if the pH is monitered and adjusted frequentnly? I'm going to pull out some books I have and read up on this topic. Ill post back what I found out about root/stem rot causing bacteria.

I love bieng a newbie at things! It gives me a chance to ask a ton of questions and not feel one bit ignorant.

OBXGardener- I may move my thread (if I can do it) to the 'Grow Supply Product Review's section of the site for now. I don't know if i'm going to be able to start a grow in my current residency just yet. To 'break the ice' I am going to grow some ornamental poppies or some vegitables I have now. I don't know if I should post anything about that on here or not. I would love to start a grow of the "Purple Sticky" seeds I have now. I would just hate to have to rush a grow just because of my new location.

PS: I got a few seeds from a sack my bro had a while back that he called "Purple Sticky". I know it's probably just a nick name to the strain but man that bud was great. I hope the pheno's carried on in these seeds. Does anyone know of a strain that continuously hold it's phenotype from seed generation to the next?

Thank you all for your quick and thoughtful replies!

 

[eBUD]

Hey everyone I found some info in one of my books about root rot diseases, so here they are:

Pythium- studies have shown that this disease is closely related to algea than fungi and is usually encountered in greenhouse growing situations that use recirculating irrigation systems. There are 3 different kinds of this disease that fall under this catagory for growing; P. ultimum, P. irregulare and P. aphanidermatum. Pythium is a type of root rot that causes damping-off of germinating seeds. Clones and young plants are most susceptible to this also. However older stronger plants can catch it too. Different kinds of Pythium prefer different temperatures: P. ultimum is favored by cool temperatures; P. irregulare by intermediate temperatures; and P. aphanidermatum is favored by high temperatures. All favor poorly drained media and anything causing root injury.

Symptoms of Pythium are dieing root tips that are easily pulled off from the inner core of a root. The above ground affects of Pythium are yellowing/browning of the lower leaves and plant death.

Pythium ultimum does NOT form a swimming spore stage, where as the other two kinds of Pythium do and prefer subirrigation systems to spread and destroy crops. With advances in fungicides the Pythium diseases are relatively rare.

Phytophthora- related to Pythium, phytophthora is more agressive in the ways it attacks plants. Phytophthora too prefers wet growing conditions. HOWEVER Phytophthora is associated with root rot a lot less than Pythium and is more likely to attack the root crown or stem. The diseases caused by Phytophthora thrive durring propagation under mist which is perfect for spore formation and contamination of other plants. Once spores are present water slashing, recirculating irrigation, and worker handling can transmit the disease. Generally high humidity and high temperatures favor these diseases.

Phytophthora is more likely to kill plants, once infected, rathen than stunting their growth.

Symptoms include root rot, stem base cankers, and brown lesions at the base of leaves attached to cankered stems.

Rhizoctonia- 'Rhizoctonia solani' is a common soil fungus that frequently becomes a problem. It is not spread by spores through water, but by contaminated soil being transferred or reused. People can also transfer this disease just by touching an infected plant and then touching the soil and or another plant directly. Younger plants are vistums of this but seedlings are most commonly affected.

No abnormalities or distress is needed for rhizoctonia to attack a plant. Overwatering does NOT influence it as well.

Symptoms of Rhizoctonia are brown to black canker at the bases of stems that oftem girdle and kill a plant. Plants with dense canopies grown under high humidity can be subject to "web blight" from Rhyizoctonia. In that case the fungus grows up the plant onto the stem and then spreads to the lower leaves.

Fusarium wilt- can cause root rot but typically infects the vascular system of plats causing a systemic infection. Once a plant is infected it's NOt easy to contaminate other surrounding plants. This disease favors high temperatures, low pH and sometimes prefers high levels of ammonium nitrate.

Symptoms- are usually indistinguishable from water stress symptoms. Infected plants may be stunted, lower leaves will turn yellow and then brown and die. Cross-sections of the infected plants stem will show dark, maybe purple, discoloration.

I gathered all of this information from one of my study books. The great 'Ball Redbook Crop Production Volume 2' pages 128 - 132 under the topic of root diseases.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I know heat contributes to problems with hydroponics and growing plants but how does it contribute to root rot?

Just a guess, but when the temperature of the solution rises, its ability to hold dissolved oxygen decreases.

Enough aeration is pretty good at fighting this, but with other conditions being the same, a cooler reservoir makes for happier plants.

Hey everyone I found some info in one of my books about root rot diseases, so here they are:

That information might be something that you'd like to post in our Problems, Pests & Disease Control forum if the information is not already there.

 

[Green Utopia]

I love you guys for trying things like the mister!

Grats on getting good pH and PPM meters. That can be a pain in the ass.

+Reps to get you off and running!

 

[eBUD]

Thanks Papa Green I hope it works well.

I have the system up and running. I used 12litres for my rez that I pH blanced at 5.8 after I added my nutes. Ppm for nutes was just under 700 for the first go around.

Once again im practicing on some garden plants not any indoor goodies yet. I have a few seeds but want to keep them till the time is right. I do have the time and supplies just don't know if my location is good enough. Landlord seems to be nosey....

Anyhow the plants are a tomato and a poppie for now.

 

[eBUD]

Okay just an update.

For the last 12 days I have checked the pH and ppm of my res every other day. Making adjustments as needed. I noticed that the res likes to slowly harm up, pH wise, from 5.6-6.3 So every time it gets above 6.1 I drop it down to 5.8.

This size res, ~13L, does eventually even out to about 5.8 pH after about a week. Im assuming that this is affected by the Humboldt nutes im using in conjunction with the Sweet too.

Today I drained, cleaned, and refilled the res with 60ml of Humboltd nutes and 35ml of Sweet. Bringing the ppm of my res to about 800 and a pH of 5.7.

New additions are a single outlet air pump and a 2" daimeter air stone to help add oxygen to the mix. I also stated that I am using Sweet now too, 35ml/~13l of water. The plants seem to love it.

Root growth with the Fogger system is amazing. I am noticing about 1/2" root growth on the first day of introduction of the plants to the foggoponics box. Roots from the first plant are now in the water so the air stone was a must.

 

[eBUD]

Also I forgot to mention I am going to switch to from running the fogger 24/7 to running it durring the 12day hours only. I haven't done it yet but I am curious to see what will happen.. Im going to wait till all of the plants have enough roots in the bubbling water before I do so. I don't want to kill them I just want to controll res temps durring the day.

So is this a Good Idea or Bad Idea? If nobody's done it I will be amazed. Thanks for all the imput guy and gals.

 

[420]

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