Rifleman's Roost Open 24/7: Perpetually Perplexed

[Rifleman]

Happy day after hump day y'all. When I was showing you the items I use I failed to mention how I modified my buckets. It isn't anything large, just a hack to make my life easier. I marked the sight tubes in gallon increments. It's a tiny bit of detail that helps me quickly and easily see how low the reservoir is getting.

But wait, you say? As the roots grow the same 4 gallons that I run will move higher up the sight tube... Yep. That's what the small rubber band is for. When the reservoir is full with 4 gallons, and the plant in place, I will slide the rubber band to the high water point on the sight tube to indicate full. From there I can estimate water used and how much needs replaced.

I hope that didn't cornfuzzle ya, here's a photo to help clear it up.

View media item 1635182

 

[Rifleman]

Now that that is out of the way, the news. Two seeds have cracked, and I've turned up the heat on the other two.

Today I will fill the white buckets to the four gallon mark and mix the following recipe into it:
15ml Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect M, G, B in that order
9ml Hydroguard by Botanicare
2ml Z7 by Flying Skull

That will be poured into the bubble buckets and the seeds will get planted, photos later. That mix will be all the plants get until the first time I change out the buckets. I did mention that didn't I ? About every 7 days you have to empty each bucket and replace the water and nutrients with fresh. It's the only way you'll ever get away from chasing pH. The AN works well, but there is a limit to how far you can push it when you only add straight water back into the cycle, but you'll see that later as I won't do it the first time until the roots are in the reservoir and have grown a bit, usually around Day 14 or so.

Be back later today after the planting is done. Y'all go outside and enjoy the sun while we can, Winter isn't far off.

 

[Icemann420]

Quick question I’ve used the sight tubes to get my water out to check the ph but it always seams off How do you go about that through the sight tube. It seams like my readings aren’t accurate but in the actual bucket there spot on. Also adjusting ph through the tube is a big but pain.

 

[Icemann420]

How’s the advanced nutrients ph perfect working out for you. I may venture that way. Do you really not have to check it.

 

[Rifleman]

Quick question I’ve used the sight tubes to get my water out to check the ph but it always seams off How do you go about that through the sight tube. It seams like my readings aren’t accurate but in the actual bucket there spot on. Also adjusting ph through the tube is a big but pain.

I used to pull water from the sight tubes... used to. You'll be real happy your tent has a floor liner when the plastic elbow going into the bucket breaks doing that. After that I switched from a 10" netpot to a 6". They allow me to unseat the netpot from the bucket, and slide it over far enough to get my hand into the bucket for pH/ppm checks. When I check pH, which as I say is rare, usually only on water change days.

Got no answer as to why pH would be different from the tube. Are you using a good pH pen, or an amazon $20 cheapie. I could never get those to read the same twice in a row. That's why my cheap ass bought the BlueLab.

 

[Icemann420]

Same here with the 6 inch netpot. Idk y the ph would be different maybe from transferring to another container. But I hade that issue also with the elbow braking. That 10 inch netpot is just overkill That’s what I used my first run. So do you use plugs or just plant right in your medium

 

[Rifleman]

How’s the advanced nutrients ph perfect working out for you. I may venture that way. Do you really not have to check it.

I like it. Very simple, equal parts of each every time. I use plain water only to replace what the plants use so I have to do a water change every 7 to 10 day in veg otherwise the pH will be whack and the buffering won't work. During bloom when a plant might drink a gallon or more a day I will do water changes as often as every 5 days. That's determined on how much the plant has drank.

While we're on the subject let me say a few things about the Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect. The claims are that it will magically bring most any water into a state of 5.8 pH. It will NOT. Using my water and my feed schedule the best I get is around 6.0/6.1 I do not adjust from there. <~~~~take note

The nutrient line is chelated and makes the nutrients available pretty much throughout the range. My only pH adjustments will be to the replacement water so as to not swing the reservoir pH too much during the week.

If anyone is confused just holler out and ask. I sometimes take for granted that everyone doesn't know all the terms and processes. Some of it I'm sure will become clearer as the grow progresses and I take a few photos.

 

[Rifleman]

Same here with the 6 inch netpot. Idk y the ph would be different maybe from transferring to another container. But I hade that issue also with the elbow braking. That 10 inch netpot is just overkill That’s what I used my first run. So do you use plugs or just plant right in your medium

Seeds are placed into a Rapid Rooter plug and it is buried in the clay pebbles.

Yeah the 10" leaves too much room around the plant too. A four foot plant will sway and move the pebbles around when you lift them out of the bucket. That causes the clay pebbles to move and the top heavy plant can half uproot itself too. Sadly most systems are sold with the 10", less plastic used, and more media needed.... sounds like a money making marketing scheme.

 

[Icemann420]

Have you ever hade fungus gnats

 

[Rifleman]

Have you ever hade fungus gnats

Shhhhhhhsh. Don't jinx me. Never. My worst problem was powdery mildew last year.

 

[Icemann420]

Just asking. My last grow I got them fuckers. I believed they came from my rapid rooter plugs. So this time I soaked them in z7 and great white. And calmag Hopefully if that was the issue it should have fixed it. They was nasty And so hard to get rid of.

 

[Rifleman]

Planting procedure 101.

Get your ...er... stuff together for the job.

View media item 1635343I let this tap root grow way more than i normally do for the purpose of instruction. I generally place them in Rapid Rooter plugs as soon as they emerge from the seed shell.

Clean the razor blade and tweezers with the alcohol. Use the razor to slice the Rapid Rooter and the tweezers to gently places our baby in the plug like this.
View media item 1635347
Close it up. Again, gently.
View media item 1635348

Place it in the bucket. The bottom of the plug around the area of the net pot where the openings start.
View media item 1635346

Backfill with your media.
View media item 1635344

Until it's covered and the basket is full. The full basket will help keep the plant stable when it's mature and top heavy. You can research crush factors of gravel and get an idea of why this is important.
View media item 1635345

Once everything is in place I take a solo cup and dip out a cup of the nutrient solution from the bucket and pour it all across the top of the media. This will insure your baby is damp, and it will help move moisture up from the reservoir by capillary action. I'll pour a cup of solution like this once each day until I see the plant sprout and maybe even until roots emerge from the basket.

That's it. The Sour Stomper is planted in a bucket. The other three will follow soon. Holler at y'all later.

EDIT: There is a sprouted seed in that first photo. If you're on a phone exclusively like I am, you may have to zoom in tight. Lol

 

[Icemann420]

Nice work.

 

[SamSmith]

Quick question I’ve used the sight tubes to get my water out to check the ph but it always seams off How do you go about that through the sight tube. It seams like my readings aren’t accurate but in the actual bucket there spot on. Also adjusting ph through the tube is a big but pain.

the site tube water sits stagnate. Nothing circulates through it. You readings will be off. I figured that out the hard way. I have a blue labs meter running in mine now in anticipation of going RDWC. Before that I just slide the bucket lid over a bit and use a turkey baster to suck up a little water and place it in a glass and then take the readings. Same goes for adding anything if I have to.

 

[SamSmith]

Planting procedure 101.

Get your ...er... stuff together for the job.

View media item 1635343I let this tap root grow way more than i normally do for the purpose of instruction. I generally place them in Rapid Rooter plugs as soon as they emerge from the seed shell.

Clean the razor blade and tweezers with the alcohol. Use the razor to slice the Rapid Rooter and the tweezers to gently places our baby in the plug like this.
View media item 1635347
Close it up. Again, gently.
View media item 1635348

Place it in the bucket. The bottom of the plug around the area of the net pot where the openings start.
View media item 1635346

Backfill with your media.
View media item 1635344

Until it's covered and the basket is full. The full basket will help keep the plant stable when it's mature and top heavy. You can research crush factors of gravel and get an idea of why this is important.
View media item 1635345

Once everything is in place I take a solo cup and dip out a cup of the nutrient solution from the bucket and pour it all across the top of the media. This will insure your baby is damp, and it will help move moisture up from the reservoir by capillary action. I'll pour a cup of solution like this once each day until I see the plant sprout and maybe even until roots emerge from the basket.

That's it. The Sour Stomper is planted in a bucket. The other three will follow soon. Holler at y'all later.

EDIT: There is a sprouted seed in that first photo. If you're on a phone exclusively like I am, you may have to zoom in tight. Lol

I like that method. The rapid rooter plugs that got have netting around them. Did you remove yours or are they a different type that doesn't have them? I have used rockwool in the past and that worked well. Yuou just have to make sure it doesn't get too wet.

 

[freed]

no desire to start dwc yet
but learning is always good
i'm in

 

[Icemann420]

the site tube water sits stagnate. Nothing circulates through it. You readings will be off. I figured that out the hard way. I have a blue labs meter running in mine now in anticipation of going RDWC. Before that I just slide the bucket lid over a bit and use a turkey baster to suck up a little water and place it in a glass and then take the readings. Same goes for adding anything if I have to.

I would always blow through the tube before I’d use it to test so it was always fresh it just didn’t work out for me with my ph pen. I also just slide the bucket lid. Have you seen my new grow Sam

 

[SamSmith]

I would always blow through the tube before I’d use it to test so it was always fresh it just didn’t work out for me with my ph pen. I also just slide the bucket lid. Have you seen my new grow Sam

I don't think that I have..... I will check out. If you get a minute you can check out my DWC progress.
Sam's Fall & Winter Grow 2018

The rest of th thread has all my coco grow stuff in it so I just linked the page to where I am today with the relevant grow.

 

[Rifleman]

Nice work.

Thanks Icemann.

the site tube water sits stagnate. Nothing circulates through it. You readings will be off. I figured that out the hard way. I have a blue labs meter running in mine now in anticipation of going RDWC. Before that I just slide the bucket lid over a bit and use a turkey baster to suck up a little water and place it in a glass and then take the readings. Same goes for adding anything if I have to.

Well there is a darn good explanation. Good job SS.

I like that method. The rapid rooter plugs that got have netting around them. Did you remove yours or are they a different type that doesn't have them? I have used rockwool in the past and that worked well. Yuou just have to make sure it doesn't get too wet.

These are Rapid Rooter brand. No netting. They are more like a sponge than a compressed peat.

no desire to start dwc yet
but learning is always good
i'm in

Glad to have you aboard freed. I'm stuck out here in the sticks with just the CEO to chat with, and she has no desire to learn, so this is my way of passing on what little I've figured out.

I would always blow through the tube before I’d use it to test so it was always fresh it just didn’t work out for me with my ph pen. I also just slide the bucket lid. Have you seen my new grow Sam

Yeah I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole. Nope, not gonna do it.

 

[TorturedSoul]

It's the only way you'll ever get away from chasing pH. The AN works well, but there is a limit to how far you can push it when you only add straight water back into the cycle

If you see the pH slowly rise, it's probably (primarily) due to your plant consuming phosphorous. Try adding a wee bit of the Bloom component to your "add back" water; it will probably help better keep the pH in check (while replacing something the plant ate). Of course there will be other things that said plant will have eaten, too...