Seed starting for hydro? How?

HigherTheHigh

Well-Known Member
hello all!

so iv already got 8 plants growing in 2 of my 4 wilma pot systems in clay pebbles, but when there 4 weeks into flower i want to start some new seeds under a 300cfl light, so when my plants get harvested at 8-9 weeks i can put my new 8 seeded plants straight into the wilma systems, veg for 1 more week then flip to 12/12.

problem i have is i want to start them of in 4x4 inch rockwool cubes, but how do i water them, do i have to buy another wilma style or not? or just a dripper kit and try make a something from that?

im at week 2 of flower with my plants too so iv got another 2 weeks to find out and get things sorted.

if anyone has any photos of how you can do it i would be greatly appreciated.

thanks all.
 
I don't do rockwool; never cared for the need to pre-soak them in an acidic solution before using.

I've started plants in soil and then rinsed as much as I could get off. IDK if I'd recommend this. Later I went to perlite or a mix of perlite and vermiculite. I've pretty much stopped using vermiculite these days, so only rarely use that mix. But I still use perlite, and may add 30% to 50% coco coir (or I may not). I'd recommend you do something like that, but am not sure if any remaining perlite (and there'd likely be some) would clog up your hoses or not.
 
Hi soul.

i never new about the acidic solution, im trying to move on from coco, i will still grow a few plants in coco/perlite mix, heard alot of good reports of full hydro taking less time in veg and less time in flower, wether or not this is true i dont no.

iv got 8 green crack im growing in the wilma at the moment and they were in 1L pots with coco/perlite mix when i transplanted them into the clay pebbles, had a few problems with them and i feel quite dissapointed that i have but i suppose its a learning curve.

had someone say that they can make me a 8 recurculating dropper system for me and try it that way in the cubes.

can you guide me on products to help them be stronger from the start, i run canna aqua a+b and house and garden root stimulator, my ph levels are always fine from the tap so nothing really to be worried about there, any products in the advanced nutrients range that i could maby use for once im a wer weeks in veg and there in the wilma system?

thanks!
 
i never new about the acidic solution

For prepping rockwool? Yes, 4.5, 5.5, something like that. Do a web search for "rockwool pH" (without the quotes) and you'll find information. There are probably "a few" threads in the FAQ section, but I'm feeling lazy at the moment and about ready to walk to the store (AGAIN... taking my wallet this time).

im trying to move on from coco

I've been debating whether or not to do some hand-watered hydro (aka "hempy") with it. I'll probably just go with a 75:25 perlite:coco ratio. I'm really missing my 23+ gallon DWC reservoir setups (one plant per), but do not currently have a working pH meter, and it seems like there are always more important things to spend money on <SIGH> .

heard alot of good reports of full hydro taking less time in veg and less time in flower

IDK what you mean by "full hydro." Plants grown via hydroponics tend to evince more growth (in a comparable period of time) than plants grown in soil. But the flowering period length is not affected by this.

I like big, separate DWC reservoirs because it gives more space for the roots, more nutrient solution volume (which means I don't have to monitor things as closely), and so that if one plant has a disease or other issue, it'll be much less likely to affect every other plant in the grow.

i suppose its a learning curve.

Most things in life are.

can you guide me on products to help them be stronger from the start, i run canna aqua a+b and house and garden root stimulator, my ph levels are always fine from the tap so nothing really to be worried about there, any products in the advanced nutrients range that i could maby use for once im a wer weeks in veg and there in the wilma system?

I've never used a Wilma setup. I don't use Advanced Nutrients because the company was started by a couple of marketing guys and they seem to put a great deal of money/effort into their ads that they could be spending on product research/improvement (and because I once figured up what it would have cost to do a complete grow with all of the products they offered (at the time) and ended up thinking just buying lids of cannabis on the street would be cheaper, lol). Right now I'm using four(?)-year old nutrients. I've got some General Hydroponics stuff, and it always worked well for me - but that company has since been bought by the Scotts Miracle-Gro monster, so I no longer recommend GH products. I like to see entities like Scotts Miracle-Gro and Monsanto go out of business, so I don't like the idea of giving them my support (money). I'm using a set of two-part nutrients produced by a former sponsor, but he left here under a cloud, so I will neither mention the name nor recommend the brand. I've got some DNF (Dutch Nutrient Formula) stuff that seems decent enough. I won some things here a few years back that included several SNS (Sierra Natural Sciences - I think they're still a sponsor) products, and I'm currently adding their vegetative supplement now and then. I have a bottle of Osmocote+ that I was thinking about using in the hempy containers - but I've been told that Osmocote is owned by Scotts Miracle-Gro, so... IDK.

I recently noticed that Dutch Master Nutrients is a sponsor, and I've read good things about their products. Really, most brands will work. And many (most?) of them offer "sample kits" that ought to see a person through a small personal grow (maybe a little more). That might be a good idea if you are wishing to change nutrient brands but are unsure what to choose. Or you can take a look at some grow journal threads to see what works for people.
 
thank you for all that info! i really appreciate all the help!

one last thing, when i run 100% clay pebbles do you think it will be better to run a dripper or ring feeder?

Would a ring distribute the solution more evenly across the entire container? As opposed to dripping nutrients in only one spot? If so, I'd probably go with that.
 
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