Ay man I fucked up and need some constructive criticism

[AaronRodgers]

First DWC grow, and it failed miserably before it even got started. My hypothesis is that I had no buffer between the seeds sprouting and placing them in my 5 gallon DWC buckets(8in baskets) as the primary reason but continue reading....

Did the wet paper towel method and after the seeds cracked open and once the little white sprout thingy reached a decent length I cut a couple rockwool cubes in half (after adjusting the PH to 6-6.5) and sandwiched the sprouted seed in between the two halves.

Immediately put the cubes in the 8in mesh baskets with the buckets containing full strength nutrient solution a friend of mines cooked up for me.

Placed under a 1000 w hps bulb(adjusted to 600w with dimmable ballast) about 4 1/2 feet away.

Fast forward a day, the plants folded over and died of course and one adjustment I know I need to make is building some sort of mini bucket system to put the rockwool cubes and put em under CFL I guess.

Where else did I fuck up, I'm learning on the go here...

 

[Joint Monster]

First DWC grow, and it failed miserably before it even got started.

Did the wet paper towel method and after the seeds cracked open and once the little white sprout thingy reached a decent length I cut a couple rockwool cubes in half (after adjusting the PH to 6-6.5) and sandwiched the sprouted seed in between the two halves.

Immediately put the cubes in the 8in mesh baskets with the buckets containing full strength nutrient solution a friend of mines cooked up for me.

Placed under a 1000 w hps bulb(adjusted to 600w with dimmable ballast) about 4 1/2 feet away.

Where else did I fuck up, I'm learning on the go here...

Not sure what you meant by no buffer in your OP.

Why did you cut the RW Cube? Poke a little hole about twice the depth of the seed, off-set from the hole that is usually pre-made. Make sure your utensil is sterile!

What did your process of adjusting the cubes ph entail? (And for hydro/ RW I would suggest going down to 5PH range (5.3 to 5.8PH).

Maybe give the seed a few days in the RW Cube in a high humidity environment to begin. Ie: A Dome and Tray. Then move to bucket once you see roots.

Full Strength Nutrients was probably over-kill. They do not need nutrients until second set of leaves. Then start a 1/4 or 1/8th strength and work your way up slowly.

1000W HPS ... even at 600W might have been a bit much. 400W at 4ft is doable, but 600 might have been a little much. Does the ballast go down to 200/250W? That would be a better option.
A MH>HPS for veg.
CFL will suffice fine for a seedling as well.

More importantly, what is your Temperature and Humidity where the seedlings are?

 

[vostok]

Edumacation is required here

try soil next

honest and good read

good luck

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

Nah I germinate stick em in rockwool straight to the pot. I usually start my seedlings at about 300 ppm nutes. Ph to 5.6 checked daily at first. I also just start with a 23 watt 5000k cfl in a cheap little clip light reflector thing.hang it by the cord right over the seedling maybe 6" off. I think your issue was waaaay too hot nutrients solution and too much light. Also you'll need to hand water the cube a couple times a day until roots reach the water. Or set up a drip. Or fill the bucket into the hydroton in the pot. Usually an inch or two below the cube is what I do. Roots find it very fast. Just read the dwc for dummies thread and follow along. It's really easy if you have all the parts you need

 

[AaronRodgers]

Not sure what you meant by no buffer in your OP.

Why did you cut the RW Cube? Poke a little hole about twice the depth of the seed, off-set from the hole that is usually pre-made. Make sure your utensil is sterile!

What did your process of adjusting the cubes ph entail? (And for hydro/ RW I would suggest going down to 5PH range (5.3 to 5.8PH).

Maybe give the seed a few days in the RW Cube in a high humidity environment to begin. Ie: A Dome and Tray. Then move to bucket once you see roots.

Full Strength Nutrients was probably over-kill. They do not need nutrients until second set of leaves. Then start a 1/4 or 1/8th strength and work your way up slowly.

1000W HPS ... even at 600W might have been a bit much. 400W at 4ft is doable, but 600 might have been a little much. Does the ballast go down to 200/250W? That would be a better option.
A MH>HPS for veg.
CFL will suffice fine for a seedling as well.

More importantly, what is your Temperature and Humidity where the seedlings are?

Cut the RW in half taking advice from a friend....he said something along the lines of it protecting the rootlet. I let the rootlet get too long to stick inside the premade hole. Will take heath to adding more depth to it like u said tho. What utensil u use?

Adjusted the PH of the RW by putting it in a bucket and adding pH down. Added drops of some test indicator to a sample of said water and comparing the color of the water (post pH Down) to a pH color graph.

Lowest that ballast would dim is 600w. But my apartment is college style and has built in desks in the bedrooms with CFL lights above them so I guess I can use them pre 5 gallon bucket, post seedling sprouting. (that's what I meant by buffer, after the seeds sprouted I brought em right under the HPS bulb skipping putting them under a CFL)

Temps ranged from 74-81F. Humidity anywhere from 30-45%

 

[AaronRodgers]

Nah I germinate stick em in rockwool straight to the pot. I usually start my seedlings at about 300 ppm nutes. Ph to 5.6 checked daily at first. I also just start with a 23 watt 5000k cfl in a cheap little clip light reflector thing.hang it by the cord right over the seedling maybe 6" off. I think your issue was waaaay too hot nutrients solution and too much light. Also you'll need to hand water the cube a couple times a day until roots reach the water. Or set up a drip. Or fill the bucket into the hydroton in the pot. Usually an inch or two below the cube is what I do. Roots find it very fast. Just read the dwc for dummies thread and follow along. It's really easy if you have all the parts you need

Link to that thread?

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

Link to that thread?

Or you can hit the back button once and look at all of the stickies in the dwc forum that you posted in. Really that should be your first stop before asking questions that have been answered many many times over
https://www.rollitup.org/t/how-to-dwc.468072/
https://www.rollitup.org/t/dwc-information-thread-for-everyone.473122/

Also take what void object had to say about complexity with a grain of salt. While he knew what he was up to he wasn't the all knowing being he thought. Had a few interesting quarrels with him back in 11 on my previous lost account

 

[AaronRodgers]

Or you can hit the back button once and look at all of the stickies in the dwc forum that you posted in. Really that should be your first stop before asking questions that have been answered many many times over
https://www.rollitup.org/t/how-to-dwc.468072/
https://www.rollitup.org/t/dwc-information-thread-for-everyone.473122/

Ok so next time don't answer em. Don't understand ppl like u coming in threads like this saying the same thing many many times over.
And thanks for the link

 

[NrthrnMichigan]

I never quite understood the crack em in paper towel method. Seems like a volatile way to go about it. Did Johnny Appleseed carry paper towel around with him? Just seems like an unneeded step.

 

[Smok3yMcChok3y]

Ok so next time don't answer em. Don't understand ppl like u coming in threads like this saying the same thing many many times over.
And thanks for the link

Sorry if I came off a bit hostile. I'm a falcons fan and old habits die hard

I never quite understood the crack em in paper towel method. Seems like a volatile way to go about it. Did Johnny Appleseed carry paper towel around with him? Just seems like an unneeded step.

Lol it's not really needed no. Yet I still do it. Something gets me all warm and fuzzy seeing it barely crack open before she gets put in the cube. That and I've over watered a cube before and rotted a seed oht before it could sprout. All in the learning curve I guess

 

[AaronRodgers]

Sorry if I came off a bit hostile. I'm a falcons fan and old habits die hard

Don't sweat it man, I'm extremely sensitive and emotionally volatile because now my last 3 good seedlings just folded and died, just fucking great!!!!!!
Here's my plan with the next two seeds I'm about to sprout, critique the plan:

1. Going to put two seeds on a wet paper towel, spray them with water and put in cabinets for 24 hours.
2. When the 24 hrs are up and the white sprout has emerged immediately put in pH adjusted rockwool cubes.‎ Inside the hole.
3. Put the rockwool cubes on cloning tray DIRECTLY with no cup or anything else I've been placing the cubes in.
4. Pour a little water in the tray
5. Put the dome on the tray.
6. Put the tray under a fluorescent light 24 hrs a day, for 7 days.
7. After the 7 days are up, put cubes in the bucket system with 400-500 ppm strength nutrient
8. Place under 1000 w hps bulb. Dimmed down to 750.

Anything u would do different? Cause I'm tired of losing seeds‎ and I'm getting extremely frustrated with this not going how I planned.

 

[rkymtnman]

1. put seed in rapid rooter
2. keep rapid rooter moist but not wet
3. keep in dark until seed pops and comes out top of RR
4. put rapid rooter under flouros until roots come out sides and bottom of RR
5. transfer to dwc. top feed by hand until roots hit the reservoir

i think rapid rooters are better overall than rockwool

 

[AaronRodgers]

1. put seed in rapid rooter
2. keep rapid rooter moist but not wet
3. keep in dark until seed pops and comes out top of RR
4. put rapid rooter under flouros until roots come out sides and bottom of RR
5. transfer to dwc. top feed by hand until roots hit the reservoir

i think rapid rooters are better overall than rockwool

Ok with steps 1 and 2 are u putting the rapid rooter in a ziplock baggy or anything of the sorts to create humidity or is it just going under the cabinet or wherever I put it naked.

With steps 3 and 4 are you putting the RR in a dome or just under the light directly on a tray or plate etc

With step 5 is the reservoir containing your nutes or is it just water in there.
And top feeding for me would be a little difficult because I don't use a premade solution, my homeboy gave me some ingredients to cook up and use so it'll be hard to ration how much is too much/little. I just wouldn't know how to go about doing that to be frank.



My nute solution (adjusted for 5 gallon buckets) :
11g Calcium nitrate
2g potassium sulfate
4g potassium nitrate
3g mono. Potassium phosphate
5g magnesium sulfate
1 g trace elements
That rations out to about 900 ppm which is medium strength
So I was thinking what maybe halving all those portions come your step 5 making the solution low strength and then pouring it in the hydroton,on the RR?
Hell idk man, I'm just extremely aggravated right now it's hard for me to concentrate.

 

[NrthrnMichigan]

I use a heat mat under a domed tray under T5 HO lights and keep humidity high. I never ran light 24 hours just 18/6

 

[rkymtnman]

Ok with steps 1 and 2 are u putting the rapid rooter in a ziplock baggy or anything of the sorts to create humidity or is it just going under the cabinet or wherever I put it naked.

i use something similar to an aerogarden. it's a 3 site small aero unit that a RR will fit in perfectly. i think the RR will fit in the holes of the aerogarden too since mine is no longer manufactured. but even something like an ice cube tray would be fine.

 

[rkymtnman]

And top feeding for me would be a little difficult because I don't use a premade solution, my homeboy gave me some ingredients to cook up and use so it'll be hard to ration how much is too much/little. I just wouldn't know how to go about doing that to be frank.

just scoop out a cup from your res and top feed. a few times a day.

the only hard part about dwc is before the roots hit the res. once they do, they grow like crazy and don't have to do much.

 

[rkymtnman]

That rations out to about 900 ppm which is medium strength

cut that in third with RO water or distilled. go for about 300ppm to start

 

[Joint Monster]

Anything u would do different? Cause I'm tired of losing seeds‎ and I'm getting extremely frustrated with this not going how I planned.

Mate, you don't need to worry about any nutes until you have a seedling with at least 2-4 real sets of leaves. Calcium and Magnesium maybe, depending on what kind of water you are using, but other than that don't worry about any other nutrients until you get going.

Seems like you have a pretty solid plant there. I would just make sure the pay attention to the little things as well, PH/PPM/RH/Temperature. And maybe open that dome up once a day for some fresh air, just make sure RH settles back at a fair level.

And when you first put them under the HPS again, start as far away as possible (6ft if you can) to be safe!

 

[Nafydad420]

holy crap so much no.. first off ZERO nutrients for a seedling. give it a few weeks or until the cotyledons start yellowing and falling off, dont worry about that 1000w for a few weeks either. less is more with seedlings.

 

[Nafydad420]

if you are sticking with DWC, here is what you do...
1. soak Rapid Rooter or Rockwool in RO or Distilled watter.
2. place seed in the rapid rooter
3. place rapid rooter in humidity dome, or synthesize this
4. after seedling pops out, place under Floros, does NOT need much light
5. after roots extend out of bottom and sides of Rapid rooter, place in DWC.