2-plant 4.25g hydro setup

[crowley1027]

Hey all. I'm starting a new grow, and I'm just looking for a little guidance along the way, as this is my first hydro grow. I have a WindFresh detergent bucket (4.25 gallons) that i'll be using as the res. I have a 5-15 gallon pump, moves 1200cc per minute. Also, one of those long air stones from wal*mart.

So, first question: Is that pump going to provide enough air?

. . . . Thats all the questions for now, actually, haha!

Pictures will be up soon.

 

[crowley1027]

. . . . . not a single person?

 

[mrslow]

. . . . . not a single person?

thats pretty much the same setup i've got, different bucket, but same pump. should be fine.

if you notice your roots turning red or brown, you need more air (o2) in the water

 

[MostlyCrazy]

No problem with that size pump. May want to add a stronger one for the flower but it's a nice to have, not a need to have! If the root mass is big at that point hit it with a little more air. . . if you want to.

 

[crowley1027]

okay, that was my biggest concern. Also, I have it 100% aluminum taped, although there are 'cracks' in the tape from where the container curves and I pushed the tape into the curves, causing it to split in half. Will this be a big concern for light to roots? And also, what nutrients should I use for a first hydro setup? I was going to get fox farm, but i'm looking for something cheap cheap cheap for this first grow. Any suggestions?

 

[crowley1027]

Here are the pictures of the container and the plant to be transplanted in it.

 

[crowley1027]

OOps, messed up. Here they are haha

 

[MostlyCrazy]

okay, that was my biggest concern. Also, I have it 100% aluminum taped, although there are 'cracks' in the tape from where the container curves and I pushed the tape into the curves, causing it to split in half. Will this be a big concern for light to roots? And also, what nutrients should I use for a first hydro setup? I was going to get fox farm, but i'm looking for something cheap cheap cheap for this first grow. Any suggestions?

I'd cover with more tape if you have it. Light is bad for root no matter what. I use GH Flora series. You can custom mix as needed or they have a dosage chart by weeks that will help a noob big time.

 

[crowley1027]

Yeah, i'm going with the Flora series. Is buying all three of them necessary? I would imagine not, since all three contain P K N, so its just different concentrations of each for different stages in growth, yeah? Also, how much should I buy? Will a quart of each be enough for, say, 3 plants in that setup?

 

[crowley1027]

also, you can see the cracks I forementioned in the last picture, on the lid, around that back edge, you see the exposed yellow as a result of the tape going OVER the curve of the lid instead of into it, then when I pushed the tape down, it split like you see there.

 

[MostlyCrazy]

I bought a quart of each and that will be plenty for a lot of growing. You use an average of about 10ml per gallon on each x 4 gal = 40ml per week and there is 946ml in a quart so a quart of each should last at least 20 to 25 weeks. Almost two grows. You should buy 1 Quart of each - Grow, micro (hard water micro available also and I use it because I use house water and it's "hard" as in it has a lot a sediment in it) and bloom. You use a little of each to blend to a consistent level of each depending on where you are in the life of the plant. The directions are right on the bottle.

Here is where I get mine.

http://www.discount-hydro.com/productdisp.php?pid=40&navid=12

They are legit with fast delivery and it's packed right.

Looking I see what you mean on the tape split. Should be alright but if you get any algea you know where to look first. You'll find that a lot of this is trial and error and especially sice your's is homemade. Well made, but homemade. That orginical yellow plastic looks dense enough to be light blocking. When the plants get bigger they shade the top anyway.

 

[crowley1027]

Cool, so I have that in queue to be ordered, and also those PH strips. Where would I likely find a cheap ppm meter, if I even need it?

 

[hamsterman]

yo your doing the exact same as me. well almost im using a 3.5gal plastic shoe box
ive just copied wolfman zen or whatever his name is. its a really easy design and it totally converted me to dwc.

 

[crowley1027]

Yeah, i've seen wolfman around. Which post in particular helped you the most?

 

[hamsterman]

https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-growing/89440-micro-ebb-flow-now-dwc.html

it helped so much
what setup u got.

 

[crowley1027]

Yeah, i've pretty much already read all of that thread, haha. It was very entertaining. Educating, too. I'm more concerned about space, now. I have basically 1'6" x 1'6" x maybe 4', anyone think thats enough for 3 DWC babies?

 

[hamsterman]

im not a experienced grower, but im only doing 2 in a 1.5ft(w)x2ft(L)x3ft(H) with cfl

 

[crowley1027]

that's what I'm thinking about. I dont know whether to do 2 or 3. Either way I'm taking cuttings from the female, supposing there is a male too, and chop the male / clone the fem. What do you have for CFL's? I have 2 on my little one right now, the 42 and 26, 4 when I switch to hydro. I have a 42w, 2 26w and a 20w I believe.

 

[crowley1027]

My last plant was dying, haha, and it just started flowering maybe 2 or 3 weeks, so it wasn't that buddy at all. Needless to say, I got 3.2g off of it (HAHAHA). I'm not an experienced grower either, don't worry =)

 

[crowley1027]

Here's the 3.2g =)