Super-newb - Aerogarden Grow

[leova]

oh man, im going crazy waiting for the seeds to germinate. i didnt actually have any paper towels, so i used the "cup of water" technique, which is supposedly also quite effective. All 4 already sank!
(though i lose a single White Widow seed trying to tweezer it around, the little bugger popped right out. My shaggy carpet swallowed it

Also, apparently the 10" airstone is a little too big! If it was 8" itwould be perfect, but I think i'll pick up a pair of 6" ones at walmart tomorrow, if i can, so i can arrange em better. Am I seeing right that the bubbles only come out of the small hole on the end? shouldn't they be coming through the blue rocky thing on top? (the instructions said to remove a small black cap on that end, should i put it back on?)

 

[leova]

Took with a friend tonight, saw he had some seeds in his baggie
They're from random mids, but its good for some trial & error testing.
(I planted them at exactly 4:20 )

I stuck 2 of those seeds, straight from the bag, into my AG. Gonna leave em goin and see what happens, worst-case scenario i'll just chop em later.

My closet is freakin' glowing from that AG goodness..sweet!

 

[FoxCompany426]

The bubbles should come out of the entire air stone.

 

[leova]

any ideas why it wouldnt?

 

[FoxCompany426]

any ideas why it wouldnt?

Is there a hole on both ends? Are there any kinks in the hose? Pump SUCKS??? LOL!!!

 

[leova]

That's my airstone....i have the tubing going from one hole to the pump, and the other whole is exposed(i took off a small black cap that was on it)

 

[FoxCompany426]

I would cover the other hole up, that is allowing the air to exit instead of pushing it through the stone.

 

[leova]

good call! just adjusted it, working fine now (though its still too big, i still gotta get a couple smaller ones...)

It's not bad to grow 2 different strains in the same AG, is it? As long as they don't pollinate each other?

 

[FoxCompany426]

good call! just adjusted it, working fine now (though its still too big, i still gotta get a couple smaller ones...)

It's not bad to grow 2 different strains in the same AG, is it? As long as they don't pollinate each other?

HAHA, yeah, it's cool, there won't be any problems with 2 different strains. All you need to worry about is males.

 

[leova]

just checked the PH of my AG, its at around 7...is that too high?
(and is there any way to raise/lower it without "PH Up/Down solution" ? Like, a natural way, maybe a drop of lemon juice or somesuch home-remedy-style thing?

The seeds have only been in there about 22hrs, so I'm hoping I'll see actual plant at day 3 or so?

 

[FoxCompany426]

just checked the PH of my AG, its at around 7...is that too high?
(and is there any way to raise/lower it without "PH Up/Down solution" ? Like, a natural way, maybe a drop of lemon juice or somesuch home-remedy-style thing?

The seeds have only been in there about 22hrs, so I'm hoping I'll see actual plant at day 3 or so?

The pH needs to be between 5.5 and 6.5 with 5.7 being the best possible choice.

There are "home-remedies" but I don't suggest using them. you should look into getting a pH adjusting kit, mine was only 17 dollars for the tester, up and down.

 

["SICC"]

7 aint too high, but pH should be 5.5 to 5.8, 6.0 is the highest you should let it go, not 6.5

but i have heard of people using lemon juice or vinegar, but you have to be careful, it would be better just to order a pH Kit online or something, or at a hydro shop

 

[leova]

im thinking that perhaps its because i tested water too close to the Nutes tab? I only put in about 1/8 of a "starter nute" tab after planting the seeds, but if its high on the PH scale, it mighta altered the reading...
on the other hand, its hard to measure it as I cant really get to the back of the AG while it's on. Only water I can reach is the bit right around teh Nute tab pieces, which still haven't dissolved 100% (probably about 95%, still a few little chunks left)
Is it OK to lift the AG plant-holding thing out while the seeds are still in there? Probably better than taking it off 3 weeks in, yeah?
Also, think I might invest in a syringe/droplet thing to test the water easier, without having to stick my hand in there


on the upside, 2 of my White Skunks are busting out of their shells! Not reaching up through the hole yet, but workin' on it!

 

[FoxCompany426]

im thinking that perhaps its because i tested water too close to the Nutes tab? I only put in about 1/8 of a "starter nute" tab after planting the seeds, but if its high on the PH scale, it mighta altered the reading...
on the other hand, its hard to measure it as I cant really get to the back of the AG while it's on. Only water I can reach is the bit right around teh Nute tab pieces, which still haven't dissolved 100% (probably about 95%, still a few little chunks left)
Is it OK to lift the AG plant-holding thing out while the seeds are still in there? Probably better than taking it off 3 weeks in, yeah?
Also, think I might invest in a syringe/droplet thing to test the water easier, without having to stick my hand in there


on the upside, 2 of my White Skunks are busting out of their shells! Not reaching up through the hole yet, but workin' on it!

It's a good idea to dissolve the nute tabs before putting them in the res. Droppers are a good idea too, haha!

Glad to hear that they are sprouting! WEEEEE!!!

 

[leova]

Been just over 2 days, starting to look sexier and sexier!

Domes come off when the first leaves show, correct?
And in the start, how often should I replace the H2O on there? I don't wanna keep taking the plants out of water to change it, but nor do I want to keep toxic water in there...


Added a couple pics for enjoyment. Those two that just came up into the dome, both White Skunks, still have their shells on top. Should I somehow help them lose the shells, or let mother nature do her thing?

Also, added a pic of my bong Harvey

edit: Also, one of my bagseed Middies is lookin' kinda funky. Stem curling down, some white fuzz on the stem shaft. Thoughts? Pic attached, sorry its blurry

 

[FoxCompany426]

Been just over 2 days, starting to look sexier and sexier!

Domes come off when the first leaves show, correct?
And in the start, how often should I replace the H2O on there? I don't wanna keep taking the plants out of water to change it, but nor do I want to keep toxic water in there...


Added a couple pics for enjoyment. Those two that just came up into the dome, both White Skunks, still have their shells on top. Should I somehow help them lose the shells, or let mother nature do her thing?

Also, added a pic of my bong Harvey

You can leave the domes on til they are almost touching them. Water should be changed once a week, maybe every other week, your choice. I do once a week.

As for taking the shell off, I don't know whether that will hurt them or not. In some cases, you have to help them or they will die, but for the most part they usually get them off themselves.

Nice Bong

 

[leova]

Checked on mine today, two of em are wearing shells as hats, but i'm seeing some weirdness on their stems. They look very thin, very white, and kinda fuzzy(mold maybe? not sure)

My camera quality sucks, but you can see the thin-ness of the stems easily. In the 2nd pic, its kinda hard to see it, but the white fuzz is definitely there....

Any ideas? Is this normal?

 

["SICC"]

Fuzz is ok on the tap root, hard to see but you should maybe plant them a lil deeper, the seed will shed on it own, and if not, you can CAREFULLY remove it, as for the tabs, i use a water bottle, and i basically break the tab into 1/4, a half of a half, then i put that in the bottle, and fill a lil past half way. Then i sit there and swril ir around haha untill its dissolved, not that long, so its all good, then just pour into the rez. Change water once a week, you can set the AG base in a bowl, with fresh water, while you rinse the rez, or have some one hold them while you clean. I ordered this, comes with a lil droper

http://www.amazon.com/pH-Control-Kit-General-Hydroponics/dp/B000BNKWZY/ref=pd_rhf_p_img_1

 

[leova]

It's been a week, so time for an update!

They seem to be doing alright, definitely slow growers though. Not sure why, but at least they seem healthy I haven't added any nutes yet, except 1/8 of a stock AG-starter-nute tab a couple days after planting. Still have all my nutes, maybe I should add a little bit to stimulate their growth?


The first two pics are a day apart, wanted to see what kinda growth i was getting on a daily basis. The bagseed middie on the right(Pic #4) is doing the best of all of them! On the left, I actually pushed that one in a little bit, was concerned it couldn't reach the water.
The middle one(Pic #5), strangely enough, has its roots on TOP of the grey sponge, between the sponge and the label, just out in the open like that...


I figured out my first big newb mistake - Instead of slicing the heck out of the bottom of the sponges, i just poked a tiny hole, not even all the way through. I think that's why the root's don't reach the water, except on that Mid-grade seed in front.
I took 2 more middie seeds, cut the heck out of two of the other sponges, and planted them on the left-hand side. Reinforcements, ya know?


Decided to cut off that extra CFL light on the side, seemed like it was doing more harm than good. Also, they DEFINITELY need some night-time to develop, i wasn't seeing any root growth at all until I gave em 4hrs of night (Forgot my CFL wasn't plugged into the timer!)


Thoughts? Seems a bit slow growth-wise for a week's time, but that's more or less my fault
What can/should I do to improve their development? If I can find a suitable way to hold em, should I flush the reservoir today?

 

["SICC"]

u would try and replant the one that is out of the sponge, you dont want the roots exposed to the light. other then that they look fine, trust me, you need those extra CFL's i would 18/6 now, start the veg cycle. i would wait a lil before you add more nutes, there drinking, but not that fast yet, so you dont want to over feed them