I hear you man. I have also learned much through my first hydro grow, but like you also learned I have a ways to go. I am not shooting for a Cannibis cup winner, but some fruitful yeilds would make me very happy. My folks are already learning from my mistakes as the 1 1/2" RW cubes are working way batter in the hydroton than the tall 3"ers I had to start with. Their plants look fantastic, and never once have they had a drooping leaf. I do believe my harvest has suffered from the RW problem. The roots were exposed from growing out the holes in the pots, and I think that in turn created a feeding frenzy for the fungus gnats. I still plan on trying a new strain to find one that works best for my set-up.Through this journal I wanted to keep track of my proof of concept progress. I finished this grow off with 4 30oz Mason jars full of great tasting meds. I had several fails through this grow so the cab did not produce to it's potential. Since that is not really the point of proof of concept I have to say that it was a successful grow. The Strawberry Cough tastes AWESOME!!! It makes you feel good and happy, more grin-lock than couch-lock. Mostly what I learned from this grow is how much I don't know. I've been growing on and off for 9 years now and I have a file cabinet full of grow books and magazines but my results are pail in comparison to your full-time grower of 25 years with a master's in horticulture and chemistry. This leaves me with the choice of going back to school or finding what works for me and sticking to it. I already know the answer to that one. I haven't decided if I want to continue to publicly journal my progress or not. The grow has gone perpetual so I thought I would end this one here at concept proven.
I have to thank the members of RIU for getting me this far. Expert grower and newb alike, I learned from your successes and failures. Everybody has something to contribute to this community of MJ enthusiasts and I thank all of you for your participation.
-cannatari