First Bubbleponics DWC 5 gallon hydro. Need 3 questions answered

[Standupp]

Hey Rollitup! Ive come to you guys for every bit of info and have learned almost everything i know about growing from this community! First off id like to say thanks!

So starting off, here are my specs:

5 Gallon Black bucket with matching 3" wide and 4" deep netpot matching lid.
ActiveAQUA 7.8 Liters per minute pump
Black tubing
Sunleaves brand TDS essential Digital TDS Pen
Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Grow 3-2-4
ph down (my cities water is very high in ph)
Hydrofarm Flouro Wing Grow Light 125W CLF
Hydroton pellets

Ph: 6
PPM: 260-280
Temp: 80 degrees F

So here is some background info:
Ive got two indoor soil grows and one outdoor soil grow under my belt, this is my first hydroponic system. I threw some bagseed in the yard so see if any would pop with the amount of rain weve been getting. I really didnt care too much about it. I didnt feed it, just watered it with the hose on hot days.

Well one popped and i had it out side for three weeks. its root system grew about 3 inches into the ground, but the plant was very small and puny. So instead of starting a seed, i washed the one plant i had outside and cleaned its roots off and put it in my hydro to see if it would grow. So far it looks better than it did outside so im hopeful.

Has anyone ever done a thing? if so i havent heard about it, only outdoor soil to indoor soil.
the roots dont reach to the bottom of the net pot or stick out into the water/bubbles. So i have been watering it by hand a couple times a day so the root wont dry out.

Right now my ph is around 6 and ppm is 270.

Is that a good ppm? i have no idea for a plant as small as mine.

My third question is what should my water level be? how deep? currently i have it touching the bottom of the net pot. But ive read the you should keep it an inch under too, so im pretty confused. Again, my net pot is four inches down, and the root of the plant is only 3 inches, so the roots are an inch away from the water surface. is this fine?
ill be posting pics up in a few minutes
P.S. Thanks to everyone from Rollitup and anyone who views and replies to this post!

 

[jesus of Cannabis]

did you put the plant in rockwool or something to hold it up instead of falling over?

 

[Standupp]

well it had established a pretty strong root system about 3 inches down so i just put it in the hydroton. the root system was pointing down so it could be close to the bubbles. The first day of the transplant it drooped a bit but now it is health and standing straight up.

 

[Standupp]

Jesus, here is an example of what my root sstem looks like as of now. Keep in mind i do water the top of the hydroton as i would a plant in soil a few times a day, to keep the roots from drying out in case no water from my res is reaching it.

 

[Jetstream'n]

you're doing everything right bro. soon the roots will be in the water and the growth will explode.

try to keep your water temp closer to 68.

 

[Standupp]

Thanks Jetstream! Everything is looking good, still no roots visible from bottom of net pot, but the plant is standing straight up and is very sturdy. Appreciate the tips!

 

[dankasaurusrex]

You'll have roots out of the bottom within 10 days in that setup, if not 5 days. Everything seems fine. I'd probably hang out around 200 ppms vs 270 for a newborns, but honestly you'll probably be fine. Look out for any signs of nute burn (yellow tips/spots) and adjust if needed.

The worst mistake you can make in DWC is to run your nutrients too hot. Even when growing monsters I try to never go over 800ppms. I see folks post ppms of 1200-1400 on here with success. I'm guessing they are just growing a strain that can handle that kind of high nutrient level. But trust me when I say, not all ganja can handle it. I've personally made this critical mistake and it cut my yield in half if not more. You are always better safe than sorry with any form of hydroponics.

Hydroton will work just fine. No rockwool needed. In fact, I try not to use rockwool if possible. The stability of the plant in this instance really comes from the roots growing through the netpot. Once they have grown out in every direction, the stability of the plan has minimal relation to hydroton or rockwool. Hope this helps and good luck to you!

 

[Standupp]

Dank, that was very helpful, thanks! Ive read through forums but could not find info about ppm for plants of my size that werent seelings. Ive noticed over night the ppm has gone up to about 290ish so im going to keep a close eye on the leaves. ill drop it back down to mid-low 200 if i see burns.

Ill keep you guys posted

 

[Standupp]

Its been a week. the roots have grown 2 inches from the bottom of the net pot. Should i start lowering the res water level? Looks green and happy to me with the water level touching the bottom of the net pot, but ive heard when the roots get bigger they must not be submerged all the way, hence lowering the res. water level. Is this true?

Temp 85
pH 6
ppm 260

 

[jesus of Cannabis]

do you have a air stone or something to make O2 bubbles for the roots?

 

[Standupp]

do you have a air stone or something to make O2 bubbles for the roots?

yessir i do!

 

[Standupp]

Okay so this is turning into a grow journal pretty much, so here are some more pictures.

Wow the roots have grown out so much in less than 12 hours!!!

And here is what the res looks in bubble action!

 

[Koi2Dragon]

Hey Stand.
I grow in 5G buckets as well.
You roots look a little dark. I use SM90 to keep em clean and white.
Your plant will grow BIG so depending on space you might not wanna veg them for too long.
I vegged a topped Super Skunk for 5 weeks in a 5G bucket and it grew to over 4 1/2 feet and out grew my tent.
For easiest nute soup for noobs I'd use GH's 3 part formula and their website calculator: http://www.genhydro.com/calculator/index.html.
It does all the thinking for you lol.
Keep it up and good luck.

 

[Standupp]

Hey Koi thanks for the input! Greatly appreciated!
The roots do look dark, but thats the dust from the hydroton that has settled in the water. Yesterday i did my first res refill and now the roots are white. Its really amazing how fast it grows.
My local hydro store has GHs 3 part, which im probably going to do for my next grow

 

[straitkilla911]

scribed.....

 

[Standupp]

Ok so its day 9 and here are the stats-

Temp: 89-93
pH: 6
Humidity: 30%
ppm: 290-310
Water Temp: 80-90<- NOT GOOD(From what i know the ideal res temp is 67, 68 degrees! )
Grow room space(closet): 4'x4'

Ive been using two frozen water bottles every few hours to cool the res temp but literally has not had any effect. How do i lower it? Any other methods?

How do i lower my grow room temp? I cant really install an inline fan, cause i cant cut any holes in my walls for outgoing air. Ive just been opening my closet door and using an oscillating fan to either blow hot air out or cooler air in. Suggestions?

The tips of the leaves are turning brown as you can see in the photos. Nute burn?! If so what is the correct ppm should i be at? FYI, im using botanicare nutes pure blend pro gro!

Thanks for checkin in guys

 

[straitkilla911]

Im doing a closet DWC grow also, and was having heat issues also. Come to find out my Oscilating fan was causing the heat rise(<-weird) . i added a second exhaust fan and a bigger intake and now my temps have lowered from low 90's to low-mid 80's. I have the back portion of my closet sealed with black/white plastic and i simply exhaust onto the other side of the plastic and into the rest of my closet.....hope this helps

 

[straitkilla911]

You should also try and raise your humidity....55-65% while vegging and around 45-50% while flowering....buckets of water in front of your fan, or wet rags should do the trick.

 

[Standupp]

staitkilla, thanks a bunch bro, that really helped and sparked a couple ideas in my head! really appreciate it

 

[Standupp]

Hey guys it has been 17 days and the plant is starting to take off. im having a few technical problems though, bit ill explain that in a second.
The plant is now about 4 inches tall with three nodes of branches. Here are the stats

Temp: High! it ranges from 92-101 thats one of my problems, i cant find a way to keep hot air out of my 4X4' closet considering i have to keep the door closed 18 hours a day.
pH: 6
ppm: 260 (lowered it because i was afraid of nute burn)
res temp: 80-100 VERY HIGH AS WELL, i cant find a way to lower the temp of the res except for frozen water bottles, in 3 gallons i use 2, 20 oz. frozen water bottles, but the literally it only keeps it cold for 15 minutes.
humidity: 40%
light cycle: 24 hours on

So pretty much the problems are; 1) how could i lower my closet temp? i just have a box with a fan in the side blowing hot air from the top out of the box, while a bigger fan on the bottom blows air into the open door in the box. but its just circulating hot air, its useless. Im pretty sure the fans are just making it harder. 2) The res temp is too high too, i want it at 68ish but its at 90ish. im scared of root rot. 3) the tips of my plants are buring but could it be from heat? Cause 260 pmm isnt that high, is it? (im using botanicare pro grow).

Any low budget ideas guys? Something to kepp its cool in the room and res. I cant have anything too loud, its a stealth grow. and im on a budget as well.