Hydro newbie. Need some reasurance/guidance

[hackmagic]

Hi all,

I got quite used to soil grows but stopped about 4 years ago. I am trying hydro now but am a bit unsure about it still (i have tried to read as much as i can about it but still lacking experience). I was wondering if anyone could help with my queries.

1. Am i overwatering the rockwool?
2. Are my dudes growing slowly?
3. Is a normal EC reading in milli-Seimens?

I will outline what i have done so far:

-Growth lighting is 2x 24W HO T5 Grolux
-Soaked rockwool plugs overnight in pH 6.0
-Placed 2 Green House Seeds A.M.S. in plugs
-Week 1 end - sprouted
-Week 2 & 3 - fed on distilled (table) water
-Soaked rockwool slabs overnight in pH 6.0. I have 2 rockwool slabs on top of one another, 35 cm long, per plant.
-Transplanted plugs into slabs
-Week 4 - fed on 1/4 strength Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice Grow (pH 6.1, EC unknown, 100ml per day)
-Week 5 start - fed on 1/2 strength Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice Grow (pH 5.8, EC 780uS [0.78? - see Q3], 200ml). Temps Max=35.0C, Min=20.4C; RH Max=68%, Min=38% (taken at plant level).

Week 5 start was Sat 4 Aug. Here are some pics.



From what i recall of soil i remember having significantly bigger plants by this stage, but i had gained some understanding of soil by then.

Is there anything i am doing wrong? I am mostly concerned about over watering. Does it look like i have done this? i did not drain my slabs after soaking. They are resting on 1 inch props so there is drainage underneath them. I have kept a lid over the rockwool up until now to prevent drying but now i am planning to keep it off to dry the rockwool, though i am concerned the top block will dry too much and the bottom will remain waterlogged. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hackmagic]

Hi WhitePowder,

Thanks for the reply. They look pretty mean, i suppose they are 2 weeks ahead of mine. I just did not drain the rockwool after soaking and the bottom slab has not lost a lot of moisture. I didnt pick up from the guides i read that i should drain rockwool and i only realised that rockwool will retain vast amounts of water after witnessing it and searching for it on forums (most guides say it is hard to over-water rockwool). I have just been trying to keep the top wet (i really have no idea how good at wicking rockwool is) and i have to give them some nutes!

 

[Tranceus]

im getting the impression that your pretending the rockwool is soil due to your experience using soil mediums, not a problem but in hydro you are going to want the bottom of your medium to stay wet with the roots subsiquently being "suspended in a water medium" , thus the name "hydro". your plants do not look overwatered and im sure you know how to tell if you are overwatering but heres the deal. as long as your entire root system is not constantly suspended in water you cannot overwater in a hydroponic system from my understanding and experience. i normally try to keep 1/3rd of my root system suspended in water. this will keep the root system evenly moist by the large amounts of water at the bottom being propigated throughout the entire root system evenly. good luck and hope this helps. make a grow journal, i would like to sub.

 

[That 5hit]

#1 never call your girls dudes.... i almost barphed
#2 you must have a ppm and a ph meter for grow great drow.. do not continue with out it....

 

[WhitePowder]

Hi all,

I got quite used to soil grows but stopped about 4 years ago. I am trying hydro now but am a bit unsure about it still (i have tried to read as much as i can about it but still lacking experience). I was wondering if anyone could help with my queries.

1. Am i overwatering the rockwool?
2. Are my dudes growing slowly?
3. Is a normal EC reading in milli-Seimens?

I will outline what i have done so far:

-Growth lighting is 2x 24W HO T5 Grolux
-Soaked rockwool plugs overnight in pH 6.0
-Placed 2 Green House Seeds A.M.S. in plugs
-Week 1 end - sprouted
-Week 2 & 3 - fed on distilled (table) water
-Soaked rockwool slabs overnight in pH 6.0. I have 2 rockwool slabs on top of one another, 35 cm long, per plant.
-Transplanted plugs into slabs
-Week 4 - fed on 1/4 strength Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice Grow (pH 6.1, EC unknown, 100ml per day)
-Week 5 start - fed on 1/2 strength Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice Grow (pH 5.8, EC 780uS [0.78? - see Q3], 200ml). Temps Max=35.0C, Min=20.4C; RH Max=68%, Min=38% (taken at plant level).

Week 5 start was Sat 4 Aug. Here are some pics.

View attachment 2283404View attachment 2283405View attachment 2283406View attachment 2283407View attachment 2283408

From what i recall of soil i remember having significantly bigger plants by this stage, but i had gained some understanding of soil by then.

Is there anything i am doing wrong? I am mostly concerned about over watering. Does it look like i have done this? i did not drain my slabs after soaking. They are resting on 1 inch props so there is drainage underneath them. I have kept a lid over the rockwool up until now to prevent drying but now i am planning to keep it off to dry the rockwool, though i am concerned the top block will dry too much and the bottom will remain waterlogged. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm confused......

How many weeks all together have you been growing the pictured crop? from germination to when you took this photo?

I started my crop on the 26th of June. Meaning I placed my seeds in a paper towel on that day.

 

[hackmagic]

Tranceus, thanks for the reply that has helped my confidence a lot! I was considering a diary but didnt want to bomb it through my inexperience with the medium and a totally custom setup that probably has lots of things to correct. I will record my progress anyway and will prob give it a shot in a few days.

That 5hit, SORRY! i call everything dude (totally forgetting they are females! lol)
I have a crappy pH meter (unbranded) that wont even calibrate properly with the supplied buffers so i will invest in a good one shortly. I am hoping that the error in the current reading will not be so far off as to cause a problem until i do. The EC meter i have (HM Digital EC-3) seems decent enough but is still pretty basic. I will upgrade that too when i can. As far as i am aware ppm is calculated from the EC reading a ppm meter takes, using a standard algorithm, so i think they are the same thing. EC seems the common reading here in Europe (GHS Grow Sessions Video on their site have EC measurements for nute strength).

WhitePowder, 4 weeks had passed on Sat 4 Aug since i started germination. I soaked them overnight on Fri 6 July and placed them into the rockwool plugs on Sat 7 July.

Many thanks for the replies everyone, i am sure i will need lots more help. Would the best thing to do be to start a diary so i am not posting all over the place?