drip timing question?

ok got a drip system set up pump is a 300gph pump. have about 10 noslse right now & will have probably 30 soon. now its not actually driping but spraying out of the little 1/8 holes. so we were figuring lights will be 18houres on. so 2 hours after they go on for maybe 5 min. then 3 hours before they go off 5 min?
will be going in the 3 inch cubes after cloning then into buckets with hydroton. just worried about the rockwool staying wet always then mold forming.
any ideas or advise from some of u experienced guys with this will be much appreciated! thanks

hello in..

you can leave the drip system on almost all the time..

you can cover the rockwool cubes with a piece of SOLID colored plastic... IF light hits the cube, MOLD will grow on it... (see PICTURE)... this is often NO big deal.. but i don't like it...

your biggest concern should be the WATER being directly pointed at the stem.. yikes.. this can and will lead to stem rot.. have the water dripper be at the very very edge of the cube.... it may not seem like the entire cube will get moist.. but it will...

and once the roots get into the hydroton pellets it will not matter...

cheers

ahh i see. never thought about the stem rot thing, very nice 2 know (writing that down) lol
if u water all day wont the roots just stay wet & get over feed 7 slow groth?
i was kinda thinking along a ebb flow system where we water a few times a day at most like we do in our flower room. but just didnt want a big ass resivor so we decided this methode.

hi infamous....

there could be overwatering.. but probably not.. hydroton clay pellets holds VERY VERY VERY little water... there is usually plenty of space for the roots to get o2..

This is something you should play with...

In the begining of the plants life, you are more likely to over water... since the roots are in the rockwool cubes.. and rockwool holds water... but once it gets to the clay pellets.... it will be difficult to overwater...

cheers

well check this out. when they get roots out of the bigger rockwool should we jsut get a T & make a ring put some holes in it & let it sit around the outside of the rockwool so it just runs onto the hydrotone in like 5 diff spots?

I have two Eurogrowers using the drip system. On my third grow and have had the best plants running the drip once (15 mins) every two hours. Never had any issues and plants seem to do very well.

Accidentally once turned pump onto manual and forgot to switch back to auto for a day and it ran for 24 hours without any issues as well.

Used the pellets for first two grows and have just switched to rockwool shredded to see what that will do.

Hello,

I am on currently on my first rockwool grow/dripsystem, IMO once the roots are estblished it would be hard to nearly impossible to over water rockwool. But I heard the 6x6x6 cubes hold a lot of water, but if you are messing with 4x4x3 or 3x3x4 like I am you shouldnt worrie.

Thanks
SALT

well i dont want 2 water the cubes, i got them in pots with hydrotone now & using the dripper on the side next 2 the cubes so the rockwool isnt getting wet