First grow ever! dwc bubble stick layout. just looking for advice alone the way!

Hello everyone! So this is my first attempt at growing (anything lol) and i figured I'd tell everyone about my setup and just update alone the way.
So i made the standard 18gal 4 plant rubbermaid tote. 4 10'' bubblestones in the bottom with 2 2 port 20-60 gallon pumps on em.
I have a 400w hps bulb with a hood (im using it for veg and flower i know its best for flower but i figure it will work in veg too right?)
I have a 6'x6x6 mylar room basically with a filtered vent out. i have a oscillating heater fan with a thermostat keeping my temp at around 75-80 as well as a 20" box fan on low which i move throughout the room every 6 hours or so.
I just got 4 3 week old clones from my co-op. 2 indicas (amsterdam indica and bubblegum) and 2 sativas (jesus and powerplant) for this first week im just using filtered water with a 5.8ish ph. ive been reading up alot and i see alot of mistakes are over nurturing plants. i figure next week ill start a 1/4 strength nutes and work up from there. heres some pics. any advice to help a girl out would be helpful. im not tryin to get crazy complicated but i want everything to turn out well. regardless so far its been a fun adventure!:hump:Longview-Kelso-20101219-00125.jpgLongview-Kelso-20101219-00128.jpgLongview-Kelso-20101219-00130.jpgLongview-Kelso-20101219-00125.jpgLongview-Kelso-20101219-00128.jpgLongview-Kelso-20101219-00130.jpg
 
oh no! i just checked on them and they seem to be droopy and yellowish! should i add maybe a 1/4 str nute? any advice would be suuuuper helpful!
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OK.. so everythings been going great i think lol. i trimmed em up a lil bit and i topped them cutting about 80%. heres some pics! roots are starting to grow longer too..eve4.jpgeve1.jpgeve2.jpgeve3.jpgeve.jpgeve5.jpg
 

Dick Moser

Active Member
ouch that topping looks brutal! i usally just give the tops a pinch so as not to slow upward growth but incourage outward, but thats me not you (their look young enough to even try lst). little ladies are looking great for clones, and the only things i could even suggest might be lowering the hood a little bit (mabye a foot) so those gals get a little more lumens (doesnt need it but it will help..a lot) with a sealed room like that i would have to suggest getting your self some gro room gear (i suggest tee shirt and pj pants) so you arent risking bringing in any bugs or pollens hitching a ride on your clothes. over fert is a problem with a lot of new growers and going 4th or even half strength for a while is a great idea not just for your first grow but as a rule of thumb for seedlings and clones, until you find a strain that you like and know. some plants will devour all the nutes you can get it (i use double or tripple strength on the ship wreack i grow) and some will find all they need in the soil (or your case the water). but growing hydro like you are the nutes just arent there, so you do have to add them using nutes and ferts. honestly for your next grow with a room like that i suggest growing in soil and getting another 400 or even a 600 and FILL that room with green from wall to wall, you have TONS of room growing to waste, but being your first time NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS, KEEP IT UP AND YOU WILL LOVE YOURSELF COME HARVEST TIME!!!!!!! stay medicated.
 
Hey thanks for the advice dick moser i lowered my a hood about 6'' and noticed more upward growth. a friend of mine got a little nuts trimming them but hes got experience so i didnt argue. the tops look like they've split. heres some pics! i greatly appreciate all the advice! :peace::peace::peace::blsmoke:12.28.4.jpg12.28.3.jpg12.28.jpg12.28.2.jpg12.28.1.jpg
 

Dick Moser

Active Member
looking so damn sexy, those are gonna be some fine little ladies, cant wait to see what how it turns out :) got a fan in me! it looks like you have them setup with a sativa next to an idica???? that should be ideal for flowering the indicas so long as they arent overshadowed by the canopy of the sativas, but i am so excited to see what happens, i love seeing a diverse grow. stay medicated.
 

Rascality Afoot

Well-Known Member
Hey man, nice lil' bubble unit for sure. They're looking like they're healthy, but a bit sad about something. I have just delved into the world of dwc after years of soil and ebbflow. Here is what went wrong with mine, so that you can prevent the same trouble...
Mine are doing fine now, because I:

Light proofed the box! I made little skirts out of visqueen plastic that go around my tubs and block out the light. These rubbermaids leak alot more light than I thought! Be thorough.

Used peroxide. I like to keep it organic, and this freaked my out at first, but it just turns into gasses, and the benifits are huge. There are many guides to using peroxide on this forum.

Add more bubbles! I have three 80gal rated fish tank pumps in mine. We're not raising fish here after all. The more oxygen to the roots, the better. It prevents algae, eliminates the risk of root rot, and boosts growth exponentially.

Lastly, the preachy bit. Don't top your plants, and don't listen to friends with experience. The experts on this forum know much more than he does, almost definitely. I can't think of a single good reason to prune a small clone other than maybe as a FIM. Just gently bending it down would have been much more effective, and wouldn't have slowed growth. Clones are in a delicate state, don't hurt 'em!

Word to dick moser. Mo' light man! Make it shine!
 

Rascality Afoot

Well-Known Member
Oh, and I've run into trouble with alot of strains when I switch suddenly from 24 to 18. It can cause flowering in many strains, and stress as well. Keep up the good work! This is right on track
 
Thank you very much for all of the advice! its been incredibly helpful. So today i cut out a mylar cover to go over my box. i can already tell the extra reflection off of it has upped the light tremendously. i also changed my res out. i plan on getting and using hygrogen. ive head great things and im keeping my temp between 65-70 so i figure it will help kill off anything in there. also ive heard of something called great white for root growth? any advice on that? happy new year everyone and ill keep everyone updated!
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Dick Moser

Active Member
damn those ladies are stretching, im having trouble finding the topped ones!!! looking damn good though. they grow up so fast :(
 
soooooo im really worried about this one! i think it might be root rot? its roots havent taken off like the others and shes very very sad looking! water is ph'd ppm around 900 and temp at 70ish. i have added hygrozyme and great white and can totally tell in all 3 other plants the difference in their roots! i plan on maybe budding in a week or 2. gonna just go with ff tiger bloom. is there anything i should be adding? this so far seems to be going smooth but im worried about this poor lil amsterdam indicaIMG-20110105-00196.jpgIMG-20110105-00193.jpgIMG-20110105-00198.jpgIMG-20110105-00197.jpgIMG-20110105-00194.jpg
 

Dick Moser

Active Member
wowzers!!! she does look a little sick, and i am so sorry i cant give you more advise then that :( i grow soil and to me it looks like over watering, wilting. have you been changing rez water??? i really cant think ovf anything but stagnant water cause i have had problems like that when my water wasnt draining. hope it helped and i got that little lady in my prayers :)
 
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