New to indoor & DWC

Setting up equipment in grow room today.. Hey, it's a start!



List:

- 4, 5gal Bubble buckets(with 3?gal net pots and circular air stones)



- 430w HPS



- 4way air pump (254 CPH)



- Digital humidity/thermometer



- Digital pH tester



- Gen. Hydro pH up&down kit



- Gen Hydro Flora gro, bloom, and micro



- 1in rockwool cubes



- 3 clock operated switches

Need:

Mylar or more emergency blanket to cover entire walls

More hydroton pebbles

Air Circulation

SEEDS!!





This will be my first indoor and hydro grow!

Any tips appreciated!

Am I missing any equipment?(odor isn't an issue)

Is the ballast safe on the floor?

Is 430w enough for 4 plants?

Any strain suggestions? Too many for me to choose!lol



I'm way too excited, so I'm praying I get some feedback!



Much love and respect

- Dr. L

Nothin

Your gear looks good. but YES you NEED to get that ballast raised off the floor some how. If those buckets fail/leak you are gonna be pissed that you have to buy a new light (at the very least) and not just clean up some water.

Those net pots are huge... if you have access to a grow shop id try and get smaller net pots. unless your growing trees in giant coolers (and your not) that much media isnt necessary. youll save on hydroton and be able to get roots into water faster. think about how far those roots gotta push through hydroton to reach the water below if they are started in 3" cubes... its a long ways for a little baby searcher root!

Id start w bad seed or try and find a friend whos growing. keeping it cheap and simple makes it easier to roll w the punches if problems arise. Myself I never lost any plants UNTIL i started buying elite genetics... GRRRR but this is not normally how it goes. i suggest saving the few bucks spent on seeds until you see how to run your setup and then make a more educated decision on strain based on the outcome of that grow.

fans,youll need silica,using tap water or r.o.? steril res,so plan for that..how you cooling the water(forget the frozen bottle trick,unless you NEVER leave the house)how you cooling the room? fresh air?
ballast needs to be double secured for saftey around hydro systems,and hang em high,heat rises and warms everthing in its path..

Heed the warnings about the ballast. Modify your setup to be a little safer and you'll be better for it.

I'm a fan of the big buckets with lots of room for stones. You only need to buy them once so deal with it. It doesn't have to be a giant tree. The plants will be solid and stable in there.
Also make sure to calibrate your pH meter.
And don't cross-contaminate your 3-part nutrients. Keep them and mix them separately.

Go slow and take your time.

Good luck, keep us posted,

Make sure to check the ph of the buckets daily. And calibrate your meter at least once a month. I learned that the hard way. Turned out i was ph'ing the mix to around 4 instead of 5.6 .
The growth rate will surprise you. Once they get solid roots theyll start to take off, and one day youll look at them and think what the hell happened lol. So make sure you train them well. Also, clean the buckets bewteen each res change. Once you get root rot, it's tough to deal with.
Good luck with the grow. Hope it turns out well.

Read up on some DWC grow journals and pick what others have done that works. As for strains I would suggest White Russian. It is easy to grow and packs a punch. I just started 12 afghani from house of green gardener that are doing real well. Dont choose bag seed as its a crap shoot and why waste your time on unknown genetics imo. I also just started running a tea and it seems to be doing a great job re root health but dont run DWC.