Rockwool Hydroponics

Environment is primary and nutrients are secondary.
Nutrients don’t produce yield, light does. Nutrients only allow for ideal conditions as long as environment conditions are correct.
Environment is light (amount, type, quality and distribution), temperature (root, leaf and ambient air) , humidity, CO2, air quality and root environment. All need to be balanced for optimal conditions.

Light is number one. Full day sun is around 10,000 lumens per Sq Ft. Gardens can do well from 2000 to 10,000 lumens. The greater the light, more yield. Use the most light you can without heat issues.

Air temperature and leaf temperature is very important. Humidity over 60%, or under 50% is going to reduce the maximum ability of the plant to use CO2, even if they get plenty of light.
If the temperature is 85F, humidity should not be higher than 62%
If the temperature is 80F, humidity should not be higher than 58%
If the temperature is 75F, humidity should not be higher than 53%
If the temperature is 70F, humidity should not be higher than 47%
With a target temperature of 77F humidity should be just under 55% for optimal CO2 absorption.
80F@ 60% or 70F@ 50% are ok ranges. Temperature drop of 5F degrees requires a humidity drop of 5%.

1000 PPM CO2 and 77F is a good atmosphere for plants. 1200ppm CO2 and 82F are good maximum metabolism parameters. 350 PPM CO2 is in outside air, plants improve at 700 PPM CO2 and up to 1200 PPM over that and you are wasting your CO2. Above 1500 PPM is toxic to plants.



Roots need oxygen, which relates to watering enough but not too much. Oxygen is delivered in the fog created by evaporation of water, into the porous spaces in the medium. Water enough so that medium is not oversaturated or too dry. Root temperatures above 70F (20C) will eventually cause root problems, 62F-65F (16C-18C) is recommended. Cuttings and seedlings should be 74F for root growth. Oxygenate the water/nutrient solution in your system and reservoir with bubblers, recirculation with a pump in reservoir if possible.
Leaves need CO2, which relates to temperature and humidity. Fan Leaves are important; they are what process the most photosynthesis. The leaves absorb light, breathe and digest.

Use quality nutrients in a clean environment. Your plants will tell you how much they want or need. Use Reverse Osmosis H20 (RO Water) or tap water under 150ppm can be used.

If using General Hydroponics Flora Nova Nutrients, mix in container full of water as follows.
8ml per gallon Flora Nova GROW - Adjust PPM between 500 -1300ppm @0.5 conversion EC 1.0 – 2.6
8ml per gallon Flora Nova BLOOM - Adjust PPM between 500-1300ppm @0.5 conversion EC 1.0 – 2.6
“Lucas Formula” is equal to Flora Nova Bloom.
Adjust PH to 5.8 after nutrients are mixed.

If using General Hydroponics Flora series which is a 3 part nutrient mix.
ALWAYS add MICRO to fresh water first, mix well, then add grow and/or bloom (either one can be added second; just make sure micro is first).

Mix in container full of water as follows for vegetation:
10ml per gallon of MICRO
15ml per gallon of GROW
5ml per gallon of BLOOM
Adjust PPM between 500 -1000ppm @.5 conversions EC 1.0 –2.0 then adjust PH to 5.8 after nutrients are mixed.

Mix in container full of water as follows for the bloom:
8ml per gallon MICRO
16ml per gallon BLOOM
This is the original “Lucas Formula”
Adjust PPM between 500 -1000ppm @.5 conversions EC 1.0 –2.0 then adjust PH to 5.8 after nutrients are mixed.

General Hydroponics has a nutrient calculator online that works great if you want to use their additives also.

When adding water or nutrients to system you should adjust PH after adding to system if the PH of water or nutrients is below 5.2 or above 6.5.




PH allows plants to absorb nutrients. Maintain your PH between 5.5 and 6.0. 5.8 is a good target for Rockwool, however, it is good for PH to fluctuate in this zone to get a range of nutrients. Do not chase PH, if it is within range and has not changed dramatically (+/- .20-.50) then leave it alone.
Do not adjust more than .20 to .50 in PH in one day; gradually change your PH by .20 or .50 per day in your system.


[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
(EC)——(PPM.5)———(PPM.7)——-(CF)
.4———200————-280———–4—–seedling/ rooted clones
.6———300————-420———–6—–
.8———400————-560———–8—–vegetation
1.0——–500————-700———-10
1.2——–600————-840———-12
1.4——–700————-980———-14
1.6——–800————-1120———16—–aggressive
1.8——–900————-1260———18
2.0——–1000————1400———20—–super aggressive
2.2——–1100————1540———22
2.4——–1200————1680———24
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]

PPM Conversion 0.5 (NaCl) and 0.7 factor (442). General Hydroponics uses the 0.5 conversion factor.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]EC/PPM goes up, PH goes down=plants require less nutrients
EC/PPM goes down, PH goes up=Plants require more nutrients
EC/PPM stable, PH goes up=Equilibrium[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
Example: Start with 500 PPM @ 0.5 conversion or EC 1.0 (or a SAFE nutrient strength).
Next day, if it reads higher, it means your plants have been using water and your nutrient solution is becoming more concentrated. This means the concentration of nutrients is too high, so you dilute.
If the meter reads lower than the previous day, it tells you that the plants are eating nutrients faster than they are drinking water, so you should increase your nutrient strength. If it remains the same, your feeding schedule is on target for now. The nutrient/water intake fluctuates with the growth of the plant, so you should continually monitor it day to day. Watch for leaf tip burning and fan leaf tips curling downward or “clawing”, lower PPM.
Plant type/strain, stage of growth, light strength and environment will also be factors as to how high your PPM can be. Start low and work up to match your conditions.
EC is best to use and it is universal.
Do not use H2O2 with organic nutrients, unless absolutely necessary. H2O2 will kill all bacteria in your system, good and bad. It is an excellent product for adding oxygen to your water and killing algae and root rot, however, it has a limited life in the system. It breaks down fast. It can be used as a supplement to non-organic nutrients in small doses. It is best used to flush with and clean your system with. It can also be very useful to help start the cure of a sick plant. H2O2 is very caustic, handle with care.
The recommended dosage is to add 2-3 ml of 35% H2O2 to each gallon of water at every nutrient flush. The general idea is to let the hydroponics system circulate the hydrogen peroxide solution for about a half hour to let the peroxide work against pathogens and to let the solution stabilize before draining and adding your nutrients. 30-50ppm seems to be safe for hydro systems/tanks, and up to 100ppm may be OK for a short period of time. Optimum H2O2 Levels for hydroponic systems is 30-50ppm for the 17.5% solution or 30-100ppm for the 35% solution
Rockwool
Soak Rockwool for 24hours in PH 5.3 H2O and H2O2 5ml per gallon and then rinse with full strength nutrient solution before use.
Rules of thumb on pruning are as follows.
1. Remove the bottom 3 main branch pairs, they will end up shaded, and will produce popcorn if left on the plant.
2. Prune before going 12/12, not after, or at least no later than 2 weeks into 12/12
3. Using a model of an unpruned plant that has produced the 7th leaf pair, topping it below the 7th pair (use the top as a clone) and then removing the bottom 3 branch pairs (can also be used as clones) will leave three strong branch pairs to be bloomed.
4. On large plants, whose 3 main branch pairs from step 3 exceed 12" in length before 12/12, each of those 3 branch pairs will also benefit from removing the bottom 3 branch pairs...

It is VERY beneficial to focus plant energy into strong shoots, and to remove any shoots that are less than 1/8" in diameter by 2 weeks into 12/12. Fat shoots make FAT buds.

The Rule of thumb about pruning is if it’s in the shade, because the canopy is so dense, you can cut off the part in the shade, but, no cutting after week 3 of 12/12, unless it turns pale, towards yellow.

I take no credit in all the information above, I have only condensed and complied all the information that is found on many sites and from such people who have dedicated hours for this to be available to the public. I thank everyone who has given there knowledge so others may benefit. I am just a thankful messenger who wishes for others to learn as I have. This is by no means complete and I suggest everyone to learn as much as possible and experiment and remember to pass along the info of your endeavors so that we may all benefit and fine tune the art of growing.

nice guide. rep up.

Excellent write up - I'll be keeping this info handy!!

Im new to this and im not really sure what you mean in the chart diagram about... what does EC mean?? and PPM .5 and PPM.7 i know ppm is parts per million but what is the differance between .5 and .7.......... also CF? thank you..