StinkBud
Well-Known Member
You can run the pump 24/7 if your res is big enough. With only 5 gallons you need to beconcerned about heat. Warm water is a good way to get "the funk". I use a 27 gallon storage container for my cloner and veg unit. 396GPM pump with about 10 sprayers. I've run a timer 1 on 5 off for many years but I have another system over at my buddies house that is running 24/7 with good results.
Here's a couple of tips:
PH - The reason everyone should care (or not care) about PH has to do with something called "nutrient lockout". At certain PH levels some nutrients become unavailable to the plant. Guess what, plain water doesn't have any nutrients to lock out. I set my PH to 5.8 when I fill it and then never check it again.
Light Cycle - You can run anything from 18/6 to 24/7. I usually start my cuttings at 24/7 under HO fluorescent, then move them under the MH veg light at 18/6. Check this out...if you run your plants 24/7 the whole way through veg they take longer to start flowering. When you run the lights 24/7 it takes around 3 weeks for the flowers to really kick in. When you go 18/6 the plants take about 2 weeks to start. Why? Hormones need to build up in the plant for flowering to start. Light keeps the hormones from building up in the plant. When you decrease the light the flowering hormones start to increase. Once the hormones reach a certain level it's like hitting the light switch and the plants start to flower. Of course you could write a book on the subject!
PPM - Check your water's PPM. If it's above 200 PPM then you might want to think about RO water. I've seen water in California 900+ PPM! A little calcium won't hurt the plants though. I always tell my plants, "If you want nutes, pop some fucking roots!" It works every time.
Here are my cloner plans. Hope this helps bro.
Here's a couple of tips:
PH - The reason everyone should care (or not care) about PH has to do with something called "nutrient lockout". At certain PH levels some nutrients become unavailable to the plant. Guess what, plain water doesn't have any nutrients to lock out. I set my PH to 5.8 when I fill it and then never check it again.
Light Cycle - You can run anything from 18/6 to 24/7. I usually start my cuttings at 24/7 under HO fluorescent, then move them under the MH veg light at 18/6. Check this out...if you run your plants 24/7 the whole way through veg they take longer to start flowering. When you run the lights 24/7 it takes around 3 weeks for the flowers to really kick in. When you go 18/6 the plants take about 2 weeks to start. Why? Hormones need to build up in the plant for flowering to start. Light keeps the hormones from building up in the plant. When you decrease the light the flowering hormones start to increase. Once the hormones reach a certain level it's like hitting the light switch and the plants start to flower. Of course you could write a book on the subject!
PPM - Check your water's PPM. If it's above 200 PPM then you might want to think about RO water. I've seen water in California 900+ PPM! A little calcium won't hurt the plants though. I always tell my plants, "If you want nutes, pop some fucking roots!" It works every time.
Here are my cloner plans. Hope this helps bro.
Last edited: