Hello fellow hempys - Just picked up supplies to start converting my soil SOG setup to hempy 2l. Currently, my soil SOG consists of 36 plants under my 1000w HPS (HTG Big Kahuna reflector) and 30 plants under my 600w digital HPS (currently in a 6" cool tube, just ordered a Blockbuster 6" reflector upgrade yesterday). All grown in FFOF 3/4 gallon, 5" pots, FF trio nutes (simple, I know). I grow two strains currently - aurora indica (Nirvana genetics) and BC Gods Bud (local clones). I average yeild about 12g dried per plant but can yield a bit more with my BC-GB if I let it go for 13+ weeks (sativa dom).
I have 8 aurora clones rooted and sitting in my DIY aero cloner for 1-2 more days to elongate and develop my roots a little more before throwing them into my 2l pots and putting them into 12/12 almost immediately (maybe 2 days under 18/6 to adjust, no more). The plan will be to convert my current perpetual setup to 2l hempy. I cut down 22 plants every three weeks. For my hempy setup, I will be using the GH trio (gro, micro, bloom) setup, similar to 420fied's "come SOG with me" thread over on 420mag. I will be using a 75/25 perilite/vermiculite mix.
I am super excited to get started with hempy and yield the benefits! No more soil every month! Shooting for 15g dried. Two questions I am currently pondering and hoping the hempy community can help me with -
First question is a simple one: I don't want to monkey with screens on my drain holes. It looks like those using 2l bottles drill multiple holes (I am thinking 3 evenly spaced radially around the bottle at 2.25" from the base). What bit should I use to drill my drain holes? Is a 1/8" bit big enough to drain but small enough to hold my perilite/vermiculite mix in?
Second question will likely be subjective relative to my local water conditions, environment, nute schedule and strain needs, but I am trying to gauge how others deal with regular cal/mag feedings using tap water. My tap water is about 90-100PPM to start with. My local water company reports on their website that the "hardness" of my local water supply (they state that hardness relates to cal/mag primarily, although I realize its more than those two minerals alone) is 1-2 "grains" per gallon. I realize that my PPM is pretty low and my water is not very hard. Does anyone have some general advice on a regular feeding schedule for cal/mag given these parameters? I dont want to chase a cal/mag def I would like to address it with a regular cycle of feeding so I don't get to that point.
Cheers!