New to hydroponics advice?

[Growgood88]

I have recently made a leap into growing in dwc. I'm waiting on some seeds to arrive .I have some cheapo rockwool starters no humidity dome I know how to germinate and place in rockwool. My question is where to go from there without the dome and when to put into hydrotron Peebles? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.. I'm not new to growing only new to dwc. I have a 3 and half gallon with 5 in netpot and another homemade but it's made good . I'll be using gh Flora trio. Thanks for friendly advice. Also I ordered a pump for my homemade bucket and it has 2 small blue stones if I t them both in same bucket is that enough with small stones the pump is powerful enough. Just wondering about the little blue stones I've heard bad about them hoping to make 2 work considering budget but I don't want to waste time if it's not

[DW2]

Howdy Growgood88, The seeds can be germinated in or on paper towels and then placed into the rockwool cubes (my preferred method). Keeping the water well aerated is important, but keeping the water temperature down below 70° F is important as well. I use ice bottles to keep the water between 65° F and 70° F, changing them out as needed. Also, keeping ALL light out of the reservoir is important to help prevent algae and root rot from starting.
Good luck on Your grow.

[RFheavy]

I've used the blue airstones for germination and cloning in a small container but never in my hydro setup because it is brittle and the blue flakes will get into everything. I've also had roots stick to the blue airstones. Might I suggest a soaker hose? The link is a DIY guide with item list and dimensions.

https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/diy-air-diffuser-1-4-soaker-hose.366028/

(Hope I don't get killed for posting another grow forum link)

[Growgood88]

Thanks I have researched alot just certain things like getting stuff to grow in a different medium than soil is new to me. Can I sit cubes in a little water on plate or maybe mist them for moisture? I know not to keep em soaked. I guess it's just trial and error. Maybe I'll start using the free seeds I get

[Toker1]

No, don’t place rockwool in stagnant water. In fact don’t let any part of your plants sit in stagnant water. For rockwool the trick is to get it wet, but not soaking....them let it dry up with out drying the roots up. It’s trial and error and has a lot to do with the ambient environment.

[Growgood88]

I will definitely look into a soaker or something larger. I'm on a monthly income limit 4 now so they should hold me over till then

[RagWeedDWC]

Welcome to the forum! There are tons of folks who do a much better job at this, but here is my answers. I have some examples in the links on my signature journals.

Once you have the seeds rooted in the rockwool, I would move them to the net pot, keep the top of the rockwool level with the top of the net pot and just fill around it
Unless you are going to water it everyday until the roots reach out into the water Some folks use a little pump in the resivor to pump water up onto the rockwool. I use an air system to keep the heat down.

I use two 6 inch stones, I really can not answer your "Blue" stone question, but the more air the better.

[Toker1]

This is great advice. May I make a suggestion to fully submerge the rockwool into the hydroton. The reason being is that pests love to hide/breed in rockwool. But if it is fully covered up, it limits the potential exposure.

[Growgood88]

Thanks Ragweeddwc I have one 6 in in the one goin now and it's droopy and looks overwatered day 4 from transplant from soil shock I assume I hope it comes out. I have water level touching root ends inch up on netpot. Gelato.

[Growgood88]

Got me worried.

[RagWeedDWC]

the roots may be touching but not sure they are drinking. I would give it a light watering from the top and see what it does.

[RagWeedDWC]

I see where you said the water was an inch up on your net cup, mis read that at first.

[Growgood88]

I'm running a osculating fan on low at 75 to 78 on average 75.

[Growgood88]

I have been from too past couple days

[Toker1]

Blue stones are fine, but they deteriorate over time. So plan on replacing them often.
When putting small plants into the net pods, I only cover the bottom of the net pod with hydroton in a single thin layer. I place the rock wool on top of that single layer then fill in the sides so the the pebbles are flush with the rock wool. There should be plenty of space left on top for when the plant grows bigger. As the plant gets taller, I fill in the rest of the space with hydrotin so that I only cover stem at any given time (never cover leaves). By the time the plant is getting closer full sized, my rockwool cube is completely submerged into the pebbles.
Best of luck!

[Growgood88]

Do u let the water level touch netpot bottom to start?

[Toker1]

No water from the reservoir should never touch the netpod. Leave a small air gap. 1 - 2 inches when the roots are not submerged (you can top feed with a pump or hand water at this stage). 3 - 4 inch air gap when the roots are submerged.

[Growgood88]

Got ya so lower my level and topfeed

[Toker1]

Yes sir

[YYCannabis]

When you top feed, do it a couple of inches away from the rock wool. The idea is to entice roots laterally towards the wet nutrients.
Once roots reach water in the reservoir, no more need for top feeding.

[Toker1]

Roots will find the large reservoir full of water below even if you water on top of the cube

[YYCannabis]

It’s also very important to cover the top of the pail with foil, or something, to prevent light leaks from reaching into the pail. Root rot is always a risk with just a small light leak.

[Growgood88]

I got my gh Flora trio in mail today. It doesn't say hardwater on micro like I've heard I should use with tap water. Is it still ok to use just that or will I need to buy an additive. Rather get by with just the 3 if possible?

[Toker1]

If your tap water is ok to drink... then it’s most likely ok for your girls. What is the Ppm reading from the tap?