First Grow and a few hydroponics questions

[Dannyboy58]

Newb alert! Just started my first grow. When I decided to start growing I did a little research on hydroponics and found the Aero Weed blog. I had a counter top AG and a Farm 12xl that weren't being used so I decided to give it a shot. When I got seeds from Rocket Seeds their warranty disclaimer said the warranty was only good if you started the seeds by their method which was the old soak in water, then a paper towel method that never worked for me in the past. So I tried it with one norther lights seed and I popped one afghan seed into the AG. Two days later the Afghan baby had cracked open and the tap root was out, day 3 he sprouted and the NL seed in the paper towel was still dormant. It finally cracked open but never sprouted when I put it in soil so I decided the AG was going to be my MO.

I'm a long time homebrewer so I have a pretty good handle on water chemistry and the makeup of my well water so hydro just feels like a good fit for me. Autos seemed the best choice for a first time grower and for the AG for now. If that doesn't work out I'll likely build a recirculating system of my own.

So I moved the two small sprouts I had to the bigger AG and popped a couple more in to germinate. So I now have 2 each NL and Afghani in the Farm12xl. The full spectrum LED lights on this AG can move up to 36" high and I may add more grow lights when we get to flowering. I'm using general hydroponics nutrients and hydroguard for root health. I also added an aquarium pump to put more air into the solution for the roots. The oldest plant is just about two weeks old now and they all seem to be doing pretty well.

When I started the seeds I used the AG nutrients at about half their recommended strength and the sprouts grew well with that the first couple days. When I moved them to the bigger AG I went to the GH flora series nutes and kept them at about the same TDS level. The last water change I increased the TDS to about 750ppm. They seem to be healthy and growing pretty fast so far.

Im running the lights 20/4. All inside a grow tent with an exhaust fan and carbon filter with a small desk fan to provide more circulation around the plants as they grow.

My questions:

I have noticed some lighter spots on the leaves. Does that look like a calcium deficiency? My well water has 37ppm Ca and I read somewhere it should be 50 or higher so I ordered some CaliMagic and should have it today.

Regarding nutes, I downloaded a nutrient guide from general hydroponics that conflicts with everything I'm reading online. The aero weed blog says they shoot for about 500ppm TDS with nutrients, everyone else seems to say minimal nutes but the GH chart says 1100-1500ppm TDS. I had it at about 750 TDS past week. I'm due for a water change and am wondering whether to increase?

I'm sure I'll have more questions as things progress but for now any and all advice appreciated!

Here are a few pics of the setup and the babies.

[RetiredGuy]

IMHO you started nutes to early and 750 ppm is too high. Most common advice is not to feed for first couple of weeks and when you start go slow. I believe the darker green lower leaves are a sign of nitrogen toxicity. I recommend changing the reservoir and lowering the nutes level to no more than 400 ppm.

Remember more nutes don’t make bigger buds, it’s the light that makes the plant grow.

[Dannyboy58]

RetiredGuy thanks for the advice! I was wondering about the darker kind of curled lower leaves as well but forgot to ask. I'm always skeptical of recommendations of use from the manufacturer who maybe just wants to sell more... your advice falls more in line with what I've read elsewhere.

[gbauto]

I typically find that my plants thrive when I feed them @ 1.6ec(800ppm) running Jacks 3-2-1.
I topwater the starts until I get roots hanging and then let them go.
I'll do a rez dump every 2 weeks and allow my ph to drift from 5.5 to 6.5 over that period.

[Dannyboy58]

I reread the description of the afghan auto that I'm growing and one of the things it said is "this strain thrives in less-nutritious soil, so there is no need to splurge on fertilizers." So I think RetiredGuy is onto something regarding the color of my afghan plant.

[Canuck147]

Great start Dannyboy58 -

[DW2]

Howdy Dannyboy58, I have just finished my tenth grow in a DWC setup (BubblePhonics style) and I use the GH line of nutrients MaxiGrow and MaxiBloom (with supplements) at the recommend feed levels on the GH feed chart and I have had very good results, The last grow yielded 15.724 ounces of bud from four plants. This using only 220 watts (cfl lamps) for two reservoirs. Under feeding can cause problems with the plants as well as over feeding, but the GH feed chart has worked well for me.

[Dannyboy58]

Good to know. What level TDS do you keep your water?

[DW2]

Howdy Dannyboy58, I do not use any TDS meter, I use the nutrients at the levels per gallon as recommended by GH on the feed chart (they have different charts for each of their nutrient lines and for the different methods of growing). They (GH) has done a lot of research on the use of their products and I have used that information with very good results. I get a yearly water quality report from the city to keep track of what's in it and I can not see any need to spend money on a meter, I also use pH test strips (no batteries or calibration required! lol) to keep tabs on the pH level of the water and nutrient mix.

[Dannyboy58]

one google later reading about nitrogen toxicity and confirming RetiredGuy 's suspicions. "Dark green, down curled leaves...can appear claw like". Mine isn't that advanced but it's certainly showing signs.

Also read the info on my afghan auto and it said they grow well with very little fertilizer so don't over do it. Makes sense for that one and the NL shows the same dark green and almost drippy wax looking spots on the leaves. Haven't found any grow advice for nutrients on NL yet.

Since today was water change day i considered just running pH'd water for a day but opted for RG's advice above and dropped the nutrients to 400.

They've grown a lot this week regardless. Added a small fan inside the tent today for a little better circulation.

[Dannyboy58]

[Dannyboy58]

The kids seemed to appreciate the lowering of nutrient levels and gave me a little growth spurt but I'm still a bit concerned about the color of some of the leaves. The new growth looks great but some of the leaves from the second set of fan leaves are showing similar dark green spots as the first fan leaves. I think I may flush them with ph adjusted plain water for a day or two. Any thoughts from the collective?

[Dannyboy58]

RetiredGuy I reduced the nutrients to 400ppm with my last water change a week ago, then after 5 days I decided a full flush was probably warranted. So two days ago I drained the reservoir and refilled with 6.0pH water treated with hydroguard. During the last week I've seen some good growth but many of the new leaves are showing darker edges and even some brown tips. I had planned to give it one more day then go back to around 400ppm nutes.

1. How long should I wait to see improvement on lower nutrient levels?
2. I also read that inadequate light can lead to nutrient overload but my plants seem to be growing well. I know the lights in this system are not as bright as a stand alone would be but I've kept them close to the plants and others have used smaller AGs to grow with success...