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HYDRO Just started - Any pointers and or guidance would be appreciated!

StartingFresh55

New member
Hey folks. Wanted to introduce myself as I am a first time weed grower. Just started this project in the frigid north of the US. I had an old closet in my basement that wasn't being utilized and after a ton of hours of reading through the Grow Weed Easy guides I ended up just going for it and created my own bubbleponics setup. I'll attach some photos that I took of the setup process and my plants as well.


Grow 14.jpg


Cleared the closet out and removed old shelving. Took Mylar and adhered it to the walls with some spray on glue. Built a makeshift bench in the bottom to elevate the grow so draining for my first water change should be somewhat easy. Installed the cloudline exhaust system with the carbon filter to mitigate any smells and maintain an appropriate temperature. "Still waiting for the AC Infiinity humidifier and heater to be released before I finish the setup completely." Those should be released in a month or two.

Grow 17.jpg


I bought a 5 pack of Rocket Seeds from a local store of the Area 51 Fruitz Feminized to start with. I have just two growing as of right now.

Grow 8.jpg


Dropped two seeds into a glass and waited 18-24 hrs until I saw the tap root begin to form. "It was barely breaking the shell after the 24 hrs. I almost didn't see it" I read a lot of articles of people using the wet paper towel method but decided to use a cleaned out cupcake container with dampened cotton pads to create a humidity dome. The above picture is roughly day 3. Both seeds were at the same stage with the tap root.

Grow 6.jpg
Grow 7.jpg


Dropped the seeds into the rapid rooters to get them started and placed them on top of the cotton pads to absorb some of the moisture that was already in the container. Was finishing my setup at this point of the growth process as well. I realized that the 27 gallon tub was completely unnecessary and downgraded to a 15 gallon tub. I'll repurpose the 27 gallon tub for something else.

Grow 11.jpg



Finally got the 86W full spectrum grow light setup as well as the exhaust system.

Grow 10.jpg
Grow 15.jpg


Above is a screenshot of the app for the exhaust from AC Infinity. Super cool app. Very easy to figure out. The majority of the parts are pictured as well as the nutrients. "This was before I balanced the temp"

Grow 5.jpg


Rinsed the Hydroton thoroughly before putting them into the net pods. The tubing is the water pump going into the net pod. Transplanted the rapid rooters with seeds into the net pods. This was about day 7 - 8.

Grow 4.jpg
Grow 1.jpg


The seeds did great moving over to the bin. The plant is now on day 11 of the process. "Day 1 was dropping the seed into a glass" "Day 11 is the leafy plant"

I added just a small amount of the recommended nutrients from General Hydroponics. I took care when mixing. Only mixing 1 at a time and allowed it to settle before adding the next to ensure I didn't stall the growth.

Grow 9.jpg


I struggled with this part at first. The ph tester is decent but I will definitely go with a better quality one in the future or even invest in a wall mounted one that constantly reads the levels of ppm and ph.

I tested my tap water as well. I live in the country and have my own well. The tap water was about 7.6 ph. So that had to come down a bit. I was able to stabilize the ph in my 15 gallon setup at around 6.0 ph.

It seems to fluctuate a bit from day to day is what I am noticing. "Going up about .2 to .5 ph on some days." Not sure why that is but you guys may have some pointers on this.

Plants both seem happy and are growing well. Day 14 "This coming Friday" I will drain the water and reapply the nutrients at a fraction of the recommended dose to monitor over that week. Hydroguard seems to be working so far. Only a few tsps were added on my first application.

Sorry for the long post and thank you for reading this far if you have! I am super excited about this grow and am happy that the GWE guide was available. "I literally made a couple hundred page binder from the information that's provided here"

If you guys see anything I missed or have any input for what I can add please let me know! I tried to cover everything in one post but man it was a process. Hoping for smooth sailing from here to harvest!

Thank you all,
StartingFresh55

P.S. Does the plant look like it's on track in regards to growth? "Day 11 is the leafy plant"
 

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Welcome StartingFresh55! Looks like a good start and a full setup. Way to jump in. Your thoughts seem to be thinking about all the right stuff. I’m finishing my 3rd grow, so I’m a newb like you. Its a glorious rollercoaster! Completely addicting, especially with that ACI to monitor. Good stuff.
As you’ve probably been seeing, the regulars on this site are superb growers and provide great advice and support…and also very frank. Which I respect immensely. Its a good community…hey and they are riding the rollercoaster too! Everything I learned so far has been here and GWE. Nebula is the serious shit.
That said, my newbie advice:
They’re plant children. This is a lifestyle, and you’re there care taker. But don’t over do your love. They’re plants. Give them healthy food and a stable environment as they transition through their different needs in growth stages. Listen to them but don’t interfere with their nature. Give em a bandaid when they need it and be patient. Then chop em down, cure and SMOKE EM! buahahah ;)
Ok now I’ll get off my philanthropic soap box before I get too heckled on here.
But seriously, welcome. Let the fun begin! cheers!
looking forward to watching your grow.
 
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Welcome aboard StartingFresh55. I can't comment on your grow set up other than to say that it appears you have done your homework. I don't grow with that type of hydro setup but following the tutorials and advice you can get right here will make you a success. It did for me. I'm looking forward to your success.
 
Welcome to GWE! Looks like you did a good job setting up. I don't grow hydro so the only advice I can give you is to get another light. An 86W light is not enough for 2 plants. You want at least 30W per square foot.
Keep us posted on your progress.
 
Welcome. I don't do hydro but looks like you're off to a good start. But I agree with Cougar672 , you will probably want to upgrade the light. Good Luck
 
StartingFresh55 welcome to GWE. I'm still a novice, but I strongly urge you to learn about integrated pest management strategies. It's all fun and games until you spot an unwelcome fungus or arthropod in your closet, especially during flowering. Others already mentioned the need for more light. Don't repeat my mistake, top and LST or tie down at recommended plant size.

I envy your hard freezes (something I never thought I would say) because they limit pest activity outside. But it won't stay winter forever. You'll be flowering in early summer.

Edit: I forgot to compliment your setup/product spread and overall commitment to doing things properly. Keep that going!
 
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Thank you to everyone with the kind words again and the suggestions regarding the grow light. I just ordered a 280w light from AC Infinity. Hopefully the 86W light will suffice until this Wednesday (6th). Just afraid that it'll stunt the growth a bit. The light is a 2x4 so it'll fit pretty snug inside of the closet but it'll work. Again, thank you for everything folks. You all have been helpful. I'll keep updates going as they happen!
 
Looks like a nice setup, I agree you will want more light, 10 years ago I would have said you can never have too much light but with some of the LED's these days I dont think that is true anymore. Look at the PPFD maps and ignore the advertised coverage, they tend to exaggerate. Keep an eye on the water temps and I advise using Hydroguard or something similar to fend off root problems. That cover isnt clear is it? Light leaks in the res can cause a lot of problems. Welcome to a wetter world
 
Allenpro Thank you. I will keep it in mind going forward. I have a 280W light on order for next week. I use HydroGuard. The temps are good for water. "Not too warm to keep the bad stuff from growing". The material is not clear at all. It's very reflective. Mylar is what I lined the walls and top of the tub with.
 
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