DirtySouth said:
I'll help ya improve on your bomb set up. Add 1/2 1/2 hydroton and R.W.mini cubes. Then from your ebb (from the pump) add a drip.
Easy as pie. Drip is way more efficant.1/2 the water in the res. 1/2 the nutes to raise the ppm. R.w. helps stable ph, it makes for less waterings.The cube hydroton mix is the bomb.Nice-n-airy while retaining enough moister for less waterings-ph mishaps.
I know you did great, but this is food for thought!
i absolutely loved your post!
And while thinking about it, it does make sense, trade off slightly less oxygen for slightly more nutrient, hmm..... think ill try that on one of my flowering chambers, if fact, im going to.
My only concern is the rockwool buffering the ph to high, to fast.
You see, when i fill my res, add nutes and finally ph adjust, i generally start around 5.6. By the next day it is a point higher, and again the following day. As it rises to 6.1, i back adjust to 5.8 where the ph pretty much remains stable on its own, whether i add ro water or not, the ro water assimilates with the ph of the res for whatever reason, and buddy, im not complaining, after a few days of refreshing my res, i pretty much just observe for the next week or so, topping off maybe once or twice.
Total time spent in the grow room a week, about 3 hrs.
total time spent in the tent watching, observing and examining the plants, about 8hrs a week, ballpark.
but hey, it cant hurt, ive had unreal cloning and germination success in rockwool, i just soak overnight and viola! Rockwool is great for cloning, just use the mini cubes, not the plugs.
Rockwool plugs are cut down the middle on one side and doesnt hold firm against the cuttings, so rooting takes longer.
seeds also need a solid footing in rockwool, so the plugs are a no no.
And when germing in little rockwool cubes, ph some water to 5.0, i do and it works, then soak em overnight and they are great.
make sure to place seeds tips up!!!!! good growers know this.
also, rockwool cubes have a premade hole in them for cuttings and seeds.
the holes are too deep for seeds, so turn the cube upside down and make a very shallow hole of your own and place the seed tip up just below the surface so it almost looks exposed, but still covered.
the cubes hold moisture for a week before needing watering for the first time, so be mindful of the moisture level.
as for mature plants, i urge you to look away from big rockwool cubes and slabs, but hey, if it works for ya, go for it, and ive seen huge successful rockwool slab grows with unreal results, but they were pretty elaborate, something the common grower is not.
hope this helps, and thanks Dirty for the advice, ill dedicate the next Hybrid hydroton/rockwool mini cube grow to you!!