Critical Mass from seed (hydro)

[Socrapy]

After having great success with dirt and HPS, I feared the streetlamp in my basement and switched to LED.
Yields suffered so I tried hydro and much improved but after a couple years, pythium and bugs found me.
Switched to organic, soil, limited success and too slow, no gadgets, messy, I'm no farmer. So I just stopped growing.

I had some Rockstar one day and next thing you know I was preparing water, preparing the rooms and getting seeds. Let the slow torture begin!

 

[Socrapy]

Here's the tub fed from the rez below and 7 of 8 seedlings planted. It's likely me (as I use several suppliers) but I'm finding seeds suck today.
These are regular seeds and top watered for now. 200ppm nutes are circulating through bottom inch of net pot lapping at plug hopefully. I'm hoping that's not too soon as the roots aren't there yet.

 

[Socrapy]

Just occurred to me I probably still have chloramine in my seed water, I use water from RO membrane flush.
Details.

 

[QBCrocket]

Gday Socrapy , I grow with what looks the same system as you have pictured , if it is the same the water is running under the pots then back into res not into top is that correct

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

When you say that you use water from RO membrane flush....do you mean that you are using the bypass water!?! I am hoping not as this water is full of nasties, which is the reason that it is bypass water. What is the PPM of this water?

 

[Socrapy]

Gday Socrapy , I grow with what looks the same system as you have pictured , if it is the same the water is running under the pots then back into res not into top is that correct

Yup, the pump sits in the lower tub, small piece of tube straight up, fills upper tub to whatever level I set those drain tubes at. Right now it begins draining about an inch up the net pot. That takes about 10 minutes, I let it circulate for half hour then pump off and it takes half hour to drain. I let the rutz hang in air for an hour and then it starts to fill again...

I do that with lights on or off, I'm not comfortable leaving everything stagnant for 6 or 12 hours. (but am not sure about that either)

How are you using yours? do you use the 8 holes or just fill the top tray with media?

 

[Socrapy]

When you say that you use water from RO membrane flush....do you mean that you are using the bypass water!?! I am hoping not as this water is full of nasties, which is the reason that it is bypass water. What is the PPM of this water?

I had to go down and look at it. I have a DI cartridge and put a T there to get water before it's demineralized. I also have a T before the flow restrictor but it just bypasses the resrictor. I got confused.

 

[QBCrocket]

Yup, the pump sits in the lower tub, small piece of tube straight up, fills upper tub to whatever level I set those drain tubes at. Right now it begins draining about an inch up the net pot. That takes about 10 minutes, I let it circulate for half hour then pump off and it takes half hour to drain. I let the rutz hang in air for an hour and then it starts to fill again...

I do that with lights on or off, I'm not comfortable leaving everything stagnant for 6 or 12 hours. (but am not sure about that either)

How are you using yours? do you use the 8 holes or just fill the top tray with media?

I run a NFT system ,my pump constantly runs from one end and drops back into tank at the other , I lay a root mat in bottom of tray so water runs evenly down the tray and I have rock wool cubes sitting on the mat I thought you had the same looked simular , I do my clones in a smaller version that I flood and drain twice a day

 

[Socrapy]

I run a NFT system ,my pump constantly runs from one end and drops back into tank at the other , I lay a root mat in bottom of tray so water runs evenly down the tray and I have rock wool cubes sitting on the mat I thought you had the same looked simular , I do my clones in a smaller version that I flood and drain twice a day

I have a 2nd set of tubs like this but no 8 hole cover so I'm intrigued with what you are doing but all I saw in you posts was plants coverung EVERYTHING hah hah
some questions to claify if you're so inclined...
a root mat? can't be a heating pad, is it? what keeps light away from the roots laying on the mats?
also, my upper tray has those deep grooves on the bottom, do you sit your mat on top of that?

 

[Socrapy]

Seeds are so frail these days or is it just me? These are all critical mass, started with 8 seeds, pictures are over last 4 days. Hard to believe they are all the same strain. They are dated and I tried to sort them oldest first

update..
hmphf... first batch of 8, 2 died, (pretty sure it's helmut struggles)
second batch all 8 are up, 2 were struggling with helmets but got (nerve wracking) help this time
all look okay so far

 

[Socrapy]

ah, found something to fill it... how do you delete posts?

anyways, ever notice (if you've had bug problems) that your eye zeroes in on dots and waits for them to move. I was (ripped) in my room tonight admiring the girls and noticed how my eye was constantly doing just that.

So far so good no crapy

 

[Socrapy]

Well, after the rockstar wore off, I went back downstairs and had another look. Out of 8 planted last week, there was 1 no show, 1 died, 3 females, and 3 males

they seem to grow so slow in here, this picture is 5 DAYS later

 

[QBCrocket]

I have a 2nd set of tubs like this but no 8 hole cover so I'm intrigued with what you are doing but all I saw in you posts was plants coverung EVERYTHING hah hah
some questions to claify if you're so inclined...
a root mat? can't be a heating pad, is it? what keeps light away from the roots laying on the mats?
also, my upper tray has those deep grooves on the bottom, do you sit your mat on top of that?

I will take some photos after I pick this lot , This is a smaller version

 

[Socrapy]

Excellent, thanks. Spreader mat looks like secret ingredient. I've had success with these mats.
I won't be getting the nutrient film thing going but this'll work nicely with those extra trays.
http://www.leevalley.com/us/garden/page.aspx?p=44627&cat=2,44713,53836