Starting my first hydro grow, HELP Please!!

[jayreef]

hello all, i am thinking about starting my first hydro setup. I am going to start by trying one plant in a 5 gallon bucket. I am going to use a black bucket, black lid, 5" net pot, grow rocks, and air pump air stone. Am i going to need to heat the water, and if so will a fish tank heater work? also, what nutes would you experienced ones suggest for a beginner. other than that i could use some help on getting started.

i usually germinate in rockwool. so do i set the rockwool cube on top of my grow rocks, or do i bury it in the growrocks, do i keep rockwool moist by watering until sprouts, and roots grow out of net pot. do i have to keep water in bucket even though there are no roots yet? If someone could help me with the basics I would def like to try this. Thanks

 

[marcnh]

usually growers have a water CHILLER to keep the temp at 68.
bury it. yes. yes.
general hydroponics or gh nutes are one of the best. you got a ph and ppm meter?

 

[pcduck]

If you need to heat the bucket a fish tank heater will work.
I use GH 3 part. Is very easy to use.
Bury your rockwool cube all the way to the bottom of net pot.
Put your water/nute level at the bottom of the net pot or just a fraction above the bottom of the net pot. Then turn air on 24/7
After roots have dropped down into the bucket, I leave my water/nute level at 3 gallons

 

[jayreef]

ok more questions of course. thank you guys for the nute suggestions. when i bury my rockwool cube at the bottow of the net and cover with growrocks, will the sprout push all the way through the growrocks to sprout? also, will i need to water from the top until sprout or will the rockwool sitting in the half inch of water keep everything sufficently moist? other than that i think im ready, oh ph meter of course. and what does ppm stand for, is this a needed measurement? thanks all

 

[KeepsTen]

I didnt even water my plants at all for the first week in rockwool. Then, maybe twice in the second week, and I was using 1x1 rockwool cubes to start.

If youre talking about germinating your plant int rockwool cube burried in your medium, I think youre understanding wrong. I would germinate them first, then wait till they have a set of decent true leaves or roots shottin out the bottom, then transplant.

No nutes for the first 2 weeks or so.

 

[jayreef]

ok, that helps alot, thanks for clarifying that for me. other than that here i go!!!!!

 

[marcnh]

ppm is "parts per million" of total disolved solids in your water. it is a measure of the level of nutes in your water. even tap water can have 300 ppm so this variable is one reason you need a ppm meter. Another reason is to gauge how much nutes your plants are using. If you have say 1200 ppm today and you check tomorrow and its lower you need to raise your ppm, if your ppm is higher the next day you need to lower your ppm. Your plants will use more nutes in the later stages of flowering.
PPM meter is also called tds - total disolved solids or ec - electrical conductivity.

 

[jayreef]

thanks for explaining that to me it is very appreciated. i'll let you guys and gals know how it goes after i get it up and goin