[iain]

Hi everyone

I have grown in soil with good success over the last few years, but have recently gone all hydro, all good the first 2 crops, I was using a flood and drain system, I was happy with my results and decided to invest in a new set up ( a pal had set me off with a freebie 4 pot flood and drain)
I got a wilma 8 system and have just finished my last crop, One of my worst ever, they suffered with what I believe to be a nitrogen deficiency which I am happy with to the reasons why This happened ( i think)but has also called into question my feeding times and cycles which i now have developed an element of doubt in...being schooled on soil, I'm happy the bare mechanics of growing are the same, and what works for my mate, the hydro guru in terms of his cycles which I was copying previously, clearly don't work on the same on a wilma dripper system...I'm using clay pebbles as a medium.

I used to run my flood and drain for 2 mins every 3 hours, pretty much from start to finish, obviously changing the nutrient and levels of nutrient as time went on, pk from week 5 to 6 of flower, flush for a week prior to harvest, this worked well.

On the wilma I started off with 3 15 min cycles of feeding upping along the way to 6 15 minute feeds a day and in the usual manner but as it is a new set up a lot was guess work. I used less nutrients and aired on the side of caution. I use all canna aqau nutrients including the boost and was following the suggested dosage, this time a touch under as it was a new system. They started of well and all looked good, I first noticed that the dripper was not quite as explosive in terms of growth compared to my old flood and drain,but still good enough compared to soil, and a lot better system to use. They started to yellow as they flowered, my ko kush was hit worse than the northern lights, but both strains suffered. I got a harvest, the northern lights was pretty nice once cured but the yield was terrible of 8 plants and having grown successfully it was a right shitter! I'm now nearly ready to go again, some strawberry sour diesel, and don't want this one having problems!

I know I ballsed up massively, my friend who turned me hydro does not veg his babies, well he let's them get to literally kicking the lid of his prop and he puts them straight on a 12 cycle and flowers them, he has found over the years that using his set up which is flood and drain they grow so quick that he had to start bending buds and he shortend his vegging time to the point where he counts seed to out prop now as vegging. I used this method on the old flood and drain system he gave me and it worked well, my mate has height issues that I dont have,
so I will not be doing this again, I believe that I gave them a nitrogen deficiency by not allowing them to veg in the wilma for a few weeks before I flowered them. I had also dropped the
nutrient levels never helped I guess. I would be interested to hear some of your thoughts.

I'm planning this time around, to veg them as long as I need, I'm anticipating 2-3 weeks. It's the drippers and how long and how often? I'm finding the nutrients a little bit of a science...I only have a blue lab truncheon, I have been using the cf scale, and was advised to keep between 24-26 allowing 28-30 when adding boost and pk later on, and again on the old set up the results was all good as all they were doing was flowering once they went in the pebbles and under the big lights. I've done some research and reading on here and a lot of people are using ec scales ppm etc, can anyone give me some advice on levels used once they go in to veg, and any people using the wilma systems with the dripper timings and how often and long you have them on for. I'm only a few days a way from them coming out from the prop and in the pebbles. Any advice greatly received, hope it all makes sense.......

[highgrowtimes]

hi

i use the wilma set up and i have the blue flood drippers on permenant during lights on and hour on hour off during lights off never had any problems

my ec levels go from 1.0 and over a 2 week period from first going 12/12 i up them slowly to around 1.8/9 with a PH of 5.5

i only use hydrogrow as a nutriant and add 2 capfuls to each gallon of water with 50ml of vineger

set in a routine i just do this automatically now its very rare i check ec or ph but i dont suppose i need to if the plants are not showing any signs of deficiency it just works for me m8

[iain]

highgrowtimws, thanks very much for taking the time to reply, appreciated.

am i correct in thinking that your ec levels are 1.0 from when they are put into the pebbles? the max u tak it too is 1.8/9 once they are flowering?

thanks again mate

iain

[iain]

by the way...vinegar? why do u use this, PH related ie acid alkaline etc??