vinyljunkie Posted February 4, 2002 Share Posted February 4, 2002 ok, so ive been using formulex on 1/4 strength to keep my seedlings watered with a ph of 6.2. in a few days they're gonna be ready to go into the gro-tank with the pump on. do i then switch to the power-gro leaf A+B (which i also got with my hobby kit) and stop using the formulex? increasing strength as the weeks progress before stiching to power-gro flower A+B when switching to 12/12. also, will i be ok leaving the pump on 24/7 as the instructions tell us, or should do as some people suggest and put it on a timer. if so, what periods? cheers everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemp playboy Posted February 4, 2002 Share Posted February 4, 2002 Nutes sound fine - start off with 1/4 strength veg nute and increase weekly - also don't use too much. They don't need that much when they're small. I alternate feeding cycles with two non-feeding cycles, though you could alternate. I can't advise you on the timing of the pump - but mostly I've heard about 4-5 floods over a 24 hour period. Hopefully someone else with a flood/drain or ebb/flow can advise you on that. I've got a different system y'see. :mad: p.s. and stop all nutes 2-weeks before harvest - you need to flush them out of the bud... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted February 4, 2002 Author Share Posted February 4, 2002 info much appreciated HP. anyone else got any info on timing of pump, im using NFT with a 205 gro-tank from growell. instructions say on all the time? cheers all :rock: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the d.o.c Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 my mate has the same outfit so maybe i can be of use here he has his pump on 24-7 ,although he regulates the flow so it flows at about 2 litres a minutes ,your pump should have an adjuster to the flow rate ,get a 2 litre bottle and regulate it so it fills the bottle over the space of a minute :peace: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted February 5, 2002 Author Share Posted February 5, 2002 cheers doc, altho i dont think my pump has a flow rate adjustment. but would it really matter, surely the channels in the system would mean that the plants would absorb the same amount of water regardless of flow rate. affected only by a flow rate that is so slow that water is nearly dry by the time it comes out the end of the channels. or am i barking up the wrong tree? i was just wondering if it mattered if the flow was 24/7 rather than having timed periods with the pump off (ie. no flow so roots can breathe). cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the d.o.c Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 the basic principle my mate explained to me was ,he didnt want to have the flow gushing too powerfull and disturbing his root system and containing little dissolved air (since the roots are permanently submersed the water needs to contain dissolved o2 otherwise they would die), but he also didnt want so little water that it didnt make it to the drain end before evapouration or uptake occurs (this would cause excessive salt build up in the rockwool and cause the roots to dry out which is fatal to a plant) some growers regulate their flow so as to change it from a nft to a kinda of ebb and flood system (bathed regularly enough to provide nutrients but also with maximum oxygen intake through the roots when the nutrient flow is stopped for a certain time) i suggested to him that an air pump in his main reservoir would airate the solution and he could then keep his pump on 24-7 at full flow :peace: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted February 5, 2002 Author Share Posted February 5, 2002 that sounds reasonable to me i have actually found the flow adjuster now, what i thought would be a switch/dial etc. is infact a bit of sliding plastic. haha. will adjust it to 2L/min tomorro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrichomeUK Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 Hey vinyljunkie, For the sake of your plants, don't use the nutrients that came with the NFT kit (power-gro) - they're crap m8. Get some decent nutes, such as Growth Tech. Optimum, also available from Growell. I use the same set-up and definately would not use the nutes that came with it. Ring Growell on their freephone number and they'll tell you the same, and not just for another sale. About the pump, I enjoy good results by leaving the water pump on 24/7 on a medium rate, not too fast and not too slow. Definately leave the pump on 24/7. I also use an airstone in the tank and regular doses of H202/Hydrogen Peroxide, thus providing maximum oxygen uptake to the plants. All the best & I recommend you make the nutrient change v. soon m8, Trichome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StonedSkunk Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 Hi VJ, Iam using NFT and keep my pump on all the time. Do get yourself some decent nutes though they really do make alot of difference. I use Green Haze on my seedlings at about 1/4 strength at first and then SLOWLY increase as the weeks go by. Make sure you monitor the ph and ppm. All the best with the grow. keep us informed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted February 5, 2002 Author Share Posted February 5, 2002 once again guys you've come up trumps have just made an order at Growell of the Growth Tech. Optimum grow and bloom, as well as some Oxy-plus and some Super Thrive. much appreciated all, will keep you informed as to progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the d.o.c Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 this may seem a bit expensive ,but no-one has mentioned it yet if you dont have a E.C meter (electrical conductivity) ,i would suggest you buy one this is very important in hydro setups ,althoug quite costly if money is tight (about £45-75) have you read anything about ec/tds/ds/cf/ppm levels in a hydro outfit ? :peace: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinyljunkie Posted February 6, 2002 Author Share Posted February 6, 2002 yes, ive gathered some info on the conductivity of the solution etc.... however looking at prices of the cf meter put me off, well at least until i have had one harvest, a better idea of whats going and more cash. i thought id be alright as long as i added 1/4 strength solution whenever topping up the reservoir, ie. i wouldnt know exact figures for nutrient strength in the tank but it would be at a level where for the most part the plants could grow reasonably well (considering im planning on changing the tank once a week) will i be get reasonable growth without the meter of would it be preferable to get one now? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the d.o.c Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 check out this thread WATER AND EC/PPM hemp playboy does a good job check out his bud posts :peace: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brit Posted February 21, 2002 Share Posted February 21, 2002 On my ebb and flow table ,I have 4 floods during the day period. Flood the table until the water starts to drain away and then stop your pump. Mine takes about 10 mins to fill the table and start draining.I also have a flood during the night period as i found the roots of my babies were a bit dry when the lights came on. One tip , make sure you protect the roots from the lights with a sheet of plastic. I found this made a big difference to the root mat and my overall yield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brit Posted February 21, 2002 Share Posted February 21, 2002 Get that EC meter man. Best 75 quid i ever spent.I've got one called a truncheon. It measures your nutrient content in Eelectro conductivity and in parts per million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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