NotAquaMan
In Bloom
Hoping to use this thread to get some discussion on DWC and RDWC.
Let's start off with my opinion on how to transplant into RDWC/DWC and hopefully get some discussion on it.
I like to start my clones and seeds (after germination) in jiffy pellets. Being paranoid of any soil and the potential for eggs or larva I microwave mine on high for 30-45 sec.
Once rooted i transplant to my net pot by adding 1-2" (you may need more but will talk about this in a bit) of rinsed hydroton to the bottom and then place the jiffy on top and fill the rest of the net pot to ensure there are no light leaks in through the slots of the net pots. This is where you may need an extra inch or so on the bottom to ensure you can fill the net pot enough to avoid light leaks depending on the height of the stem you have to work with.
I like water temps of about 72-73f (can discuss this later if anyone is interested) and fill my sites to about 1" below the net pot. This is to make sure my seedlings roots systems can adjust to pure hydro. Roots of hydro and soil plants are different so submerging them straight away is something I feel should be avoided (with the exception of those started in a hydro clone system). The placement of the airstones should be in the center and if you have matched your stones and air pump you will have a nice amount of tiny bubbles breakfast ng the surface and misting the bottom of the hydroton essentially wick feeding them until the roots hit the water. In lower humidity conditions (lower than 60% at this stage) it's a good idea to top feed a cup of nutrient solution every 24hs until the roots hit the water.
During this period you may be underwhelmed by growth rates but don't fret over it the plant is transitioning and making roots. Top growth will explode once the roots hit the water.
Nutrient solutions at this point should be 150-300ppm the reason for the difference is because of the environmental conditions that vary from grower to grower. I made a post on VPD here that I would suggest reading to get to understand how temps and humidity will greatly affect nutrient uptake. The more water it's taking in the lower the concentration of nutrients will need to be.
Light should be no more than 10k lux (if using full spectrum not blurple) for this first week as we don't want to over stress the plant and root system.
Air temps and humidity I shoot for 80-82f and about 65-70% humidity for this first week. This will change based on light source something like HPS that gives off good amounts of IR would do better at 75-77f imo. Again check out the VPD thread as leaf temperature is what really matters not air temp.
Will stop there and see where this goes... Let's hear what works for you.
Let's start off with my opinion on how to transplant into RDWC/DWC and hopefully get some discussion on it.
I like to start my clones and seeds (after germination) in jiffy pellets. Being paranoid of any soil and the potential for eggs or larva I microwave mine on high for 30-45 sec.
Once rooted i transplant to my net pot by adding 1-2" (you may need more but will talk about this in a bit) of rinsed hydroton to the bottom and then place the jiffy on top and fill the rest of the net pot to ensure there are no light leaks in through the slots of the net pots. This is where you may need an extra inch or so on the bottom to ensure you can fill the net pot enough to avoid light leaks depending on the height of the stem you have to work with.
I like water temps of about 72-73f (can discuss this later if anyone is interested) and fill my sites to about 1" below the net pot. This is to make sure my seedlings roots systems can adjust to pure hydro. Roots of hydro and soil plants are different so submerging them straight away is something I feel should be avoided (with the exception of those started in a hydro clone system). The placement of the airstones should be in the center and if you have matched your stones and air pump you will have a nice amount of tiny bubbles breakfast ng the surface and misting the bottom of the hydroton essentially wick feeding them until the roots hit the water. In lower humidity conditions (lower than 60% at this stage) it's a good idea to top feed a cup of nutrient solution every 24hs until the roots hit the water.
During this period you may be underwhelmed by growth rates but don't fret over it the plant is transitioning and making roots. Top growth will explode once the roots hit the water.
Nutrient solutions at this point should be 150-300ppm the reason for the difference is because of the environmental conditions that vary from grower to grower. I made a post on VPD here that I would suggest reading to get to understand how temps and humidity will greatly affect nutrient uptake. The more water it's taking in the lower the concentration of nutrients will need to be.
Light should be no more than 10k lux (if using full spectrum not blurple) for this first week as we don't want to over stress the plant and root system.
Air temps and humidity I shoot for 80-82f and about 65-70% humidity for this first week. This will change based on light source something like HPS that gives off good amounts of IR would do better at 75-77f imo. Again check out the VPD thread as leaf temperature is what really matters not air temp.
Will stop there and see where this goes... Let's hear what works for you.
