hydroponic Hydroponics...please work!!

[frydad4]

Help please!!

Went to the hydro store and I am blindly following the advice of the owner. Hoping to clone my scotch bonnet, but I also started some seeds in case it doesn't work.

5 gallon bucket
Clay beads
Mesh pot to fit 5 gallon bucket
4-3-3 nutes
Grodan cubes
submersible pump and some hoses

Bucket has the water and nutes filled to bottom of mesh pot.
Beads in the pot, cube in the beads.
Cutting in the cube, hose constantly running nutered water over the cube where the plant goes in.

Will this work? If not, what can I do so when my seeds sprout I will have success?
Do I need to turn the water off for part of the day?
Do I need a bubbler in the water yet?

Here's what it looks like.

Thank you all!!!

FD

 

[thaichillihead]

I never cloned in such a setup. That doesn't mean it won't work. If the cutting doesn't wilt in the next several hours, then the setup is fine, and then you play the forever waiting game.

If it wilts, then we have to make some tweaks.

 

[frydad4]

it's been 7 hours, no wilting yet. In fact, it might look happier now than it was when it was attached to my plant outside.

I guess that's a good sign for now...

 

[boutros]

I'd say chill/don't worry on the nutes so much yet... and don't worry about a bubbler in the rez until a mass of roots start gettin down in the water. When the plant takes , gets bigger and stuff. Not sure on the timer- kinda out of it right now...

 

[ASFx]

Looks great but i highly suggest that you cover the top of your rockwool with hydroton or something else. Especially since you're top feeding. You'll end up getting mold and/or algae growing all over that cube pretty soon.

 

[frydad4]

Looks great but i highly suggest that you cover the top of your rockwool with hydroton or something else. Especially since you're top feeding. You'll end up getting mold and/or algae growing all over that cube pretty soon.

Thanks!! That's EXACTLY what happened. Plant died.

Fortunately I started some seeds in smaller cubes around that time, and now they have "popped" through the top with 2 leaves.

Can I put those directly in the clay?

Do I turn on the pump only for a few seconds a day to keep it moist?

Also, I have a bubbler in there. Should the water level be touching the bottom of the basket?
Or should I make a spray system with pvc and sprayers?

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

 

[ASFx]

Thanks!! That's EXACTLY what happened. Plant died.

Fortunately I started some seeds in smaller cubes around that time, and now they have "popped" through the top with 2 leaves.

Can I put those directly in the clay?

Do I turn on the pump only for a few seconds a day to keep it moist?

Also, I have a bubbler in there. Should the water level be touching the bottom of the basket?
Or should I make a spray system with pvc and sprayers?

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

Next time you put a plant in there, completely cover the cube with rock wool so that only the stem is sticking out of the clay. You wont want the light to be able to hit the rockwool. If you have to pull off a couple leaves or small branches from the very bottom of the plant to accomplish that, that's ok.

Once you do that, set the water pump to turn on for maybe 5 seconds once per day. That's more than enough to keep the cube moist enough until the roots grow long enough to hit the water. Once the roots are in the water, you can turn off the submersible pump. It will no longer be necessary. Do you have an air stone in the water to keep it aerated? I didn't see that in your list. It's important to keep the water aerated with an air stone so the roots don't suffocate. Any type of air stone and a cheap air pump will be fine. I think the cheapest air pumps i've seen are at the pet store for $6-$9.

 

[frydad4]

Dude, I really appreciate your advice. I am so excited to do this, and I just want it to work!!

Yea, I have an airstone in there.
Are you saying to cover the cube with the clay beads so no light can get to it?

I should keep the airstone going at all times, right?

What about the water level in the bucket? Should it be touching the clay beads?

The nutes I have are an organic 4-3-3. The guy at the hydro store said that is all I need for now.

 

[ASFx]

Dude, I really appreciate your advice. I am so excited to do this, and I just want it to work!!

Yea, I have an airstone in there.
Are you saying to cover the cube with the clay beads so no light can get to it?

I should keep the airstone going at all times, right?

What about the water level in the bucket? Should it be touching the clay beads?

The nutes I have are an organic 4-3-3. The guy at the hydro store said that is all I need for now.

Yup, cover the cube with the clay so that light can't get to it anymore, because algae needs light to grow. Keep the air stone running all the time. That way your nutrient solution always has plenty of oxygen for the roots. It will result in faster growth.

As for the water level, it doesn't have to be soaking the clay. Keep the level high (just at the bottom of the netpot) until the roots start to grow out of the pot and into the water. Then you can keep the water level lower and lets the roots get some air space before the hit the water.

Organic nutes can be hit or miss with hydro. If you use organics in a DWC setup like you have, a lot of times it can start to foam up and get slimy and nasty, so just watch out for that. I've never found organics that worked very well in a DWC so i've gone back to the tried and true 3 part flora line by General Hydroponics (GH). Someone else might be able to chime in that has tried more varieties of organics than I have.

 

[invisy]

Thanks!! That's EXACTLY what happened. Plant died.

Fortunately I started some seeds in smaller cubes around that time, and now they have "popped" through the top with 2 leaves.

Can I put those directly in the clay?

Do I turn on the pump only for a few seconds a day to keep it moist?

Also, I have a bubbler in there. Should the water level be touching the bottom of the basket?
Or should I make a spray system with pvc and sprayers?

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

you have a good system but you may need tweaks i'll post some pic's of my dyi clone box and hydro box and buckets in the mean time have a look here>>>> http://www.ai.hydroponics-diy.com/

 

[willard3]

+1 on organic nutes.
Organics only plug up your fluid passages and don't do anything the same organic chemicals from synthetic/commercial nutrient do.

 

[U may feel a slight sting]

fyi, i've cloned many plants and i've always had to use a humidity dome similar to this but with rapid rooters
you have to keep them in the humidity dome otherwise the plant won't be able to take up enough water, it will wilt, then die.

i've used other methods like bubble cloners but the dome+rooters is my fav