Ask the Hydro Store Guy!

[Daubinks]

Hello,
I managed an organic gardening and hydroponics store in Humboldt for over 5 years and I have been growing for more than 10.

Got a question for the guy who used to work behind the counter?
Ask me!

I've helped every type of grower, indoor and out, maximize their production while reducing their bottom line. It's fun helping passionate people.

Everyone is at their own stage of learning, your question can not be too big or too small and sometimes the answer can be really hard to find, or maybe even hard to ask. I learn the most while teaching because I am passionate about knowledge and the pursuit of it. There is always more for me to learn.

I will not be attending Burning Man this year, so this is my gift to give to a community. The gift of knowledge!

Help me hit 50 posts!

This is what I'm smoking. Papaya, Hydro under Cree CXB3070's.

 

[HerBnGorE(illa)]

Welcome to icmag daubinks.

 

[who dat is]

I clicked on this thinking it was going to be filled up with funny Hydro Bro advice horror stories.

 

[Daubinks]

Welcome to icmag daubinks.

Thank you, I've been browsing these forums for years and have always suggested this site to people who have questions I've been unable to answer in the past.

 

[Daubinks]

I clicked on this thinking it was going to be filled up with funny Hydro Bro advice horror stories.

That would be a great thread.

 

[Loc Dog]

I am sick of coir and want to go back to flood and drain hydro with hydroton. I used to do it with auto flowers, in small pots, about a quart. Now growing gorilla glue 4. Trying to decide on pot size. Would one gallon be to small for a large plant?

In the coco tree's thread, the suggested small pots, that need to be watered many times a day, instead of large ones that would take a long time to need feeding. What do you suggest????

 

[meltybubble]

Welcome bro, .

 

[CoCoSativas]

I hope you are more knowledgeable than the store staff I have ever encountered. I have to teach the guys in my local store basics regularly...

Locdog how come still having problems bro? We should be able to get you loving the coco

 

[Lester Beans]

I am sick of coir and want to go back to flood and drain hydro with hydroton. I used to do it with auto flowers, in small pots, about a quart. Now growing gorilla glue 4. Trying to decide on pot size. Would one gallon be to small for a large plant?

In the coco tree's thread, the suggested small pots, that need to be watered many times a day, instead of large ones that would take a long time to need feeding. What do you suggest????

One gallon of hydroton is plenty, water 3-4 times during lights on. Once during lights off if need be. I grow hydro, not just talk about it lol. Just a dig at the OP because the hydro store guys make me laugh. Lots of advice and not much experience. Not saying OP is that way, just hydro store guys around my neck of the woods.

Welcome to Icmag !!

 

[VonBudí]

biggest markup items?
most returned/complaint items/brands?

 

[Loc Dog]

One gallon of hydroton is plenty, water 3-4 times during lights on. Once during lights off if need be. I grow hydro, not just talk about it lol. Just a dig at the OP because the hydro store guys make me laugh. Lots of advice and not much experience. Not saying OP is that way, just hydro store guys around my neck of the woods.

Welcome to Icmag !!

Thanks!! This is 2 gallon setup, just up potted. Will float them out ASAP and move to 1 gallons.

 

[Fiddynut]

Hello,
I managed an organic gardening and hydroponics store in Humboldt for over 5 years and I have been growing for more than 10.

Got a question for the guy who used to work behind the counter?
Ask me!

I've helped every type of grower, indoor and out, maximize their production while reducing their bottom line. It's fun helping passionate people.

Everyone is at their own stage of learning, your question can not be too big or too small and sometimes the answer can be really hard to find, or maybe even hard to ask. I learn the most while teaching because I am passionate about knowledge and the pursuit of it. There is always more for me to learn.

I will not be attending Burning Man this year, so this is my gift to give to a community. The gift of knowledge!

Help me hit 50 posts!
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=68666&pictureid=1632319&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]
This is what I'm smoking. Papaya, Hydro under Cree CXB3070's.

Welcome Daubinks. I am in the last couple weeks of my first grow. I feel things have gone fairly well and am really looking forward to puffing my own buds for the first time. I am committed to learning and listening to my plants. I also want to get to 50 posts and git rid of newbie status. If you like check out my grow diary, I titled "Blackwater first indoor grow". Some of the pics from earlier posts are gone because I had to make room for new pics. I have a few things that I have learned from and a few where I'm not sure exactly where I went wrong.
I had what looked like a bad nitrogen deficiency starting just after the stretch. It started early for one of the three plants which also happened to be the one that was growing faster and taller than the two others. All 3 seeds came out of same pack. I know I made some mistakes with switching nutes from fox farm synthetic to earth juice grow organic. It's also possible that I had some bugs and didn't know it, possible root aphids flyers that I mistook for fungus gnats, fruit flies or mosquitos. Once the leaves started to yellow I went back to fox farms synthetic but never really stopped the yellowing from spreading or getting them to green up. Before starting to grow I spent a few months reading everything I could about growing learning. Most aspects of growing there seems to be pretty good agreement. The exception to that rule seems to be nutrient type and schedule. It seems like everyone does things differently when it comes to feeding. There are so many products out there that it is very intimidating to new growers like me. I have herd that using organic nutes can be easer and less complicated for new growers like me.
Is earth juice grow for veg and through stretch then budswel for flower a good idea?
Did I need to use more to get them through stretch?
Should I use different products in my next grow or just work on learning how much to use (earth juice and budswel)?
Could using 2Tbs. Budswel per gal every 3 days when watering every time be hurting me in flower?
Let me know what you think about my grow and any advise about keeping it organic on my future grows will be appreciated.

 

[Daubinks]

Thanks!! This is 2 gallon setup, just up potted. Will float them out ASAP and move to 1 gallons.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=51120&pictureid=1638135View Image

Those pots and trays match just fine. I wouldn't bother stressing the plant just to downsize the pot.

 

[Daubinks]

biggest markup items?
most returned/complaint items/brands?

Biggest markups:
Advanced Nutrients
Grow Lights (ballasts)

Most returned Items:
EYE Hortilux HPS Bulbs
Lumatek ballasts
Digital Timers

 

[Daubinks]

Welcome Daubinks. I am in the last couple weeks of my first grow....

Hey Fiddynut! I checked out your diary and album, you are doing a great job with those plants for a first time indoor.

Ok, so when you switched from the synthetic to the organic, you didn't have enough of a microbial population to process the organic ingredients to keep up with your rate of growth. The plant yellowed because it moved the nitrogen to the new growth that needed it, and when you fed more, it kept sending it to the new growth like a smart plant.

Compost teas(properly brewed) are your friend for organic nutrients and or supersoils. If you do not have a compost pile in the back yard, products like recharge and plant success can help boost your microbial populations but they will not have the protozoa, amoebas and nematodes you are after, they will have lots of benneficial bacterial, fungal(mychorrizae) and trichoderma microbes.

Earth juice and Budswell were always popular products at my store. Earth Juice was one of the first lines I ever picked and it helped me achieve some very nice quality. Same goes for anyone who I knew that used it, they always said they would get great quality, but not the biggest yields. I'll take quality over quantity anyday.
If you look into a supersoil mix and focus on compost teas, you can save a lot of money.

Whats great about Budswell is that it will not burn, it's a nice tea of bird worm and bat poo's. You can also make your own Budswell clone by making a compost tea brewer and teaing in a small ammount of bird, bat, worm and seaweed. Shipping the water is kindof silly for the ethical.

Watch this for a full understanding of compost teas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2H60ritjag

 

[Fiddynut]

Hey Fiddynut! I checked out your diary and album, you are doing a great job with those plants for a first time indoor.

Ok, so when you switched from the synthetic to the organic, you didn't have enough of a microbial population to process the organic ingredients to keep up with your rate of growth. The plant yellowed because it moved the nitrogen to the new growth that needed it, and when you fed more, it kept sending it to the new growth like a smart plant.

Compost teas(properly brewed) are your friend for organic nutrients and or supersoils. If you do not have a compost pile in the back yard, products like recharge and plant success can help boost your microbial populations but they will not have the protozoa, amoebas and nematodes you are after, they will have lots of benneficial bacterial, fungal(mychorrizae) and trichoderma microbes.

Earth juice and Budswell were always popular products at my store. Earth Juice was one of the first lines I ever picked and it helped me achieve some very nice quality. Same goes for anyone who I knew that used it, they always said they would get great quality, but not the biggest yields. I'll take quality over quantity anyday.
If you look into a supersoil mix and focus on compost teas, you can save a lot of money.

Whats great about Budswell is that it will not burn, it's a nice tea of bird worm and bat poo's. You can also make your own Budswell clone by making a compost tea brewer and teaing in a small ammount of bird, bat, worm and seaweed. Shipping the water is kindof silly for the ethical.

Watch this for a full understanding of compost teas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2H60ritjag

Thanks for taking time to help out a new guy Daubinks. Sounds like I need to add a couple things to my feeding routine. I have heard that brewing earth juice is the way to go and will help with bringing pH back up as well. I just got a pump and some air stones so I will be putting these to use on next grow. I will do some research and find some products that have the beneficials that you mentioned. Are the Protozoa, amoebas, and nematodes something I have to add to the soil? I have used ff happy frog on the last grow.

Thanks again for clearing up some things for me.

 

[Daubinks]

Thanks for taking time to help out a new guy Daubinks. Sounds like I need to add a couple things to my feeding routine. I have heard that brewing earth juice is the way to go and will help with bringing pH back up as well. I just got a pump and some air stones so I will be putting these to use on next grow. I will do some research and find some products that have the beneficials that you mentioned. Are the Protozoa, amoebas, and nematodes something I have to add to the soil? I have used ff happy frog on the last grow.

Thanks again for clearing up some things for me.

The beneficials are likely already there, but in small numbers. All the bacterial, fungi, nematodes and protozoa are in a simple compost pile. Watch the video I linked before you buy anything. Always try to avoid buying anything. The goal is to breed more active beneficials to add to the soil to increase your populations, controlling pathogens and increase nutrient cycling.

Forget about pH when you go full organic. In actively living systems it's all over the place all the time. If it's fungal dominated it will go basic, bacterial dominated it will go acidic, and it goes back and forth all the time. Use pH adjustments only for strict Hydro mineral salts.

If you are in the happy frog, I would feed the Earth Juice per application rates and use actively aerated compost tea in place of plain water. Less is more.

 

[KONY]

Any pictures of your mature/finished/dried flowers?

 

[Medium Pimpin']

Soilfoodweb ftw!!
Dr. Ingham does her thing!
Thanks for posting up he video link.
Great resources out there to help people learn.
I grow in no till flower beds, I haven't changed any of my soil in just about 2 years +/- some months.
Worms live in the beds and are more composting machines.
I have all sorts of critters in the soil, visible to the naked eye once you move some mulch out of the way.
Plus all sorts of goodies I can't see with the naked eye.

This is a great idea for a thread, K+

 

[Boutique Manettino]