Diary explo and his new mate, Cultimate 🦫

[PadawanWarrior]

EC 1.56 mS, PH 5.6, 25.4C, 73% RH.
I added enaugh nutrients to go ~ 1.75 mS EC. Finished tieing some more tops. Looks like as soon as I tie a top to the side, one from lower on some branch tries to take it's place in the canopy.
Hopefully this crazy stretch stops soon, I swear I didn't expected this. I actually gone for autos thinking it will be smooth sailing for my first hydro, and by now I am barely managing to keep them fitting in the tent.. it's something else switching to hydro. In soil or coco I could have kept 4 plants in a much smaller tent with no problem.

I'm doing my first coco grow. Doing it for fun. Have had the stuff for years and finally decided to have some fun. I had a tiny little thing in a tiny pot and now that thing is huge. My no-till soil kept up with it for awhile and might have even been ahead at first. But now there's no comparison. The 5 gal coco plant has now smoked the 15 gal no-till pot.

 

[exploziv]

EC 1.64 mS, PH 5.8, 24.2 C, 71% RH
They are forming budlets on all tops, I will soon do a water change and do 100% flower nutes.
And since I showed you the stalks of 2 plants last time, here is the other 2:

 

[exploziv]

Thank you for coming by, @PadawanWarrior .
It was a nice jump from soil to coco for me as well, but now with hydro the jump seems bigger. Also, I insulated the growspace so now I can give them better temps than before. The Terra Aquatica nutes also seem to be spot on for now, I am sure that helps, too.

 

[Absorber]

EC 1.64 mS, PH 5.8, 24.2 C, 71% RH
They are forming budlets on all tops, I will soon do a water change and do 100% flower nutes.
And since I showed you the stalks of 2 plants last time, here is the other 2:
View attachment 19049945
View attachment 19049946

Do you reticulate the nutrients is it a constant watering? I used to run clay balls but its so tedious cleaning them.
I only use a 50mm rockwool block now .

Hello brothers and sisters,
My pet beaver named Bobr was left without weed to eat, since beavers are semiaquatic creatures I thought I should try hydro!
So, here we go:
Germinating seeds (autoflower) in a paper towel:
View attachment 19031578

Before starting asembly on the Terra Aquatica Cultimate 4 bucket (RDWC) system:
View attachment 19031579

Washed hydroton:
View attachment 19031580

The Cultimate system put together and waiting for hydroton and air lines to be installed:
View attachment 19031581

Close-up after filling it with hydroton and water and letting it stabilise PH:
View attachment 19031582

Roots of first plant going in:
View attachment 19031583

After I was done with it:
View attachment 19031584

All of them planted in the hydroton (the other 3 germinated a bit later so they are smaller):
View attachment 19031585

After I placed the light above them (dimmed near minimum for now):
View attachment 19031586

This is the Terra Aquatica nutrient table that I will follow, with the NovaMax Line and some of the additives:
View attachment 19031587

Thank you for checking my thread, this is now open for everyone that has any questions, comments, advice or just wants to say hello!
Keep in mind this is my first hydro grow. I will try to add pics and details with every step.
For now we are on the NovaMax Grow @ EC 0.8 mS , PH 5.2 and everything seems stable. Temperature is 22 to 24.5 C. RH around 60%.
See you again soon!
Signed: explo and bobr

Ah DWC with a top feeding ?
Do you end up with roots in your return pipes at all ? I have a similar set up but my buckets flood and drain and have top watering also and similar return lines that i have to clear mid grow as they start filling with roots slowing return flow .

 

[exploziv]

Yes, the nutrient solution is recirculated and the dripping is on 24/7, driven by air power. I haven't got to cleaning the clay balls yet.. will see.
I haven't had any problems, will check but the recirculation is very slow (also driven by air power), so that might help with roots not going in there.
It is RDWC.

 

[Absorber]

Yes, the nutrient solution is recirculated and the dripping is on 24/7, driven by air power. I haven't got to cleaning the clay balls yet.. will see.
I haven't had any problems, will check but the recirculation is very slow (also driven by air power), so that might help with roots not going in there.

Driven by air power sounds intriguing do tell

 

[exploziv]

There is no water pump, air is pumped at the base of a tube and that agitates and drives the water up, filled with air/oxigen. You can see a a schematic from @WHIPEDMEAT and a video of the parts/installation from terra aquatica in these posts:

There is no recirc pump in this system it works with airpump,/compressor

Same concept just connected to a main res

View attachment 19039303

Here is the installation video (from Terra Aquatica) if you want to see how it works:

 

[Absorber]

There is no water pump, air is pumped at the base of a tube and that agitates and drives the water up, filled with air/oxigen. You can see a a schematic from @WHIPEDMEAT and a video of the parts/installation from terra aquatica in these posts:

Ah yes ,so only small pump to supply watering rings ?
Very similar setup ,cruising along so far

 

[exploziv]

There is one air compressor/pump driving all system. The circulation and water in the drip rings is driven by the air, so water is always moving, slow but steady and very aerated.
No water pump at all used for the system.

 

[Absorber]

Oh like how This works but using an aerator ?

Oh like how This works but using an aerator ? Sorry for all the questions im an inquisitive person

 

[exploziv]

Yes same principle, like they use to de-silt and de-sand wells. And probably for the same reason of not clogging or eroding the pump from all the "solids".

 

[tobedetermined]

There is one air compressor/pump driving all system. The circulation and water in the drip rings is driven by the air, so water is always moving, slow but steady and very aerated.
No water pump at all used for the system.

It sounds like a great solution and your energetic growth proves that it works. Full hydro is just 'quicker, neater, faster, better' than any other grow method.

 

[exploziv]

It sounds like a great solution and your energetic growth proves that it works. Full hydro is just 'quicker, neater, faster, better' than any other grow method.

That energetic growth is a battle that just started, tho! Everyday there are some new tops touching leds or going between the bars..

 

[exploziv]

EC 1.62 mS, PH 5.6, 23.3 C, 64% RH
The stretch calmed down a bit today. Also RH is lower after dofoliation of the undersides.
I added enaugh nutrients to go around 1.8 mS EC.
Picture update should come tommorow.

 

[WHIPEDMEAT]

They will be so big you can make a harvest festival, and invite us
And of course invite him

 

[exploziv]

They will be so big you can make a harvest festival, and invite us
And of course invite him

View attachment 19050358

The grow is imaginary, just like the beaver.

Also, No kurwa, no cry sounds like and instant classic!

 

[Cvh]

 

[WHIPEDMEAT]

And it exists xD

 

[exploziv]

Dreams can come true!

 

[exploziv]

EC 1.68 mS, PH 5.5, 23.4C, 65% RH
I gave them a bit more silicate to raise PH a bit. I think they ate a bunch of Ca again. Anyway, soon I will change the nutrient solution to full flowering mode.

Time for picture update:

Group pic:

Left side:

Right side:

Random macros: