CaptainKirk
Member
Hi All,
Well I'm hip deep in it now. After finishing my grow cab with a lot of great help and input, I've got my first DWC going. I'm keeping three different varieties of mothers to clone from, and the cab can accomodate up to 4 rubbermaid tubblers. The mothers are Agent Orange, a Sativa from a bagseed I sprouted (which luckily turned out to be female) and another known high yielder - all now known females. My first round of cloning was a 75% failure - I was using vermiculite in a tupperware tray covered with plastic wrap, and only 4-5 of 18 clones rooted. I have another round going, this time to the strict instructions I've read on this site. I'm not misting the clones directly, soaked the rockwool cubes in mild General Hydroponic 3 part solution (mixed for seedlings and cuttings), and have a heat mat under them to raise the temp to about 80 degrees. I check them every few hours and I'm keeping the humidity up.
Mothers and Clones
The surviving clones from the first round are now in the tubblers, and seem to be doing well. At first I used straight tap water, which was a huge mistake.
For the first two weeks there was virtually no growth and the plants were yellowing and dying rapidly, so I bit the bullet and picked up 25 gals. of RO water, drained, and started over. The pH was also bouncing up a full point every day, so I know the hard water was buffering the pH. When I mixed the nutes (GH full strength for veg growth) the pH was down to 5.2, but in the first week has climbed right into the 5.8 range, and is holding well (I checked tonight). 
The plants have responded, and are already showing roots through the buckets. Two of the clones I gambled on and and despite that they had no roots, I plopped them in anyway, and they rooted right in the DWC. They still all look pretty yellow, but the rooted ones are growing, and the ones that weren't rooted are catching up. When I first put them in the uS = 2650 and the PPM = 1540, measured with a Hanna combo meter. If the clones in the tray pop, I'll get some more RO water and start two more tubblers. I'll try to post regularly, but forgive me if I miss a week. It's winter, so the temps in the cab are holding between 70 and 80 degrees, but the 600W light with electronic ballast is heating the farm up! There is zero chance of a grow in any season but winter for me, so I'm trying to maximize the one season grow that I can. 
Anyways, I'm pretty happy so far - more to come soon, and thanks to everyone who pitched ideas for the grow cab. As always, any thoughts or help are deeply appreciated.
Well I'm hip deep in it now. After finishing my grow cab with a lot of great help and input, I've got my first DWC going. I'm keeping three different varieties of mothers to clone from, and the cab can accomodate up to 4 rubbermaid tubblers. The mothers are Agent Orange, a Sativa from a bagseed I sprouted (which luckily turned out to be female) and another known high yielder - all now known females. My first round of cloning was a 75% failure - I was using vermiculite in a tupperware tray covered with plastic wrap, and only 4-5 of 18 clones rooted. I have another round going, this time to the strict instructions I've read on this site. I'm not misting the clones directly, soaked the rockwool cubes in mild General Hydroponic 3 part solution (mixed for seedlings and cuttings), and have a heat mat under them to raise the temp to about 80 degrees. I check them every few hours and I'm keeping the humidity up.
Mothers and Clones
The surviving clones from the first round are now in the tubblers, and seem to be doing well. At first I used straight tap water, which was a huge mistake.
For the first two weeks there was virtually no growth and the plants were yellowing and dying rapidly, so I bit the bullet and picked up 25 gals. of RO water, drained, and started over. The pH was also bouncing up a full point every day, so I know the hard water was buffering the pH. When I mixed the nutes (GH full strength for veg growth) the pH was down to 5.2, but in the first week has climbed right into the 5.8 range, and is holding well (I checked tonight). The plants have responded, and are already showing roots through the buckets. Two of the clones I gambled on and and despite that they had no roots, I plopped them in anyway, and they rooted right in the DWC. They still all look pretty yellow, but the rooted ones are growing, and the ones that weren't rooted are catching up. When I first put them in the uS = 2650 and the PPM = 1540, measured with a Hanna combo meter. If the clones in the tray pop, I'll get some more RO water and start two more tubblers. I'll try to post regularly, but forgive me if I miss a week. It's winter, so the temps in the cab are holding between 70 and 80 degrees, but the 600W light with electronic ballast is heating the farm up! There is zero chance of a grow in any season but winter for me, so I'm trying to maximize the one season grow that I can. Anyways, I'm pretty happy so far - more to come soon, and thanks to everyone who pitched ideas for the grow cab. As always, any thoughts or help are deeply appreciated.
I finally gave in and topped the three bagseed indicas, and as you can see, that just made em bush out completely! I figure about one more week of veg growth, then I'll flip the lights, and go for a full water change with the Lucas nute profile.
